Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa

Our lead story this week is about hackers and online casinos - hot news across the mainstream media as we went to press and probably triggered by revelations from Cryptologic that two of their casinos had been hacked and the software manipulated, corrupting the play of craps and video slots.

The company said that for a few hours during the disruption in late August, 140 gamblers racked up winnings of $1.9 million. CryptoLogic is liable to absorb $600,000 of that, as a $1.3 million insurance claim will cover the remainder. The games were altered so that every roll of the dice in craps turned up doubles, and every spin on the slots generated a perfect match.

As one might expect from an industry leader, Cryptologic did the right thing. After detecting and closing down the intrusion the winners were permitted to keep the money as it is believed they had no hand in the hack attack. Company spokesperson Nancy Chan-Palmateer said "It is likely the intruder was somebody with inside information of our system. CryptoLogic is cooperating with investigators on this".

Giving the story depth, Reuters quoted two internet gambling experts who said that hacking attacks on internet casinos had been experienced before and ranged from crude mass denial-of-service assaults and linked attempts to extort "protection" money from operators to more sophisticated coordinated attacks by Oriental and Eastern European syndicates.

What it does illustrate is that there can be no room for complacency in a largely unregulated industry which handles very large sums of money over the internet. You can be sure that the savvy operators will already be closely studying their security measures as a result of this high profile incident.

Online multiplayer poker rooms have become the focus of attention following the announcement that Big Four software provider Microgaming had bought in to new and very attractive proprietary poker software from Poker.com.

Microgaming's shrewd intention is to provide their many casino licensees with a poker card room sub-license. The Card room will offer several different variations of poker games that include Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, 5 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud. Poker.com will earn an undisclosed licensing fee along with a monthly royalty fee for each sublicense sold by Mircrogaming to their existing and new licensees.

Industry observers have commented that up to ninety percent of the poker room market gravitates to a few sites, namely Paradise Poker (by far the largest with over 107 million hands dealt) Planet Poker at 13 mill and True Poker which is relatively new but has many fans due to its superb technology and graphics.

Analysts have pointed out that this could be a very lucrative Got2bet niche market. Paradise Poker, a privately held company has "done" 107 plus million hands over 2 years. Allowing for free play, and a maximum rake of $3 there are conservative guesstimates that they gross between $1 and $2 per hand with more likely in the upper region. Since business has in general been increasing the guesstimates say that at least 60 million hands a year would not be impossible. So the business for Paradise alone could well top several millions of dollars a month plus interest on the money which their 110,000 players have on deposit.

Those always canny online businessmen at Microgaming have presumably come to that same conclusion and we can expect a more competitive poker market if their licensees can get the better of experienced operations like Paradise. This will be one to watch.

How about this one? Interested in placing a bet on a sportsbook you pick up the phone and simply say "Bankstown race 3 Multi Trifecta 1 and 3 for first, 1, 3 and 5 for second, 1, 3, 5 and 7 for third at 50 cents" and - with no further ado the bet is placed promptly and without human interaction through new voice recognition technology.

It's here today and it's called PhoneTAB Express in Australia. The system can handle as many as 120,000 calls per day from customers placing wagers on thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing events. With more efficient capacity and lower costs the Aussie bookie company TAB which has lust launched this leading edge software expects a rapid return on investment and estimates an annual saving of between 5 and 10 million AU$.

The system was developed by Nuance Platinum partner VeCommerce Limited, based in Sydney, Australia.

World Gaming / Starnet CEO Michael Aymong is apparently not one to let the grass grow under his feet and has quickly positioned his software company to be among the leaders when internet gambling opens up into the mobile market of PDAs and handhelds. Or even cellphones.

Sportsbook, blackjack and slots will soon be available on Microsoft’s Pocket PC and Palm OS, thanks to the combined efforts of World Gaming and Sona Innovations. The former has signed a three-year agreement with Sona to introduce wireless applications of their most popular games on the Sona Wireless Platform, which currently runs the Pocket PC and the Palm OS.

The new products will tap into the users of online casinos and sports betting, which currently dominate up to 73 percent of the online gaming market. The move by World Gaming is expected to help raise their profile in Europe and Asia, where wireless gaming is more advanced.

Interactive TV gambling is on the doorstep - and it's worth an estimated British pounds 1.4 billion at that!

ITV Digital is planning to bring interactive gaming to its 1.1 million customers through technology provided by Global Interactive Gaming soon. The two companies intend to develop a fully interactive, play-by-play consumer betting product expected to be ready for launch in 2002.

The real-time, screen-based system will allow players to wager continually on defining moments throughout a game, for example a penalty in football or a match point in tennis. This service is unique amongst such systems and is specifically designed to appeal to a wide consumer audience.

ITV Digital now has a million-plus membership that is well-versed in interactive television through sports and information services already available on the channel. These customers are perfectly suited to the move into interactive gambling - people who are unlikely to venture into the alien environment of a betting shop, yet don’t mind having the occasional wager, perhaps simply on a key moment of a game Customers will need a connection to an existing phone line to use the service, everything else is accessible through the remote keyboard of their ITV Active box. The service will encompass almost every sporting event shown on the channel.

We're not Gambling Software Systems fans because of their notorious record of bad service and questionable games (have a listen to the Gamemaster's show over on CasinoGazetteRadio.com or visit his site for the technical detail) But - we do cover industry news and we should therefore tell you that new Flash games are on the upcoming product list from this controversial company.

According to business development manager Lena Takahashi the new games are 5-Reel Slots with a Bonus Round, Red Dog, Royal Rumble, Big Six, and 3-Reel Slots with a progressive jackpot component that can be networked across multiple sites. You can see them at http://www.gamblingsoftware.com/html/playnow.asp

In the Java Poker offerings they have:
Caribbean Poker
Table Poker
Kings Ransom
Video Poker

You can see them here.

But be careful - these folks do not have a good track record with the players.

editors note: Casinomeister DOES NOT recommend GSS casinos, and the OPA is currently boycotting them.

Uncontrollable gambling is the concern of all of us in the industry and some good work has been done recently at Yale to better understand this addiction, according to Associated Press. The study was carried out by a team led by Dr Marc Potenza, involved 562 callers to a gambling help line in Connecticut in 1998 and 1999 and was published this month in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Highlights of the study are:

Men and women with gambling problems get hooked on different games and play for different reasons.

Problem gambling, long considered to affect mostly men, is becoming more common among women, especially as women gain more financial independence and the number of casinos grows, researchers said.

Women are now more likely than men to have problems with games that do not involve strategy or face-to-face interaction, such as slot machines and bingo.

Men are more likely than women to have problems with strategic, face-to-face games such as blackjack, poker, racing and sports betting.

Female problem gamblers often gamble to escape family troubles or other problems.

Men who have gambling problems are more likely to be thrill-seekers who are chasing the rush they get from winning.

Women with gambling problems were more likely than men to have started gambling later in life. Once they get started, however, they tend to get hooked on gambling more quickly than men.

Women with gambling problems often are dealing with the loss of a spouse, abuse and other problems, said Marvin Steinberg, executive director of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling.

Many of these findings are also seen among cocaine addicts and alcoholics, the study suggests indicating a biological basis for gambling addiction.

Other findings mirrored trends in the general adult population. Men who had gambling problems were more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol, while the women were more likely to be receiving mental health treatment.

Ending on a positive note, we should note that the researchers stress that problem gambling is a rare disorder among American adults. Less than 2 percent of the total US population is thought to be so involved in gambling that it seriously interferes with the rest of their lives.

Here's a quick bit of useless but interesting information from MSNBC - did you know that the maverick publisher who founded Hustler Magazine , Larry Flynt is a land-based gambling fan? MSNBC commented as follows this week "Casinos covet Larry Flynt. His baccarat and blackjack bets of $45,000 or so a minute make him one of Las Vegas’s best customers" The risque magazine business is obviously booming...

