Second global training course scheduled in London for some 100 managers

The practical use of effective measures to promote responsible gambling at over 100 top Internet casinos and poker rooms will receive added impetus at the end of this (May) month when online standards and player protection body eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) holds its second global training session in London, UK.

Online casino and poker room managers are concerned and committed to resolving the problems surrounding underage and problem gambling. Managers responsible for handling these issues around the world will converge on London for two days of intensive training by a team of specialists from the international Global Gambling Guidance Group (G4).

Last year a similar session was held in Cape Town, South Africa for eCOGRA sealed sites.

Andrew Beveridge, CEO of eCOGRA said that the course is part of an ongoing requirement for online casinos and poker rooms holding the "Play It Safe" seal to have trained members of staff overseeing effective responsible gaming measures.

"Because online gaming is so popular, attracting many millions of players worldwide, responsible operators know that keeping their site and their players safe is critical to their long term business goals and the overall good of the industry," he said. "We are pleased with the commitment in this area of our "Play It Safe" operators, who have now included specific responsible gaming measures, aids and advice on their sites and appointed staff to look after this critically important operational requirement."

Through lectures, homework and practical workshop sessions, attendees will learn how to identify problem gamblers using Brief Intervention Techniques (BIT) such as the Balinth method and role play exercises to learn how to intervene and deter these situations from arising. Delegates will also analyze case history material, and learn how to develop the latest front-line strategies using BIT through telephone and e-mail consultations with players. The impact of problem gambling on players' families will also be examined in detail, together with appropriate interaction at this level.

Beveridge views responsible gambling best practices as a vitally important requirement for the industry from both a compassionate and business perspective.

"Because our software supplier members and seal casinos handle the majority of the industry's revenue and player activity, we feel it is eCOGRA's obligation to ensure that responsible gaming is a top priority," said Beveridge.

"Allowing underage or problem gamblers to play is morally wrong, and could have industry wide commercial and legal consequences. Our third party audit teams pay particular attention to compliance by eCOGRA certified casinos and poker rooms and there are very few, if any online gambling venues that can match the effort and commitment our operators have invested in this area."

Goodlatte Bill goes before House Judiciary Committee on Thursday

The industry will be closely following proceedings in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee today (Thursday) as Rep Bob Goodlatte's Bill HR 4777 comes up for futher discussion and debate among the forty strong committee members.

The Bill seeks to prohibit Americans from playing and wagering at internet gambling sites and aims to hamstring financial channels used to fund Internet gambling.

The committee will be deciding how they want to report the bill to the full House of Representatives. The committee can decide to pass the Bill on to the House as it is, pass it on with agreed amendments or pass on a substitute Bill which means the committee is offering a different version to take the place of the original bill.

Media coverage has centred around a number of expert opinions that the attempt to ban the $12 billion industry from U.S. shores will again fail, as online gambling sites operate offshore and out of reach of American law.

David Carruthers, CEO of the U.S. facing gambling group BetOnSports, which is listed in London seems confident that the attempt will fail: "Are they likely to succeed? I think not." He goes on to opine that the United States is likely to become fully open and regulated within five years.

"That view is based on the pure economic reality, and the emergence of regulation across the globe," he said. "The United Kingdom and other jurisdictions are setting the pace, and you can not ban this activity. There are far too many people participating, and the U.S. tax authorities are not going to pass up this opportunity of generating revenue," he added.

Other experts said they did not expect to see a resolution in the near future."I would not be surprised if there were some compromise passed within the next two Congresses," said Harold Krent, dean of the Chicago-Kent College of Law. "But I would not expect any kind of compromise passed in the near future."

Banking represetatives have already indicated their resistance to having to police anti-online gambling financial measures. Analyst Richard Carter at London's Numis Securities said Goodlatte's bill was likely to meet resistance from the financial institutions for the same reason.

Analysts also point to the problems associated with vested interest "carve outs," for example in horse racing which will again prersent hurdles to the bill's progress. "Previous attempts to outlaw online gaming have been bedevilled by wheeling and dealing over exemptions for vested interests in other gambling sectors," Carter said in a research note.

The bill also appears to contravene a World Trade Organisation ruling that the United States should not discriminate between domestic and overseas bookmakers, and on conflict between the US "moral objection" to online gambling whilst permitting horse race betting via the Internet.

The time factor is important, too - there are relatively few congressional days in which the bill could be heard before U.S. elections in November. "We continue to view the possibility of any bills getting through both the House and the Senate during this term of Congress as very slim," said Carter.

Charles Wilson at Bridgewell Securities said that while the anti-gambling campaigners were unlikely to succeed, they had regularly caused problems for related share prices. "I don't think they can be ignored, because the noise that surrounds them is impacting the shares," he said.

Opposition to the Bill is intensifying from lobby groups of various perspectives, major companies carrying on their own campaigns and the Poker Players' Alliance that claims it represents tens of thousands of American poker players. Michael Bolcerek, the president of the Poker Players Alliance, is currently in Washington performing last minute lobbying with members of the House Judiciary Committee.

Bolcerek claims that the legislation will turn private companies into the government’s “morality police.” It would require Internet service providers to remove gambling related hyperlinks and force banks to monitor purchases and transactions to ensure that people aren’t gambling online.

According to a PPA press release: “The plan is an affront to civil liberties. If the committee passes the bill, your ability to enjoy poker online will be at serious risk.”

PPA is urging Americans to call the members of the Judiciary Committee and voice their opinion on the bill.

STOP PRESS:

As we went to press this week the news was emerging through IGN that the U.S. House Judiciary Committee approved Rep. Bob Goodlatte's HR 4777, "Internet Gambling Prohibition Act" as well as Rep. James Leach's HR 4411, "Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006."

The decision of the committee means that both bills take another step forward and will proceed to the full House of Representatives for further consideration.

Predictably, the question of allowing Internet horse racing betting came up and was debated, with an amendment introduced that clarifies that HR4777 makes no judgment about the legality of remote horse race wagering and instead leaves the issue to the Department of Justice to interpret whether or not it believes the Interstate Horseracing Act permits such wagering. Rep. Chris Cannon was mainly responsible for the amendment and revealed that he and Goodlatte had worked together to create the recent amendment to make Goodlatte's bill clearly neutral on horse racing. Cannon and Goodlatte also stated that the Department of Justice approves of the Goodlatte bill in its new amended form. The move was seen as a sidestep designed to avoid the "carve out" pitfalls that have had such a negative effect on earlier attempts to strangle online gambling.

Another amendment, proposed by Rep. Robert Wexler and intended to include all remote pari-mutuel wagering, including dog track and jai alai wagering as part of the horse racing carve-out, failed.

A follow-up amendment attempt by Wexler sought to ban all online gambling, but Goodlatte urged against the bill on the grounds that it would restrict states' rights - another contentious area in the past. Goodlatte called the amendment a "poison pill," stating that it threatened to kill the bill by removing protections that ensure legal gambling stays within the states. Wexler's second amendment was also defeated.

Goodlatte stated that that he is working with the banking industry on their problems with his legislation and will continue to do so, thus adroitly side-stepping other amendments that Rep.Robert Scott had been about to propose in regard to the obligations placed upon the banking sector.

Scott introduced an amendment that would have caused a furore among online gamblers. He sought to impose a criminal fine on anyone who places an illegal wager over the Internet, but it was defeated.

After almost an hour and a half of debate and consideration, Goodlatte's bill came to a vote before the committee in its amended form and passed 25-11. Before the committee moved on to the next order of business, Scott submitted to the record a letter from the government of Antigua that stressed concerns that Goodlatte's bill violated international trade laws established by the World Trade Organization.

Goodlatte's office distributed a press release almost immediately after the bill's passage. According to the statement:

"The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act allows states to continue to regulate gambling within their borders with tight controls to be sure that it does not extend beyond their borders or to minors. It also prohibits a gambling business from accepting certain forms of payment, including credit cards, checks, wire and Internet transfers, in illegal gambling transactions. The legislation also allows federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials to seek injunctions to prevent and restrain violations of this Act and obtain cooperation in the fight against illegal gambling."

Later in the afternoon the committee addressed Rep. James Leach's Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. The bill passed by a voice vote in less than five minutes, with the only relevant action of note being a proposed amendment from Cannon that attempted to make the bill more consistent with the Wire Act by clarifying that wagers that violate the Wire Act should be blocked. Rep. John Conyers stated that he opposed HR 4411 and Rep. Scott stated that it, like HR 4777, does not appear to prohibit online gambling, only the offering of such services.

It is anticipated that the Judiciary and Banking Committees may work to integrate the two bills.

More background on the House Judiciary Committee mark-up hearing today of Rep Goodlatte's HR4777 Bill seeking to damage online gambling in the United States.

Three House members from Nevada -- Jon Porter (R), Shelley Berkley (D) and Jim Gibbons (R) - this week introduced legislation for an 18-month study of online gambling and whether games could be regulated and taxed, as they are in Britain. Goodlatte said in opposition that such regulation could not exist in the U.S.A. because gambling is regulated at the state, not federal, level.

The Goodlatte bill effectively would prevent state lotteries from taking their games online, due to claims that the technology does not presently exist to reliably keep gambling within a state. Fantasy sports leagues would be exempt. Goodlatte has skirted one area where he can expect difficulties by saying that his bill "is neutral" on parimutuel horse wagering (a powerful interest lobby), which has an online component that is the cause of an ongoing struggle between Congress and the Justice Department.

The legislative fight over an earlier version of Goodlatte's bill was at the center of the recent Abramoff lobbying scandal, which led to guilty pleas by Abramoff and four former associates, including three former congressional aides. Abramoff's client, a gambling services company, opposed the bill, and the lobbyist funneled $50,000 of the client's money to the wife of a key aide to former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.). The aide, Tony Rudy, pleaded guilty to charges that he conspired with Abramoff to corrupt public officials and defraud his clients. Questions about DeLay's role contributed to DeLay's decision to leave Congress.

The current Goodlatte bill is backed by religious groups such as the Southern Baptist Convention, professional sports leagues such as the NFL and online-auction giant eBay Inc. On the other side are members of Congress from casino-supported Nevada, who introduced rival legislation; casinos; an organization of small banks that says its members do not have the manpower to block all gambling transactions; and a vociferous group called the Poker Players Alliance. Civil liberties groups have also expressed concern at the possibility that interference with the freedom of the Internet through directives to ISPs could eventuate.

The Independent Community Bankers of America, a group of about 5,000 small banks that opposes Goodlatte's bill, said previous attempts got bogged down in complications and had little chance of passing. But Stephen J. Verdier, senior vice president for congressional affairs for the small bankers, said the Abramoff scandal "has raised the political saliency" of Goodlatte's bill. "It's kind of got us a little worried, frankly," he said.

Though banks have the right to examine all transactions and block them if required by law, they are in the business of making customer payments as quickly and accurately as possible, Verdier said, "not trying to decide if you're a good person or a bad person."

Inaugural Party Poker tourney generates $500 000 prize pool

What is probably the biggest poker prize in Russian gambling history was paid out this week to a 27 year old Moscow-based professional player who won the first Party Poker.com St. Petersburg Open poker tournament in Russia.

The media were describing Peter Vlasenko as Russia’s Poker Tsar after the young professional hit an $84,000 jackpot at the event, held in St. Petersburg’s Golden Garden Casino which, over an action-filled four days, generated an incredible prize pool of more than $500,000.

Although the tournament attracted a number of top international players, the final table consisted of 5 Russians and a Brit. None of the final table contestants qualified by Internet satellites.

"This is the first time I have won such a large amount of money in a single day," said the elated poker champ, who was closely chased by Mark Vronskiy, a 43-year-old poker pro from St. Petersburg at the end.

PartyPoker.com spokesman Warren Lush said: "We're delighted to be involved with an event that boasted the biggest prize in Russian poker history and congratulate Peter on his win. For the first time in a long time none of the internet qualifiers made the final table. This alone suggests that Russia could be a poker superpower in the future."

Great quarterly results and a change at the top imminent at major gambling group

Publicly listed Internet gambling group Sportingbet produced some imposing quarterly financial results and news of a change at the top this week.

The company revealed it's succession plans with the announcement that in October this year finance chief Andrew McIver would become Group Chief Executive whilst current top man Nigel Payne will move to an executive director slot with responsibility for lobbying for industry regulation in the US and Europe, and assisting Andrew McIver and the Board in researching and executing business development opportunities.

The move will coincide with the date upon which Sportingbet will announce its results for the 12 months ended 31 July 2006.

Commenting on the plans, McIver said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead one of the largest and most exciting companies in this industry. I relish the challenge.

"I took over the role of Group Finance Director from Nigel five years ago and am delighted that I am now succeeding him again, this time as Chief Executive. Over the past five years, Nigel and I have worked closely together in laying down a long term strategy for Sportingbet and I see my principal task as continuing our focus on brand development and our core “supermarket” philosophy. This approach, through both targeted acquisitions and organic growth has proven to be a successful formula and I intend to drive the business forward on this basis.

"Over the next few years, I believe that the industry will increasingly emphasise the importance of the customer experience. Whether through website personalisation, innovative and focused product development, targeted marketing or enhanced customer service, the consumer’s experience will be an important differentiator of businesses in the sector. My aim is to ensure that Sportingbet continues to lead the way in this area."

Payne said he was pleased with the arrangements and would be delighted to continue as an Executive Director and help Sportingbet forward. "Sportingbet has a real depth of management talent that means I can now step down from the day to day responsibilities and concentrate on certain crucial areas such as regulatory development and business expansion.

"I am extremely proud to have led one of the most successful companies in the industry during its formative years, and that it has now become a significantly profitable international group."

Payne, a high profile executive and longtime advocate of regulation for online gambling has achieved an impressive track record for the group, and the latest financial results underline his success in this area.

In the three months ended April 30, 2006 the figures speak for themselves:

*Gross margin up 58 percent to GBP 84.4 million

* Operating profit up 43 percent to GBP 28.8 percent

* Profit before tax up 55 percent to GBP 21.2 million

* Cash generation from operating activities GBP 29.5 million

*Average daily Paradise Poker rake up 90 percent to GBP 575 339

* New registered customers up 86 percent to 500 000, and new real money players up 58 percent to 170 580, with an average acquisition cost of GBP 142

* Sports and gaming bets up 39 percent to GBP 149.3 million

The report showcases the interesting cross-over phenomenon between clients with carying betting and game preferences. 22551 (16.9 percent) of active U.S. sportsbook customers played poker as well, generating an average of $54 324 in rake every day, and 22685 (13.8 percent) of active U.S. poker players bet on sports and casino, generating $2.6 million.

Peter Dicks, the chairman of the group says that Payne has done a tremendous job in turning Sportingbet as a small player in an immature market into a global operator of considerable scale.

"The requirements of the business are increasingly demanding and require a broader and strengthened team. The Board is therefore pleased to announce these succession plans to create an expanded management team. We are delighted that Nigel has agreed to stay with Sportingbet to take on a role that is so important to our long term success," said.

Second, expanded season starts on June 5th.

Game Show Network's (GSN) television show "High Stakes Poker" with its innovative approach attracted a lot of praise...and viewers, last year and this has spurred the producers into taking another run at this exciting form of entertainment, starting June 5.

It is understood that the 2006 season of "High Stakes Poker" will closely follow the winning formula, with top players fighting it out in a No-Limit cash game where the minimum buy-in is around $100 000.

Reports were coming in throughout May that camera teams were busy at The Palms Casino and Resort, filming a second season of the exciting and successful show.

GSN spokesmen have revealed that the series is to be expanded from 13 to 16 weeks in the new season, with more players involved. The word is that many of the original competitors who included Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Sam Farha and Phil Hellmuth will be competing again, together with new big name attractions such as Phil "The Unabomber" Laak, Mike Matusow, Michael Mizrachi, Erick Lindgren, John Juanda, Amnon Filippi, David Grey, Minh Ly, Brad Booth, Gus Hansen and Cory Zeidman.

Broadcast details are available at gsn.com.

Withers appointed non executive director at Games Media

Games Media has announced the appointment of Roger Withers as a Non Executive Director. Withers is currently chairman of Playtech Plc, and a non executive director at payment processing provider, Fire One.

“I am delighted that Roger has agreed to join the team here at Games Media,” said Roy Howell of Games Media. “His primary brief is to broaden our international presence. Games Media has expanded its resources and sales dramatically over the last twelve months. Our shift to digital games and entertainment is gathering pace ahead of schedule and our drive for export revenue streams will accelerate with Roger’s support”.

