French Charter Issued to Help Promote Casinos

As the French government makes preparations for regulating online gambling, albeit to a limited extent, the online media group known as "Geste" has released two charters calling for responsible gaming practices. Stemming from a study that began earlier this year, the charters seek to give European online gambling operators an accepted standard by which to follow, thus ensuring the online gambling industry in France is viewed as a socially responsible and legitimate industry in the "trying" years to come. Indeed, the immediate years to come will be a time in which all eyes will be closely set on France's online gambling industry. As the French government is expected to open their internet gaming market to outside operators one year from now, a surge of gambling activity is likewise expected. Just how much of a surge will help regulators and analysts gauge the impacts of regulation, including it's efficacy at preventing problem ...

Poker Hall of Fame Nominations Stay Public

Thanks to extensive media coverage of the world's largest high stakes tournaments, over the last few years poker has become something of a public sport, and (despite all odds) pro poker players have become instant celebrities. You can follow their blogs, read their books, even catch them competing on reality TV. So if millions of screaming tweens can vote on their favorite dancers, singers, and models then why can't adult poker fans vote on their favorite pros? Now they can. This week the people at WSOP kicked off their 40th Annual World Series of Poker with a few special announcements. The instant gratification offered by online poker and online poker news has spoiled the at-home crowd, and they'll no doubt be pleased to hear that this year they'll even get a say in the Poker Hall of Fame nominations. And who better to decide which names deserve the honor than ...

All meet in a memorable heads up

The A$2 700 buy-in PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) concluded at the Crown Casino in Melbourne this week with a victory for Chris Levick, a high profile Australian entrepreneur who has launched a number of poker rooms and the successful Oz Poker Tour over the past three years. Levick won his place in the tournament on a free roll, making the occasion even more memorable for him. It was a clash between business and the media in the heads up, where Levick faced runner-up Heath Chick (30), a poker journalist and commentator. When Levick was declared the winner, it was his third cash - and first win - in a major live tournament, with the A$158 050 main prize taking his career winnings to date to A$169 668. The two were survivors of an initial field of 218 hopefuls that included seasoned players and 61 online qualifiers. Levick dominated the final ...

Poker wedding for 2 Kiwi lovebirds

The entertaining New Zealand edition of the international magazine Stuff reported last week on an all-in poker wedding sponsored by the Christchurch Casino in a "To Have and To Hold" innovative promotion for poker couples. The promo saw nine engaged couples playing for two-and-a-half hours over the weekend with the main prize a sponsored wedding, followed by a 7 day Las Vegas honeymoon at the MGM Grand. The winners were Hollie and Perry Vogel, both in their early twenties, who fast-forwarded their September 2009 wedding plans on winning the tournament and were married right away. With a stack bolstered by Hollie's winnings from a Queens and nines full house, it took Perry just 10 minutes of heads-up play to land a tournament-winning pair of aces. Those cards defeated a pair of fives and saw Perry, 21, and Hollie, 22, married three hours later. Perry's poker skills were honed in friendly games, while Hollie took ...

Bodog and Haydock Sports deal start at fruition

Manila-based and First Cagayan licensed Haydock Sports has launched its Asian-facing Bodog88.com website, complete with a live dealer casino by Entertasia, and in English and Chinese language options. The launch is the fruition of a deal signed earlier this year between Bodog and Haydock Sports with the Asian market in mind. Haydock's 9play brand has now been absorbed into the better known Bodog offering. The Bodog Brand is licensed exclusively in Asia to Haydock Sports Limited, which has been operating in Asia since 2006. It is headed up by the former Managing Director of Asia for Victor Chandler Ltd, Ian Dunning. The move into the Asian market follows a Bodog agreement some 18 months ago to license its North American brand to the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group based in the Mohawk territory of Kahnawake, and lead by Olympic kayaking champion Alwyn Morris.

Will you be paid out immediately and in full if you hit that once-in-a-lifetime jackpot?

Players have characterised the T&Cs on progressive jackpots at a number of online gambling websites as predatory this week as the forum row over Joyland Casino and player SylvieP continues to reverberate around the Internet (see previous InfoPowa report). Briefly summarised, the issue involved a Canadian player who hit the jackpot for $4 188 719.98 playing the Beach Life progressive slot at Joyland - a Playtech powered brand which is now (but was not at the time of the big win) part of the William Hill Online group following the major Playtech-Will Hill deal earlier this year. The "win" was widely publicised as one of the biggest jackpots ever paid out. The sad thing is that the player only received about half of the winnings. It turns out that the Terms and Conditions under which the player gambled at Joyland specified a maximum payout of $9 000 a month. This would mean ...

Betjacks now in Business

The Irish newspaper The Independent reports that Betjacks.ie has been finally launched following a new contract signed only last year. This latest on-line gambling site expects to attract customers mostly from Ireland, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Canada. Conceived by two ICT veterans back in 2006, Betjacks.ie is Ireland’s first and only dedicated on-line betting and gaming site that uses the latest gaming platform. Messrs. Brian Nesbit and Eamon Garland say their company offers a rich media experience and excellent peer-to-peer gaming applications fully compatible with the next generation of networking solutions. The managing director of Betjacks.ie, Mr. Damien Levingston, says that when they decided on putting up a new site, they mainly focused on creating a unique user-friendly experience that will develop loyalty and easier communication feedbacks from end users. of loyalty and communication with the end user." Using Cryptologic’s latest software called WagerLogic, this new site offers a ...

NEW X-BOX POKER GAME START May 13, 2009

Games software developer Wideload Shorts is soon to launch for Microsoft Xbox 360 Live Arcade a new poker game branded Texas Cheat 'Em, which will support avatars, party chat, online multiplayer, matchmaking and high score tables for a full-spectrum online play experience. Wideload punts the new offering as: "There's No Limit to the fast-paced, frenetic fun in Texas Cheat 'Em. This game is a new take on the classic Texas Hold 'Em rules, turning an average online poker table upside down by layering party games and other gambling minigames on top of the basic rules, and allowing players to cheat to win. "Cheating is fundamental in Texas Cheat 'Em! Cheat attacks are earned by players through more than a dozen minigames, so time usually spent waiting for others to deal or bet in online poker is replaced with loads of fun as players hoodwink their opponents. The game offers single-player as ...

European Union to Probe Dutch Online Casinos Ban

The Netherlands has been fertile ground for hosting a series of affiliate conferences geared towards the online gambling community. But the Dutch Government over the past year has begun cracking down on the activity itself, taking a stance similar to that of the United States. Known for its tolerance of prostitution and pot, Holland wants to protect its own state run casino - the Holland Casino. The European Union, expressing discord with America for its stance on Internet gambling, is beginning to realize they must first harness their own. Holland is a member of the European Union. The EU has initiated an investigation into Dutch efforts to stop banks processing payments for online betting services, the Telegraaf reported on Friday. 'The European Commissioner has asked the appropriate services to start an investigation into the banking blockade,' a spokesman for commissioner Charlie McCreevy told the Telegraaf. 'As far as we are ...

Taylor Armerding: Casinos: Another tax up by another name

Times are tough all over. People are getting laid off. Their houses are worth less than they paid, or even the amount they owe on them. Their retirement savings have collapsed. Their credit card debt is off the charts. So, what is the response of their elected leaders here in progressive Massachusetts, home of undying empathy and compassion for "hard-working people" and "the most vulnerable among us"? Take even more money away from them, through more taxes and more gambling. Of course, it is all done in very genteel, civilized fashion. The Orwellian abuse of plain language is elevated to high art. The mayors — including Salem's Kim Driscoll — and labor unions pushing for more taxes and more gambling, call themselves the Massachusetts Coalition for Jobs and Growth. Nobody is ever so gauche as to say the words "taxes" or "gambling." It is "revenue" and "gaming." Everybody is well dressed and well ...