Last week's story about a player stiffed by Unified Gaming-powered Gambling Stadium and Offshore Action casinos struck a responsive chord with several players but the most injured we felt was this one.

QUOTE I am one of those players who have been falsely accused of manipulation of data at Unified Gaming Casinos. I have won over $45,000 between 3 of their casinos : GAMBLERS PALACE, OFFSHORE ACTION, and GAMBLING STADIUM and they closed my accounts "UNDER AUDIT" and have refused to pay me my winnings for some time now.

What happens is that they don't expect you to win, so if you do they yell "cheat", and refuse to pay. UG casinos all bind together and if one of them can get away with not paying you; then none of them will. These 3 so-called casinos should all be BLACKLISTED. Check out Gambling.com and winneronline.com for more UG horror stories. Only a fool would continue to play at their sites. UNQUOTE

Looks like yet another example of unproven accusation and unilateral denial of considerable winnings. Roll on regulation!

Editor's note: please visit our Rogue Casino section for more on this.

From the usual decrepit bunch of sub-standard new offerings - thirteen this week - we picked out the following stars for you:

It's always nice to see a new quality casino from one of the Big Four and that's exactly what this latest offering from Boss Media is. Arabian Riches.com has a luxurious Middle Eastern theme and all the bells and whistles you might expect. The site is clean but professional with plenty of information and there are 10 super download games to the customary Boss standards. Fully toll-free and contactable Support and loyalty programs round off a very nice new addition to the top end galaxy of online casinos. This new operation is owned by Universal Village Corporation out of Antigua and the licencing is Khanawake. E-cash is as usual through WebDollar. There's a $20 dollar signup by the way.

Tiger Wood Casino.com is probably not related to the world famous golfer or the Kelloggs Cornflake tiger either, but the cartoon-like tiger theme is well done and it's an easy site to use. The software is Starnet download and Java which is getting a bit old but does enjoy a strong following. E-Cash is through EFS and there are full Support facilities. There's a casino and sportsbook and the whole shebang is run by an outfit in LA in the States called Smashcom.

For those of you looking for something a little different, click over to Unreal Racing.com. There you can own a virtual horse, feed it, trade it and yes even race it. We haven't seen this software before and it is presumably proprietary. The site is professional and fun.

Looking at the latest Version 3 Starnet all-Java software we liked Racebook.com which is a casino and sportsbook with all the usual efficient Starnet services and a new 10 game Java suite. There are lotteries and bingo on site too. Real Entertainment Limited out of Antigua are the owners.

Cryptologic has joined the rather glittering list of top Got2bet companies seeking Isle of Man and Alderney genuinely regulated licences according to an announcement from CEO Jean Noulting this week. These two European island jurisdictions are attracting much interest with their plan to licence limited numbers of quality Got2bet operations and MGM-Mirage is just one of the eleven applicants so far under scrutiny.

The Crypto guys wisely take this whole compliance and regulatory thing seriously and have reportedlty spent something like two million bucks getting into line with the strict Australian requirements which will be a good preparation. The company has followed self-regulation practices since its early days including annual IT system reviews and ongoing probity performed through international auditors. By subjecting themselves to rigorous, external monitoring and audits by government regulators they are raising the bar on internet casino operational practise. Listen to what the main man at auditors KPMG has to say:

"Among our clients, CryptoLogic is one of the most conscientious with regards to probity of its licensees and employees," says Norman Inkster. "They have always emphasized the importance of strong external and internal security practices and take seriously any recommendations that further enhance their operation and software."

We're going for a major good luck story to start with this week - Cryptologic's massive internet record jackpot Rags to Riches has been won! Yep - a gambler using the handle BOBO is now US$ 414 120 richer after hitting the long-running progressive at The Sands of the Caribbean earlier this week.

Bobo was elated as the Rags To Riches logos came up on all three reels and the bonus wheel started spinning - he thought that he might get a couple hundred bucks out of it. Then it stopped on JACKPOT and he and his wife sat in stunned disbelief into the early hours as the screen counted off at $600 a minute.