Withers said; “This is a very vibrant and forward-thinking company and I am pleased to be joining at this stage of their development”.

Games Media is the umbrella organisation for a group of companies currently comprising of Games Multi Media, Global Games, Channel 1 Games and Voodoo Games. Each company has expertise in designing, developing and publishing compelling pay-to-play gaming and entertainment content.

Founded in April 2003 by Roy Howell and Andrew Ludlow, the company led a successful ‘buy-in management buy-out’ of AWP and Club specialist Global Games and now has business centres located in the Midlands and the South East of Britain.

AGA white paper and further land industry comment keeps the media interested

The intense mainstream press interest in U.S. land casino ambitions toward Internet gambling possibilities continued today with Reuters and other wire service reports examining the situation.

Earlier, comments by the AGA and by major U.S. land casino companies suggested a growing interest in gaining access to the growing universe of gamblers, although companies emphasised that they are not losing customers to foreign operators that offer Web wagering.

"It represents an enormous opportunity," said Alan Feldman, spokesman for U.S.-based MGM Mirage, the world's second-largest gaming operator. "And it is an opportunity that is being completely handed to foreign companies right now."

Standing in the way of this potential windfall is a 1961 federal law that forbids interstate telephone betting that the U.S. Justice Department has said also applies to the Internet, claiming that it is illegal for U.S. companies to offer online gambling.

Worldwide revenue from online gambling increased to about $12 billion last year from $3.1 billion in 2001 and is expected to hit $24.5 billion by 2010, according to estimates from Christiansen Capital Advisors. U.S. residents now make up about half of that market.

The number of Americans who placed bets on the Web doubled in 2005 to about 4 percent of the adult population, or about 8 million people, according to a survey by the American Gaming Association, an industry group that represents U.S. casinos and related companies.

"It is a new place for people to gamble," said Eugene Christiansen, a consultant with Christiansen Capital. "These are big businesses."

MGM Mirage launched an Internet gambling site branded PlayMGMMirage.com in 2001, but shut the Web site down in 2003, as it was not allowed to serve U.S. residents. "There is no business if you keep out everyone from the United States," Feldman said.

"Some of our companies would think of it as a missed opportunity," AGA Chief Executive Frank Fahrenkopf said.

"Most of our companies view Internet gambling as possibly another profit center." Companies such as MGM Mirage and Harrah's Entertainment would almost certainly start Web sites if Internet gambling were legalized in the United States, Fahrenkopf said.

Still, he added that U.S. gaming companies did not see Internet gambling as a threat to their business, as more than half of their revenue now comes from non-gaming activities that could not be replicated online.

Internet gambling may instead help expand the market in the United States. The AGA survey showed that people who wagered online were more likely to live far from casinos.

U.S. companies represented by the AGA, which until recently opposed the activity, are now calling for a Congressional study into its impact. Some foreign online gambling companies are kicking off their own campaigns, too, hoping to see online gambling legalised in the United States in the next few years.

Experts said they did not expect a definitive outcome either way in the near future, though the debate could ultimately lead to a compromise that limits access and increases regulation of online gaming.

"I would not be surprised if there were some compromise passed within the next two Congresses," said Harold Krent, dean of the Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Average online gambling growth rate is 20 percent p.a.

Adding fuel to the U.S. media interest in the industry this week was the release of the American Gaming Association's (AGA) fourth white paper in its 10th Anniversary Research Series, providing an overview of the current online gambling market, current U.S. policies, proposed legislation and its possible impact, and suggesting that a Congressional study commission is needed to properly address the issue in the United States.

"An Analysis of Internet Gambling and its Policy Implications," is authored by David O. Stewart, an attorney at Ropes and Gray, LLP in Washington, D.C. The paper notes that while the U.S. Department of Justice and several individual state governments have long held that Internet gambling is illegal in the United States, the online gambling industry currently is thriving, due in large part to participation from U.S. bettors.

U.S. residents went online to bet more than $4 billion at off-shore, non-U.S. entities in 2005, Stewart says, and the rate of Internet gambling among U.S. residents is growing at a rate of more than 20 percent a year. Additionally, a number of foreign nations, including Great Britain, are in the process of legalising, licensing, regulating and taxing Internet gambling operators.

Stewart notes the current policy of prohibition permits a high volume of Internet gambling while imposing no regulatory policies to protect gamblers. "By driving all Internet gambling business to foreign entities," he writes, "the current regime also ensures that no jobs are created for American workers, no returns are earned by American companies, and no tax revenues are paid to American governments."

Stewart notes that recent legislative proposals to curb online gambling would take an important step in protecting U.S. customers from the potential hazards of the current illegal, offshore, unregulated online gambling market, but that the measures alone will not solve the problem. Stewart advocates the creation of a one-year Congressional study commission to evaluate the impacts of Internet gaming in the U.S., a position also recently adopted by the AGA.

Such a commission, he contends, could lead to effective Internet gambling legislation that takes into account a broad range of policy issues, including how best to protect children and problem gamblers and whether Internet gambling can be effectively legalised and regulated in the United States.

"A study commission approach could develop an effective, comprehensive legislative approach that would address the complex and often conflicting policies now in place, as well as the general confusion about the legal issues surrounding Internet gambling," he writes.

The white paper includes detailed information on the specifics of the current online gambling market, including the types of games being offered, the types of entities offering online gambling and where they are located, the payment mechanisms available for online bettors, the regulatory structures in place for online gambling, and prevailing tax rates. It explores the history of criminal and civil enforcement of Internet gambling laws at the state and national level, as well as the history of legislative proposals to curb online gambling. Finally, the paper includes a detailed look at the pros and cons of the legalisation of intra-state Internet gambling in the United States.

Each white paper in the AGA's 10th Anniversary Research Series will be authored by an individual or an organization with expert knowledge of the paper's topic and will provide either an analytical or broad-stroke examination of a different industry-related subject.

The full text of "An Analysis of Internet Gambling and its Policy Implications" is available in the 10th Anniversary Research Series" section of the AGA Web site at www.americangaming.org. Subsequent papers will be added to the site as released.

Bluff Magazine and Mansion group partner up to reduce financial stress

Bluff Magazine head honcho Eric Morris has announced that his company has teamed up with Mansion Poker.net to bring Bubble Insurance back bigger and better for the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event.

In 2005, Bluff Magazine introduced Bubble Insurance at the WSOP Main Event, and had over 350 people participate by wearing a Bubble Insurance shirt. Knowing the mindset of the modern poker player better than most, Bluff imagined the last five people missing out on cashing in at the World Series of Poker. Normally these players would be nervous wrecks, but by signing up for Bluff/MansionPoker.net Bubble Insurance at www.bluffmagazine.com, they can guarantee their buy-in to next year's WSOP Main Event.

Bluff and Mansion Poker will buy players in to next year's World Series of Poker Main Event if they bust out within 5 spots of money, and the top six finishers wearing a Bubble Insurance shirt will also win a spot to face off against each other on Poker's newest stage, the Mansion Poker.net Poker Dome (see previous InfoPowa reports). A package valued at $8 000, with the winner taking home $25 000, and a shot at the million dollar first prize.

The top 6 bubble insurance finishers will join 210 other participants in the Poker Dome Challenge. They will play in one of 36 televised qualifiers. The winner of each qualifier will win $25 000, and a seat in one of the six televised semi finals. Winners of the semi-finals will receive a $50 000 cash prize and a seat at the televised final, which will be broadcast live on March 17, 2007. The final will award the winner take all million dollar prize pool.

Graeme Levin's BingoTek powers new game at top tier online casino

Graeme Levin's BingoTek has been selected to power free online bingo on River Belle Casino, one of the world’s largest and most respected online casinos powered by Microgaming software.

The free bingo game will be deployed as a lead generation program for the casino's online casino games, paving the way for pay-to-play bingo and upcoming slots additions that will be launched from the pay-to-play games.

River Belle plans to add these additional bingo games to its portfolio in the coming months, while its marketing agency, ForwardSlash, will be rolling out bingo games licensed from BingoTek to other online casinos.

Levin, former founder and operator of the successful gaming portal Gambling.com, is now firmly focused on the new and rapidly growing online bingo market. “We aim to propel the traditional gaming experience to a brand new level with a proposition that will please and delight novice and experienced gamers alike”, he said.

BingoTek’s first licensee, Bingodrome, has proved successful, consolidating its position as the best bingo game online by picking up one of the online bingo industry’s most prestigious awards, the coveted “Best Of Breed” award for April 2006 from BingoAwards.

More recently, BingoTek released Cyberslotz Bingo (www.cyberslotz.co.uk) in conjunction with partners RAL Interactive Limited (see previous InfoPowa reports). The UK bingo game has been met with enthusiasm from both new and existing players alike.

Techie whiz and marketing guru step down to pursue other interests

Surprise of the week was a report in The Financial Times Tuesday that two of the Party Gaming founders have stepped down from the board with immediate effect.

Party Gaming announced that Anurag Dikshit, the company's operations director and technology guru, would step down from the board to focus on the development of new products and platforms as head of research and special projects. A spokesman for PartyGaming said: "He's the best technology brains we've got. He just revels in developing new products and platforms. All our technology is proprietary and most of it is Anurag."

Vikrant Bhargava (35) the marketing director, will also step down from the board and leave the company at the end of the year to pursue other, unspecified interests.

PartyGaming has started looking for a replacement both within and outside the company, but hopes to retain him as an adviser after he leaves.

Technical expert Anurag Dikshit and marketing specialist Vikrant Bhargava between them owned 39.6 percent of the world's largest online gambling group, and made fortunes - GBP 500 million between them - when the company listed on the London Stock Exchange last year.

Both men are in their thirties, and were involved with reclusive Party Gaming major shareholder Ruth Parasol from the early days of the company, which went on to establish itself as the world's biggest Internet poker site.

Dikshit held 31 percent, and Bhargava 8.6 percent of the stock.

Increasing pressure on politicians to consider regulation as an alternative

Major American media, including the International Herald Tribune and Bloombergs started the week with some interesting reportage suggesting that U.S. land casino companies were increasingly considering the online gambling business as a possibility.

The reports come on the heels of the American Gaming Association's recent call for a congressional committee to study online gambling rather than imposing the immediate ban that some legislators would like to see.

The reports named MGM Mirage, Harrah's Entertainment Inc. and other U.S. casino operators and said that there is increasing pressure on Congress to consider legalising online gambling. Lobbyists and spokesmen for the big brands in land gambling are quoted as saying that the best way to control the $12 billion Internet betting business, based offshore whilst drawing more than half its revenue from the U.S. - is to regulate and tax it.

"The argument the industry is making is, if it is being done offshore, why not bring it in to the U.S. so it can be regulated?" says Sen. John Ensign, a Nevada Republican who has discussed the issue with representatives of Las Vegas-based Harrah's, the world's largest casino owner. "It doesn't look like you can ban it."

The companies, which according to Federal Election Commission records have so far contributed more than $900,000 to congressional candidates in this fall's elections, are pushing lawmakers to take a first step toward legalisation by creating a federal commission to study it. Ensign and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, say the proposal has a chance of clearing the Senate this year.

Meanwhile, Republican representative Bob Goodlatte and Democrat Rick Boucher, are pursuing legislation to force U.S. financial institutions to cooperate with federal law-enforcement authorities in shutting down the flow of cash to Internet gambling sites based outside the U.S.

The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take up the measure this week, and Majority Leader John Boehner says he intends to bring it to a floor vote later this year.

Even if the measure passes the House, it would face long odds in the Senate, says Matthew Gerard, a gaming industry analyst at Investec Securities in London.

"Ultimately, we think it will be very, very difficult to get any prohibitive legislation through the Senate,'' he says.

According to AGA president Frank Fahrenkopf, U.S. casino companies are "neutral'' on the House measure, "Right now, the online gambling industry is just the wild, wild West,'' he says. "Why not take a hard look at it?''

That's what the U.S casinos are seeking with their proposal for a federal study. Fahrenkopf, a former Republican national chairman, says the study's purpose would be to determine if legalisation, regulation and taxation of online gambling would reduce the risk of fraud and abuse and increase government revenue.

Fahrenkopf is reported to have said that the "big boys'' like MGM and Harrah's want to get into the online gaming business if Congress eventually decides to legalise it.

Fahrenkopf's association projects that the online betting business will double to about $24 billion a year in global revenue by 2010, and that a study conducted recently showed that as many as 15 million American players logged on to more than 2,600 Web sites last year.

The Justice Department continues to investigate and prosecute online sportsbooks that accept funds from U.S. customers. On May 17, prosecutors in Washington announced money-laundering charges against two people, including an American, who operated an Internet betting parlor in Antigua.

In addition to making campaign contributions, the U.S. casino operators have reportedly retained some of Washington's top lobbying firms, including Patton Boggs LLP and Barbour Griffith & Rogers LLC, to promote their interest.

But the alternative is none too shabby!

An ambitious $60 million poker tournament (see previous InfoPowa reports) scheduled for July 12th has been cancelled according to planners FSN and Mansion Poker.net, but a $1 million first prize alternative at the same Dome venue in Las Vegas is shaping up to be a major attraction.

Details for an upcoming TV series branded The Mansion Poker.net Poker Dome Challenge were released this week, and the first event will be screened on FSN this weekend at 11pm Sunday.

As previously announced, the studio audience will be able to see the players' hole cards, but cannot be seen or heard by the players at the table, who are enclosed in a glass 'dome', with soundproof one way mirrors that prevent them from seeing the audience. FSN is bringing back the heart monitor for this series, and commentators will include several well known poker personalities.

The format for the new show is a weekly contest in which six highly experienced qualifiers will face off in a one table tournament. The winner of that tournament picks up $25,000, and advances to the semifinal round. The six winners of the semifinal table square off in another single table tournament, with the winner of that table picking up $50,000, and moving on to the final, where he or she will play a winner take all tournament worth $1,000,000.

According to George Greenberg, FSN's Executive Vice President of Programming and Production, FSN was simply not prepared to produce both the upcoming Poker Dome series, and the $10 million buy-in event at the same time.

"When we took a step back and looked objectively at the size and scope of producing both the premiere season of the Mansionpoker.net Poker Dome Challenge series and the 2006 Mega-Event, we had to be honest with ourselves - these are two massive projects, each requiring considerable resources and manpower." Greenberg said "To produce them both simultaneously would compromise the quality of each, a concession FSN is not willing to make. Therefore, we have decided to cancel the 2006 Mega-Event and focus on delivering an explosive 43-week series that will change the way poker is televised."

Easybets infrastructure in Malaysia to handle new China facing acquisitions

Multi million dollar deals featured on Bet On Sports's landscape this week as the group moved its Asian aspirations up a gear.

The London listed company announced its acquisition of China facing sportsbooks Hooball and 777ball, effectively doubling its Asian market presence.

Wholly Internet based with a principal customer content in Guangdong and Zheziang provinces, Beijing and Shanghai, sportsbook activity largely centres on football and basketball. The business will be fully integrated into the existing Easy Bets operating structure in Malaysia to deliver enhanced management control, cost savings, improved processing channels, additional key personnel skills and product diversification across all of the groups Asian brands.

The initial purchase price of US$22 million will be satisfied on completion of the acquisition through US$10 million in cash and the issue of 3,859,089 ordinary shares of 1p each in the capital of BoS. Deferred consideration of up to US$16 million has been agreed, to be paid in cash depending on the profitability of the business in the year after completion. The maximum total purchase consideration for the business is US$38 million.

The acquisitions are in profit, a company spokesman confirmed, revealing that the historic profit before tax to 31 December 2005 was US$3.6 million. The current rate of gross handle is approximately $120 million per annum, in respect of two sportsbook brands, but including exchange betting of $8 million per annum; additionally, there is a new casino, which commenced operations in March 2006, with an initial gross handle of $5 million in that month.

During the 15 months ending 31 March 2006 the business had 28,274 sign ups, 40 percent of which were real money sign ups with deposits. Active clients between January 2005 and March 2006 remained relatively stable at approximately 6,500 a month.

Because the new acquisitions are to be integrated into the existing Easy Bets operation, the earnout period agreed with Tim Lambe, Managing Director of Easy Bets, upon acquisition of Easy Bets in May 2005, has been extended from three to five years. Adjustments have also been made to the cost base and percentage entitlement to profits above a minimum level in year 3 of the earnout which extend to years 4 and 5 such that the cap on total consideration for the Easy Bets acquisition is now US$40 million compared to the original US$32.5 million.

BoS CEO David Carruthers said: "This acquisition is not merely earnings enhancing. We see China as a “must-be-in market” and with Hooball and 777ball consolidating our Easy Bets presence, our first mover advantage is significantly increased. The diversification of revenue streams away from the US further mitigates the seasonality of activity in our US facing business.

“These brands meet our criteria of proven profitability, territorial expertise, straightforward IT integration and robust processing channels combined with effective risk management. We strongly anticipate that the benefits of integration with Easy Bets in terms of cross selling, marketing, skill sets and cost savings will rapidly become apparent. Immediately prior to a World Cup doesn’t look like the worst of times to be acquiring such a strongly soccer-centric sportsbook.”

Max Hsiun, former CEO at Hooball and now Easy Bets’ Business Development Manager commented, “I am delighted to be part of the BoS Asian plan and teaming up with a quality brand like Easy Bets with its resources and reputation can only be good for the long term future and the successful development of the Hooball business.”

FUNTech enjoys another impressive quarter, but overall loss due to expansion dampens investor enthusiasm

First-quarter results from skill gaming provider Toronto-based FUN Technologies show a 174 percent revenue increase from 2005, with marked success in the FUN Fantasy and FUN Skill divisions according to company statistics released last week.

With Quarter 1 revenues up at US$7.76 million, the group led by Lorne Abony was celebrating an increase of around 174 percent over Q1 for 2005. Subsidiaries FUN Fantasy revenue for the quarter was up 189 percent and FUN Skill revenue increased 154 percent from 2005 to 2006.

Despite the rise in revenues, the share price took a three quarter of a percent knock following the publication of the results, which indicated a net overall loss of US$2.26 million as the group continues to expand.

FUN’s recent acquisitions illustrate an increase in international focus, after agreements were signed between Lycos, TV2 Denmark, The Sun Online and Sky. It also acquired the assets of mobile and online multi-player game developer Octopi LLC, as well as Fantasy Sports, which provides NASCAR-related fantasy sports racing solutions.

The generally positive results were partially accounted for by the arrangement made on 10 March whereby ‘Old FUN’ became a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media, following the latter’s 51percent purchase of FUN shares. Liberty also invested US$50 million in the company.

Recently acquired FUN Technologies’ subsidiary, WorldWinner has joined SkillJam Technologies to co-host the Worldwide Web Games (WWG). WorldWinner was formerly one of FUN’s largest competitors.

The collaboration with SkillJam for the WWG, which was formerly known as the SkillsGames World Championships sees FUN teaming up with partner sites such as AOL games and Virgin Games. The prize for the final of the WWG will be US$1million.

Gathering of the legal eagles

The third week in June this year sees some pretty heavyweight legal and regulatory briefs that will be examined by a diversity of experts.

The International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) is presenting its semi-annual forum between 21-23 June 2006 at the Grand Union Hotel in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

This comprehensive gaming law conference will focus special attention on European - and especially Eastern European - gaming developments as part of the IGML's commitment to public education on gaming law issues, and participants are invited to register and share their insight and information. Professional, focused and pertinent discussion of gaming law is the first priority.

It's crucial that gaming lawyers, operators, suppliers, educators and all industry associates involved in this important aspect of the business understand the issues and direction in which international jurisdictions can impact their own legislation.

The River City Group organisers promise a wealth of information, debate and collegiality at this event, which is open to members and non-members alike. More details on the River City Group website.

Target for 100 "Play It Safe" casinos and poker rooms by end 2006 achievable

Hard on the heels of its announcement of 7 new poker room certifications for the "Play It Safe" seal, eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) this week unveiled a new campaign to increase the number of online casinos and poker rooms committed to player-safe gaming.

Dubbed the "100 Seals Campaign," the goal is to maintain high standards while boosting from 76 to 100 the number of certified top-tier venues entitled to display eCOGRA’s "Play It Safe" seal.

The campaign is expected to reach additional audiences at the eighth annual Global Interactive Gaming Summit & Expo (GIGSE) 2006 in Montreal, Canada. On Wednesday May 17 at 2.30pm eCOGRA Chairman Michael Hirst will host a panel entitled, ‘Self-Regulation: Best Practices to Play It Safe.’

Panellists will include industry personalities such as Roy Cooke, Card Player Magazine, well-known players’ advocate Ted Loh, and Andrew Beveridge (CEO eCOGRA). All GIGSE attendees and media are welcome to participate.

"‘Play It Safe’ online casinos and poker rooms already handle a substantial percentage of the total global online gaming business,” said Beveridge. “We intend to extend the player protection that is built into our international standards by bringing more top-tier online gaming software providers and licensees on board before the year's end."

Right now, more than a dozen casino and poker sites are undergoing eCOGRA’s third-party inspection and monitoring process. The “Play It Safe” seal helps to attract and retain players, and tells the world that these sites regard players’ needs-- trust, honesty and fair gaming, as a priority.

Participants in the 100 Seal Campaign receive:

* Cutting edge, player-sensitive standards, together with independent inspection, monitoring, enforcement and infrastructure that is applicable worldwide.

* An independent, London-based “Fair Gaming Advocate” who helps resolve player disputes in just 48-72 hours on average.

* Professional training, services and marketing support to meet best international business practices and responsible gaming standards.

* Expertly designed measures and guidelines to curb underage and problem gambling, backed by personnel training courses.

* One-step-ahead standards to meet future challenges in poker and mobile gaming.

Beveridge extends an invitation to online gambling software providers and their licensees: "If you’re ready to meet the 21st century challenges facing the industry, we’d like to invite you to join the 100 Seals Campaign and become one of the most respected 100 online gaming sites in the world."

Online casino group apologises and will compensate players

The English Harbour row took a positive turn early this week when the respected Wizard of Odds, Mike Shackleford published his initial findings, and the online casino group admitted it had been at fault and offered return of monies plus a 20 percent bonus for the hassle.

Shackleford said that he has reviewed the detailed playing logs in conjunction with Odds On the software provider, which in assembling the data had also discovered certain anomalies in the double up records.

"I was able to confirm that the double-up on video poker did indeed pay out less than it should have between April 13 and May 2," wrote Shackleford. "According to English Harbor the problem was caused by a buggy software update on April 13, which was automatically corrected by a subsequent update on May 2."

The Wizard routinely reviews the EH logs for fairness on a monthly basis, he reveals. "Though players noticed the problem in April, I would not normally see the April data until mid May. This underscores the important point that my auditing service can not guarantee that players will get a mathematically fair game at every given instant. I can only attest to the fairness and return percentages in the past," he commented.

Shackleford also confirmed that although the problem seemed to have been confined to the period April 13 to May 2, he will be scrutinising earlier logs to make sure, and will be monitoring future play closely.

In apologising to the player community, English Harbour management said that the anomalies were caused by a bug in the software staging release on late on April 13 and went unnoticed. "On May 2 we had a maintenance release that during the course of our investigation seemed to have corrected the problem," the companys communication says.

"When we were alerted to the claim, we ran through several trials and also simulations. We checked randomness of the distribution of cards in the doubling game over different time periods and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary."

Based on this, the management made an "interim release" to reassure players on the fora but continued the investigation, bringing in the independent services of Shackleford, who had already been alerted to the problem.

However, in complying with Shackleford's request for player logs the staff "....noticed an issue that seemed to have spanned the later two weeks of April. We mentioned this to Michael as we continued to work with him. Through Michael's investigation, he concurred with our observations and was able help quantify the variance in the odds."

The English Harbour announcement ends with an assurance that "...we will be refunding affected players on the net loss on the doubling game plus an additional 20 percent of their net loss. Players will be receiving an email as well as a message within the casino itself shortly."

The initial reaction of players on the fora was not positive, with many players asking for more detail on the technical cause and nature of the fault, and voicing suspicion at EH's initial denial that anything was untoward. Neutral and expert industry personalities have offered to make an independent assessment of the EH debacle to set players' minds at rest.

Top turnkey provider to bring Prima and Jackpot Madness into the corporate brand

Two famous online gambling brands will fade away by late summer this year, getting a shiny new look after being absorbed into the main Microgaming brand, the company announced this week.

The progressives brand Jackpot Madness and The Prima Poker Network will morph into Microgaming Poker Network and Microgaming Progressive Network with a new ‘Powered by Microgaming’ seal, which will appear on all the sites which use the company’s software.

Both the Jackpot Madness and Prima Network brands will be phased out by late summer to give players a period to adjust to the changes. Both of these websites will be integrated into a new Microgaming.com website. Monte Carlo Millions, a major Monaco-based poker tournament traditionally sponsored by the Prima Network will be dropped in favour of a number of exciting new marketing opportunities to be announced soon.

Company spokesmen say the move will serve to simplify all future communication. By focusing on one single brand, the company believes it can create greater impact in a consolidating market and that ultimately, the Microgaming logo and identity will give players added confidence in an operator’s ability to deliver fair, intuitive, entertaining play.

It looks as if Microgaming intends to keep the pressure on its competitors with regular monthly new games releases - the announcement reveals a program to release a total of 60 new games in 2006 alone. It also reaffirms the group's commitment to "...ever richer game playing experiences with constantly evolving software using cutting edge technology, together with advanced fraud control and transparency innovations."

CEO Roger Raatgever says: “We have led the industry for over a decade during which time separate brand names have served us brilliantly and helped our operators attract millions of new players to online gaming. Now we are entering a new stage of growth and we believe that by making these changes we are ready for this new era.”

Microgaming launched the first fully operational online casino over a decade ago. It was the forerunner of such industry innovations as Cash Splash, the internet’s first wide area progressive jackpot, launched in 1998. The company's 11 progressives have paid out $199 million in total. Microgaming now powers 120 casinos and has developed a choice of more than 300 casino games in eleven languages and the software to support six major currencies. With links to hundreds of developers, Microgaming powers over 40 poker rooms on its network.

The Racing Post Adds Skill Games to Online Portfolio

White label skill games network provider and developer GameAccount has been chosen by The Racing Post, a daily UK-based horse racing and sports betting newspaper, to provide skill gaming to its online readership at Racing Post.co.uk.

The newspaper's online customer base can now access over 20 multiplayer games and tournaments through the GameAccount network, joining players wagering real money from over 130 countries worldwide.

Browser-based games now playing within the GameAccount network include Sit ‘n’ Go games like Gin Rummy and Backgammon together with a selection of exciting P2P games such as Tournament Blackjack, Three-Card Poker and Solitaire variants featuring sophisticated knockout tournaments offering up to GBP 150 000 in prize money.

Ross MacEacharn, Online Business Development Manager at the Racing Post, says: "GameAccount was the right choice to serve our customer base considering their portfolio of skill games and wagering models tailored to our needs. We can now provide a serious extension to the user experience.”

GameAccount offers a single-wallet skill gaming solution together with a proven inventory of dynamic games that have been supplied to major online partners like Sportingbet, Betcorp, Paddypower, SkyBet, (BSkyB), Tiscali, FHM and Wanadoo.

The Professor teams up with iGaming Business magazine

iGaming Business magazine and Casino Affiliate Programs.com have signed a deal to publish the only dedicated gaming affiliate magazine on a quarterly basis, aimed at providing affiliates with an essential offline tool to help drive measurable results.

The as yet un-named publication will be a brand extension of the CAP website, and like iGaming Business will enjoy the highest available circulation, high quality independent editorial, together with a sleek design. Providing a comprehensive coverage of the diversity of issues facing today’s affiliates, the quarterly will focus on all areas of online marketing including analysis of the latest and emerging trends, implementation of new technologies, key business strategies, marketing tips and online advertising methods.

Complimentary copies of the magazine, due for release in September 2006, will be rolled out to 5,000 gaming and non-gaming affiliates looking to reap the financial rewards of a market which has become a significant force within Internet commerce. In addition, the magazine will be distributed at various affiliate related events including; Ad:Tech, Casino Affiliate Convention (CAC), and Webmaster World.

Advertisers in the magazine must be CAP Certified Partners, demonstrating the integrity of the magazine and allowing affiliates the assurance of reliability when choosing a program to work with.

Over 350 on-line gambling cases prosecuted in 2006

Xinhua reports that Chinese police have prosecuted more than 350 online gambling cases and detained over 700 suspects so far this year, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

A ministry official said online pornography and gambling, the spread of computer viruses and hackers have become serious problems, that hinder the establishment of a healthy Internet environment.

The spokesman said that the pressure on this sort of questionable activity would continue, adding that the ministry and public security organs in some major cities have set up web sites allowing netizens to report online crimes.

The Ministry will also work together with other relevant departments to spread Internet-related legal knowledge to citizens, to enhance their awareness and establish a healthy, orderly and harmonious Internet environment.

Online gambling legal expert condemns prohibition

A former director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and respected legal figure in online gambling, Frank Catania published an article this week condemning the rush to ban online gambling in the USA.

"Every attempt to regulate activity on the Internet seemingly raises questions about the proverbial slippery slope," writes Catania.

"But if regulation of the Internet is a slippery slope, then surely an outright ban of an Internet activity constitutes falling off the cliff."

Describing the current attempts in Congress to ban as an "over-the-cliff" approach, Catania says the proposed legislation would cut off the ability of Americans to use the Internet for (almost) all forms of gambling, with the big exception those who bet on horse racing, underscoring the golden rule in politics: "With enough money and political muscle, special interests can win themselves an exemption."

In the strongly worded article, Catania writes: "We all know the Internet is revolutionising the way we obtain information, enjoy leisure time and connect with others. This prohibition attempt has little to do with the technology; it's really about some members of Congress trying to impose their own sense of morality on the Internet. The fact is that Christian conservatives pushing these bills are attempting to force their religious beliefs - that gambling is immoral - on all Americans (except those who bet on the horses)."

"It's time that Congress developed a consistent and sensible policy for Internet gambling. What the bill's supporters fail to understand is that short of completely banning the Internet or heavily censoring the Internet as China does, there will always be Internet gambling available to U.S. players. The Internet sails far beyond our boundaries or the long arm of U.S. law. More than 70 countries currently regulate Internet gambling, and sites based in these countries are accessible to U.S. players. A ban on Internet gambling just doesn't make sense," Catania avers.

Pointing out that a ban on Internet gambling would not address issues such as preventing underage gambling or offering assistance to problem gamblers, the article suggests that instead of prohibition, the US politicians should turn to regulation to deal with these problems.

"State-of-the-art technology to regulate the activity, including age verification software and existing government databases, combined with proper operating procedures and strict regulation, can prevent minors from gambling online and offer greater assistance to problem gamblers," Catania opines.

"If Internet gambling were regulated, for example, sites could cross-reference driver's license databases or voting registration lists to verify the age of players. For problem gamblers, a regulated environment provides operators with the tools to monitor online activity and be instrumental in harm minimization. And regulation of Internet gambling operations, like the regulation of the brick-and-mortar gambling industry, allows all transactions to be tracked, audited and taxed, relieving concerns over financial impropriety."

Urging Congress to adopt a fair and consistent policy of regulation, Catania says that whether the gambling entertainment is online or offline, consumers deserve diligent regulators who make sure that operators are honest, games are fair, winning players are paid promptly, problem gamblers are offered assistance or ultimately barred, and minors are prohibited from playing.

Catania concludes his op-ed piece by saying: "History has taught us that prohibition does not work. Instead, we need lawmakers to develop policies that offer consumer protections without restricting Internet access, freedom or innovation."

Frank Catania is president of the Catania Consulting Group, a New Jersey-based a consulting firm that specializes in gaming issues. He serves on the Board of online gambling standards and self-regulation body eCommerce and Online Gaming, Regulation and Assurance as one of three independent directors, and was at one time director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

Isle of Man processor has big plans for the Far East

Hard on the heels of its announcement that it is to launch its services in German, French, Spanish and Italian, Neteller this week introduced the online gambling world to 1-Pay, a new payments platform for Asia.

With over 2.6 million customers and 3,400 merchants across 160 countries, the English language version of the firm's e-cash transfer service formed in 1999 has seen remarkable growth, and the company is now looking to drive the service within four new European countries by enabling customers to transfer money from their local banking systems, in Euros and in the local language.

Neteller says it has already seen a significant growth in sign-up rates from new customers, particularly in Germany and France.

The vendor's new 1-Pay payments platform is targeted on the Asian region, where the service has undergone extensive testing during the last quarter and is now integrated with a number of key merchants in the area. The company already runs a Japanese site which was launched in 2005.

Neteller says it is has recently completed a major technology overhaul, replacing its existing member application technology with a more scalable Java platform which will provide the necessary foundation to support its continued aggressive member and merchant acquisition plans.

Winner in Star City tournament could take home GBP 100 000

Britain's first live all-women poker championship is being held this summer with an estimated prize of GBP100 000 and a promise of "celebrity status in the poker world". The tourney is backed by the well established Stanley Leisure group, and has received wide coverage in the UK media.

The Telegraph News took the angle that increasing numbers of women players are being seen at land tournament, and that many of these first acclimatised themselves to the competitive environment by playing online.

"The talents required of a poker player are traditionally male traits: aggression, the ability to lie and hide your emotions, the newspaper opined. "But women are finally breaking into the world of poker and some are beating the men at their own game." The newspaper goes on to examine the poker experience and success of several young women and quoted a recent YouGov poll which showed that women made up 30 to 40 percent of online players. In casinos, the proportion of women is estimated to have increased from one to five per cent of players.

Mark Ross, the director of Star City in Birmingham, Britain's largest casino, where the women's championship final will be held, said: "Women's championships started in America three or four years ago and we felt it was time to start them here.

"A lot of women are starting online and then deciding they want to play with real people. I think women who have never been in a casino before but have played with friends or online will enter the championship."

Deal with RedFelt Software will make poker available at Keno.com

Ex-World Gaming exec Patrick Smyth's Gaming Transactions company is to make online poker available on its Keno.com site following a deal with RedFelt Software, a subsidiary of CYOP International.

The software includes classic poker games of Texas Hold'em, Omaha and 7 Card Stud, as well as favourites such as Omaha Hi. Players will be able to pick from ring game action, daily tournaments with entries to the World Poker Tour, the World Series of Poker and all the major events.

CEO Smyth says, "Our user demographic on Keno.com is made up of a wide cross-section of players. The average Keno player in New York is 45 years with a household income of more than $52 000. More than 50 percent report having some college education, and over 50 percent are male. In Ontario, 58 percent of Keno players are male aged 25 to 44 years. This wide base gives us the opportunity to cross promote our games with other mainstay products such as poker."

Research firm Christiansen Capital Advisors says online poker revenues have grown from $82.7 million in 2001 to $2.4 billion in 2004 and the projected amount was close to $5 billion for 2005.

Playing levels increase in pursuit of the mother of all Internet progressives

When this one hits, it will be far and away the largest Internet progressive jackpot yet seen. Cryptologic casinos are reporting increasing levels of activity as Internet gamblers go after what has this week been termed the mother of all progressives

Continuing its unprecedented climb, the Millionaires Club progressive zipped past the $2.6 million over the weekend and closed in on a record-breaking $3 million as the new week commenced.

This one has to deliver soon, creating an instant multi-millionaire player and wide publicity for the casino where it is finally won.

Top US publication launching a European edition

One of the largest poker publications in the world, Poker Pro magazine is launching a new title, "Poker Pro Europe," which will be sold abroad and targeted on the healthy and growing European interest in the game.

The publishers say they intend to use Poker Pro's successful formula of profiles, advice and strategy tips from the world's top pros in a slick, glossy, eye-catching format and breezy style.

Speaking for the publishing firm, Dan Jacobs says: "Poker is set to explode in Europe, and players are hungry for information. Poker Pro Europe will capture the drama and the fun of European poker, both in cardrooms and on the growing European tournament circuit. If it is happening on the European poker scene, you will find it in Poker Pro Europe."

The new title will debut in September and be available at more than 8,000 European retail outlets including W.H. Smith, One-Stop Stores, Rippleglen, Balfours, B2, Budgens, Alldays, Spar, Mills, and GT News. Casinos and cardrooms in English-speaking Europe will also offer the new publication.

Intriguing comments from Betfair director.

Industry observers were interpreting comments made by a Betfair director this week as a possible indication that the U.S.A. might be on the list of expansion targets for the persistent and dynamic betting exchange group.

Betfair director of business development Christian Hellmers said that his group could provide $50 million in revenue for the US in new shared revenues for itself, racetracks and horsemen by 2008 if it is permitted to operate in the country.

Hellmers explained that it could increase the $134 million annual wagering market in the US, while gross revenue could hit $30 million by 2007 and $50 million by 2008.

Chief executive throws out a GBP 5.5 billion teaser to financial press

UK gambling group Gala Coral seems to be planning a GBP5.5 billion IPO, presumably in London within the next 18 months, according to statements its CEO is reported to have made to the Financial Times last weekend.

Neil Goulden, chief executive of Gala Coral, is quoted as saying that a float by the company was 'inevitable' and that he was intent on delivering profit growth over the next 18-months, so that by autumn 2007 the business would "...attract a value of GBP 5.5 billion".

America's land casino interest in the online sector is clearly growing

The American Gaming Association is certainly doing its bit to focus attention on the Internet gambling sector, judging by recent announcements. First it was the recommendation that before banning the popular online entertainment in the USA the Congress should investigate the phenomenon, and now the industry rates a mention in the Association's latest survey.

Presenting the results in his 2006 States of the States address, the president of the AGA Frank Fahrenkopf says that the typical U.S. Internet gambler is under 40, college-educated, male and more affluent than his fellow citizens, according to results of a new survey: The AGA Survey of Casino Entertainment.

Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., AGA president, said the group has opposed legalisation of Internet gambling in the past "because regulators were opposed to it, and we're the strongest supporters of tough regulation."

"But the technology has changed greatly, and now Great Britain is legalising online gambling -- and we're saying that Congress ought to take a look at (online gambling)," Fahrenkopf said.

"A lot of the opponents have been saying that the people who gamble on the Internet are the ones who can least afford it," he added. "But look at this survey. It shows they tend to be more educated and have more money than other people." The survey of 552 Internet gamblers showed 41 percent had incomes of more than $75 000 a year, while only 12 percent had incomes of less than $35 000.

More than two-thirds of the online gamblers were men, more than two thirds were under age 40, most had started such gambling only in the last two years, 61 percent had at least a college degree and nearly half of those responding said the biggest reason for Internet betting was convenience. According to the poll of Internet gamblers, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., fully 70 percent of respondents started gambling online within the past two years, indicating the growing popularity of this activity.

In a shocking indictment of the less principled operators who are unfortunately still active in the industry, however the survey found that while Internet gamblers in the U.S. say they enjoy online gambling for its convenience, more than half (55 percent) believe online gaming companies find ways to cheat, and 46 percent believe their fellow players cheat.

The survey also revealed a great deal of confusion about the legality of online gambling, with a mere 19 percent of respondents "...realising - or willing to admit - that the activity currently is illegal in the U.S."

"Even though our member companies currently aren't involved in the online gaming market, and the overall percentage of Americans who gamble online is relatively small, there's no doubt this issue has captured the attention of the media, members of Congress and the American public," said Fahrenkopf.

"We strive to make each year's State of the States report the most comprehensive information resource not only on the current state of our industry, but the most significant emerging trends in gaming, so it was important that we take a look at this growing phenomenon."

The report also includes comprehensive economic impact data on the U.S. commercial land casino industry, which indicate the industry in 2005 generated more than $30 billion in gross gaming revenues for the first time ever.

Last year, the 455 commercial casinos in 11 states generated $30.29 billion in gross gaming revenue, representing an increase of nearly 5 percent over 2004 revenue totals. Individual gaming markets also witnessed landmark success, with Las Vegas revenues surpassing $6 billion and Atlantic City revenues climbing above $5 billion for the first time.

Survey data also indicate the industry continued to be an important source of employment in the areas where it operates, providing more than 354,000 employees with wages totaling more than $12.6 billion, including benefits and tips. The industry also continued to be a major source of tax revenues, contributing $4.92 billion to state and local governments in 2005, an increase of just fewer than 5 percent from 2004 totals.

State of the States also includes a detailed look at the growing economic impact of racetrack casinos, or racinos. In 2005, the 29 operational racetrack casinos in nine states generated $3.12 billion in gross gaming revenue, a more than 9 percent increase over 2004 figures. Racinos employed 17,000 people in 2005 and distributed $1.28 billion in direct gaming taxes to state and local governments.

This year's survey once again features a special section devoted to poker. The data indicate that the poker boom that started in 2004 is still going strong, with nearly one in five American adults (18 percent) again reporting they played poker last year. The opportunity to spend time with friends and family, followed by the skill and strategy involved in the game, are the top reasons people play poker, according to results of a national poll conducted by Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research.

Poker revenues also continued to surge in 2005. In Nevada and New Jersey, the only commercial casino states that track poker revenue, U.S. casino visitors spent more than $207 million on organised poker last year, an stunning 37 percent increase over 2004 totals.

Survey results also indicate overall acceptability of casino gambling remains high, with nearly 80 percent of respondents saying it is acceptable for themselves or others. According to the poll, Americans also continue to overwhelmingly view gambling as a question of personal choice (83 percent), and nearly three-quarters (72 percent) see casinos as a valuable part of a community's entertainment and tourism options.

Poker clash was initiated by taunt

When confident poker pro Erik Sagstrom taunted the formidable women poker ace Liz Lieu by calling her a fish (an easy target) during a recent online game he may have bitten off a little more than he could comfortably chew.

Lieu immediately challenged him to a heads up clash, and the two poker pros developed a "Beauty and the Beast" element to the World Poker Tour World Championship finals which took place recently in Las Vegas (see previous InfoPowa reports)

Last weekend saw the grand denouement when Lieu beat her male opponent in a freeze-out series of three $200 000 matches at the new Venetian poker room, taking home a $600,000 paycheck.

Face mapping will enable players to really "immerse" themselves in this game

Building on the success of 2005's top-selling World Series of Poker video game, Activision Publishing, Inc. is demonstrating its all-new title, World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions, at the E3 Expo this week.

The game takes high-stakes poker action to new heights with twice as many top pros, access to extensive poker tools that will help players improve their game, and DigiMask Technology that actually maps a player's face into the game.

World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions features an immersive storyline that casts players as a newly turned poker pro building a career under the tutelage of Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, learning strategies and tips directly from one of the world's foremost poker pros.

Gamers advance their career by competing against top pros in the premiere Circuit Events in hopes of qualifying for the winner-take-all, invitation-only Tournament of Champions, which is held at the Rio Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The game will be available this fall for the Xbox 360, as well as other platforms.

"This is the most authentic and realistic World Series of Poker video game to ever hit the shelves," said Jeffrey Pollack, commissioner of the World Series of Poker and vice present of Sports & Entertainment Marketing for Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.

New Grand Virtual software offering a hit in Asian market

Grand Virtual software licensees are reporting a good player response to the new Lucky Dragon Mahjong video slot that was launched recently.

"Lucky Dragon Mahjong has been very strong since its introduction in March," said Eduardo Santos, Everest Casino's Property Manager. "Marrying one of the most popular games in the world, Mahjong, with a slot machine has proven to be a hugely successful formula.

"Needless to say, Lucky Dragon Mahjong resonates with our Asian player base, but it also attracts other players who are fascinated by the game of Mahjong and by Asian culture." Everest will be using the game for its May tournaments.

Champ bet on himself

Paddy Power's Open Irish Poker champion, Vincent Melinn showed real confidence in himself leading up to the finals - he put a Euro 250 each way bet on himself at 150 to 1....and it worked!

In addition to his hefty winner's cheque from the tournament, Melinn's side bet with the sponsor earned him an additional Euro 47 000.

Immediately after the tournament, Melinn told reporters that he is usually an online player and had only played in one live tournament before, the World Series of Poker main event!

Swedish developer claims revolutionary technology

Swedish software developer 3D Internet Games backs up its press coverage (see previous InfoPowa reports) with the real thing this week with the launch of its 3D poker and casino website in the UK.

The 3D Poker.com features, it is claimed a true 3D casino world using revolutionary technology. The realistic graphics allow players to create and customise their own unique identity and present themselves to the world with their own defined clothes, hair colour and facial features.

Ozlem Moss, Marketing Director of Esprit Marketing, said, "We wanted to offer the UK market a multiplayer poker and casino website that exploits the latest in gaming technology. Many people are already familiar with the look and feel of 3D games and we thought it would be fun to extend the concept to online gambling as well."

Players at 3DPoker will see a realistic poker table and be able to interact with other players and viewers across the table whilst viewing the action from various angles by using the unique camera movements.

Caesars Palace in Vegas the venue

World Series of Poker fever has started escalating with the start of the main Circuit event this week at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

209 players entered the event, going after a first place prize of $648 320, and as we went to press only 64 players had survived the first day of action.

Several top pros were knocked out, including T.J. Cloutier, Bill Edler, Fabrice Soulier, Barry Greenstein, J.C. Tran, Chip Jett, Phil Ivey, Alan Goehring, Gene Todd, John Juanda, Michael Gracz, Gavin Smith, Amir Vahedi, Joe Sebok, Brad Booth, Victor Ramdin, David Plastik, Michael Mizrachi, John Phan and Mike Matusow.

Others, like Sean McCabe, Erick Lindgren, Tim Phan, Scotty Nguyen, David Benyamine, John Gale, Nam Le, and Billy Baxter were all still going strong, with healthy chip stacks.

IGH deal for mobile betting software on Premier Bet

UK mobile gambling software developer Mfuse clinched an important deal with the online sports betting and gaming operator, Interactive Gaming Holdings Plc, this week, and is to provide mobile betting software for the recently re-branded Premier Bet website.

Premier Bet's customers will now be able to place sports bets directly from their mobile phones and the mobile support tools for the IGH customer services team will be provided by Mfuse.

Thomas Taulé, chairman and chief executive of Interactive Gaming Holdings, said: “This is a strategic differentiator for IGH and will allow the company to maximise betting activity in advance of the Football World-cup in June 2006. Mfuse technology is well proven within the marketplace and we are confident that, over time, mobile gaming will generate significant revenues for the Group and increase the average monthly wager per player.”

Mfuse Limited is making an impact in the industry with its end-to-end mobile gambling and gaming software platforms. The firm's NOVO mobile gaming system allows customers to access and manage their accounts, as well as review bet results, all from their mobile phone.

CasinoModule online casino platform to be deployed to three new clients

The integration teams at Cherry turnkey provider subsidiary Net Entertainment are in for a busy schedule judging by this week's announcement by CEO Pontus Lindwall of three new international contracts after signing agreements with Sunderlands Bookmakers, Triobet, and i4Poker to deliver Internet casino games.

The new clients will use CasinoModule, Net Entertainment’s Internet casino platform.

CasinoModule consists of a large number of games and a powerful management platform, providing casino, number, lottery and skill based games. Net Entertainment licenses the system on a royalty basis, and the new licensees will start offering their customers Net Entertainment games during May and June.

Sunderlands Bookmakers is an English betting company witha customer base of some 11,000 players. The company has a traditional betting operation that focuses on high rollers, who will now be offered Internet gaming as well.

Triobet is a recently established Internet gaming company with 3,000 customers that will focus on Eastern Europe – initially Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Triobet works closely in the area of betting with NordicBet, a current customer of Net Entertainment.

i4Poker is a poker site with 40,000 customers that will primarily address the Polish market. With its population of 40 million, Poland is a rapidly expanding market for online gaming.

Net Entertainment recently integrated CasinoModule for Azul Electrico S.A., a casino operator that focuses on the US market with their gaming sites World Wide Vegas.com and Winward Casino.com, which have a total of over 100,000 customers.

The online gambling firm Pathfinder which operates tsc2000europe.com with 100,000 customers is also due to commence operations using CasinoModule this (May) month, and has plans for a further site to be branded PF Games.com in the near future.

Excapsa software selected for new venture

National Lampoon has sourced poker software for a new venture from Gaming Theory, a wholly owned licensing subsidiary of Canadian developer Excapsa.

National Lampoon Poker.com will be using the software for a US intercollegiate poker tournament in which 600 US higher education institutions will participate.

The free, televised event will culminate in regional semi finals, and ultimately a widely publicised national final. National Lampoon will promote its play-for-fun poker sites through its web pages, and in-dorm college network.

“Partnering with the Excapsa Poker Network gives us the premier technology and software necessary to bring poker to our mass college audience at NationalLampoon.com and at TogaTV.com," said Daniel S Laikin, chief executive at National Lampoon. "The national competition also makes a perfect addition to our event marketing calendar. National Lampoon and poker make a winning combination.”

The deal also sees the creation of a multi-tiered marketing initiative between Game Theory and National Lampoon. Jim Ryan, president and chief executive of Excapsa Software, says that the NL brand identity among the college-age population is strong and with the growing popularity of poker in this demographic, this is a mutually beneficial partnership.

UltimateBet.com will be a co-sponsor in the college tournament.

Boss Media doing well off state owned Swedish online poker site

Svenska Spel, the Swedish government owned national lottery operator, has attracted registrations from an impressive 30 000 players since its launch of online poker facilities in March of this year.

The quick growth came to light when the Swedish poker and casino software supplier Boss Media reported on its business performance recently with a growth in net sales of 35 percent in the six months to the end of March, and royalty revenues up by 43 percent over the same period.

In the latest results, net sales totalled SEK75.5m (US$10 million) while royalty revenues reached SEK60 million. Profit after financial items was SEK11.8 million while net profit stood at SEK7.5 million.

During the six month reporting period, Boss revealed that it has inked deals with Synot Lotto covering that company’s expansion into the Czech market and had delivered a new gaming system to Bonnier Gaming and Folkspel for its BingoLotto product.

Boss Media has also recently acquired 20 percent of Hong Kong-based e-sports provider Bele (see previous InfoPowa reports), which is delivering online egaming services to China.

Boss additionally re-negotiated a deal with BetandWin, which saw the Austria public company end its poker contract with Boss but renew its casino licensing until August 2007.

European women's poker tourney will offer big money

Ladbrokes has joined the growing number of online poker companies offering special tournaments for women, underscoring the rising importance of the feminine demographic in the popular game.

The UK gambling group announced this week that it is hosting the first European women’s poker championship, playing for cash prizes and the opportunity to qualify for a seat at the Ladbrokes Poker Million V tournament.

The Ladbrokes European Ladies Championships will be held at the Riverside studios in Hammersmith today (May 6).

The total prize pool for the tournament is US$48 000, with a first prize of US$15 000. The Poker Million V has a first prize of US$1.2 million. Famous faces from the poker world such as UK glamour model Leilani Dowling, who goes by the name The Vixen, will be present.

“Competition to secure a place in the first European Ladies Championship final has been fierce," revealed David Briggs, managing director of Ladbrokes eGaming. "All 48 seats have been secured yet we are still receiving requests from women wishing to enter. We are already planning a bigger tournament next year to cater for the demand.”

Around 25 percent of players on the Ladbrokes Poker.com website are female, says Briggs and that number is anticipated to increase as poker is increasingly perceived as a mainstream activity. Familiar names such as celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, Paris Hilton and Sky Sports presenter Helen Chamberlain are all cited as enthusiastic players by Ladbrokes.

The tournament will be recorded by Sky Sports, which will air the footage over a six-week period as a precursor to the Poker Million V finals, also shown by the channel.

Bingo players have not been neglected by Ladbrokes, either. In a seperate announcement the gambling group launched a bingo product on its Ladbrokes Games.com site, giving customers the opportunity to play online for 5p a game.

Virtual dabbers will be used by players to mark their cards, with prizes available for a variety of lines. A live chat network is part of the offering, and new games will start every seven minutes around the clock.

An up and down week for Wagerlogic

Cryptologic's gambling software arm, Wagerlogic has confirmed that the UK-based The Ritz Club Online is to stop licensing it's software in October 2006.

The parent group said the move would have “no material impact” on its results as the Ritz accounts for less than 2 percent of its revenues.

It was not all bad news at the provider, however - Wagerlogic has extended its exclusive licensing agreement with Overseas Internet Gaming Internet Gaming Entertainment, owners of major revenue earning gaming sites such as Intercasino and Interpoker, and the royalty agreement remains unchanged right through to 2012.

With a fresh new poker software and marketing smarts, this firm is attracting attention

Relative newcomer to the industry, PKR.com has reeled in a sweet deal with the UK’s leading horseracing television channel, Racing UK, and will be sponsoring live evening racing on the channel over the summer flat season, accessing substantial sports mad audiences.

The sponsorship deal includes three ad spots per hour on all Racing UK’s live evening racing coverage from 1 May until 31 August – covering more than 100 UK fixtures. PKR.com will also benefit from a strong presence on Racing UK’s website and Teletext pages as well as a poker CD mailout to all Racing UK Club members in the June newsletter.

And Playboy joins the software club

Turnkey provider Cryptologic's investors have had a good week, with a 71 percent increase in dividends on a rising share price and the news that the companys first quarter profits have soared 58 percent to $7.7 million.

The company has also reported that its software has attracted more customers, including the famous brand Playboy, which is to use the gaming software on its new site.

"Our excellent results, progressive dividend records and positive business momentum are testaments to our disciplined business strategy and our commitment to enhancing shareholder value," CEO Lewis Rose commented.

The legendary adult magazine Playboy has signed up with Cryptologic in a three year deal that will launch Playboy-branded Internet casinos, providing electronic cash management, marketing support and customer support.

"The new site will leverage the global reach of this major media brand outside of the U.S. market," Rose said. "If Playboy also launches a poker site in the future, we will be the exclusive provider for that site as well."

Playboy plans to market the sites around the world, excluding the United States, where the regulatory environment for online gambling remains uncertain.

"When we set out to find a partner for a new Playboy-branded Internet casino, CryptoLogic software was a natural fit," Playboy chairman and CEO Christie Hefner said in a release.

Cryptologic revenue increased 33 percent to a record $27 million US - beating the company's forecast of $25.1 million to $25.5 million.

Last week shares strengthened on the news that Intercasino and Interpoker operator Overseas Internet Gaming Entertainment NV had signed up for a further term to 2012 with Cryptologic.

Netherlands-based Overseas Internet Gaming, which owns and operates games sites such as InterCasino and InterPoker, reaffirmed its agreement with CryptoLogic's licensing subsidiary, WagerLogic Ltd., until 2012. The good news was tempered with some bad, too as the firm acknowledged the loss of The Ritz Club London Online from its client list, responsible for generating some 2 percent of revenues.

Cryptologic chosen to provide software and services for new online venture...but US players will be excluded

A world-famous brand, that of adult magazine Playboy will soon launch new online casinos powered by Cryptologic-Wagerlogic, but U.S. players will lose out thanks to the uncertain legal climate regarding online gambling in that country.

Press releases from Playboy Enterprises report that, in an effort to diversify its digital media revenues the group is to launch name-branded online casino sites around the world, but due to regulatory issues, not in the U.S.

Oceana Caribe Licensing NV, a private operator in the Netherlands Antilles, has the exclusive rights to the Playboy brand for use in its Internet gaming business.

The deal with Cryptologic is a 3-year contract, the companys release reveals. "Playboy looks forward to rapidly expanding our broadband and wireless gaming initiatives," said Playboy Chief Executive Christie Hefner.

And Certificate of Prior Approval given to Microgaming Software Services Limited.

The Channel Islands based Alderney Gambling Control Commission has further enhanced its growing reputation as an online gaming regulator with the granting of licenses to four more companies following stringent testing.

The announcement was made in the regulator's Annual Report, which reveals that since the date of the report the AGCC has issued Interactive Gaming licenses to four new operators:-

• Spin Leisure Limited, which intends to operate an interactive gaming site;

• Probability Games (Alderney) Limited, which intends to operate mobile gaming;

• PKR Ltd, which intends to operate poker games; and

• Cantor Gaming Alderney White Label One Ltd, which intends to operate an interactive gaming site for a white label customer.

The Commission also issued a Certificate of Prior Approval to the gaming software provider, Microgaming Software Services Limited.

The new awards bring the total number of licences issued to 19, with five Certificates of Prior Approval.

Deal with Isle of Man company could open up London market opportunities for the Mohawks

The Montreal Gazette had interesting news from the Kahnawake First Nation licensing enclave in Quebec this week, revealing that the Mohawks are working on a deal in which they will participate in a London share deal to raise capital for an ambitious plan for a global network of computer centres to serve the online gambling industry and other e-businesses.

According to John Morris, the CEO of the Kahnawake Economic Development Commission he expects to sew up a deal as early as this week to take a 40 percent stake in an Isle of Man company looking to issue shares on the London Stock Exchange's junior AIM market.

Morris's Commission owns Mohawk Internet Technologies, whose computer servers have made Kahnawake one of the world's most popular jurisdictions for hosting online gambling sites. Home to hundreds of casino, poker and bingo sites, MIT is negotiating a contract that would see the Isle of Man company - Continent 8 Technologies PLC - offer its servers to international customers as part of a larger 'grid' of data centres.

The Grand Chief of the Kahnawake, Michael Delisle said the Kahnawake council supports the IPO as an important economic development opportunity for the community. "Investors in London have been showing a big appetite for online gambling stocks, encouraging a raft of companies involved in the $12-billion global Internet gaming business to bring new issues to market," he said.

Net gaming revenue hits $84 million in first three months to March 31, 2006

It may be mired in a controversial affiliate dispute (see previous InfoPowa reports) but Gibraltar-based online gambling group 888.com continues to earn big money for its mainly Israeli owners, with first quarter 2006 results showing continued impressive progress.

First-quarter net revenues were up 42 percent year-on-year with net gaming revenue rising to $84 million (GBP 45 million) in the three months to March 31, a company release reported. Poker revenues increased 95 percent year-on-year to $39 million, while casino revenues rose 15 percent to $45 million.

888.com's diversification away from too heavy a dependence on US gamblers due to uncertain legislative develkopments in that country is seen as an important business achievement. By driving business into Europe and other parts of the world, it has purposefully cut the share of revenues it gets from the US to 55 per cent from 90 per cent five years ago, with the declared goal of getting it down 20 to 25 per cent.

On current share prices the group is valued at around GBP 790 million.

Casino gambling still accounts for the bulk of 888's business, but poker is catching up rapidly, helped by a new multi-hand feature in the Random Logic software - poker revenues nearly doubled to $39 million.

Nevada land casinos regularly exceed monthly billion dollar benchmark

It's not online gambling, but it still makes for interesting reading - Nevada land casinos collectively often exceed the billion a month mark according to figures from the state Gaming Control Board

For the third straight month in 2006 and the seventh time in the past 12 months, Nevada casinos topped the $1 billion mark in monthly gaming win, says the Board. The $1.06 billion collected during March was the second- highest total ever, topped only by the $1.14 billion won in January.

The figure was a 3 percent increase from the $1.03 billion casinos won from customers in March 2005, the first time casinos ever won more than $1 billion from gamblers.

Frank Streshley, senior research analyst for the Gaming Control Board, said the March 2005 total was a 10 percent increase from the year before, making the 2006 gaming win even more impressive based on the tough comparison.

However, the table game hold percentages at Strip casinos - the money won from customers versus the actual amount gambled - was less than a year ago. "The casinos played unlucky compared to last year and the customers played lucky," Streshley said.

Brian Gordon, a partner in Applied Analysis, a Las Vegas financial consulting firm, said the growth in gaming revenue has slowed, which was to be expected. While 5 to 6 percent year-over-year increases are "respectable," Gordon said the Strip has experienced double digit increases, including 19 percent in February.

Impact of Ongame acquisition substantial

Vienna listed and Europe's biggest gambling group BETandWIN.com Interactive Entertainment AG has reported Quarter, 2006 gross gaming revenues of Euro 97.3 million, up 294 percent (or 152 percent excluding Ongame).

Latest results published by the group show figures with and without the inclusion of the recent major acquisition of Swedish group Ongame.

The group reports over 865 000 active and some 300 000 new active customers, up 285 percent and 185 percent respectively (up 161 percent and 124 percent excluding Ongame) EBITDA was up Euro 14.8 million or 673 percent (up 342 percent excluding Ongame)

In Q1 2006 betandwin generated gross gaming revenues (sum of gross gaming revenues from betting operations, poker, casino and games) of Euro 97.3 million (Euro 62.2 million excluding Ongame). This represented an increase of 294 percent compared to Q1 2005 (152 percent excluding Ongame).

The betandwin Group has over 10 million registered customers in over 20 core target markets. Operating under international and regional licences in countries like Gibraltar, Kahnawake (Canada), Belize and Germany, Italy, Mexico, Austria and the United Kingdom, the Group continues to position itself as a top venue for sports betting, games and entertainment via digital distribution channels.

Business Britain awards title for 2005-2006 to online poker company

Business Britain, having extensively covered the development of the UK online gaming market over the last 18 months, has awarded its "Online Gaming Company of the Year 2005 - 2006" trophy to CelebPoker.com.

Criteria used in the assessment, which was carried out by a team of investigative journalists was based on:

• Ease of use of site and game play
• Efficiency of payment transactions
• Help line and guidance for gambling issues
• Security and supervision of site
• Table and tournament options
• Prize money of tournaments based on value
• Customer Support and response time
• Graphics and artwork of site and players
• Poker community, appropriateness to Business Britain's readers
• Company Ethics

Opening for business in 2004, CelebPoker has seen growth in traffic and players upwards of 600 percent as a result of its celebrity based, interactive poker business model that enables play against a variety of stars and other celebrities online. The accolade follows an award for “Best Communication” by Top Pair Magazine in April 2006.

A company press release reports that in excess of 4 million UK individuals gamble online each month, and since 2003 the amount staked online has risen dramatically by over 550 percent. Actuarial forecasting shows that this growth is set to continue into 2006, topping off around the World Series of Poker in July.

Costa Rica firm to handle Support, Customer Relations and Email Marketing

The growing online gambling operations at Keno.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gaming Transactions Inc., are to be operated by a Costa Rican company according to an announcement this week.

Gaming Transactions has signed up Costa Rican company Progenero to handle customer service including web based and telephone support, technical support (IT) Email marketing and CRM (customer relationship management)

Progenero is an online casino management company that specialises in the day-to-day management of specific operations. Based in San Jose, Costa Rica the company provides administration services to a number of companies that have online poker sites, internet casinos, sportsbooks, lotteries and pari-mutuel racing.

A Gaming Transaction press release reports that the outsourcing deal is designed to reduce overhead and "minimize risks."

Communications industry exec takes the hot seat in June

The Chief Operations Officer hot seat at 888.com will be occupied by a highly experienced communications industry executive from June this year.

The Board at 888/Cassava has appointed Gigi Levy to the top post with effect from 18 June 2006. Levy was previously in management positions at software and services company Amdocs where he was ultimately president of the Western Europe, Central and Latin America Business Units. Amdocs provides software and services to the world's largest companies in the communications, broadband cable and satellite industries.

That hot seat will be uncommonly warm by then, unless CEO John Anderson intervenes in a major dispute with affiliates which is creating an uproar around that sector of the industry at present.

Affiliates are alleging that 888.com affiliates are using underhand and unethical tactics such as site-scraping and blog spamming to create business for the online gambling giant, which owns the 888.com and Pacific Poker brands.

Proposed consolidation advantageous for both successful companies

Two of the most successful and established online casino and poker room groups in the online gaming industry have announced plans to create a new Internet super-group.

Trident Entertainment Group out of Kahnawake in Canada is in discussions with regard to a proposed merger of its operations into Gibraltar-based Carmen Media Group. This would result in a Carmen Media Group line-up of 10 top online casinos, 4 poker rooms on the Prima Poker Network and a sportsbook powered by LudoLogic.

The following major Microgaming-powered brands are involved in the proposed plan, on which financial detail is not disclosed:

Carmen Media Group operations:

Riverbelle Online Casino and Online Poker (www.riverbellecasino.com)
The Gaming Club Oline Casino and Online Poker Room (www.thegamingclub.com)
The Gaming Club Sportsbook (www.gamingclubsportsbook.com)
Lucky Nugget Casino (www.luckynuggetcasino.com)
Jackpot City Casino (www.jackpotcitycasino.com)
Aces High Casino (www.aceshighcasino.com)
Showdown Casino (www.showdowncasino.com)
Home Casino (www.homecasino.com)

Trident Entertainment Group operations:

King Neptune’s Casino (www.kingneptunescasino.com)
Trident Lounge Casino (www.tridentloungecasino.com)
Vegas USA Casino (www.vegasusa.com)
Trident Poker Room (www.tridentpoker.com)

In addition to the English versions, selected brands are available in Japanese, French, German and Spanish language versions. Both groups have been independently active in these regions for some time.

Carmen Media and Trident are committed to Responsible Gaming. The vast majority of their online entertainment products has passed the stringent requirements of the international standards body eCommerce and Online Gaming, Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) and undergoes continuous monitoring and regular reviews as a precondition to the display of the “Play It Safe” seal.

The plan also provides for the continued use of the existing affiliate programs (Referback for Carmen Media Group and Trident Share for Trident Entertainment Group), individually and collectively optimised for use in target markets where they are most suited.

Trident spokesperson Micki Oster confirmed that the strong brand identities of the existing operations would be maintained: “These are some of the best known and popular names in Internet gambling,” she said. “In fact, the existing TEG brands will benefit from Carmen Media’s considerable experience and strengths in areas such as marketing and customer relationship management.”

Oster will retain executive responsibilities for the North American, Canadian and Asian markets. She commented that more emphasis would be placed on expanding Japanese activities.

Ashley Head, CEO of Carmen Media Group said that the proposed merger would enable the businesses to maximise and combine their strengths into one operating unit going forward.

“The Carmen Media Group continually strives to expand its global business, creating new business opportunities and looking for innovative ideas in emerging markets,” he said.

“These moves towards consolidation rather than competition, especially in exciting new growth areas where we have both been successful in building market share, can only be of mutual benefit. We will continue to do this without impacting the strong player trust and branding that Carmen and Trident have built up over the years.”

About Carmen Media Group:

Carmen Media owns a portfolio of online gaming entertainment brands, consisting of 7 online casinos, 3 online multiplayer poker rooms, and an Online Sportsbook.

Each brand boasts its own unique personality, and is committed to providing the most integrity-driven, entertaining, rewarding and best supported gaming and betting experience available.

Many of the Carmen Media products and brands are promoted through the industry-leading 2-tier affiliate program Referback.com, affording affiliate partners opportunities to market English, French, German and Japanese products. Attractive commission rates combined with exceptionally high player retention at all the partner casinos and poker rooms makes Referback.com a particularly lucrative Affiliate option.

The Carmen Media Group is incorporated and based in Gibraltar. It operates under a license issued by the Government of Gibraltar, and nine of its flagship brands have been awarded the eCOGRA seal of approval.

About Trident Entertainment:

Trident Entertainment Group Ltd. (http://www.tridentegroup.com) operates King Neptune's Casino, Trident Lounge Casino, Vegas USA Casino and Trident Poker. All operations are powered by Microgaming and have achieved the eCOGRA “Play It Safe” seal. Online gaming licences from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission are held and operations are conducted strictly in compliance with the Commission's regulations. Trident Entertainment Group has built a strong reputation for ethical business conduct and is well respected by the gaming industry and players alike.

Trident group casinos feature the latest Microgaming Viper software and offer both download and flash builds including progressive jackpot games, slots, power pokers and more. The group provides a high level of round-the-clock, toll-free telephone, e-mail and Live Chat Support to all its casino and poker players.

888.com under fire from affiliates for alleged unethical marketing practices

A storm has been building in the affiliate marketing sector of the industry over claims that one of the largest online gambling groups in the business, and a publicly quoted company to boot is turning a blind eye to the allegedly unethical marketing activities of its independent affiliates.

888.com has been the focus of massive criticism from the affiliate world on this issue, but is reportedly disinclined to either agree with the views of the affiliate community or take action against its affiliates, who stand accused of unethical practices such as site-scraping (content theft) and spamming.

To better understand the issue, InfoPowa asked a principled and professional webmaster, Dave Sawyer of Online Casino Reviewer.com to explain what has been going on in lay terms, but before reading his interesting perspective it is perhaps necessary for clarity to outline broadly how the affiliate concept works.

Online gambling venues want to attract players to their sites to maintain and increase their revenues, and the operators budget substantial sums of marketing money to do this through a variety of media and channels.

One of those channels is the use of affiliates - totally independent individuals or (usually small) companies that recruit and refer players to the gambling sites. To do this, the affiliate most commonly builds a website or blog, the useful content of which attracts players when it is skillfully presented through media like the search engines, presence on other sites and so forth.

The operator will often pay for advertising "real estate" on the site, and/or will guarantee that for every player delivered there will be a monetary reward or "commission" for the affiliate calculated on a diversity of conditions and methods that are previously agreed between the two.

Larger gambling groups frequently have a division to handle the administration associated with vetting and accrediting affiliates, tracking players, paying the affiliates, providing promotional materials and briefing on new developments. Sometimes this is outsourced to specialised companies. Generally this organisation is positioned between operator and affiliate, and is commonly called a "program"

The affiliate marketing system is devoid of a widely accepted, formal controlling body and it is therefore open to abuse when it comes to ethical commitments, professional qualifications, discipline of practitioners and similar issues. There is no generally accepted independent affiliate regulatory body, although there are a number of websites where some affiliates gather to cooperate on issues, and exchange views and information.

That means that only the "Programs" have any sort of practical influence over their affiliates, because they control the purse strings and continued accreditation. Affiliates may work with several different programs, however so disciplinary action exacted by one program does not necessarily mean that an affiliate will go out of business.

Dave Sawyer provided InfoPowa with the following brief on the current controversy surrounding 888.com's affiliate activities:

"There has been an increasing furore over the last couple of months amongst Webmasters involved in the Online Gambling Industry, and it is allegedly caused by the online gambling behemoth 888 Holdings PLC, a prominent group behind household names such as 888.com and Pacific Poker.

"Serious allegations have been made that affiliates of the company are actively engaging in murky and underhand marketing activities, not befitting a Public Listed Company on the London Stock Exchange.

"According to 888 Holding’s Website: '888's marketing is principally planned, sourced and executed through its in-house marketing arm which has accumulated significant creative and marketing experience focusing on achieving high return on its investment-driven campaigns.'

"So what exactly is all the concern about? Well over recent weeks, it has become clear to the members of Casino Affiliate Programs.com that 888 is allowing several of their online affiliate marketers to steal content from thousands of websites, which they then utilise as their own, in order to increase 888’s exposure in the internet search engines such as Google and Yahoo.

"The result is that 888’s exposure in the search engines is not just limited to requested gambling related searches; indeed 888 can be returned as a result for a multitude of terms which are definitely not gambling related.

"What is even more worrying is that there is evidence to suggest that affiliates of 888 Holdings PLC have been actively participating in the practice of Blog Spamming. Blog Spamming in layman terms is whereby webmasters try to increase the popularity of their websites by adding links to website forums or blogs (a form of online diary) regardless of their content.

"Not only is this extremely annoying for the owner of said forums or blogs, but this "shotgun" approach of broadly targeting any and all media and audiences can promote gambling to unreceptive or worse still undesirable audiences e.g. minors.

"This is a big concern, especially as anti online gambling lobbies and organisations are gaining support in the United States. The fact that 888 as a listed company is actively involved in this brings the whole online gambling industry into disrepute and further fuels the calls for online gambling to be banned in the US.

"888 has substantial marketing budgets and resources to call on. For example the company sponsored English Premiership Football Team Middlesbrough and the recent World Snooker Championships. This being the case, the question must be asked: "Why does the company have to resort to these underhand, unethical and potentially very damaging marketing techniques?"

Dave Sawyer as the webmaster of casino portal Online Casino Reviewer.com commented: "It is a serious concern that one of the leading online gambling companies is unable or unwilling to police its affiliate program. In my opinion, by allowing affiliates to do as they please in promoting 888 and its associated brands, 888.com not only tarnishes its own brands, but the entire industry.

"For this reason, Online Casino Reviewer, along with many other gambling websites has taken the hard but necessary decision to rogue 888 and inform our visitors of what is currently happening.”

Sawyer's ethical concerns are clearly shared by many professional affiliate marketers and portal owners. For example Lou Fabiano of Casino Affiliate Programs.com (CAP - a gathering place for many experienced webmasters) has pulled 888.com's accreditation after months of attempting to reason with the gambling group regarding its “…failure to reach an amicable resolution involving known content theft and blog spamming being performed by their top affiliates and consultants."

One of the top watchdog and player advocate sites, Bryan Bailey's Casinomeister.com placed 888.com on the Rogue list last week, and Brian Nank's iGAMI took similar action.

"Site scraping and content theft are very serious issues that need to be halted now," wrote Bailey.

Nank wrote: “We do have evidence that indicates that they [888.com] are involved in Blog and Forum spamming using domains that “do” show 888/Cassava as the owner.

“We do have evidence that they have been one of the biggest users of Gator, WhenU, and other malwares for years. We do have evidence that suggests they are using third party marketing companies to purchase hundreds of domains, and redirect them to their brands. We do have evidence that they are not very eager to satisfactorily address scraper issues.”

All of these actions were widely publicised, and sources report that many webmasters have started collaborating through a links system to bring the issue to prominent public notice and possibly take further joint action.

A CAP spokesman went into more detail, saying: “These illegal activities are negatively impacting thousands of affiliates and online marketers worldwide. There are a number of programming teams operating with the approval of 888 Casino which are flooding search engines like Google and Yahoo with thousands of spurious search results.

"This angers searchers and makes finding legitimate destinations on the internet difficult if not impossible. These rogues are also robbing bandwidth and corrupting web logs with millions of commercial messages all linked to 888 Casino. This abuse of the system tarnishes the image of the industry as a whole and can not be allowed to continue.

"To resolve this issue CAP has been in negotiations with 888 Casino for the last six weeks, but so far they have declined to comply and have stated they are not interested in a resolution at this time."

CAP wants 888.com to grasp the affiliate nettle by initiating the following actions:

“1. Issue a public statement indicating that 888 Casino does not condone nor will they reward content theft or illegal marketing practices by their affiliates or marketing consultants. If affiliates or marketers are discovered to be engaged in these practices their accounts will be closed, they will be banned from the 888 affiliate program and their proceeds or commissions due forfeited.

“2. Addition to the Affiliate Program Terms and Conditions a provision stating the above policy.

“3. A good faith effort by 888 Casino to adhere to these policies now and in the future.”

This truly raging controversy, generating widespread adverse publicity across the Internet for not only unethical affiliate activities and the ubiquitous 888.com brand itself but the industry in general cannot have escaped the attention of the top management at the publicly listed company.

InfoPowa requested a comment from 888.com for balance on this article but to date no response has been received.

Attempt to prohibit online gambling in the USA passed by crime sub-committee

Reuters carried the disappointing news this week that a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee has approved a bill that would ban Internet gambling, despite recent recommendations from the American Gaming Association that a congressional investigating committee be tasked with a detailed study of an entertainment enjoyed by millions of Americans.

The Bill still has some way to travel and now goes to a full committee for further consideration and debate, but it is a step forward for Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who sponsors the proposal.

The legislation seeks to update and expand an existing federal law to cover all forms of interstate gambling within the United States, and would bar a gambling business from accepting payment in the form of credit cards, checks, wire and Internet transfers. It would also prohibit gambling on an estimated 2,300 offshore Internet gambling sites.

Shares of some British-based gaming companies fell on news that the bill had progressed another step. PartyGaming Plc and 888 Holdings lost about 5 percent each in value on the London Stock Exchange.

The bill was approved on a voice vote by the House Judiciary subcommittee on crime. However, it remains unclear whether the legislation will reach floor votes in the House and Senate. Congress has a relatively short schedule this year because of the November congressional elections.

"Virtual betting parlors have attempted to avoid the application of United States law by locating themselves offshore and out of our jurisdictional reach," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican who wrote the bill. The offshore companies use Internet sites that are "unlicensed, untaxed and unregulated," he said.

Key land casino body changes stance on Internet gambling

Many industry observers were caught by surprise this week when the American Gaming Association, which represents the interests of US land gambling companies, turned away from its traditionally neutral stance on online gaming in favour of a more rational investigative approach.

The president of the Association said it now strongly supports the creation of a U.S. Congressional commission to evaluate whether Internet gambling should banned or not in the country.

The AGA's president and Chief Executive, Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., said that at a board meeting on Wednesday, it had decided it "strongly supports the creation of a one-year Congressional study commission that would evaluate the impacts of online gambling."

The AGA "...remains neutral on all pending legislation on this issue," which includes bills that would make Internet gambling a criminal offense in the U.S. The shift has the potential to positively impact on current moves to ban Internet gambling in the States, and the findings of an independent investigation are likely to be highly influential on legislative thinking. A positive outcome could ultimately see big name, trusted American casino brands entering a US-regulated domestic online gambling sector.

The commission should take into account issues such as "...how best to protect children and problem gamblers to whether Internet gambling can be effectively legalized and regulated in the United States rather than leaving bettors to fend for themselves on illegal, unregulated offshore sites," in its enquiries, said Fahrenkopf.

"The study also should include consideration of recent WTO rulings indicating the United States' position on Internet gaming may be in violation of international trade obligations."

The impact of the announcement was felt almost immediately on the London Stock Exchange, where Party Gaming shares perked up noticeably in a falling market. Analyst attributed this to an easing of fears over a possible U.S. ban. The AGA’s move was thought to represent a softening of its stance.

Although UK analysts have frequently suggested that the US is unlikely to ban online gaming, the shares of gaming groups have been increasingly volatile amid the uncertainty.

Bullish sentiment abounds after American Gaming Association call for congressional commission

Perhaps predictably, the call by the American Gaming Association for a congressional investigation into online gambling before moves are made to ban it has enjoyed widespread approval from analysts. industry firms and the players. This week the mood was decidedly bullish.

Online gaming is the fastest growing Internet business and is expected to expand at a compound annual rate of more than 14percent, reaching $25.2 billion by 2010. By then, the sector is expected to represent 7.7 percent of the international gaming industry, which garners about $258 billion in gross gaming yield, according to Global Betting and Gaming Consultants in the U.K, which defines gross gaming yield as gross turnover minus winnings paid out.

"We are now even more confident that the current prohibition attempts, and any future proposals, placed before the House of Representatives will fail," brokerage firm Numis said in a recent note to clients. "This should be taken very positively for the online gaming stocks."

In a regulated online gaming industry, U.S. casino operators would be free to exploit their name and brand and set up their own online operations, opines Investec leisure analyst Matthew Gerard.

"They're [US land casino operators] missing out on a high-growth market [and] by being excluded it certainly does them no favours and I think they realise that. They would like to see the industry regulated," said ABM Amro's Pacitti.

The big casinos could also build their traditional businesses with the online sites. "There must be cross marketing opportunities for them, to attract online users and than attract them into their casinos," Pacitti said.

Online players vary greatly from traditional land gamblers who like to have a flutter on slot machine or a table during a night out with friends. Traditionally, around 70 percent of bets placed with U.K. bookmakers were on horse and greyhound racing for example. But online punters wager on other events, Pacitti said. "Online, it tends to be a case that younger people place bets on different events, like football or golf."

Pacitti says that while players in the U.S. and Europe are enjoying the online gaming phenomena, Asian players still prefer traditional casinos, due in part to slow Internet connections and fear of using credit cards online. "Broadband still has relatively low penetration in mainland China for example and it's still a cash based society so people are reluctant to use their credit cards," he added.

In a bid to capture some of the untapped online gaming market in Asia, U.K.-based and recently London listed Playtech runs a "live casino" out of a warehouse in the Philippines. The "live over the Internet" casino, which was set up almost three years ago, is filmed with real dealers and a live CNN television screen to prove its real-time authenticity to players. The games are beamed onto licensed gaming websites, a Playtech spokesman said.

The casino was set up to "penetrate into Asia," he added, but declined to provide any player or earnings numbers from the casino.

Recently merged online casino and poker room group acquired for US $ 66 million

Surprise disclosure this week was the takeover of the recently merged Spin Palace- Piggs Casino group by London listed company Fairground Gaming Holdings plc for a $66 million consideration. Trading of the shares on the London AIM was suspended as the deal went through.

In the press release, the directors of Fairground Gaming (see previous InfoPowa reports on this company) disclosed that the company has entered into a conditional purchase agreement to acquire all of the online gaming businesses and subsidiaries, which collectively form The Spin Palace Group from Roundit Limited, for a maximum consideration of US$66 million.

Highlights of the deal include:

* The Acquisition is the first by Fairground Gaming since admission to AIM in October 2005, is in line with the Company’s strategy and is conditional on re-admission to trading of the enlarged issued share capital;

* The Spin Palace Group comprises two recently combined businesses, Spin Palace and Piggs Casino, and is a licensed online casino and poker group offering over 200 different games to a global customer base;

* Core domains include www.spinpalace.com, www.rubyfortune.com and www.piggscasinos.com;

* The technology platform of the Acquisition is underpinned by Microgaming considered by the Fairground directors to be the leading provider of software to online casinos;

* Scope for further integration and exploitation of new products; Existing management teams and staff to remain with the enlarged group on completion of the Acquisition;

* Acquisition incorporates a marketing business and scalable call centre to which Roundit previously outsourced these functions as well as an award-winning affiliate programme;

* The initial consideration of approximately US$46 million, consisting of US$10 million cash payment from existing Fairground Gaming resources with the remainder being satisfied through the issue of ordinary shares in Fairground Gaming and warrants over Ordinary Shares in Fairground Gaming;

* Further earnout consideration payable of up to US$20 million, dependent upon the EBITDA of The Spin Palace Group for the year to 31 December 2006. The remaining $20 million of the agreed purchase price will be paid if the acquisition companies reach a specified financial target of $9.8 million of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for the year ending 31 December 2006.

* The acquisition constitutes a reverse takeover for the purposes of the AIM Rules and accordingly the Directors have requested that Fairground Gaming’s shares be suspended from trading on AIM with immediate effect until such time as an AIM admission document is published.

Commenting on the proposed acquisition, Evan Hoff, Chief Executive of Fairground Gaming, said:

“The Spin Palace Group will be the cornerstone in the execution of Fairground Gaming’s consolidation strategy. Both Spin Palace and Piggs Casino are well managed and cash generative businesses and, combined, we believe they have the potential to be scaled upwards to enhance future revenues of the Company. We look forward to working with management in growing the business and seeking out complementary acquisitions that will assist us in achieving further scale and product and geographic diversification. We look forward to providing further information to investors in due course.”

The effective date of the takeover has been agreed as 1st January 2006, which is the date from which all revenues and costs, assets and liabilities will accrue to Fairground Gaming. The announcement of the takeover makes it clear that Fairground intends to make effective use of crossmarketing opportunities between the online gaming sites.

The Spin Palace Group, first incorporated in 2001, is a licensed online casino and poker group that possesses a global and diversified customer base. The Spin Palace Group offers to its customers over 200 different online casino and poker games.

Respected online gambling brands such as Spin Palace, Spin Palace Poker, Ruby Fortune, Piggs Casinos, Poker 333, Jackpots In A Flash and Mummy's Gold are backed by a marketing and scalable call centre capability as well as an award-winning affiliate programme.

Fairground's upfront strategy is to take advantage of the trend toward consolidation within the online gaming sector in order to build a portfolio of online gaming businesses. A company spokesman said that the online gaming sector is highly fragmented where only the major operators enjoy significant scale or brand recognition.

"Against this background, the Directors believe that the operating model of many companies within the online gaming sector is highly scalable providing opportunities for greater efficiency cost savings upon consolidation," he continued.

"Fairground sees this acquisition as the first step in implementing our strategy. Through the operation of online casinos and online poker, this combined group generates two distinct lines of revenue and sources of profit. The Spin Palace Group has achieved levels of organic revenue growth comparable to other online gaming competitors and has implemented high quality operating and management information systems. It also has a suite of management information systems, which will help facilitate integration with other future acquisitions."

Interesting performance figures emerged in the reportage of the deal. The recently enlarged Spin Palace Group unaudited management accounts show that in 2004, The Spin Palace Group recorded an unaudited Net Win (the difference between amounts wagered by active players and the amounts paid out to active players minus bonuses paid out) of US$19.2 million in 2004, rising to US$29.9 million in 2005.

The Spin Palace Group had approximately 9,300 active casino players in March 2006 compared to 3,380 active players in March 2004 representing an annual compound growth rate of 65 percent. There were 2,100 active poker players in March 2006 compared to less than 500 in March 2004 representing an annual compound growth rate of 104 percent.

Approximately 97 percent of the Net Win revenue in 2005 was generated through the online casino activities, which includes slots, roulette, baccarat and blackjack whilst poker Net Win revenues were 3 percent and accounted for the remainder.

Fairground Gaming was admitted to AIM on 4 October 2005 with the intention of building a broad-based, diversified gaming portfolio by acquisition and thereafter by organic growth.

On-property remote gambling in Nevada moves closer

Associated Press reports that the company that led a 2005 legislative effort to allow wireless gambling in Nevada won a recommendation this week from regulators for licensing needed to market its hand-held, mobile gambling devices in the state.

The state Gaming Control Board recommended Cantor Gaming as the state's first licensed manufacturer and distributor of the devices. The board's parent state Gaming Commission will have final say on the licensing at a May 18 meeting.

The board endorsed Cantor after Joe Asher, managing director and vice president of the company, said Cantor is ready to invest "significant'' capital to install mobile gambling systems in Nevada hotel-casinos. Asher said the devices should attract gamblers in their 20s and early 30s who have grown up with video games, cell phones and other devices, as well as older gamblers who use such technology.

Regulations passed in March, based on the 2005 legislation, made Nevada the first in the nation to approve use of handheld devices for gambling in any public area of the state's casinos, such as restaurants and poolsides.

Rules allow a range of games, including bingo, poker, blackjack and horse race betting. Use of the devices in hotel rooms and other places that can't be supervised is prohibited.

Major operators like Harrah's Entertainment Inc. and MGM Mirage Inc. and neighborhood casino operator Station Casinos Inc. say they are taking a wait-and-see approach as the regulations and the technology evolve. Boyd Gaming Corp., whose holdings include the Stardust in Las Vegas and co-ownership in the Borgata in Atlantic City, N.J., has said it is unsure about demand for hand-held gadgets, despite having electronic bingo devices at halls in its Las Vegas properties.

Cantor G&W (Nevada) LP is an affiliate of Cantor Fitzgerald, the New York-based financial services company. It plans to use bond-trading technology, which has been used for mobile gambling devices in Britain since September 2003.

Others interested in the technology include Louisiana-based Diamond I Inc., which has developed its own device; Reno-based International Game Technology, the world's largest manufacturer of slot machines; and FortuNet Inc., a Las Vegas-based gambling device manufacturer.

Manufacturers say biometric fingerprint readers and regulations limiting use to public areas will keep devices out of the hands of minors.

Cool marketing move by Absolute Poker

Absolute Poker annonced a clever marketing move this week as it expanded its sponsorship of the fourth Gumball 3000 Rally with a unique "Poker Race Challenge" element for the 120 cars in this year's race around the world.

When the drivers hit their Las Vegas checkpoint on Saturday, May 6, they will each be given a sealed envelope containing one poker playing card from a randomly shuffled deck.

The first five cars to cross the finish line in Los Angeles on Sunday, May 7, will get to open their sealed envelopes during the awards ceremony at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills. If their combined five cards reveal a Royal Flush, Absolute Poker will not only pay them $1 million, they will also donate $1 million to the Rockworks Foundation, a first-of-its-kind "construction-production" organisation that engages the entertainment community to support those affected by disasters and extreme poverty to achieve sustainable, long-term solutions.

"The Gumball 3000 Rally Drivers are a special breed," said Mike Edwards, Absolute Poker marketing manager. "They have a passion for adventure and the open road and are also instilled with a sense of good fortune. Who better to play their hand and go for the Royal Flush as they hit the finish line on Rodeo Drive. We wanted to make the last leg of the race even more exciting for these drivers and potentially support the foundation."

$7.6 billion four years hence says survey company

Figures from the latest Informa Telecoms & Media study indicate that global mobile gambling revenues will grow from $1.2 billion in 2005 to $7.6 billion in 2010, split across the chief categories of sports and spread betting, mobile lotteries and scratch-cards, and casino and skill games.

Juniper Research is even more bullish, predicting that global mobile betting will grow from $2 billion last year to $19.3 billion by 2009, with mobile lotteries becoming the most popular form of mobile gambling.

Either way, Asia is pegged as a key market for mobile gambling over the next few years, the studies show. Informa says mobile gambling in Asia will grow from $426 million to $2.7 billion by 2010, making it the second largest market for mobile gambling after Europe.

Juniper Research agrees that Asia will see strong growth of mobile lotteries, due to the strong culture of lottery betting in the region - and because most lottery applications don't require 3G capabilities to succeed.

The relationship between mobile gambling growth and regulatory climates is clearly illustrated in Europe. Mobile gambling is gaining traction there at rapid rates, largely due to more relaxed legislation, the Informa study finds.

Airline boss cancels deal after pondering U.S. attitude to the industry

The Bodog group's imaginative use of airliners flying into Vegas as brand advertising venues (see previous InfoPowa reports) was brought up short this week when the aircraft owners developed cold feet over online gambling adverts.

The owners of Allegiant Air, a Las Vegas-based air carrier, abruptly canceled an advertising deal with Bodog that would have turned six of the airline's jets into flying billboards.

The managing director at Allegiant, Ponder Harrison said he had waved off the deal after learning more about the U.S. Justice Department's intimidating views on the legality of promoting Internet gambling in America. Initial reports suggest that the airline was made aware of the legal issue after a Las Vegas Sun reporter questioned an airline executive.

In the publicity run-up to the first flight, Bodog revealed the value of the advertising deal with Allegiant at $500 000, and pictures of five already branded MD-80 jets were in circulation.

Bodog had hoped its three-month deal with Allegiant would reach gamblers travelling to Vegas and familiarise them with the Bodog brand and entertainment services.

In a statement on the issue, Bodog's founder and CEO Calvin Ayre said he understood Allegiant's decision: "I have no problem with Allegiant changing our agreement when faced with this type of threat," Ayre said. "We 100 percent support them and are saddened that they are not able to pursue their constitutionally protected rights of free speech in this case."

Astrabet intends to launch further litigation to ensure compliance on banning order

The Italian regulator Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli de Stato (AAMS) is still in the legal spotlight (see earlier InfoPowa reports) on its decree requiring Italian ISPs to block online gambling sites...and the issue became more intense this week after reports that the regulator has so far ignored an order by the Court of Rome to lift the ban on Astrabet, an online gambling site that sought legal relief.

Astrabet took the AAMS to task in an Italian court on grounds that due process was not properly followed in issuing the decree and on April 10 the court ordered that the ISP block on Astrabet be lifted.

This week Astrabet accused the AAMS of maintaining the blockade in contravention of the Court's order, and a spokesman announced that the company intended to launch further litigation seeking to compel the regulator to abide by the court ruling.

The AAMS decree, which specified hundreds of online gambling sites in its directive to the ISPs that these be blocked, created waves of concern throughout European operator and licensing authority circles alike. The Lotteries and Gaming Authority in Malta condemned the move, which affected large numbers of its licensees and several large and powerful international gambling groups implied they would take action.

Astrabet seemed to beat them all to the punch, and is thought to have set a useful precedent with its successful legal action. A company spokesman, referring to the non-compliance said: "This is a very serious offence. AAMS is disobeying a Court Order issued in the Court of Rome on 10 April and we will be launching further litigation to enforce compliance."

Late last week AAMS presented a 'reclamo' or appeal against the finding against it and has requested the judge to suspend his decision on the blockade. The judge accepted the appeal and set a hearing for the 29th May, but he did not accept the request for the suspension of the ruling. On this basis Astrabet feels that it's site should no longer be blocked from the Italian market.

It is believed that several important points in favour of the Maltese licensee's position in this issue were established by the judge's ruling, and these will be reported once the hearing on 28 March has been finalised.

A request for comment from the direttore generale of AAMS, Giorgio Tino has been requested, and a response is still awaited.

Probability of winning as low as hitting the lotto with a single ticket 5 weeks in a row.

A doubling feature in the English Harbour Casino's video poker game is at the centre of a major online furore this week, with several odds and statistical probability experts producing what appears to be damning evidence that the odds on the feature are nowhere near 50/50.

It all started when a seasoned player, suspicious of the fairness of the doubling on English Harbour's Tens or Better video poker, deposited and carefully recorded data for over an hour, doubling after every win, and recording for each double the result, win, lose or push.

Playing 4 line, single coin, recording wins, losses and ties on the doubling game the player was shocked at the heavily biased nature of his results, which were subsequently confirmed by player logs from the casino itself.

The player posted his experiences on popular forums, and a number of experienced players entered the fray with carefully recorded results from their play, too similarly indicating the proportion of losses to wins on the doubling feature was hopelessly outside statistical probability.

Ignoring the ties (which push and therefore have no effect), there should be an equal number of wins and losses on the doubling game, but not this one where, as one math head put it: "The probability of winning 522 or fewer out of 1537 trials is 4.9*10^-37. It is the same order of magnitude as winning the lottery with a single ticket 5 weeks in a row!"

Powered by Odds On - Vegas Technology software, English Harbour was taken over by the Leisure and Gaming group recently, and a spokesman for the company said that the issue was being investigated.

"In theory, the number of wins versus the number of losses (excluding ties) will converge to 50 percent over a sample set that is large enough," a spokesman said. "Should small sample sets be used to measure this metric, then results will vary as seems to be the case tracing through this thread."

Not much comfort to gamblers using the doubling function in the expectation that they had a fifty-fifty chance of doubling their money or losing it all.

Expert statistical and gaming analyst Mike Shackleford, perhaps better known as The Wizard of Odds is apparently investigating the issue, commissioned by English Harbour and his independent assessment will be keenly awaited by hundreds of players following the dispute.

Agrees that initial player results improbable

Further to our earlier InfoPowa report on the improbability of the odds on video poker doubling at English Harbour Casino, the Wizard of Odds, Mike Shackleford has issued the following statement:

"Yesterday, May 2, I was made aware of the issue of possible irregularities in the doubling feature of Odds On [Vegas Technology] software.

"Let me assure you that the Odds On management and myself are taking this very seriously. As soon as possible I plan to conduct an analysis of all double or nothing bets made since January 1. If necessary, Odds On will hire a third party to conduct the same study. Until we have had a chance to review the log files we can neither confirm nor deny the accusations.

"I will say now that indeed I have auditing most of the Odds On casinos, including the English Harbour. Also, I agree with the original allegations that the probability of 84 or fewer wins in 235 resolved bets is 1 in 135929."

Player tests on the VP doubling feature showed that out of 1537 trials of video poker double up, only 522 wins were recorded. The probability of this in a fair game is approximately 1 in 2,016,352,813,782,491,278,292,828,543,127,849,349.

FUNTech subsidiary in UK World Cup game deal

Fanball, the fantasy sports game developer acquired by FUNTech last year for $12.5 million clinched another significant UK deal this week.

The FUNTech subsidiary inked an agreement with three British companies: Tiscali UK Limited, Goal.com SA and Underground Digital Media Ltd. to develop fantasy sports games. One of the games is especially timely with the soccer World Cup about to start, featuring championship soccer.

The agreement calls for Fanball to develop and maintain the gaming website, while the three other partner companies provide links to the games from their own sites. All sites will launch the games prior to the World Cup Finals.

British poker pros sign up for Team Full Tilt

Prima Poker's loss is Full Tilt Poker's gain it would appear from an announcement by the latter company this week that the famous Hendon Mob has joined its sponsored ranks. The Mob recently completed a long-running contract in which they successfully promoted Prima at championships around the world.

The Hendon Mob will now become representatives of FullTiltPoker.com, joining the stellar group of Full Tilt Poker's poker pros and Team Full Tilt.

The Mob has built up an enviable reputation as international ambassadors to the poker world, and includes poker pros Barny Boatman, Joe 'The Elegance' Beevers, Ram 'Crazy Horse' Vaswani and 'Rocky' Ross Boatman. The charismatic quartet has not only raised the stakes in the world of poker, but has also helped grow global awareness of poker as a sport.

The Hendon Mob are well known on the European poker circuit and have developed a growing presence at the top American tournaments as well. Between them, the members have earned 37 tournament titles and countless final table appearances. Their combined career earnings total more than $5.3 million.

"Having the Hendon Mob join the Full Tilt Poker family is very exciting for Team Full Tilt and will afford players on the site a unique chance to play and chat with some of the best players and ambassadors in the poker world. We are very pleased!" said Team Full Tilt member Howard Lederer.

"We are excited and honored to have been chosen by Full Tilt Poker to represent them on the European tournament circuit and beyond. We are long time admirers of the software, the style, and of course the team of top flight pros who make up Team Full Tilt," said Barny Boatman of the Hendon Mob.

Technology consultancy has helped lay the groundwork for massive online business in Asia

San Francisco-based technology consultancy, Arizona Bay has been busy in Asia over the past six months, preparing the technological path for the deployment of Neteller's e-wallet service for Asia.

For the last 5 years Arizona Bay has been a technology development partner for Neteller, and this has been the case exclusively in the Asian launch. Beginning in September 2005 the company has put together a robust, localised application for China that is available to more than 1,700 qualified NETeller merchants around the world.

Assembling a team of experts to first assess the requirements in China, Arizona then tailor made a localised product based on Neteller's proven standards for scalable, secure and dependable transfer services.

According to Dale Johnson, president of Neteller's Asian operations, “Arizona Bay has been instrumental in helping us to achieve our Asian business goals, combining its acumen and domain expertise with Neteller's business model and technology.”

Founded in 2000, Arizona Bay leverages Internet based services and standards to craft proprietary software applications for the automotive, financial and security industries.

Prime Table Games survey shows that UK players want the Gaming Commission to enforce more disclosure

Online gamblers have been demanding more upfront information on gambling sites for years, and this week that was again reflected in the release of a new survey conducted for Prime Table Games.

The survey found that UK internet gamblers want the newly formed UK Gambling Commission to play a stronger role ahead of the adoption of the Gambling Act. They also want more information from the gambling sites themselves.

Commissioned by casino games inventor Prime Table Games, the study found that 73 percent of gamblers thought that online gambling sites should make clear if their site is run by a third party service provider. 30 percent were completely opposed to gambling brands outsourcing their online operations.

Commissions paid to marketing affiliates concerned 81 percent of respondents who said that online casinos should state when money is being paid to an affiliate. A surprising 44 percent said they would be less likely to play at a site where money wagered was shared with affiliates.

Plans to establish a kite mark showing that a casino is licensed and regulated in the UK proved popular with 67 percent of gamblers, who said they would prefer a UK approved site to one based overseas. The first UK based internet casinos are expected to appear in late 2007 as the Gambling Act comes into force.

Commenting on the results head of Prime Table Games, Derek Webb said, "Gamblers have clear expectations of how online gaming should operate. It's vital that as the industry redefines itself in the light of the Gambling Act that the Gambling Commission aims to meet those expectations."

The survey was carried out by consumer research consultancy XTN Data on behalf of Prime Table Games and questioned 1 015 UK online gamblers in March 2006.

Three games planned initially

Dynamite Idea, the innovative fixed odds e-gaming developer has teamed up with football pools group Vernons and gambling system partner Orbis Technology, to launch a suite of innovative fixed odds betting games.

There are 3 initial games. 'Trio Hi Lo', the unique Hi Lo game on which Dynamite Idea has secured a patent, remains one of the most popular fixed odds betting games in the market. The player predicts if the next number will be higher or lower, uniquely selecting from a choice of 3-reels.

'Break the Bank' is a Hi Lo game featuring a single dial surrounded by numbers from zero to nine. Bet Hi or Lo and once the player has unlocked the first cashpot he or she can continue playing on a no-lose basis, using the bonuses to help climb a money ladder ending in a jackpot

'Battlesheeps' features a game board of twenty-five squares, eight of which will be hit by mint sauce mortars. The player predicts which squares will be safe for up to eleven of their sheep and the more they risk, the higher their winnings.

A Vernons spokesman said "Our initial games launch includes three of Dynamite Idea's games. Dynamite Idea games integrate into our OpenBet system from Orbis. There has been a great initial response from our customers and as expected Trio Hi Lo has proven to be hugely popular."

Dynamite Idea is a specialist e-gaming developer. The company pioneered the first major UK gaming site for Rank in 2001 and created Triple Hi-Lo, one of the internet's most popular and profitable games. Dynamite continues to develop new innovative and compelling betting games, and has an extensive client list, including Blue Square, Fancy A Flutter TV, Ladbrokes, Littlewoods Betdirect, Mecca Games, Paddy Power, Skybet Vegas TV, totalbet plc, ukbetting plc, Unibet, Vernons, Victor Chandler Worldwide, and William Hill.

Diamond I widens the net

Wireless gambling developer Diamond I Inc has expanded its focus on Vegas on-property remote gambling to the Caribbean with the announcement that it has entered into a strategic alliance with Viking Productions, a Jamaica-based marketing and promotions firm, to bring WifiCasino GS to venues within the Jamaican hotel and tourism industries.

"We are pleased to have formed this business relationship with Viking," said David Loflin, Diamond I's CEO. "We believe our video gaming products, including our wireless, hand-held WifiCasino GS, will have great appeal on the Island".

Diamond I has carried out extensive development on a hand-held Wi-Fi-based gaming system for on-premises use by casinos/resorts, capitalising on the more progressive attitude toward this form of gambling by Nevada legislators.

With the passage of Nevada Law AB471, which authorises the use of mobile communication devices for gaming in public areas in Nevada casinos, Diamond I seeks to secure a Las Vegas hotel/casino to serve as the demonstration site for its WifiCasino GS, in conjunction with its application for a gaming license in Nevada.

The Palms Resort and Casino has agreed to continue to develop a working relationship relating to Diamond I's WifiCasino GS and, assuming Diamond I continues to meet certain standards, The Palms stated that it intends to pursue an opportunity with Diamond I. The company has also had preliminary discussions with owners of cruise ships, horse racing facilities in the United States and dog and horse racing facilities outside the United States.

Online poker is a no-no thanks to Maggie's Bill

The right of individual American states to legislate against online gambling and poker has been exercised by the state of Washington.

Early this year Democratic State Senator Margarita Prentice introduced legislation in the Washington Senate aimed at “reaffirming and clarifying" the prohibition against internet gambling in Senate Bill 6613. The Bill included provisions to exclude the state lottery from selling tickets over the Internet and imposed heavy penalties for offenders.

Encountering little opposition, Maggie's Bill was given even stronger penalties in February with the punishment for engaging in online wagering boosted to up to ten years in prison, a punitive level hitherto reserved for serious criminals like sex offenders. Two weeks later the Bill was passed in the senior hall of the state government in Olympia by a 93-5 margin.

It was signed into state law by Washington State Governor Gregoire on March 28th, and will become effective this June 7th.

The background to the new law is intriguing. Washington state has a number of Indian tribes that are allowed by sovereignty treaty to run their own casino operations, and theoretically this authority could be extended to the online sector as a licensing arrangement not dissimilar to that of the Kahnawake in the Quebec Province of Canada - unless there was a specific law on the books that prevented them from doing so.

Changing the law for a more enlightened approach would be a problem, requiring a 60 percent majority of both bodies of government in the state of Washington to override the law just passed.

Surprisingly, some anomalies surround the new prohibitive law. For example, there does not appear to be a governing body set up to regulate and enforce its provisions, and it is unlikely that the already hard-pressed state troopers will get involved according to observers. The question of enforcement is also bedevilled by practicalities like the difficulty of state-imposed monitoring of online activities of residents, and the likely opposition that this is likely to engender. Perhaps wisely, if impractically this aspect was left out.

Observers have been quick to point out that Senator Prentice, as the sponsor of the banning law has been the recipient of several contributions from the well established Washington land casino and gaming interests. In the state of Washington, there are 65 casinos and poker rooms, and residents of the state can also step across the border into Canada, where the province of British Columbia offers five more land gambling venues.

New game combines poker and tile-turning

Software developer Play First.com has launched a new poker game innovation called Poker Pop, which combines a "tile-turning, round the world escape" with elements of poker.

Kenny Dinkin, vice president and executive producer at PlayFirst described the new product as: "Poker Pop fuses the simple charms of tile matching with the compelling fun of good old-fashioned poker. It teaches the novice, while challenging the expert with all kinds of perils and strategic choices. With its fresh gameplay and around-the-world theme, Poker Pop is an innovative blend of casual gaming and poker playing fun."

The game features a global journey advancing across the continents, avoiding perils, and sending postcards home, and it is open for a 60 minute free trial online at the Play First site.

Player registration up 50 percent with a little help from Orange

Up and coming Gaming Corporation group's mobile gambling offering was given a boost this month when the UK telecommunications giant Orange gave the venture some air.

Orange gave the product prominent positioning on the Orange World homepage with almost immediate results. Gaming Corporation found that new player registration jumped a startling 50 percent, and a consistent 15 percent conversion rate to real money players was also noted, with the average net drop per player at GBP 300 (US$ 500).

The CEO of UK-based Gaming Corporation, Justin Drummond said: “The increased exposure is a positive move for the service.”

Mobile sector will watch this one with interest

Among the many interesting products on show in Montreal mid-May at the Global Interactive Gaming Summit and Expo will be a new version of Iovation's anti-fraud and online authentication software developed specifically for the growing mobile gambling sector of the industry.

The new platform includes innovative features for increased transaction capacity, geolocation services, an enhanced pattern-matching engine and new reporting features.

One of Internet gaming's hottest trends, mobile gaming is being used increasingly by people on the move for playing online poker and other casino games.

Iovation has been active with improvements to the ieSnare, too including the addition of a mobile platform.

The company recently passed the 100 million transactions a year mark and has been active for over 4 years, building a solid reputation for well tested and efficient authentication and anti-fraud software platforms that allow businesses to protect customers, reduce fraud and meet compliance requirements online.

Gadget freak wins $163 000 jackpot

What is thought to be the largest win yet on a mobile gambling wager took place this week at Slotland.com when a Texan using the handle “OlympiaGold” won $163,114 playing the Lucky Stars slot machine.

“Our jackpot is hit every six weeks or so,” said spokesperson Hannah Morante. “Not only is this the first time it’s been won by someone using a mobile phone, it’s also our biggest jackpot ever, breaking our previous record of $162,514.”

OlympiaGold said: “I am a gadget freak! I love all sorts of electronic stuff, and so of course I have a nice mobile phone with all the extras. I wasn't even aware that you could gamble on your mobile phone until a friend of mine introduced me to Slotland's mobile games."

The Texas resident began playing mobile games last September when Slotland launched on the new mobile gambling platform. The online casino boasts three mobile slots now and a new one is added every couple of months, says a spokesperson.

“OlympiaGold” had been exploring the newest mobile slot, Golden 8, but hit the jackpot when he switched to Lucky Stars.

“I don't know why, but I always feel that new games are looser than the older games,” said the historic winner. “But Sunday morning, I wasn’t winning much on the Golden 8 so I went back to my old favourite, Lucky Stars. I already had two of my three stars lit up so I figured with a little luck I could light up the third and possibly pull in a nice win to double my $100 deposit.

"It wasn't more than 15 minutes before the third star lit up, and then a bonus spin produced three bars across the fourth pay line. My hands were sweating and I was shaking all over - I had just won $163 000 and some change!" the winner recalls.

“Of course, my wife already has plans for most of my winnings,” grinned the happy winner. “But I told her that $5,000 of that win is all mine to just blow on more gadgets!"

Whilst PayPal tries to get back into the European online gambling business, it's parent applauds US banning attempts

What must surely rate as one of the most flagrant examples of hypocrisy (unless the right hand knows not what the left is doing) came to notice this week when the eBay executive in charge of federal government relations, Brian Bieron wrote congratulating Rep. Bob Goodlatte on his proposed legislation aimed at hamstringing the industry.

Hypocritical, because eBay subsidiary PayPal has recently been trying to generate e-cash business in Europe from the industry.

IGN reports that Bieron, a senior director sent a letter to Goodlatte on March 14, commending him and his staff for introducing "commonsense legislation" to combat illegal Internet gambling in the United States. Among other things, the letter states that the most effective solution to the problem is giving law enforcement the power to prosecute citizens who participate in illegal gambling.

Despite holding these views, PayPal has made deals in recent months with two online gambling companies to provide them with payment services. At the end of February, PayPal's European division began permitting customers of betting exchange Betfair to deposit and withdraw funds via its service. In March, PayPal Europe announced the same services for Ladbrokes customers.

Prior to merging with eBay in 2002, PayPal was investigated by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for processing payments for online gaming companies taking bets from New York citizens. In exchange for Spitzer's office dropping the investigation, PayPal ultimately agreed to pay a US$200,000 fine and to stop processing online gambling transactions involving consumers in New York

The company stopped processing online gambling transactions altogether (regardless of where the merchants and/or consumers were located) in November 2002 and held this policy until signing the deal with Betfair.

Bieron did not respond to IGN attempts to get his comments on his company's support for the Goodlatte legislation.

5 year agreement will see soft and sports gaming offered via mobile technology

Phantom Fiber Corporation has signed a joint venture mobile gambling agreement with British software provider GTS Plc in which both parties will share in the revenue generated from mobile players.

In terms of the deal, GTS Plc will provide its established clients the capability to offer end users games and other offerings in a wireless format that can be enjoyed globally on more than 1000 different kinds of cell phones and other handheld devices through Phantom wireless technology.

Based in the UK, GTS Plc supplies games to many of the world's most successful online gambling businesses. Overall GTS Plc's wide catalogue of "white label" applications range from games of skill, such as horse racing and boxing, to games of chance, such as card, dice and "Smart", challenge based games.

Jeff Halloran, President and CEO of Phantom Fiber Corporation commented: "Fixed odds games such as scratch cards and lottery tickets, as well as virtual games, such as horse racing and boxing, are extremely popular on the Internet. Capitalizing on this growing trend, GTS Plc's management team is able to deliver unique soft gambling games that are so well done that they enhance play and keep players loyal. In the hyper-competitive global gambling industry, this gives GTS Plc's clients a valuable edge. Now we can give them an even greater edge: adding in Phantom Fiber's Advanced Wireless Platform."

People play mobile games mainly because they are bored or have time to fill, Halloran adds. "That's why they appreciate having a wide range of entertaining options which can be enjoyed anywhere on their phone or PDA. And GTS Plc can assist their clients by delivering those choices, with a rich and popular portfolio of games they can offer their existing or new customer, whether it is a game of virtual racing, boxing, jackpot Hi- Lo, scratch cards, lottery, dice, "Quick Click," or some other programs that we can make available to them wirelessly."

Steven Matsell Director of Business Development for GTS Plc commented: "The audience for mobile games and gambling is growing rapidly. Add to that the wider acceptance of mobile gaming globally and the momentum seen from the industry itself - which includes device manufacturers, wireless network providers and service providers. All this led us to recognize that the time was right to help our clients expand their existing businesses with a mobile offering."

PokerZone to co-sponsor Women Poker Player Star Challenge

Women poker players received some good news this week with the announcement by PokerZone, the producer of "Poker Night Live," that it is co-sponsoring the Women Poker Player Star Challenge.

The event will award one player with a package to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ladies Event at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas this summer, while finishers in spots 2-8 will split a $1,000 prize pool.

PokerZone will broadcast the tournament live on "Poker Night Live" and via broadband on June 18 at 4 p.m. (EST). "Poker Night Live" airs on Sky Channel 843 in the United Kingdom and CGTV in Canada.

The WSOP prize package will include the $1,000 tournament buy-in and $1,000 for travel and accommodation expenses. In addition, first place winner will be profiled in Woman Poker Player Magazine, another co-sponsor of the Women Poker Player Star Challenge.

Affiliates gather in September

Hot on the heels of its successful event in Amsterdam earlier this month, Ticonderoga Ventures, Inc. has announced the upcoming Casino Affiliate Convention (CAC) for September 14-15, 2006, in Las Vegas. The conference will run at the Stardust Resort and Casino.

The Fourth Annual CAC will cover online casino, poker, sports book, and bingo marketing and advertising. The event attracts the largest collection of affiliates ever assembled for the casino, poker, and gaming industries. They also represent the most significant affiliates in the industry in terms of revenue they produce.

More than 50 percent of the exhibit space has already been sold for this event. The CAC 2006 event expects the largest attendance in its history and also projects the largest turnout of casino affiliates than from previous years.

Online registration for the biggest and most important I-gaming event of the year is coming to a close on May 11 (next Thursday). This will also signify the end of the multiple registration discount.

If you haven't registered online to attend GIGSE yet, what are you waiting for? Consider this your official invitation to avoid the onsite registration lines.

Register Online - It's easy!
http://www.gigse.com/2006/index.cfm/page/registration

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa