MULTIMEDIA SRL – ROMANIA (MultiMedia) has been selected to receive one of the Majestic Symbols of Quality which aim to present a powerful tool in assessing progress and setting priorities for policies of International sector performance, especially in the specific fields of the Macro and Micro environment -zooming in the areas of Marketing, Investment and Financial sectors of world leading market performance.
The selection committee of the “GOLDEN EUROPE AWARD FOR QUALITY & COMMERCIAL PRESTIGE” AND THE “TQM” ACCREDITATION PROGRAM ( TOP QUALITY MANAGEMENT) granted by Association Otherways Management & Consulting Paris – France, member of the American Management Association and American Marketing Association, in cooperation with Otherways International Research & Consulting, chose to distinguish MultiMedia by providing an international standard for its product, using a technique, which directly act in increasing productive quality values, leading to the achievement of an elevated performance towards its marketing factor, thus imposing the accomplishment of high consumer / customer gratification especially into specific regions of foreign aligned markets.
The selection committee is made up of a group of companies and prestigious professionals, which are Internationally distinguished in this field.
The GOLDEN EUROPE AWARD FOR QUALITY & COMMERCIAL PRESTIGE AND THE ” TQM ” ACCREDITATION PROGRAM ( TOP QUALITY MANAGEMENT) will be presented on the 13th of July 2009 at LE MERIDIEN ETOILE HOTEL – PARIS with the participation of Commercial, Industrial & Quality Experts, Diplomatic Corps and VIP’s from the local economic and cultural world.
Get real on web gambling Kansas City Star, MO Rick’s Gambling & Tourism column in today’s Star Business Weekly looks at the US’s untenable position in the worldwide on-line gambling industry. …
State cracks down on Net gambling Kentucky.com, KY By Jack Brammer FRANKFORT — Kentucky is commandeering 141 domain names of Internet gambling sites in a novel legal move to crack down on the unregulated …
Ky. governor seeking to block online gambling Forbes, NY By JOE BIESK 09.23.08, 7:39 AM ET Kentucky’s pro-gambling governor is looking to make sure all bets are off for more than 140 online gambling Web sites that … Online gambling takes its toll Aftenposten, Norway Top community officials are among those who unwittingly lent large sums of money to finance a Norwegian bishop’s son’s gambling debts. …
Casino gambling, poker table revenue up in FL CBS 4, FL But the stakes weren’t as high for other kinds of gambling. Racing at horse and dog tracks and other sports wagering declined 43 percent, to $159 million. Gambling case fallout remains as Donaghy reports to prison USA Today The league has determined that for the first time in major professional US sports, a referee will walk into prison a convicted felon on a gambling charge …
Former gambling site worker cops to ID theft Register, UK The former employee of an internet-based gambling website has admitted he used his position in the company’s credit department to steal the identities of … Arizona gambling feels economic pinch, report shows East Valley Tribune, AZ “Gambling is a form of recreation,” she said. Morago compared it to people making decisions whether to go to a movie, go out to dinner or even “go shopping …
Gambling grows to unexpected levels in Poland Puls Biznesu, Poland Last year, the Poles spent more on gambling than on beer, vodka and medical services. If the upward trend continues the gambling market will be worth as … Unexpectedly, Las Vegas hit by US downturn Reuters And while free rooms and room discounts have kept hotels relatively full — occupancy is down just 1 percent in the year to July — gambling revenue is down …
Blogosphere:
Online Sports Gambling Ken The best sites to find Online Sports Gambling, a leading online casino gambling guide. Includes online casino reviews and recommendations, online casino directory, best payouts and bonuses, blackjack strategy and tips, … BetOnSports.com Gambling Site Worker Pleads Guilty After Stealing … CyberInsecure An employee of the offshore Internet gambling website BetOnSports.com has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from his role in a large Internet-based identity theft ring. BetOnSports PLC does not exist since July 2006 and the Antigua …
Kentucky Seizes Gambling Domains MHB The seizure was taken after the Commonwealth found that the “domains were being used in connection with illegal gambling activity”. The domains seized include:. fulltiltpoker.com. indiancasino.com. bet21.com. allslots.com. bodoglife.com … Kentucks Seizes 141 Gambling Domain Names Chad Kettner There were a number of popular gambling sites listed for seizure including PokerStars.com, FullTiltPoker.com, BodogLife.com, GoldenPalace.com, Bet21.com, DoylesRoom.com and also Rick Schwartz’ IndianCasino.com. …
KY governor after online gambling domains maconlinepoker To be very frank and honest, this is not a good news at all for online gambling industry. US Kentucky state governor, Steve Beshear is trying all his efforts to crack down online gambling industry and in oder to boost offline local … NBA Ref Starts Prison Term for Gambling The NBA referee who admitted gambling on basketball begins his 15-month federal prison sentence today, reports USA Today . The conviction of referee Tim Donaghy, 41, has rocked the NBA, even though officials determined he didn’t bet on …
Bingo Betting gamblingguide online gambling has typically been a mans world (sorry for the huge generalisation but this is a blog after all). Perhaps the influx of Bingo sites will even that up slightly. Certainly Bingo seems to be a more social than playing a … Judge Tosses Gambling Attorney’s $20 Million Lawsuit Against Casinos Law.com – Newswire A federal judge has dismissed a $20 million racketeering lawsuit against seven casinos by a former New York City attorney who said they had a duty to stop her from gambling. The judge wrote that Arelia Margarita Taveras failed to …
Responsible Gaming – Psychology of a Gambler To be honest, gambling gets a bad rap, especially when you consider that it’s one of the prime driving forces of humanity. Nobody has ever gotten rich by playing it safe, and if you have a stock portfolio, you’ve bet your money that … Seniors Doubt Study’s Finding of Gambling Problems Wholesale Bingo Supplies Blog – Bingo Bob But a new gambling study published in the journal Psychology and Aging suggests not all senior citizens have Fava’s self-control. It concludes the elderly are more likely to develop gambling problems than younger people. …
Video: NFL Football Best Bet of the Week with Odds from Gamblers Television
The Excalibur Hotel/Casino is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip at 3850 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada. It is one of the large casinos owned by the Mandalay Resort Group. As of June 2004, the Mandalay Resort Group was purchased by MGM Mirage adding this hotel to its vast array of properties on the Strip.
Excalibur, named for the mythical sword of King Arthur, uses the Arthurian theme in several ways. Its facade is a stylized image of a castle, with a wizardlike figure representing Merlin looking out from a high turret.
The Tropicana – Las Vegas Boulevard intersection, where the property sits, is very busy, so pedestrians are not allowed to cross at street level. Instead, Excalibur is linked by overhead pedestrian bridges to its neighboring casinos to the north (the New York-New York Hotel & Casino, across Tropicana Avenue) and to the east (the Tropicana Resort & Casino, across the Strip). There is also a free tram that connects Excalibur to its sister Mandalay Resort Group hotel-casinos to the south, the Luxor and Mandalay Bay.
History
The Excalibur opened on June 19, 1990. It was one of many new, modern Las Vegas hotels that featured children’s attractions, such as an arcade and a small medieval style roller coaster. Another feature of the Excalibur that is prominent in many of today’s Las Vegas hotels is a large family swimming pool.
In February 2003, the Las Vegas area received over 3 inches of rain. In turn the 18th floor of the Excalibur Hotel was evacuated. The fire alarms were triggered when rain entered the rooms. This is a design flaw of the building. To date this has not been repaired.
On March 21, 2003 the largest Megabucks Jackpot, as of that time, was hit at the Excalibur. The jackpot was for $39,713,982.25.
On April 26, 2005, the Excalibur, along with the other hotels of the Mandalay Resort Group, was purchased by rival MGM Mirage.
Some restaurants and other areas have Arthurian names, such as the Roundtable Buffet, Sir Galahad’s Prime Cuts, The Steakhouse of Camelot, and Regale Italian eatery, or reflect a broader “Merrie Olde England” theme, such as the Sherwood Forest Cafe. A long-running show, the “Tournament of Kings,” features simulated medieval jousting. Regale was originally called “Lance-a-lotta Pasta” and was more family/child oriented than Regale, which is more upscale.
A few years after opening, Excalibur introduced a free nighttime show in the moat near the resort’s main entrance. A dragon would emerge from under the main entryway bridge and do battle with the wizard, Merlin. After a few years of operation, this attraction was discontinued.
In June of 2007, the Dick’s Last Resort chain opened a restaurant in the Excalibur. Accompanying this addition, the iconic figure of Merlin visible from Excalibur’s exterior was replaced by the image of “Slick Dick” from the restaurant chain’s logo.
Like many other hotels on the Strip, the Excalibur features a wedding chapel. The chapel offers themed medieval weddings complete with renaissance period costumes.
The hotel has opened a spa near the pool.
In 2007, the pool area was closed for renovation. Most of the parking area to the east of the parking garage was gated off for the expansion of the pool area. The new pool construction was originally started in fall, 2006 in the hopes of being completed for the summer of 2007 but there were delays so the new pool is now slated to open for summer, 2008. Excalibur recently added on their official website that the pool is now open saying “We’ve doubled the size of our pool, adding cabanas, fire pits, sun decks and a secluded relaxation pool. And our new poolside restaurant, DRENCHED, is the perfect place to quench your thirst, and your appetite.”
US gambling revenue dropped 15% in May. In Las Vegas, the percentage is 16.4%. As for Atlantic City, the casinos gambling revenue down 11% in June, comparing with the same month of the last year (a single casino shows an increase in revenue, Harrah’s Resort Casino). In Illinois, gambling revenue was down more than 20 percent in June compared to June 2007.
The analyst Robin Farley of UBS wrote in a report that “the decline in Strip revenues is worse than the period immediately following Sept. 11, 2001 and except for January 2002 is the worst monthly performance in more than 10 years…The weakness in gaming revenues was not confined exclusively to the Strip as the Las Vegas locals market declined 19.5% in May, bringing year to date revenues down 8.7%.”
Sands, Wynn, Boyd… everything is sliding.
“The decline appears to be accelerating,” said Nick Danna, an analyst with Stern Agee & Leach.
Jim Murren, president of MGM Mirage, says that this drop is a temporarily situation, an usual cycle.
For Atlantic City, the most important decline is for Trump Marina Casino, 23%.
For the casino games, the reports say that table games and slot machines fell down almost the same in Las Vegas, but slots declined more in Atlantic City.
I am not a specialist, but I think that there are some important factors, external to the gambling industry, that influence it. And one of the most important, if not the most important, is the economic crisis. Including the petrol price, unemployment, the real estate crisis, as well as the reduction in flights as airlines cut back their services.
A second factor is the tourist market, influenced also by the economic crisis but not only. The restrictions implemented last years by US for the external tourists is, maybe, more important for the tourist market than the crisis.
And, to not forget the smoking ban, that will decrease even more the gambling revenue.
The crisis in US gambling industry will be increased by the casino and hotel investments started by the operators, for which it will not be possible to make the payments to the banks (for ex., Tropicana Entertainment defaulting on $2.7bn debts).
In fact, when you start an isolationist policy, including for the online gambling market, you have to take into consideration the secondary effects that can become major effects, in time.
Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel is a hotel and casino located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada on the Fremont Street Experience. The casino is named for its founder, Benny Binion and has 366 rooms, two restaurants and a rooftop pool. It is one of the casinos owned by the MTR Gaming Group.
History
After buying Binion’s Horseshoe, Harrah’s Entertainment sold the property on March 11, 2004 to MTR Gaming Group, which operated the hotel. Harrah’s continued to operate the casino under a temporary contract until March of 2005. Harrah’s retained the rights to the Horseshoe name and the World Series of Poker name.
On March 11, 2005, MTR Gaming Group officially took control of the operation of the casino and it was renamed it Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel.
In July of 2005 the hotel hosted the World Series of Poker finals. This was the last time the event would be held at Binion’s and hosted in downtown Las Vegas. The casino still retains a large poker area and features displays on the Poker Hall of Fame as well as previous WSOP Champions.
Other locations
Following Jack’s with his sister, he went on to open highly successful riverboat casinos under the Horseshoe name:
Horseshoe Casino Tunica
Horseshoe Casino Hammond
Horseshoe Casino Bossier City
These casinos went to Harrah’s after the 2004 sale, but remained under the Horseshoe brand. Jack Binion continues to promote the casinos for Harrah’s.
The Howard Hughes Corporation is a major real estate development and management company based in Las Vegas, Nevada, which was founded by Howard Hughes. Later sold to the Rouse Company, it is now a subsidiary of General Growth Properties.
History
Formation as Summa Corporation
Originally known as Summa Corporation, Howard Hughes Corp. was formed in 1972 when the oil tools business of Hughes Tool Company was floated on the New York Stock Exchange under the Hughes Tool name. This forced the remaining busineses of the “original” Hughes Tool to adopt a new corporate name – Summa. The name “Summa”, Latin for “higher”, was adopted without the approval of Hughes himself, who preferred to keep his own name on the business and suggested HRH Properties (for Hughes Resorts and Hotels, and also his own initials), but his executives paid no attention.
Company refocused on real estate
Following the death of Howard Robard Hughes Jr. in 1976 at age 71, most of Summa’s remaining business were sold off. Howard Hughes had ammassed vast holdings of undeveloped land both in Las Vegas and in the desert surrounding the city that had gone unutilized during his lifetime. His successors at Summa refocused the company on real estate development, selling all noncore business holdings.
Holdings sold off were:
Hughes Nevada Mining (sold off in 1977)
KLAS Inc. (holding company for the Las Vegas CBS affiliate, sold to the founders of the Weather Channel in 1979)
Hughes Air Corporation (holding company for Hughes Air West; sold to Republic Airlines in 1979)
Hughes Helicopters Inc. (sold to McDonnell-Douglas in 1984 and renamed McDonnell-Douglas Helicopters)
Hughes Sports Network (a production company specializing in the broadcast of sporting events, sold in the mid 1980s).
Summa also owned a wide array of hotels and casinos, primarily in Las Vegas, that constituted the bulk of Summa’s business in the 1970′s.
Company Renamed and sold off
Hughes’ heirs eventually renamed the company in his honor, Summa became Howard Hughes Corporation in 1994. Hughes’ heirs sold Howard Hughes Corp. to the Rouse Company in 1996, and the company survives as a Rouse subsidiary. Rouse was acquried by General Growth Properties in 2004. Hughes’ heirs, primarily the Lummis family, continue to hold an equity interest in Summerlin, a giant planned residential community being built in stages by Howard Hughes Corp. on the Las Vegas outskirts.
Hotels and casinos formerly owned by Summa
Desert Inn Hotel and Casino (demolished in 2001, replaced by Wynn Las Vegas Resort and Casino)
Sands Hotel and Casino (demolished in 1996, replaced by The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino)
The Landmark Hotel and Casino (demolished in 1993 to expand parking lot of Las Vegas Convention Center)
Castaways hotel and casino (demolished in 1986, replaced by the Mirage and Treasure Island)
Silver Slipper Casino (demolished in 1986 to expand parking lot of Frontier Hotel and Casino)
Frontier Hotel and Casino (demolished in November, 2007, to make way for construction of a new resort that will resemble the Plaza Hotel in New York City)
Xanadu Princess Hotel (Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas)
Britannia Beach Hotel (Paradise Island, Bahamas) – now the Coral Towers Hotel at Atlantis Resort
Development projects
Howard Hughes Corp.’s current projects are Summerlin, a massive master planned community that will eventually house 160,000 residents; Summerlin Centre, a mixed-use town center for Summerlin, and Fashion Show, a giant retail center in downtown Las Vegas currently undergoing a major redevelopment.
Most of Howard Hughes Corp.’s past projects have been business parks in the Las Vegas area, including The Crossings, The Canyons, The Plazas, Corporate Pointe, and Hughes Center.
Betfair is the world’s largest Internet betting exchange. The company is based in Hammersmith in West London, England.
Since Betfair was launched in June 2000 it has become the largest online betting company in the UK and the largest bet exchange in the world. Betfair currently has over 1,000,000 clients and a turnover in excess of £50m/week.
A bet exchange allows punters (gamblers) to bet at odds set and requested by other punters rather than by a bookmaker. Members can make both ‘Back’ bets (normal bets on a selection to win) and ‘Lay’ bets (bets on the opposite side of the Back, against the selection), thereby eliminating the traditional bookmaker.
Betfair uses decimal odds, which are easier to calculate with than fractional odds. Its bookmaking model brings together two counterparties with opposing views, and thus removes the need for a bookmaker’s markup or overround. As a result, the odds are up to 20% better than bookmakers’ odds, according to the site’s operators. At the more fancied end of the market the odds offered on Betfair tend to be closer to the bookmakers’ odds, whereas for a more speculative bet the odds available may be over 50% higher on Betfair, more accurately reflecting the bet’s true chances of success. Betfair punters are able to offer odds based on their own opinion rather than on a set bookmakers’ margin. Betfair charges a commission on all winning bets, which is set at 5% of the net winnings for most markets, although according to how much a client wagers on the site, it is possible to reduce the amount of commission paid to as low as 2%.
The Betfair interface can be seen as bearing a strong similarity to that of the Stock Exchange, with the ‘bet’ and ‘lay’ options comparing to the buying and selling of derivatives. Indeed there are many professionals who play the Betfair market for profit, using purpose-designed software, in much the same way as a Stock market trader.
The company has attracted much comment in the British and Australian press.
History
Betfair’s co-founders, Andrew Black and Edward Wray, won the Ernst and Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award. In 2003, the company was one of about 50 recipients of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in the Innovation category. The Queen’s Awards are the UKs highest official awards for business.
In October 2005 chief executive Stephen Hill announced his resignation when the board decided not to proceed with plans for a stock market flotation, the investors holding out for a higher valuation.
In November 2005 the Tasmanian government announced a deal to licence Betfair in the state. The deal will see Tasmania receive AU$5 million up front and is projected to pay Tasmania about $40 million per year. Now that it has been approved by the Tasmanian Parliament, it will be the second licence Betfair has received outside the UK – the first being in Malta. The deal has infuriated the established monopolistic totalisators and bookmakers (due to loss of revenue) and governments (due to loss of taxes) in the other Australian states. A ban on the use of betting exchanges took effect in Western Australia on the 29th January 2007 and possibly South Australia in the future. Betfair claimed this new law violates the Constitution of Australia and filed a legal challenge. On 27 March 2008, the High Court of Australia, in a unanimous decision, found that two provisions of the legislation, purporting to ban Western Australians from using a betting exchange and prohibiting an unauthorised business from using Western Australian race lists, were invalid as they applied to Betfair because the provisions were characterised as imposing a burden on interstate trade that was protectionist in nature, and therefore contravened section 92 of the constitution. The Court decision suggests, but leaves open, that a more narrowly drafted ban may have been allowed (eg, banning people in Western Australia from laying ‘lose bets’ on events held in Western Australia).
On 28 February 2006 Betfair launched a new interface, including current live scores of in-play soccer matches, jockey silks and horse form, and an ‘express view’ in which only the currently available back odds are viewable. Within two days the ‘Xpress’ idea was also adopted by BETDAQ. The changes were criticised on the Betfair forums by many members who disliked the smaller fonts and the right-aligned columns, which displayed a large amount of whitespace. On March 1 these display issues were addressed, although many users still felt the site had been dumbed down in order to attract new punters to the exchanges. The gambit worked, however, with a significant increase in membership and deposits during the Cheltenham Festival.
Softbank purchased 23% of Betfair in early April 2006 valuing the company at £1.5 billion. In December 2006, Betfair completed the purchase of the horseracing publishing company Timeform (which traded under the name Portway Press Ltd).
Betfair launched its own radio service, Betfair Radio, in March 2007 available via its website and on the telephone. Betfair Radio broadcasts horse racing commentary, results and sports news seven days a week from the studios at their headquarters in Hammersmith.
Controversy
The fact that gamblers can now lay outcomes on the exchanges has caused tremendous criticism from traditional bookmakers with much of the anger coming from the UK’s “Big Three” – Gala Coral Group, Ladbrokes and William Hill. These firms argue that granting who they consider to be anonymous punters the ability to bet that an outcome will not happen is causing corruption in sports such as horse racing (since it is much easier to ensure a horse will lose a race, the bookmakers reason).
Betfair has led their defence by countering that while corruption is possible on any gambling platform, the bookies’ arguments are motivated not by concern for the integrity of sport but by commercial interests. Betfair also asserts that unlike the high street brokers, who all accept anonymous cash bets, Betfair is well aware of who their customers are. Customers are required to create personal accounts, and Betfair keeps records of each customer’s betting history. Betfair in particular has noted that they have signed numerous agreements with governing bodies of sport including the Jockey Club, with whom they insist they will co-operate fully if the latter suspects corruption to have taken place.
Betfair embroiled itself in further controversy after suspending payments following a tennis match between Martin Arguello and Nikolay Davydenko, quoting: ‘Betfair has suspended settlement of the match-odds market on this afternoon’s second-round match of the ATP Orange Prokom Open in Poland between Martin Arguello and Nikolay Davydenko, pending consultation with relevant regulatory authorities.’ This is believed to be the first time Betfair has suspended payouts in an event after the conclusion of the event. As of this time, investigations are still pending.
Outside the United Kingdom
Although the bulk of its customer base is in the UK, Betfair offers its services in a number of countries. Betfair has never accepted customers and/or credit card numbers from the United States, where online gambling is legally proscribed. Being the leading betting exchange, Betfair has been reluctant to entangle itself in legal trouble and has thus turned away business from countries where its services are likely prohibited. As a result, unlike some other online gambling operations Betfair was not seriously affected when the U.S. Congress passed strict prohibitions affecting Internet gambling in late 2006.
Betfair has several thousand customers in Australia but its marketing activities are currently restricted to Tasmania, where it is licensed. Betfair is well known in Australia because of negative publicity from the racing industry and the totalizators. However, Betfair signed a landmark agreement with Racing Victoria in July 2006 which saw Betfair begin covering Victorian racing and left the exchange on decent terms with two of Australia’s six states. Betfair also has agreements in place with several major sports in Australia including the Australian Football League, Cricket Australia and the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Betfair Poker
In late autumn of 2005, Betfair finalised a deal that began in early summer, to purchase the online poker site PokerChamps.com, which the company will integrate into its network, replacing a poker arm that previously used gaming technology software from CryptoLogic Inc. On 30 October 2006, Betfair Poker left the Cryptologic network to move to its new platform.
In a press release the company’s poker head, Ben Fried, stated: “Having our own poker software puts us in command of our own destiny. It means we can react quickly to customer feedback and continue to develop an innovative, community-focused product. We are confident that we are laying the foundations of a market leading poker room.”
On 21 July 2006, all American accounts were frozen and the return of players’ funds were in progress, a move that immediately followed the arrest of David Carruthers, former Chief Executive at BetonSports. Betfair had previously implemented geolocation software in 2004 to deny U.S. residents the ability to place bets on its site.
Pokerchamps currently has a 20k/week cashout limits which make high stakes players favour betfair poker over pokerchamps.
It has been recently announced that pokerchamps is closing and becoming part of betfair officially.
Zero lounge
In 2006 Betfair Casino introduced its “Zero lounge – where the house has no edge”. According to Betfair, perfect play should result in the player having an equal chance of winning or losing. For example, the roulette wheel has no zero. This means that someone playing red-black, odd-even, or high-low has an exactly 50% chance of winning, (as opposed to a 48.65% chance on a normal roulette wheel with a zero). However, in some games, such as blackjack, it is necessary to learn perfect play in order to match the house. Players who draw a card when they have 17 or more are likely to lose money to the house. The zero blackjack rules have been slightly modified (re-written) compared to normal European blackjack. For example natural suited blackjacks pay 2 to 1 instead of 1.5 to 1, Any five card 21 automatically pays 2-1, pairs of aces cannot be split, all other pairs can be split, including 4s, 5s, and 10s, only one split is allowed, doubling is allowed on 8, 9, 10 and 11, including “soft” 18s, 19s, 20s and 21s, and insurance can be taken any time the dealer shows an ace, no matter what cards the player holds.
The games offered in the Zero lounge are blackjack, roulette, baccarat and Jacks or better.
Golden Nugget Companies Inc. was formed by Steve Wynn in 1973. The company was created after Wynn acquired majority control of the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company ceased to exist after it constructed The Mirage in 1989. At that time, the name was changed to Mirage Resorts, Inc.
The company held three hotel/casinos under the Golden Nugget brand:
Golden Nugget Atlantic City
Golden Nugget Las Vegas
Golden Nugget Laughlin
History
Wynn’s, and the company’s interest, in Atlantic City did not last very long, due to frustration with gaming regulators in New Jersey. The Golden Nugget Atlantic City was sold to Bally’s Entertainment Corporation, which changed the name to Bally’s Grand Casino/Hotel.
The company and its casinos became part of Mirage Resorts in 1989.
Johan Kinnander has been appointed board member in the European internet gaming company Betsafe.com
Johan Kinnander, who is CEO at Glife AB, one of Sweden’s leading online social networks, has extensive experience of online marketing, especially from his time as CEO at Google in Scandinavia and AD Pepper Media. He has established and built a number of successful companies in the Nordic market.
- I believe that Betsafe’s business will increase ejoinsxtensively the next coming years and I hope I can contribute with my knowledge and network to help them make this trip as smooth as possible, says Johan Kinnander who has followed the development of internet gaming during his time with different internet companies.
- We are very satisfied with the recruitment of a board member with such a long and thorough experience of internet business, says a happy Henrik Persson Ekdahl, Betsafe’s CEO.
Johan’s background contributes with exactly the right competence that we need to be able to successfully grow on our already strong Nordic market, and on our upcoming endeavors. We intend to strengthen the board with at least 2 more significant members during 2008. Johan will be a board member in the Norwegian company Artic Invest A/S, the investment company that owns www.betsafe.com.
Betsafe.com is an internet gaming company who offer odds, live betting, poker and a casino in English, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and Finnish at www.betsafe.com. The company holds its license in Malta, and was recently nominated ”The world’s best bookmaker” by the Norwegian gaming magazine ”TIPS”.
Queenco Leisure International (QLI) has finalised the terms of an agreement with Constanta Municipality, Romania, granting the QLI concession rights over a historic building in the city, which the company intends to renovate and operate, Casino Constanta.
The agreement is for an initial period of 49 years, but grants QLI the option to extend the terms for a further 24 years, subject to the consent of both the company and Constanta Municipality. Under the terms of the agreement, QLI will invest an approximate total of €10.0 million and pay gross annual royalties of €140,000 to Constanta Municipality.
The building covers an area of 801m² and is located on Constanta’s beachfront. It was built in 1909, and declared a national architectural treasure in 1956. Completed between the two World Wars in art nouveau style according to the plans of the architects, Daniel Renard and Petre Antonescu, the Casino features sumptuous architecture and a wonderful view of the sea. The pedestrian area around the Casino is a sought-after destination for couples and families, especially at sunset.
QLI plans to open Casino Constanta in the second half of 2009, which will operate approximately 24 gaming tables and 250 slot machines. The company also intends to develop the casino as a comprehensive leisure venue with restaurants and other entertainment facilities. In addition to local visitors, QLI believes it will benefit from the high volume of tourists visiting the destination each year, and will also focus on developing a VIP customer base as part of its high roller strategy.
‘I am delighted we have finalised the terms of the Concession Agreement in Constanta, and look forward to working closely with the Municipality over the coming years. We believe that the Constanta concession, upon completion, will generate excellent returns for our shareholders and will be another key step in Queenco’s strategy of expanding our casino portfolio in emerging markets to capitalise on their superior growth.’, said Dror Mizeretz, CEO of QLI.
Queenco Leisure International Ltd. operates and manages two of Greece‘s nine licensed casinos under exclusive gaming licences and the Casino Palace in Romania.
As at 18 June 2007, the Group operated approximately 1,400 slot machines and 130 gaming tables, and employed 2,487 people in 4 countries.
Constanţa (historical names: Tomis, Greek: Κωνστάντια or Constantia, Turkish: Köstence, Bulgarian: Кюстенджа) is the oldest living city in Romania. Constanţa has the biggest harbour on the Black Sea, Port of Constanţa, the fourth largest in Europe, having the potential in the next few years to become the second largest in Europe after Rotterdam. Constanta is also the most popular destination for summer holidays in Romania for both the national and the international market because of its beachfront and cultural attractions.
$4.5 billion Canadian investment in casino-resort project (“Ho Tram“) in the South of the Vietnam, the themehighlighting the lush natural beauty of the area while showcasing Vietnamese and Asian culture.
The most important investors in this project are Asian Coast Development Ltd. from Toronto and Harbinger Capital LLC from New York
The Ho Tram Stripis being designed by Steelman Partners andspread across 19 hectares of prime real estateon a beach in Xuyen Moc Commune, in Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province, near Ho Chi Minh City.
The first stage of the project (2008-2011) will include two luxurious five star hotels with 2300 rooms and a Las Vegas-style casinos – featuring live entertainment stages and an exclusive VIP area to compliment gaming floors with more than 180 live table games and 2000 electronic games. As recreational facilities, an expansive and luxurious spa, state-of-the-art performance facilities, an engaging upscale retail experience and a wide selection of elegant dining facilities offering local and international cuisine.
It is the most important investment in Vietnam, including, in the first stage, a 2,300 rooms hotel and a casino with 900 gambling tables, 500 slot machines, and a VIP area.
Finally, in 2015, the resort will comprise five hotels with 9,000 rooms and a second casino.
The site plan includes several theatres and museums, a cultural center, and an ongoing parade of events, a championship 200-acre golf coursedesigned by Greg Norman, a country club, and and a site for guests to swim with dolphins.
Vietnam (Vietnamese: Việt Nam), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Cộng hòa Xã hội Chủ nghĩa Việt Nam), is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east. With a population of over 85 million, Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world.
Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu is a province of Vietnam. It is located on the coast of the country’s southeastern region. It also includes the Côn Đảo islands, located some distance off Vietnam’s southeastern coast. From 1954 to 1975, this province belonged to the Republic of Vietnam.
Gambling with the futures Socialist Worker Online, IL
One obvious one is the rising price of oil, which is increasing transportation and other costs for agricultural products. Another is profiteering on the …
The energy crisis: Only bold steps will help Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN
A frenzy of unregulated speculation in the futures markets is driving prices up in what one oil analyst called “the world’s largest gambling hall. …
Without gambling on the economy Ha’aretz, Israel
Until March he claimed that the deviation in the rate of world price increases stemmed from the sharp increase in the price of oil, metals and food. …
Full throttle Fund Strategy, UK
The price of oil has doubled over the past year, against an incessant drumbeat of warnings: an emerging consumer class can barely satisfy its demand for …
Reduced luxuries Napa Valley Register, CA
There was a time when the gambling Meccas were noted for cheap rooms and unlimited buffets. No so any more. Gambling, once the lifeblood of the casinos, …
Behind Latin America’s Food Crisis IRC’s Americas Program, NM
Yes, critics of agrofuels warned that food shortages and price hikes would result from the headlong rush to divert land from food to fuel production. …
Liquid Assets Charleston Post Courier, SC
The price of soybean oil, the main ingredient in most US biodiesel, has risen faster recently than that of crude oil, almost tripling in five years. …
A Way To Curb Oil Speculation Hartford Courant, United States
Every time a bomb explodes in Basra, speculators bid up the price of oil for future delivery. They are gambling that they know enough about the market to …
Tullow Oil is a good long term play Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom
The Jubilee oil field, off Ghana’s coast, has been the making of Tullow. Last year, investors drove up Tullow’s share price on expectations that Jubilee’s …
Gas price patience running on empty? Times Daily (subscription), AL
Ingram said many investors are gambling that more Americans will hit the road this summer and are bidding up the price of oil in anticipation of a busy …
AP News Calendar The Associated Press
___ WEDNESDAY, May 21 Washington — Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the price of oil. Witnesses include oil company chief executives. …
When government plays games with numbers, we all lose Concord Monitor, NH
It’s a scary thought: Over 20 percent of our GDP is now in gambling. The trajectories the finance industry needs to calculate are market-based. …
Edible oils offer some relief as inflation dogs consumers Hindu Business Line, India
In Subhiksha, for instance, the price of sunflower oil has dropped by around Rs 15 a litre since March 3. Groundnut oil has seen a drop of around Rs 12. …
Bungled Spygate probe provides few answers Florida Times-Union, FL
Contrast that to the way former commissioner Pete Rozelle suspended Paul Hornung and Alex Karras – then two of the NFL’s biggest stars – for gambling on …
Dorgan calls for action on crude oil speculation Dickinson Press, ND
He called the rampant oil market “the world’s largest gambling hall” or the equivalent to a highway “with no cops and no speed limit and everybody’s going …
A new MGM Grand casino will open at Foxwoods this weekend. The festivities will be overshadowed by the United Auto Workers that will protest against unfair tipping policy and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe’s refusal to bargain, trying to negotiate a union contract.
A new way the tips are distributed among dealers is going to decrease their earnings.
“We’re glad we could reach an agreement on this event that works for everyone. We’re glad to be there, we protected our first amendment rights, and we are confident we will get our message out,” said Director of UAW Region 9a, Bob Madore.
The Union will try to make aware the casino customers of the unfair labor practices, many dealers joining the protest.
The opening will have as guests many celebrities, such as Michael Douglas and his wife, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Jamie Lynn Sigler.
Yahoo! changes his terms of service regarding the gambling ads, for the UK advertisers. This is due to the change in UK legislation for gambling advertising, that is now less restrictive.
AccuraCast says that Yahoo! sent an email to its UK clients telling them that under recent UK legislation on gambling advertising, UK gambling ads may now include invitations to play or any mention of money, bonuses and prizes.
Yahoo Search Marketing have partnered recently with Media Corporation, an Internet media firm which owns onthebox.com, gambling.com and sport.co.uk, to provide search results and advertising across Media Corp’s extensive publishing network.
During July 29-30, 2008, will take place the conference Next Generation in Gambling (NGG) (Exploring multi-channel delivery of games to customers while complying with federal and state laws in Canada, United States and Latin America).
The event will target the casino, racing, and lottery companies working in North American jurisdictions, focusing to expand delivery channels while staying in compliance with the law, developing multi-channel strategies to bring gaming products directly to consumers is a logical next step.
The topics will cover technological information via the dedicated technology track, marketing tips, thought-provoking keynotes, and panel discussions from professional speakers like Hon. Alfonse D’Amato (Chairman and Chief Executive, Poker Players Alliance), Chris Collins (Linden Lab), Shawn Kreloff (CEO, Sona Mobile).
CryptoLogic Limited, a leading software developer to the global Internet gaming market, through its wholly owned subsidiary WagerLogic, has announced a three-year licensing contract with 888 Holdings PLC, one of the world’s most popular online gaming companies. Under the agreement, 888 will select and integrate casino games from CryptoLogic that best complement 888′s broad offering.
“Today’s announcement is consistent with CryptoLogic’s strategy to partner with the world’s biggest and best gaming brands – as a way to offer the ultimate player experience,” said Brian Hadfield, CryptoLogic’s President and CEO. “888′s reputation, established player base and global marketing strength, paired with CryptoLogic’s industry-leading games – it’s a winning combination.”
“This reaffirms 888′s strategy of creating a game ecosystem, powered by an industry-leading integration infrastructure, which enables 888 to introduce a diversified offering to existing and new players, worldwide,” said Gigi Levy, CEO of 888.
“For CryptoLogic, 888 is a natural fit,” added Justin Thouin, CryptoLogic’s Vice President, Product Management and Business Development. “Together, we offer the world’s best online games through one of the world’s largest Internet casinos.”
Source: CryptoLogic Limited
About CryptoLogic:
CryptoLogic Inc. (TSX: CRY) is a Dublin, Ireland-based software application service provider (formerly Toronto, Canada), one of the four largest in the industry along with Microgaming, Playtech, and Real Time Gaming.
Cryptologic listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CRY) in 1998 and on the NASDAQ (CRYP) in 2000. In 2003 the company began trading on the London Stock Exchange (CRP) before achieving gaming software certification in Alderney.
The Playboy brand launched casino and poker products on Playboygaming.com using Cryptologic software in early 2007.
World Poker Tour Enterprises (WPTE) also joined the CryptoLogic network in 2007, offering both casino and poker products.
About 888.com:
888 Holdings Plc incorporates Cassava Enterprises (Gibraltar) Ltd., a limited company listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: 888) which operates several high-profile gambling websites: 888.com, Casino-on-Net, Reef Club Casino, Pacific Poker.
On October 2, 2006, 888 Holdings announced that it had indefinitely suspended business from US customers in light of the passage of the Safe Port Act by the US Congress three days before. On August 14, 2007, the US Department of Justice asked to recoup all profits made by the company in America. This would amount to nearly $120m for 888.
An already tested method to defeat the online gambling companies started to act again, after Bodog.
1st Technology made a complaint against several companies including Digital Gaming Solutions SA, Costa Rica International Sports, Action Poker Gaming Enterprises and SBG Global; two Norwegian companies: Playsafe Holding AS and eCom Enterprises; and Digital Gaming Network, Ltd., which is based in Curacao, for the inftingement of a US patent. The result could be the confiscation of the domain names and default judgements.
Gambling 911 tells us that the complaint, filed in a Missouri Supreme Court, is considering the U.S. Patent No. 5,564,001, titled “Method and System for Interactively Transmitting Information Over A Network Which Requires Reduced Bandwidth”.
What is interesting is that this kind of action is taken against companies that are not under the jurisdiction of the US. But, in order to be able to fight against the online gambling, it is used an intermediate for the complaint and the fact that many international institutions that are implied in the domain name and Internet regulation are based within US, so they are considered as being under the US jurisdiction.
I do not know if this US patent it is a legal and enough argument against the online gambling companies. But why they didn’t act before the UIGEA, when US was accepting the online gambling?
And more than this, it seems to me that during the last years the US patents grown in a such manner that soon there will be very few activities on Internet that will no infringe a patent or another (in an insurance related web site, I was forced some time ago to change the metatag “farm insurance” because it is patented by an US company).
And they have even the power and the tools to impose their own rules, as long as the most important specific institutions are under the US jurisdiction.
So, it seems that the Internet is no more a “worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol”, but a patent where we are accepted temporarily, as long as we do not bother the owner.
Airbus is in discussion with more clients interested to use the world’s biggest passenger plane, Airbus superjumbo A380, into a flying casino.
David Velupillai, marketing director for Airbus’s executive and private aviation division, said a fully-fitted casino could be delivered as early as 2012.
The gambling “is clearly a growing business in Asia and what this interest reflects is what is happening in Macau and Singapore. The idea of a flying casino has been mentioned before but it’s now looking a lot more concrete,” said the head of Airbus’ Executive and Private Aviation Division, Francois Chazelle.
The most important destination for the future casinos will be Asia, especially Macau.
Las Vegas Sands Corp., a hotel, gaming, and resort development company headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada and owning The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, the Sands Expo and Convention Center, and Venetian Macao Limited, a developer of multiple casino hotel resort properties in The People’s Republic of China’s Special Administrative Region of Macao, hopes to launch VIP charter flights between Hong Kong and Las Vegas featuring baccarat tables in Lockheed Martin planes, in accordance with a South China Morning Post
One of the factor to measure the development of the gambling industry is the trade of the gambling software. In this context, good news from Playtech, the most known producer of gambling software. Its revenues increased with 101% to $32.7 million during the last quarter of the last year. Its casino games division rised to $22.9 million and its online poker software up to $9.4 million in revenue.
Playtech Cyprus Ltd. is a gaming software development company founded in 1999. The company provides software for online casinos, online poker rooms, online bingo games, and fixed-odds arcade games online.After UIGEAimplementation in US, the company’s stock suffered a one-day fall of over 40%. It subsequently recovered the losses to stand at near its 52-week peak in February 2007.
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Playtech Cyprus Ltd. is a gaming software development company founded in 1999. The company provides software for online casinos, online poker rooms, online bingo games, and fixed-odds arcade games online.
