Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa

An RTG casino that will cover you?

Last week we took a tilt at Cash My Bet Casino which had remained obdurately and rather rudely silent on its software and e-cash despite three emails over ten days from us.

We finally managed to get a rather bad-tempered response from someone there who did not have the courtesy to identify him or herself. The email said that they were using Real Time Gaming software, refused to disclose who their e-cash provider was and commented "...if you are in anyway questioning the integrity of CashMyBet.com, then you should know that every account with us is backed upto $100,000 per account by All Star Sportsbook.com , one of the industry's largest and longest Sportsbook and Casino on the Internet."

They then retreated back into the silence of cyberspace and have said nothing more. So we have a reluctantly communicative management using the controversial RTG package on the one hand, but the backing of a powerful sportsbook behind every player account up to a maximum of $100 000 in the event that something goes wrong and they go to the great casino round-up in the sky on the other.

We'd like to give you more detail about that insurance but we can't get it so all we can say is it is definitely a move in the right direction for player protection - but make careful enquiry about it at Cash My Bet if you do decide to play there.

A slow week, but some good offerings

We're not sure whether it is tightening business conditions or just a slow week but the numbers of new casinos in the Arrivals Hall was definitely less than the norm over the past seven days. Nevertheless, there were some that we felt we should pass on for your interest:

Tattsgames.com
After a brief hiatus thanks to the machinations of the Australian federal government and their internet gambling ban Tattersalls are very welcome back online, this time with a licence from Tasmania held through their Hobart-based Tattersalls Interactive Division. The gambling software is that topflight Access as before, and the site has had a cool revamp and is looking very good with a noticeable Asian flavour. Note particularly the innovative use of Flash technology on the BJ and Slots previews. There is a 20 percent signup, free CD, full Support....and of course the security of playing at a well-funded, reputable organisation.

We thought that there might be a connection with Sun Online's Casino Atlantis when we were surfing through the Atlantic Fortune.com site because there was an oblique reference to a top South African land-based group and a weekend at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas was on offer. However we are assured that there is no connection. The new site - Altantic Fortune Casino that is - is impressive none-the-less and is a worthy addition to those big, quality casinos in the top quartile of the market. The software is Microgaming with all the usual facilities backing a 26 game download and 47 game Flash instant play gambling package to the best standards. It includes 4 progressives (Nile Treasure is due to be added soon) and a full range of financial options. The Support sounds as if it may be South African based. There is a mouthwatering range of bonuses, too - $60 signup on anything bigger than a $20 deposit, a $10 grand free lotto, that Atlantis draw and an innovative double up on progressives. Check it out.

Another newbie from Microgaming's studios is Goodfellows Casino.com. We thought the splash page was a little dull but once you get inside it's a fun site with a 'Twenties gangster theme executed very professionally in cartoons. Thjis is one busy site - almost distracting in fact but there is a lot going on. To start with there are of course the games - top notch Microgaming in gambling package that boasts 37 games, twenty five of them no-download Flash and fast. Full Support, a VIP loyalty program and all the other convenient facilities we have come to take for granted from this provider are there - and there are some interesting bonus offers as well. Like a $50 signup with no cash purchase requirement - you have to jump through a couple of hoops for it but hey, nothing's for nothing! During March they will be running a $100 000 draw so it looks as if there is pretty good money behind this one. Then there's a 100 percent matchplay bonus maxed at $200 with a wagerthru' requirement and if you buy chips over $200 you qualify for a Double Your Dough bonus.

The English Harbour New Ventures group of casinos joined the OPA this week (see "OPA on a Roll") and launched a very nice new slots operation too. Super Slots.com features - as the name suggests - only slots games that are sure to appeal to die-hard fans and new players alike. The game action is smooth and the graphics impressive on a wide selection of "machines". There are 25 new games in the gambling suite, including five progressive games, three- and five reel slots, and the Triple Slots game, which allows players to view and play up to three, three reel slot games at the same time. Totals for the SuperSlots progressive jackpots are about to break through the $200,000 mark right now, so they're well worth checking out. An appealing diversity of promos and bonuses make this site well worth a visit.

Looking at the less attractive side of the business

Observers early in the week thought that Bring Me Luck.com had died as a consequence of their privacy debacle that we reported last week. The site seemed to be up and down and up again like a yo-yo, but as we went to press it was up again - and the apology on the entry page had disappeared.

In fact casual newcomers to the site would see little if any indication that things had gone terribly wrong, with player credit card details, gambling records and personal addresses plastered over the internet and little obvious attempt by the casino to warn players to cancel any credit cards they might have used at such a sorry-ass operation . This persuades us to again warn all players to be exceptionally cautious if they have any dealings with this casino.

Another controversial operation, Clock Media's A Sure Bet is also reported to be down and not responding, and interestingly enough that coincides with two new finds powered by this company, namely Secure Gaming.com and Ten Ten Casino.com both of which could be misnomers due to the bad reputation Clock has for its non-random software. You can check out the full reports at Gamemasteronline.

Heads up on yet another RTG-powered casino which would appear to be pushing the honesty envelope. The message boards are showing threads about Blast 21.com and if what the posters are saying is true this casino has some pretty strange ideas on fairness and customer service. It appears that a promo was offered by the casino which was, to say the least attractive to players. The clientele checked with CS and played to the casino rules. In some cases thousands of dollars were involved, and then suddenly the T & C's were retroactively changed and bonuses denied. The grounds for this all-too-familiar dishonest practice? Well, Blast 21 said that junior members of management had screwed up on the promo and it would cost too much. They offered an insultingly small "consolation" amount even to those of their players who had accepted the promo deal and played prior to the T & Cs being changed. As far as we are concerned this is not acceptable or fair casino practice. The players cannot be held responsible for poor casino management. If the casino screwed up it should take its medicine, meet its obligations to its customers and then sort out its internal problems. If it does not, then the damage it sustains from loss of trust and business could be more extensive.

Dr. Ho and English Harbour join up

This week the tenth major casino group to join the OPA was Dr Ho's online operation, followed closely by the English Harbour group of English Harbour, Silver Dollar, Caribbeangold, Cassino Aposte, Superslots casinos - pretty good going for only ten days of operations since the Association was re-launched.

Individual memberships cruised past the twelve hundred mark and are still rising, and the executive team brought out the first newsletter on schedule as promised. The online disputes section continued to function well and complaints are being dealt with at a steady pace with good cooperation from the casinos. Thirty media releases on the "new" OPA went out and as we went to press a penetration rate of over sixty percent had been achieved thanks to an enthusiastic response from the online media.

We're told that more casino memberships are in the pipeline.

The story making the big waves in the industry this week was the demise of Aces Gold Casino and it's stable-mate Sports-Market which went to the wall owing untold millions of dollars to bettors when parent company Seinpost Holdings fell. The two operations had been in business since 1996 and were respected and trusted, and the blunt email notification that the group "has been declared insolvent and has been taken into bankruptcy proceedings" had the industry reeling..

Aces Gold Casino and its sister company, Sports-Market, were the two subsidiaries of Seinpost Holdings out of Curacao.

Incredibly, for a very brief period, there was a warning signal raised about the situation. In January this year, The Shrink, on his website The Prescription, warned that "Sports-Market/Aces Gold is in deep financial distress" but was compelled by threats of litigation to pull the story - a stunning indictment of the guys at Seinpost who must have known they were heading south.

The consensus seems to be that overly generous signup incentives were at least partly to blame for these operations running themselves into the ground. Of course bonus players took full advantage of these ill-advised offers. Other factors like juice-free action on the Super Bowl and other profit-inhibiting practices were said to blame, too. But many sources feel the practice of booking large limits to sharps and syndicates, both post-up and credit, was what finally drove them under.

The situation is a wake-up call for the whole industry that no matter how influential an operation may be, inefficient management can bring it to its knees with disastrous consequences for gamblers too. And there can be little doubt that wise operators will be reappraising their bonusing policies. As we went to press various initiatives were trying to help pick up some of the pieces but the loss numbers were running into the eight figure area.

Jupiters stats get wide coverage

Analytical company Jupiter Media Metrix hit the mainstream media everywhere during the week with their very bullish predictions and statistics on the Got2bet industry.

USA Today was a typical example and reported that Got2bet sites and advertisements for those sites have grown so much in the past year that Jupiter will start tracking and studying gambling as a category, including the ads that seem to be popping up everywhere, such as those at family hubs Hotmail and Yahoo. "There are certain things that have been on the underbelly of the Net," says JMM's Charles Buchwalter. "A year ago, gambling sites and advertising would have been in that category. Many of these sites are actually making it into the mainstream. People are taking notice and spending more time on them."

