The Dutch justice ministry introduced new regulations that will held criminally liable the banks and credit card companies that will facilitate online gambling on foreign sites for the Dutch citizens.
In accordance with Dutch News, in some months it will be published a list with the banned web sites (this decision seems to me a stupid idea, because they cannot control all the new gambling sites that are published every day).
Online gambling is already illegal in Netherlands, but the Dutch stats show about 400,000 people that play online, and about 30 foreign companies that target the Dutch gamblers.
The Dutch policy for gambling is in contradiction with the EU rules, Netherlands trying to get absolute state monopoly for all the gambling games, giving to the state-owned Holland Casino exclusive rights to run internet gambling in the Netherlands, and denying license for all the foreign companies that want to build casinos in the Netherlands.
Ujogo is an application on Facebook for Texas Hold’em poker where no money is wagered and everyone starts with 1000 points. There are prizes and rewards and feature multi-table tournaments, and the possibility to play ring games and sit-n-go’s, as well as special jackpots and monthly leaderboard competitions.
There is no need for downloads or additional registration.
As an active player, the more players you refer the more free chips you get.You will be awarded 1,000 Ujogo Points and $1,000 Ujogo Cash for every successful referral.
Texas hold ‘em (also hold’em, holdem) is the most popular poker game in the casinos and poker card rooms across North America and Europe. Hold ‘em is a community card game where each player may use any combination of the five community cards and the player’s own two hole cards to make a poker hand, in contrast to poker variants like stud or draw where each player holds a separate individual hand. It is the third most active application on Facebook after being installed 5.4 million times and has over 370,000 players per day.
Ujogo was created to provide a fun, innovative, free and legal multi-player casual games experience, starting with poker. Ujogo is derived from “jogo”, which is Portuguese for “game”. Ujogo offers a subscription for premium services, such as training and statistical analysis tools to help you improve your game. They make money from advertising and sponsors.
Juniper Research says that revenues for mobile games, that include mobile gambling too, are expected to rise from just under $5bn in 2007 to nearly $16bn in 2012.
“More widespread penetration of 3G handsets, or entertainment-focused 2.5G handsets like the iPhone, will mean a much greater surge in the adoption and overall use of rich media services.”, said Dr Windsor Holden, the report’s author.
As for gambling, that restrictions on gambling services in the key US market will ease in the medium term, says the author.
In accordance with Mobility Site, Warwick Bartlett Lead Partner of Global Betting and Gaming Consultants (GBGC) in his opening presentation to the M for Mobile Conference in London on Tuesday 22nd January said that a combination of three crucial factors was creating a perfect storm of opportunity for the Mobile Gambling Operators.
He cited better mobile phone handsets and the innovative apple iphone as being more functional and sophisticated with better screens and keyboards enabling mobile gambling operations so much easier.
The traditional on line and offline businesses has now reached maturity and the gambling companies were in earnest looking for new products that would reach new consumer segments. Many and in particular the majors like Ladbrokes, William Hill and Bet 365 are investing in mobile gambling and their marketing spend will do much to promote this hitherto neglected segment of gambling.
Finally the software providers had listened to their customers and responded with much more user friendly easier to navigate products.
Titan Poker will host a $2,000,000 guaranteed in prizes tournament on March 2 at 20:00 that will see more than ten million dollars in total tournament payouts each month.
Anyone can buy-in directly for $1,500 + $80, or win his seat at the Main Event by participating in Titan Poker’s Sit’N'Go and Multi-Table Satellites. Start off for $3+$0.30.
Titan Poker is one of the online industry’s leading fully supported poker Card Rooms, with software developed and maintained by Playtech.
Interpol had last year in October a very large operation involving Australia, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam to stop the illegal soccer gambling which resulted in 423 arrests in 266 raids across the region, 272 underground gambling dens shut down and $680 million US worth of illegal bets. Now, Interpol is prepared to start a second operation in Asia.
“Gambling on soccer matches might seem as harmless as placing a small bet on your favorite team, but these illegal operations are often controlled by organized criminals, said Interpol Secretary-General Ronald K. Noble at the organization’s Global Conference on Asian Organized Crime in Singapore.
Ronald Noble said that “we’ve already started planning for the second phase of Soga [Soccer Gambling]”
Having in view the future the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, that will take place in Austria and Switzerland, from 7 to 29 June 2008, UEFA (Union of European football Association) president Michel Platini says that corruption in football can pose to the integrity of the game after many European games were noted as possibly being fixed.
“We were so successful with the first phase, we know it’s like cutting off the head of a Hydra”, said Interpol Secretary-General Ronald K. Noble of the operation codenamed SOGA, short for Soccer Gambling.
Merchant bank Clairvest Group Inc. and Clairvest Equity Partners III Limited Partnership are investing $41.6 million in a new gambling and entertainment centre in southern Chile, adjacent to the city of Concepción.
The centre will include a casino, hotel, entertainment theatre, restaurants and family entertainment facility. The completion of the casino is scheduled for August 2008.
Clairvest Group is contributing 25% and CEP III is contributing 75% of the $41.6 million investment, which results in a combined interest of 50% in Casino Marina del Sol. The other 50% is held by Empresas Valmar, a well established local real estate company.
In accordance with Wikipedia, Chile, officially the Republic of Chile (Spanish: República de Chile), is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific forms the country’s entire western border, with Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage at the country’s southernmost tip. The government has encouraged the use of Chile as an “investment platform” for multinational corporations planning to operate in the region.
Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Bío-Bío Region. Greater Concepción (Gran Concepción, including Talcahuano, San Pedro de la Paz, Hualpén, Chiguayante, Penco, Tomé, Lota, Coronel, Hualqui and Concepción) is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889.725 inhabitants (2002 census). Individually, it is the 11th largest comune in the country, with a population of 212,003.
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“I’ve learned to love gambling,” she told People.com, “I was in Australia for a few months and gambling is like a national pastime there, so I learned to love betting on horses, and now I even put in a few football bets and I’m kind of obsessed and into it.”
She likes most of all blackjack and horse racing, but she declared that she was never winner at sports betting.
Christina Ricci is an Emmy Award-nominated American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family (1991), and its sequel Addams Family Values (1993).
Currently holds her own production company, Blaspheme Films, responsible for Pumpkin and Prozac Nation.
In February last year, along with Samuel L. Jackson, she presented a Grammy Award at the 2007 Grammys. Ricci has starred in Penelope, alongside Reese Witherspoon, a modern day fairytale, and in 2008, she will play the female lead in The Wachowski Brothers’ feature film adaptation of Speed Racer.
She is currently dating Australian actor Christopher “Kick” Gurry who she met on the set of Speed Racer.
Betting Big on Nevada TIME To many Washington wags, the very notion evokes images of show girls arguing with croupiers about the finer points of Hillary Clinton’s healthcare policy …
Clinton Wagers on Gambling AOL News Newsbloggers, VA By David Knowles From the LA Times comes a fascinating piece about how Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama view the issue of gambling. Hillary has taken an …
Do US Democrats Support Gambling? Online-Casinos.com, Denmark … and the positions on gambling taken by the leading Democrat contenders started to get confusing this week as Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama traded …
Clinton and Obama seek to break deadlock in Nevada Guardian Unlimited, UK After Barack Obama’s win in Iowa, and Hillary Clinton’s in New Hampshire, today’s caucuses are seen as a potential tie breaker. A win today could provide …
Democrats dominate in Nevada Financial Times, UK Opinion polls have been volatile but generally point to a tight race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The struggling economy, housing and education …
Obama V Clinton At The Casino Anorak.co.uk (satire), UK Hillary Rodham Clinton sees the good in the gaming industry. “There’sa fundamental question here,” said the Rev. Tom Grey, executive director of the …
Why not court the vote in casinos? San Francisco Chronicle, USA During the past week, Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have appeared in the following Nevada locations: Two Mexican …
Gambling and elections Politics on the Hudson, NY As Democrats prepare to caucus Saturday in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada, Hillary Clinton leads the Democratic pack in funds raised from the casino …
Return to sender… The Sacramento Bee’s Capital Alert, CA Embarrassed by the “misplacing” of four California Indian casino compacts that resulted in the deals being approved without being reviewed, federal Interior …
CREW/Media Matters letter to CNN on Ralph Reed Media Matters for America, DC Mr. Reed secretly used his connections and his consulting firm, Century Strategies, to further the goals of Mr. Abramoff’s Indian casino clients, …
Casinos bring hard-hitting entertainment to region Press-Enterprise, CA The 23-story hotel/casino, which opened in 2004, is planning an HBO-televised boxing match in 2009. San Manuel Indian Casino in Highland will kick off its …
Ponca Tribe mulling Carter Lake casino Hays Daily News, KS (AP) — An American Indian tribe is considering building a casino near the Nebraska-Iowa border after a national commission authorized gambling on part of …
Tribe’s Middleboro casino plan may hit roadblock Halifax-Plympton Reporter, MA The tribe, which is seeking the federal go-ahead to open a casino in Middleboro, may suffer setbacks due to the stance being taken by the Bureau of Indian …
CREW and Media Matters Ask CNN to Exclude Ralph Reed from ”The … Ad-Hoc-News (Pressemitteilung), Germany … Century Strategies, to further the goals of Abramoff?s Indian casino clients, while publicly professing he would never take money derived from gambling. …
The great casino debate on Beacon Hill Wicked Local Plympton, MA And the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe is well on its way to getting federal approvals to build a casino in Middleboro. While other states allow commercial …
Judge reviews tribe’s complaint Beloit Daily News, WI … off-reservation casino in Beloit and would probably have received a denial letter to take land into trust with the 22 other Indian tribes earlier this …
U.K. Gambling Act of 2005 went into effect Sept. 1, 2007, restricting online gambling advertising to only those companies based in the United Kingdom or other countries in the European Economic Area. The EEA consists of the 27 countries in the European Union together with Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. Countries outside that area could apply for approval to be included on a “white list” of countries outside that area who would be allowed to advertise in the United Kingdom.
This week, the UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport confirmed that Tasmania will be added to the ‘white list’ of countries for online gambling advertising, but it still do not include in the list Antigua and Barbuda or the Kahnawake territory.Mohawk Council of Kahnawake is very disappointed by this decision and Grand Chief Michael Ahríhrhon Delisle, Jr. announced that they will request to be taken into consideration the Article 20 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Tasmania was approved after they amended tax legislation which will go into effect on January 31, 2008. The only existing approved jurisdictions outside the UK mainlands was, till now, Alderney and the Isle of Man. Gibraltar and Malta are included in the white list, Malta being by far the most popular licensing jurisdiction in the EEA.
Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name. It is located 240 kilometres (150 mi) south of the eastern side of the continent, being separated from it by Bass Strait. The Tasmanian Gaming Commission is an independent body responsible for the regulation of gaming in Tasmania, established under the Gaming Control Act 1993.
So, the white list includes:
Malta and any other EEA state;
Gibraltar;
Alderney;
Isle of Man;
Tasmania (after 31 January 2008).
In any other territory it is illegal for gambling operators to advertise gambling in or to the UK, including Antigua, Kahnawake, Curacao, Costa Rica and Belize.
Advertisements to the UK market also have to comply with the codes of practice of which there are three:
The Committee of Advertising Practice (‘CAP’) issues the non-broadcast Advertising Code
The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (‘BCAP’) issues the broadcast Advertising Code
Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising
The Industry Code sets out the following general principles in relation to gambling adverts:
They should be socially responsible and comply with the CAP and BCAP rules;
They must be legal and not misleading;
Care must be taken not to exploit children and other vulnerable persons in relation to gambling activity; and
Advertisements should not be specifically and intentionally targeted towards people under the age of 18 through the selection of media, style of presentation, content or context in which they appear.
In terms of specific requirements, there are three key things implemented by the Industry Code as follows:
All non-broadcast gambling advertising should contain a link to www.gambleaware.co.uk in order that customers can be educated about socially responsible gambling and given information where they might get help for problem gambling. Although not obligatory, it is recommended that gambling operators also include the words preceding the link, “for more information and advice visit”
With the exception of bingo, new gambling products must not be advertised on television before the 9pm watershed. However this restriction does not apply to the advertising of sports betting in relation to televised sports events.
Gambling operators shall not allow their logos or other promotional material to appear on any commercial merchandising which is designed for use by children e.g. football shirts.
The advertising codes will apply to any business that wishes to advertise to or in the UK market whether or not they require a licence in the UK.
The new borders of the Internet started with the online gambling. Internet meant, at its beginning, freedom of information, products and services. Now, it keeps from less to less this initial meaning.
I am a fun of the online gambling, especially online poker, but now I see it like an animal in a forest hunted from all the sides by the hunters/authorities, and having from less to less place to move. Unfortunately the real reason is not the same with the official one. If they care about children, pathological gamblers or unfair online casinos, there are possible laws that can be implemented. And there will be no more pornography, violence in movies, alcohol, a.s.o. The real reason is that the money have to be kept in the respective countries. Why to let a foreign company to collect the money from the citizens of a country, when the government of that country can collect the money by taxes from the local casinos, or even exercise a monopoly on the gambling games and collect directly the money.
Finland confirms my prediction for online gambling for this year but, after the previous experience with Germany, they adopt a different and more subtle strategy, especially for online poker. In accordance with a Finnish draft law from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and commissioned from the University of Joensuu, the losses claimed by Finnish online gamblers would be taken back from the online poker rooms, or from the payment processing companies. This way the online gambling operators will be forced to block the Finnish players
Finland is the 4th country in the world with about €150 million in gambling expenditures annually.
If I am right and the main reason for the ban of the online gambling is the will of the states to keep the money within the respective countries, I think the e-commerce itself is in great danger, especially from the countries that have a negative balance for e-commerce.
Two students charged with running gambling operation Lancaster Eagle Gazette, OH … a first-degree misdemeanor count of gambling, a violation of Ohio Revised Code 2915.02(a)1. Shisila is a pitcher on the Ohio University baseball team. …
Gambling Investigation Underway at Ohio Univ. WSAZ-TV, WV WOUB is reporting that the Ohio University Police Department is investigating illegal gambling allegations against members of the Ohio University baseball …
Amputee loses Olympic bid GoErie.com, PA Ohio pitcher, former player accused of gambling: An Ohio University pitcher and a former baseball player were charged with taking bets on professional …
SPORTS BRIEFS Kentucky.com, KY OHIO U. PITCHER, EX-PLAYER ACCUSED IN GAMBLING CASE An Ohio University pitcher and a former baseball player were charged with taking bets on professional …
Golfer commits to Ga. Tech News & Observer, NC Andrew Shisila, 22, of Mentor, Ohio, and Brent Decoster, 22, of Westlake, Ohio, face misdemeanor gambling charges in Athens Municipal Court. …
Robert Catalin Pascu, the manager of a Bancpost bank agency in Bucharest, Romania, tried to suicide a on January 4th, because he lost about $120,000 at several casinos (about $60,000 at the Marriott Hotel casino). He tried first to hang up but after he failed, he plunged from the 8th floor of an apartment house
Robert Catalin Pascu, 27 years old, was a pathological gambler. He was very well known in all the Bucharest casinos. Some time ago he pawned the house of his parents to have money for gambling.
Before trying to suicide, he sent a SMS to his girl friend, writing “See you in the other world!”. Than, he sent a SMS specifying the place where it can be found his dead body. His parents, together with his girl friend that warned them, started to search for him.
After some hours, their neighbors found Robert felt down after they heard a bang and than some groaning. He was not dead.
All $120,000 was stolen from Bankpost, and the cams registered him when he took the cash. He knew that he is registered and that his act will be quickly discovered, but it seems that it was a desperate act.
Catalin Robert Pascu was employed as director with the bank agency a month ago. He had very good references.
He entered the safe four times during the holidays, including during the New Year’s Eve, and he knew that on January 3rd, when the bank will be open, the theft of the money will be discovered.
Now, Robert is still in coma at the hospital, but he has good chances to survive
My predictions about the boom of the gambling industry in Russia come true sooner than I expected. Russia’s Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov set up a gambling zone, Azov-City, in the Scherbinovsky district of Krasnodar area and the Azov district of Rostov region. A budget of about 18 billion rubles for tourism and recreation facilities in the South Federal District from 2008 through 2012.
In accordance with Kommersant, the gambling area will cover 20.022 million sq meters, including a portion of the Krasnodar area and the Rostov region in southern Russia.
There will be four gambling zones in Russia by July 1, 2009: the Kaliningrad region, the Altai Republic, the Primorie area and to the territory on the border of the Rostov region and the Krasnodar area.
“We offered the name of Port-Katon but after discussion with the Krasnodar Territory the name of Azov-City has been agreed. We hope it will remain after the government issues a decree on the order of creation of the special gambling zone on the border of the Rostov Region and the Krasnodar Territory” – the Rostov Region economics minister Mr. Victor Deryabkin said.
“The Internal Affairs and Regional development ministries have already given the conclusions. The Economic development and Legal affairs ministries conclusions are left” – the minister stressed.
“By the end of January 2008 they will prepare requirements specification for architectural-planning works and by Summer next year ground areas will be probably given to develop certain objects of the future gambling zone ” – the Rostov Region economics ministry said.
Azov (Russian: Азо́в, IPA: [a'zof]) is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just sixteen kilometers from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town.
Unfortunately, another prediction come true at the beginning of this year: we will have a bad, if not very bad, year for online gambling. It seems that Russia will ban online gambling, too.
Tennis launches corruption review BBC News, UK A series of scandals involving gambling damaged tennis’ reputation last season. A match involving world number four Nikolay Davydenko is still being …
Coaching hire draws criticism Charlotte Observer, NC … were appointed by tennis’ governing bodies. The sport’s leaders want to avoid more problems after a season that included a gambling investigation into a …
Stubs solves Davydenko dilemma sportal.com.au, Australia … just hours after tennis authorities launched a review of their anti-corruption policies in order to combat the threat posed by gambling. …
Federer ‘won’t be bothered by illness’ Sydney Morning Herald, Australia Davydenko was the centre of a gambling investigation last August. An online site voided all wagers on the match in Poland between Davydenko and 87th-ranked …
ATP sanctions Italians for tennis betting Bangkok Post, Thailand “The ATP’s Tennis Anti-Corruption Program, communicated to all players on a regular basis, states clearly and unambiguously that gambling on tennis by …
Rusedski tips Murray for top three Scotsman, United Kingdom Meanwhile, tennis authorities have launched a review of their anti- corruption policies as they seek to combat the threat posed by gambling. …
Briefs: Jones lands 5-year deal with SMU DetNews.com, MI … will be appointed by tennis’ governing bodies. Last season included a gambling investigation into a match involving Nikolay Davydenko and the …
Weekend Wrap: Murray Wins, Nadal Gets Beat-Down Tennis-X.com, MI … Carlos Moya says he has two more years of tennis in him. …The Australian Open has banned laptop computers courtside in an attempt to curb gambling. …
Balderton Capital (formerly Benchmark Capital Europe) is financing the UK-based gambling company betNOW. This way gamblers can place bets via text message, with the actual wagers charged to phone bills. Winnings can be picked up at local post offices. Balderton Capital invested also in Betfair. I know myself another big UK company with activity in the domain of mobile communication that started to invest in gambling, too.
Balderton Capital is a different kind of venture firm – one that’s based on teamwork, superior service to entrepreneurs and an intense dedication to building companies of lasting value, the leading venture capital firm behind Bebo, Codemasters and Setanta.
Robert Urwin, co-founder and CEO of betNOW said: “betNOW is the fastest, simplest and most intuitive way to place a bet in the UK. We’re delighted to partner with Balderton Capital at this exciting early stage in our development.”
Tim Bunting, partner at Balderton Capital said, “betNOW is a thoroughly innovate service providing a whole new take on the remote sports book market. It’s great to be working with Robert and his team to help launch betNOW throughout the UK and develop a rollout of the business internationally.”
In December 2007, Hop-On Inc introduced “its newest phone for AT&T and Verizon Networks. The GSM/CDMA Dual Mode PDA 2001 model, complete with GPS capability, utilizes the latest technology in the most cost-effective manner. This new PDA phone will have the ability to become the world’s first handheld slot machine, bingo, video poker or black jack device.”“The 2001 PDA offers the latest in GPS technology for a fraction of the cost of similar phones,” says Hop-on’s President, Peter Michaels. “This particular phone has the ability to actually play interactive casino type games utilizing the touch screen features of the phone. This phone is a computer, which can handle casino type wagering.”
Mobile gambling specialist company Cometa Wireless has signed a partnership agreement with Cashcade, an important UK online interactive gaming provider.
“The mobile market is rapidly becoming a vital channel for online gambling providers,” says Simon Collins, the CEO of Cashcade. “Players no longer have to be at home, in front of their computer. The ubiquity of mobile and the convenience of the phone in the user’s pocket or purse makes it a unique way for players to interact, no matter where they are. With consumers working longer hours and commuting long distances, the attraction of having their favourite online services at their fingertips is hard to beat.”
London-listed mobile technology company Probability plc, successfully demonstrated a gambling service running on an Apple iPhone in December 2007, leading the mobile gambling field in the technology. The company has developed a fully working version of Blackjack, boasting that it is the first online casino game to have been built and demonstrated in real money play mode on an iPhone in the UK.
So, what we see as the common features of all these news? “UK companies”, including non-gambling companies, and “mobile gambling”. Two keywords that will make the future of the online gambling in the near future.
This trend will be helped a lot by the major sport event of this year, the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, that will take place in Austria and Switzerland, from 7 to 29 June 2008.
Mobile gambling refers to gambling done on a remote wirelessly connected device, such as wireless tablet PC’s, mobile phones and other non traditional mid-level networked commuting devices.
Analysts place the value of the market space at US$20 billion by 2010.
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It seems that it is very hard to make predictions on gambling, this year even more difficult than the other years, and online gambling much more difficult than the classical gambling.
008 will be a very good year for the land casinos. Las Vegas has some big problems that will allow to other entertainment centers to compete successfully with the Sin City.
After several years of standby, Atlantic City will know in 2008 a new development period by building new casinos and improving the old ones.
But Macau will be the star of this year, with the most new projects for casinos, hotels and entertainment resorts. Cotai Strip will be the new center of the gambling world.
The Europeans will have their own Las Vegas too, soon. Gran Scala in Spain is a very ambitious project. This year we will see if it is a certitude for the next years, or just a chimera.
And, to not forget Russia! Russia made no major step till now, but it is very close to invest a lot of money. And, what about the Arabian gambling? Do you bet on the development of a very powerful casino entertainment center in Dubai? The partnership with MGM Mirage is just the beginning. I know about the Islamic rules, but I bet on it.
For me, a big surprise for this year is Harrah’s Entertainment. No big new projects and, at the end of the last year, the bomb (in fact, expected since a year ago): new owners for the casino and hotel resort chain of the world’s largest provider of branded casino entertainment. The surprise is even bigger taking into consideration the successful act of online gambling ban (see UIGEA). So, my prediction is that MGM Mirage will become soon #1 in the casino entertainment industry.
As for online gambling, very bad news, unfortunately. After UIGEA in US, Canada intends to ban the online gambling too, Germany already announced the interdiction for online gambling as well as for advertising the web/based gambling. There are signs that Italy will be soon with Germany on the same part of the barricade and, from the East European countries, Romania has a draft law to ban online gambling and any other related activity since two years ago, so it is possible to discuss it very soon. In this situation, and after the agreement with US, the European Commission it is possible to change its rules about online gambling even this year. I see UK the only country of the European Union that will allow the online gambling in the near future.
It is very interesting how United States, after deciding to ban the online gambling, and by means of the media, it is very close to change the mentality and principles of the whole world about online gambling. Most of the people considered online gambling a way of entertainment as any other, two years ago. Now, the same people are very convicted that they always was against online gambling and online casinos.
A special situation for online poker. If the online poker associations from US will earn the battle to allow this game on Internet (and it is a very powerful lobby for this), all the other countries, including Germany and Canada, will say that they never banned the online poker and will make an exception from the rules. But this will not happen, anyway, this year.
But we will see a spectacular increase of the skill games.
In fact, in the United States the future of the online gambling will be decided during and after the elections stated for this year, 2008. So, when you will vote, take into consideration your own option for online gambling, too.
(These predictions are based on my own experience, do not include any other considerations, I do not claim to be in accordance with the future events, I am not implied in the gambling industry except as a publisher, and I do not advice you to use it)
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The Dutch justice ministry introduced new regulations that will held criminally liable the banks and credit card companies that will facilitate online gambling on foreign sites for the Dutch citizens.
Titan Poker is one of the online industry’s leading fully supported poker Card Rooms, with software developed and maintained by Playtech.
In accordance with 
U.K. Gambling Act of 2005 went into effect Sept. 1, 2007, restricting online gambling advertising to only those companies based in the United Kingdom or other countries in the European Economic Area. The EEA consists of the 27 countries in the European Union together with Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. Countries outside that area could apply for approval to be included on a “white list” of countries outside that area who would be allowed to advertise in the United Kingdom.
Tasmania was approved after they amended tax legislation which will go into effect on January 31, 2008. The only existing approved jurisdictions outside the UK mainlands was, till now, Alderney and the Isle of Man. Gibraltar and Malta are included in the white list, Malta being by far the most popular licensing jurisdiction in the EEA.
Finland confirms my 
Robert Catalin Pascu, the manager of a Bancpost bank agency in Bucharest, Romania, tried to suicide a on January 4th, because he lost about $120,000 at several casinos (about $60,000 at the Marriott Hotel casino). He tried first to hang up but after he failed, he plunged from the 8th floor of an apartment house