The Sands was quick to recognise the win and the first congratulatory messages were from Support. This is the second really big progressives payout from The Sands - back in March a player hit nearly $236 000 on Caribbean Stud Poker. The casino has been operational for just on four years and has 120 000 regular players.

Staying with the big-win theme for a moment let's take a look at what the various seriously large progressives are doing.

Rags to Riches on Crypto casinos has gone back to just over 105 000 dollars after Bobo's record-breaking win, but their Caribbean Poker jackpot is still available and has soared up to $225 000. On the Microgaming casinos Lots A Loot is on $47 thousand and Treasure Nile is ratcheting up again after a recent win of $57 000 - this new progressive multiline slot has paid out just over $1.5 million in only one and half months which is pretty generous going. The Unified Gaming powered casinos are still running The Dazzler at $38 thousand and Rio Grande which has now reached $30 thousand.

There was a relevant techno-story to start the week, concerning some healthy competition for VIRT's eBorder technology.

One of the key considerations in the internet gambling regulatory moves currently taking place in the USA and elsewhere is a casino's ability to withold gambling from locations where the pastime is illegal, and technology is now filling the regulators' needs.

Latest to enter the market is an ingenious software product from the Atlanta, Georgia laboratories of Digital Envoy, which this week launched a product called NetAcuity GS that is specifically designed to enable online gaming companies to comply with government-imposed gaming restrictions based on the location of the user.

The state-of-the-art screening software allows companies to control the jurisdictions in which they conduct business. It instantly determines the geographic location of an Internet user coming onto the site, without relying on that user to supply his or her location. This reduces the likelihood of the user deliberately giving false information to obtain access to a gaming web site, and enables an automatic shut-out to come into play. Internet privacy conventions have been taken into account in the design, and NetAcuity GS maintains absolute user anonymity and collects no personal information.

The biggies continue to come online, forming some interesting partnerships. This week the big Brit bookie Ladbrokes teamed up with the Playboy entertainment empire to operate a quality level online casino under the famous Playboy banner.

Playboy and Ladbrokes seem to be developing a wide synergy - they worked together in launching the sports wagering site PlayboySportsBook.com three months back. The new operation - PlayboyCasino.com becomes the latest addition and joins the sportsbook and PlayboyRacingUSA.com, an online wagering site for pari-mutuel horseracing.

PlayboyCasino.com is currently available in English and will add Spanish, Cantonese and Italian language versions soon. We took a look at the new site and were immediately attracted to a friendly Betting Bunny braving the chill in a traditionally scanty Playboy costume. But to be honest we weren't blown away by the site which is not particularly outstanding from a design point of view. It does, however have fully contactable Support, 50 superb download games which we're pretty sure come from Microgaming and the promise of some Flash games in the future. Deposits and payouts are effected in pounds sterling so the site is presumably aimed at the British market. All - in - all we would classify this one as slightly above average but not outstanding.

We are reliably informed that the original plan was for the two companies to launch a bricks-and-mortar Playboy casino in the West End of London, but the potential of the internet proved a greater attraction which will be enhanced by Bunny promotional tours and a comprehensive big-budget marketing campaign.

The list of highly reputable online casinos joining the Online Players' Association is growing rapidly.

This week president Steve Adkins announced that seven premier outfits had been accepted:

English Harbour Casino - one of the most established and trusted names in the online gambling industry. This award-winning casino delivers Vegas-style excitement, with a fantastic game selection, huge payouts and an outstanding variety of player promotions and contests! Drop your anchor at English Harbour Casino the player's port of choice!

Orion Casino - where winning is in the stars! Players all over the internet enthuse about the cash prizes and thrilling contests, and you're sure to love the out-of-this-world selection of great casino games. With so many incredible ways to win, you'll want to play Orion Casino again and again!

Be A Winner Casino - the name says it all! This one gives you more fun, more games and more chances to win big! You'll find amazing bonuses, weekly cash giveaways and thrilling contests, plus a selection of classic casino games that can't be beat!

You don't have to be rich to enjoy the winning atmosphere at Millionaire Casino-Online! With a fantastic selection of state-of-the-art games, unbeatable payouts and exciting promotions, this casino has got something for everyone! Play to win at Millionaire Casino-Online - you will feel like a million bucks!

Let the island breeze carry you off to Caribbean Gold Casino - where you get real casino excitement with that tropical touch! With a truly great selection of casino favorites, your guaranteed to find the game you love. Plus, you could win big on any of the incredible promotions, contests and cash giveaways - just for playing at Caribbean Gold!

For real Got2bet thrills, it doesn't get any better than Silver Dollar Casino! With a wide selection of fair games and fabulous contests, promotions and weekly giveaways the players keep coming back for more!

For pure slots excitement, pull the lever at SuperSlots! No other online casino offers you such a great variety of outstanding slot games - you can play up to three at once! SuperSlots delivers incredible promotions and giant jackpots every day! Play SuperSlots for the ultimate online slot experience.

Casinos joining the OPA undergo a detailed scrutiny, and commit to a Code of Conduct which gives players additional protection and special promotions.

Here's an interesting one, which we have entitled "The Player Strikes Back" because it has resonance with the many online gamblers who have been experiencing credit card company hassles this year.

American online player Steve Fein and others have organized a political action group to fight the numerous federal and state proposals that seek to prohibit the use of credit cards and other financial instruments for online gaming.

Calling itself Freedomofchoice.org the action group operates out of Washington, D.C., and plans to lobby at State level. Fein hopes to get support and contributions from online players concerned at the prospect of interference in their private financial affairs, who will be inconvenienced if such banning bills become law.

To spread the word and drum up support, the fledgling group is asking "online gaming sites” to participate in a banner program. On its own Web site, www.freedomofchoice.com it says it supports “responsible regulation,” not prohibition, of online gaming, and will endorse elected officials, candidates and referendums that agree with its position.

Fein works for a company that processes credit cards for e-commerce sites, as well as for bricks-and-mortar retailers and his son Joseph is a political analyst with Washington connections.

Please take the time to visit the freedomofchoice.com site and see if the objectives of the organization strike a responsive chord in you. Should you wish to join the banner program or to make contributions, you will find full contact addresses at www.freedomofchoice.org.

If you're planning to attend the World Gaming Congress and Expo (WGCE) on October 17 to 19 you had better get your booking in now. Gaming professionals from more than 70 countries and tribal nations have registered in their thousands for this year's event, and the figures currently show a 27 percent increase over attendance last year, when the WGCE played host to 28,000 people from 103 countries.

The conference takes place at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas and will include over 80 seminars and panel discussions and three keynote addresses. Speakers at the event will include casino mogul Steve Wynn and award winning environmentalist Erin Brockovich.

Nice newbies this week include the following online casinos:

Online-Gaming-And-Gambling.com is a low graphics, clean and professional casino and sportsbook site powered by Cryptologic and equipped with 14 top quality download games and e-cash via the respected Cryptologic E-Cash. The sportsbook connection is interesting because it involves a deal which links to Jay Cohen's sportsbook World Wide Telesports in Antigua. The owners here are Got2bet Inc out of Atlantic City who trade and are licenced as CCMH Ltd in Antigua and Dominica. They also own Sands of the Caribbean, 49er Casino and 1 on 1 Casino. There's a full 24/7 Support and with the Cryptologic pedigree this one is as safe and good as it gets.

Sinsational Intertainment used to sublicence the dozens of Starnet/Casino Affiliate Network casinos at one time but now runs a different 12 game download software - IQ Ludorum - from a new operation in Antigua. IQL also does sportsbook software if required by the client. This new arrival Casinobookie.com site has fully contactable Support and Firecash e-cash and carries an Antiguan licence. Those familiar with the IQ Ludorum gambling suite have been making very favorable comments about the game quality and SI has evolved into a pretty good outfit.

Casino 8 Online.com is another new Cryptologic casino which will move smoothly into the quality segment of the market in our opinion. The neat, elegant and highly professional looking site carries 22 top quality download games from this leading gambling software provider and has all the upfront information you could desire. There are online statement and transaction trail facilities, together with fully contactable round-the-clock-support and a generous loyalty program. Extras include the now famous Cryptologic big-win progressives (and they're offering a 20 percent additional bonus on those winnings through to 16 September) and competitions where you can win a weekend in Vegas. This one is definitely a good bet, and with e-cash through the reliable Cryptologic E-Cash organisation it is highly unlikely that you will experience any payout hassles.

On the "not-so-nice" side however we have bringmeluck.com. This internet casino operation is powered by Unified Gaming and is related to Golden Wager Casino which has a less than salubrious reputation. Bringmeluck has been displaying all manner of "reassurance" watchdog logos to which it is not entitled in a clear attempt to falsely convince players that it is a safe and reputable site. Among the logos up there are OPA, the Internet Gaming Commission, SafeBet and the Interactive Gaming Council.

Our colleague Bryan Bailey pulled this two-bit site up on the dishonesty and was abused by one Justin Phillips, who is presumably the manager - we use the term in it's loosest sense - for having the temerity to do so. Threatening to blacklist Casinomeister and deny the site business, Mr Phillips illustrated very well that he has some strange moral values.

Any site which falsely claims membership through pirated logos is clearly on the shady side of the street and should be avoided so be warned about this one.

If you're a sportsbetting fan here's a chance to win really big - half a million dollars big to be precise.

Sportsbetting.com has just launched the $500,000 Gridiron Pick'em -- a free-entry prediction contest on this year's NFL football season. Here's how it's going to work: Each week during the NFL regular season entrants will pick the teams they think will win and then assign each pick a ranking based on how confident they are of that team's abilities. The contestant with the highest weekly score wins a $100 wagering account at the sportsbook and will advance to Part Two of the contest.

During Part Two, contestants have to predict the outcome of the 11 NFL playoff games against the spread. Any contestant who correctly predicts 11 out of 11 games wins the $500,000. The consolation prize is pretty good too - it includes a trip to the 2002 Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Microgaming are way down on the current list of casino payout percentages audited by the Price Waterhouse Coopers organisation. For the first time the Top Seven payout percentages for the forty casinos audited do not include a Microgaming casino.

Top payout this month went to the Boss-powered Pharoahs Casino at 98.67 percent, closely trailed by two other Boss software casinos Atlantic and Oriental at 98.36 and 98.28 respectively. Casino On Net was next with 97.95 with Cryptologic's The Sands at 97.86. Boss Media casinos took the sixth and seventh spots and only then, at 97.52 did a Microgaming casino - Intertops - appear. Has someone been winding down the payouts on MGS casinos or is this simply a cyclical phenomenon?

Last week we lambasted the Club Dice, Golden Comps and Arcada casinos for unilaterally witholding player winnings on unproved accusations of cheating. This week the respected Got2bet 'zene Winneronline showcased yet another operation following this unfair practise and refusing pointblank to enter into any sort of mediation or dialogue.

A player says he won over $6,000 at Gambling Stadium and $14,400 at OffShore Action but has had his withdrawal requests declined by both online casinos.

"I won $6000 at Gambling Stadium over a weekend and when I tried to withdraw the money, my request was denied," said player Robert K. He says Gambling Stadium refused to pay him because he was removed from the database of an affiliate casino, OffShore Action after he won $14,404 and was accused by the casino of manipulating the craps game in some unspecified and inexplicable way. No proof has been offered, and the casinos have drawn their wagons into a circle and are refusing to communicate.

The player denies that he cheated. "I played these casino games honestly and fairly. I increase my bet when I'm losing and I either win big or I get wiped out. But all I do is place my bet, click a button to roll the dice and then a number comes up". Of course there is never a problem when he loses....

Unsubstantiated accusations, withholding winnings and refusing to debate the issue are all sufficient grounds for us to suggest that Gambling Stadium and Offshore Action - both Unified Gaming powered - should be treated with great caution.

That's all from us for this week - good luck and watch your step out there

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa