Major sportsbook Beton Sports.com and its no-nonsense leader David Carruthers got out there this week and did something concrete to oppose the efforts of US politicians and officials intent on crippling Got2bet.

Carruthers, commenting on efforts by state and federal regulators to hamstring the $5 billion Internet gaming industry announced a campaign to give consumers the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns regarding recent regulatory efforts that may infringe upon their rights.

The campaign centres on BetonSports.com sponsoring a national petition drive titled, "Don't Tread on My Right ... To Wager Online."

Starting last Friday, October 24th, BetonSports.com had petitions available on the company's highly visible large recreation vehicle, which has been travelling for the past two months to numerous cities throughout the country attending NFL and college football games.

The RVs first stop was in New York City, where it was positioned at City Hall, Times Square, Herald Square, Union Square, Yankee Stadium and various other "hot" spots asking for signatures from consumers who want to voice their support for the campaign and their right to wager online.

Carruthers said, "It is our responsibility to give the millions of Got2bet enthusiasts a common voice as our industry faces constant criticism from state and federal regulators. BetonSports.com offers something not much different than what Nevada, New Jersey, and numerous others states do whether it is a casino, a horse track or a lottery ticket sold at the corner store."

"We believe that our customers and the American public understands that Got2bet is a responsible form of entertainment. This petition campaign will give a voice back to consumers and will send a clear message to state and federal elected officials."

Consumers interested in joining the campaign or raising their voices in defence of their rights can also contact:

Steve Hickok/Ruder Finn - (212) 593-6342 - hickoks@ruderfinn.com
Jason Rzepka/Ruder Finn - (212) 593-6445 - rzepkaj@ruderfinn.com

A positive view from Washington...

Encouraging news out of Washington this week is that the anti-Got2bet legislation currently languishing in Congress will probably run out of legs again this year.

Congress is unlikely to pass the Bill this year says Barney Frank, the ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee. Representative Frank said there is not enough time and there are too many other issues Congress must deal with before gaming can be considered.

"I think it's pretty clear they will not be able to get a bill this year. I don't know about next year," Frank said in an appearance before the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington, D.C.

Frank's pessimistic view contradicts that of Sen. Jon Kyl, who predicted last month that Congress would pass Internet gambling restrictions before adjourning in 2003.

The House voted 319-104 on June 10 to restrict Internet gambling by banning the use of credit cards, checks and electronic fund transfers for online wagering.

On July 31, the Senate Banking Committee voted 19-0 to pass a bill by Kyl that mirrors the House measure except for one key provision.

To address concerns raised by the Department of Justice, Kyl's legislation would prevent Nevada and other states from legalizing online wagering within their borders.

The American Gaming Association objects to this provision and is attempting to change or remove it through negotiations with Kyl's staff. AGA President Frank Fahrenkopf has charged the Kyl bill would put casinos at a competitive disadvantage against Indian gaming, state lotteries and horse and dog racing operations.

Frank said Kyl faces the annual dilemma of exempting factions in gaming without losing the support of other interests in the same industry.

"I think there aren't the votes to do a complete ban, and once you start making exemptions and exceptions, the whole thing starts to unravel," Frank said.

Although he is the top Democrat on the committee that crafted the Internet gambling restrictions approved by the House, Frank adamantly opposed the bill and said it is fundamentally flawed.

"The fact is that if people want to gamble, obviously they ought to be free to gamble," Frank said.

Frank added he is frustrated by liberal colleagues who support Internet gambling restrictions.

Popular casino group's poker room joins Prima network

Trident Entertainment Group, operators of the popular King Neptune's, Trident Lounge and Vegas USA online casinos have responded to client demand by entering the booming poker room sector of Got2bet.

Trident Poker.com (www.tridentpoker.com) debuted at the weekend with a bright and information filled site carrying 5 multiplayer games including the popular Texas Hold 'Em and Omaha. Trident becomes the twenty-first member of the rapidly growing Prima Poker worldwide network powered by super-fast Microgaming specialised poker software. The bigger the network, the more choice there is in tables and games, and better action for players around the clock.

With hundreds of poker players using the member sites, the network now offers players the opportunity to play at any time, and to participate in tournaments that could lead to generously sponsored trips to major land-based tournaments like the Paris Grand Prix, The Borgata Open and, ultimately the World Series.

The action and excitement of tournament play will be available for Trident players. The Prima network continues to generate a serious poker tournament schedule that sends up to ten players at a time to major events. The network has also signed up a celebrity deal with The Hendon Mob that is currently the biggest sponsorship agreement that online poker has yet seen.

The Mob are a London-based foursome who play poker professionally and have been the subject of extensive media interest. Part of the deal involves playing on the network sites and a world tour, taking on the best international players in tournament events

The tour began last month in Las Vegas, with the prestigious Four Queens festival. Over the following months, The Mob will represent Prima Poker in London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Helsinki and elsewhere, with the tour peaking in January in Melbourne's Crown Casino where they won the first ever 'Poker Ashes' two years ago.

Trident spokesman Scott Gaines says that Trident Poker.com will have a full round-the-clock Support and a dedicated management team.

"Our extensive research has shown us that these are necessary for a serious entry into this market sector, and we are definitely serious", he said. "The poker aspect of Internet gambling is enjoying enormous popularity, with improvements in multi-table and multi-player technology that enable great tournaments to be held. Online players are starting to appear regularly in land-based global tournaments, and we want our poker players to have equal opportunities to make the bigtime through our sponsored route"

US$ 30 bonuses are on offer to mark the launch of the new poker room.

Hendon Mob does it again

Prima's Poker Network's The Hendon Mob keep on winning on their sponsored world tour- this time in the Emerald Isle on their third stop.

The Famous Four turned up trumps at the Irish Winter Festival poker tournament last week in Dublin, Ireland with the celebrity poker players finishing in the money no less than five times in four tournaments.

The main event, the biggest ever on Irish soil, saw both the Boatman brothers in contention at the final stages. But the icing on the cake was Ram “Crazy Horse” Vaswani’s victory in the Tournament’s final event - 100 Euro No Limit Texas Hold ‘em, keeping up The Mob’s record of at least one trophy on every stop of The Tour.

Current Irish Open Champion Joe “The Elegance” Beevers declared this year’s competition “the toughest Ireland has seen”. He attributed the record field (125 of Europe’s best players) to the increasing popularity of poker, fueled chiefly by the availability of the sport online, bringing tournament poker to players in the most remote corners of the globe. Joe noted that “most players in the tournament play online” and it was clear from the competition that their virtual poker practice had brought a new dimension to the game.

Ram Vaswani’s win in the final event marked yet another milestone in the three continent Prima Poker Tour, and after only three of The Tour’s eight stops, the Prima sponsored Mob have finished in the money an impressive 21 times, picking up an amazing five tournament trophies.

Next stop on The Tour: Master Classics of Poker 2003, Holland Casino, Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 1 – 8, 2003 http://www.masterclassicsofpoker.nl/)

Jackpot Madness goes multi-national

Internet progressive jackpot pioneers Jackpot Madness went multi-national this week with a wide range of language options and currencies.

As of October, 2003, the site is available in five languages and features jackpot counters in 3 currencies.

The French, Spanish, Korean & Japanese markets now each have their own localized version of Jackpot Madness. And the dynamic counters can be viewed in Dollars, Pounds or Euros in each language.

"We wanted to thank our players for making Jackpot Madness the favorite jackpot portal worldwide by recognizing their diversity and providing a multinational user experience. Users can now enjoy this site in their own language and effortlessly read about casino promotions, hot news and their favorite winners' stories. They can watch the jackpot amounts grow in their currency of choice", commented Francine Haliva, Press Agent for Jackpot Madness.

Jackpot Madness recently set a significant industry milestone by surpassing $100,000,000 in payouts. To date, over 3,200 winners have won jackpots on the Jackpot Madness progressives, each paid in a single cash installment. The new multilingual & multi-currency options on the site will serve to bring in new audiences and more international winners, who can comfortably use the site in their own language and currency. The jackpot totals are "live" and Jackpot Madness provides constantly updated information together with links to over 70 casinos.

How did Mastercard get those private and personal details?

Another of those intriguing Got2bet issues surfaced as we went to press. Tony Friedman's Windows Casino clones/sub-licensees have been pumping out an intriguing email to players advising them that their personal details have been released.

It suggests that Friedman was in some unspecified way forced to release private player information to Mastercard, but now expects the players to refuse to divulge any information if they are approached by that organisation. It is unknown how Mastercard *persuaded* him to release the private and confidential details of his player base, but he has been in trouble before on player privacy issues:

This is the email that players have been receiving:

.......................................
Dear Valued Player,

My apologies in advance, but I have some disturbing news for you
relating to Mastercard and the use of your Mastercard credit card on
your account at Windows Casino.

Mastercard are forcing us to reveal names of players who received
withdrawals back to their Mastercards from their casino account. They
would have preferred it if we had sent you a check instead - of course
they would have earnt more interest from you had we sent you a check
instead of returning your funds directly to your Mastercard.

**********************************************************************
IMPORTANT WARNING: Mastercard might try to contact you by telephone
to question you about the use of your Mastercard. I strongly advise
you NOT to answer ANY questions, simply remind them that it's none of
their business, and they're VIOLATING YOUR RIGHT TO PRIVACY! Please
don't let them get away with this!
**********************************************************************

I deeply regret that there's nothing I could do to stop this, believe
me I tried, but unfortunately we are virtually powerless when faced
with the might of a large international corporation such as
Mastercard.

Please accept my sincere apologies for this inconvenience, and don't
worry. If you don't say anything then they can't do anything! - It's
that simple!

Sincerely,

Tony Friedman
PITBOSS
Windows Casino

We asked Friedman to explain what sort of *persuasion* Mastercard had brought to bear in order to achieve such a gross violation of player confidentiality by his casino. He had not responded by the time we went to press.

Another online casino bowing out

When Boss Media commented in their last annual report that more of their licensees would be going under they were not exaggerating - last week we reported on one, and this week we have another.... Oriental and have informed their players that they are closing soon.

The closures are being done with the same lack of sensitivity as before, advising players to "use it or lose it" in regard to any funds still remaining in their accounts.

Oriental, a member of the Cybercroupier group is noteworthy in that its closure scheduled for November 17 leaves only one casino - Riverboat - operating in this once powerful group.

Over-priced and a shy buyer

Years ago when it was in its heyday, Boss Media's marketing portal Casino.com attracted a great deal of praise and not a little envy as a pioneering example of professionally conceived, well-integrated casino marketing.

It had freebie emails, a forum, search facilities and plenty of other innovative facilities that attracted visitors to a site where they could be linked to Boss-powered casinos. Many industry observers feel that unfortunately it did not keep up with a dynamic industry and in recent times has not enjoyed the stature and popularity it once had.

Efforts to sell it off have been ongoing for awhile, and in the last annual report Boss told shareholders that it was going to get rid of it in order to pursue more core-related elements of its business strategies.

This week that plan became reality when Boss announced that it had signed a deal to sell Casino.com to a buyer who wished to remain anonymous for an astonishing US $ 5.5 million. The buying company purchases the rights to the brand and the domain name of the gaming portal.

Peter Bertilsson, CEO of Boss Media, says: "This is part of our overall strategy to focus on developing the best gambling platform in the world. It is hard to have a double interest with both B2C and B2B business. Therefore we are very happy to have found a so strong and committed partner to sell our highly valuable assets to."

Latest wireless software for WWTS

It was not long ago that turnkey provider IQ Ludorum seemed to be on its last legs, but this week it was back apparently firing on all cylinders with the launch of wireless betting software for Antiguan-based betting group WWTS.

And to celebrate the occasion top customers of WWTS betting service were given snazzy new integrated PocketPC phones to allow them to bet anytime & anywhere from their existing betting account through the new software, on which IQ-L and Phantom Fiber have collaborated.

This is the first live installation of the IQ-L Wireless Wagering solution, recently developed to exploit the enormous global potential of wagering over wireless devices - Cell Phones and connected/integrated Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) running the Pocket PC and Palm OSs.

WWTS has been a leading innovator in the offshore gaming industry for over 10 years and once again has shown this leadership with the promotion of wireless betting technology. The system provides seamless, single-account integration between its existing IQ-Ludorum supplied call-centre and Internet betting platform and wireless devices, enabling customers to bet anytime and anywhere they choose.

Players may wager on any sporting event, using the touch screen capability of the wireless device and the flexible and easy to use wireless interface to the WWTS wireless Web-based service. The service provides the player with full access to his or her wagering account with WWTS.

WWTS will aggressively market the new service and, along with IQ-Ludorum and Phantom, believes in the huge potential of Wireless Wagering and its contribution to the future expansion of the betting industry into the mass market. Initially, WWTS will provide its leading players with devices and wireless subscriptions, allowing them to get up and running immediately with this exciting new technology.

Play4Treasure saga enters fourth week
It seems that the players left unpaid when Play4Treasure's nineteen year old college student owner went bust are still waiting for software provider Interactive Gaming.com (IGS) to bail them out. Why this should be taking so long is mystifying, because proof that the owner is bankrupt, thus voiding the contract has already been furnished to IGS who this week told the players that they were still hoping to get money out of the teenager! On the plus side, IGS has again reassured the players that they would be paid....even if it has to be by them and in instalments, which gives one pause for thought regarding the financial health of the Argentina based company because the amounts owed are not large. The longer this goes on, the more bad feeling will be generated, and the more uneasy other players will be about doing business with IGS-powered operations.

