The case of the internet sports betting agency Sportsbet offering free bets in Down Under has started a discussion about how much liberty gaming providers may enjoy in promoting their services. Sportsbet argues that they had to take this step because unfairly strict rules prevent them from advertising online gambling on a large scale. Graeme West, the New South Wales Gaming and Racing Minister is determined to do something to stop this practice which increases the possibility of reaching problem gamblers as well as minors. However, he concedes that Sportsbet's marketing strategy may be within the law. Read more ..

Stardoc has just released the first update to The Political Machine, a strategic-political computer game that can put you as player in the role of a presidential candidate for the White House. You can choose to be Barak Obama or John McCain. You can also choose from historical candidates. To accomplish your goal, you will have to travel from state to state and do various things like gathering funds or raising poll numbers. The Political Machine is a PC game based on, as Stardoc puts it, "one of the most advanced political simulations that exists". They claim that the older version of the game, The Political Machine 2004, accurately predicted that Ohio. and not Florida, will be the state whose winner will also win the election.

The Hitwise competitive intelligence facility reports that Ladbrokes Poker is currently the top poker room in the UK with a 19.5% share of all poker room visitors. This achievement comes after Ladbrokes Poker has created a few milestones, including the launch of a new look website as well as the billionth hand of poker played. They claim to be the only poker site offering three different ways of access to their poker room - in 3D, Classic view and Instant play in browser. They are also just before sending a team to the WSOP 2008 Main Event.

BetOnMarkets.com, a leading online fixed-odds trading platform, has ranked UK as one of the worst betting nations of the world when it comes to online markets betting. In this kind of betting, one may wish to win US$100 if at the close of trading after 40 days the worth of, say, SHELL is more than US$2000. According to the global figures published by BetOnMarkets.com, UK ranks at the 96th position from 100 nations, despite having one of the world's most advanced financial markets. Only Singapore, Portugal, Australia and Russia rank lower than the UK. The top ranking nations are Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Ireland and Slovenia. Read more ..

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According to prediction of PriceWaterhouse Coopers, global gambling revenues will increase at an annually compounded rate of 6.5 percent per year to cross $155 billion in 2012. The primary growth sources will be new casinos and upgrades to existing ones. Read more ..

Ian Ritchie, chief executive of the AELTC (All England Lawn Tennis Club), conceded that match fixing was a potential threat at the beginning of the 122nd Wimbledon tournament after it was disclosed that 45 matches worldwide are being looked into for betting irregularities, including 8 which took place at Wimbledon since 2002. Mr. Ritchie mentioned several measures introduced across tennis with the aim of clamping down corruption. Mr Ritchie said: "While we are taking it seriously as a potential threat, we currently don't believe it is a serious one for this year's Wimbledon." Read more ..

The UK website Bingoport.co.uk reported that players at bingo sites operating in the United Kingdom are purchasing bingo tickets worth around $1.2 billion per year. The data for this report was collected from BingoPort's bingo site monitoring services that tracks the major online bingo operators in the United Kingdom, 24x7. Sun Bingo, the leading online bingo site in the UK, has, according to the report, a market share of 19% (turnover) followed by Gala Bingo (16%), Foxy Bingo (13%), Jackpot Joy (10%) and Mecca Bingo (7%). Commenting on the market share data, Scott Logan, Managing Director and co-founder of BingoPort.co.uk, said:"it’s significant that there is no stand-out leader when it comes to market share. While Sun Bingo maintains the overall lead, we see market share change on a daily basis based on specific promotions run by each operator." Read more ..

Sebastian Ruthenberg, a 24-year-old German playing professional poker for two years, won the gold bracelet in the $10,000 Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split World Championship. He is only the fifth German to accomplish this feat after Matthias Rohnacher (1997), Eddy Scharf (2001 and 2003), Katja Thater (2007), and Jen Voertmann (2008). This was one of the higher-profile events of the current series with a record prize pool of more than $1.2 million in a field of 261 players, including such stars as Phil Hellmuth, Howard Lederer, Chau Giang, Allen Cunningham and Barry Greenstein. The final table lasted nine hours. In the final match, Ruthenberg defeated Ferguson after nearly four hours. He has now joined a star-studded list of past winners of the event, including Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, Men "the Master" Nguyen and a few more. Read more ..

This week's third annual Online Bingo Summit at London’s Royal Garden Hotel revealed an optimistic mood for the future of online bingo in the UK. Several factors seem to favour this industry.

• The smoking ban in UK and elsewhere makes online bingo more attractive
• The global energy crisis and credit problems may also benefit online bingo, because players need not spend money for filling up the car to drive to land-based clubs.
• Innovative marketing strategies, especially in the UK where advertising online bingo on TV is permitted

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Many casino operators waiting for licenses to launch floating casinos on the Mandovi river in Goa, India, were disappointed by the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), when they passed a resolution to stop issuing such licenses. There was even an initial proposal to stop operation of the existing casinos, which was not accepted. The CCP action came after a signature campaign and a memorandum asking the corporation to stop the casino operations due to the burden on civic infrastructure like parking, garbage and sewerage. Read more ..

It is estimated that over 3 million players gamble online every day in South Korea. However, gambling being illegal in the country, these players are leaving themselves open to a variety of criminal elements that are lurking on online gambling and poker sites to rip them off. Read more ..

According to the Reuters news agency, France will begin issuing authorizations for online betting operators from the second half of 2009, as a consequence of their agreement with the Commission of the European Union (EU) to open its Internet gaming market. Two monopolies currently control the French gaming sector: Parimutuel Urbain (PMU) for horse racing and Francaise Des Jeux for lotteries. The Budget Minister Eric Woerth said a law would be presented in Parliament after the summer break with a regulatory authority established by the beginning of next year followed by the first approvals in the second half of 2009. Horse racing as well as other forms of sports betting will be allowed, said Woerth. They also want to open up casino games, including poker, roulette and blackjack. Read more ..

Swedish gambling monopoly Svenska Spel targets a reduction of the company's own emissions of carbon dioxide by 90% from 7700 tones in 2005 to 1020 tonnes by 2015. To achieve this target, they have developed an agressive plan of action focusing on energy, transport and products. They plan to use "green" cars only, reduce flights by 30-50%, overhaul heating systems and implement some radical measures regarding freight transportation and paper materials. They are also aiming for ISO 14001 environmental accreditation by 2010. Read more ..

Read here an exclusive in-depth interview with David "the Dragon" Pham, the poker pro who was twice Player of the Year.

Microsoft, the software giant, and Harrah's, the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment, have introduced a high-tech interactive bar table which has a series of software programs that allow people sitting at one of the six rectangular tables with built-in 30-inch flat screens installed at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to:

• click on a menu and create their own cocktails - the system can even remember the drinks ordered by the user earlier
• watch YouTube videos, either by searching or choosing from a list of popular videos
• flirt (using a software called Flirt) with anyone sitting at one of the other interactive table. They can see and chat with each other, take and e-mail pictures and even trade cell phone numbers.

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The non-profit organization eCOGRA, which claims to be "the independent standards authority of the online gaming industry, specifically overseeing fair gaming, player protection and responsible operator conduct," has announced a change to its 7 person Board of Directors consisting of 3 Founder Directors representing the online gaming companies Microgaming, bwin and 888.com, and 4 Independent Directors. Chris Hobbs, Head of Corporate Affairs at Microgaming has replaced Roger Raatgever who was a board member since the organisation was formed in 2003. eCOGRA`s chairman of the Board, Michael Hirst OBE, thanked Raatgever saying: "During his term as a Director, Roger Raatgever has given his complete commitment to eCOGRA, during which time it has expanded well beyond its original remit and now covers many more operating and software companies than just the Founding Members. His integrity, business and industry knowledge has been invaluable to the Board." Read more ..

eCOGRA offers extensive testing and audit services used by over 130 tier one online casinos and poker rooms. The organisation has been recently approved as an accredited testing facility by the Gambling Supervision Commission on the Isle of Man, a popular European licensing jurisdiction. According to eCOGRA, their testing principles and methodologies are now accepted by various international jurisdictions who are concerned with fair gaming and protection of players. Read more ..

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Australian casino operator Crown and its US partners have discarded their plans for investing $44 million in a 27-acre site development project in Las Vegas. The reason for scrapping the project is, according to Crown's CEO Rowen Craigie, "the recent upheavals in world credit markets have made it increasingly difficult for the company and its partners to develop a commercially viable project." Read more ..

Neil Entwistle, a British IT specialist, had killed his American wife and daughter in January 2006 and went hunting for sex in the days after the killings. Just days before his trial in the US is due to begin, the prosecution revealed that before the killings he had visited internet sex sites and an online gambling site where he lost hundreds of dollars.Prosecutors say that Entwistle's motive for the double murder was dissatisfaction with his sex life and financial troubles. He had actually planned to commit suicide after the murder, but did not do so. Read more ..

The story we are publishing here has nothing to do with gambling. It is the story about a mentally and physically handicapped boy who has not been as fortunate as many visitors of our site who are lucky enough to enjoy gambling and win small or big prizes. However, as his father said, when a handicapped child like Shay comes into the world, "an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child." The editor of this news received this story as an e-mail. Here is the story:

What would you do? ....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do; where is the natural order of things in my son?'

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first base man's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitchers intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-base man's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay; run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyber space, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.

If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.

You now have two choices:

1. Delete

2. Forward

May your day, be a Shay Day.

It is reported that two Sportingbet employees have been detained in Turkey as part of a larger action against their Turkish business accounting for 14% of Sportingbet's revenue last quarter. The Turkish government had passed a legislation last year prohibiting online gambling offerings by unauthorized domestic or foreign companies. Read more,,

Gaming VC, a leading European online casino and poker provider, has selected Ethoca's anti-fraud community to "reduce the operational expenses associated with detecting online fraud," says Kenneth Alexander, CEO, Gaming VC. The anti-fraud community already includes such gaming leaders as Ladbrokes, William Hill, 32Red, bwin, 888, Stan James and Boylesports. The main objective of the community is Collaborative Fraud Management, where companies contribute and connect to a pool of shared experience data for mutual benefit.

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