Online casino gambling

This year’s World Series of Poker epic in Las Vegas will again feature a four month break before the final table action takes place in the NLTH main event, and there will be a new one-time $40 000 buy-in tournament at the start of the series to commemorate its 40th anniversary of the championship.

The break was introduced at the behest of television executives last year, and delayed the final table of the world’s richest poker tournament to allow ESPN television broadcasts to air without viewers knowing the outcome. The entry field of tournament field of 6 844 players was reduced to nine final tablers in July, but the final table action did not start until November, when 22-year-old Danish player Peter Eastgate became the event’s youngest winner and won $9.15 million.

Tournament and cable network officials said ratings went up 50 percent for last year’s final table, which aired the same day play finished.

Phil Hellmuth, an 11-time gold bracelet winner at the series, said most players think the main event’s break is good for the game, allowing for more buildup to a winner and creating a bigger spectacle when the final nine players finally square off.

The 2009 World Series of Poker, starting May 27 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, will have 57 gold bracelet events, up from 55 last year. The main event starts July 3 and its winner will be honoured on November 10th.

Gone from the series are five re-buy events, in which players were allowed to buy themselves back into the tournament after they got knocked out.

Kentucky racecourse owner Churchill Downs is to fully exploit its privileged position vis-a-vis online gambling with expansion projects led by racetrack president Steven P. Sexton.

Horseracing is one of the special exceptions to anti-Internet gambling laws devised by US politicians in what can only be seen as either vested interests or commercial protectionism, creating significant problems for the United States on the international trade scene through World Trade Organisation disputes.

Business First reports that the Louisville-based Churchill Downs announced Monday that it has created a subsidiary to expand online gambling operations and other entertainment ventures that will be led by Sexton, who will serve as president and CEO. Churchill has consequently begun a search to find someone to replace Sexton as president of the Louisville track, the company revealed in its press release.

Sexton joined Churchill Downs Inc. in 2001 as president of Arlington Park Racecourse. He has been president of Churchill Downs racetrack since 2002 and has been a vice president of the parent company since 2006.

Churchill Downs officials did not elaborate further on the new Internet venture.

“The racing, gaming and entertainment we provide customers are very interdependent, regardless of whether they are delivered on-site at our tracks, casinos and OTBs, or online via TwinSpires.com or other online sites,” Churchill Downs Inc. president and CEO Robert L. Evans said in the release.

“In the currently tough economic environment, many companies are announcing reorganizations and layoffs intended to reduce costs. Our changes here, however, are about aligning the right leaders at CDI with the strategic growth opportunities we believe exist.”

The state of Kentucky remains a focus of online gambling attention following the protectionist attempts by Governor Steve Beshear last year to seize and confiscate the domains of online gambling companies he claims have offered services to his constituents. The case, and the initial findings of a county court judge, triggered serious litigation led by organisations such as iMEGA and IGC, which forestalled the confiscation attempts by appealing to a superior court. That court’s three judge ruling, expected soon, will have major implications for the freedom of the Internet…and for the owners of the 141 domains in question.

Reports from Redding, northern California tell of a local burglar who was not the sharpest knife in the drawer, having tried to gamble at two casinos using rare coins he had stolen in a burglary.

The Shasta County sheriff’s department is holding 37-year-old James Smith of Anderson on suspicion of burglary and receiving known stolen property. He and another man are alleged to have exchanged the collector’s coins for $50 at Win-River Casino in Redding, perhaps not realising that the true value of the coins was around $6 300. The duo then tried to repeat the sale at the Rolling Hills Casino in Corning on the following day but the alarm had been raised.

Anderson’s companion was believed not to be involved in criminal activity and was released.

Gibraltar-based online gambling group 888.com, has announced that its 888 Ladies.com website, which caters particularly for women online punters, has been awarded a Gamcare certificate for its responsible gambling practices.

The certificate is issued by the British national body for gambling care educational resources and training, a registered charity that provides information, advice and practical help to players and addresses the social impact of gambling. As part of its work Gamcare acknowledges those gambling providers that achieve high standards of social responsibility and player protection and awards them with certification.

Since last year, 888.com has been included in the list of certified online gambling operators Gamcare publishes, which has now been expanded to include 888ladies. As a founder member of the player protection and standards body eCOGRA, 888.com supports that organisation’s staff training courses in responsible gambling, held in conjunction with Gamcare.

The certificate reflects good practice and commitment to the protection of players as manifested in Gamcare’s Code of Practice for Remote Gambling. Only companies that implement these guidelines receive the certification.

A company spokesman said that Gamcare’s principles are in line with 888.com’s own approach, which emphasises responsible gaming. “As part of its responsibility initiative 888 participates in social activities and encourages practices designed to obviate problem and underage gambling,” the spokesman said. “The campaign is based on the strong belief that customers will enjoy the games on offer most by playing responsibly.”

Shock news from Canada is that the at one time prolific wireless mobile technology provider Phantom Fiber has closed it’s doors, terminating all employees and leaving founder and CEO Jeff Halloran to turn out the lights.

In a fast-moving series of events earlier this month, the company warned that it was running low on cash, followed by:

On November 21, 2008, the company received a notice of default from investors Victory Park Credit Opportunities Master Fund, Ltd. “…with respect to a Forbearance Agreement dated May 31, 2008. The VP Notice set forth alleged events of financial default by Phantom under the Agreement, including the failure by the company to make installment payments of cash due.”

Phantom management advised that it was unable to generate sufficient additional cash from operations or through debt or equity financing to satisfy its cash obligations and had been unable to amend the terms of the Agreement with Victory Park.

Consequently, the management said it did not believe the company could continue as a going concern, and terminated the employment contracts of all employees. Those departing included the Chief Technology Officer of the company, Herbert C. Sears.

On the same day directors Stephen Gesner and Shimon Constante resigned with immediate effect, followed by fellow director Konstantine Lucas on November 23rd.

At the end of October Phantom Fiber announced a mobile deal with Mahjong Time, and it is also known to have ongoing agreements with banking services firm Smart Ventures and Scientific Games, among others.

The last financial numbers for the company – Q3 of fiscal 2008 – showed the loss from operations had increased by $263 782 to $420 295, substantially up on the the comparative quarter in 2007 when a loss of $156 513 was recorded. After the net impact of other income and expenses the net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2008 was $599 287 compared to a net loss of $1 189 269 for the same period in the preceding year, a increase of $1 788 556. Total revenue decreased by $160 761 from $294 013 for the quarter ended September 30, 2007 to $133 252 for the quarter ended September 30, 2008, a decrease of 55 percent.

CEO and chairman Jeff Halloran, who has over 20 years of management experience in digital technology and telecommunications, founded the company in January 2002 after discovering the limitations of existing wireless technology during the implementation of an online banking system for a major Canadian bank.

Dublin-based online gambling software provider Cryptologic has signed an exclusive multi-year agreement with NextGen Gaming, a respected Australian independent developer of slot games for the international gambling industry.

CryptoLogic will collaborate with NextGen to develop new branded slot games for the company, and in return, NextGen will provide branded games exclusively to CryptoLogic within the online gaming space.

The two companies have also agreed to combine their extensive sales and distribution networks to allow CryptoLogic to license the branded games to the world’s top online and land-based organisations. Next Gen has existing commercial relationships with a number of other top operators and suppliers in the industry.

The ultimate goal of the collaboration is to ensure that branded content providers look no further than CryptoLogic when choosing a partner with whom to take their brands into the online gaming space, said a company spokesman. This will be achieved by continuing to create quality games and by ensuring that these are live at as many top operators as possible.

“For CryptoLogic, this is a most significant and unique strategic partnership – one that gives us new access to one of the industry’s broadest, deepest and most successful distribution networks,” said Brian Hadfield, CryptoLogic’s President and CEO. “This will allow CryptoLogic to deal with the best brands, develop the best games, and deliver the best experiences to players around the world – whether they’re on land or online.”

“Branded content in gaming is powerful, because it combines a familiar theme with an exciting new experience,” said Matt Davey, CEO of NextGen Gaming. “In selecting CryptoLogic as our Internet gaming software partner for branded content, NextGen has chosen a pioneer, an innovator and a leader. It’s a powerful partnership that promises both performance and profitability.”

In recent years, CryptoLogic and NextGen have worked together to deliver highly successful branded slot games, including titles based on the world-famous Marvel Super Heroes, Street Fighter II, and the highly anticipated King Kong. CryptoLogic has enjoyed additional success with casual branded games such as Bejeweled, Cubis, and Jewel Quest.

The future’s most dangerous humanoid is back this week with the launch of Party Casino’s very own T800 video slot The Terminator.

The new game is the latest movie themed slot to be debuted on PartyCasino.com and joins a collection of games that reads like a list of Hollywood’s greatest movies.

‘The Terminator,’ is a 20 line, 5 reel online slot machine based on the iconic film, featuring high tech robots galore, more police cars than you can shake a shotgun at and everything you would expect from this action-packed and violent motion picture. The minimum stake is one cent, with a maximum jackpot win of half a million (that’s right – half a million) in whatever currency you’ve selected to wager – Euros, pounds sterling or dollars.

There are two bonus features in the game In the first bonus the player takes the role of Terminator with a mission to ‘Terminate Sarah Connor’ that involves pursuing the heroine through a building, obliterating all targets that stand in the way. All terminated targets give an award. In the second bonus the player changes identity to Kyle Reese, the famous street smart resistance fighter in the wars of the future between man and robot. As Reese the player must hold off the dark forces of Skynet for as long as possible, winning a prize for each tank and hunter-killer defeated.

A PartyCasino.com spokesman said: “The machine rose from the ashes of a nuclear fire. The war to exterminate mankind has raged for decades, but the final battle would not be fought in the future. It would be fought here, in our present and on PartyCasino.com.”

The Estonian Riigikogu has approved stronger regulatory measures for the country’s gambling industry, replacing laws that were described as unfit for purpose. The new law now awaits only the presidents imprimatur before implementation commences.

Key among the changes is the regulation for the first time of Internet gambling, together with strict new requirements for private operators of land-based casinos and off-track betting facilities. Lottery games will remain a state monopoly.

Minimum capital requirements for new operators have been set at a minimum Euro 1 million, a rise on the existing Eruo 128 000 of almost 800 percent. The minimum number of gaming machines in any licensed venue has been increased from 8 to 20, from January 1, and this will be hiked to 40 by July 1, 2010 – measures designed to discourage small and hard to monitor operators, which could result in driving many venues out of business.

Legislators debating the changes pointed to estimated problem gambling rates in Estonia of over 6 percent of the adult population.

News is awaited on the Czech parliament’s decision on legalising and regulating online gambling. Recently the Czech lottery operator Sazka, hopeful that upcoming legislation will legalise online gambling in the country, announced plans to launch a new play-for-fun online casino branded E-Sazka.cz.