The newspaper highlights Jupiter's December stats, which show that 13.6 million individuals visited gambling sites and spent an average of 20.2 minutes for the month at those sites. In December of 2000, eight of JMM'S top 15 gambling sites didn't even exist. According to AdRelevance, online advertising by virtual casinos increased 170 percent between December 2000 and December 2001, from 911 million ad impressions to 2.5 billion. The online casino industry now ranks as the fifth largest online advertiser among 138 industry segments -- up from number 11 in December 2000.

Which are the top gambling sites by unique visitors? KScasino.com with 2.3 million; Webstakes.com with 2.3 million; Aceshigh.com with 2.1 million; and Luckynugget.com with 1.7 million.

Top casino advertisers online were again headed by Cassava Enterprises, operator of Casino-On-Net.com with a 46 percent share of online casino ads. Cassava is also the 11th largest advertiser among all internet advertisers in December 2001. Fortune Lounge casino group is the second largest online casino advertiser, with 9 percent of all casino ads, and The RiverBelle is third with 5 percent.

One third of internet gambling visits initiate at work. In December 2001 gambling sites had 10.7 million visitors at home and 3.9 million visitors at work, with 1.0 million people visiting these sites from both home and work. People who visited gambling sites from home spent 22.9 minutes on average on these sites, while visitors from work spent 7.5 minutes at these sites.

Equity research firm Bear Sterns also gets a mention in the USA Today story with the news that some 4.5 million people, half of them U.S. residents, regularly gamble online.

Big Four provider expands player options

Microgaming and World Gaming both now offer no-download versions of their games, and Boss Media is expected to be bringing their product to market soon, so it came as no surprise when Cryptologic announced its new Java-based offering this week after a number of broad hints that it was on the way.

Launching the instant-play Java versions of 14 of its most popular casino games, the software company reiterated its intention to offer consumer-friendly products to help its licensees extend their market reach and create profitable, sustainable Internet businesses.

CryptoLogic's initial Java offering features the favorites - Blackjack and Spice Island Poker table games, as well as eight Video Poker games and four Java Video Slots including popular progressive jackpot games, Super Jackpot and Shoot-O-Rama

Players are promised ease-of-use, instant-play and increased choice within a single account. They can try games quickly and easily before committing to a download; get playing right away while downloading the richer software games in the background; easily switch between Java or download games; or enjoy the convenience of being able to play on different computers. Because Java is platform independent, licensees can also tap into an expanded new market - Macintosh users.

Some managers may need the practise!

Sierra Entertainment, Inc., a studio of Vivendi Universal Publishing has come up with a novel idea for a PC game that might even have practical application in the industry!

The company has launched a casino simulation where "...players take control of a Las Vegas casino and do everything necessary to make it succeed, including populating casinos with the most popular (and profitable) games, handling comps, and attracting high rollers. Each level provides players with new objectives, challenges, and an opportunity to gain prestige, wealth, and status. Along the way, gamers meet a host of helpful characters and have the full resources of their growing casino empire at their disposal. From milking the big spenders, to positioning the most popular slot machines near the cash machines"

Branded "Casino Empire" the game delivers "delivers all the glitz, glamour, sights, and sounds on the massive scale of Las Vegas"

Practice makes perfect!

We truly enjoy these positive, big win stories from the world of the progressives. This week it's all about a player who spent six months playing in practice mode at Omni Casino before having a crack at the real thing. It reminds us of world-famous golfer Gary Player who said "...the harder I practice the luckier I get"

The Omni player, identified by his "handle" Mark went online in "real money" mode this week and within two days he hit two progressive jackpots totaling US$156,518 on a Straight and Royal Flush for $15,220.98 and $137,435.93, respectively on Spice Island Stud Poker. The goddess of Fortune was surely with him, because he hit the Royal Flush while waiting to celebrate his earlier Straight Flush won two hours prior!

Mark's win brings Cryptologic's Jackpot Mania win total so far this year to three $100 grand plus jackpots.

Got2bet's El Dorado?

Our story last week about Aspinall Online's major coup in penetrating the Chinese internet gambling market through Sina.com incited a rash of emails extolling the potential of this market sector.

One of the more interesting referred us to the latest numbers from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). According to this august body, by the end of December 2001, China had 33.7 million Internet users compared to only 620,000 users in October 1997.

Other findings:

• 61.3 percent access the Internet from home, and 45.7 percent log on at the office;
• the average time spent online per week is 8.5 hours, with the most popular log-on time between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m;
• e-mail and search engines are the main services used online, while news is the information most often searched for;
• 31.6 percent said they purchased goods or services online during 2001, with books, music and computing appliances dominating sales. This proportion of online purchasers has changed little since January 2001;
The CNNIC report was compiled from 75,383 responses to a survey, and subsequent telephone interviews.

Paying for pirating a land brand

Aladdin's internet treasure cave took a beating in the USA this week when a federal judge awarded the land-based Aladdin hotel-casino in Las Vegas maximum statutory damages of $100,000 plus interest against an internet casino using the brand without authority.

Giordano Casinos, based in the Bahamas, and its owner Angelo Giordano were accused of linking the Aladdin name to an online casino, Worldbet.net, and of refusing to stop using the Aladdin name to promote an internet gambling site.

An injunction in April 2000 ordered Giordano to stop using the Aladdin name to advertise or promote their gambling, casino or entertainment services. However, the land-based Aladdin claimed that Giordano "blatantly refused to cease and desist in the face of repeated demands and in violation of the court's injunctive orders." It has been an expensive lesson for Giordano, which must additionally pay the Aladdin almost $16 000 in attorneys' fees and costs.

Now PBL's Crowngames has a partner

Australian firms Ecorp Ltd. and Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd. (PBL) have agreed to a 50:50 ownership and joint operational control of the online casino Crowngames.com that PBL launched earlier this year from Vanuatu. Since its launch in January, the casino has attracted players from Southeast Asia, Canada and continental Europe.

Ecorp will contribute approximately A$2.7 million for its share of casino costs to date. “The online gaming sector is growing exponentially. Independent analysis forecasts a four-fold increase in Internet gambling from 1999 to 2003 and industry revenues of US$6.3 billion in 2003,” says ecorp CEO Alison Deans.

Software providers give a peep into the future of online gaming

The week started off with an interesting story in The Prescription, and an interview with several software experts to get a feel for developments on the immediate horizon. Over 160 companies now develop online casino software for casino and sportsbook operators - a dramatic increase from the 93 listed last year, and one that means improved choices and more diversity for the players. Those 160 or so providers supply the games for something like 2 000 online casino sites.

Inet Software General Manager Tony Nigro revealed that they are expanding into new gaming areas. “We currently have two new projects in development, a Horses module and a FLASH Casino.” He explained that with the Inet Horses module, the gambler will have every major horserace track across America at his or her fingertips. With the ability to place all track bets right online, the gambler will have a wide selection of wagering options for each race, including the standard North American bet types (Win, Place, Show) and exotic bet types (such as Quinella, Exacta, Trifecta, etc.). The wagering interface is html based, allowing users to bet from any web browser without difficulty or having to install any extra software. The Horses module is due March 15th. On the casino games front, Nigro said that iNet views FLASH technology as the standard for dynamic web interfaces and applications. “With our Flash casino, the games can be viewed at any size and resolution, and we hope to launch our first casino using this technology in April."

"IQ-Ludorum is taking a ‘single account for all gambling’ approach to its Casino and Sportsbook development during 2002,” says John Roberts, general manager marketing at the company. “From a player perspective, having a single account to cover all gambling needs is convenient and reduces the need for payment into multiple accounts. From a gambling operator perspective, seemless sports betting and casino gaming from an integrated platform will ease administration and increase player loyalty. Each player will be able to gain access to existing US Sports and traditional Casino games offered by the IQ-Ludorum software, as well as to a new progressive engine to support progressive slots, bingo and pools. IQ-L will also introduce new horse betting software and racing feeds for fans of North American racing.” Mr. Roberts anticipates that the new features will be rolled out during the summer of 2002.

Microgaming- powered The River Belle, Gaming Club and Lucky Nugget are in the final development phase of their newest casino software versions. Expected to be launched in the Second Quarter of 2002, they promise “an unrivalled level of player interaction and functionality - not to mention a host of innovative features that will keep players enthralled and entertained online for hours" In typically Microgaming style exact details were not released, but this Big Four company is renowned for quality upgrades, and it is understood that casino operators and affiliates will additionally be more than pleased with affiliate program improvements in the software. According to Julian Perry who heads up the marketing division at MGS, they also plan on expanding their ground-breaking Jackpot Madness progressive network. “During February, Microgaming is rolling out 3 stunning new progressive games to its casino operators,” he says. “With the introduction of Triple evens Progressive Blackjack, Cyberstud Progressive Poker and Jackpot Deuces Progressive Video Poker anyone interested in winning serious money had better look in a Microgaming powered casino.”

Innoco the Korean software provider will also be trying to improve its reputation and marketability. Marketing Manager Joseph Kim says that they are rather ambitiously developing a three-dimensional (3-D) casino game. “The market is saturated with two-dimensional (2-D) casinos. At the current moment, Innoco’s R&D team is developing a full 3-D online casino solution. All the games, including characters, tables, and effects will be designed and programmed three-dimensionally. Utilizing full 3-D will allow players to experience a land-based casino atmosphere from their home computers.” Expect this 3-D online gaming solution to debut in the second half of 2002.

Realtime Gaming will need to get their poor operator image sorted out, but there has been a lot of hard work going on in Atlanta, Georgia where their software team is developing a new generation of online gaming features for this year, claims marketing manager Eddy Kleid. “Among them will be the introduction of multi-player games such as Poker and Bingo. Players from different casinos using RTG software will be able to play at the same game, competing against one another. Also look for multi-casino progressive jackpots for Caribbean Stud, Let Em Ride, Slots, and Video Poker. Realtime will connect almost 40 online casinos to a single progressive jackpot system.” Other enhancements will include: a larger 800x600 screen resolution, two new video poker games and a JAVA software platform. Players can look for these new products around April of 2002.

Mike Aymong, CEO of World Gaming says “World Gaming is working on next generation sportsbook software.” Not new to horse racing, World Gaming is planning its expansion in this area as well. The company is pursuing new content for its pari-mutuel product, from international thoroughbred tracks to world-class motor sports events.” Turning to casino software, Aymong revealed that they have under development multi-player poker, next generation slot machines, and culturally specific games with international appeal. The expansion of the company's back office capabilities remains a high priority, along with the introduction of multi-currency and multi-language gaming environments that will enable operators to attract international players. All new versions are expected out during 2002.

Sounds like 2002 will be a fun year for new gaming

Whatever happened to...?

King Neptune's Casino.com The rumours abound but no-one can get a response from this big, Microgaming-powered casino which has been offline since January, when a notice went up that players with over $20 in their accounts would be paid out and the casino would be "unavailable for several weeks" for an upgrade. Several weeks for an upgrade? Unlikely in our view and as we went to press the site was still silent and inoperative. A persistent rumour is that a major management changeover is in process which will entail relocated servers, but who knows?

Gemstone Casino.com This was at one time a Chartwell-powered Java casino in bed with the notorious Wind 'n Sea outfit headed by Craig Williamson alias Shaun Brady. It has disappeared and the site now re-routes to a Grand Virtual- powered site owned by Universal Amusements Inc and branded Imperial Casino.com.

City of Emeralds.com is no longer available either. The page gives an email address that goes to etmarketing.com - Emerald Technology had a number of casinos a while back with identical designs and layouts to Mike Raufeisen's Universal company, although he denied any connection.

Premiere Casino.com This IGS-powered casino belongs to the Golden Palace group and was this week caught fibbing about it's software. The site carries the following assurance:

"Premiere Casino's software is examined and certified by the Interactive Gaming Council at www.igcouncil.org"

Since the Interactive Gaming Council does not examine nor certify software, such a misrepresentation is disgraceful, and to prove it we contacted the IGC 's executive director Rick Smith and confirmed that that body does not examine, certify or approve the software of ANY of its members...

Cash My Bet.com This is one of those infuriating casinos which launch and then become strangely coy about who supplied their gambling software and which e-cash provider they are using. After ten days and four emails we gave up on them and must assume that they have something to hide. This is fundamental information that the public is entitled to know.

Empire of Gold group efficiency seems to have dropped off dramatically according to posters on several message boards this week. The Empire consists of King Solomans, Columbus and Lucky Liner casinos which changed to the mysterious "Cytech" software when they pulled away from Microgaming last year. It doesn't look as if the change has wrought any improvements - in fact quite the contrary. Players are complaining about poor and slow service, ignored emails and even slower payouts. In today's tight business conditions and a competitive market this is not the time to be going off the boil...

But Bring Me Luck.com gets the prize for the biggest mystery of all this week. Shocked players started receiving presumably hacked emails from the casino manager inviting them to inspect a link which has since been removed. On the link was a website where details of some 500 Bring Me Luck players' credit cards, personal addresses and gambling histories were displayed - gross infringments of privacy all. The site went down and the email went dead leaving players to speculate on what had gone wrong. As we went to press the issue remained a mystery, with the site back up offering a fifty percent "re-up" bonus and apologising for "many unlucky happenings" but no response to email queries. Was it a hacker? Or a disgruntled employee? BML has a chequered track record. For example it was found carrying unearned, unlinked and unrewarded OPA, IGC and other approval badges by the Casinomeister late last year. Shortly after drawing their attention to this blatant dishonesty the Meister found himself inundated with porno spam he had not signed up for, and he was obliged to take action against the BML ISP to stop it. According to the "who is" the BML domain belongs to one Steve Smith of San Jose Costa Rica. Which isn't much help....

Two thousand players later Jackpot Madness breaks $55 million

When registered nurse KateS logged on and started gambling at First Web Casino on the 11th February she never imagined that at the end of her session her financial worries would be over.

You guessed it - she cracked one of the biggest ever Jackpot Madness progressive wins on the Treasure Nile slot - $327 000 and a few hundred in change! In doing so she became the two thousandth Microgaming progressives winner, and took the Jackpot Madness Winners' Circle payout roll to over $55 million.

" I can't believe I won such a big jackpot and I will be paying off some bills, taking the family on a trip and maybe even buy that business I've been dreaming about..." she enthused.

Thanking the online player community for supporting the progressives, press agent Marilyn Glazier revealed an interesting statistic - 23% of the two thousand winners to date have cracked the jackpots on more than one occasion. And an average of more than $3,000,000 is currently paid out every month. Well done Kate...and great work Jackpot Madness!

editor's note: Check out what Jackpot Willi has to say about the progressive slots here!

World Gaming revs up motor racing

Just one of the motor racing industry's many major race meets, the Daytona 500 generates purses in excess of $US 12 million, and boasts more than 200 million fans worldwide. World Gaming has just tapped into this lucrative market after a two year development program.

The London-based software developer has taken the lead in this field by equipping an Antiguan-based motor racing site called Betracer.com for international pari-mutuel motor race wagering. And the launch is nicely timed to coincide with the forty fourth annual Daytona 500 this weekend.

Offering visitors real-time betting on most major motorsport events, including all NASCAR, Formula One, IRL and CART races, Betracer is the Internet's first motor sport pari-mutuel wagering site and service. The software will additionally provide players with the ability to track past performances of their favorite drivers and complete circuit statistics.

Betracer.com is also negotiating agreements that will see their pari-mutuel wagering service available at leading land-based casinos. The company is wholly owned by Betracer Network, Inc. which offers entertaining and informative products and services that appeal to motor sport fans across the globe.

One of the world's hottest casino names this week has been Aspinalls.com, whose online operations have clinched major marketing deals with GMTV and now SINA.com giving access to millions of potential punters. The latest deal, a sponsorship agreement with the leading media and Internet services company for Chinese communities worldwide, SINA.com will promote online gaming to an incredible worldwide Chinese audience of 32 million.

The most important annual event in the Chinese calendar, Chinese New Year provides the launch platform. Aspinalls.com will sponsor the games section in the SINA.com network, which reaches 70 percent of the North American online Chinese community estimated at 2.6 million. Over a four-week period Aspinalls.com will run a targeted marketing campaign, supported by online advertising on the SINA.com US site as well as direct marketing activity through the SINA global network reaching an additional 20.4 million around the world. Reaching 69% of the online Chinese community worldwide, SINA.com receives 25 million monthly visitors and generates 2.2 billion page views each month.

Aspinalls.com's three casinos - The London Casino, Caribbean Casino and Sports Casino - can be directly accessed via the SINA.com website. The Casinos feature all the traditional casino games including Blackjack and Roulette as well as authentic Asian games such as Pai Gow Poker.

Russell Foreman, CEO of Aspinalls Online plc, commented: "The Asian gaming community has always been an important market for traditional gaming operators and SINA.com provides a direct channel to the majority of the 32 million Chinese currently online globally."

Aspinalls has been involved in the tradtional gambling business as an owner of land-based casinos for over forty years, and is a comparative newcomer to the internet gambling industry. But it has produced an electrifying series of marketing coups since arriving and has rapidly built popularity and respect. Rounding off a successful week, the group was unanimously approved for casino membership of the Online Players' Association.

There be gold in them thar internet casinos

Staggering but entirely genuine numbers have been released by Datamonitor researchers highlighting the potential of the Got2bet industry.

Recent research suggests that the Got2bet industry world-wide is set to grow in value from $6.6 billion in 2001 to $20.8 billion in 2005, with the number of online gamblers in the United States and Europe predicted to grow from the current 2.9 million to a predicted 7.4 million in 2005.

$6 million deal an entre to Europe

Leading software provider CryptoLogic took another step toward its European expansion ambitions this week when it announced a major deal with one of the world's largest Internet sports brands and Europe's leading digital sports channel, Sports.com.

Through a license agreement Sports.com will use the company's top-of-the-line internet gaming technology to provide online casino gaming to the millions of users that visit the Sports.com site. The arrangement will also enable Sports.com to offer regulated online sports betting services to non-US players at other CryptoLogic licensees.

CryptoLogic has taken a financial interest in Sports.com for approximately US$6.0 million to secure long term agreements at a higher revenue share, a preferential position on advertising and promotion through the company's extensive network and an opportunity to increase CryptoLogic's position.

Sports.com is one of the largest Internet sports brand and content providers in the world. Published in five languages, it has the highest traffic digital network for sports information and betting in Europe with almost 7 million audited unique users via the Internet and wireless devices. Regulated and operating in the UK, it provides its global users with an online wagering service on all major sports and events as a natural complement to its real-time, live and comprehensive sports coverage. It is the primary sports content provider to some of the world's best-known online news sites in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the U.S. including Yahoo, AOL and Lycos as well as supplying news and results to more than 30 newspapers in the UK. Supported by strong financial partners such as Soros Private Equity Partners, IMG, Reuters and Goldman Sachs the company is well funded.

Targeted for launch this Spring, Sports.com's new online casino games will initially use two of Cryptologic's latest products - Java-based games for instant-play and transactions in British Pounds Sterling for the convenience of European users.

A different style of Got2bet entertainment

Internet gambling has clearly made a niche for itself in twenty-first century culture if you believe the credo that you've arrived when the movie industry starts portraying you.

Looking for a little help this week in the way of locations and maybe even investment was a leading independent movie company quaintly titled Jersey Bred out of...where else.... Allenhurst, New Jersey. Their next cinematic offering is all about Got2bet and the storyline shows what happens when two busted bookies, the manager of a Gentleman's Club and a computer hacker are united accidentally by a hot shot lawyer. They take advantage of the World Wide Internet craze and create a global cyber sex and gambling enterprise online. But the trouble starts when an old school, high level, numbers runner steps in for a piece of the action and the boys have to think of a clever way out without losing their fortune.

Well, we have to admit - stranger things have happened in the real-life business - and often!

Here is the real clincher though – the producers intend that the Got2bet venue featured in the film will be one that is REALLY in existence offshore. Whilst the producer is able to fund the movie entirely, it would clearly be more profitable to have an existing online operation pay for half and use the film, tentatively titled The Next Day & Age, as an advertising vehicle. This sounds like one for Golden Palace!

“The name of the investor's operation would be used throughout the film and we would even have them listed in the opening credits as offering production support,” explained Producer, Greg Russo. Well known Got2bet personality and writer for The Prescription - The Sting - is guiding the production team.

Firepay and credit card giant part company

The credit card companies war on internet gambling caused another business divorce this week when Firepay advised its personal account members who gamble online that they could no longer fund their accounts using Mastercard.

The change came as a result of MasterCard's new global policy of no longer allowing its credit cards to be used for funding what it euphemistically decribed as "Internet based stored value accounts" Firepay told customers that it had to bow to Mastercard's policy as part of its commitment to remain fully compliant with all credit card companies, and that the changes had already been implemented.

However, where there's a will there's always a way, and Firepay offered some positive advice, too. They are suggesting direct funding from a bank account and gamblers can go to http://www.firepay.com/fundbank/index.shtml to find out all about it and how to set it up. Firepay know their market, and they have launched a little incentive gamble with prizes of $1 000 every week for players who sign up for the alternative method.

Cytech = IMS = IGS?

RGT Online carried news of more developments this week in an article on Aquaonline, a company which seems to have gone from a Support and e-commerce services supplier to a complete online casino brokerage in a remarkably short period of time.

As we have reported previously, Aquaonline has identified Golden Palace group, the Empire of Gold group and Geisha Lounge and Bonanza Bay casinos as using gambling software provided by Montreal-based IMS and brokered by them. This week Raj Ramanandi, a senior exec at Aquaonline revealed that the IMS software has now been re-branded Instant Gaming Systems. And there are plans to add bingo to its gaming software, with negotiations ongoing with an as yet unidentified bingo software provider.

Are you all still with us.....?

Fast turnarounds on OPA claims

After a brief hiatus whilst the "new" Online Players' Association regrouped, complaints are again being accepted by the Association and business is, as usual brisk. Thus far many of the complaints have been either CSR screw-ups or misunderstandings and the OPA Disputes department has been able to achieve 48 hour turnarounds with the cooperation of most casinos, and is negotiating on others.

Membership signups have continued at a brisk rate, and media releases went out across the industry this week outlining the benefits to players of taking up a free membership. These include:

• LiveHelp Support center - based in the UK to avoid US legal hassles.
• Full-time, paid Complaints desk.
• Online dispute form for members' convenience.
• Online membership application forms for those who were not previously members.
• NOT RECOMMENDED list of inferior casinos to be avoided.
• APPROVED list of casinos who meet set criteria and have joined the OPA.
• Player's and Casino Managers Advisory Boards.
• Operating committee with tight financial parameters.
• Completely refurbished website (in process).
• Use of the webcast facilities at CasinoGazette by the OPA.
• A regular OPA e-newsletter to communicate with members and alert them to special offers or problems

Meanwhile, quality casino signups have been powering ahead with trusted names like Stanley Acropolis, Aspinalls Online, the Sunny Group, Intercasino, Captain Cooks and Illustrated casinos all achieving "OPA Approved" status. OPA members are encouraged to strongly support these well funded and reliable operations which have been thoroughly vetted by the executive and the highly experienced Players Advisory Board. The casinos will be constructing special OPA member benefits in the weeks ahead, and "The Fair Deal" OPA newsletter launched this week will be used to inform members on the different offers.

At last - a casino that is upfront on bonus abuse

Experts have been saying it for months, probably years - why do casinos offer bonuses to players whom they subsequently have to lock-out for taking too much advantage. With cutting-edge software, many of the casinos have the ability to sort the wheat from the chaff through their player databases and identify gamblers whose only interest is to soak up bonuses without risking their own money.

This week some surprised "advantage players" received a polite but firm note from Captain Cooks casino advising them that their accounts had been closed "because of your play over the past year. It has become apparent you only play when there is a promotion on offer and you always cashin more than you purchase. We have checked your betting and this is not simply because you are lucky each time but because you are systematically meeting our wagering requirements and cashing in our bonuses. This behaviour cannot be tolerated and ruins the experience for other serious online gamers because the more bonuses you cashin the less bonuses we can give to our real (valued) players. Your account will not be re-opened - If you have any queries about this please feel free to contact me."

Taking the time and trouble to identify consistent advantage takers and then being proactive in locking them out will save time, money and trouble for both casino and regular players.

English is still the dominant language of the internet

Latest surveys on the percentage of world internet users who "speak" the main language groups show that English, at 43 percent is still the most widely used and understood Internet language.

Closest rival is Japanese at 8.9 percent with Chinese at 8.8 percent. German is in the fourth slot at 6.8 percent, followed by Spanish at 6.5, Korean at 4.6, Italian at 3.8 and French at 3.3. Portuguese and Dutch are at the bottom of the list with 2.6 and 2.1 respectively.

This week's choice

Among the eleven new casinos we picked up this week we thought the following were worth a visit:

Europe's Card Room.com This was the better of several new Poker.com-powered sites sporting seven download and multiplayer poker games of good quality on a professional and efficient site. This one has a cool, cosmopolitan theme and carries full Support, a small progressive jackpot, chat facilities and on the cash side IFUND-SFPAY in the United Kingdom, NetTeller and Firepay. There are some appealing promos including daily hi-hand $250 jackpots and a draw for a luxury trip to Monte Carlo. Poker on TV.com from the same supplier is equally well appointed and designed.

We hesitated over including this next one purely because it is using RTG download gambling software and given that company's current troubles a visit may not be a good idea. However, it is a well presented casino and to be fair it deserves a mention. British Isles Casino.com caused some consternation when it inexplicably went down for a few days, but it is now back and firing on all cylinders. The Isle of Man owner has supervised a very nice site with a pronounced Brit feel to it and that download, 14 game quality gambling suite for which Real Time Gaming is so well known. We still can't understand the boilerplate phrase on all of the RTG sites which avows that it is "...fully insured" but we depair of ever getting a straight answer to that. There are full Support facilities, e-cash through EZPay, a VIP program and one of the widest bonus ranges we have seen with $20 send-a-friend, midweek extra ten percenters on big wins, a 20 percenter signup maxed at $200 with a x4 wagerthrough and others. Quite extraordinary generosity.

Take a look, too at Casino On Net Virtual Vegas.com which stands out from the usual mediocre run-of-studio offerings from Starnet / World Gaming. Despite the rather cheeky use of the Casino On Net brand in their domain, this is a well-designed and appealing casino with all the usual World Gaming services and that tried and tested java and download 23 game gambling suite. As usual there is a sportsbook on site too, and that links to soccerbettingonlinenet.com.

Happy Chance Casino.com doesn't identify their pretty average download gambling software which features 7 games including bingo. Don't depend too much on the "licence" which comes from somewhere called Kalmykia or the unexplained legend "100 percent insured" which it probably isn't. The site is well designed and easy to use, with USA, UK and Tokyo tollfree'd 24/7 Support but if you're in Costa Rica or Cyprus (which is where the owner is headquartered) you will be barred. There's a $30 signup and a $50 on $30 special deposit, with another "February Special" advertised of $100. This bonus stuff get's crazier by the day...

Investors who bet on this one are winning

With a turnover for the year of almost sixty two and a half million Euros and net winnings at a healthy 4.5 million Euros - more than double last year's numbers - the team at BetandWin.com have a reason to party this month.

The Austrian internet company operates internet sportsbooks and the online casino Triple A, all of which have been enjoying growing popularity with gamblers internationally due to canny marketing, good client service and fast payouts. Any internet gambler will tell you those are the things that count. Proof that they have the mix just right are the membership numbers - as at the end of last year they had 260 000 members on board, 24 000 of them regularly active - an increase of forty five percent over the previous years numbers.

Their net winnings margin for the sportsbook side was 7.8 percent, and 2.9 percent on the casino operation - well within the internationally customary range of 2% to 3.5%.

Look for more action from this dynamic dotcom - whilst they are investing in a series of improvements at a number of levels in the organization, BetandWin claims that it will still have sufficient capital to finance a very aggressive growth strategy.

WOL and Casinomeister recommended by CBS

Congratulations are in order for Casinomeister owner Bryan Bailey and Chuck and Max over there at Winneronline.com. In a well-researched article on internet gambling this week for the widely read CBS Marketing Watch 'zene, writer William Smith says, and we quote " do the research. Check the message boards at review sites like Winneronline and Casinomeister to see what's being said about who and why. Crooks and cretins alike can get called to account pretty fast in cyberspace; if people are complaining about a specific site, stay away."

The article is called "Improving Odds in Got2bet" and it is well worth reading as an incisive overview of the joys and pitfalls of internet gambling.

We've been WOL and CM members for some time and these webmasters are tireless in their efforts to run portals of integrity and value. That doesn't just happen and we know how much sheer hard work and attention to detail is necessary.

The Casinomeister had another feather to add to his cap later in the week when it was reported that Jerry Patterson's new book "Blackjack - a Winner's Handbook" also commends the Casinomeister site - only one of three portals mentioned. The others, btw were Got2bet and Internetgamingcommission.

So far, so good say the players

We've been following this story, so we'll start with a brief recap on the Real Time Gaming situation. For months far too many RTG-powered casinos have been doing the slow-or-no pay dance with players. Matters came to a head when three casinos shut down leaving players unpaid, and RTG's Michael Staw went on the WOL message board to reassure everyone as business was waning.

An RTG site to handle complaints was opened and Staw gave his word that RTG would do the right thing. Since then players have been registering complaints with the inevitable skepticism that nothing would be done, but this week ex-Casino Merlin players started receiving payments. Players with beefs about The Casino Online and World Play Casino - two other casualties - have not yet received any payments so the jury's still out on this.

Meanwhile players are still unhappy with the slow-or-no pay situation at other RTG casinos and Staw will have to get that under control. But for now it's looking good and is a step in the right direction if RTG wishes to recover the gamblers' respect and trust.

Another involved and active casino manager

With the exception of regular visitors like client-sensitive Ryan Hartley of Intercasino, players don't see that much of casino managers on the message boards. At least not openly. That's a pity because with a frank and open approach and a willingness to answer questions it can be a mutually useful experience.

This week saw the appearance on several occasions of the manager from Dr. Ho's well known online casino operations. With a refreshingly informal attitude he - or maybe it was a she - discussed a range of player opinions and suggestions and gave a hint at some good things yet to come from the company.

It also transpired that the 2icorp - Home Gambling Network people had attempted to enforce their video-streaming in internet gambling patent on the king of Hong Kong gambling but he wasn't having any - quote - "We can't comment on litigation that's underway, but suffice it to say, we are actively defending the HGN lawsuit, which we believe is without merit. "

Many people are of a similar view and are watching the moves with interest. In the meantime keep up the good work Dr Ho manager - you're doing it right and your non-spamming presence is welcome.

Industry leader Cryptologic published impressive annual results this week, commenting "Even in a challenging year that closed on a softer note, we exceeded our 20% revenue growth objective and were near our 45% net margins target.''

But it was not just the numbers that made for positive reading. CEO Jean Noulting covered a wide spectrum of industry detail that was of interest to analysts and gamblers alike and included the following:

Business will be under pressure in the first quarter 2002 but after that there will be a return to stronger momentum in the latter half of the year as growth initiatives including Littlewoods, new licensees and new Java, bingo and poker products roll out and gain traction.

Internet gaming is in its formative years, and therefore will have its ups and downs. The reality is that the industry is a multi-billion dollar business and is here to stay.

Cryptologic has decided to write-off for now the $1.3 million associated with the insurance claim arising from the system intrusion last year which caused glitches in their odds system. While the claim is subject to ongoing investigation, the company felt a prudent and conservative approach was appropriate.

For fiscal 2001, revenue rose 27% to $43.6 million compared to $34.4 million last year.

CryptoLogic remains well funded with $59.6 million in total cash at the end of 2001

Internet gaming is a major business, but market dynamics continue to change. The industry is getting broader, more sophisticated and competitive. As a result, turnkey providers need to emphasize marketing, consumer-oriented development, regulatory compliance and brand name, land-based customers as the keys to sustainable, profitable growth.

Littlewoods Leisure, a top UK gaming brand with a trusted name, an established customer base of 1.6 million households, and priority focus in Europe will be online soon, one of the world's first highly regulated sites licensed in the Isle of Man.

New features introduced in 2001 focused on increasing customer loyalty and included: progressive games with some of the largest jackpots on the Web; the convenience of a new pound sterling casino offering for a growing European player base; continuing investment in customer relationship management software for sophisticated licensee user analysis; and 5th generation software release with new tournaments and VIP features. CryptoLogic acquired WinnerOnLine, a well-regarded portal with player-focused gaming content and over 350,000 unique visitors each month.

New bingo and poker products will be released in the next few months.

This year a new dimension to the Crypto gaming package can be expected following the addition of a Java development team.

Although anticipating further success in 2002, the company believes that the financial impact of certain credit card issuers no longer accepting online gaming transactions - primarily in the U.S. - is expected to continue in the short term. Nevertheless, the current market trend to change from credit cards to cash-funded payment methods will support the growing global demand for Internet gaming - an estimated $2.5 billion market today and forecasted to grow to $5.0 billion by 2003.

Noulting is predicting first quarter 2002 revenue of between $8.5-$9.5 million and net profits ranging $2.0-$2.5 million; net margins at 24-26%.

Crypto was not the only company reporting better business this week. Confirming the trend another Got2bet group, Betinternet.com, reported improved half-year results thanks to a 500% leap in the number of wagers placed over the internet to a value of 14 million pounds sterling. 1,500 new internet accounts were activated during each month of the half year and the number of bets placed online in December 2001 alone grew to 136,000, compared with 60,000 in May 2001.

Aspinalls goes on GMTV

The online casino arm of Aspinalls plc hit the headlines in Europe with the news that it has clinched a 12-month partnership to promote online gaming with the British female-friendly morning television programme Good Morning TeleVision (GMTV). Aspinalls Online CEO Russel Foreman said that visitors can now access his Caribbean Casino directly via the GMTV website.

"Women often feel uncomfortable in the intimidating atmosphere of a casino, and our research indicates that women are as likely to gamble online as men, compared with real-world casinos where less than a third of gamblers are women," he said.

No financial details were disclosed.

Ownership of GMTV is shared equally between SMG PLC, Carlton Communications PLC, Granada PLC and The Walt Disney Co Ltd.

2002 off to a racing start

Judging by the serious progressives wins last week, and more announcements this it looks as if 2002 is going to be the year of the jackpot!

Top player this week has the handle jwhite8. He invested a dollar and reaped a jackpot worth US$227,653.20 at Intercasino. A long-time player at the casino, he hit the jackpot on Spice Island Stud Poker. Unlike other online poker games, Spice Island offers users the option to place a $1.00 side bet that pays out a progressive jackpot to the player who draws the next Royal Flush. jwhite8 has never, ever drawn a Royal Flush but he did on this occasion - talk about the right luck at the right instant.

Intercasino was also the scene for a 56 year old women player who's retirement fund worries are now gone. Three hours after logging on as a new member Jas3516 hit another huge jackpot of $189 grand and some change. We really enjoyed reading about her good fortune - listen to this:

"I cannot tell you how shocked I was when the wheel hit on ``JACKPOT'' after only 5 spins. When the money started adding up, reality set in ...it didn't finish ringing up until 5:45am. It was accumulating at a rate of $37,000 per hour. Nice hourly income!! AOL kept trying to cut me off because they thought my computer was idle. But I managed to stay on line until the final total........ that's when I got excited. But I didn't yell or scream because I didn't want to wake up everyone in the house. I take care of 3 alzheimer patients, and 1 stroke patient. They were all sound asleep.`` We don't think we could have exercised such control...

While jwhite8's jackpot was the first $100k+ win of the New Year, 10 were claimed in 2001. In total, more than $5.5 million was awarded on over 17,000 wins on Cryptologic's Jackpot Mania wins last year - an average of 47 winners daily.

Your monthly guide to the generous casinos!

Price Waterhouse Coopers have just released their latest audit list on payout percentages from top online casinos, and for the first time the massive Casino On Net group have moved into the top three positions - they're in the number three slot with a payout percentage of 98.11.

Top of the list this time are two Boss-powered casinos Camelot at 98.83 and Gold Club at 98.25. Microgamings first entrant comes in at position four, where Intertops has a 97.67 percentage with Omni from the Cryptologic stable at five with 98.01. Bottom of the list of 33 quality casinos is Floridita Club at 94.08.

First a merger and then bad news

Early in the week Vegas-based slots manufacturer Innovative Gaming Corp. of America enjoyed an surge in share price when it announced plans to acquire GET USA Inc., which owns an Australian Internet gaming software company.

IGC is to issue 49 percent of its outstanding stock of ten and a half million shares to GET shareholders in the acquisition. The idea behind the acquisition is to merge GET's fifty-game Internet gambling software and game titles with its own Linux-based slot operating system, creating products that can be used both in Internet casinos and traditional slot machines.

Two days later the proceedings of the Nevada Gaming Control Board showcased an IGC on the verge of collapse which sought permission to issue 13 million shares of common stock to pay its investors and creditors.

The board approved the application of Innovative Gaming Corp. of America but prohibited the sale of the shares to the public.

Board member Scott Scherer said the stock was "very speculative and a risky investment." He added the issuance of the stock to the security holders and vendors "was the only way to save the company."

Board member Bobby Siller said, "I don't see any other option. It's either this (the stock) or you're under." This will take care of the obligations to the debtors and vendors, Siller said.

The board said there were 350 vendors who were owed more than $3 million plus others who held preferred stock.

Laus Abdo, president of Innovative, said Internet gaming was only a small part of GET, which has 50 employees -- 40 of them software engineers.

Abdo told the board there is a plan in place in which the company hopes to make $17 million in sales this year.

It was revealed during the hearing that Innovative was delinquent in paying money into the 401K accounts of its employees. Loren Piel, a company official, said it has not paid the December amount. And in the past it used employee funds to run the business because of the financial difficulty.

Piel said, "It was a conscious decision to use the funds to meet business obligations."

But he said the delinquency is only $4,000 to $5,000 and it will make deposits "immediately" in the future, plus pay the prescribed penalties.

Siller told Innovative executives the company has been "a ship without a rudder. You didn't know where you were going. You got into questionable business transactions. It looks like the best intentions turned bad."

The company has new officials at the top. The board recommended approval of Minnesota lawyer Thomas J. Foley as chairman of the board and chief executive officer. He took over in October from Roland M. Thomas.

Abdo arrived at Innovative late last year also.

The board allowed former Chief Executive Officer Roland Malcom Thomas to withdraw his application to be licensed as an officer and to acquire control of the company.

Board Chairman Dennis Neilander said Thomas would not have received a license. He said there were inaccuracies in his tax returns; his income reports were not correct and there was an issue of his not reporting his correct net worth.

Crazy Vegas lives up to it's name

Catching a hammering on several message boards this week was Microgaming's Crazy Vegas Casino.

Commenting on the casino's excessive bonus wagerthrough requirement of X 20 on Blackjack, one gambler said that despite the good service he would not be gambling there again, and recommended that the management take calming medication!

Another ten casinos disappear

Players at casinos with Universal software in the Virtual Enterpise group out of Nassau Bahamas are in for a shock next time they visit - it's all gone - software site, casinos the lot. As far as we know with no warnings.

Another one on the way out is Online Casino Casino.com which is on the selling block for a mere US$7 500 but check out the gambler base and the amounts owing to players and creditors first.

Casino 388 has started sending emails to players (nice to see a responsible approach) in preparation for closing, too.

Foxy Roxy and OCB

Those casinos are still coming online as fast as they're closing 'em down. This week we picked up another raft of them, but these were the only ones we felt we should bring to your attention:

Roxy Palace Casino.com This is another of those big Microgaming-powered operations with all the bells and whistles. Fully contactable, round the clock Support, online statements and play record, Khanawake licencing and e-cash through Proc Cyber Services with a host of finance options for players. There's a loyalty program and a superb 37 game download suite which includes all the favourites, progressives, Power Poker and multihand Blackjack too. There are attractive matchplay signups on offer maxed at $100 and twenty percent bonuses on first signups over $100. That won't last long.

Online-Casino-Be.com We're still figuring out the title but this is a cool, professionally presented site which wew think is powered by iCrystal. There are 18 language versions, full Support and a 100 percent signup maxed at $75. The gambling suite consists of 17 download games of average quality and a bias toward poker and videpoker.

Poker.com keeps churning 'em out.

It looks as if the folks at Poker.com have been burning the midnight oil to produce another tranche of eleven online casino and poker room operations.

The company sub-licences World Gaming software on its casinos but additionally offers its own very nice dowload gaming package with seven quality poker games.

Under the agreement, Poker.com will provide seven of the licensees with single and multi player Internet casinos with a full range of casino games, and four licencees with multiplayer poker rooms offering several different variations of poker games including Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, 5 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud and tournaments.

Latest US government stats

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans has released new Census data showing that more than half of American households and more than half of all Americans are now connected to the Internet. As of September 2001, 143 million Americans, or about 54 percent of the population, were using the Internet, and new users were adopting the technology at a rate of better than two million per month.

Children and teenagers are leading the way. Ninety percent (or 47.4 million) of children between the ages of 5 and 17 now use computers at home and at school; 75% percent of 14- to 17-year-olds, and 65 percent of 10- to 13-year-olds use the Internet. Households with children under the age of 18 are more likely to access the Internet (62.2 percent) than households with no children (53.2 percent).

"Today's children are tomorrow's entrepreneurs and innovators," Evans said. "That Internet usage is so prominent among them promises to bring vitality and growth to our economy. "

Evans pointed out that households headed by single mothers with children under age 18 are increasing their Internet usage faster than any other type of household. Five years ago, about 15 percent used the Internet; that percentage has tripled.

Online Players' Association about to relaunch

Spearheaded by CasinoGazette's Mike Craig, intense behind-the-scenes consultations with players and casinos alike have been going on for a couple of weeks now as it has become clear that the Got2bet public did not want to see the Association fade away.

If you go to the CasinoGazette site at www.casinogazette.com and follow the links you will see that work is well advanced on a new OPA business model, operating structure and website, and we would recommend that you take a look and comment as this is all in your interests.

All existing members of the OPA are being contacting for re-registration within a new system which will structure membership into three tiers depending on length of membership in the organisation.

The good news is that it is FREE! The new business model will finance operations through advertising opportunities offered to top quality, reliable and fast-paying casinos, many of whom have indicated a strong interest due to tightening business conditions and a desire to work with the consumer. The same Codes of Ethics and Conduct for both player and casino members will apply.

Among the details now being finalised are:

• LiveHelp Support center - based in the UK to avoid US legal hassles.
• Full-time, paid Complaints desk.
• Online dispute form.
• Online membership application forms.
• NOT RECOMMENDED list of inferior casinos to be avoided.
• APPROVED list of casinos who meet set criteria and have joined the OPA.
• Composition of Player's and Casino Managers Advisory Boards.
• Appointment of an operating committee with strict financial parameters.
• Updated website.
• OPA e-newsletter to communicate with members and alert them to special offers.

Feedback and suggestions are still rolling in, but the likely structure of the new OPA will be a small day to day operating committee supported by a fulltime paid Complaints system and Player and Casino Manager Advisory Boards. Members of the boards will be selected for personal control, experience and commitment and are to have their own private forum for discussions away from the operating committee. The function of the Boards is to oversee the committee and assist it with input by request or otherwise.

It is hoped that the new OPA will be up and running before mid-February.

The site's up, the complaints are going in

RTG exec Michael Staw promised players a site where they could lodge complaints regarding casinos powered by his software, and he has been as good as his word.

Go to players.realtimegaming.com. to lodge complaints. Only time will tell if Mr. Staw is a man of integrity - if these complaints are not handled fairly, rapidly and without any smoke and mirrors players will draw their own very public conclusions.

Meanwhile players have noted that two other RTG casinos have apparently vanished - Casa Monaco and Sharkey's.

Action Online gets a coveted Isle of Man licence

The latest e-gambling company to be awarded stringent Isle of Man licencing is Action Online Entertainment (IOM) Limited, a pioneer in the industry based in the Isle of Man.

This is only the fifth licence so far issued, after the Island's regulatory body satisfactorily completed extensive reviews of the company and its management. Action Online joins MGM Mirage, Sun International, Littlewoods and Rank as the only Isle of Man licensees thus far. Action Online is the only non-public, non-land based operator to be given a license, and has entered into a branding relationship with A&S Leisure, the largest privately held gaming operator in the United Kingdom.

``We are very pleased to be awarded a gaming license in the Isle of Man and look forward to success,'' company Director Jim McKennon stated. ``We chose to apply for one of these prestigious licenses because the leadership and regulation in the Isle of Man for the e-gaming industry represents the highest standards of jurisdictional control.''

Action Online Entertainment will be operating an online casino branded Club Fiore.com and has opened a marketing office in London, with full business operations in the Isle of Man, including casino operations, accounting and Customer Service Centre. Initial market rollout will be in Europe, expanding to other parts of the world.

Yet Another Gambling Conference

ICE (International Casino Exhibition) in London has barely melted away but now everyone is gearing up for sunny Miami and the next conference, which is the Strategic Research Institute's World Internet Gaming Summit -- scheduled for March 21-22 at the Sheraton Biscayne Bay. The organiser promises us that industry leaders will meet to discuss a multi-billion dollar industry "on the brink of another wave of enormous growth."

We know that some of the addresses will be worth listening to - Ted Loh of Orientgaming and Ken Weitzner from The Prescription 'zene to name but two in an impressive line-up of industry experts. Those with a legal interest (and who doesn't these days?) will want to listen to Prof. Joe Kelly and the venerable Frank Catania.

Speakers will not only explain the current state of the market, including the development of emerging technologies and e-cash solutions, but will also discuss emerging, untapped areas of opportunity and growth. And of course it is another great opportunity for networking.

You can get all the detail over at SRInstitute.com, who should incidentally get their speaker research sorted out - Sfizo Buthelezi is the chairman of the South AFRICAN Gaming Board and is definitely not from Latin America!

It looked like a great way to get lucky with a truly significant bonus this week when Golden Riviera Casino ran their Max Stern Is Hiding Something Promotion.

Maybe they were, but it doesn't look as if it was a really big bonus! Players were emailed with this offer:

QUOTE This promotion is valid for the whole weekend and the bonus can be claimed on one purchase that is made BEFORE emailing support.

All you have to do is purchase $30 or more between Friday 25th January and Sunday 27th January 2002. Then choose a letter out of the word M-A-X-S-T-E-R-N and email support@goldenrivieracasino.com with the words 'Max Stern' in the subject. Hidden behind each letter is a number ranging from 10 to 60 - and that is the percentage bonus money you will get off ONE purchase!!!UNQUOTE

Gamblers love taking a chance - but they talk about their results as well and it soon became apparent that the 60 percenter was as elusive as snow in Miami. Experienced players were soon able to construct a list based on their experiences in the promo and most of Max Stern's name was ten and fifteen percenters with just one 20 percenter. One of the players even predicted what the casino would say next - that the 60 was a random rotater - and they did!

Was there really a sixty percenter going? Many doubt it.

Here there be big progressives...

• Rags to Riches (Cryptologic casinos) US$ 185 000
• Caribbean Poker (Cryptologic) US$ 108 000
• LotsaLoot (Microgaming) US$ 49 000
• The Dazzler (Unified Gaming ) US$ 38 000
• Rio Grande (Unified) US$ 30 000

We've seen some lucky winners this week too - Harry in Florida took home $50 000 after hitting the INet powered progressive at Casino Domain, and Sunny casinos added another big winner to their long roll of honour when a forklift driver called Merita W hit the Cash Splash jackpot at Casino Fortune for $136 000 and some change.

Talking about Sunny casinos stay alert this month on their sites as they are offering a wide range of promos including some Valentine's Day stuff that could have you and your partner cruising on a loveboat!

Is it a bird, is it a plane? No it's....Casino Man!

Full marks to the marketing guys over at Fortune Lounge this week for their amusing and effective use of the super-hero theme to entertain and inform players.

Titled "The Adventures of Casino Man and Bet Boy" the team have created a short animated Flash movie. In Episode 1: The Monster Cash-in a blonde heroine who has had a little luck at the games tables is being threatened by a large monster. The monster, which looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger wearing green body paint and a dragon mask, tells the heroine not to expect her winnings any time soon after cashing in. A sadly familiar story to many gamblers.

Enter Casino Man and his trusty sidekick, Bet Boy, to rescue the damsel in distress from this nightmare cash-in problem. Casino Man banishes the creature back to the slow-paying casino hell it came from and assures the woman that "Fortune Lounge always pays lightning-fast."

Bet Boy then chips in with a little bit of friendly advice, reminding people that Fortune Lounge casinos also offer hundreds of dollars in free money. What more could you ask for from a cartoon? The woman is saved, the heroes are triumphant, and there's a happy ending - with money. To view the movie, go to the Fortune Lounge web site and wait for the movie window to appear.

Virtgame is having a busy month

Between pitching for brand names and sewing up online access systems last week Virtgame management was getting into the wireless field too - the company has certainly developed wideranging interests.

VirtGame will apparently be working with Sindhara SuperMedia Inc. according to an announcement from the company this week which says that the two are "looking to offer an advanced wireless multimedia platform" in order to further the development and marketing of Casino gaming, Lottery and Race and Sports Book applications for the wireless environment.

``Everyone is looking for the next Killer Application for wireless devices,'' said Scott Walker, president and CEO of VirtGame. ``We believe wireless gambling will be the next Killer Application,''

Sindhara brings a SuperMobile Media platform to the party in Virtgame's quest to pioneer the use of wireless devices for on-net gaming applications.

Senators say it helps terrorism

The legislators were back in action again this week, trying to ban internet gambling and cautioning a Senate committee on the need for laws to ban Got2bet as a way to impede money laundering by terrorist groups.

Ohio Republican. Michael Oxley told the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee that two of the top methods that terrorist supporters use to hide their laundered money trail are Internet gambling and credit card fraud and that denying these routes to terrorists is now urgent.

There are currently three Internet gambling bills in the House. H.R. 556, introduced by Rep. James Leach (R-Iowa), and H.R. 3215, introduced by Rep. Robert Goodlatte (R-Va.) seek to prohibit banks and individuals from accepting credit cards, checks or electronic funds transfers as payment for Internet gambling. Rep. John LaFalce (D-NY) has also introduced similar legislation, in bill H.R. 2579. LaFalce said that Internet gambling is growing astronomically and argued, "If we don't deal with that issue, we're going to have unbelievable money laundering taking place globally.”

BUT ....on the positive side there was better news, as our next item shows...

The big pockets speak out

Positive signs of some seriously big-pocketed opposition to the legislators' attempts to ban Got2bet also surfaced this week in a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which opined “The mainstream casino industry appears poised to oppose a bill that would prohibit online wagering. ”Frank Fahrenkopf, the American Gaming Association's chief lobbyist in Washington, said an Internet gambling ban proposed by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, would treat casinos more harshly than other segments of the gambling industry.

”For example, Fahrenkopf said, Goodlatte's bill would not prevent a person from placing a pari-mutuel bet over the Internet to Las Vegas. But the bill would bar that same person from using the Internet to play a Megabucks slot machine connected to a centralized computer in Nevada."

Goodlatte denied this and insisted this week his bill does not treat casinos differently than the rest of the gambling industry, but a study of his bill shows that there are differences that suggest discrimination.

MGM Mirage recently obtained a license from the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom to operate an Internet casino Web site. Park Place CEO Tom Gallagher, despite his reservations, also acknowledged last year that Park Place was considering applying for an Internet gambling license.

Major news media echoes The New York Times view

Last week's New York Times article on credit card companies blocking Got2bet transactions helped many people in the industry to understand the tighter business conditions casinos face these days. This week the prestigious CBS Market Watch came to similar conclusions in a story by William Spain.

Spain writes that many Americans are finding it more difficult, though far from impossible, to lay online bets lately. And it has nothing to do with a lack of supply, demand or new legislation. Bettors' credit is being cut off. It has had significant impact - Sebastian Sinclair, an analyst at Christiansen Capital Partners who tracks Got2bet says "It has been a pretty tough year. For the first time, I made downward revisions in revenue estimates because so many credit-card issuers and banks have disallowed these transactions."

Sue Schneider, chief executive of River City Group and an executive with the IGC, attributes the slump to new no-betting policies by major credit-card issuers, including Wells Fargo and Citigroup. "Business is off quite a bit," she said. "The demand is still there, but players don't have such an easy mechanism. U.S. gamblers are finding it more difficult to fund an account."

Essentially, Sinclair said lawmakers "are trying to use Visa and MasterCard to police and stop e-gambling."

"Chargebacks" also are a growing issue.

Fortunately for Web-betting operations, the credit card problem is apt to be short-lived. If the credit-card companies won't process bets, there are various third-party processors, including PayPal and Net Teller, that will, and the article points out that people who want to play will always find a way to pay. "If a [betting site] is smart it is already trying to wean its customers off using credit cards," Sinclair said.

Business might be slower, but it is far from moribund. Sinclair estimates total Internet gambling expenditures stood at just over $3 billion last year - more than $500 million below his previously issued figures. He expects the total to rise to $4.1 billion this year and $6 billion in 2003, also well off previous estimates.

Those numbers are attracting some big names as multinationals like Playboy Enterprises, Sun International and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. line up to get piece of the action. Brick-and-mortar American operators are also eying the territory, with MGM Mirage among the more outspoken explorers and Park Place vowing not to be left behind when and if this market opens for good.

"Consolidation has begun with the entrance of major brands," Sinclair predicts. "Although at this stage it is still anyone's game, it will [eventually] be huge and dominated by a handful of players."

Boxing smart on the advertising front

Golden Palace has an unfortunate history of maltreating players, but you have to give them credit for some diverse advertising ploys - from ads in the john to tattoos on the backs of high profile boxing champs.

That last one got them into a spot of trouble with the Nevada Athletic Commission this week, but the wiley GP marketers ensured it received maximum publicity - and probably generated more business.

Marc Ratner, executive director of the Commission, has been quoted as saying such ads are "a distraction" and "demeaning to the sport." "If they want to advertise on the trunks, that's fine with us, but we feel that the body is not meant to advertise. " Ratner was quoted as saying.

GoldenPalace.com officials counter that it is increasingly difficult to "demean" a sport where fighters brawl at press conferences. They believe boxers have a First Amendment right to wear such tattoos in the ring. They also wonder if the Nevada Athletic Commission would be as quick to ban such advertising if the proponents weren't promoting an online casino.

"My take is that they shouldn't have any say on what the boxers put on their bodies," said Eric Amgar, coordinator of sports and events for GoldenPalace.com. "You've seen boxers like Angel Manfredy and Johnny Tapia covered with tattoos. Nobody told them anything."

Ratner has also raised safety concerns about tattoos smearing onto an opponent's gloves. But Amgar said there is no risk to either fighter. "We've done our research and we've learned as we've grown and we've found a way to make it stick," he said, adding that people have been wearing henna tattoos for 3,000 years.

We think GP will get away with this - and they will have cornered a large amount of publicity in the process...

And look who's offering it!

Yes - it's Golden Palace. The announcements went out this week that GP now offered a `WinaMillion'' slot that it claims is the first of it's kind to appear on the Internet.

The game itself is a 5-reel slot machine with 5 different paylines. The coin size ranges from $0.25 to $5.00

Software list

The more experienced online gambler likes to be in the know regarding what software he is playing in a particular casino, and this week the staff at winneronline presented an updated list of main software providers and the casinos they power.

You can find it on this link http://www.winneronline.com/software/

Thirty six suppliers are listed - good and bad - with easy clickovers to casinos and to software reviews.

Pick of this week's casinos

There were plenty of newcomers this week - we counted around 14 of 'em - but most were at best average and therefore not worth singling out here, where we look for the better offerings.

You go girl casino.com was our first choice - this is a 16 game RTG download casino in the Gambler's Lobby group owned by Gambler's Network out of Panama City. Sister casinos are Gambleamillion and Gambler's Lobby. All offer full upfront information, fully contactable 24/7 Support and e-cash via Comp-e-cash and Firepay with PayPal on board too. Danes are blanket-banned.

Pyramid casino.net is an online casino and sportsbook owned by Pyramid Sports out of Costa Rica that has recently received a major revamp including a new set of gambling software - RTG's impressive 32 game downloadable suite of top quality. There is a sportsbook on site too. Full 24/7 Support on a simple but clean and workmanlike site.

Last but very definitely not least we have Challenge-casino.com, which is a typically big and well made Microgaming powered casino operated by Spock International NV out of Curacao NV. Tons of upfront information, a Flash and download suite of 35 quality games including five progressives and multihand BJ. There is fully contactable round-the-clock Support, a newsletter, free CD, Play and Cash Check and a $30 signup on any deposit over $30. The e-cash is through e-Processing Services and there are a wide range of options including ACH and PayPal. The site is rather plain but fast and easy to work with.

Cruising for the largest cash prize in online poker history

Here's one for the poker players - a chance to win a cruise and maybe a million dollars in an online tournament.

PartyPoker.com this week began the semi-final rounds of the PartyPoker.com Million Tournament. 2,504 semi-finalists from around the globe will compete to win one of the 100, all expenses paid, finalist spots onboard the PartyPoker.com Million cruise in March. Finalists will play in the live tournament in an attempt to win the guaranteed first prize of $1,000,000 -- the largest ever in online poker history. The online semi-finals will run through Monday, February 4, at which time the 100 finalists for the cruise will be announced.

The PartyPoker.com Million finals will take place from March 10-17, 2002. The 100 online qualifying finalists will join many of the world's top poker players, as well as other paid entrants, on a Mexican Riviera cruise aboard a Carnival cruise ship to play for the $1,000,000 guaranteed first prize. World-renowned poker champion and founder of the Tournament of Champions, Mike Sexton, will host the weeklong tournament.

The semi-finals will consist of two rounds of play beginning at 8 p.m. EST. Round 1 consists of 200 tables, and winners from this round advance on to Round 2, consisting of only 20 tables. Each player is given $1,000 - $3,000 in chips in Round 1, depending on bonus points accrued from earlier play, and $1,000 in chips for Round 2. Semi-finalist winners advance on to the cruise March 10-17 to compete for the $1,500,000 total prize pool.

More games, a facelift and bonuses

Big Flash Casino.com relaunched this week after a revamp which has left the no-download site with 47 quality games, a new look and some cool promos. Powered by Microgaming the casino is well-established and has all the trimmings typical of a big casino from this provider.

The casino is one of five operations connected to the Jackpot Factory gaming portal and has special gaming features for instant-play. Among these features is a flash version of the extremely popular progressive slots, including Cash Splash.

New promotions include a $1000 bonus for any jackpot won on a progressive jackpot, the popular February Lotto Fever, and a player loyalty program.

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa