A collection of the latest breaking news stories in the casino industry including new online casino legislation, software news and live and online casino news stories.http://www.casinostopews.com/Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:02:54 +0100en-ushttp://casinostopnews.com/news-100-germany,-a-big-online-games-market.htmlMon, 16 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100Contrary to Italy and France whose online games market is from now on regularized, Germany still did not decide on this subject. However, it should not be long in making its decision, because of the important amount of Germans who are playing and spending this money without the State perceives one euro of it.<br /><br />In Germany, the operators of sites of online games propose freely their services, their tournaments of poker, their bets on line, without being concerned with German justice. In spite of the prohibition of Interstate Gambling Treaty relative to any form of money games or bets on line, in 16 Länder German, the operators continue to propose their services without being concerned with possible consequences. <br /><br /> This current situation in Germany reminds exactly what happened in France before the new the law was activated on the French market and occurs face to illegal web online games web sites. Indeed, in France, the State had prevented the illegal sites of online games but without ever giving real sanctions, until ARJEL changes the situation. <br /><br /> Germany may find it beneficial to take example on the changes carried out in France and Italy, as for the obligation to obtain a license for the operators of online games in order to operate legally in the country, and thus to make it possible at the State to perceive a share of the incomes relative to this market.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-99-financial-services-committee-chairman-barney-frank-vows-to-legalize-online-casino-gambling.htmlSat, 14 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100Congress Cracked down on most forms on online gambling four years ago, when it passed the UIGEA, concerned that the unregulated poker, casino and sports betting sites were promoting organized crime, money laundering, underage betting and a host of other social ills and malevolence.<br /><br />However, the result of the UIGEA was exactly the opposite. <br /><br /> American went to betting in local sites, to offshore sites that accepted American gamblers. <br /><br /> House Financial services Committee Chairman Barney Frank now want to take the opposite approach. Franks’ bill would create a licensing program for online gambling sites that would permit American gamblers to deposit funds. Rather than pretending that Americans don’t gamble, Frank’s bill would bring in more protection to players and states that are ready to stop the charade of prohibition. <br /><br /> Federal law has long banned betting remotely on any "any sporting event or contest," with the exception of remote betting on horse race tracks at off track betting parlors and tracks. <br /><br /> Nevertheless online gaming has grown into a multibillion-dollar business in the U.S. prompting Congress in 2006 to bar banks and credit-card companies from processing transactions linked to Internet gambling. <br /><br /> Players have found ways to circumvent the law by letting their offshore gambling sites credit or debit their bank accounts directly. Although some of those sites are reputable and safe, many are not. And if those shadowy casinos’ revenues are used to promote organized crime, there is very little US Authorities can do about it.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-98-as-america-expands-casino-gambling-profits-drop.htmlFri, 13 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100Like the sirens in Greek Mythology, the revenue from gambling casinos is enticing, easy money. The potential for profits is as alluring as designer perfume or a good home cooked meal. In fact, although many lawmakers are trying, it is an allure that simply will not go away.<br /><br />Although the bill to allow slot machines in racetracks and at a limited number of other locations was defeated in the House, it can be surmised that there will be a host of new casino bill awaiting lawmakers when they return to Concorde in January. <br /><br /> Before lawmakers get down to the business and take up those measures, they will have to think long and hard about the possible ramifications of passing such bills. Expanded gambling ia a gravy train many states in the area are scrambling to catch, but the question is, is there enough gravy for everyone? <br /><br /> At one time, Atlantic City was the only place in the United States other than Nevada where gambling was legal. However, this is no longer true. Today, those who want to gamble can go to Indian Casinos run by Indian Tribes in Connecticut and New York, or play the slots in Maine, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. In fact, Pennsylvania has now added table games to its slot casinos, with five more casinos planned. <br /><br /> However, with the expansion of gambling opportunities and venues, the individual states will see nowhere near the revenue New Jersey saw when it legalized gambling in the 1970s. And even with its established name as a gambling Mecca, Atlantic City is losing money and customers. In 2006, New Jersey's 11 casinos forked over more than a half-billion dollars in state taxes. Last year, that dropped to $312 million and the state expects a further drop this year to about $275 million. <br /><br /> Whatever expectations supporters of expanded gambling in New Hampshire have had, those forecasts must be revised downward — way downward.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-97-speculators-scrambling-to-find-out-who-is-behind-michaeljacksoncasino.htmlThu, 12 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100A new online casino surfaced last week, and industry speculators are scrambling to find out who is behind it. Michaeljacksoncasino.com not only infringed on the late singer’s estate and trademarks, but also came with no banking information, no software provider information, and no customer service.<br /><br />The website owner, who has yet to be identified, and GoDaddy.com, the site that registered the domain are being sued by Howard Mann, who claims to own the copyrights to the photos featured on the site. If the lawsuit goes ahead, the owner of the strange online casino will have to be identified. <br /><br /> The UIGEA places the burden of policing online casino gambling transactions in the hands of banks and other financial institutions. Rep. Barney and other lawmakers believe that the millions of people in the United States who practice online casino gambling should be protected by the law, not penalized as criminals. <br /><br /> Legislators in favor of new online casino gambling laws asset that gamblers who are of legal age should have the option to place bets over the internet. The heart of the issue is human rights, and the intervention of the government in the lives of its citizens. <br /><br /> It is not yet known whether Michaeljacksoncasino.com processed any transactions involving US bettors. What can be seen on the site was many pictures of the King of Pop himself, along with quotes from the late Jackson. <br /><br /> GoDaddy has already responded to the lawsuit, which they claim to have not yet seen. The company did say they would "vigorously" defend themselves if they were named in the suit. Reports have also surfaced, but not been confirmed, that the Michael Jackson site was an affiliate of sportsbetting.com. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-96-fracture-between-north-and-south-jersey-lawmakers-over-the-future-of-gambling-deepenes.htmlWed, 11 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100The fracture between North and South Jersey lawmakers over the future of gambling deepened a bit more Tuesday with a letter sent to Donald J. Trump.<br /><br />The letter was written by state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, the Union County Democrat leading the charge to overturn the federal ban on sports betting in all but four states and pushing for Internet gambling in Atlantic City.<br /><br /> "Dear Mr. Trump," Lesniak wrote. "We need a casino owner with vision and gravitas to propose a casino in the Meadowlands with a commitment to invest a percentage of the profits in Atlantic City to transform it into a tourist and entertainment destination. <br /><br /> "The Atlantic City casinos oppose this plan because it would take away business at their New York and Pennsylvania locations," the letter says. "Enclosed is the Lesniak Plan and a business model for Project Meadowlands. Go for it!" <br /><br /> Lesniak's exhortation is in direct opposition to a key piece of Gov. Christie's plan to overhaul Atlantic City: keeping gaming exclusively at the Shore. Trump, who owns three casinos in Atlantic City, had not yet received the letter, mailed Tuesday, but he was adamant about not allowing new competition at the Meadowlands. <br /><br /> "If gambling doesn't stay in Atlantic City, it won't really have much of a chance," Trump said in a phone interview from his New York office. "If they put something in the Meadowlands, it would really have a huge impact on Atlantic City. <br /><br /> "There has been such a huge investment from Wall Street and international investors that if you took the focus off Atlantic City, there will be no more investment in Atlantic City," he said. <br /><br /> When asked about the possibility of a Trump casino at the Meadowlands, the real estate mogul didn't flinch. <br /><br /> "I wouldn't say that something like that would not be successful, but it will be the end of Atlantic City," Trump said. "New Jersey has to focus on Atlantic City. Maybe someday down the road and the economy starts roaring back again, maybe. But certainly not now." <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-95-developers-gearing-up-for-round-ii-of-massachusetts-casino-bill.htmlTue, 10 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100The Casino bill may be dead on Beacon Hill, but that has not stopped developers from gearing up for a possible second round, with eyes on building a casino resort in Western Massachusetts.<br /><br />Most recently, the owner of the Wyckoff Country Club in Holyoke has proposed building a casino in cooperation with Paper City Development. <br /><br /> Holyoke voters have twice approved ballot questions supporting a casino. If given the go-ahead, developers would seek to build a ramp off Interstate 91 to bring casino traffic to the 100-acre site. <br /><br /> Yesterday, the Mohegan Sun Tribal Council reassured Palmer officials that if the Legislature approves expanded gambling, the tribe would proceed with plans for a casino off the Massachusetts Turnpike. <br /><br /> Mohegan council members, including chairwoman Kennedy Lynn Malerba, met with Paul Burns, president of the Palmer Town Council, Acting Town Manager Patricia Kennedy and the town’s attorney. Burns sought, and the tribe agreed to sign, a memorandum of understanding committing them to build a casino if the Legislature and Gov. Deval Patrick agree on a casino bill. <br /><br /> The meeting comes in the wake of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s decision to switch proposed casino sites from Middleboro to Fall River. Mohegan tribal officials hope to build a 600-room hotel, a casino with 3,000 slot machines and 100 table games and 20,000 square feet of retail space, Burns said. <br /><br /> Some estimate the casinos in Massachusetts would generate $1.4 billion to $2 billion a year in state revenue. They could also bleed gambling revenues from Connecticut’s two tribal casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, which together paid the state $350.3 million in taxes last year. <br /><br /> Massachusetts casinos could cost Connecticut 30 percent of its gambling revenues, said Lawrence Klatzkin, an analyst with Chapdelaine Credit Partners. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-94-states-going-on-the-casino-bandwagon-but-will-gamble-pay-out.htmlMon, 09 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100States strapped for cash in this dying, lingering economy have turned to the lure of easy cash from the casinos, in many ways gambling exactly as the players themselves would. This bet could ultimately lead to hurting the taxpayers themselves if the supply of slots, poker tables and racetracks outpaces customers’ demand.<br /><br />The race to open new casinos is in its fastest pace in the Northwest, which already has 41 casinos with twenty more planned. <br /><br /> The race to open new casinos is most frenzied in the Northeast, which has 41 casinos and 20 more planned. Atlantic City, which for decades held the gambling monopoly outside Nevada, was already reeling from a blow from surrounding states, which all opened casinos. Now New York, which has Indian run casinos has just approves slot machines for its Aqueduct racetrack. Pennsylvania has added table games like poker and blackjack <br /><br /> Massachusetts lawmakers approved plans July 31 for the state's first gambling halls, threatening two tribal casinos in Connecticut and two racetrack casinos in Rhode Island. <br /><br /> Maine's voters decide a casino issue in November; Ohio just approved casinos; Maryland opens its first — along the busy Interstate 95 corridor — this fall; and Delaware's three racetrack casinos started offering table games this summer. <br /><br /> The consequences of saturation can be destructive. Companies are investing billions of dollars courting an ever decreasing part of the market while governments are banking on additional revenue from casinos and gamblers winnings to help run operations and ward off tax hikes. States openly talk of poaching gamblers from their neighboring states, with a view of keeping their own residents’ money inside state lines a religious crusade. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-93-legsialtive-push-for-casinos-in-massachusetts-has-failed.htmlSun, 08 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100Although the legislative push for legalizing casinos in Massachusetts has failed for the time being, the prospects of what supporters say would generate over 15,000 permanent jobs and around $350 millions in annual state revenues will be hard for state lawmakers to resist. Casinos and gambling have been among the most important topics on Governor Patrick’s agenda since 2007. Whatever will happen in the next election, the issue is not going to go away.<br /><br />During a devastating depression, a disturbance in the Force and high unemployment, critics say that people tend to see casinos through very short range lenses, as if the God of Money is the only one left to worship. Most people do not understand the long term effect casinos dotting the landscape.<br /><br /> If sanctioned, casinos could dominate and claim legitimacy for generation. Will Americans remember Massachusetts as the place where t5hey played roulette, or the place where modern democracy was born? <br /><br /> Amid a budget shortfall and high unemployment, people see policy primarily through the lens of money and jobs, as if Mammon is the only god left to worship. They do not see casinos as lasting institutions that will dot our landscape – and erode our culture – forevermore. <br /><br /> Massachusetts is one of the wealthiest and most-educated states in the country, yet it is still racing to “get in the game” alongside gambling-friendly neighbors Rhode Island and Connecticut to pursue a false elixir. <br /><br /> Why should Massachusetts settle its economic troubles by trodding down the paths of others? <br /><br /> The “shot heard ‘round the world” in Concord, Mass., which ushered in the first battle of the American Revolutionary War, is the most significant event in Massachusetts history. It defines Massachusetts eternally as the birthplace of America and concurrently the birthplace of modern democracy. It follows that Massachusetts set its own course and did not follow the lead of other colonies in seeking independence from Britain’s tyranny. <br /><br /> To those who would banter and bray that casinos would create thousands of good-paying jobs, Thoreau would retort, “Most men would feel insulted if it were proposed to employ them in throwing stones over a wall, and then in throwing them back, merely that they might earn their wages. But many are no more worthily employed now.” <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-92-bets-are-off-for-lance-armstrong-–-bicyclist-crashes-out-of-last-race.htmlSat, 07 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100Lance Armstrong was no longer among the contenders for the Tour de France. His three crashes in the eighth stage on Sunday, perhaps the worst day of his Tour de France career, dropped him 13 minutes, 26 seconds behind leader Cadel Evans. That's the equivalent of a 25-run lead in baseball.<br /><br />"My tour is finished," Mr. Armstrong said Sunday. <br /><br /> The seven-time winner, now 38, has been dogged this year by allegations of doping by former teammate Floyd Landis which he has categorically denied. But even though placing first in what he's said will be his last Tour is basically impossible, he said he will ride to the finish in Paris July 25. He will go for some stage wins but his highest priority will be supporting teammate Levi Leipheimer, a 36-year-old American in eighth place. <br /><br /> From the prologue in Rotterdam to the final ride into Paris, track every stage of the Tour de France. <br /><br /> With Mr. Armstrong out of the picture Monday, this Tour's first day of rest, the buzz, and the job of laying down the gauntlet to one's opponents, suddenly shifted to Alberto Contador of Spain and Andy Schleck of Luxembourg. The two are now the clear favorites for this year's title. Mr. Contador won the Tour in 2009, with Mr. Schleck finishing second. <br /><br /> After getting in their off-day 30-mile training rides, they held consecutive press conferences in this Alpine ski town of 3,000 where the ninth stage will start Tuesday morning. Mr. Evans currently leads Mr. Schleck by 20 seconds and Mr. Contador by 1:01, but the Australian is expected to fall behind as the Tour continues uphill into the Alps and Pyrénées.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-91-888-reports-record-drops-in-revenue-and-blames-world-cup-and-casinos.htmlFri, 06 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100Israel and London-based gaming company 888 reported a total operating income drop of 36 percent in its business-to-consumer poker division during the second quarter.<br /><br />Although the company said the drop was “in line with general online poker trends”, the numbers are leading analysts to speculate about the company as a potential takeover target in the competitive online poker industry. <br /><br /> 888 announced the decline, stating, “Trading throughout this period has been challenging, impacted by a number of factors including general online poker weakness, adverse F/X and, in relation to Poker and Casino, the World Cup.” The online poker market, buoyed primarily by PokerStars and Full Tilt, dropped in the second quarter, but is still maintaining an annual growth rate of three percent. <br /><br /> Although 888 is reporting a 25 percent loss overall for in the poker unit’s for the first six months of the year, competitors are expressing interest in acquiring the struggling division. In the wake of the merger between PartyGaming and bwin, 888 representatives confirmed that unnamed rival networks have been in contact concerning possible takeovers. <br /><br /> “This puts us in a position in which we are one of the best assets in the field; we got a few phone calls immediately from various people. Everybody in the industry is looking and saying ‘who is the best one to merge with if we need to?’,” Chief Executive Gigi Levy stated.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-90-alabama-anti-casino-task-force-ready-to-act-pending-injunction.htmlThu, 05 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100The Alabama Governor’s task force is prepared to raid Victoryland casino in Macon Country promptly if a judge lifts a ban on a raid at a hearing on Thursday, the task force commander said.<br /><br />However, attorneys for Macon County were trying to decide if they should take steps to keep the task force on the sidelines just a little bit longer, as the move was deemed highly unpopular by the electorate. <br /><br /> The commander of the task force, John Tyson said that if Curcuit Judge Tom Young lifts his earlier injunction against a raid, state police officers were ready to enter the casino and confiscate any and all illegal gambling equipment, numbering about 6000 slot machines. <br /><br /> "We've been ready since the last time we were out there," Tyson said. <br /><br /> In January, the task force attempted to raid Victoryland but was blocked by an order from Young, whose jurisdiction includes Macon and several other east Alabama counties. Young on Tuesday afternoon set a hearing Thursday to consider a motion by Tyson to dissolve the order blocking any confiscation of the machines. The task force considers them illegal slot machines. <br /><br /> Young's latest order came in a lawsuit filed by Macon County District Attorney E. Paul Jones, Sheriff David Warren and other county officials who contend Tyson, the district attorney in Mobile County, doesn't have authority to conduct the raid in Macon County without the permission of local officials. <br /><br /> Tyson contends a Supreme Court ruling last week overruled Young's order blocking the task force from raiding Victoryland without permission from local officials. Under court rules, Macon County officials have up to 18 days to ask the Alabama Supreme Court for a rehearing.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-89-borgata-casinos-in-a-slump-and-revenues-down.htmlWed, 04 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100Although Governor Christie plans to revitalize Atlantic City, right now it seems that the downward slump in the city is going on, as revenue at the Borgata Hotel fell in the second quarter.<br /><br />The Boyd Gaming Corporation, the Borgata’s parent company, reported Tuesday that the net revenue at the hotel declined 2.4 percent to 186.9 million, with gross operating profits sank nearly 10 percent to $43 million, compared to the reports last year. <br /><br /> Boyd executives said that the Borgata’s revenue was hurt by promotional giveaways at the Pennsylvania casinos, together with fewer visitors to Atlantic City overall at the start of the traditionally busy season. In addition, this year’s heat wave has further been blamed, as utility costs also cut into profit. <br /><br /> Speaking to analysts during a conference call, Boyd's chief executive acknowledged some short-term impact from the introduction of new table games at the Pennsylvania casinos in July, but maintained that it is premature to make any long-term predictions for Atlantic City. <br /><br /> "We have good marketing plans to blunt that. If revenue falls more than anticipated ... the management team is prepared to react to that," Boyd President Keith Smith said of how Borgata plans to soften the blow of Pennsylvania table games. <br /><br /> Paul Chakmak, Boyd's chief operating officer, said the company is encouraged by a return to business levels and hotel occupancy rates normally associated with the bustling summer season after a slow start. <br /><br /> "All of the trends are going in the right direction. Obviously, we would like them to be going a little faster than they are," Chakmak said. <br /><br /> Borgata, Atlantic City's top-grossing casino, has been one of the few properties in town not seriously harmed by competition from Pennsylvania and tighter consumer spending in the sluggish economy.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-88-house-speaker-robert-a-deleo-urges-governor-to-act-on-casino-gambling-bill.htmlTue, 03 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100Wearied by the continued delays, House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, backed by 1000 lawmakers, urged the Governor during a State House Press conference tonight to act on the final version of the casino gambling bill that the state is about to send to his desk.<br /><br />"Make no mistake about this," DeLeo said. "Anything short of Governor Patrick signing this bill represents a decision to kill the prospects of 15,000 new jobs and bring immediate local aid to our cities and towns." <br /><br /> Although Speaker Patrick and the Legislature agree on licesnsing three casinos in the state of Massachusetts, they are at odds as to the number of slots parlors, and the bidding process for them. <br /><br /> DeLeo said that both chambers compromised on the bill, and that Patrick should be doing the same in order to ensure that the expanded casino gambling law becomes a reality, or be responsible for not creating some 15,000 jobs. <br /><br /> "Should the governor do anything less than to allow this bill to become law...it's going to be the people of the commonwealth of Massachusetts who are going to suffer for that decision," he said. "At the very least, the governor should be straightforward with his intentions and veto it, period. If he does, this House is prepared to override that veto." <br /><br /> The veto threat prompted applause from the assembled lawmakers, and DeLeo followed that up with more praise for his colleagues. <br /><br /> "I am proud to say we have found a way to work together. Now we are calling on the governor of the commonwealth to find a way to work together as well," DeLeo said. There was no immediate comment from Patrick's spokesman. <br /><br /> State Representative Donald Humason said the casino logjam will help GOP candidates for state office in November, as voters see the Democratic leadership failing to reach an agreement on their top economic priority.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-87-report-calls-atlantic-citys-convention-and-casino-future-a-failure.htmlMon, 02 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100The Report calling for the state control of the resort city’s casino and entertainment district says that Atlantic City’s ability to attract meeting and convention business is limited, as it has been a failure in the past and is contributing to its economic decline.<br /><br />However, the same report also said that the problem can be fixes. During the process, the benchmark will be increasing the business in the Atlantic City market by 30 per cent or more over the next five years. As state legislators review the report, and ultimately decide on whether Governor Christie’s plan for reversing the economic slump that Atlantic City has been suffering from is worth implementing, observers say that trying to turn around the convention business in this economic climate is daunting.<br /><br /> “The notion that Atlantic City will be able to increase its convention business at all, let alone by 30 percent annually over a period of years, seems implausible,” said Heywood Sanders, a professor of public administration at the University of Texas at San Antonio, who is working on a book about the convention center industry. <br /><br /> Sanders said fewer people coming in for events and meetings at the Atlantic City Convention Center stayed overnight in hotels the past two years — a key point because hotel business drives the local economy and means visitors are shopping and going out to eat.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-86-bill-legalizing-online-gambling-moves-forward-to-house.htmlSun, 01 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100A plan to legalize online gambling moves forward this week in the House of Representatives, which raised concern over the possible merits of the new plan, as it is feared that such legislation would eat into California’s gambling industry and would put thousands of jobs in jeopardy.<br /><br />The bill, which would allow gamblers to make certain kinds of bets legally online, was approved on Wednesday by the Financial Services Committee, making way for the next hurdle, the vote on the House floor. Online gambling is surrently against the law in the United States, but sites featuring poker and other games exist offshore and outside American regulation. The committee's chairman, Rep. Barney Frank, wants to legalize the popular sites within the United States, regulate and tax them. Supporters say that legalizing online gaming would create a whole new industry, creating additional jobs that would augment traditional casino gaming.<br /><br /> Proponents of the legislation say that it, along with a companion bill setting up the tax structure, would lead to more than $40 billion in revenue over a decade. But that number is based on the assumption that no state would exercise a provision in the bill allowing them to "opt out" via acts of their legislatures. .<br /><br /> Meanwhile, Rep. Joe Baca, D-Rialto, told Frank and other lawmakers that legalizing online gambling would threaten some of the 22,000 tribal gaming industry jobs in the state, as well as the $450 million in revenue California receives annually from the industry through tribal compacts. .<br /><br /> "California can not afford to see these revenues trimmed," Baca said during Wednesday's often testy committee hearing on the bill.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-85-governor-christie’s-plan-for-atlantic-city-marginalizes-city’s-poor-yet-again.htmlSat, 31 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100While Governor Christie’s plan to rejuvenate Atlantic City is ambitious, it is to be questioned whether there is not more beneath the surface, and whether it will really do Atlantic City any good. Creating a high class, high roller casino ghetto would of course cater only to the rich, while leaving the poor out of the picture.<br /><br />What Governor Christie ignores, as everyone has done for the past three decades, the other ghetto present in Atlantic City; made up of people who were simply too poor to move out when real estate prices began to plummet. This other ghetto is indeed the reason the city did not live up to its potential, and did not become the new Las Vegas of the East Coast. <br /><br /> However, what Las Vegas understands too well, and Atlantic City has yet to grasp, is that casinos don’t work without non-gambling civilian support. When Atlantic City forst began to get a name for itself as a gambling Mecca around 1980, most of the casinos did not know that they would actually fail due to their ignorance of the city’s non-gambling residents. Although the idea was that gambling money would make Atlantic City the “playground of the world,” the vision did not come to pass solely because the casinos and the city planners grabbed short term opportunities while excluding considerations that could have benefitted that city as a whole, as well as protect their long term investments. <br /><br /> The casino people turned their backs on the ramshackle streets and alleys just off the Boardwalk, and Christie's proposal would set in stone this deadly division of the two ghettos. The wall he's building would guarantee the permanence of the city's ugly side. <br /><br /> The concept that could have worked in 1980 was redevelopment of the entire city as a gambling, sports, entertainment, and family complex, which could have survived inevitable competition from other states. What Atlantic City needed was a bulldozer six blocks wide to convert the slums into open spaces and an unassailable entertainment destination: Disneyland with casinos. <br /><br /> Rich and middle-income people had long ago left Atlantic City, leaving those without the resources and ability to pull themselves out of the mire. The tens of thousands of casino employees hired since have already chosen not to live in the city. For the most part, they opted to live elsewhere, taking with them their taxes and spending. And the entire retail industry moved with the fleeing middle class, deepening the desperate poverty of those who remained.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-84-is-governor-christie-biting-off-more-than-he-can-chew-with-plans-for-family-and-casino-fun-in-atlantic-city.htmlFri, 30 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Governor Christie’s plan for a rejuvenated Atlantic City has caused some consternation among supporters and critics alike, saying that the visions of both an adult oriented casino city and a family destination are not compatible, and is doomed to fail.<br /><br />In the past, Atlantic City was very geared toward the adult entertainment niche. The city introduced a plethora of restaurants, nightclubs, shopping districts and the all-inclusive party/shopping ground of The Quarter at the Tropicana. Casinos also began booking an array of performances, concerts and shows in order to attract visitors, in addition to adding spas, bars and other nightspots. <br /><br /> Governor Christie’s proposals are far reaching and include plans for the Meadowlands and the state’s horse racing industry. Christie also wants a public partnership to take over Atlantic City’s tourism districts. However, actual plans for the family oriented resort are less than specific. <br /><br /> Despite all the headlines Christie has generated with his plan, he has also opened up a debate that’s as old as casino gambling in the resort. Basically, should Atlantic City try to position itself as a Jersey-shore style family resort, which just happens to have a very adult–oriented casino industry, or should it try to focus on the adult market? <br /><br /> But the debate has come down on the side of family-oriented attractions before, especially in the 1990s when Las Vegas seemed to be turning itself into a desert Disneyland. Atlantic City followed the lead and added some family attractions, attracting a Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, building a new aquarium at Gardner’s Basin and most visibly, building the then Sandcastle minor league baseball stadium. Steel Pier was also revitalized as an amusement pier. <br /><br /> Christie’s idea of family attractions points to the argument that Atlantic City is not Vegas. It’s ocean-side location sets it apart from other gambling destinations and it is part of the Jersey shore.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-83-cyrpus-bans-online-casino-gambling.htmlThu, 29 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100The Cypriot Government yesterday approved a bill that will put an end to online casino gambling that has flourished in the country over the past few years.<br /><br />Finance Minister Charilaos Stavrakis said “These (on-line) casinos have been created on every corner of Cyprus and anyone, young or old can basically gamble in the same way it is done in casinos abroad.”<br /> <br /> The bill cointains bans on online games like roulette, poker, and slots machines, as well as regulating online betting, with football and other sporting events regulated and licensed by the State. .”<br /> <br /> The government draft bans online games like roulette, poker, and fruit machines. .”<br /> <br /> “A percentage of the total betting conducted in Cyprus will come to the state as a tax revenue,” the minister said. Stavrakis could not immediately say how much revenue the government expected to gain. He added that the exact amount of tax had not yet been set but speculated it would probably be 10 per cent. .”<br /> <br /> “In addition, since online gambling will be banned, it is very logical for one to assume that a large part of the bets … will go to internet or other betting,” Stavrakis said. .”<br /> <br /> The new bill provides for strict penalties for those breaking the law. Under current legislation, police seize the establishment’s equipment, which was promptly replaced and the shop was up and running by the next day. .”<br /> <br /> The minister said the bill would solve many social problems created with the huge increase in the number of illegal establishments offering online gambling. .”<br /> <br /> The bill will first go to the European Commission for approval because online betting is governed by EU laws and any change or adoption of new legislation should have their agreement. .”<br /> <br /> Stavrakis reiterated the government’s decision not to license real casinos in Cyprus. “It would be an oxymoron to legally allow the operation of dozens of online casinos in Cyprus in the shape we have today and not allow the creation of a real casino,” the minister said. “With this decision the government remains consistent with its initial position that it is against the creation of (real) casinos and online casinos for social and other reasons.”<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-82-are-mgms-casinos-run-by-the-mafia.htmlWed, 28 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100MGM Resorts International has sold its land lying under Atlantic City’s Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa to Vornado Realty Trust and Geyser Holdings for the pittance of $72 million. It is part of a move made by the company to distance itself from the nation’s second largest gambling market over its ties with a reputed Chinese mob boss.<br /><br />The sale, which was finalized this week, covers just over 11 acres, includes ground leases and the land on which part of the Borgata sits. MGM is selling the land underneath the Borgata as a moved to comply with the ultimatum made by the New Jersey casino regulators that it sell its 50% stake in Atlantic City’s most successful casino or cut ties with Pansy Ho, its partner in a casino in the Chinese enclave of Macao. <br /><br /> Ho’s father Stanley has long been the target of mob ties suspicions and allegations, which he denies. Considered the founder of casinos in China, Ho’s casinos are reputedly wretched hives of scum and villainy, with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement said in a report issued to the casino in May 2009 and made public in March. The division found the criminal gangs operated and thrived in the casinos owned by Pansy Ho. <br /><br /> The regulators concluded that Pansy Ho was an unsuitable partner for MGM, with the company denying any wrongdoing, and that their relationship up until now with Pansy Ho has been spotless. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-81-pennsylvania-top-casino-gambling-earner.htmlTue, 27 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Eyebrows were raised as Pennsylvania topped the nation’s grossing casino profits, with about $1.1 billion. Indeed, the state topped Nevada’s earnings of $832 million, staggering critics and investors alike.<br /><br />Pennsylvania has become the United States’ most profitable state for casinos and gambling, earning over $1.1 billion in 2009, earning more than Nevada, who grossed a mere $832 million. Pennsylvania licenses only nine casinos, compared with Nevada’s 260. However, there is a great difference in the taxes that the Keystone state gains from the casinos. While other states, including Nevada levies taxes of about 8%, Pennsylvania levies a surprising 55% tax rate on slots, almost seven times higher than Nevada and comparable states. Not that it seems to stem the casino tide, Pennsylvania’s gambling market is booming. <br /><br /> The tax dollars in Pennsylvania help fund property tax relief, benefit the horse racing industry and help with municipal budgets. However, some experts believe that the inflated tax rate could deter future investors from opening new casinos in Pennsylvania. <br /><br /> David G. Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said the 55 percent tax rate "might be an influencing factor" for casino operators scouting locations in years to come. Casinos might also scale back extra development, Mr. Schwartz said, pointing out the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem has already faced such decisions.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-80-governor-christies-plan-for-atlantic-city-seen-by-some-as-takeover.htmlMon, 26 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100As Governor Christie’s ambitious plan to involve the state of New Jersey in the rehabilitation of Atlantic City leaked out on Thursday, critics began to use a term that is both dreading and polarizing term: State Takeover.<br /><br />For southern New Jersey residents, it was all-too-easy to think of Camden. The details of the state involvement in Atlantic City are still being worked out, but news of state control over a large - and as yet undefined - territory in the city designated as a tourism district drew parallels with the state's decision in 2002 to take over key functions in the city of Camden.<br /><br /> Christie has called himself "reluctant" to see a state takeover of anything. Mayor Lorenzo Langford said he views Christie's plan as a partnership, not a "takeover." Two days after the governor's announcement about Atlantic City, casino representatives have moved to stop use of the "takeover" term. But judging by readers' comments on news websites, the public continues to associate Christie's plan with Camden; and city stakeholders are wondering how different state control of Atlantic City will turn out. <br /><br /> Christie, who said on the campaign trail in 2009 that Camden should return to home rule, said his hopes for Atlantic City are different because its problems are different. But the Camden plan also relied on public-private partnerships to develop infrastructure and tourism. <br /><br /> "What you have in Camden is a dearth of investment for decades and decades and decades, and decay that's come along with it," he said Wednesday. <br /><br /> "In Atlantic City, you have a recent and acute crisis that needs to be dealt with. You don't have a lack of investment historically in Atlantic City," he went on. "What you have is an acute crisis that was brought on, in my view, by the state's collective reluctance to modernize and change with changing competitive circumstances that were happening around us. Now we need to do it." <br /><br /> In Atlantic City, where crime and blight rates have never matched Camden's, the state-controlled district would not have a quasi-CEO but a governing commission that would include a representative from the city government. Langford and City Council would maintain control over areas outside the state's tourism district.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-79-new-jersey-hard-put-to-find-casino-gambling-energizing-plan-for-atlantic-city.htmlSun, 25 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100With Governor Christie’s recent decision to out horse races on the backburner and instead concentrate on revitalizing the city’s failing economy, questions remain as to how this could be done.<br /><br />How the state of New Jersey can effectively revitalize Atlantic City is a question that is high on many minds in the state capital. Would a total rebranding of the city do the job, or should the city simply continue to flaunt its own unique assets such as its famous boardwalk, its beach and the diverse entertainment? Should the family cater to adult tastes or become family-friendly? Marketers agree that if the plan to energize Atlantic City is going to work, the message sent to visitors must be clear. <br /><br /> Christie’s announcement on Wednesday that he wants the state to oversee and regulate Atlantic City’s casino-entertainment district and to form a new clean and safe Tourism District was well received by local lawmakers and casino executives. Hi stated goal would be to build the district in a year and boost marketing of the resort from the current $4 million market. <br /><br /> Christie’s announcement Wednesday that he wants the state to oversee Atlantic City’s casino-entertainment district and form a new “clean and safe” Tourism District has been well-received by local lawmakers and casino executives. His goal, with approval from the state Legislature, would be to create the district in a year and boost marketing of the resort from the current $4 million limit.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-78-professional-poker-player-annie-duke-urged-congress-to-legalize-and-regulate-the-online-poker-industry.htmlSat, 24 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Professional Poker player Annie Duke urged Congress on Wendesday to legalize and regulate the online poker industry, saying the game is ever growing in populartity, and that in many ways it is safer to play online than at a card table.<br /><br />In a speech to the House, Annie Duke told lawmakers that she had just returned from the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, and that she estimated that the game was now attractive over seventy million players across the country. <br /><br /> "This industry is growing and not going away," said Duke, who promotes an online poker site. "We should not stick our head in the sand." <br /><br /> Duke said she understands that some people dislike gambling. <br /><br /> "What is harder to respect is the idea that, because someone disapproves of a particular activity, they would seek to have the government prevent others from engaging in it," she said. <br /><br /> Duke, a champion poker player, said that in many ways, it was safer playing poker online that at traditional playing houses. It can be impossible to tell if another person is cheating in real life, or even if the house is cheating. However, online poker rooms often employed software designed specifically to apprehend cheaters, to track every hand, and to mark the habits of each poker player. When a cheating scandal was discovered at Ultimatebet.com a few years ago, its owners refunded $22 million to victims, she said. <br /><br /> But as far as cheating at a table game, "I have never seen a penny refunded to the players affected," she said. <br /><br /> Lawmakers are split on the legislation, but U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., the bill sponsor and also the committee chairman, has signaled he planned to proceed. <br /><br /> People opposing the bill, Frank contended, fall in two categories. Either they are competitors seeking to slow the online industry, he said, or they are "busybodies" who want to restrict gambling as socially unacceptable.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-77-the-company-planning-to-build-a-casino-in-east-toledo.htmlFri, 23 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100The company planning to build a casino in East Toledo stretched out its hand with a $1 million check and City Council on Tuesday night told it to come back in two weeks.<br /><br />Penn National Gaming Inc. has offered the city more than $1.03 million as reimbursement for improvements the city made to land on the east side where the company wants to build the casino. A minority of council held up the acceptance two weeks - frustrating some of the other members and Mayor Mike Bell - through use of a procedural vote not typically taken on council measures. <br /><br /> "This is a million dollars that is not owed to us," said Councilman Mike Craig, whose district includes the casino property. "I can't believe we are sitting here arguing over this." <br /><br /> Councilman Joe McNamara moved for a slow roll call on suspending the rule that states every measure needs two readings before a passage vote. The roll call would have needed nine affirmative votes to pass, but the count was 8-4. Joining Mr. McNamara in voting against were Councilmen D. Michael Collins, Phillip Copeland, and Lindsay Webb. Mr. McNamara said he supported Mr. Collins' desire to do his "due diligence" on the issue. <br /><br /> Mr. Collins was first last night to raise the issue when he questioned the Bell administration on whether the city was protected from lawsuits regarding the property, including from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency or the Ohio Department of Development. Steve Herwat, Toledo deputy mayor of operations, told council that the city had assurances from both state agencies that the city was insulated from lawsuits; at the same time, he said a two-week delay would not jeopardize the casino project.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-76-new-jersey-forgoes-racing-to-focus-on-gambling-economy.htmlThu, 22 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100The State of New Jersey relies heavily on Atlantic City casino gambling in order to supplement glaring budget holes. However, over the past couple of years, Atlantic City has not been doing its job of injecting much needed resources into the economy.<br /><br />This week, Governor Chris Christie drew a line in the sand, turning his back on the racing industry, preferring instead to focus on bringing the failing Atlantic City casino economy back from the dead. The Governor's Advisory Commission on New Jersey Gaming, Sports and Entertainment Economic Recovery Plan provided the necessary results for the governor to crush the racing industry. The esteemed Governor went as far as to call the industry a "failure."<br /><br /> The divide between North and South Jersey has been going on for years, and this type of report certainly was not effective in helping to mend old wounds. The south is blaming the north, and vice versa, for economic falls and the troubles that both the gaming and racing industries have been having. Some would even say that judging by the Governors remarks, he is siding with the south. ."<br /><br /> The Atlantic City casino gambling industry has come under fire recently from other Northeastern states. Pennsylvania and Delaware have made the biggest dent in the stronghold AC casinos had over the area when both states legalized table games. Delaware also has something that New Jersey does not, legalized sports betting. ."<br /><br /> Christie vowed to change the current downward spiral of the AC gaming industry, He spoke Wednesday of a Las Vegas of the East Coast. On the surface, it seems like a great idea, but it will take billions of dollars to bring AC back from the brink of financial disaster.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-75-shinnecock-tribe-gets-boost-in-plans-to-build-casino.htmlWed, 21 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100A small Long Island-based Indian tribe that has been seeking federal recognition since the 1970s recently has a little help on Wednesday from a sympathetic judge, who ordered the Interior Department to indicate when it might rule on a challenge to the tribe’s efforts.<br /><br />The Shinnecock Indians, based in Southampton, were told in June that the Interior department has approved the tribe’s application for federal recognition, pending a 30 day comment period. However, a Conneticut based group filed a challenge last week, saying that it was seeking to protect the 18,000 workers of the different casinos in the state, and that the Shinnecocks had failed to meet federal criteria for federal recognition. <br /><br /> Matthew Hennessey, executive director of the Connecticut Coalition for Gaming Jobs said that the Interior Department had failed to consider that the tribe has been receiving funding from a Detroit-based casino operator over the past several years. <br /><br /> "It is clear that this recognition process has been hijacked by wealthy casino developers solely for their benefit and as a result, a huge part of Connecticut's economy is at stake," Hennessy said in a statement. The group has not identified what businesses support the coalition. <br /><br /> The challenge puts the final recognition of the Shinnecocks, who have already stated that they plan to erect a casino in New York, on hold pending the Board of Indian Appeals’ ruling on the Connecticut group's challenge. <br /><br /> Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mulry said he did not believe the appeals board was operating under any specific timetable for a decision. <br /><br /> But U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Bianco, noting the Shinnecocks' effort has been repeatedly delayed, said he expected the appeals board to commit to a date for a ruling by the end of the month. If that doesn't happen, Bianco said he would consider an application by the tribe for a judgment in favor of the Shinnecocks' application. <br /><br /> "Both sides have gone too far to have a delay," Bianco said to a courtroom jammed with more than 100 Shinnecock members, many of whom were dressed in traditional Indian clothing, including feathered headdresses. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-74-maryland-drives-up-incentives-to-find-investor-for-proposed-slots-casinos.htmlTue, 20 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100A Commission in Maryland approved on Monday a proposal to build a casino at Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort near Cumberland with a better deal, aiming to attract investors to a site that failed to get up and running before, because no qualified bidder was found.<br /><br />Earlier this year, lawmakers passed legislation creating greater incentives for the (theoretical) bidder. For example, an investor aiming to take over the state subsidized lodge at the site, they would receive 35% of the profits from the casinos, rather than the standard 33% allowed at the other four locations. The developer would also be allowed to place 300 slot machines inside the lodge, temporarily, while the casino is being built. <br /><br /> Donald Fry, chairman of the states slot commission, said that it was hoped that the added incentives, coupled with an improved economic climate would entice investors to the western Maryland site. <br /><br /> "I think the economic times are much better than they were when we first issued the proposal back in December of 2008," Fry told reporters after the commission's meeting. Fry also said that a number of investors had already shown interest in the project, but declined to name names. <br /><br /> Proposals will be due back in 16 weeks, roughly around Nov. 9. Background applications and deposits will be required 45 days before that deadline to give state lottery officials an opportunity to begin background investigations on potential bidders. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-72-massachusetts-legislature-bogged-down-by-filibusters-in-casino-debate.htmlMon, 19 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Massachusetts ought to be able to license two or three resort casinos along the lines of those in Connecticut without all the baggage being attached by the Legislature.<br /><br />Unfortunately, this year’s gambling debate, like the one in 2007, has achieved little more than to provide fodder for those opponents who believe gambling has mysterious and corrosive power. More likely, intense lobbying and the prospect of new revenues have mysterious and corrosive power. Either way, the Legislature seems to have succumbed.<br /><br /> If, by the end of the week, the House and Senate cannot agree on a pared-down bill allowing for the siting of two or three resort casinos — and only two or three resort casinos — the Legislature should table the issue for this session and complete other important business. .<br /><br /> The stumbling blocks are substantial. House Speaker Robert DeLeo wants to allow slot machines at racetracks in addition to the casinos, and has tried unsuccessfully to strong-arm Senate President Therese Murray and Governor Patrick into going along. DeLeo’s push is all the more stubborn and insistent because it’s personal: Two of the four race tracks are in his district. .<br /><br /> It’s not unusual for legislative leaders to put their thumbs on the scale for the home districts, but DeLeo shouldn’t put the narrow interests of his district ahead of his role as a statewide leader. Normally soft-spoken and fair-minded, he’s single-minded on this issue, and it hurts the process. To heighten the sense of urgency, DeLeo has been touting racetrack slots as a quick way of generating revenues to make up for cuts in state aid to cities and towns. But lawmakers need to take a longer view, and focus on setting up a regulatory system and casino licensing fees that will serve the state’s larger interests. .<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-73-trump-plaza-casino-opens-again-after-water-cooland-system-breakdown.htmlMon, 19 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100The Trump Plaza Casino is finally fully operational after being shut down for the weekend. The property closed its doors due to a problem with its utility provider’s chilled water lined, which sprung a leak, meaning there was no water to cool down the air conditioners. The Caesars, The Piers Shops and Boardwalk hall were also affected.<br /><br />A temporary cooling system is now in place, but lossed over the weekend have been vast, estimated at between $3 and $5 million dollars.<br /><br /> "As you can see today we're still not where we should be. I Think it's going to take time before we get back to levels that we consider normal levels," said Rigot. In addition, the hotel is at 60% occupancy, when it should be 90% at this time of the season. <br /><br /> Caesars Atlantic City decided to stay open over the weekend, with its temporary cooling systems installed next to the property. Harrah’s, which owns the Caesars refrained to give exact numbers on how much revenue was lost, but they did say that the outage affected business considerably. <br /><br /> Roger Gros, Publisher of Casino Connection Magazine, says the air conditioning break down is going to have an effect on Atlantic City's image. And the casinos will ultimately be judged on how they handled the incident. <br /><br /> "I think they handled it great..Caesar's obviously wanted to keep business going they have loyal customers that want to stay at the hotel and gamble in the casino...Trump plaza did the right thing by closing down the casino because their casino is a little more compact and little more vertical and the air couldn't circulate in that casino as fast as they need it to," said Gros. <br /><br /> Gros also notes that it was good that the affected casinos had other properties to send their guest to during the cooling outage. Pepco Energy Services in a written statement expects to have the properties up and running this week. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-71-lawrence-county-casino-in-jeopardy.htmlSun, 18 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100But Lawrence County officials are against the move by Democratic Sen. John Wozniak, who wants to eliminate harness racing from the project, converting it to a stand-alone casino with slots and table games, and allow a developer to build it anywhere in the state. Lawrence County Commissioner Dan Vogler said the county urgently needs the 2,000 or more construction and permanent jobs that a racetrack/casino would bring.<br /><br />Mr. Wozniak complained that it's been three years since the state Harness Racing Commission awarded a racing license to an Indianapolis company, Centaur, which he said has made no progress toward creating the $425 million racetrack/casino, to be called Valley View Downs. "Centaur hasn't been able to pull the trigger, and they won't be able to, as far as I can see," he said last week. "They've already gotten a two-year extension from the harness commission, which is up in September. There's no legitimate reason to give them more time. They can't raise the money."<br /><br /> Centaur has faced serious financial problems and last year used bankruptcy laws to give it time to restructure its finances and protect itself from creditors. The most immediate problem is that Centaur needs the harness commission to extend the current deadline, six weeks away, for having the track open for business. The commission falls under the state Agriculture Department, where spokesman Justin Fleming said Centaur hasn't said if it will formally request more time. ."<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-70-kansas-city-man-rips-off-casinos-and-collects-food-stamps.htmlSat, 17 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100A former Kansas City man was driving a Hummer H3 and ripping off an area casino while at the same time collecting food stamps, according to an indictment.<br /><br />Zhe Li, also known as Kevin Li, passed more than $100,000 worth of counterfeit gambling chips at the Argosy Casino in Riverside over a two-month period in 2008, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday in federal court in Kansas City. Li, now of Wichita, made his first court appearance earlier Wednesday in U.S. District Court there.<br /><br /> The three-count indictment alleges that Li, a 37-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from China, presented more than 1,000 counterfeit chips that were made to look like the distinctive, black $100 chips used by the Argosy Casino. The indictment says Li exchanged some of the chips for cash and used others to play table games such as blackjack. Li allegedly deposited thousands of dollars from the scheme into checking accounts for him and his wife and transferred more than $15,000 to a bank in Florida to pay off the Hummer that he had purchased. <br /><br /> The government alleges Li made a series of bank deposits in amounts of $10,000 or less to avoid triggering a requirement for the bank to report transactions greater than that to the federal government. The indictment says Li falsely told a Missouri Department of Social Services worker that his family didn’t have any money or vehicles, and the family received $2,547 in food stamp benefits. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-69-trump-entertainment-looking-for-buyer-for-casino.htmlFri, 16 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Trump Entertainment, owners of the bankrupt Atlantic City Casino company, is in talks with a number of companies to see the Trump Marina Hotel Casino buy the casino.<br /><br />Discussions are under way with interested buyers, Marc Lasry, chief executive officer of New York-based Avenue Capital Group, told the New Jersey Casino Control Commission today in Atlantic City. Lasry and Avenue Capital, which will own 22 percent of Trump Entertainment once it exits bankruptcy, gained interim licensing approval from the panel.<br /><br /> Billionaire Lasry, along with other bondholders and company founder Donald J. Trump, won control of Trump Entertainment in April when a bankruptcy judge ruled their bid was better for creditors than a competing offer by investor Carl Icahn. Today’s licensing and plan approvals will pave the way for Trump Entertainment’s three Atlantic City casinos to exit bankruptcy for a third time. .<br /><br /> “The Marina needs, how do I say this nicely, it needs updating,” Lasry said. “It’s in a phenomenal location, but it’s a bit old, and it’s a bit dated.” .<br /><br /> Trump Entertainment, which last emerged from bankruptcy in May 2005, owns the Trump Taj Mahal Resort, Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino and Trump Marina. The three properties also went through bankruptcy in the 1990s. .<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-68-black-hawk-casino-files-for-bankruptcy.htmlThu, 15 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100One of Black Hawk's more popular casinos has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Riviera, which has casinos in Las Vegas and Black Hawk, is between $100 million and $500 million in debt.<br /><br />The Colorado Division of Gaming is hoping Amendment 50 might alleviate some of the stress surrounding the casino. Amendment 50 was passed a year ago to help generate more business for Colorado's casinos. <br /><br /> "The casino industry like every industry is having its problems, but with the advent of Amendment 50, [it] has brought some relief to the casino industry," Don Burmania with the Colorado Division of Gaming said. <br /><br /> Amendment 50 allows casinos to remain open for 24 hours. It also added the games of craps and roulette and increased bet limits. "In the first 11 months of Amendment 50, casino revenues have grown by 9 percent. That follows a 9 percent decrease the previous year. So we're looking at the industry returning to levels from two years ago," Burmania said. What is happening with the Riviera casino is not unusual, Burmania added. <br /><br /> "The division doesn't anticipate any problems with the day to day operation. We have minimum bank roll requirements that make sure casinos have enough money on hand," Burmania said. <br /><br /> The Riviera says it will continue to conduct business as usual and that it also plans to continue paying its employees, vendors and customers. "Several casinos in the past have filed and continued to operate without problems to their patrons," Burmania said. <br /><br /> Several groups, including the Starwood Capital Group, are trying to takeover the Riviera casinos in Las Vegas and Black Hawk. It is unclear how a takeover would affect Black Hawk's casino. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-67-las-vegas-casinos-support-online-gambling.htmlWed, 14 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Although online gambling is illegal online casinos gave a considerable presence in Las Vegas tournaments<br /><br />Those who tuned in to see the World Series of Poker at the Rio casino this month were able to see as many online casino logos as chips and players. Internet casinos pay celebrities and players fortunes to wear their logos; hence many fans wind up wearing the same logos, and playing at the online casinos. Despite the federal government’s long-standing position in the form of the UIGEA that online gambling is illegal, such brand advertising has moved into the mainstream, with logos appearing on the shorts of mixed martial arts fighters, the green felt of gaming tables and advertising banners adorning Las Vegas casinos. Lately, some area casinos have even entered into sponsorships with their online counterparts, with celebrity poker players hired to promote them. <br /><br /> The Nevada Gaming board is now taking a closer look at these arrangements, with their main target as the Venetian, who hosted a travelling poker tournament sponsored by PokerStars.net. <br /><br /> Years ago, gambling companies created separate, free-play tutorial websites ending in “.net” — thinking they would be protected from federal government prosecution. American broadcasters and Nevada gaming regulators have historically accepted this form of advertising because these Web portals don’t offer real-money gambling. And yet, while ads for these .net Internet poker sites continue to be broadcast on American TV, the Control Board, upon further investigation of such sites, has more recently concluded that there’s little difference between .com and .net sites because they are owned by some of the same corporate entities and individuals. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-66-palm-casino-tones-down-smell.htmlTue, 13 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Ever since it shot to fame as the setting of the MTV reality show “The Real World,” the Palms Casinos has enjoyed a reputation as the young sexy, hipster casino in Las Vegas, catering to the glitterati.<br /><br />It has used everything it can to stay in the public eye since the show aired, including celebrity patrons, trendy nightclubs, a new concert venue, a recording studio. Most recently it even tried on the earthy, leathery scent of a grandfather’s cologne. It seems that the Palms has tried to copy one of the long standing practices of pumping scented air at the casinos though the air vents. It’s commercialized aromatherapy aimed at making people want to stay longer, spend more money and come back soon to spend even more.<br />br /> The palms scent certainly did that, with the teakwood scent leaving a lasting impression on many patrons, only that the impression was highly negative. .<br />br /> “The place literally stinks. I’d almost rather smell the smoke,” one tourist noted in his online review. .<br />br /> George Maloof, owner of the Palms, has never been a fan of using fragrances in his resorts. He said he has “a sensitive nose” that even makes him averse to garlic. He previously tried a fragrance on part of the casino floor when the Palms opened in 2001, but quickly axed it. .<br />br /> “I said, ‘Do we have to do it just because everyone else is doing it?’?”.<br />br /> It’s a trend that started in 1990 with Steve Wynn’s Mirage when Los Angeles-based AromaSys pumped a Polynesian scent through the the property’s vents. In the case of Las Vegas casinos, the fragrances are often used to mask the odor of stale cigarette smoke or sweaty travelers, or “malodors” in scent marketing company lingo. .<br />br /> Unfortunately for the Palms, its teakwood apparently turned out to be a malodor too. .<br />br<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-65-butte-county-success-in-butting-out-casino.htmlMon, 12 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100In a 2-1 decision, the the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that the Bush Administration and the National Indian Gaming Commission failed to adequately justify their decision not to revisit their decision not to revisit the Mechoopda casino’s approval.<br /><br />Butte County appealed a U.S. District Court ruling that gave approval for a casino to be built in the proposed location, which was about two miles from Highway 99 off Highway 149. The Department of the Interior formally gave approval to let the casino proceed after declining the study the report from Butte Country presented to them in 2006. The Department of the Interior reviewed the information years before, in 2003 when the initial approval was given. Butte Country counsel Bruce Alpert said that what the county submitted were factual and relevant, and merited consideration. <br /><br /> "The court basically said the failure of the administrative agencies to consider the Beckham report and other facts was irrational," Alpert said. <br /><br /> In a minority report, Judge Janice Rogers said the Department of the Interior did look at the report adequately and that there was "substantial evidence of the tribe's ample historical and cultural connection to land at issue." <br /><br /> While the county has won the legal issue for now, there remains a policy issue. Alpert said a new casino is "totally inconsistent" with the county's new General Plan. <br /><br /> He said the county is disappointed they were unable to sit down with the Mechoopda tribe and determine a location the tribe and county can both agree on. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-64-legal-suit-between-biggest-loser-in-history-and-harrah’s-close-to-resolution.htmlSun, 11 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100A gambler who accused Harrah’s Casino of plying him with drugs and alcohol, thus contributing to his staggering $127 million debt is nearing close to a legal settlement with the casino.<br /><br />When the deal is signed, it will end a legal dispute that has been simmering in Nevada for the past year. Harrah’s claim that the gambler, Terrence Watanabe, still owes the casinos sums well over $14 million in gambling debt. In return, Mr. Watanabe claims that he should not be held liable for the losses, as he was goaded into played by the casinos’ employees, who plied him with both drugs and alcohol, making him play more, and lose more. <br /><br /> As part of the agreement announced on Thursday, both sides agree to withdraw their competing civil suits pending binding arbitrations. The arbitration process will remain confidential, Harrah's said in a statement. <br /><br /> The Clark County district attorney also agreed to drop the felony charges it had brought up against Mr. Watanabe related to his gambling debt. In Nevada, failure to pay off gambling debts is considered a punishable criminal felony. <br /><br /> Mr. Watanabe suffered what is believed to be the biggest losing streak in Las Vegas history. The Omaha, Neb., businessman, who grew rich from the sale of his family's party trinket empire, Oriental Trading Co., spent most of 2007 gambling in Las Vegas while living in a three-bedroom suite in Caesars Palace, a casino owned by Harrah's. <br /><br /> Separately, the Nevada Gaming Control Board has said it is investigating whether or not Harrah's violated state gambling regulations that say casino employees must remove a gambler who is clearly intoxicated. The issue was brought to the attention of the board by Mr. Watanabe's attorney.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-63-austrian-lotterie-increases-game-portfolio.htmlSat, 10 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Austrian Lotteries has teamed with GTECH G2 Games and is planning to add new side games to its online casino channel, Win2Day.at. GTECH Corporation's i-gaming division has provided Win2Day.at with its poker software for the past two years. This new agreement will see an expansion of the business dealings between the two companies.<br /><br />G2 is the digital gaming and sports betting sector of GTECH, the global lottery corporation. Austrian Lotteries and Casino Austria jointly operate Win2Day through a subsidiary.<br /><br /> Michael Rittmannsberger of the Austrian Lotteries stated: "G2 has earned our trust and respect since we've been working with them and they have a leading portfolio of games. So they were a logical choice as we develop our online offering."<br /><br /> Ulf Rehnström, Business Development Director, Government Markets said: "With the extensive i-gaming software and player management expertise we've gathered and our long-standing relationship with state lotteries, G2 is uniquely positioned to help this client extend its offering to include more online games."<br /><br /> Since February 2008, GTECH G2 has been providing the software for the poker games at the Win2Day.at site. The new settlement between the organizations will result in the launch of three of the most popular instant win games with the G2 games portfolio - Triple Chance hi-lo, Aztec Gold and Aces High.<br /><br /> The games that make up the portfolio of GTECH G2 include some that are developed by in-house development teams and some that are produced by other developers and integrated into their collection by use of G2's player centric Gaming Management System.<br /><br /> GTECH G2 is an interactive gaming portfolio that can provide a complete suite of core platform gaming engines to large or small customers. It offers all aspects of digital gaming and sports betting markets. Customers are able to pick and choose from their products or combine them for optimum performance. GTECH G2 is able to offer a successful product to operators who are only just entering the interactive gaming market, as well as those who already offer an established collection of interactive games. The GTECH G2 product portfolio includes casino, bingo, lottery, poker, sports betting, skill games and instant games, as well as back office and business solutions. GTECH combines with the software innovator, Boss Media; the provider of real time trading solutions, Finsoft; the service provider of Internet games, St Minver and the developer of digital instant and side games, Dynamite Idea.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-62-debate-rages-on-about-whether-video-games-and-slots-can-be-considered-art.htmlFri, 09 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100The great debate over whether video games, online slots and other gaming forms are to be thought of as art reached a new zenith.<br /><br />It’s a discussion that has been going on for some time but was accelerated back in April via a videoed TED talk given by Kellee Santiago, a designer and producer of video games. Santiago advocated that video games, which is an umbrella term used to include online casino games too, are a modern day art form.<br /><br /> "Art”, she argues, “is a way of communicating ideas to an audience in a way that the audience finds engaging." She takes viewers on a journey through time; looking at the evolvement of art from primitive cave paintings through to modern day masterpieces. She also retraces the simple, crude roots of today’s sophisticated, high tech film industry.<br /><br /> Gaming, she affirms, is simply a media in its early years: still developing, both in its creation by game producers, as well as in the expectations and appreciation of its audience. Whilst once players purely enjoyed games for their challenges and rewards, their increasing morality encourages the contemplation of social and cultural issues. This, argues Santiago, appeals to the emotions, makes them thought provoking and ultimately classes them as art.<br /><br /> She uses several gaming clips in her presentation, highlighting how they embrace topical issues and provide message and stimulation.<br /><br /> Games, she states are becoming more refined and growing up with their audience – they are becoming more serious, have deeper emotional content and not only tell a story that can be interacted with but encourage learning and emotional growth.<br /><br /> Games as a media, she argues, should not be confined to the superficial; we should recognize the power of gaming and allow it to naturally develop into its own art form in the 21st century.<br /><br /> The arguments put forward by Santiago may well be persuasive but many disagree. Famous film critic and blogger, Roger Ebert, begs to differ with Santiago. He says, “One obvious difference between art and games is that you can win a game. It has rules, points, objectives, and an outcome.”<br /><br /> The three clips she streamed also failed to leave a mark on him. He remarks that they, “do not raise my hopes for a video game that will deserve my attention long enough to play it. No one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great painters, filmmakers, novelists and poets."<br /><br /> He also ponders, “Why are gamers so intensely concerned, anyway, that games be defined as art?”<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-61-party-gaming-eranings-devastated-by-world-cup.htmlWed, 07 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Party Gaming revealed its quarterly results today, and is far from pleased over the earnings over these past three months. The company’s poker division has underperformed, making 13% less than expected. This loss is attributed largely to the year’s World Cup Games.<br /><br />“The adverse impact of the World Cup on our non-sports betting verticals was slightly greater than expected," says Chief Executive Jim Ryan.<br /><br /> In simple words, it seems that most poker players were too busy watching football than playing poker. Although many online casino operators tried to offer World Cup promotions and special casino bonuses, it seemed nothing could tear the players away from their television screens. .<br /><br /> Party Gaming reported that although its sports betting division has gained steadily, the influx of sports gamblers that the World Cup should have spawned never materialized, and the company had no way to make up its poker room financial losses. .<br /><br /> Despite Party Gaming’s best efforts to push its sports betting division on clients, it was still unable to meet their goals. Even with an exhaustive range of World Cup themed games, promotions, bonuses and more, Party Gaming continued to lose to its bigger completion, Bwin and Bodog. .<br /><br /> Party Gaming is hopeful that it will be able to compensate for the loss with its entrance into France’s online gambling market, which took place on July 1st. The French market is notoriously lucrative, and Party Gaming got in early enough to take advantage of the opportunity.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-60-colorado-casino-gambling-tax-revenue-lower-than-expectations.htmlTue, 06 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Colorado’s tax revenue from casinos one year after the local gambling laws were expanded with more hours, more games and higher betting limits is up, but not as much as was expected.<br /><br />Since July 2009, Colorado’s three mountain gambling towns have allowed casinos to stay open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and have raised the betting limits from five dollars to one hundred dollars, under the voter approved amendment 50. <br /><br /> State legislative economists estimate gambling tax revenue were $108.7 million for the fiscal year that ended on July 30, due in part to the gambling amendment and the improving economy. This is up from an eight year low of 94.9 million the year before, when the hard recession and skyrocketing gas prices kept people from driving to the gambling towns of Central City, Cripple Creek and Black Hawk. The amendment, according to analysts, generated $9.4 million of the increase, far, far less than the projected $30 million increase. <br /><br /> "We're still recovering from the effects of the casinowide smoking ban that went into effect in January 2008," Colorado Gaming Association Executive Director Lois Rice said Friday. <br /><br /> However, Dan Baader, who was mayor of Cripple Creek until May 5, said that the higher betting limits helped the casinos maintain their revenue during a weakened economy. <br /><br /> "If it would've stayed at $5, I think half the casinos would be gone," he said. <br /><br /> According to legislative economists, casinos gambling tax revenue will reach $115.2 million in fiscal 2010-2011, which would exceed the record set in 2006-2007 of $112 million.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-59-casino-gambling-industry-faces-hard-questions-at-austin-inquiry.htmlMon, 05 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Interests from the gambling and casino industries made lavish promises of billions in tax revenue before lawmakers in Austin on Wednesday, but face hard, skeptical questions from Democrats about the possible social costs.<br /><br />Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, told Jack E. Pratt Sr., chairman of the Texas Gaming Association “Could I make a suggestion to you? Don't pretend like there's not a downside. Somebody needs to talk about how we're going to mitigate the downside." Coleman is chairman of the Legislative Study Group, a mostly Democratic House caucus that scheduled its "Gaming 101" forum a week before the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee has a July 8 hearing on gambling expansion.<br /><br /> "Maybe we can influence some of the questions that are being asked by the committee and, ultimately, if there is a bill, influence what is in it," Coleman said.<br /><br /> The questions asked ranged from information on the one billion to a billion and a half dollars in projected tax revenue, to who might be the people who will play, and whether or not they would be able to afford it. <br /><br /> Expanding gambling would require a constitutional amendment that needs a two-thirds vote of lawmakers in the House, as well as approval on a statewide ballot. In the past, slots failed to obtain the necessary legislative support, but the matter has been pushed to the forefront again, due to an $18 billion dollar deficit in the state budget over the next two years. <br /><br /> Coleman said he is concerned about "the people that are walking into the convenience store around the corner from my house that are just trying to make it, and they're going to be a part of this, and they're going to be a bigger part of this than people are letting on. ... Because they're the biggest part of the lottery, and they are gamblers, because they're looking for hope. They're hoping that their lives will change."<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-58-maryland-anti-slots-debate-continues.htmlSun, 04 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Activists in Maryland voed on Tuesday to continue their fight against the proposal of Maryland’s largest planned casino, saying that the judge’s ruling last week derailing a public vote in the issue would not deter them.<br /><br />Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Ronald A. Silkworth ruled Friday that a planned referendum on zoning legislation for the casino was illegal because the zoning bill was part of an appropriation package. Under state law, spending measures cannot be decided upon by voters at the ballot box.<br /><br /> Annicelli's group, which disagrees with that interpretation, is part of a coalition that collected enough signatures to force a countywide vote on the zoning bill, which was approved by the Anne Arundel County Council in December. The majority of funding for the coalition's efforts has been provided by the Maryland Jockey Club, which favors slots at Laurel Park racetrack instead. .<br /><br /> Cordish Cos., a Baltimore-based developer seeking to build a 4,750-machine slots casino adjacent to the mall, last week hailed Silkworth's ruling as a victory for taxpayers. About half of the state's slots proceeds are earmarked for education programs. Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Gov. Martin O'Malley said he understood the frustrations of the homeowners fighting the casino. In 2008, statewide voters authorized five slots locations, including one in Anne Arundel. The locations were not specified in the measure. .<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-57-new-battle-waged-in-gettysburg-centered-around-gambling-casinos.htmlSat, 03 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Massachusetts lawmakers enamored of the idea of a multi-billion dollar revenue cash cow in the form of a casino, are having a hard time justifying the 24 hour world of smoke, free booze and other questionable practices prevalent on casinos, especially to the state’s Puritan roots and high-minded liberal reputation.<br /><br />During the recent debate on casinos in the House and State Senate, legislators have debated all kinds of restrictions to be placed on casinos, from bans on smoking and free drinks to limits on hour a single person can withdraw from the ATM machines, midnight closing times, warning labels on slot machines, and close scrutiny from public health counselors for gamblers who have spent too much time feeding quarters into slots. And a trans fat food ban. <br /><br /> For casino supporters, this is only more proof that Massachusetts is trying to live up to its reputation as a nanny state, with too much governmental interference into the lives of its residents. They say a politically correct online casino is impossible, and should not even be discussed. By their very nature, casinos have some elements that will make people feel uncomfortable, and it is far from being a “family” pastime. <br /><br /> However, opponents of casinos are not willing to give up hard earned ground, especially when it comes to hard-fought public health victories, such as a ban on smoking in public places and a prohibition on bars and restaurants giving out free drinks or selling them at a discount. Casinos are no exception. <br /><br /> But casino foes aren't ready to give ground, especially when it comes to hard-fought public health victories, such as a 6-year-old statewide smoking ban and a prohibition on restaurants and bars offering free or discounted drinks.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-56-alabama-gambling-task-force-forced-to-return-confiscated-gambling-equipment.htmlFri, 02 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100State police returned electronic bingo equipment and left the Greenetrack casino Wednesday after a circuit judge issued a court order for the governors gambling task force to end a raid on the bingo operation, saying it was illegal.<br /><br />The head of the Alabama Gambling Task force, John Tyson Jr., who considers bingo machines illegal slots filed a motion with the Alabama Supreme Court to strike down the orders of the presiding judge, Eddie Hardaway. <br /><br /> The state troopers, who had begun confiscating gambling equipment on Tuesday, returned it, and exited the casino after another court order arrived, instructing the state troopers to “vacate the premises” immediately. <br /><br /> Tyson said that last night’s court order was issued without a hearing, and without time for the state to defend its position, and even without a written request for relief. Late Monday, the Supreme Court struck down a Hardway order blocking the task force from raiding Greenetrack. Since then, Tyson has stated that the need for Supreme Court intervention has become even dire. <br /><br /> Governor Bob Riley’s spokesman Jeff Emmerson said Eddie Hardway was clearly and flagrantly ignoring the Alabama Supreme Court and should be removed from the case. It was not immediately clear when the justices might act. Hardaway scheduled a hearing Thursday. Riley's task force is seeking to confiscate more than 800 electronic bingo machines, which it contends are illegal gambling devices under recent Alabama Supreme Court rulings. Critics of the task force say the shutdown of Greenetrack wipes out more than 350 jobs in a poor, rural county that can't afford to lose them.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-55-debate-over-gambling-casino-built-in-gettysburg-sparks-controversy.htmlThu, 01 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100Historical musings about the most terrible and bloodiest battle in the Civil War and concerns over gambling intersected yesterday at the Massachusetts Senate, in what seemed like a timed and ever poetic proclamation.<br /><br />On the eve of the Battle of Gettysburg’s 147 year anniversary, a prominent group of historians sent a letter to the Pennsylvania gaming control board, stressing that the proposed gambling casino to be erected near the fabled battleground will conflict with the area’s historical significance, and irrevocably change the face of the district. <br /><br /> Urging the Chairman of the board to deny the proposed casino’s application, the letter kindled the debate between preservationists and gambling casino supporters that ignited in 2005, when another application for a casino was put forth to the Board. <br /><br /> According to the letter, building a casino would be an insult to the brave men and women who died there. Some 160,000 Union and Confederate soldiers fought in the battle, out which a staggering 50,000 died at the Battle of Gettysburg, the largest and bloodiest battle of the Civil War. It started on today's date in 1863 and ended on July 3. <br /><br /> "The idea of a gambling casino on or even near [the battleground] is totally incompatible with the nature of that historic site, which is special and unique," Dr. McPherson said. "A casino can be put anywhere, but there's only one Gettysburg." Historians claim the battle was pivotal in the Civil War, not only because of the number of lives lost, but also because four months later, Lincol was to utter his famous “Gettysburg address” there, at the dedication of a national cemetery for the fallen. <br /><br /> If granted a state license, Mason-Dixon Resorts & Casino will be at the existing Eisenhower Hotel & Conference Center in Cumberland Township.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-54-alabama-task-force-shuts-down-another-online-casino.htmlWed, 30 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100People living in Alabama in the United States may have to go elsewhere to get their gambling thrills in the very near future. The Task force on illegal gambling continued their assault on what the governor believes are illegal gambling operators, among them some of the biggest employers in the state.<br /><br />Greenetrack is one of the largest employers in Alabama, or at least it was, until a raid by authorities on Tuesday, thousands of automatic bingo machines were confiscated. Right after the raid, the Task Force was shut down by Judge Eddie Hardway, with the state appealing to lift the injunction against it. <br /><br /> In the meantime, thousands of residents of Alabama have lost their jobs. The economic recession in Alabama had the government looking for ways to find new sources of revenue, and it now looks as if the recession will have to be dealt with without the taxes of thousands of casino employees, and their employers. <br /><br /> "I challenge Gov. Riley to bring some industry or jobs to Greene County that provides some of the same benefits that Greenetrack provides," said Curtis Travers of Tuscaloosa. Criticism of Governor Riley has been growing over the past few months, and the gambling issue could be the one that determines who replaces Riley as Governor. The gubernatorial candidates have been pressing the gambling issue, and in the upcoming elections voters will have to decide on whether they want casinos or not. <br /><br /> Attorney General Troy King has already tried to seize control of the Task Force, but the Supreme Court countermanded this, stating that Riley was within his rights in creating the task force. The Supreme Court has already ruled in favor of the Government in a number of cases relating to casinos and gambling.<br /><br /> Attorney General Troy King has already attempted to seize control of the Task Force, but the Supreme Court ruled that Riley was within his jurisdiction by creating the Task Force. The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the governor on several different cases involving the operation of the Task Force.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-53-massachusetts-casino-gambling-bill-delayed-due-to-debate-on-drinking-and-smoking.htmlTue, 29 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100The bill on whether the state of Massachusetts will have casinos will be delayed yet again due to disagreements on smoking and drinking. In fact, it seems that the debate yesterday lost track of gambling altogether, so incensed were the Senators.<br /><br />For the third time in a row yesterday, Massachusetts lawmakers dug into their parliamentary rulebooks, seeking to undermine the bill proposal legalizing state casinos. Although the debate is headed into its sixth day, commentators believe that the bill will be passed soon, perhaps even this week. <br /><br /> However, Senate leaders are beginning to show their frustration, especially as more urgent and pressing issues are delayed because of the filibusters. <br /><br /> But Senate leaders are showing signs of frustration, especially as more time-sensitive matters are put off. It appears that even though there is urgent budgetary business to attend to, it takes only one senator with one issue, namely, casinos, to shut down the entire Senate, at least temporarily. <br /><br /> On Friday, Senate majority leader Tisei of Wakefield moved to table the bill, as Democrats were unwilling to debate the proposed tax cuts that the bill included. During a special session on Saturday, Senator Richard T. Moore, an Uxbridge Democrat doubted the presence of a quorum, warning that some members were moving to repeal a ban on smoking in casino that had been passed the week before. <br /><br /> On Friday, Senate minority leader Richard R. Tisei of Wakefield moved to table the bill because Democratic leaders refused to debate tax-cutting measures favored by Republicans. During a special session Saturday, Senator Richard T. Moore, an Uxbridge Democrat, doubted the presence of a quorum, because he worried that some members were trying to overturn a ban on smoking in casinos that had been passed last week.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-52-lawmakers-in-massachusetts-try-to-limit-amount-of-casino-gambling.htmlMon, 28 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100Lawmakers set to approve the first casinos in Massachusetts have promised to control their spread, and to limit them to a few. This may not be possible.<br /><br />Financial pressures have caused a great increase in slot machines, video gaming terminals, and new casinos in every state that has legalized them over the past 20 years. In Illinois, legislators who approved gambling on riverboat casinos in 1009, recently approved 50,000 video poker stations in bars across the state. Michigan, who had just two casinos in 2000, now has 23, with more being built. <br /><br /> “Once you get the breakthrough of legalization, there is always a push for expansion, and states almost never pull back,’’ said Nelson Rose, a professor at Whittier Law School in California who tracks the gambling industry. “It always happens one way or another.’’ <br /><br /> Even the casinos themselves are skeptical of unbridled expansion, as it can dramatically dilute the market, destroying revenue at the casinos, and increasing the costs of addiction, crime and government regulation. <br /><br /> The State Senate is pushing for three new casinos inside state lines, while the House is pushing for two casinos and slot machines at the state’s race track. However, limiting the number of casinos may not be possible. The two federally recognized Indian tribes have already begun asserting their right to build on sovereign land whether or not they do get a state license. In addition, future legislatures could approve even more casinos. <br /><br /> State Senator Stanley C. Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat and one of the principal authors of the Senate legislation, said he initially sought to include a provision in the bill that would require a super-majority vote of the Legislature to expand the number of gambling facilities. But, he said, that provision turned out to be unconstitutional. <br /><br /> “This is a real issue, and we’re trying to find a solution,’’ State Senator Stanley C. Rosenberg said. “All I can say is, first things first: Get the bill signed into law and set up a regulatory agency. It will be 18 to 19 months before licenses get issued, and during that period of time we need to find a resolution to this.’’<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-51-singapore-sacrifices-low-crime-rate-with-multi-billion-dollar-casino.htmlSun, 27 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100The casinos in Singapore have attracted over three million visitors, created thousands of jobs and have spurred an unprecedented growth in the building of hotels and amenities, among them restaurants and shopping malls.<br /><br />Since the opening of the Resorts World Sentosa in February and Marina Bay Sands in April, the island has seen a rise in crime. Some offenders were fined or sent to prison, three European suspects have jumped bail and two Africans have been charged for cheating the casinos out of about S$140,000. <br /><br /> Called Asia’s most livable city, Singapore dropped its 45-year ban on casinos to help double tourism revenue by 2015 and shed what Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called an “unexciting” image. One of the world’s safest countries according to the U.S. Overseas Security Advisory Council, Singapore has prepared for a potential increase in loan sharking, pimping and fraud.<br /><br /> “Casinos mean money, money means temptation and temptation means there’s bound to be some sort of crime,” said Song Seng- Wun, an economist at CIMB Research Pte in Singapore. “Is it worth it in terms of its impact and contribution to the Singapore economy? Definitely.”<br /><br /> The $5.5 billion Marina Bay Sands, owned by billionaire Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corp., hosts its grand opening today after unveiling the casino, some convention facilities, a mall and 963 of 2,560 hotel rooms on April 27. Genting Singapore Plc’s $4.7 billion Resorts World casino on Sentosa island, featuring a Universal Studios Inc. theme park, opened Feb. 14.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-50-new-hampshire-set-to-operate-state-run-online-casino.htmlSat, 26 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100New Hampshire is preparing to operate its own online gambling site next week, and its lawmakers have come up with an ingenious plan of circumventing the UIGEA ban on internet casino gambling.<br /><br />As the controversial law prevents payment processing to and from online casino gambling sites, new Hampshire will sell physical tickets through the lottery, which will be redeemable at the online gambling site. <br><br> By collecting all the payments through the sale of tickets, the state does not need to accept internet payments, which would be illegal under the UIGEA. Money exchanged would entail only the actual purchasing of the ticket. Winnings would be collected in the same way, at lottery stands. Then, although the players buys a ticket and goes home to play in the online casino, he need never use his credit card, as the ticket would carry a code, with information on how much to credit his account with. <br><br> Selling tickets that carry an exchange value may be a method tested by adventurous online casino operators eager to avoid the difficulties presented by the recent UIGEA limitations. The code from the ticket could then allocate funds to an online casino account, without cash ever directly changing hands. <br><br> If it can be established that the tickets can be used for purposes other than gaming, then the fact that online gambling is one of the options available should not disqualify those sales from credit card purchases, and third party processing would no lnger be needed.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-49-virgin-casino-has-teamed-up-with-microgaming.htmlFri, 25 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100In a move that will no doubt make its players very happy, Virgin Casino has teamed up with Microgaming, the leading software provider to the online gaming industry.<br /><br />This agreement will result in Microgaming flash online casino games being made available to players at Virgin Casino through Microgaming revolutionsy software called Quickfire. <br /><br /> During the coming months a large variety of games from Microgaming’s portfolio of well over 400 games will be available to Virgin online casino players. Indeed, the first game has already gone live, the popular online slot game, Thunderstruck. Thunderstruck is a five reel and nine pay line video slot gambling game. Despite being released several years ago, it still has some of the best graphics and sounds among leading games in the industry. <br /><br /> The partnership with Microgaming is consistent with Vigin’s strategy of offering a wide range of games and content to it’s players. Though the basic software is from WagerWorks, Virgin Casino offers, like many other online casinos, games from Cryptologic, Fremantle and Ash Gaming. Elaborating on this strategy Simon Burridge, CEO of Virgin Casino said, "Our customers have told us that they want a wider range of games and specifically they would love to play Microgaming games as a part of the Virgin Games offering. The addition of Microgaming, the world leader in its field, is a big step forward for Virgin Games customers and we look forward to launching its games with a range of promotions over the coming months."<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-48-californians-on-welfare-cash-in-food-stamps-at-casinos.htmlThu, 24 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100California recipients of welfare are able to use their state-issued debit cards in order to withdraw cash on gaming floors at more than half the casinos in the state, a Los Angeles review of records found.<br /><br />The cards, which are issued by the California department of social services to help recipients feed and clothe their families work at automated teller machines at 32 out of the 58 tribal casinos throughout the state. State officials said Wednesday that the they were working hard to discover exactly how much money was withdrawn from casino ATMs by people using the welfare cards. <br /><br /> Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who first heard of the story when he was asked to comment, promised to take immediate action in order to solve the problem. <br /><br /> "We have instructed our vendors to prohibit these cards from being accepted at ATMs located in casinos and card rooms," the Governor’s spokesman Aaron McLear said Wednesday. "It is reprehensible that anyone would use taxpayer money for anything other than its intended purpose." Administration officials said the social service agency contracts with private ATM companies to handle the electronic transfer of funds to people on welfare, and had not noticed that money was being withdrawn at casinos and other gambling establishments. <br /><br /> Administration officials said the social services agency contracts with a private ATM network to handle the electronic transfer of benefits to people on welfare, and hadn't noticed that the taxpayer money was being withdrawn at gambling establishments.<br /><br /> Schwarzenegger has already been at ends with other lawmakers, in his fight to combat waste and fraud in the state’s social service programs. He fought back a legislative effort to stop fingerprinting foot stamp recipients, a system designed to prevent double dipping and other abuses.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-47-online-casino-gambling-on-the-rise-in-japan.htmlWed, 23 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100Poll results released during the recent Global Gaming Expo Asia in Macau had the esperts agreeing on the main trends that would continue to dominate the market. These were the rise in online gambling all over Japan and the rest of Asia.<br /><br />While Macau, one of the world’s capitals for land based casinos see very little business from online casino gambling, the head of American Gaming Association, Fahrenkopf, said that internet online casino gambling was likely to emrge as an important part of the global market, especially in such high tech nations like Japan. <br /><br /> “The growth of the market in Asia has been incredible,” said Fahrenkopf and about two-thirds of those polled believed that US casino revenue would be “eclipsed by Asia in three to five years.” In fact, total revenue in Asia made from gambling rose an incredible 95 percent year-on-year in May to $2.1 billion. <br /><br /> Some talk of legislation regarding the refinement of arcane Japanese gambling laws to account for regulation of online casino gambling has begun, this is only in its early stages. While gaming parlors are legal and plentiful (earlier this year, Japan was reported to be no. 2 in the world in number of gambling machines) Casino gambling is theoretically against the law, though no clear penalties are laid out. It is estimated that over 10 million Japanese citizens regularly play at online casinos and perhaps just as many more play at online or bricks-and-mortar casinos when abroad. <br /><br /> If this is indeed the case, lawmakers would do well to implement some solid Internet gambling laws before too long to foster online casinos in Japan.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-46-police-arrest-28-online-casino-gambling-operators,-including-one-police-officer.htmlTue, 22 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100In Israel, police have reported the arrest of 28 people who are accused of operation of an illegal online gambling casino, including one of their own law enforcers.<br /><br />Israeli police have arrested 28 people accused of opening and operating an illegal online casino gambling operation. However, the surprise was that one of the people arrested was also a high ranking police officer. A suspended officer, an unnamed superintended of the computer division on leave since January was among those detained, and was given and was immediately given a two day extension on the suspension. <br /><br /> The operation was quite extensive, with a network of kiosks helping distribute disposable cash cards to hundreds of Israeli citizens. With values ranging from 100 to 5000 shekels, the card could be scratched to reveal a PIN number which would deposit the amount into the client’s account at the online casino. <br /><br /> Although law enforcement officials did say that 40 locations nationwide had been investigated in the search, and that hundreds of customers were involved, it was still unclear exactly how much money was passed around. Police are also investigating suspicions that some of Israel’s most prominent crime families were involved in the gambling ring. . Those arrested were held on suspicion of organizing illegal gambling activity, money laundering and tax violations. <br /><br /> Internet gambling in Israel is legal, but the only sites allowed to target and direct marketing to Israeli citizens in Hebrew are lottery and sports betting sites approved to do so by the central government; running an online casino in Israel is completely illegal. However, foreign online gambling websites prosper out of the reach of Israeli authorities and Internet gambling today is extremely popular in the country, particularly among Israeli teens.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-45-bill-introduced-to-state-senate-ensures-that-western-massachusetts-will-get-casino.htmlMon, 21 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100A bill introduced to the State Senate last week would ensure that Massachusetts will get its share of the billions of dollars in tax revenue that casino gambling advocated say will bring into the state.<br /><br />The bill calls for the construction of three casinos inside the state, including a facility in one of the state’s Western Counties. <br /><br /> The Senate bill is more congenial to Western Massachusetts than a bill previously passed by the House of Representatives which called for the construction of only two casino, and 750 slot machines at the two horse racing tracks in the state. More importantly, however, the House bill contains no guarantee that a casino would be built in Western Massachusetts, even though Mohegan Sun showed interest in building a $600 million dollar casino resort near Palmer. <br /><br /> If the state is going to allow casino gambling, Western Massachusetts, it is imperative that Western Massachusetts get one. Casinos will bring in thousands of new jobs to the sorely needy region, while providing the State with much needed tax revenue. Officials at Mohegan Sun say the Palmer casino could create 2,500 to 3,000 permanent jobs and 1,200 construction jobs. <br /><br /> When state Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg, D-Amherst, announced last week he was throwing his support behind casino gambling, he pointed out that the Bay State loses more than $1 billion a year in gambling dollars to Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island. <br /><br /> “Massachusetts players are going there in droves,” he said. “We get no revenues and no job benefits.” <br /><br /> The full Senate expects to begin debate on the measure this week, and legislators hope to have a final bill for the governor in July. The Senate should fight to ensure that a Western Massachusetts casino remains in the bill that emerges from the House-Senate reconciliation process. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-44-sports-and-online-gambling-bill-up-for-debate-in-new-jersey-legislature.htmlSun, 20 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100The State of New Jersey has been trying to find a way to counteract the ailing economy in general, and to find ways to reap new revenue from taxes, most notable from the casinos in Atlantic City.<br /><br />The State of New Jersey has been trying to find a way to fill its empty coffers, and to raise the tax revenue from its Atlantic City casinos. Several suggestions have been put forth, with several options seeming more viable than the rest. One of them is in the field of online casino gambling and sports betting, two revenue sources that have until now been underutilized. <br /><br /> State Democrats have put forth a proposal to hold a public vote this autumn. Several legislators have submitted their own online gambling legislation, and opposition has been met with across the board. Not only are the existing racetracks seeking to hold on their monopoly, and to get a piece of the pie. But there has been new and unexpected opposition to online casino gambling. <br /><br /> Atlantic City’s 11 casinos have been seriously under performing throughout the recession, and legislators are grasping at straws for additional tax revenue. Having been decimated by recession and out of state competition, the 11 casinos have been floundering. <br /><br /> The possibility of regulated New Jersey Online Gambling is looking bleak, but the odds, despite how slim, are posted. Voters may ultimately have some say in how the wind blows over this issue. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-41-leron-washington,-the-professional-boxer,-won-the-world-poker-tour-celebrity-invitational.htmlSat, 19 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100Leron Washington was professional boxer before embarking on a completely different career which was provided by a very lucky break.<br /><br />The boxer from West Virginia used to enjoy playing the odd hand of poker, but one fateful night he decided to enter a WPT online poker room. <br /><br /> Washington ended up winning the World Poker Tour Celebrity Invitational package and in March he was heading off to the Commerce Casino in Loas Angeles where he rubbed shoulders with some of the best poker players in the industry. <br /><br /> As the WPT event was getting started, Leron Washington has to contend with 567 different poker players, some of them among the best poker players in the world. However, two days later, he was among the last players left in the game, along with another five. the $100,000 first place prize, plus a $25,000 WPT Championship seat was just the spur he needed to set him off on his new career path. <br /><br /> “To win it man it was just like, everything flashed in front of me, right before my eyes in like three seconds, everything that I had worked for since I sat at the first tournament table and to up to that point, I said wow this is it, this is my break.” <br /><br /> Highlighting the similarities between boxing and poker, Leron Washington said: “Boxing is a sport where you have to be on your toes at all times and you have to think a lot, but in a small period of time…I knew my skills and I’m a respected poker player…I just needed the opportunity to get out there.”<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-40-the-legislation-of-internet-online-casino-gambling-services.htmlFri, 18 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100On June 3, legislation that would give Atlantic City casinos the ability to offer internet online casino gambling services with the state of New Jersey cleared a hurdle when S490 was reported from the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee by a 3-1 vote with relatively few amendments.<br /><br />However, the latest hurdle comes from the casinos themselves. The casinos that would stand to gain the most from the new legislation don’t want the bill to be passed. CANJ, which represents all 11 Atlantic City casinos, sent a letter to Assemblyman John Burzichelli, the chairman of the Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee in the Assembly, urging his committee to vote no on online gambling legislation or "at least not hold any vote on it, until further guidance can be given from the Attorney General or other law enforcement." <br /><br /> "This bill would give the casinos the ability to market to people playing poker, slots, or other games on the Internet in New Jersey and bring them to Atlantic City," said Catania. "The demographics of people who are playing on the Internet are different from the demographics of the people who are actually coming to the casinos now. The ones on the Internet are the younger crowd, and if the casinos could use this to bring the younger crowd in, in my opinion, it's going to increase their business."<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-39-uigea-law-finally-to-be-eneacted-and-enforced-in-the-united-states.htmlThu, 17 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) came into effect Tuesday after nearly four years after Congress passed the law under controversial circumstances.<br /><br />The new law aims to stop the spread of online gambling by preventing credit card companies, banks and other financial institutions from transferring money from and to online casino gambling companies. However, the problem with the laws lies in its ambiguity; it only very loosely defines what actually constitutes online casino gambling. <br /><br /> The hot topic in today’s online casino industry is the big poker firms. Will banks and financial institutions decide any form of online gaming is more trouble than the profits are potentially worth, and refuse to deal with online poker games as well? Indeed, poker, which is considered a skill game and not a game of chance, was one of the reasons that the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve decided to delay till today required compliance with the law by blocking regulations to implement the legislation last November. <br /><br /> “It is likely to make life more difficult for banks — especially small community banks — who will find it a great burden to police transactions that might be related to Internet gambling,” says Kevin Di Gregory, a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips who used to oversee Internet gambling enforcement at the Justice Department. “There are already banks that are refusing to engage in transactions that might be questionable.” <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-43-nevada-state-gaming-control-board-issues-warning-to-all-casinos-not-to-engage-in-online-gambling.htmlWed, 16 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100The Nevada state Gaming Control Board has issued warning to all land based casinos in its jurisdiction not to get involved in building and maintaining online counterparts.<br /><br />The State of Nevada has issued a warning to all land based casinos operating mainly in Las Vegas not to get involved with online gambling of any kind until federal legislation is passed that will make online casino gambling legal. The reason for this surprising statement is rumors that several of the biggest land based casinos in Las Vegas have already affiliated themselves with online casino operators in order to make the smooth transition into the online gaming industry once Congress decides to license and regulate the industry. <br /><br /> Among the first to go into the online business is Harrah’s Casino, which has already developed its own gambling branch, apart from the online casino they already own, which accepts bets from residents outside the US. Because of this, relationships between land based casinos in Las Vegas and online casino operators are being investigated by the Nevada regulators. <br /><br /> It is rumored that even 888.com is working with Harrah’s and that they are providing the software for Harrah’s online casino.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-42-resident-of-buffalo,-new-york-arrested-under-suspicion-of-running-internet-sports-betting-and-online-casino-ring.htmlTue, 15 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100A resident of Buffalo, New York has recently been arrested by New Jersey police under suspicion of running an internet sports betting and online casino, for the Lucchese crime organization. According to the states Attorney General, Paula Dow, Ronald Cohen had been apprehended and charged with laundering funds and operating an illegal and criminal business.<br /><br />In a statement to the press, Dow said that "We allege that this man was the primary facilitator for the Lucchese crime family's offshore gambling operation." The state alleges that Cohen oversaw the acceptance of billions of dollars in wagers and ensured that the website though which the wagers were placed was up and running. <br /><br /> Over thirty alleged members of the Lucchese family have been indicted in the last month as a result of the Gamgs and Organized Crime Bureau's Operation Heat. Among those charged are two top members of the Mafia family, Ralph Perna and Nicodermo Scarfo. <br /><br /> While many forms of online gambling are debatably legal under US courts' interpretation of the Wire Act, no such ambiguity exists for online sports betting. Both the Wire Act and the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act specifically outlaw all forms of sports betting, including online gambling.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-38-cyprus-begins-battle-against-online-casino-gambling.htmlMon, 14 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100As the House of Representatives in Cyprus continues to prepare the legal and judicial framework for combating illegal online gambling by banning all forms of online gambling altogether, more and more voices are heard in favor of not banning online casinos, but regulating them.<br /><br />o far, the debate seems to center on ideological grounds, with President Demetris Christofias and the government party asserting that only an outright ban is the single most effective way of combating illegal online casino gambling. On the other side, some argue that most types of gambling, when made illegal, simply carry on in the so called gray economy. Hence, the preferred way of dealing with the problem is not pushing it deeper out of the eye, but to regulate what is already present. <br /><br /> AS the House of Representatives continues to prepare the legal framework for combating illegal online gambling by banning online gambling altogether, more establishment voices are being raised in favor of allowing casinos to operate legally on the island. This would allow collection of much needed taxes and licensing fees. Another advantage is that a legal private gambling industry would reduce unemployment. <br /><br /> “The biggest problem we see every day is that no matter where you go in the world, where there is no legal gambling, there is a ton of illegal online casino gambling”, Techlink Entertainment Ltd President and CEO John Xidos told the Sunday Mail. <br /><br /> “The two big issues for everyone today are that government needs to have full control in order to eliminate corruption, and the players need to have full control in order to control their online casino gambling expenditure”, he said.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-37-poker-player’s-alliance-challenges-anti-online-casino-law-in-washington.htmlSun, 13 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100The federal system in the United States allows different laws to be applicable in different jurisdictions and states.<br /><br />Washington State has laws against online casino gambling, including poker and skill games. Playing or engaging in these types of online games is punishable as a felony. <br /><br /> This law was recently challenged by the Washington State branch of the Poker Player’s Alliance. After going to trial and the appeals courts, is now before the Washington State Supreme Court. State Director of the Poker Player’s Alliance Lee Rousso presented the case for the PPA that challenged the law under the Commerce Act, the specifically states that the state cannot legislate discriminatory legislation against a particular industry. The PPA’s case is that the State of Washington unlawfully discriminates against online casino gambling and poker rooms. <br /><br /> Mr. Rousso’s argument contends that a person playing online poker or other casino games inside a land based casino is not breaking the law, but the same activity online is a felony. It was suggested that the only beneficiaries of the law are the Indian owned casinos who did not want competition from their online counterparts. <br /><br /> Assistant Attorney General, Jerry Ackerman, represented the State of Washington, and said to the court that online gambling cannot be regulated and is therefore unsafe. <br /><br /> Thomas Goldstein, who spoke for the online gambling industry said that it was not sufficient for the state to claim that online gambling cannot be regulated and they had failed at the two previous court hearings to prove that online gambling could not be controlled or regulated. Goldstein also added there are many instances of regulated online gambling in other jurisdictions and the State of Washington allows for online betting on the horses. <br /><br /> Justice, Jim Johnson, questioned Ackerman, "Aren’t these the same games that are played in Indian casinos?" Ackerman said the Indian casinos were allowed because federal legislation required them to do so. The judges pointed out that the state receives a substantial fee from the Tribal casinos dismissing Ackerman's contention.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-35-sands-casino-singapore-sued-by-bar-association.htmlSat, 12 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s Singapore casino resort was sued by organizers of its first conference ever for misrepresenting a “complete disaster” as a world class venue and for imposing duress, fear and force.<br /><br />IPBA 2010 Pte , on behalf of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association conferenhce is asking the Singapore high court to assess damages for misrepresentation, breach of contract and Marina Bay Sands Pte’s conduct. The case counters the casinos lawsuit of unpaid bills. The Sands casino, controlled by billionaire Sheldon Adelson promised that the resort would be an “iconic venue” and would offer full facilities and unparalleled elegance. However, the organizers of the conference complained of power outages during speeches, unfinished rooms and lost luggage. <br /><br /> Delegates at the conference told of unsightly pails placed in the hotel atrium, placed there to catch water from leaks in the ceiling. Some guests had to be sheltered by umbrellas when checking in. Still others were locked inside their rooms because of malfunctioning keys and locks. All in all, not a good beginning for what was supposed to be the most exclusive casino of the East. <br /><br /> According to the suit, the casino used the conference to its full commercial benefit and to speed up the temporary occupation benefit and casino license, obtained only days before the conference began. In addition, Marina Sand threatened to jeopardize the conference and to withhold services unless the casino was paid in full. As a result, three checks were handed over to the casino “under duress,” with two of the checks later being cancelled by the bar association, based in Tokyo.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-36-south-african-gambling.htmlSat, 12 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100Although a global recession is under way, bookmakers worldwide are gearing up to make a mint on the upcoming wolrd Cup football games.<br /><br />However, with the value of bets rising to the level of billions of dollars, how does the hosting country itself enjoy these profits? <br /><br /> It seems that financial institutions in South Africa are threatening customers with strict legal repercussions if they are found to be indulging in internet betting activities. On the other hand, making a bet with your local bookie is perfectly legal, and these unqualified statements are tarnishing the reputations of the majority of legally licensed betting operators in South Africa. <br /><br /> In South Africa today, there are a myriad of operator who offer betting products without legal permit, or even knowledge, of the local gambling Board. No individual entity, however, is allowed to offer any form of betting unless they have met the conditions of an very stringent investigation process, and the Gambling Board’s prime purpose is to the ensure that the South African betting market is controlled and monitored to ensure the safety, legality and security of both the bookmaker and the public. In addition, most of these non licensed companies operate outside the boundaries of South Africa, and clients using their services often have no legal recourse should the deal turn sour. Of course, it is South Africa’s interest that it’s money not be exported as well.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-33-massachusetts-senators-get-into-heated-debate-on-the-perils-and-merits-of-casinos.htmlFri, 11 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100Tensions run high in Massachusetts as Senators got an earful from both sides of the heated casino debate on the perils and merits of casinos before they vote later this month on a bill to legalize casinos in Massachusetts.<br /><br />Robert J. Hayes, rough talking President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO urged lawmakers to connect with the will of the people, and disregards the elites, who seek to produce statistic after statistic to make casino seem like a bad idea for the State. On the other side of the debate, Matthew C. Patrick, whose father was addicted to gambling, said of the proposal ““We’re destroying families,’’ Patrick said, on the verge of tears. “Don’t forget that.’ The debate comes at an interesting intersection in the long running debate on casinos in Beacon hill. <br /><br /> In April, the State Legislature passed a bill to legalize two casinos as well as slot machines at the state’s two horse tracks and two former dog tracks. The Governer of Massachusetts supported these and other casinos, but not placing slot machines at the tracks. <br /><br /> Many on both sides of the debate have said that the momentum has shifted in favor of legalizing casinos. Lawmakers, hoping to get back some of the budgets lost to a shattering recession, have said that they believe casinos would help recapture some one billion dollars spent each year by Massachusetts gamblers each year. <br /><br /> Yesterday’s debate was a chance for both sides to hear the other’s arguments before voting later on this month.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-34-nevada-casino-winnings-fall-57-percent-in-april.htmlFri, 11 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100Casinos in Nevada won $810.5 million in April, 5.7 less than the same month last year, gambling regulators said Wendesday.<br /><br />The State Gaming Control board said tax collections based on those winning were$39.7 millionin May, a steep 23.4% decrease when compared with the taxes paid in May last year. The steepest decrease came from the Boulder Strip, and in South and North Lake Tahoe. On the Boulder Strip, casinos winnings dropped nearly 13% to $56.8 million. The area produced 7% of statewide gambling revenue, compared with 8.8% in April 2009. <br /><br /> Gambling revenue on the Las Vegas strip dropped less than 1% to $437.3 million. However, the Strip slightly increased its share of gambling revenue, talking in 54% of Nevada’s total, compared with 51% in April last year. <br /><br /> Only three areas in Nevadam showed any increase in customer traffic over the past year, Carson Valley, Mesquite and Wendover in Elko County. These three areas made a combined 4.1 percent of the state's gambling revenues. <br /><br /> Gambling regulators said casino winnings dropped 4 percent during the first 10 months of the fiscal year, which ends this month. Casinos statewide have won $8.7 billion from July through April, compared with $9.08 billion during the first 10 months of the prior fiscal year. <br /><br /> Over that time, casino winnings on the Strip increased just over 0.5 percent, to $4.79 billion. State officials said the taxes collected on gambling revenues in the first 11 months of the fiscal year were $572.7 million, down 5.3 percent from the $604.6 million through the first 11 months of fiscal 2009.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-31-across-the-united-states-lawmakers-begin-to-support-online-casino-gambling.htmlThu, 10 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100Across the United States, lawmakers are beginning to support the legalization of online casino gambling, despite the recession and the UIGEA.<br /><br />Indeed, they say that the interest and popularity of online gambling all over the United States is so huge that it cannot be ignored. In addition, there is the added bonus of the massive amounts of revenue that casino gambling would generate in taxes. Even with an attempted prohibition in place, the UIGEA, American spend some six billion dollars annually at online casinos, according to a study by H2. <br /><br /> US Representative Dean Heller of Nevada was quoted in saying “First of all, they know that billions of dollars are being lost overseas. They know that Internet gaming goes on all of the time. How do we take a piece of the action and bring it back into this country?" <br /><br /> In saying this, Heller was echoing the feelings of other lawmakers, including Representative Jim McDermott of Washington, who has already drafted legislation allocation revenue from potential online casino gambling profits. <br /><br /> "We are sending a multibillion industry offshore and underground," McDermott told the Ways and Means Committee at a Congressional hearing on his bill. "As a result, we are making tax criminals of Americans who can't declare their online winnings to the IRS." <br /><br /> US land-based casino operators would eagerly jump in if regulation were placed on Internet gaming, say experts. This would only serve to increase potential revenue, rendering current estimates short of realized income. <br /><br /> "Obviously, every Nevada casino out there would probably have a site, if they legalize it," said Larry Woolf, CEO and president of the Navegante Group, to the news paper.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-32-france-to-award-licences-in-online-gambling-market.htmlThu, 10 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100The French Gambling regulator ARJEL disclosed yesterday the winners of licenses in the newly legalized domestic online sports betting market.<br /><br />This occurred just in time for the football World Cup that will begin on Frieday. However, companies wishing to obtain poker permits will have to wait a while longer. <br /><br /> Among the 23 companies vying for online gambling permits in France, about 15 will be able and authorized to operate as today. However, poker operators will have to wait until the end of June, because of a one month technical delay caused by questions raised by Malta two weeks ago at the European Commission about French law. However, the questions raised are only procedural, and cannot affect French law. <br /><br /> Along with traditional French gambling groups, state owned lottery group Francaise des Jeux and horse-race betting company PMU, the main European online gambling companies, have shown interest in the deregulated French sports betting market. This segment alone could be potentially worth billions of dollars alone. <br /><br / But even after the French online gaming market gets into full swing, there are still some doubts about the capacity of the French government to protect licensed betting operators from offshore-based websites, where many French are already trying their luck.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-30-vegas-preparing-for-online-casino-takeover.htmlSun, 25 Apr 2010 10:00:00 +0100In recent years Las Vegas, Atlantic City and other live casino destinations in the United States have seen a marked decline in visitors due to online gambling.<br /><br />However, if online gambling is legalized and regulated in the United States this decline is likely to be even larger. As a result, many Las Vegas casinos are gearing up by opening their own casinos online. <br /><br /> There has been talk about legalizing US gambling for years now, but as of yet nothing has happened. However, as the UK forges ahead in the online gambling arena and as online gambling is beginning to be regulated all over Europe and even in South America the likelihood of the US entering the online gambling picture is becoming more and more likely. <br /><br /> In Las Vegas it seems that more and more live casinos are preparing for regulated US online gambling in order to cover their losses in the event of a US online casino boom. Over the next few months we are likely to see many Vegas land based casinos launching online casinos to the international gambling community to prepare. Lawmakers in Nevada have already begun to draw up rules in regards to US online gambling and as soon as the federal government gives the go-ahead they will be prepared to launch to United States players. <br /><br /> These online casinos are preparing to operate by very strict laws so that once they get the green light from the federal government they will have few changes to make. Vegas casinos want to be fully prepared so that they can be at the top of the industry the moment online casinos are legalized and regulated in the United States.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-29--financial-report-predicts-online-casino-boom.htmlSun, 18 Apr 2010 10:00:00 +0100A financial report from accountants KPMG reveals that the worldwide betting market may grow by 42 per cent to $32 billion by 2012.<br /><br />As the world's market economies continue to suffer the effects and after effects of the economic breakdowns of the past several years, countries are trying hard to find other sources of revenue from taxes, among them online casinos and gambling. The head of KPMG's Australian gaming industry practice Anthony Travers said that Australia was just one of the countries expected to help cause a worldwide upsurge in online casino profits. <br /><br /> "With the potential for growth in the sector increasing, the market we see now could be just the tip of the iceberg," he said. In an attempt to revitalize the country's economy, the recent Productivity Commission filed a report urging deregulation of the gambling industry as well as recommendations to repeal restrictions on online casinos during events and lift the ban on Australian companies operating online gambling establishments. <br /><br /> Even so, the optimism in Australia is somewhat mired by threat of the upcoming federal elections, as well as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's aversion to gaming machines and slots. However, the trend is that in the longer run, prohibition will be lifted, as it is proving ineffective, and costly.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-28-massachusetts-to-outlaw-online-casinos-in-favor-of-land-based.htmlWed, 14 Apr 2010 10:00:00 +0100The State of Massachusetts has recently inveiled an incentive to regulate the gambling inside the state boundary, and outlawing all online casino gambling.<br /><br />The American state of Massachisetts has long been riddled with problems relating to it's gambling and casino policy. Recently, however, undercurrents in the state legislature seek to regulate gambling throughout the state and make it easier for residents wishing to gamble to do so, as long as it is in a land based casino. While this may be good news for casinos and state bean counters, it is unfortunate for the online casinos, as the new law will outlaw all forms of online gambling within it's borders. The new legislation will even go so far as to make online gambling a criminal activity. <br /><br /> In an absurd new move, the Massachusetts state legislature has ventured a law regulating land based casinos, which could bring in much desperately needed revenue for the state. However, while the state may profit, it is doubtful whether the residents will, as the new law could impose a twenty five thousand dollar fine on anyone caught gambling online. Not only would the online gambler have to pay the fine, but gambling will also be considered a criminal offence, punishable by time in jail. In other words, you can spend you last cent in the land based casinos that pay tax to the state, but the second you punch a certain internet address into your browser, you are a criminal. <br /><br /> On one hand, it makes sense, as the move is made to strengthen the land based casinos that pay heavy taxes to the state. On the other hand, personal liberties are apparently not a consideration, as people have a greater chance of actually winning money in the online casinos, rather than at the land based ones. This right will be taken away from them.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-27-study-shows-more-us-residents-know-that-online-gambling-is-legal.htmlSun, 11 Apr 2010 10:00:00 +0100It has been a common misconception for years among gamblers in the United States that online casino gambling is illegal.<br /><br />However, the results of a new study were recently released, stating that these days more and more United States residents are aware that gambling on the Internet is not actually illegal. <br /><br /> The study, which was conducted by Ipsos Reid and reported in the Toronto Sun, showed that in the last three years the number of American citizens who thought there was a federal law banning online casino gambling has dropped four percent. Three years ago, in 2007, 41% of US residents surveyed believed that Internet gambling was illegal. However, this year only 37% of those surveyed thought there was a law against gambling online. <br /><br /> In actuality, there is no federal law banning online gambling in the United States. Anti-gambling legislation such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 do not outlaw gambling, but rather place restrictions upon payment methods at online gambling sites. There are still many online casinos that offer service to US players. <br /><br /> The study also reported that more than half of United States residents would prefer that the government regulate online casino gaming in the US. 55% were for federal regulation while the other 45% were for each state coming up with its own rules to govern online casino gaming. With more citizens learning about the legality of online casino gaming, as well as more proponents for government regulation it will be interesting to see how online gambling legislation shapes up over 2010.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-26-us-online-gambling-ban-extends-beyond-online-casinos.htmlTue, 06 Apr 2010 10:00:00 +0100The ban placed on online gambling sites by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) is proving problematic for non-casino sites.<br /><br />The South Florida Blues Society (SFBS) recently had all of their Internet payment transactions blocked because PayPal had the site listed as an online gambling website. <br /><br /> SFBS is an organization for blues music fans and has been selling raffle tickets on their website for years. Raffle prizes have included everything from music to shirts and other merchandise and trips on Blues cruises and other events. Because of the raffle the site had been listed as a gambling site and, because it has not been approved according to stringent UIGEA guidelines, site visitors are no longer able to process payments. This includes payment not only for the raffle, but payment for membership dues and other merchandise as well. <br /><br /> This is an example of how UIGEA stipulations have caused problems not only for casinos but also for legitimate non-gambling sites. Although the act does not ban online gambling it places restrictions on the banks, credit card companies and online banking services. As a result, payment services are denying service to legitimate sites in order to avoid any accidental breach of UIGEA laws, which are vague in their terms. <br /><br /> This is one of the first examples of non-gambling sites being pulled into the UIGEA’s attempt to place restrictions on online casinos. However, a legalization and government regulation of online casino gaming would be a step in the direction of fixing this problem.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-25-igb-coming-to-prague-in-may-2010.htmlThu, 01 Apr 2010 10:00:00 +0100This year's iGaming Super Show (iGB), one of the largest events in the world of online gaming, will be held in Prague in May.<br /><br />Over 2,000 online gaming operators, regulators, affiliates, CEOs and more will show up at the PVA Letnany Exhibition Centre between May 25 and 28 to take part in a number of events, including speakers, convention events and more. <br /><br /> iGB sessions will include a wide variety of topics. Everything from affiliate marketing to business strategy, financial analysis, business strategies for iGaming professionals and more will be covered. This year should be particularly exciting, as the past year has shown big steps forward in the online gambling industry in Europe. Focus will be placed on issues faced by new online gambling sites that have been introduces to the European Union in the past year, the South American online casino industry, and the future of online gambling in the United States. <br /><br /> Not all of the conference speakers have been announced yet. However, several speakers that have already been confirmed include Christopher Cemper, the founder of CEMPER.com; David Sharpton, the director of Akur Partners; and David Clifton, Joelson Wilson LLP Partner. <br /><br /> The conference, which is the largest of it's kind, is a must for anyone working in the online gaming industry. It is free to attend and should not be missed as everything from breaking news to tips from successful industry veterans will be par for the course.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-21-estonia-blocks-foreign-online-casino-operators.htmlSun, 14 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0000Estonia has announced that they will legalize online casino gaming, and with the legalization of online casinos it looks like foreign casino operators will be out.<br /><br />The country will block all online casinos that are located outside of Estonia so that Estonian gamblers only have the option to play at local casino sites. <br /><br /> The act that was passed blocking foreign casino operators requires that all online casinos must be run from servers located within the country. Additionally, Estonian online casinos must pay a licensing fee as well as a 5% tax on their gross revenue. The act is designed to increase government revenues during the early stages of the legalization of online casinos. However, the Estonia Free Press stated that these conditions would last only for the first year. After local casinos have had time to cement themselves in the industry the market will open once again to foreign casino operators. <br /><br /> Estonia has taken longer than some other European countries to enter into the online casino market mainly because the country is so small. However, noticing that online casinos were being used in other countries as a way to raise government funds and decided to jump on the bandwagon. For Estonia, online casinos will be a great way to stimulate the economy. However, because the country is so small it is important to them to block outside casino operators while they get their feet wet and show Estonians that they know what they are doing.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-22-neteller-on-the-rise-in-the-online-casino-world.htmlSun, 14 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0000Neteller has been one of the most popular payment options in online casinos for a while now. However, they have recently risen to new heights.<br /><br />They continue to sign up important clients and also took home the award for the Best Payment System at this year's iGB Affiliates Awards. <br /><br /> In the final week of January, Neteller signed deals with two huge clients - Sky Betting and Gaming and SEGA Casino. Sky Betting and Gaming operates a number of popular online betting sites including Sky Vegas, Sky Bet, Sky Bingo and Sky Poker. More than 150,000 players visit these sites each week and the deal is sure to result in a huge revenue boost for Neteller, which will be the first e-wallet payment option offered to Sky players. <br /><br /> SEGA Casino is the popular online casino run by Sega Games Limited. Under the SEGA-Neteller deal, players will be able to make deposits instantly and receive withdrawals within 24 hours. A SEGA Games representative said, "Having the Neteller e-wallet gives our players the assurance that we are providing and experience they can enjoy with the confidence their money is safe and secure." <br /><br /> These two deals came on top of Neteller's iGB award for Best Payment System of 2009. The e-wallet has won this award for three years in a row. Neteller has been trusted as a top online payment system for a long time now and new deposit and withdrawal features such as the Net+ prepaid card make it a great option for online casino players.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-23-new-mobile-gaming-platform-launched-by-playtech.htmlSun, 14 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0000Playtech, one of the leading online casino software providers, released a press release this week announcing the launch of a new mobile gaming platform.<br /><br />The platform, called Mobile Web Apps, takes mobile casino gaming to a new level and is sure to open new doors for online casino and mobile casino industries. <br /><br /> Mobile Web Apps is a unique cross-platform system that allows users to play both on their computer and on their mobile device using the same login information. Many previous mobile gaming platforms worked only on mobile phones and devices. Additionally, Playtech's Mobile Web Apps can be played instantly, so players will not have to download software on their computers or on their mobile devices. This is a great step forward for Playtech online casinos as it will surely expand their customer base as more and more people are switching over to iPhones, Android phones and other smart phones. <br /><br /> Playtech already has a number of mobile games set for release. These include Blackjack, Jacks or Better video poker and Gold Rally, a progressive slot. The Gold Rally mobile game will be linked to the online progressive jackpot in Playtech casinos, so mobile players will also qualify for massive jackpots. Playtech also expects to release a single-player Bingo game, Keno and Rock, Paper Scissors. <br /><br /> Mobile Web Apps is customizable, which is another feature that differentiates it from other mobile gaming platforms. Players can create their own distinctive download packages, called Casino Packs, as well as take advantage of an Information Management Solution system to monitor all of their mobile gaming activities.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-24-super-bowl-leads-to-major-increase-in-online-gambling.htmlSun, 14 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0000The Super Bowl is one of the biggest events of the year for United States sports fans and this year it measured up to be one of the biggest years for online gambling as well!<br /><br />As millions of sports fans watched from millions of television screens across the country a huge number of gamblers anxiously watched from their computer screens to find out if the Indianapolis Colts or the New Orleans Saints would prevail, what the score would be, who would score the touchdowns and a variety of other contests that online gamblers could wager on. <br /><br /> Online casinos and sportsbook sites were planning and promoting right up until the big game on Sunday night. It wasn't only sports betting sites that geared up for the Super Bowl. Other online casinos were offering special Super Bowl themed promotions, bonuses and more. <br /><br /> This year more football enthusiasts are turning to online gambling sites for their game wagers than in past years. The reason? For starters, it's a lot easier to bet with an online sportsbook as all you have to do is turn on your computer, sign on to the Internet and place your bet. However, one of the bigger reasons that more players are turning to the Internet this year is the payouts. When you bet on sporting events online you enter a much larger pool, as thousands (or even millions!) of gamblers from around the globe are online betting on the Super Bowl. <br /><br /> It was interesting to see how many gamblers came out to take part in Super Bowl pools and promotions in online casinos this year, and we will probably see this trend grow even bigger next year!<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-17-wsop-home,-binions,-set-to-close-its-doors.htmlTue, 15 Dec 2009 10:00:00 +0000Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel in Las Vegas has long been known as one of the pioneers of the Vegas casino world.<br /><br />The casino, which opened its doors in 1951, was the first to institute high table limits and was the birthplace of the Word Series of Poker, which took place at Binion's for 36 years until the event was sold to Harrah's in 2005. Now, it seems, Binion's is on its way to shutting its doors for good. <br /><br /> The owners of Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel, TLC Enterprises, chose to shut down the casino due to some recent financial trouble. According to Linda Robinson, spokeswoman for the company, Binion's just hasn't been bringing in enough money to remain profitable and competitive. She said TLC hopes to reopen Binion's in the future, but nothing is set in stone. <br /><br /> Binion's financial troubles date back to 1998. In 1998 Becky Behnen, the daughter of Benny Binion, acquired the business. The casino and hotel were closed in 2004 and US Marshals had to seize money to give to the casino's employees. However, Harrah's bailed them out and sold the casino to MTR Gaming Group. In the following years, Binion's never fully recovered from their financial descent. <br /><br /> The casino, poker room, sports book and steakhouse are still open to visitors. However, Binion's has closed the hotel, Keno parlor and coffee shop indefinitely. The casino is also set to downsize, getting rid of 100 out of 800 employees.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-18-mgm-casinos-and-party-gaming-partnership-in-the-works.htmlTue, 15 Dec 2009 10:00:00 +0000Executives from Las Vegas' MGM and Party Gaming recently met to discuss a partnership.<br /><br />The partnership, which will be beneficial not only to both sides, but to gamblers as well, could be one of the biggest collaborations in the casino market today, online and off. <br /><br /> A huge number of high-level executives met to discuss the partnership, among other things. Among the participants were CEO of Party Gaming Jim Ryan, CEO of MGM Mirage Jim Murren, President George Maloof of Palms, CEO of WMS Industries Brian Gamache, Chairman of International Game Technology Phil Satre, a number of slot machine manufacturers, and a number of other bigwigs in the online and land-based casino industry. The meeting was hosted by Union Gaming Group at The Playboy Club. <br /><br /> One of the prime topics of discussion was the future of the online casino and gambling industry. Brought forth was the idea that Party Gaming, and other online gaming companies, could provide land-based casinos with better customer tracking and player information. Online casinos have invested a lot in creating state-of-the-art tools for tracking customers. Party Gaming CEO Ryan said, "We utilize technology for e-commerce and can capture player information on a far better scale." The partnering of Party Gaming and other online casino companies with land-based casinos seems inevitable. <br /><br /> The UIGEA anti-online gambling bill was also a topic of discussion, as Ryan said he feels that this bill only succeeds losing the US Government valuable taxable dollars.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-19-gaming-technology-solutions-acquired-by-playtech.htmlTue, 15 Dec 2009 10:00:00 +0000Playtech, industry leader in online gaming software, has announced that it is acquiring GTS.<br /><br />Gaming Technology Solutions Limited (GTS) has made recent leaps and bounds to the forefront of the gaming software industry. Playtech's acquisition is one of great importance. <br /><br /> Playtech is acquiring GTS by way of purchasing the entire issued share capital of the company. Their first payment is for around €10.8 million. Playtech will continue to make payments to GTS over two years, based upon the profitability of the company. However, the maximum amount that Playtech will pay is €21.6 million. <br /><br /> GTS currently provides services to 30 different Internet gaming brands and 15 licensees, including popular European sports books, online casino operators and online bingo sites. GTS offers its customers gaming content from 19 different gaming software providers and includes over 200 games, including slots, table games, fixed odds games and virtual sports. Most of GTS's licensees are not already working with Playtech, so Playtech is greatly expanding through this acquisition. <br /><br /> GTS games and the GTS platform will serve to complement Playtech's already existing products, creating one of the most substantial libraries of online gaming products on the Web. GTS and Playtech will merge to form one of the biggest giants in online gaming software. The Business Development Director of GTS, Steven Matsell, says, "This deal will underpin the growth of the platform and we very much look forward to the future as part of the Playtech team."<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-20-2010-igb-casino-affiliate-awards-set-for-january.htmlTue, 15 Dec 2009 10:00:00 +0000Each year iGB Affiliates throws their annual awards ceremony, an awards ceremony that focuses on the affiliates segment of the online gambling industry.<br /><br />The event, which will take place the night before the London Affiliate Conference, will take place in January in London at St Paul's Hotel. The iGB Casino Affiliate Awards are unique because the affiliate marketing community votes for the winners in 23 categories. <br /><br /> The iGB Casino Affiliate Awards are highly prestigious and exciting for the online casino affiliate industry. The biggest awards at this ceremony are for the Best Affiliate Program in the subcategories of poker, casino, sportsbook, bingo and the best affiliate program overall. Awards are also given for Best iGaming Software in the subcategories of casino, poker and bingo, Best Payment System for Affiliates, Best Affiliate Manager and more. <br /><br /> The affiliate marketing community can vote for the awards online. Voting has already begun and will remain open until January 8. All eligible voters are able to access the site and IP addresses are tracked to ensure that each person only makes one vote. After the 8th the results will be tallied for the awards show. <br /><br /> Individuals and organizations over the past months suggested nominees, and a panel of judges put a shortlist together. For the award for Best Casino Affiliate Program, this year's nominees include Bet365, Bodog, 32Red, Betfair, EuroPartners, Sloto Cash, Roxy Affiliates and St. Miniver Affiliates. The winners will be announced on January 28, 2010 at the award ceremony in London.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-13-australia-may-fully-legalize-online-gambling.htmlTue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000The Australian Productivity Commission, an independent advisory board for microeconomic reform in Australia, released a draft of a report that may signal the legalization of online gambling in Australia.<br /><br />The draft, which was over 600 pages, lists a number of recommendations for reform, including the recommendation that the federal government repeal the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act. <br /><br /> Australia's Interactive Gambling Act made it illegal for online gambling sites and online casinos to offer services within Australia. The legislation did not ban Australian players from playing at online gambling sites. However, it did prosecute companies that offered online casinos in Australia. <br /><br /> The report draft of the Australian Productivity Commission stated that this 2001 Interactive Gambling Act should be repealed. In its place should be a system of management and regulation of Australian online gambling. The system proposed is similar to what is in place in Norway, where a single player's monthly gambling losses are capped at a maximum monthly amount. A liberalization of Australian online gambling laws could be a huge step forward for the microeconomic situation in the country. <br /><br /> Anti-gambling activists in Australia, including Reverend Tim Costello and Senator Nick Xenophon from South Australia oppose the recommendation. <br /><br /> It is important to point out that this draft is not an official government document. However, the recommendations of the productivity commission usually weigh heavily on the Australian federal government. Therefore, it is likely that this recommendation will indeed lead to steps to fully legalize and regulate online casinos and online gambling in Australia.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-14-french-players-getting-royal-treatment-from-online-casinos.htmlTue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000The word is out that the French government is in the process of amending gambling laws and that they are beginning to regulate French online gambling and online casinos are pushing for new French players in full force.<br /><br />More and more online casinos are beginning to offer huge welcome bonuses to draw in French gamblers. <br /><br /> Online casinos are offering all sorts of bonuses and special promotions to French players, including match bonuses that are larger than usual and free Euros to French players to start playing real money games without committing a real deposit. However, a lot of French players aren't taking advantage of these deals just yet. The reason? They are holding out for something better. <br /><br /> As more and more online casinos open up to the French market the bonuses are expected to get even better. On top of that, a lot of players are waiting until the new laws go into effect to open accounts at online casinos. Once the new French gambling laws go into effect French players will have to close their online casino accounts and then re-register. The kicker? When they re-register they won't be able to hold on to any of their incentives or earn new Welcome Bonus incentives. <br /><br /> For those of you who haven't heard, the new French gambling laws give betting monopolies the opportunity to offer online casino gambling to French citizens when it is in the interest of the citizens. The laws are designed to protect French online gamblers, but are also leading to some great advantages for French online casino gamblers.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-15-playtech-introduces-new-casino-slot-games.htmlTue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000Over the past few weeks, players at Playtech casinos may have noticed that new online slots games have been popping up.<br /><br />Last month, Playtech introduced two new exciting casino slot machines-The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man. <br /><br /> The Incredible Hulk is a 5-reel video slot with 20 paylines. The game, which features a Free Games bonus round that is triggered with three scatter Hulk symbols, a Smash Bonus round that is entered when the bonus symbols appear on reels 1 and 5 of the same spin, and a "Marvel"ous theme. Symbols include everything from the Hulk, radiation, police cars and breakers. <br /><br /> Iron Man is also a 5-reel, 20 payline video slot, based on the Iron Man comic and recent film. The Iron man online casino slot features themed symbols including Tony Stark, Iron Man, suitcases, and missiles. In the Missile Attack Bonus, which is played when three or more scatter symbols are spun, players must shoot down missiles to qualify for prizes and cash. <br /><br /> Hulk and Iron Man join Playtech's collection of games, which includes a large number of classic and video slots as well as other online casino games like roulette, blackjack, craps and more. Playtech also features a number of exclusive games including Blackjack Switch, Straveganza and Tequila Poker. The addition of slots based on blockbuster movies, like Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, is a surefire way for Playtech casinos to attract even more action than they already are.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-16-ut-congressman-believes-online-gambling-legislation-will-pass.htmlTue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000Jason Chaffetz, Utah's Republican Congress representative, says he believes that Barney Frank's online gambling legislation will pass soon.<br /><br />Barney Frank's bill is slated to overturn the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and to license and regulate online gambling in the United States. <br /><br /> Many people who have been following Frank's bill have been unsure about whether or not it will pass, as the current session of Congress is nearing an end. However, Chaffetz still believes the law will pass quickly and will advance before opposition parties are able to form and block the passing of Frank's bill. Chaffetz said, "[Barney Frank] assured me that come this fall, he would be getting these bills through his committee, and I believe him." <br /><br /> Chaffetz has been working with Frank on the bill in order to ensure that his state, Utah, is not forced to permit tribal casinos under the bill. Concerns such as Chaffetz's have been addressed in Frank's bill in a clause that gives states the opportunity to opt out for residents within state borders. <br /><br /> Similar bills have been voted down by Congress in years passed. However, Chaffetz believes that Frank's bill has a better chance for success. One of the primary reasons he looks forward to the passing of Frank's bill by the current congress is that Democrats are now in control and they are looking for funding for health care reform and other large bills. Online gambling is a good source of cash flow for the United States budget.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-9-barry-shulman-wins-main-event-in-world-series-of-poker-europe.htmlThu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0100Last Friday Barry Shulman took home the bracelet in the main event of the World Series of Poker Europe, in a surprise upturn against big name poker star Daniel Negreanu.<br /><br />Shulman broke through the odds in head to head round that was thought hands-down to go to Negreanu, bringing home not only the victory, but £801,60 as well. <br /><br /> Shulman, a 63-year old poker player and CEO of Shulman Media and Card Player Magazine, has not taken home a bracelet since 2001, when he won his only bracelet in the WSOP $1,500 Seven Card Stud event. Negreanu, on the other hand, has taken home for WSOP bracelets and a couple of WTP Championships. <br /><br /> Shulman is also the father of Jeff Shulman, one of the November Nine finalists for the 2009 WSOP Main Event. He told his son, "I did my part. Now you do your part. It's your turn to win." A father-son win in both the WSOP and WSOPE Main Events will be an interesting record in the history of the World Series of Poker. <br /><br /> Among the other top winners in the WSOPE Main Event were Daniel Negreanu, who came in second with £495,589; Praz Bansi, who came in third with £360,887; Jason Mercier, who came in fourth with £267,267; Markus Ristola, who came in fifth with £200,367; Chris Bjorin, who came in sixth with £150,267; Antoine Saout, who came in seventh with £114,228; Matt Hawrilenko, who came in eight with £87,074; and James Akenhead, who came in ninth with £66,533.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-10-more-and-more-online-casinos-accepting-us-credit-cards.htmlThu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0100Before the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006, funding your online casino bankroll using a US credit card was no problem at all.<br /><br />However, after the UIGEA was passed it became virtually impossible for online casino players in the United States to make deposits using credit cards, let alone play online casino games for real money at all. <br /><br /> In recent years, online casino players have had to rely on bank transfer or online e-wallet services like Neteller and Moneybookers to make deposits. It was next to impossible to find an online casino that served US players and accepted credit. Things are changing, as offshore casinos that are fully regulated in the United States are beginning to publicly accept credit cards from US players. The fact that these casinos are fully regulated means that in addition to accepting credit they are also proven to have fair odds and safe and secure servers and cashiers. <br /><br /> It is still next to impossible to find an online casino that accepts American Express, as there are very stringent rules against AMEX deposits for the purposes of gambling, most other US credit cards can be used in online casinos. Visa, MasterCard and Discover are all frequently accepted these days at online casinos where United States casino gamers play. <br /><br /> As more and more online casinos are finding ways to open up to the US public and US credit cards are being accepted, could it be that the UIGEA may be coming to an end?<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-11-poker-ruled-a-game-of-skill-by-south-carolina-court.htmlThu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0100A court ruling in South Carolina declared that poker is a game of skill and not a gambling game and, therefore, should not be criminalized.<br /><br />The ruling resulted from a trial against five individuals who were convicted of "illegal gambling" for playing a game of Texas Hold'em poker for money. According to the ruling, these defendants were found not guilty, as they were playing a game of skill. <br /><br /> This ruling is a positive step forward for the world of online poker and casino gaming. As more and more states and countries are ruling that certain casino games are based on skill, rather than luck and gambling, these games are becoming more widely accepted and available. <br /><br /> The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a poker advocacy group made up of more than one million United States members, were extremely happy with the outcome of the trial. PPA Executive Director, John Pappas, said "This ruling is fully consistent with the declarations of other judges and juries across the country... We are grateful to the court for compiling the overwhelming evidence that proves this case and protects the rights of players." <br /><br /> It will be interesting to see how this ruling will effect similar decisions in other states, as well as how it will effect New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez's Internet Poker and Games of Skill Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act, up for discussion in the Senate in coming months.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-12-research-shows-more-woman-playing-online-casino-roulette.htmlThu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0100Women were once known to stick primarily to simple games in online casinos, specifically Bingo and slot machines.<br /><br />However, recent research shows that more and more women are making their way to the online table games. Bingo and slots were favored not only because they don't require much hard core skill or understanding of odds or complicated rules, but also because these games can be played at extremely low limits. <br /><br /> More and more, however, it seems that women are getting bored with their Bingo and online slots and are switching over to table game. Over the years, table games have been consistently more popular with men, in live and online casinos. While women are still tending to stick to slots in live casinos, the scene is quite different on the Web. <br /><br /> Online roulette is one game that seems to be growing at a rapid pace among women. Some think the reason is that roulette is similar to Bingo, with its numbers and lack of real strategy. It could be, on the other hand, that women are simply beginning to make their entrance into the world of more hardcore casino games with something similar. Table games have been a man's world for so long now, and online roulette is giving women a chance to test the waters and show that they can be high rollers too. It will be interesting to see how the dynamics will change on the casino floor as women start stepping up.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-5-entropay-gives-online-casino-players-a-new-method-of-paying.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0100There's a new payment method that has hit the ground running in the world of online casino gaming.  EntroPay is a new online service through which customers may purchase prepaid virtual Visa cards to be used in any online casino, or other website, that accepts Visa.<br /><br />EntroPay cards can be funded with a customer's regular credit or debit card.  Although the product that is purchased is a virtual prepaid Visa, users may fund their cards using a variety of card types including MasterCard and Maestro.  This is a great option for players looking to play at Visa casinos that don't have a Visa card of their own. <br /><br /> Many online gamblers are turning to payment methods like EntroPay for security reasons as well.  When you use EntroPay to make your online casino deposits you don't have to disclose your personal credit card or banking information.  This is also a great way for online gamblers to limit their bankroll as well.  Players that make casino deposits from their credit card directly are more prone to making rash decisions and depositing too much when they are on a losing streak.  With EntroPay, a player can fund a virtual Visa for only as much as they are willing to lose.  That way, when their card runs out they know its time to stop. <br /><br /> EntroPay can be used by online gamblers and shoppers from all over the world as a safe and secure alternative for Internet commerce.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-6-frenchman-adrien-allain-wins-apt-macau-main-event.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0100In last month's Asian Poker Tour Macau Main Event, Adrien Allain from Rennes, France took home the prize.  The Asian Poker Tour Macau took place at the Galaxy StarWorld casino.<br /><br />326 participants fought it out over a course of poker games and Allain came out on top.  He went home with $3.035 million in a shocking victory. <br /><br /> One of the things that made Allain's victory so amazing was that he actually qualified for the APT tournament through a satellite tournament online with a $5 entry fee.  Allain has played poker online for years, but the most he has won on the Web is $8,000 and he was considered to be a far cry from many of the pro poker players that he played alongside of in the tournament.  He is known in the world of online poker as "zlatan35".  This isn't the first time that an underdog has come into a huge tournament, qualifying through a satellite tournament with a low buy-in, and taken home the gold.  However, each time it happens it is a surprise. <br /><br /> Adrien Allain's win was not only a victory for himself but also a victory for France.  Following behind Allain were Inwook Choi of Korea, J.C. Tran of the United States, and David Steicke and Chris Chau of Hong Kong.  J.C. Tran holds two bracelets from victories in the World Series of Poker (WSOP).  However, Allain still pulled through proving that you don't have to be a professional or famous poker player to win a prestigious poker tournament.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-7-rounders-house-turns-online-gamblers-into-stars.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0100This November, online gamblers will become reality television stars on Rounders House, a new live streaming television show.<br /><br />The show brings together top Internet poker players and puts them in a house in Las Vegas where they will be instructed by pro poker players, compete for the charity of their choice and go wild. <br /><br /> Rounders House will be broadcast 24/7 on the Web during the full first week of November.  Live cameras set up around the house will allow fans to watch what all the contestants are doing all the time.  Additionally, the poker players that are invited to stay in the Rounders House will keep video blogs that fans can check out at any time. <br /><br /> The broadcasting of a reality show starring online poker players attests to the fact that online poker and online casino gambling has become more and more accepted over the years.  In fact, Rounders House players may very well serve as icons bringing even more popularity to the world of online gaming.  In the past few months, countries around the globe have been working on legislation to legalize and regulate gambling.  These countries include the United States, Canada, Argentina, France, the UK, Spain and a number of other nations.  This legislation, paired with the popularization of shows like Rounders House and other pro-online casino and poker promotions could lead to the largest boom in online casino profits the industry has ever seen. <br /><br /> A number of online poker sites and online casinos are currently involved in finding contestants for Rounders House.  Fans will have to wait until November to see who made the cut.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-8-vote-to-be-held-on-gambling-legislation-in-taiwan.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0100The island of Kinmen in Taiwan may soon become a hub for live casinos.<br /><br />The island, made up of 12 small islets of China's southeastern border, has historically been one of Taiwan's largest defense outposts. However, early next year the island's residents will head to the polls to decide whether or not they will legalize gambling in Kinmen and allow casinos to be established to bolster tourism. <br /><br /> The legislation for the legalization of gambling and casinos in Kinmen follows the loosening of gambling laws in other Taiwanese islands. However, the head of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan, Chen Chang-Chiang, stressed the importance of putting the decision into the hands of the residents of the island. He said, "My move just signifies my belief that the issue should be determined by the majority of local residents instead of by a few politicians' personal stance or ideology." <br /><br /> Many analysts believe that the residents of Kinmen will approve the legislation when they come out to vote. If the legislation is passed, this could be a great boost for the economy in Kinmen as well as in Taiwan as a whole. <br /><br /> The offshore Taiwanese county of Penghu is also scheduled to hold a vote about whether or not to allow casinos to be built. This vote will take place on September 26 and should serve as a precursor, shedding a bit more light on how things will pan out in Kinmen.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-1-outdoor-poker-comes-to-the-grand-casino-in-normandy.htmlMon, 31 Aug 2009 10:00:00 +0100The month of August 2009 has ushered in big changes for France's casino industry. For the first time ever in Europe, the Grand Casino de Forges Les Eaux in Normandy has organized an outdoor game room.<br /><br />Every Sunday afternoon in August starting at 4 o'clock pm players are invited to come out to the casino's terrace to participate in an "open" poker tournament. The month of August 2009 has ushered in big changes for France's casino industry. <br /><br /> For the first time ever in Europe, the Grand Casino de Forges Les Eaux in Normandy has organized an outdoor game room. Every Sunday afternoon in August starting at 4 o'clock pm players are invited to come out to the casino's terrace to participate in an "open" poker tournament. <br /><br /> The terrace at the Grande Casino accommodates ten table games with room for 80 participants. Many of these participants include French poker stars, mainly from the Paris region. In bringing these big time players to their casino to play in a novelty outdoor tournament, the Grande Casino is reaping the benefits of attention and promotion. <br /><br /> Though the casino's outdoor game room is a break from traditional, indoor casino gaming they still employ security, microphones, cameras and identity checks. In addition, to the delight of many gamblers, smoking is allowed in this outdoor gambling sanctuary, while it is prohibited in indoor casinos. The Grand Casino has taken precautions to protect customers from bad weather, with large panels to protect players from the elements. <br /><br /> This outdoor poker tournament and game room simply add to the marvel that is Forges Les Eaux. This complex of three luxury hotels, a spa, a golf course, food, music, the infamous Forges beach and one of the closest casinos to Paris is sure to benefit from the attention that the outdoor gaming will attract.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-2-opening-of-french-online-gambling-market-delayed.htmlMon, 31 Aug 2009 10:00:00 +0100The gambling industry has been abuzz with talk about the impending opening of the French online gaming market ever since Eric Woerth, head of the French Ministry of the Budget, began talking about it last March.<br /><br />However, operators hoping to launch into the French market as early as January 2010 may be in for a disappointment, as the opening of the French online gaming market has been delayed once again. <br /><br /> The gambling industry has been abuzz with talk about the impending opening of the French online gaming market ever since Eric Woerth, head of the French Ministry of the Budget, began talking about it last March. However, operators hoping to launch into the French market as early as January 2010 may be in for a disappointment, as the opening of the French online gaming market has been delayed once again. <br /><br /> On July 21, 2009 Woerth announced that Paris finally wants to put an end to the monopoly on the online gaming sector currently held by La Française des Jeux and Pari Mutuel Urbain. French betting sites will be supplemented by a liberalization of online sports betting, horse betting and poker laws. Other gambling and casino games, including table games and slot machines, will still be illegal amongst non-authorized operators. The new market of online games in France will be well supervised and regulated. The government has even hired an independent regulation authority to ensure regulated, safe and responsible gaming. <br /><br /> The new French gaming market, according to Woerth's previous comments, was set to open in January of 2010. However, evidence is growing that issues with the European Union will delay the opening. It seems that the online sports betting, poker and horse racing operators will have to wait just a little while longer. Woerth stated that the new market should be ready to launch in time for the World Cup football matches in June.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-3-cryptologic-extends-slots-partnership-with-marvel.htmlMon, 31 Aug 2009 10:00:00 +0100Marvel Entertainment and software giant Cryptologic have had one of the most successful partnerships in the gaming industry for nearly five years, with the software company creating slot machines based on popular Marvel comic book characters.<br /><br />Last month Cryptologic and Marvel decided to continue their partnership for the third time since 2005, agreeing to continue producing slots based on Marvel characters for at least four more years. Marvel Entertainment and software giant Cryptologic have had one of the most successful partnerships in the gaming industry for nearly five years, with the software company creating slot machines based on popular Marvel comic book characters. Last month Cryptologic and Marvel decided to continue their partnership for the third time since 2005, agreeing to continue producing slots based on Marvel characters for at least four more years. <br /><br /> Cryptologic games based on Marvel comics have become something of a craze in recent years. Slot games including the Hulk, Daredevil, Blade, Iron Man and Spider Man have become some of the most popular offerings in the world of casino gaming and have secured Cryptologic powered casinos' places as some of the top casinos on the Web. <br /><br /> The new contract extends until 2013 and both parties are extremely happy about it. Brian Hadfield, President and CEO of Cryptologic, says that "Cryptologic's exclusive partnership with Marvel has been daringly different from our industry as, together, we have brought the world's favorite characters to the world's top ten casinos." <br /><br /> Marvel's President of Worldwide Consumer Products also says that Marvel is "very pleased with our relationship with Cryptologic." The production of new slot machines based on Marvel characters doesn't only bring more traffic to Cryptologic sites but helps to spread the Marvel brand name throughout the Web. It will be interesting to see which Marvel comic characters will be featured in Cryptologic's new slot machines.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>http://casinostopnews.com/news-4-888com-to-launch-first-3d-casino-in-fall-09.htmlMon, 31 Aug 2009 10:00:00 +0100888.com is pushing new boundaries in the world of online casino gaming with the impending launch of a 3D casino this fall. A specific launch date has not yet been announced, but 888.com has said that they will introduce their new 3D casino to the gaming community in the next few months at their site, www.casino-on-net.com.<br /><br />The online gaming world is not new to 3D. There are a number of online casinos and poker sites that have employed 3D elements in their games. However, 888.com will be the first to launch a full 3D online casino. The company previously launched an online 3D poker site at Pacific Poker that gave players the opportunity to choose from a variety of views, including 3D. 3D was the most popular and more and more online poker and casino players seem to be showing an interest in 3D gaming. <br /><br /> The design and interface of the new 3D online casino, which has been created by 888's own design team, couldn't come at a better time. Though online casinos haven't seen a huge decline in the number of players since the recent recession there has been a decline in the stakes at which players are playing. 888.com is hoping that the new 3D design will give them a competitive edge and boost their number of players. <br /><br /> If the upgrade to 3D goes smoothly then 888.com will begin offering the 3D interface to third party firms that they operate with.<br /><br /><a href="http://casinostopnews.com/">CasinosTopNews</a>