Answer machine blues...
Were you among the unfortunates who found spam on their telephone answering machines this week? It appears that nowhere is safe or sacred when the spammers are looking for new fields to exploit. The culprit this time is a company called RealCall, which boasts that it spreads telephone spam for over a hundred land based casinos, and has ambitions in the online sector too. The concept is pretty simple - and very irritating. RealCall delivers marketing messages to answering machines, and claims it has the capability of delivering a staggering one million unsolicited messages a day. And there's no spam filter...!

Some watchdog
The fine-sounding Online Casino Gaming Council was registered June 30, 2003 yet claims to have been policing online casinos since 1998. And strangely enough no one seems to have heard of it. With Fast Websites.com servers, the OCGC claims to have actively but non-specifically tackled the problem of corrupt and unfair online casinos and to have "...established a clear set of guidelines for all of our members to adhere by. These guidelines were designed to ensure all their clients are guaranteed to receive fair and secure gaming at our members sites"

At a quick glance the lineup of six member casinos looks small but respectable enough...until you realise, as Ted Loh of Got2bet did that they all come with affiliate tags, very ancient affiliate tags. So old, in fact that it still lists English Harbour, Silver Dollar and Caribbean Gold as Microgaming powered casinos!

Good bonuses, big jackpots...but is this safe?
Slots Alley.com has been spamming like crazy in recent weeks, and on the face of it there are some enticing bonuses and big progressives being offered by this MGS games look-alike with servers in Israel and registration to FBA Partners in Gibraltar.

However, consider these opinions on the Casinomeister site from some pretty clued-up online gamblers:

"- Their games are questionable to say the least, and they're so amateurish they can't even see how obvious it is
- They created their own "independent third party" in Fair Gaming Labs to verify software fairness and payouts
- They operate their own portal (Gamblers Sonnet.com) for boosting their casinos.
- They have jackpots that in size match the Cryptologic, Playtech and Microgaming progressives?
Progressives of millions of dollars built in one casino - a casino unknown until a few months ago?

How come the "independent third party" doesn't notice there's something fishy with the Aces and Faces progressives? Currently the A&F progressive is on $57000 - this means more than a million hands played since the last Royal (the Royal Flush cycle on this game with perfect play is around 25000 hands).

Playtech has a progressive VP game called Megajacks. When the Jackpot is above $1200 or so the game has a positive return. It rarely goes above $2000 before it's hit. But at Slotsalley it's just climbing and climbing.....

And don't forget the guy who got 5 of a kind on Aces & Faces. If that doesn't show you there's something VERY wrong with the software then you must be blind. They admitted they had software glitches on that one!"

Apparently a new casino is on the launchpad from these folks called Casinoonliner.com.

Carrying over bad vibes

Cryptologic abandoned the wager-through carryover idea because it caused more friction than business, but it appears that some casinos including the Fortune Lounge group have not learned the lessons of history. Industry expert Ted Loh expressed players' feelings on this practice particularly well in a short article on his site Got2bet.com recently, and we can think of no clearer summary of the situation:

"David Letterman I am not (I wish)... but I think it's high time we started to expose some of the dumb, stupid, idiotic, unfriendly things that players are facing at some casinos. "Stupid Casino Tricks #1: Carryover of Bonus Playthrough Requirements

"This has to be one of the most idiotic concepts I have ever seen in this industry. Let's say I make a purchase of $100, and recieve a $100 match bonus. Playthrough requirements are 20x deposit plus bonus - so that means I must wager $4,000 before I can cash out.

"The nature of a casino game is such that the odds are in the house's favor. A casino expects you to lose money in the long run, otherwise they probably wouldn't be offering you the opportunity to gamble.

"Let's say that I went and played Aces and Faces Power Poker (my favorite) at a $5 unit bet - that's $25 per hand, or $100 each time a hand is dealt since you get four hands per deal.

"With the type of luck I've been having lately, it's entirely possible that I could lose my $200 in two hands, meaning I've only reached $200 of the $4,000 playthrough requirement.

"The casino has gotten their bonus back, plus $100 of my money - after all, that was their goal, right?

"Feeling a little bit unlucky, I decide I'm going to make another $200 deposit, without receiving any bonus whatsoever. I go in and play, lose the first hand, but on the second hand get dealt a pat full house - worth $800 in total. Since I didn't receive any bonus, I feel lucky and decide maybe I should cash out with my winnings for a total profit of $600.

"The casino, on the other hand, rejects my cashout and says that I didn't meet the playthrough requirements.

"Say WHAT? I just made a purchase without receiving a bonus - who the hell are you to tell me I can't cash out my money? Once the original agreement is completed - the $100 deposit receiving a $100 bonus - and all lost - that's it. I have no further obligation to deposit money in your casino. If you had told me about this stupid playthrough carryover, I most certainly would never have deposited again, and instead gone to another casino, even if they DIDN'T offer me a bonus - just because they do not place ridiculous conditions on my further play.

"Sadly, this is what some casinos do. I'm not going to name them - they know who they are. Even as the Got2bet industry begins to tighten up and competition gets tougher, these casinos are stupid enough to chase away customers depositing cold hard cash for a little entertainment. Talk about short-term vision! They've lost the player for life, and as they start losing more players pretty soon it will be too late to change course - and the casino will just go bankrupt.

"Mark my words. If you are a player, make doubly sure the casino does not carryover playthrough requirements. It hurts you in the long run. If you are a casino - better wise up otherwise you'll fall by the wayside like many others before you. If you are an affiliate - don't even waste your time promoting operations like this, because you will be hurting yourself.

"Focus instead on casinos who are ready to take care of you, provide good, efficient support, do not have ridiculous terms and conditions - and this way the good casinos will be around for the long term, you will have a good place to enjoy yourself at, and affiliates can be sure that the players will be hanging around and not wasting the time and effort you put into promoting good operations."

The right time and place?
This was the question that flashed through our minds this week with the announcement of yet another Internet gambling conference....in London, and only six weeks prior to ICE...

The organisers of The Virtual Gaming Forum seem confident despite that, however and urge anyone "...involved in any kind of Got2bet/gaming, should be at the Virtual Gaming Forum, taking place in London on 8-9 December (visit http://www.virtualgamingforum.com/tracker/vgftracker.asp?magazineid=30 )

Over 100 delegates from all around the world will be gathering to discuss:

* Pinpointing the most profitable business solutions in order to stay ahead of the competition

* Raising capital for companies in the online gaming industry

* Discovering which new and innovative technologies will have a major impact on the gaming world

* Measuring the possible impact on industry alliances, joint venture and consolidation

* An update on the future regulatory environment in the UK for virtual betting and gaming

* Payment Processing Strategies in Gaming

* Interactive TV Gaming: Exploiting the gaming opportunities created by the rapid expansion of iTV

* Turning customer information into profitable advantage: Knowing what the customer wants and reflecting this in your CRM strategy.

Tough questions
The organisers say this is the conference where you can get answers to those really tough legal and tax questions. We're talking the Second Annual Interactive Gaming and Entertainment Forum - Legal and Tax Conference - a dry title but a great tropical venue!

Join legal, tax and accounting experts this December 7-9 on Paradise Island in the sunny Bahamas and have your toughest questions addressed by experienced legal consultants from throughout the world.

http://www.fdta-cite.org/Calendar2003/gaming/sched.htm

This year's program has been updated to include an in-depth discussion concentrating on key issues surrounding advertising for gambling services in the United States and elsewhere - a topic that has caused much consternation among US media this month. Hear advertising law expert Lawrence G. Walters discuss this timely topic.

Last week InfoPowa Weekly reported on Wall Street Journal publicity on the Skill Poker game being promoted by LegalPlay.com (which was formerly Poker.com Inc)

We were at time of going to press awaiting answers to a series of questions concerning the inventor of Skill Poker and how it came to be in the Poker.com Inc stable.

The CEO of LegalPlay, Mark Glusing subsequently answered our questions in a courteous and forthright manner and this is a summary of the situation:

Ex-Canadian cop Randy Peterson invented the Skill Poker concept as a legitimate manner of getting around US Got2bet problems.

He sold the concept to a Swiss outfit called Blue Diamond, for which he still occasionally consults and that company developed it in conjunction with a software provider called Pokersoft Software A.V.V.

Peterson was then taken on board at Poker.com Inc as a consultant and Poker.com Inc then paid out a wad of shares to Blue Diamond plus a royalty agreement in order to obtain exclusive rights to the pending patent for Skill Poker. That patent is still, we understand, pending.

The first Poker.com Inc / LegalPlay sub-licensee was...Blue Diamond.

The legality question which is at the center of LegalPlay's marketing strategy and raison d'etre has not as far as we are aware been legally tested, although respected legal eagles like Prof Nelson Rose have commented positively on it.

On the heels of the WSJ publicity this week, LegalPlay issued another press release that revealed that Skill Poker is still in the final stages of Beta testing but will be ready for real money play soon. Apparently there are already 2 000 players involved, and the company plans a major marketing campaign in the near future to attract more, and to recruit sub-licensees.

More Skill Gambling

It would seem that LegalPlay is not the only company establishing itself in the Skill Games race, judging by a press release late in the week from CYOP Systems International...and they have linked up with a major Cryptologic powered casino group to boot.

CYOP has reached a licensing agreement with the Peak Entertainment group whereby CYOP's licensed software CrediPlay will be available through an affiliate program on 4gambling.com and Casinonews.org. The target is I-Casino customers in the North American market who may be affected by restrictions on credit cards. Essentially, many USA-based issuers of credit cards do not allow the use of credit cards to fund Internet gambling activities by American citizens. This does not affect skill gaming, and CYOP is able to process credit cards on its systems as it does now on its site at Skillarcade.com.

Skill Games are unlike online casinos, which are based on algorithms, and therefore have no element of chance. These systems are for the most part based on the individual player's skill and knowledge, while most games of chance on the Internet are based on algorithms. Several sets of criteria are introduced that make video games on Skillarcade.com, for example, competitive events played in tournaments or head to head, where skill, knowledge or a combination of both determines the winning outcome.

Patrick Smyth, President of CYOP, commented, "We have developed technology, which essentially combines online games of skill to a database platform that allows players to compete against each other for money. This technology also houses a transaction platform, not unlike a virtual bank, which allows players to deposit money using their credit cards, pay for the games and ask to withdraw any winnings instantly in real time. And because we are not coded as Got2bet, we have the opportunity the fill the void being left by online casinos in North America."

Warming investors' hearts

Financial projections for the Got2bet business continue to make interesting reading despite the depredations of US politicians.

In an article this week, the following analyst opinions were aired:

It is estimated that in excess of a trillion dollars is wagered annually worldwide on the various forms of gambling. Gambling industry analyst Terri Walker estimates that overall Got2bet turnover was $11.5 billion in 2000, with the volume increasing to $21.5 billion in 2002, with revenue equalling about $1.3 billion. These numbers would cover all Got2bet and not merely casino activity.

The Casino and Gaming Market Research handbook further anticipates online wagering of over $30 billion by 2005. This report also notes that Datamonitor estimates the worldwide number of wireless gamblers will reach 500 million by 2006, generating $17.5 billion in revenue.

Business Week estimates that online consumers gambled more than $11.4 billion in 2002 alone. The publication also adds that all over Europe, Internet surfers are visiting gambling and gaming sites in record numbers, helping online betting become one of the fastest-growing businesses on the Internet.

Computer Almanac Industry peg revenues of $6 billion for the online gaming and gambling marketplace for 2002, with projections for 2004 expected to exceed $10 billion.

A Bear Stearns report for the online casino industry shows annual revenue at $4.2 billion for 2003, while Christiansen Capital Advisors predicts a slightly rosier picture pointing to an estimated $4.5 billion in revenue for calendar year 2002, saying 2005 revenue could exceed $10 billion. InformaMedia Group, which tracks electronic gambling predicts that overall online gaming revenue will even reach $14.5 billion by 2006.

RTG slow out of the gate on new games...

InfoPowa last week carried the story of Real Time Gaming's latest games launch, as did other publications working from player notifications from the casinos.

This week RTG managed to get the formal press release out, excerpts of which we carry here for the record:

"Atlanta, GA "Online casino software developer RealTime Gaming announced today the rollout of the latest version of their popular online casino software platform – complete with a brand new multi-player poker suite. Version 2.7 is RealTime’s 13th release in the last two years – outpacing all other major casino software developers.

"Poker Push
"Truly the “star” of the new release, the multi-player poker platform opens a whole new gaming avenue for licensees of RTG software. Capitalizing on the widespread popularity of poker-style games, RealTime’s suite integrates a slew of Poker games – 6 total – that draw from cultural influences from around the globe. Games range from western classics like Texas Hold 'Em and Seven Card Stud, to the exotic Far Eastern influence of such games as Pan and Chinese Poker.

"Games aside, operators are particularly excited with the new multi-player possibilities poker brings to the platform. To date, most games were based on traditional casino games, with a player-versus-the-house model. With multi-player poker, operators can connect players within a single casino or across a multi-casino network and enable head-to-head game play in a real-time environment.

“The popularity of poker is huge, but the key is getting players together – unlike other casino games, poker is very much a social game,” explains Fermin Barrios of Cyberbetting International. “With the new Multi-player platform from RealTime Gaming, our players can get together and play each other – they can have their own ‘poker night’ online, so to speak.”

"While the player-to-player interaction is key, another advantage is the integration of poker into the already established casino platform, along with an established casino network of players. Multi-player action works off the same account information as the rest of the casino platform, so established players don’t have to change a thing. Players can just select multi-player poker as a game within their home casino without ever having to deal with new login names or accounts, or additional software platforms.

“The goal was to create software that integrated both types of games, casino style games and head-to-head multi-player games, in one package,” says Staw. “We think of it just like a real casino, you can get up from a blackjack table and sit down at a poker table. It’s a totally different game and a totally different experience, but you never have to leave the casino to change your game.”

"What else is new?

"Multi-Player Poker isn’t the only new addition to the RealTime Platform, the 2.7 release also introduces two new slot games as well as offering multi-hand video poker to most of the video poker games. The slot additions – Super Diamond Mine Deluxe and High Rollers - bring the total number of RealTime slot games to 22, which makes their slots offering one of the deepest and most diverse in the business. The multi-hand poker feature is actually an add-on to most of the existing video poker games, adding another level of play to proven favorites. A player can now play from one to one hundred hands at a time on most of their favorite video poker games."

Random Logic's latest version 7

Joining the new games race was Cassava Enterprise's giant Casino On Net casino group with the announcement of 15 brand new and exciting slot machines that feature more paylines and five progressive jackpots, including a high-winner called "Millionaire Maker"

Also boosted in the launch were:
* 6 new Video Poker games including a significant progressive jackpot

* Brand new and considerable better Caribbean Stud Poker with a progressive jackpot

* Enhanced Roulette and Baccarat games

More corrections from True Gambler's Online Casino Analyser

The much anticpated but poorly presented Online Casino Analyser stats have provoked a great deal of debate that included both knowledgeable and emotional arguments over the past few months.

The issue seemed to go dormant following some telling points scored by players who were unconvinced by the unvalidated presentation and the various corrections and amendments that followed it, but as we went to press True Gambler was promising yet another version following an extensive review that clearly uncovered further errors. This new release is promised for Saturday 1st November.

Whilst we see merit in TG at last paying attention to the respected and knowledgeable posters who have taken issue with these numbers, this seems to be a very *unusual* way of presenting what is supposed to be scientific and definitive proof of serious allegations of cheating against major industry companies. There have now been admissions of a number of errors. The original work was never independently validated and the project resembles more an unproved work-in-progress than a conclusive and professional study. Bearing in mind the gravity of the conclusions being drawn by some players, this is simply not good enough.

Meanwhile the issue drags on causing more harm than good.

Many observers have tried to keep an open mind despite these recurring amendments and the bully-boy tactics of some of TG's more extreme supporters, but this exercise is now bordering on the farcical. It is a great pity because the OCA concept is good and properly handled could be of significant benefit to this unregulated industry.

Unfortunately it has been very badly handled thus far and a serious reappraisal is necessary if the process is to regain credibility and serious attention.

Real Time Gaming-powered casinos began offering an exciting new range of games to their players this week, further enhancing the player popularity of this download gambling software.

Among the first to offer the new games was Bet Net Club.com, where manager Ronald Alden had this to say:

"Imagine playing the Slots and then going on to share a poker table with people from all around the world. An online poker table where you can play, meet other players and win big money? Well, that is just what we have included in our software this week.

"We will have 7 Multi-Player poker tables in the Specialty Games menu. In these games you will be able to play for real money with other casino players from all around the world. The tables on offer are:

-Texas 'Hold 'Em
-7 Card Stud
-Guts
-Big 2
-Chinese Poker and
-Pan

"Simultaneously, we will add two new Slot machines and an amazing Multi-hand Video poker game, on which you will be able of play several poker hands at the same time.

"You will also find Multi-Hand Video Poker - a new game that lets you play up to 100-hands of Video Poker at a time, with some of the biggest VP jackpots anywhere on the 'Net"

Completing the roll-out at the casino are the following new games: - High Roller (3-reel slot machine)
- Super Diamond Mine (5-reel slot game with a bonus)
- Multi-Hand Video Poker (option Multi Hand option to play Video Poker)

New play-by-play sportsbook system deployed

We've reported the SportXaction - UK Betting deal previously, but this significant wagering system has now launched.

In a press release, Global Interactive Gaming (GIG) announced the operational debut of its play-by-play mobile wagering system in partnership with the major British group UK Betting, which will initially offer the product to over 13 million UK customers via one of the world's largest WAP-enabled mobile phone operators.

SportXction empowers users to make wagers via their mobiles during live matches from any location: watching live sports at home on TV, from sports bars and cafes or even at the actual live event should they wish to bet in real-time on events within the game as it takes place.

The mobile market in the UK is one of the most mature and sophisticated sectors in the world with four major suppliers. It currently boasts a total subscriber base of some 47 million users, representing the highest penetration of mobile telephones in the world after the USA and Japan.

The launch of the new play-by-play mobile betting facility comes hot on the heels of the recent strategic partnership of Hauppage WinTV as GIG seeks to introduce the new system to major delivery platforms internationally.

Ben Warn, UK Betting's commercial director says, "We are very excited about this new distribution platform for the SportXction live betting concept and system. Live betting is intrinsically linked to live sports, and this innovative tool will enable our users to have complete freedom to play along whilst they watch"

And as we went to press this week the news was breaking that GIG has launched its play-by- play rugby service during the Rugby World Cup currently taking place in Australia. The Rugby World Cup 2003 is the biggest sporting event in the world this year. The Tournament runs for 44 days, involving the world's 20 best national teams (including the United States) contesting a total of 48 matches with an estimated television audience of around 4 billion people.

The launch of the new rugby version of the game further enhances the portfolio of sports now offered by GIG, using the SportXction(TM) system. GIG currently offers soccer, one-day cricket, test cricket, golf, tennis and now rugby through the Internet sites of Sportingbet, ukbetting and Totalbet as well as over mobile phone with Totalbet. American football, baseball and basketball are also available and are currently planned to be offered for major American and international events.

Commenting on this most recent launch, Bernard Albanese, President of ISWI, said, "We are very pleased to announce the launch of our new rugby service. For the first time, fans can bet on every scrum, kick and try in a rugby game as they happen, a feat only made possible by the speed and sophistication of SportXction(TM). Rugby is a very popular sport in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres and especially so in countries such as Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, where the sport is considered the national game. With our portfolio of sports ever-growing, we are increasingly able to attract new players as we look to expand our reach into new markets with new sports."

Swedes get it together...

One of Scandinavia's largest online sportsbooks, Unibet is to include a no-download online casino in its offering, and has selected turnkey provider Net Entertainment for the contract.

Unibet will implement Net Entertainment's non-download Casino Game module, which is designed to allow casino games to be easily added to an online sports book. The games themselves will appear within the sports book, in all 12 languages currently offered at unibet.com. The ability to attract and engage in interaction with customers in their native language has been an important part of the decision for Unibet, who have a broad and differentiated customer base in all of Europe.

Pontus Lindwall, CEO of Net Entertainment says: "Unibet is a prestige contract which we won in competition with several high profile casino software suppliers. That is very encouraging for us. It proves that our Casino Module is the number 1 choice for sports betting companies who wants to extend their customer offer to include casino games."

Pontus Lesse, CEO of Unibet says: "We have more than 200 000 customers today and we believe that we will be able to attract new customer groups through the casino. Our customers have expressed a desire for us to widen our product offer to include casino games."

The casino games will be launched at Unibet.com before the end of the year.

Net Entertainment is a well established supplier of digital platform independent gambling solutions. Products include customized or standard software, integrated payment solutions, operations and hosting. The company is the Internet gaming division of Cherry, a company with more than forty years of experience in the land gaming service sector. Cherry is listed on the Swedish Stock Exchange and employs over 600 people.

New site and banking facility

The major Aussie web gambling site BetWWTS.com has made some dramatic revamp changes this week, with a new Web site for its worldwide customers.

Featuring streamlined navigation, enhanced graphics and an improved banking system, the new site plans to ensure that betting is more secure, faster and easier than previously. Launched during the busy fall sports season, the new site provides gamblers with a total betting service where customers have access to all of BetWWTS.com's sister properties without having to type in separate URLs. Using the simple login process, clients can place sports wagers, play online casino games, exchange bets and wager on live horse racing all at one reputable gaming destination.

"When designing the new Web site our goal wasn't simply to make BetWWTS.com more aesthetically pleasing, but to create a complete online gaming experience offering hundreds of betting options daily," said Simon Noble, CEO of BetWWTS.com. "It's more than just a makeover and through creating a site with intuitive navigation, customers should find placing their wagers easier than ever before."

In addition to the new appearance of the Web site, BetWWTS.com has designed and developed a new state-of-the-art banking system that operates across all of the company's gaming properties. The banking system employs the latest 128-bit SSL digital encryption technology to guarantee customer security and seamless transactions.

Nomokes shows you how

Keno players know that the fastest Video Keno games are online, but they also know that they have to fly to Las Vegas for the big-money jackpots.

That is, until Intercasino player "nomokes" proved that Internet Keno can "pay with the big boys" by winning a record-breaking $206,548.61 playing the online Video Keno jackpot at the Cryptologic-powered casino.

Nomokes' record win has changed the online/offline dynamics of the game and has pushed the online prize envelope into coveted "Mega-Jackpot" territory.

"Our researchers tell us that nomokes' jackpot is an online Keno record. Personally, I don't know of any online casino that has paid out anything close to $206,548.61 in a single keno jackpot. But that is not to say that this win isn't part of a buildup that we have been observing in online Keno for quite some time. Our Video Keno's progressive jackpot has been growing and growing, and as the jackpot gets bigger, we see more and more players trying their luck," said manager Ryan Hartley.

Since Keno's minimum betting requirements start at only $0.25, it's a game even conservative players can enjoy with very little risk. But now that Keno's jackpots are entering Mega-Jackpot territory, experienced gamblers are apparently turning to Keno action to chase the giant prizes.

Political football finds Got2bet "not lawful"

The politicians have at least temporarily screwed up another online gambling initiative on a technicality.

Hamburg Spielbank's online operation has been ordered to cease all business activities after a ruling by the German Constitutional Court Judge that online roulette in Hamburg is 'not lawful'.

The ruling follows complaints from a small group of politicians against the Hamburg Senate. They argued that the Senate lacked either power or authority to issue Got2bet licenses and their view was upheld on the technicality that current legislation does not specify 'Internet gambling', and that consequently players have to be at the actual physical gambling venue.

The ban is likely to be only temporary, and experts are predicting that the Senate will counter the move by drafting legislation that specifically brings internet operations into the legal definition of gambling. If this is accomplished a new license would be possible, and introducing online gambling formally into the legislation could have wider benefits. Such a process could take several months, however.

An affiliated company called e-dict GmbH developed the software and online facilities of the Internet roulette game offered by Spielbank Hamburg Group. e-dict also has resonsibility for putting together and launching Spielbank Wiesbaden's Internet Casino in the German state of Hessen, where apparently there is no evidence of similar legal hurdles.

Credit card hassles in the States cited

Sportingbet.com, the online bookmaker which revealed that takings last month had been hit by an "unusually high number of unfavourable results", has announced widening losses, according to a report in The London Times.

The AIM-listed company said pre-tax losses had increased to £5.7 million (US$9.65 million) for the April to September period, from £3.8m a year before. Turnover slid 4.2 per cent to £410.9m (US$694.567 million).

However, the company said that even though operating profits had also declined from £2.2m to £800,000, all of its three regional divisions were running in the black for the first time. Peter Dicks, chairman, said: "Sportingbet has continued to make good progress in the historically quiet first half."

The comments failed to reassure the City, where shares in the bookmaker slid 1.5p, or 5.3 per cent, to 27p in early trade.

However, the company today blamed its profits decline chiefly on the introduction of new payment processing channels for US punters.

It would seem that the Argentinian turnkey provider Interactive Gaming Systems has pulled up the drawbridge and gone into silent mode on the Play4Treasure.com scandal.

Having previously communicated a number of excuses for not settling the amounts outstanding to Play4Treasure players, and been provided with concrete proof of the operator's inability to pay them, IGS has this week ignored several emails asking for payment time scales.

To refresh your memory, the IGS operator screening process astoundingly passed an underfunded, nineteen year old first year college student to operate Play4Treasure. One of the conditions was that the contract would be voided in the event of any notification of bankruptcy.

Perhaps predictably, the casino failed within months and the college student advised IGS of her bankruptcy, thus voiding the contract. Inexplicably, IGS did not take the casino offline for some weeks and several players are still awaiting their payouts, which probably amount to less than $20K.

IGS has said that it will pay the players, yet no effort to do so is apparent and the wall of silence does not help in clarifying the situation for them.

Did Randy invent it?

Here's one of those intriguing industry stories that always make for interesting reading.

Few industry observers could have missed the numerous hype press releases in recent months on the Skill Poker concept, a gambling idea that is claimed will circumvent any US legal strictures on internet gambling. These flowed from the pen of Mark Glusing, CEO and President of a company called Poker.com Inc (now repackaged as Legalplay.com)

Glusing claims that he bought the pending patent from a Swiss company called Blue Diamond using Poker.com Inc shares, and after some development launched the product with a first sub-licensee of....Blue Diamond.

But last week Associated Press put a story on the wires that centred on a 51 year old former Canadian policeman called Randy Peterson who had been involved among other things in the Starnet investigations and later in a bingo business venture with them, and claimed to have "invented" this Skill Poker game that gets around the US legal problems. The story was picked up widely by organs like the Wall Street Journal.

We became interested because we had been following the Mark Glusing hype from Poker.com Inc for months with the understanding that Poker.com Inc had exclusive rights to this concept.

So we did a bit of digging and found that this same Peterson was, according to June 2003 SEC filings, a stakeholder in Poker.com Inc, like this:

"Randy Peterson 500,000 Consultant 12,500
Ashley V. Redmond 875,000 Consultant 21,875
Mark Glusing 875,000 Officer 15,750"

This gets increasingly interesting. The AP / Wall Street Journal story suggests that Randy Peterson actually invented the Skill Poker concept, and sold it to the Swiss at Blue Diamond. But it appears that he was additionally involved as a *consultant* for reward at Mark Glusing's Poker.com Inc, who promptly bought the concept back from the Swiss, only to sub-license those same Swiss!

More mystery surrounds an April 2003 transfer of shares to a software company. "On April 14 , 2003, we issued 3,000,000 shares of common stock to Pokersoft Software A.V.V. for the acquisition of a software master license which will incorporate the patent pending Skill Poker system (based on the closing market price of $0.018 on the date of issued for a total cost of $54,000)."

This is a rather convoluted way to do business - intriguing to say the least!

We asked Poker.com Inc's CEO and President Mark Glusing a series of specific questions in an attempt to clear up any confusion on this story. When we went to press he had responded to our email but had not yet answered the questions.

First casinos switch on

Turnkey provider Chartwell Technology Inc. has announced the commercial release of V1.0 of its Wireless Gaming Suite for Java-enabled mobile phones. The Chartwell Wireless Gaming Suite offers rich animated graphics that are customizable to a licensee's brand and design preferences. The wireless suite, like other Chartwell Gaming Products, can be fully integrated with an operator's existing gaming systems, banking and player databases.

The initial five games comprising the wireless suite include, baccarat, multi-hand blackjack, casino war, slots and video poker. The suite uses the same secure and full-featured back office system provided with the companys Gaming System and can be used in either Fun Play or Real Play modes.

"We are extremely pleased with our development progress and the results of our beta testing program over multiple networks and handset manufacturers," states Darold H. Parken, Chartwell's President and CEO. "We will soon be going live with our first wireless licensees who will be able to offer their existing player base a unique platform on which to play our industry leading gaming products. Our mobile development pipeline contains many new games and player features that will quickly extend our lead in this exciting new gaming market."

Chartwell's Wireless Gaming Suite capitalizes on the growing trend amongst mobile manufacturers to Java-enable new mobile phones. By the end of 2003 it is expected there will be over 70 million Java-enabled handsets in use, and over 200 million by 2006 according to the wireless research consultancy Wireless World Forum.

Interesting facts from the G2E conference

One of the more interesting reads for us this week was an article by Rob Jay of Comcast.net in which he zeros in on some of the highlights of the many interesting discussions at the recent G2E conference in Vegas.

The first one to catch our eye was the claim that Got2bet on sports in America has surpassed the total handle of Las Vegas casino-based sports books. A December, 2002 Congressional Report by the US General Accounting Office stated that online gaming reached new heights in 2002 as worldwide revenues topped $4 billion. Of that amount, over $2 billion was wagered by US residents.

Bear Stearns backed up these findings by estimating the worldwide market would have been in excess of $5 billion had many American credit card providers not discontinued offering transfers to offshore sports books. Meanwhile, the Nevada handle on sports books was less than $2 billion in 2002; this is the first time in a decade that the Nevada handle dropped below $2 billion.

Certainly, part of the decline in the Nevada handle can be blamed on less Americans traveling and an overall downturn in the economy. Perhaps an even bigger factor, however, is the proliferation of slot machines in Nevada casinos. Slots now represent 70% of the profits of Nevada casinos and offer a 6% hold while sports books have an average 3% hold. Thus, it is not surprising that sports books are losing square footage overall in casinos while slots are gaining in space allocated to them.

According to Debbie Silverman of Gone Gambling.com, an industry portal site, another big growth area for offshore sports books is that many local bookmakers are referring business to the offshore books for safety. Large players are also moving to the internet due to more attractive odds available from the offshore books than are available in Las Vegas. In addition, many offshore sports books attract players with bonuses that you won't find on The Strip. Anthony Wayne, spokesperson for licensed Curacao-based sports book ewinner (www.ewinner.com), said that his company offers a 15% initial deposit bonus to new depositors. "With all of the new competitors out there," said Wayne, "you almost have to do something special to try to attract new players."

The Congressional Report goes on to state that one million Americans gamble online every day. One of the reasons for the large amount of online sports bettors is the similarity between the typical sports gambler and the typical heavy internet user, according to David Lee, of Mandalay Bay casino. Lee stated that 77% of online sports gamblers are men. They tend to be single, 25-34 years old, college educated, and with incomes between $40,000 and $80,000 per year. A survey of 2900 internet users by online gaming industry research company, The River City Group, backs up Lee's findings. The 2001 study indicated 74% of online gamblers are male and that they are among the youngest, highest income, highest education group on the internet. They are also technologically advanced, early adopters, and heavy wireless users.

Jared Davis, president of Triumph Marketing, a marketing agency that has clients in the online gaming industry, tends to agree with the conclusion of the studies. "A typical customer for an online sports book is a male 25-40 with an average income of $70,000 per year. They are typically college educated and avid sports fans."

Future growth of the online gaming industry will come more rapidly on a worldwide basis than in the United States, says the Congressional Report. Americans, which now represent half of the online gaming revenues, are projected to be only 24% of the $14.5 billion worldwide market anticipated in 2006. Japan is of extreme interest to the industry because its household internet penetration of greater than 80% is the largest in the world and it is a country nearly as obsessed with sports as America is. Countries with even more long-term promise for the industry are China and Malaysia where already two times more people have gambled on the internet than have purchased a product online.

"Without question, the largest areas for growth are South America and the Far East due to increased internet usage and cultures immersed with a long history of gambling," added Davis. "These markets have only a small percentage of the saturation levels of North America and western Europe and offer operators markets where the cost of acquisition (of new customers) is remarkably lower."

While international markets clearly offer an opportunity for expansion, the offshore industry can continue to attract more new players to the industry in all countries if it satisfies new player concerns. According to the River City Group, the primary concerns of potential new players include: a hassle free experience; quick payments; easy instructions; attractive web sites; easy registration; secure credit card transactions; certificates from consumer protection agencies; better odds; ability to play for free; 24/7 customer service.

Since the first internet gaming sites began appearing in 1995, 73 governments have approved some form of internet gambling. The industry has grown from 900 to 1400 sites in the last two years, according to The Internet Gambling Report. In recent months, however, most industry analysts believe the amount of sites has actually declined. The number of customers is not growing at the same pace as the number of sites and "consolidation among operators is the most logical transgression within the industry," said Davis.

Today, only two states, Utah and Hawaii, have no forms of gambling permitted. Although the United States has clearly not endorsed internet sports gaming, it is interesting to note that more than 80% of horse racing bets are now made away from the track at off track betting locations and through other media like interactive television.

One other conclusion of the Congressional Report is that most online players would prefer to play with a "name brand" casino rather than those virtual unknown offshore books available on the internet. With market share at the Las Vegas casinos continuing to decline to the offshore sports books, casino operators can only hope that they will soon be endorsed to operate online again.

One of the most established quality casinos on the Internet, King Neptune's Casino.com is now offering its players an exciting new range of games with enhanced options to boost the player experience after upgrading to Microgaming's "Viper" software.

Viper features include a large choice of quality games including 6 different Blackjack games, High Limit Baccarat, a large selection of Video Poker games and a vast variety of slots. 5-cent slots will also be available within the next few days, claims the press release.

The new software has been described as revolutionary and pioneering in that it empowers the player with advice, statistical information, gaming level choices and an auto play facility, with major benefits such as:

* It empowers players by including multi-purpose tools that can be set by to their personal levels and preferences, leaving them at all times in control of the gambling experience...and their money.

* The player can set Viper for play in either Expert Mode or Regular Mode. The games are faster and can be played to a chosen strategy when using expert mode. 'Quick Spin' for Slots and Roulette is available in both modes.

* Games can be played in 'Auto play' mode if desired with the parameters like bet frequency and wagering levels pre-set by the player. Experienced players can therefore play more hands or spins in less time, increasing casino play volume.

* Strategies for table games are at the player's fingertips, and gamblers requiring personal 'coaching' can set Viper up to guide them in basic strategy and other options.

* The software offers a wide range of statistical information available to the player on demand, for example to assist him or her to analyze play before taking decisions on individual bets and actions.

* Players can embellish their gambling experience with a selection of top quality music, sounds and graphics.

* It's easy to use and well supported by help files.

* Improved menu systems enable players to target specific game types they prefer, and open a new game directly from a current game without returning to the main menu.

* The software makes possible an extended coin and chip size range.

Trident's spokesman Scott Gaines says the other casinos in the group; VegasUSA.com and Trident Lounge.com will convert to the Viper software early next year.

"Customer enjoyment and playing satisfaction are a critical business concern for us, and this was the main motivation for the change to this cutting edge technology that offers the player so much more", he said. "There are some exciting games on the horizon, all based on the Viper platform so the change makes it possible for us to remain in synch with the latest in gaming developments."

To celebrate Viper's launch, King Neptune's is offering 200% first purchase bonus to new players plus the chance to enter the group's $25,000 Cash Carnival where 51 players have a chance to win cash prizes ranging from $10,000 to $100. Full details are on the casino website.

Prima's touring poker champs in action again

Prima Poker Network's sponsored Brit poker champs The Hendon Mob sustained their run of US and Australian successes this week at London's Victoria Casino in the Poker Classics 2003 event. With numerous successes behind them, The Mob made a strong showing, securing 6 final table finishes out of 6 events

The four players have been contracted by Prima Poker Network to compete in a series of 60 global poker events in eight top venues on three continents and are now on the second leg of the international tour. Prima is at the hub of an international network of Microgaming-powered poker rooms operated by over twenty leading brands in the Internet gambling business. The Tour represents the first major sponsorship in online poker and has elevated its status by introducing it to the media as a mainstream sport.

Mob member Joe Beevers won the opening event with another Mobster, Ram in 5th place in the GBP 200 Omaha Hi-Lo and first place in the GBP 500 Seven Card Stud Freezeout.

Last month The Mob took off on a flying start when the Tour launched at the Four Queens Festival in Las Vegas, where the four Mobsters made an impressive 8 final table finishes out of 11 events.

With two stops on the Tour behind them and six more to go, The Mob have already accumulated over US$140,000 in prize money, played in 14 final table finishes and have already taken home four trophies. The Tour’s next stop is The Irish Winter Tournament commencing on October 23rd and culminating on October 26th at the Merrion Card Casino in Dublin, Ireland.

“We are very pleased with our performance so far and hope that we can continue our winning streak. Our corporate sponsorship from Prima Poker makes a difference not only by allowing us to compete in more tournaments, but by getting the general public supporting our success,” said Mob member Joe “The Elegance” Beevers.

“We believe The Hendon Mob represent the sport well: they’re smart, competitive, successful and like Prima Poker, see the combination of online and offline poker as the most exciting sport today and into the future,” comments a Prima Poker representative.

The Mob is almost as pleased with the response that they are getting as sportsmen as they are with the prize money. "Thanks to our sponsorship we are being recognised as more serious sportsmen by the media and the public. It's great that Britain is behind us on the home leg of our Prima tour, and poker is getting the kind of mainstream TV, radio and press exposure that other major spectator sports enjoy", they said.

Radical branding switches at online casino group

They're ringing the changes bigtime at the IPI Media group of online casinos managed by Paul Jergens.

Players at the group's five casinos were surprised to receive email notifications this week of radical branding identity changes being introduced without explanation. All backend arrangements remain the same, as does the Real Time Gaming software.

The changes are as follows:

Riviera Gold Casino becomes Royal Circus Casino.com

Five Roses Casino will now open as American Grand Casino.com

Golden Comps Casino will now be branded as Golden Nile Casino.com

OnLuck Casino takes on the name Lucky Coin Casino.com

Fortune Towers Casino will operate as Lucky Pyramid Casino.com

Editors note: You can read why you should be wary of these casinos here.

Play4Treasure dispute staggers into third week

The term "man of straw" is a legal cliche that describes a defaulting party as so financially broke as to render recovery of debts or compensation unlikely, yet turnkey provider Interactive Gaming.com (IGS) seemed unable to come to terms with this possibility as the Play4Treasure.com dispute entered its third week with disappointed players still standing unpaid.

To recap, Play4Treasure's owner was an underfunded first year college student who astonishingly was approved by the IGS screening process and ended up running an online casino and sportsbook...as it turned out, right into the ground after a very short life.

She claims, and bankruptcy court documents confirm this, that she advised IGS of bankruptcy earlier this year, thus voiding her contractual obligations with them as she was unable to pay her players. For reasons that are not presently clear, IGS did not take the casino down at that time and the result is a small but determined group of unpaid players who now look to the turnkey provider for satisfaction.

That satisfaction is proving hard to come by as things stand right now, because the company first tried to maintain a hands-off approach, then some perhaps coincidental changes to its website copy regarding player insurance were made, and currently they are taking owed players around the bushes with conflicting stories regarding the timing of the bankruptcy notification, and trying to persuade the "man of straw" owner to cough-up on player payments, which she is patently incapable of doing.

To IGS' credit, they have now taken Play4Treasure offline and assured players that after a review of their accounts they will be paid by either themselves or the owner.

How long that will all take seems to be the crux of the issue. IGS say the wait should not be too long, which is encouraging. Surely a review of such a limited number of player accounts should not be a protracted affair...and by prolonging the suffering of its unpaid players, IGS is keeping this affair high-profile which cannot be good for its image as a responsible provider. We're told that the amounts involved are not particularly daunting - less that $20 000 in fact.

IGS also assure us that their screening process is being tightened up to avoid a repetition of this unfortunate situation.

We will continue to monitor this affair in the hope that someone at IGS does the right thing, and soon.

You'll be thunderstruck by this slot

Management and staff at King Neptune's Casino.com had a busy week judging by the press releases we received from them. In addition to converting to Microgaming's ace Viper software, the respected online casino was one of the first to launch the stunning new Thunderstruck slot that offers three ways for players to gamble and win on a totally original online game.

The brand new 5 reel, 9-payline video slot is completely unique on the Internet, and the advanced game features, digital sound and dynamic graphics and animations are sure to find favour with players looking for something fresh and thrilling.

The theme is the Age of Mythology, where the Norse god of Thunder rules over his kingdom with an electric gaze and a fist of steel! Thor icons really are wild 'n winning, and Scatter Rams can reward the player with 15 free spins (and another 15 within that for the really fortunate) with all wins inside this bonus tripled - lightning striking not once but thrice in fact.

And the player can finally put Thor's Hammer down by gambling his or her winnings on the Gamble Feature, choosing colour or suit and going after a x 2 or x 4 increase on winnings.

This high volatility, big win game comes on the Viper gambling software platform and players therefore benefit from a variety of advanced features like Quick Spin and wager flexibility - up to 45 coins in denominations of one cent to one dollar can be wagered, five at a time across nine lines.

Scott Gaines, spokesman for King Neptune's says, "Thunderstruck is based on the advanced Viper software platform which gives players a number of control features such as quick spin and wagering flexibility, enabling up to 45 coins of various denominations to be wagered on each spin. Viper also offers a host of assists and customizing options to the player, adding more appeal to an already formidable package. There is nothing even remotely like this outstanding product on the Internet, and it is sure to be a major attraction."

Where to find the new game and how to play it

It's a name that is on everyone's lips this week - Thunderstruck, the big and bold new 5 reel, 9 payline slot that launches from the options-heavy Viper software.

The first question is where do you get your hands on the game...and hopefully it's rewards! Here's a list of online casinos that have announced its availability:

Spin Palace
Captain Cooks Casino
Crazy Vegas Casino
Platinum Play Casino
Lucky Nugget
Grand Hotel Casino
More casinos listed here of course.

Portalmaster and industry personality Ted Loh of Got2bet.com offers the following tips for his readers in his latest newsletter:

"In Thunderstruck you are looking primarily for two things - Thor - 5 in a row will rain 10,000 coins into your account, and with other winning symbols will double your winnings - and the Scatter Rams - three or more of them will kick off 15 free spins paying triple value - this itself is worth the wait - you can just sit back and watch the credits roll up three times as fast. And if three or more Scatter Rams appear again, you get 15 MORE free spins!

"Thunderstruck is a cool game - probably the best of the non-progressive slots - my only complaint is that the golden AKQJ and 10 look all the same so your eyes might be blinded from so much gold appearing on the screen :) And don't forget to check out the new Gamble Feature, where you choose either the color or the suit of the card - guess correctly and you will get 2x or 4x your bet respectively.

"Now keep in mind this is Viper, so you can turn on Expert and Auto Play modes - for speed, turn off all sounds and set delay between spins to 0 - and make sure the Stop on Free Spin feature box is checked, so you can come back to the game to find 15 free spins waiting for you"

Good luck in bringing that hammer down!

Is anti gambling advertising activity coordinated?

Several industry observers are speculating that the recent warnings and subpoenas targeting portalmasters and radio shows in diverse states could be a coordinated push by US authorities to put the brakes on the marketing of Got2bet sites.

This week saw more pressure on the US internet sportsbook industry, with radio shows taking strain. Sports911 reported that Infinity Broadcasting, one of the largest radio broadcasting networks, is to discontinue all offshore sports book advertisements. In late-breaking news towards the end of the week it was revealed that the Howard Stern Show, which has Golden Palace and BetonSports as its respective sponsors, has pulled gambling adverts, too. The show is one of the highest rated syndicated morning radio shows in the United States, and sent e-mails to interactive gambling and sports book advertisers informing them their ads would no longer be carried on the broadcast.

A spokesperson for Golden Palace, a longtime advertiser on the show, confirmed the decision and said the company is preparing documents for representatives of the show that argue the ads are legal and valid. Golden Palace has been an advertiser on the Stern show for more than three years. IGN is monitoring the story and will have more details on the situation as it develops. Many of the offshore wagering outfits have relied heavily on radio ads over recent years.

Another of the major broadcasting companies, Clear Channel, is maintaining a neutral stance after receiving official warnings, but may decide to pull the plug on such ads as well, though independently produced shows may still run the controversial advertisements at their own discretion in certain markets.

Sports911 describes the bans as "...a tremendous blow to the offshore sports betting industry, which relies heavily on radio advertising during popular sports programs and live games."

The Department of Justice sent out letters to all the major radio broadcasting networks suggesting they could be in violation of breaking the law by accepting such ads. The letter does not implicitly claim any specific violation. This measure comes after a handful of gambling portal owners and a newspaper received subpoenas in the past three weeks.

Sports911.com first broke the story that Phil Steele's popular North Coast Sports handicapping service was issued a subpoena to produce documents related to its association with Costa Rica-based Millennium Sports. Millennium's owner, Tom Miller, was apprehended late last year while attempting to clear Customs in Miami. Miller's legal problems are unrelated to gambling or any violation of the Patriot Act. Millennium has since been taken over by "clean as a whistle" son-in-law, Matt Brown and daughter Mindy Marks.

Chicago-based College Football News was also subpoenaed and forced to turn over all advertising records pertaining to Carib Sports. Three of Carib's owners are under investigation for alleged money laundering activities, though none of the three have been indicted. PrePaid ATM was approached and questioned about its relationship with Carib, though the eCommerce provider has not yet been subpoenaed.

Both College Football News and Phil Steele's North Coast website removed all sports book ads immediately after turning over all pertinent documents.

Internet Gaming News also reported on a website portal owner that will be testifying in an Eastern District of Missouri Grand Jury hearing scheduled for October 29. Very little is known about this matter and its true relevance to Got2bet, but the word on the street is that the portal was Mickey Charles' Sports Network. This may have caused the postponement of next month's IGE conference in Florida, which Charles' company was apparently organising.

Sports911 has also reported that certain of the books that have received subpoenas may be taking legal action to have them dismissed on the grounds that the companies on which they are being asked to supply business information have not been criminally charged.

Two online processing companies, PayPal and E-Gold, were warned this year not to conduct business in the state of Missouri. That state's Attorney General, Jay Nixon, has filed suit against the owners of E Gold for deceiving consumers into believing the site was endorsed by the state.

Nixon said the E-Gold website posted images of Missouri Gov. Bob Holden and the Missouri state flag taken from the state's official Web site. It also included a purported message from Holden welcoming visitors to the site.

PayPal was cited for alleged violation of the Patriot Act and was issued two Grand Jury subpoenas, though the eCommerce company is fully cooperating with Missouri officials.

Late last year, PayPal reached an agreement with New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in his inquiry related to payments made through PayPal's service to Got2bet merchants. In an Assurance of Discontinuance made to the New York Attorney General, PayPal agreed to cease processing payments from its New York members to Got2bet merchants by September 1, 2002.

These days Spitzer is even more enraged after government agency, The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York City, accepted a check for more than a million dollars to plaster BetonSports.com ads on the sides of its buses. Despite Spitzer's pleading, the MTA refuses to budge. Last year, Spitzer was successful in getting the Taxi Commission to remove BetonSports ads from its fleet of cabs.

Experts have also warned Sports911.com that those websites participating in affiliate deals or revenue sharing will likely come under scrutiny as well, if not already. Sports911.com does not accept affiliate deals or "agent" packages.

"These can be construed as partnerships in business deemed to be illegal," claims one expert close to Sports911 who wishes to remain anonymous.

A recent quote from a DOJ official in Washington DC is perhaps illustrative of the mindset of Federal authorities.

"Do I think we are ever going to be able to stop all illegal Internet gambling? No, but I think we can make a serious dent in this activity. We can create an atmosphere in which people who engage in this form of illegal activity will have to keep looking over their shoulders, because we may be out there," says John G. Malcolm, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.

The DOJ lawmen are also indirectly responsible for the disappointing news that came this week for industry people looking forward to the Interactive Gaming and Entertainment (IGE) conference scheduled for November 2-4 in Orlando, Florida.

The event has been postponed until at least March-early April 2004 according to the organisers, who say that "....current, and unfortunate, circumstances...have developed out of the Department of Justice offices located in St. Louis, Missouri.

"They are, as many of you are undoubtedly aware, pursuing a course of action determined to deter and hamper the offshore and online gaming industry, with intent to curtail advertising/marketing/merchandising/promotional and financial routes that are being currently pursued.

"They have, in fact, subpoenaed such organizations as the National Association of Broadcasters, Magazine Publishers of America, Independent Press Association, National Newspaper Association, Newspaper Association of America, the groups representing all newspapers in the country, Suburban Newspapers of America, as well as a number of others, inclusive of many sites and companies that have been accepting advertisements from offshore operators.

"This action has caused some of our speakers to attend to the needs of clients immediately and in the weeks ahead, and necessitated a number of attendees having to address this matter internally whether they were directly affected by it or not at this time.

"Because of this unforeseen series of events, the organizers of IGE have decided to postpone the inaugural IGE event until the spring when, predictably, this latest chain of events will be discussed and addressed in detail. While we realize the situation might still be turbulent, we're confident that the environment will be more conducive than now for this forum."

Lawyer's license suspended

Another US lawyer involved in the Gold Medal Sports prosecutions has been convicted of having a part ownership in the Curacao-based sports book, according to Gambling 911 reports.

Iola, Wisconsin based lawyer Bruce Meagher, has been convicted for his participation in an offshore Internet sports betting operation. He received a six-month suspension of his law license by the WI State Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR). Meagher’s six-month suspension was imposed retroactive to November, when he received a temporary suspension of his license.

The suspended lawyer, in a stipulated agreement with the OLR, has agreed to the six-month suspension as a sanction for his part in the sports betting operation and for a separate complaint in which he represented two clients which claimed he had competing interests in a business venture. He was convicted of one count of violating the Federal Wire Wagering Act in April 2002 and sentenced to one month in prison and five months of home confinement, besides a fine of $20,000.

First license granted in new jurisdiction

It appears that the US Virgin Islands is de facto up and working as a licensing jurisdiction with the appointment of the first hosting licensee.

USVI Host Inc. has received approval from the US Virgin Islands’ Casino Control Commission (CCC) to set up in St. Croix a hosting facility for Internet gambling in the US Virgin Islands.

The company is now licensed and free to provide a server and host facilities for operators that want to provide Internet gaming. While USVI Host has apparently no current plans of operating Got2bet sites, it will provide a secure Internet server and hosting facility for gambling site operators.

Getting the license wasn't easy. After a six-month background investigation into the company, it was asked to deposit a surety bond of $100,000 with the USVI government. The operators were also required to pay the government a non-refundable application fee of $4,000 valid for two years, and a licensing fee of $2,000.

Not everyone on the Commission was keen to issue the first license. CCC member Imelda Dizon is quoted as saying, "A bill is pending in the US Congress that would exempt the USVI from any law banning Internet gambling. I voted reluctantly to approve this application, but the matter should be placed on moratorium until it is definitely found to be legal in the US.'

New casino will have Swedish software

Boss Media continued to expand its European influence this week with a cool contract for Austrian public gambling company Bet and Win.

The Gibraltar based subsidiary BAW International Ltd. has signed up for a casino and poker system from Boss. Betandwin has successfully developed its Internet sportsbook since 1999, focusing on the German-speaking market. The new casino will be supplied both as downloadable software and as a web-based instant game in English and German language versions.

The poker client will be a key element in building up the "Boss Poker Network" which is currently being launched.

Boss Media's strategy in recent years has been to establish a strong position in the European Got2bet market where the combination of interest in gaming, Internet maturity and the favorable legal climate offers good potential. Boss has recently concluded deals with several major players such as William Hill Plc, SBM Monaco, HIT Enterprise, Gala Group, Victor Chandler International, Bet365 Group and Sportingbet Plc.

Guessing game is on to identify coy client

An enigmatic business information release from Swedish turnkey provider Boss Media had industry watchers guessing this week when it failed to disclose the identity of a new customer.

Boss boasted that it continued to strengthen its "...position as the leading supplier of gaming systems for the sportsbook market through the sale of a casino system to one of the oldest betting companies on the Internet. The company began in 1985 as a telephone-betting operator, and ten years later it was one of the first betting companies on the Internet."

Apparently for reasons relating to market competition, the mystery client has asked to remain anonymous for the time being but has had a casino linked to its sportsbook in the past, and has now appointed Boss Media to supply a new casino. The casino will be available both as downloadable software and as a web-based instant game.

"Integration of our gaming system with sportsbooks systems has proven highly successful in the past. This customer has a large, loyal customer base and expert knowledge. This deal is exactly in keeping with our strategy of selling to established customers,"says a satisfied Robert Skogh, head of marketing and sales at Boss.

Futurebet - cash strapped no more?
It is common currency in the industry that turnkey service and software provider Futurebet has not been in the happiest of cash positions lately, and this has resulted in frequent complaints from players of slow-pay. Certain of their licensees, such as Indio Gaming have recently claimed that, frustrated by the poor performance of FB's payout service, they have started doing their own thing.

This could (hopefully) all soon be history, a licensee who wishes to remain anonymous tells us:

"According to the management of Futurebet, they have managed to overcome their financial difficulties over the past two weeks after seeking out and successfully bringing an investor on board (after the Vegas conference) to straighten out all financial difficulties and pending payments to a number of players. All of these pending withdrawals should be fully paid for within the next 40 days by Player Support".

These are hopeful statements, but it may be a good idea to exercise caution until concrete evidence that outstanding payouts are being addressed start to appear.

Full circle...
Heads nodding sagely, several observers were this week commenting "...what goes around comes around" at the news that another Boss-powered casino in the Cybercroupier group is to close it's doors soon. They were talking about email notifications to Minivegas Casino.com players announcing the closure and advising "....after November 17 2003, the money remaining in your casino account will be forfeited to the casino."

The Cybercroupier group has come in for sustained flak over a badly handled mass player dispute some time back...players tend to have long memories for that sort of thing!

Ironically, it was not long ago that the Mini Vegas News had this to say:

"There are Casinos Closing down As you may know; many casinos have been closing their doors lately, and there are still some others on the way to the same destiny. Competition in this industry got to a point where it is too hard for most to survive if they are not well established, well funded and overall if they do not have an unquestionable reputation.

"However, the good news is that Minivegas is only getting stronger and stronger every day!!! Yes sir! While others are shutting down, we are celebrating another anniversary of victory, success and overall, customer satisfaction!. Please check out the promotions we have for our new and existent players! Don't be sorry, do not feel insecure; just come and celebrate at MINIVEGAS!! We are here to stay for you!"

Old Port no more...
In its short (a few months) life Old Port Casino.com certainly attracted speculation as to its ownership and software. The IPI Media group denied that it owned the casino, and the software did not appear to be RTG yet this week when players were informed it was closing who was giving them the bad news and picking up the soon-to-be-casinoless players? Five Roses (new name American Grand Casino) of course. Which belongs to? IPI Media! According to the player notification emails sent out by Five Roses, IPI has been responsible for player support, and as of October 13/2003, the casino is "...unable to continue operations and will be taken offline within one day or so. We, FIVE ROSES CASINO, will assume the responsibility for your withdrawal and it shall be immediately completed."

Management schizophrenia
Just who is the "new" manager of the cash-strapped RTG-powered Gamblers Lobby group of casinos? That's what players were asking this week as an apparent attack of schizophrenia had two individuals claiming to be the new manager of this sorry-ass group, with former manager Kent Spaulding apparently demoted to the level of assistant.

Players received emails from one Liam Nash and others from a Carl Werner identifying themselves as the *new* management and making the definite understatement that "Currently in Gamblers Lobby we are having a bit of delays with your current withdrawals. The reason for these delays are because our facility is currently undergoing some changes."

No doubt players will be reassured by the news that , "The withdrawals are our top priority and we hope to get these solved as quick as possible. Please take my personal apologies as I have been trying to get your situation solved, I can only do up to certain extent, but I intend to do the best for the casino and it's players."

Unfortunately these "a bit of delays" have been a major feature of players' nightmares regarding this group, which has a list of impatient and long-suffering unpaid players who have been repeatedly stalled by promises of failed instalments. Consequently, GL and its former manager Kent Spaulding have acquired a less than attractive reputation that can best be addressed by payouts being honoured and quickly.

Caution is definitely indicated here. Gambler's Lobby has appeared more than once on Casino Cautions, and unfulfilled promises are simply not enough this time around.

But not in competition with the GPWA

Surfing the webmaster's forum at Winneronline can be both astonishing and informative, and this week we had a small taste of both.

The astonishing aspect is the sheer intensity of the Gambling Portal Webmasters Association (GPWA) and ex-GPWA members' exchanges on what appear to be largely procedural disputes that cannot seemingly be confined to the home-site. Hence the battlefield being pitched at WOL, and believe us 'battlefield' is not an understatement!

In the thick of it as usual is founder Cynthia Carley using the 'handle' Slycin, with rebellious members and expelled former members going head to head with her in often bitter exchanges. Other GPWA stalwarts arrive like the cavalry from time to time and that alternately seems to calm and revitalise the debates.

All of this public slanging does not project a reassuringly professional image of an association that undoubtedly offers much to its members, but nevertheless seems to lose webmasters on unfriendly terms with some frequency. Some of the posts indicate that attempts are being made to get members to sign agreements not to talk about the GPWA outside the home site. Whilst that may seem to be stifling the free expression of opinion, there may be some merit in the concept, judging by some of this week's WOL postings!

Talking professionalism, one of the more amicable departures from the GPWA seems to be a character called J. Todd, who after courteously preparing the way with the GPWA management is now setting up a new gambling webmasters' association called the Association of Professional Casino Webmasters (APCW)

Interested readers can find out all about this interesting new grouping on the informative website at http://apcw.org/

The island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea could become the latest Euopean jurisdiction for Got2bet licensing in the near future.

The island's Lotteries and Gaming Authority has been researching the market and is now in the closing stages of preparing the final draft of proposed new regulations that will empower it to issue and police Maltese licenses.

However, the chairman of the Authority, Dr. Zamit Maempel has said that comment already obtained from interested parties must be considered prior to any publication to ensure that all shades of opinion and a diverse range of suggestions have been considered in order to achieve a balanced regulatory regime.

One of the areas in which there is particular interest is player protection, and the drafters are trying make sure they hit the right mix of sensible regulation without imposing unneccessarily bureaucratic requirements. Anti money-laundering measures are also a top priority and will be receiving careful attention.

Player insurance and a college student operator

Last week we reported the alarming news that Play4Treasure.com was in trouble and going down in flames, leaving a number of unpaid players asking the obvious question, "...so when do I get my money?"

This week the owner had the good grace to tell players that she was facing bankruptcy and that the casino would not be around for too much longer. In an attempt to assist the players she had asked Play Center and the software provider, Interactive Gaming Systems what player insurance they had - a feature she claims was in force when she was licensed, with the following copy on IGS's site:

">> Player Insurance Program: Effective October 1st, 2002

In order to insure our Licensee's and their players full security, Interactive Gaming Systems has implemented a Player Insurance program which will protect all player accounts. The program provides players or clients of any certified Interactive Gaming Systems licensee with protection. Each player account is insured by IG up to the amount of $5,000 USD. Of course, this additional protection supplements the ongoing commitment of the licensee to provide each customer with a dependable, financial environment."

This is markedly different from the following, which was the copy displayed when a few online sleuths visited the IGS site after reading about Play4Treasure's imminent demise:

">> Player Guarantee

Interactive Gaming Systems has in place a Player Guarantee which will protect all player accounts. The program provides players or clients of any certified Interactive Gaming Systems licensee with protection. The object of this Guarantee is to bring security and integrity to the online gaming industry so players can gamble safely and securely with respected online gaming operators."

This is far less specific and helpful, and we asked IGS for comment. Their response was a little "around the houses" and non specific, so we pressed them and were told that Play4Treasure had not opted into any insurance program but that they were looking at assisting unpaid players. IGS assured us that they were diligent in their licensee vetting and policing.

Curious, we investigated a little closer and were astonished to learn that Play4Treasure's owner was an inexperienced first year college student and that unsurprisingly the casino had no money and very few players. The student claims that she had informed IGS of her bankruptcy some months ago, thus voiding her contract, but that IGS did not remove the operation from public use. She refuses to accept liability and owed players must now turn to IGS for satisfaction.

It is mind-boggling to even imagine a turnkey provider such as IGS accepting inexperienced first year college students as licensed operators of Got2bet venues, and the question of irresponsibility in the probity checking process has to examined. Certainly it would appear that this software provider should accept responsibility for players prejudiced by this unhappy situation.

STOP PRESS: As we went to press this week IGS commented to us that the licensee's college student status did not surface in their screening checks, and that Play4Treasure's owner had not opted into the player insurance program. Despite this, IGS claim that they are paying out the P4T players. The casino has been pulled offline with a notice that legitimate players will be paid after a review of the accounts. InfoPowa is monitoring developments in this story and will report further in due course.

Hoist by his own petard>

Clown of the week was a poster using the handle "Cassteal" (geddit?) who appeared on the Casinomeister message board claiming that he has been stiffed for over $700 000 by the reputable Casino On Net organisation owned by Cassava Enterprises.

Clearly seeking to pressure CON into an advantage that was not due, the poster received short shrift when the webmaster checked his story with CON's Vahe Baloulian. It appears that due to a software glitch, his bankroll showed a bigger amount than it should have. The player was informed of this discrepancy and his account was closed for an inspection whilst the issue was being investigated. Five days later the player contacted CON again, this time threatening a lawsuit and demanding that the amount falsely reflected in his bankroll be paid.

Accepting responsibility for the software glitch, the casino reached a settlement with the player, who signed a disclaimer, provided ID and was paid the agreed amount.

CON thought that was the end of the matter, but Cassteal clearly had other ideas and more money in mind and laid claims with the Antiguan and Gibraltar jurisdictions in which CON is licensed, denying that he ever reached an agreement, accepted the settlement, and signed documents agreeing that the sum paid to him "shall be in full and final settlement of all and any claims and causes of action of whatever kind against Cassava..." These were dismissed, and CON handed the matter over to their lawyers due to legal threats from Cassteal.

As Baloulian commented, "Basically, if we compare this to a soccer game, if the score board shows 3-1, but there were no goals during the game, the score board results don't really matter, specially if they malfunctioned "thanks" to the "winning team." And play logs have been handed over to the legal eagles to prove it.

A smart man would have left the matter there, but Cassteal then became abusive through emails and posts, and a little detective work uncovered his identity (which we withold for privacy considerations) and the fact that he operated a Gambling Federation site called Slot City USA, routing to Selective Casino. But there was another snag.....his site copy contained plagiarised wording, and plagiarised very badly at that from Microgaming operation Blackjack Ballroom, a reputable and established online operation.

GF pulled his sites immediately, and is to be saluted for doing so. And Blackjack Ballroom lawyers could have something to say about that plagiarised copy because although 'Cassteal' pulled his site when his copy-catting was uncovered, several people had already recorded the evidence.

Completing a bad day for Cassteal, the word is now out among many other operators who might be interested in this sort of attempted scam, and he is about to enter the not-so-hallowed halls of Casinomeister's Evil Players.

Bonus baddies
This week a number of players reminded the message boards that Riviera Gold Casino, an RTG powered operation belonging to the IPI Media group and managed by Paul Jurgens has been pulling the "advantage player" disqualification stunt. Several players report that despite meeting all T&C requirements they were arbitrarily told that they had been classified as bonus abusers and were denied their withdrawals. This manager knows full well that this is not the correct way to deal with "advantage players". If a player has met all the rules and T&Cs of the casino, the correct way is to pay him or her out in full before invoking the bonus abuser tag and then lock the account.

Gambler's Lobby panned again
The RTG-powered Gambler's Lobby group of three casinos and its manager Kent Spaulding came in for another round of criticism on the message boards this week for it's slow-pay practices. Apparently the group has a cashflow problem which has resulted in it offering to pay winners in instalments and then failing to do so. This is not the first time this has happened - on the last occasion players were - eventually - paid allegedly following a cash shortage caused by the non-arrival of investor monies. No such excuse has been offered this time around, and a further caution is appropriate. You Go Girl, Gamble a Million and Gamblers Lobby are the casinos involved. One player who tested GL by asking them about their player insurance in the event of casino failure was told by CSR "Roxy" that there was no problem - RTG would look after them! We doubt that CEO Michael Staw would be too enthusiastic about that! GL's troubles are snowballing with the news that they were put on the Rogue Casino list this week by Casinomeister.

This could take the wind from your sails
A sad tale from eight months back surfaced this week regarding DCEG-powered Winward Casino.com. Back then a gambler with the appropriate "handle" of Sad Man was trying to extricate his deposit and winnings from this casino and getting the run-around on the old "audit" excuse. The casino said that this was the cause of the delay, although " We want to reiterate that we have found nothing wrong with your account thus far, but our Fraud management team is investigating all accounts." Then silence - his numerous emails understandably seeking further details are ignored for week after week, until this: "Based on the results of this investigation Management has decided to close those accounts with similar information among which your account is included."

What "similar information" could that be and surely a more cogent explanation than this is warranted? The player thought so, too but again all his attempts to communicate were ignored, and when he called management, who are apparently the only folks who can tell him what is happening, they are "out".

And that's the way things stand eight months later despite concentrated attempts to get more information and justice by this determined player. It is perhaps understandable that Sad Man has this to say this week, "...nothing has happened. No word at all since the original letters and they won't talk to me. Thousands stolen from me. Don't play at Winward."

The uncommunicative nature of Winward extended to InfoPowa, too. Our repeated offers for them to provide their side of the story went unanswered this week.

Raids on Got2bet operators

The Italian authorities were active this week according to reports from agency AGI. A nation-wide operation, a year in the planning and investigation code-named "Black Jack" was mounted to pursue 'illegal' gambling on the Internet, with what were described as "record breaking" results.

109 Internet sites were traced and identified, placing 80 people under investigation and 83 others in the process of identification in 45 provinces and 17 regions of Italy. In addition, a relatively small number of 11 computers were taken into police possession as evidence. In far-reaching follow-ups to the raid, the tax police closed and isolated sites and houses - 15 in all - in 45 provinces throughout Italy.

The operation was carried out by 150 tax and financial police acting in collaboration with 500 Carabiniere, the national police. Initial investigation and control of the operation took place in the Catania tax police headquarters, with the help of the Technological Anti-Crime Group offices in Rome.

In the year-long investigation, police were able to map out an Got2bet ring by following pop-up ads, banners, and links they encountered while navigating online casino sites. Police reported that many 'creators' of sites that carried illegal gambling advertising were paid percentages of the money gamblers lost.

Playtech builds up global bingo

Online Bingo fans will be pleased with the latest announcement from the Playtech software company, which launches a global bingo network that is expected to stimulate a new phase of growth in the online bingo market.

Bingoland is the first of many bingo-related announcements that Playtech say they will be making over the coming months.

Two new games, Kiwi Bingo and Tiki Bingo, have been added to the Bingoland network, following on the heels of Ruby Bingo, operated by InterContinental Casinos Limited, which was launched July 2003.

It is claimed that this is the first serious attempt to introduce a major bingo network. "There are a number of bingo sites out there, but operators have had to make do with software from small, niche operators who do not have the development resources to serve the market properly, or solutions from some of larger casino software vendors, who do not really understand the market or the game," says a Playtech exec.

Kiwi Bingo and Tiki Bingo owned by the Christchurch Casinos Group, one of Australasia's premier land-based casino organizations, based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Kiwi Bingo is themed along the lines of Kiwi Casino, set on a mountainside plateau in wilds of beautiful New Zealand, while Tiki Bingo was created to capture the "Tiki Bar" craze that hit America in the late 1950's and early 1960's.

The sites feature a new generation of bingo software tailored, firstly to meet the specific needs of the online bingo player and secondly to provide all the tools an operator needs to manage and market his games.

Game features include: classic American 75-ball bingo * compelling 3-D animated graphics * fully featured chat with integral player photos and private chat facility * real-time player access to graphical game history * selective buy-ahead feature * auto-play, auto-daub and "best card to front" features * card manager plays even when the player is offline * built-in scratch cards, slots, multi-line, multi-reel progressives and video poker * real time online support

Management tools include: fully programmable games and patterns * full support for marketing offers and promotions * comprehensive in-game "all or any" player messaging * comprehensive chat management tools * automatic, multi-level player comp scheme * integral referral program * powerful, multi-tier affiliate programs * comprehensive online financial reporting and player tracking

Software provider intends to de-list, too

Speculation was rife this week following a press release from turnkey provider dotcom Entertainment Group (DCEG) that senior executives had resigned and the company intended to de-list in order to cut costs.

The President and Chief Operating Officer, Scott White revealed that Chairman Robert Olsen, CEO David Outhwaite and directors Michael Lipton, Norman Inkster and John Reilly all resigned at a Board of Directors meeting held October 1. No reasons were given for the resignations, and speculation was that the issue revolved around the delisting question.

"This step is being taken to control costs and to permit the Company to concentrate its efforts and resources on serving its customer base and increasing sales, thereby enhancing profitability and growth," said White. "Management believes this is the best way to build value for the long term".

The DCEG Board now consists of Chief Technology Officer Perry Malone, Director of Strategic Business Planning Ted Colivas, President Scott White and Chairman and Director Tony De Werth. Chief Financial Officer David Callander and Director of Sales Andrew Branscombe kept their jobs.

Employer's techies put up barriers to worktime gambling

Ever fancied a flutter while at work? Studies of Got2bet behaviour have in the past shown that a significant amount of online wagering takes place on the boss's time and using office computers.

That could be a thing of the past if a new product from an outfit called St. Bernard gets a toehold in business. That's because their compact iprism gadget is claimed to be an effective business tool for blocking out "undesireable sites" on corporate networks such as Got2bet and other distractions.

Reporting on the casino killer the San Diego Union Tribune says, "The corporate world is just starting to get the message that they have a serious productivity problem'. It could quite take the fun out of those lunch breaks!

The news that Gambling Grumbles had been closed down by the owner of Gambling.com disappointed many players; it was comforting to know that the experienced mediation services and industry contacts of GG administrator Julie Sidwell were there if you needed them.

Late this week that disappointment was lifted with the announcement by player assurance and protection body eCOGRA that Sidwell had joined its staff as fair gaming advocate. The appointment is also an affirmation that eCOGRA is attuned to an important player demand for practical structures that can assist them when necessary.

Sidwell brings a wealth of experience to the position, having successfully dealt with hundreds of mediations over the past four years. She has written many articles for industry media concerning the importance of customer service, player disputes and casino responses, and has assisted several operators in the training of staff to prevent disputes and increase resolution efficiency.

Commenting on her appointment Sidwell said, “eCOGRA is a positive step toward building credibility in the online gaming industry. I am excited about the opportunity to work with the industry’s leading software suppliers and operators in taking positive steps toward protecting players and providing recognizable fair gaming. I look forward to beginning my work and providing added value to eCOGRA members, approved casinos and their players."

eCOGRA CEO Andrew Beveridge says that in addition to assisting aggrieved players Sidwell would advise the board of directors on the implementation of effective dispute resolution procedures, an important component of the eCOGRA mission. Her role will be similar to that of a ‘players’ representative’ to ensure concerns are dealt with quickly and professionally.

"eCOGRA’s goal with regard to a fair gaming advocate is to provide players with assurances that gaming issues will be handled with professionalism and care, and that player concerns are treated seriously at eCOGRA approved web sites," he said. “Player protection is a cornerstone of eCOGRA’s mission. Julie’s prior experience as an advocate for fair online gaming is something that we are very pleased to bring to eCOGRA. Her experience with complaint resolution is a welcome addition to the eCOGRA team."

Session ends today, but wiley Kyl knows the system.

The wannabe US Nemesis of Got2bet, Sen. Jon Kyl was grabbing the headlines again this week with confident statements that his efforts to hamstring the industry would succeed.

Despite opposition of the mainstream casino industry, a Senate bill to restrict Internet gambling is likely to pass Congress this year, he claimed.

Kyl said that he is willing to talk to gambling lobbyists but pointedly noted that the industry's support is not essential to his bill's passage.

"One way or another, we're going to get a bill," Kyl said. "I hope (the casinos) can see their way clear to help us out."

His confidence might appear to be misplaced, given that the legislators traditionally pack up around October 3, but Kyl is a wiley and experienced politician who has shown in the past that he knows how to manipulate the political system and its lesser known procedural quirks.

Unlike mainstream casinos, the Indian gambling industry generally supports Kyl's bill, which passed the Senate Banking Committee by a 19-0 vote on July 31. The Kyl bill would allow tribal reservations to maintain technological links for bingo and other forms of gambling.

But the bill also would prevent states from legalizing online wagering within their borders. This restriction would violate states' rights, said Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association.

"This can easily be fixed by including language which would say gambling must be legal in states where the (Internet) gambling transmission is coming from," Fahrenkopf said.

So far, no state has legalized Internet gambling. But online wagering has mushroomed from $445 million in bets six years ago to projected wagers of $4.2 billion this year on more than 1,800 offshore Web sites.

Fahrenkopf said states, not the federal government, should decide if they want to legalize Internet gambling.

States retain that option in an Internet gambling bill that the House passed 319-104 on June 10. Both the House bill and the Senate bill would prevent the use of credit cards, checks and electronic fund transfers for online wagering.

Fahrenkopf said the casino industry could support an earlier version of the Kyl bill, which mirrored the legislation passed by the House. But after the Department of Justice complained that the House bill would expand Internet gambling, the Senate Banking Committee changed Kyl's bill to prohibit states from legalizing online wagering.

Fahrenkopf said the Justice Department misread the House bill and overreacted.

After meeting with Kyl on June 23, Fahrenkopf sent a letter to the senator on Sept. 9 laying out the industry's objections to the Senate bill. The primary objection is the absence of a provision in the House bill that would preserve a state's option to legalize Internet gambling.

Fahrenkopf said he hopes to follow up with a meeting soon with Kyl's staff.

But Kyl acknowledged that if he gives the casinos what they want, he could lose the support of tribal gaming interests.

"It's a problem, and frankly, I thought that we were working with the casinos and then it appears that maybe they were not willing to work with us, " Kyl said.

"So you know, it may be necessary to choose (between tribal gambling interests and mainstream casinos)."

Is the US legal grip tightening?

The news that had gambling webmasters in the USA looking over their shoulders this week was probably reports that at least one webmaster had received a Grand Jury subpoena from the Eastern District of Missouri authorities. According to an IGN report the jurors want to talk about advertisements for Got2bet services in what is rumoured to be a wider investigation that could implicate other webmasters.

The portal owner concerned is with-holding his identity, but is due to testify Oct. 29 before the grand jury.

It is apparent from his document that many aspects of Got2bet are being scrutinized in detail. The subpoena requires him to turn over all commercial and financial information from Jan. 1, 1997 to the present related to the advertisement of online casinos and sports books. Among information requested in the subpoena was all the "...names and all identifying and contact information you have for every point of contact for each such gambling advertiser."

The webmaster is also required to produce any information about advertisements placed on TV, radio or cablecasts. The court, through the subpoena, asks for any accounting records including accounts receivable or accounts payable. They also ask the portal to turn over records of sales calls, telephone records, contracts, invoices, records of negotiations pertaining to payment, e-mail correspondence (both incoming and outgoing), financial transactions, annual gross revenue for the site, information on how advertising revenue was received and the names of financial institutions and account numbers pertaining to the business.

Finally, the subpoena calls for the operator to turn over any notes or correspondence relating to the legality of accepting advertising from online casinos and sports books. The subpoena cites letters from DOJ officials to a handful of trade organizations advising them not to accept advertising from such business since it could be in violation of federal law.

One such letter, to the National Association of Broadcasters from Deputy Attorney General John G. Malcolm, was attached to the subpoena.

The assistant U.S. attorney handling the current grand jury investigation declined to comment on any possible investigation or indictment.

As we went to press, "informal" legal opinions were starting to surface on the Internet, including one which opined that, "This is nothing new. It's coming out of the US Attorney's Office in St. Louis,Missouri, and they can only investigate cases that are in their federal district. It does not affect anybody else. I guarantee that these companies are going to fight these subpoenas under their First Amendment freedom of speech grounds.

If you read the DOJ letter to the National Association of Broadcasters, they are putting them on notice that accepting advertising from "offshore sports books and online casinos" is illegal. Clearly the Wire Act does not cover internet casinos. Section 18 is quite clear on this, which is why every year Congress tries to pass new legislation outlawing internet casinos. As it stands today, it is perfectly legit.

One company who's timing was perhaps unintentionally immaculate in view of the current witch hunt was Beton Sports.com, which launched a heavyweight New York bus advertising campaign yesterday. The ads are scheduled to appear on 250 New York City buses until the end of October. Each ad displays the BetonSports.com logo and the company's wagering hotline. Since the start of the football season in August, BetonSports.com has also launched campaigns on area radio stations, including The Howard Stern Show, and citywide billboards.

More wins for London's poker whizzes

The Prima Poker Network sponsored Hendon Mob continued to dazzle at the Four Queens Poker Classic in Las Vegas on the first stop of their World Poker Tour. This week, mobsters Ram ‘CrazyHorse’ Vaswani, Joe ‘The Elegance’ Beevers and Barmy Barny Boatman came in 1st, 4th and 5th respectively on Sunday’s $500 Pot Limit Omaha, according to their diary at the Prima Poker website.

“It was a short field today but probably the toughest so far. The big boys have arrived. Scotty Nguyen, Mike Sexton and An Tran to name but a few. They were all at Barny’s table but that didn’t hinder my big brother who turned $1,000 into $11,000 in the first hour and a half. He clashed with Scotty in a huge pot. They both had aces and all the chips went in on the flop when Scotty check raised Barny. Barny flopped the nut flush draw and paired one of his other cards. Free-rolling with 14 outs Barny was unlucky to split the pot,” according to Mobster Ross Boatman.

The Mob compete among themselves as well as the field. “Ram knocked out Barny and then Joe,” reports Ross. “ Three left... Scotty, ‘Walking’ Bob and Ram ‘CrazyHorse’ Vaswani. “We couldn’t expect Ram to do all the work and after delivering Scotty a fatal blow Bob finished him off.

The final results for the day:

1st Ram ‘CrazyHorse’ Vaswani (Hendon) $19,860
2nd Bob Walker (Las Vegas) $11,035
4th Joe The Elegance’ Beevers (Hendon) $4,415
3rd Scotty Nguyen (Henderson, Nevada) $6.620
5th Barmy Barny Boatman (Hendon) $2,205
6th Paul Sherr (Phoenix, Arizona) Bubble

Insiders say it's a possibility

Is Lasseters making preliminary moves away from the land of Oz?

According to Asia Business Times, the Australian gambling group and owner of one of the most regulated online casinos in the industry hopes to launch its initial public offer (IPO) in Singapore before the year is out.

Given that NagaCorp's IPO has hit a snag - the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) intends to refuse registration of its listing prospectus - the team working on Lasseters' IPO is watching the outcome of the NagaCorp case closely say internal sources.

Earlier this month, the MAS signalled its intention not to register NagaCorp's listing prospectus because it was concerned about the operator's lack of internal controls to address money laundering. It also said that NagaCorp's operations are not subject to a 'fully developed and implemented legal and supervisory framework for the regulation of casinos.'

The fact that Australia subscribes to the Financial Action Task Force could give the Lasseters IPO a boost, compared with NagaCorp's, say observers.

The Lasseters IPO will be sizeable and could be launched in the next few months, say sources familiar with it.

Meanwhile, Lasseters relaunched on a spanking new site with their new OGS software this week, advising players that they are offering a total change in their casino games. The new casino site brings 21 brand new games to total a suite of 59 including a wide range of slots, table and card games, while preserving the cash bonuses and rewards and customer service for which Lasseters is renowned. Denominations range from 1c all the way up to US$1,000 games. Fast download, game image quality and playability are all promised.

A more down to earth name for Surefire

The cynical are saying that it's to escape a declining reputation for efficiency, but the directors claim that Surefire Commerce, a longtime e-cash processor in the industry is just moving with the times and its expanding role.

We're talking about the formal acceptance by shareholders this week of the Montreal-based group's new name Terra Payments Inc.

The vote to change the name took place at the company's annual and special shareholders' meeting held in Montreal and is intended to better reflect its diverse and expanding role as an international payments company, according to company sources.

Mr. Mitchell Garber, President and CEO, provided a review of operations and finances that showed growth in revenues and a return to net earnings in the first quarter of fiscal 2004. These positive results have been generated from a continued focus on profitability and diversification into mail-order telephone-order ("MOTO") and electronic cheque processing. The Corporation is on track to meet its operating targets for fiscal 2004 of $50 million to $55 million in revenues, and operating margin (defined as earnings before interest, taxes, amortization and exchange gains and losses) of $7 million or approximately 13 per cent;

Garber reported expansion into the American credit card acquiring market through Surefire's registration as an Independent Sales Organization (ISO) by Visa U.S.A. and a Member Services Provider (MSP) by MasterCard International; He also announced the completion of the merger and merger adjustment agreements with ebs Holding AG to acquire a 10.5% interest in ebs Electronic Billing Systems AG.

Surefire, or "SFC" as it known to thousands of online gamblers, was named last year in the hot Deloitte & Touche Canadian Technology Fast 50 awards program, which is based on revenue growth over the last 5 years, and it processed its 50 millionth transaction this week.

The change of the Corporation's name is expected to be effective within weeks, once all regulatory filing have been completed. At that time, the Corporation's stock ticker symbol on the Toronto Stock Exchange will change from FIR to TPI. Headquartered in Montreal (Quebec), SureFire Commerce has operations in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

They're going legal...n

Surefire wasn't the only Canuck company ringing the changes this week - the identity challenged Poker.com Inc was telling the world that it had undergone a name change, too.

The new name reflects the companys commitment to a skills game based business strategy on the premise that this is a safe route to follow in the increasingly hazardous US legal minefield. And the name CEO Mark Glusing and his directors have chosen? LegalPlay Entertainment Inc !

LegalPlay's common shares have commenced trading on the OTC Bulletin Board under the new symbol LPLE.

Readers will recall that the company has been through troubled times that included litigation on a high-jacked domain and the loss of important poker clients like Microgaming. More recently Glusing closed a deal with a Swiss company called Blue Diamond through which he acquired the use of the Skill Poker room concept, which he claims somewhat controversially is "the only legal online poker site". He then promptly licensed the concept back to a site owned by Blue Diamond!

One of those feel-good stories

This positive story has nothing to do with Internet gambling, but we have always enjoyed big win tales, especially when they go to folks who really need the money.

Associated Press reported this week that a U.S. Army sergeant on leave from South Korea had won the $150 million jackpot on Wednesday in the multi-state Mega Millions lottery. Stephen Moore, 30, visiting family members in Fitzgerald during his 30-day leave, bought the winning ticket for Tuesday night's drawing at a convenience store in the south Georgia city.

Moore, a chemical specialist, chose the cash option for his winnings and was awarded $88.9 million before taxes.

Some leave pay, Stephen...WTG!

Playing for keeps...

Futurebet-powered Playing4Treasure.com has had financial problems resulting in unpaid players going back a month or more it appears. When we asked them about the mounting complaints they responded quickly and (we hope) frankly with the news that there had been some unspecified financial glitch that had screwed up the payout schedule. That did not explain the emails from anxious players that had been ignored and we pointed this out to them. We were assured that payouts were now going out, and we commented that their credibility would now be contingent on happy and fully paid players within the next few days. As always, time will tell...but in the meantime caution might be a good idea.

Islanders vs USA

The dispute between the USA and the Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda over the former's attempts to suffocate internet gambling entered a new phase this week as the islanders met the deadline for their submission to a disputes panel set up by the World Trade Organisation (WTO)

The WTO set up the panel to adjudicate the dispute between the two nations over the provision of cross-border gambling and betting services from Antigua and Barbuda to consumers in the United States.

Sir Ronald Sanders, Chief Foreign Affairs Representative of Antigua and Barbuda , said “We are pleased that our case is proceeding according to the schedule set by the Panel. We look forward to hearing the response of the United States . As a small country with very little in the way of viable exports, the gaming industry represents a vital area of our development of electronic commerce for a global market. We believe very strongly in our case under the law”.

Under the WTO dispute resolution process, the United States has four weeks in which to provide its response to the Antigua and Barbuda submission.

Antigua and Barbuda 's claim is based upon the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). The authorities of the small Caribbean island-state argue that the United States is violating its own commitments to WTO member countries under the GATS by prohibiting the provision of cross-border gambling and betting services from Antigua.

The WTO dispute panel will have formal hearings in November, and expects to give a ruling by the end of February 2003.

Interesting sums for new casino

The British newspaper The Guardian rained a little on the parade of Boss Media-powered Casino For Charities.com this week after doing a few sums on the extent of their charitable donations.

Casino for Charities is owned by the London-listed Gaming Corporation that includes Casino.co.uk in it's Got2bet stable. It looks as if the marketing strategy revolves around the promise to donate a percentage of revenues to charity, and the site emphasises this heavily.

The Guardian, however claimed that Casinos For Charities will pass on to charity less than one third of a penny in every £1 stake and reports that "The site, Casinoforcharities.com, launched this week by the internet gambling firm Gaming Corporation, pledges to donate 10% of gross profits to charities. But the site fails to make clear that 97% of the money staked by players will be paid out in winnings, leaving charities just one tenth of the remaining 3%. The 97% figure is cited in a statement issued to journalists but is not advertised on the website."

Andrew Watt, head of policy and standards at the Institute of Fundraising, said Casinoforcharities.com was "clearly trading on the charity brand". He added: "It is not precisely signalled how much money is actually going to charity. I would be very concerned, if I was playing this in the belief that a significant proportion of my money was going to charity, to discover that 0.3% of my money was going to charity."

The casino did not respond to our request for their side of this story.

A new venture for Playtech's Baraka

Playtech has announced the first of a new generation of land-based kiosk networks located in Tanzania and aimed at the growing remote game terminal and electronic slot machine market. The casino component will be identical to the Baraka online casino launched recently by the company.

Baraka Casino offers players a choice of over 60 games, accessed through a richly themed casino 'lobby', and available at game terminals situated in locations throughout the Republic of Tanzania, on the east coast of Africa.

Joint proprietors of the Baraka Gaming Group, Alain Rybaka and Julian Barges, described their search for a third party vendor who could deliver a highly entertaining, yet centralized, easy to manage gaming operation - one ideally suited for the multi-location environment they had in mind.

"Finding companies to provide software for the game terminals wasn't difficult," said Rybaka, "but identifying one system that could unite all the terminals and the agents who run them, and allow us, the owners, to manage the entire operation from a single interface, wasn't so easy." In the end they selected Playtech for the task

Playtech's kiosk system offers a wide range of payment methods, including pre paid cards and scratch cards, in addition to a specially tailored client and range of game terminal styles and interface peripherals. Many variables can be adjusted at different levels of the network - from individual terminal settings such as game speed and sound effects to agent- and network-level variables such as session length and bet and deposit limits - all configurable by the network operator through a single management console.

Baraka is an independent offshore operation, part of the Baraka Gaming Group fully licensed and registered in Antigua. The management team has a proven track record in land based operations and features found in Baraka Casino and unavailable elsewhere include "European Roulette" with a maximum bet of up to $5,000 and other sophisticated betting options.

Carley hands over the GPWA reins

In a move that we admit slipped past us, the leadership of the Gambling Portal Webmaster's Association (GPWA) changed mid-September.

William Thornton (also known by his 'handle' WildBill) took over the management from founder Cynthia Carley, but we regret there's not much we can tell you about him because he has not responded to our request for comment and biographical detail.

According to the Association's site, Thornton has been with the GPWA almost since its inception a couple years back, and has "....always been a very well liked and trusted member. Bill will be taking over the day to day management of GPWA effective immediately."

We're sure everyone wishes Thornton the best in his new appointment. There are certainly some interesting challenges ahead that will no doubt demand his attention, not least of which are the reports emerging this week that some US-based gambling portalmasters are being subpoena'd to give evidence before a Grand Jury.

Biometric mouse signature technology

One of the more interesting technology offerings we read about this week emanated from one "Nancy" at the River City Group, but unfortunately we don't know what it's called.

We know generally what it does - it is a new authentication / identification technique that Nancy claims has the potential to "....minimize e-commerce fraud, and that is simple and doesn't require additional hardware for the consumer. This proprietary and patent-pending application uses biometric signature technology to capture a customer's signature via computer mouse as proof of purchase.

"Fully tested for over two years on a gaming e-commerce site, this secure application is Java-based and is backed by 24/7 customer support and real-time online help. The ASP model is designed to seamlessly integrate within your existing e-commerce infrastructure - simply adding a few lines of HTML code is all that is required to be up and running with this extra layer of fraud protection for both the e-commerce provider and the customer."

Nancy can probably tell you much more.

Not as much as Jupiter hoped for, but still a tidy price

Months of speculation and guesses at the sale price ended this week when Jupiters announced that it had finally sold Centrebet for $46.55 million in hard cash - less than the perhaps optimistic estimates that were being bruited about by industry observers.

SportOdds Group, Australia's largest privately owned sports betting company with licences in Canberra, Western Australia and Britain is the proud new owner.

Media speculation earlier this year pegged the online betting agency's estimated sale price at somewhere between $60-$70 million - significantly higher than the offer accepted. In terms of the deal, SportOdds has agreed to offer all ordinary Jupiter's shareholders an opportunity to subscribe to a float of Centrebet, should a listing take place within three years from the date of sale.

It is anticipated that Jupiters will merge with Victoria's Tabcorp Holdings over the next few weeks, a spokesman announced. The Alice Springs based betting company said it intended to distribute net proceeds of the sale to its shareholders. Gross proceeds of the sale will be subject to several deductions, including sale expenses and adjustments for unresolved bets and costs related to ensuring business continuity.

The 11-year old Centrebet became the first licensed bookmaker in the southern hemisphere to offer online services in 1996. The sale is expected to be completed in 4 weeks. Court and government approval is pending and the merger is expected to be effective as of November 13th.

Bet 365 offered as the alternative

Breaking news late in the week was that Sunny Sportsbook.com was calling it a day and referring its clientele to Bet 365.com.

Without giving any explanation beyond "unforseen circumstances", an email to players from a manager identified only as "Jerome" informed them as follows:

"We would like to Thank You for your support of Sunny Sports Book.

However, we regret to inform you that due to unforeseen circumstances, we can no longer process bets via the Sports Book.

We have affiliated ourselves with Bet365 which provides enhanced sports betting facilities covering a wider range of sports.

Player, Sunny Sports Book's website can now be accessed as a portal which would provide you with regular updates and special offers." The link contained an affiliate code, presumably to generate some revenues from the closure.

Late breaking news is that all accounts will be paid by VIP Sports Group (who managed the operation for Sunny) and ALL players will be paid without complication.

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa