The protracted legal battle between Governor Steve Beshear and the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) over the attempted seizure of 140 domain names has finally reached the Kentucky Supreme Court.
This week, the Kentucky court will review the state’s appeal of a lower court ruling that an old statute forbidding gambling devices had not been intended to include domain names, as suggested by iMEGA representative attorney Jon L. Fleischaker. (Gambling Online Magazine)
A typical selection of games offered at an online casino might include:
Many online casinos offer signup bonuses to new players making their first deposit. These bonuses normally match a percentage of the player’s deposit with a dollar maximum, and almost all online casino signup bonuses require a minimum amount of wagering before allowing a cash out. Gameplay at specific casino games might be excluded from the wagering requirement calculation.
A fictional signup bonus offer follows as an example:
For this particular example, this would mean that a player depositing $100 would start with $200 in his account. The player must make $5000 ($200 × 25) in wagers before being allowed to make a withdrawal.
Advantage play in casino signup bonus situations is mathematically possible. For example, the house edge in blackjack is roughly 0.5%. In the example above, $5000 in wagering with a house edge of 0.5% will result in an expected loss of $25. Since the player received a $100 signup bonus, the player has an expected profit of $75.
Advantage players who use bonus offers for an expected profit are often called “bonus hunters”, “bonus abusers”, “bonus baggers”, “bonus whores” and “casino scalpers”. Some online casinos have restrictions regarding “the spirit of the bonus offer” which they sometimes use as a deterrent to what they consider “bonus abuse”.
A player who wishes to do this at a large number of online casinos must be careful. Some casinos are rogues (see below) and do not pay. Others have terms and conditions that are not favorable to the player, such as most bonuses that are restricted to slots.
This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.
Video: Online Gambling – 2008 Year in Review
In poker, the starting hand is the initial set of cards dealt to each player before any voluntary betting takes place. For example, in Seven-card stud this is two downcards and one upcard; in Texas hold’em it is two downcards; in Five-card draw it is five cards.The one decision made by every poker player on every deal of every game is whether to continue playing that hand after seeing that first set of cards. Since making this decision correctly will lead to the most long-run profit for a skilled player, players often put considerable study into what the appropriate starting hand “standards” are for the game being played.
Optimal starting hand standards can be very sensitive to factors such as the betting structure of a game, position, and the character of the other players, as well as the rules of the game being played.
This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.
Online casinos, also known as virtual casinos or internet casinos, are online versions of traditional (“brick and mortar”) casinos. Online casinos enable gamblers to play and wager on casino games through the Internet.Online casinos generally offer odds and payback percentages that are comparable to land-based casinos. Some online casinos claim higher payback percentages for slot machine games, and some publish payout percentage audits on their websites. Assuming that the online casino is using an appropriately programmed random number generator, table games like blackjack have an established house edge. The payout percentage for these games are established by the rules of the game.
Reliability and trust issues are commonplace and often questioned. Many online casinos lease or purchase their software from well-known companies like Wager Works, Microgaming, Realtime Gaming, Playtech and Cryptologic in an attempt to “piggyback” their reputation on the software manufacturer’s credibility. These software companies either use or claim to use random number generators to ensure that the numbers, cards or dice appear randomly.
This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.
Video: Poker Room Review and Online Casinos to Avoid
Google received the highest approval, from the Queen, to allow companies to buy sponsored links for the online gambling in UK. Google stopped advertising online gambling in the search results pages in 2004 after the US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) and the express claim of the US addressed to the major search engines (Google, Yahoo!, MSN) when these SE were charged together $31.5m because they accepted online ads promoting illegal gambling, during the last ten years.
The advertisers using this service will have to be regulated in Britain or Europe and would have to have internet links to organisations helping problem gamblers.
“We’ve decided to amend our policy to allow text ads to appear against search queries related to gambling in Great Britain. We hope this will enhance the search experience for users and help advertisers connect with interested consumers. Gambling ads will automatically be classified as Non-Family Safe which means they will not show on any search where the user has applied the Safe Search filter.“, says James Cashmore, Head of Technology, Industry Markets Group, Google UK.
Although Kentucky’s culture is generally considered to be Southern, it is unique and also influenced by the Midwest and Southern Appalachia. The state is known for bourbon and whiskey distiling, tobacco, horse racing, and gambling.
The biggest day in horse racing, the Kentucky Derby, is preceded by the two-week Kentucky Derby Festival in Louisville. Louisville also plays host to the Kentucky State Fair, the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, and Southern gospel’s annual highlight, the National Quartet Convention. Owensboro, Kentucky’s third largest city, gives credence to its nickname of “Barbecue Capital of the World” by hosting the annual International Bar-B-Q Festival. Bowling Green, Kentucky’s fifth largest city and home to the only assembly plant in the world that manufactures the Chevrolet Corvette, opened the National Corvette Museum in 1994. (Wikipedia)
PC World – Kentucky May Kill Online Gambling Permanently
The state of Kentucky’s attempt to block resident’s access to 141 online gambling sites has proceeded to the next level, as a Franklin County Circuit Court …
Kentucky Judge Rules: Forfeit Gambling Domains | WebProNews
In essence, the Judge has ruled that the domains related to online gambling operations will be seized by the State of Kentucky unless the sites somehow …
Kentucky Threatens to Forfeit Gambling Domains
Supporters of online gambling on Friday lashed out at a Kentucky circuit court ruling ordering owners of 141 domain names to appear at a hearing next month …
KY judge gives gambling sites 30 days to block users | ZDNet …
Richard Koman delivers news and analysis on IT and enterprise computing in city, state & federal government.
Kentucky Court Affirms Seizure of 141 Gambling Domain Names & the …
Judge Thomas Wingate’s Ruling today in the matter of the Commonwealth of Kentucky vs. 141 Internet Domain Names has dismissed all objection – Domain Name …
Poker News – Kentucky judge rules against gambling domains …
In the Kentucky domain name seizure case, the court ruled against the domain name defendants and in favor of the state on virtually every issue.
Opinion and Order in Kentucky Online Gambling Domain Case (In Its …
Edward Leyden, President of The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association, on Thursday declared “We are going to fight like Hell”.
Judge upholds move to stop Internet gambling sites – State …
Dozens of Internet gambling sites have 30 days to block Kentucky users or their domain names will be transferred to the state, a Franklin Circuit judge …
MediaPost Publications – Kentucky Court Says Gambling Sites Must …
Kentucky Court Says Gambling Sites Must Restrict Access – 10/17/2008.
Ky. judge allows gambling Web site case to proceed – Forbes.com
A Franklin County Circuit Court judge refused Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to block access to more than 140 online casinos in Kentucky.
Decision in the Kentucky Gambling Domain Seizure Case
boogster
… against the state of Kentucky’s initiative and ruled that the owners of the websites — other than those sites that are used only for advertising or information and not gambling — start blocking access to Kentucky residents. … Kentucky Gambling Decision to be Released Thursday
The governor is not claiming to protect the citizens of the commonwealth from ‘the evils of gambling.’ Instead, he is trying to have them all to himself. That is because Gov. Steve Beshear is a big supporter of gambling in Kentucky, …
kentucky gambling decision to be released today
trujm
instead, he is trying to have them all to himself. that is because gov. steve beshear is a big supporter of gambling in kentucky, and he wants to keep the money. so why not use his and the kentucky courts’ power to take out the … Computer Glitch Defers Kentucky Gambling Domain Ruling
The future of 141 online gambling domains was left in the hands of Franklin Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wingate yesterday, but late in the day, the word came down from the judge’s office that the ruling would have to wait until Thursday, …
Kentucky judge rules against gambling domains
18, the Commonwealth presented evidence that computers located in Kentucky were, “through the use of domain names,” able to access gambling Web sites over the Internet offering online slot machines, roulette and poker. … Timeline Unclear for Wednesday Release of Kentucky Gambling Verdict
Dan Cypra
The verdict in the case that pits the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky against 141 internet gambling domain names is scheduled to be released on Wednesday. However, how and when the decision will be …
kentucky gambling verdict to be released today
EmmaMav
the kentucky gambling verdict is a ruling that will decide whether if several poker websites will be quarantined and not used in governor steve beshear’s state, kentucky, or if the websites will be permitted there. it has been anxiously … Ruling Expected Soon in Kentucky Gambling Domain Case
A decision is expected to be passed down shortly by Franklin County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wingate in the ongoing gambling domain name saga. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear wants 141 of the most popular online gambling domain names …
Kentucky Gambling Domain Decision Delayed
It looks like the judge in charge of the online gambling domain seizure case in Kentucky will render his decision late. More… Kentucky Circuit Court Dismisses Objections to Seizure of Gambling …
Fate89
Last month, the Commonwealth of Kentucky seized a number of gambling domain names because the â€oedomains were being used in connection with illegal gambling activity.†The names included widely popular online destinations such as …
Video: Are We Witnessing the Death of Online Gambling (Tension is continuing to build as Kentucky moves forward with its action against illegal gambling websites. As we have reported, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear ordered a seizure of 141 gambling domain names. A hearing took place last week in which many motions were filed. [WebProNews, 10/03/08])
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 …
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
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.
On the campaign’s national website, Obama ask for donation between $5 and $2300 in exchange of a chance for every donor to be chosen as one of the 10 supporters to meet Barack backstage in Denver.
Tom Barrett, head of the Minnesota Gambling Control Board, consider that this is an illegal raffle and a violation of the of Minnesota gambling laws.
Nick Kimball, a spokesman for the Obama campaign in Minnesota, says that “we are not conducting a raffle of any kind“.
As far as I can see, there is no more such offer on the Donation section of Barack Obama web site.
The House Financial Services Committee voted down a bill, H.R. 5767, that would have prevented federal agencies from issuing rules implementing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Lawmakers failed to agree on setting a clear definition of illegal Internet gambling.
Alabama Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus says that “Today’s vote was a victory for young people because illegal Internet gambling brings the casino into their bedrooms and dorm rooms, sometimes with tragic consequences.”
But the tie vote, 32-32, meant the legislation failed under committee rules. The original bill proposed by Rep. Barney Frank and Rep. Ron Paul was defeated in a voice vote.
“The financial institutions are in the position of being told not process bets, but it’s not clear what is legal and what is illegal,” said Rep. Barney Frank, the committee’s chairman.
Rep. Peter King says that this “was a banking issue, not a gambling issue” and that the banking industry shouldn’t be in the position of determining what is legal and illegal.
“The PPA is surprised that the Financial Services Committee today failed to clarify what constitutes ‘unlawful Internet gambling’ under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA),” said Alfonse D’Amato, chairman of the Poker Players Alliance.
Gambling revenue will grow to $155 billion in 2012 from a 2007 revenue of $114 billion with an annually rate of 6.5 percent per year, says PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in a report released this week.
Asia, and especially Macau, will be the world’s fastest growing gambling region.
In accordance with this report, the US revenue will decline in 2008, due to the mortgage crisis and high gas and travel price. But, starting with 2010, Las Vegas will expects a new raise.
Online gambling and sports betting is expected to have a 4.9% yearly increase in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and a 4.5% yearly increase for the US tribal casinos. The most important increase for US is predicted for sports betting, rising 7% to $7.6 billion in 2012.
France accepted the rules imposed by the European Union and will allow online gambling operators starting with the middle of the next year.
Online casino and poker sites will be able to operate gradually, the details will be established soon.
Lee Rousso, the Washington State Director of the Poker Players Alliance, filed a lawsuit on July 1, 2007, seeking to have UIGEA declared unconstitutional, considering that the new law discriminated against interstate businesses and, thus, violated the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. He said that UIGEA was supported by Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, whose district contains the state’s casinos and card rooms.
On May 16, 2008, State Court Judge Mary Roberts rejected the complaint, considering that there is no prove that the state law unfairly protected gaming interests inside the state at the expense of interests outside the state, and that the state’s historically strict prohibition on gambling influenced her ruling.
“The state loves gambling, it’s a gigantic business. It’s just the state protecting its turf.” , said Lee Rousso. “We are going to win this battle. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday soon.”
Poker News says that Washington state Gambling Commission spokeswoman Susan Arland disagrees. She said the law is meant to protect the public from the risk of playing on unregulated sites. “You don’t know who’s behind that screen. You don’t know if the games are fair or honest. You don’t know if you get paid your winnings.”
It is about a legal way to win, but take care! Such practice is considered an advantage gambling and, if the casinos see that you are a skillfull or knowledgeable player that can gain an advantage at blackjack by using the card-counting or shuffle tracking, at video poker by using a strategy card devised or not by computer analysis of the game, or at progressive slot machines by taking advantage of a high jackpot, you can end by being listed on the Black Book. And, if you will be listed finally on the Griffin Book shared by the casinos, you will end you career as gambler much sooner that you intended to do, because you will be excluded from all the casinos that have access to the book.
Bonus hunting (bonus bagging, or bonus whoring) makes possible from a mathematically point of view to get a profit. Wikipedia shows as example the house edge in blackjack which is roughly 0.5%. In the example above, $5000 in wagering with a house edge of 0.5% will result in an expected loss of $25. Since the player received a $100 signup bonus, after subtracting the expected loss of $25, the player has an expected profit of $75.
If you play at an online casino, you will take advantage by the signup bonuses, usually one-off bonuses for signing up to the casino and opening an account. There are terms and conditions for each bonus, like restricted games or bets and wagering requirements.
Wagering requirements prevent players from withdrawing the bonus money immediately after receiving it. Before the bonus money can be withdrawn the player must wager a certain amount of money on unrestricted games. The wagering can be spread out over many bets. To meet a $2000 wagering requirement, a player could make 1000 $2 bets on blackjack, provided blackjack is not a restricted game.
Games like blackjack and video poker have a low house advantage. The house advantage for blackjack is ~0.5%. So in the example above, by playing $2000 worth of blackjack with a house advantage of 0.5%, a player is, expected to lose $10 in total. But the expected value is an average value and may be less than the actual value.
Assuming that you only lose an amount close to the expected loss, and the bonus awarded to you after meeting this wagering requirement is greater than $10 then you will have a profit. The process is mathematically calculated. Bad luck could cause a player to lose more than $10 playing blackjack in this situation.
In sports betting, by taking advantage of free bet promotions, you can back the event, and then lay the event on a betting exchange, at similar or same odds, thus ensuring that the free bet is not a bet at all, instead more like a financial trade. No matter the outcome, it is possible (by using a betting / arb calculator) to calculate both the possible outcomes before the sporting event has started. By inputting the odds, the bet calculator then tells you what amount to bet, to ensure that whether the bet wins or loses, the return is the same.
In online poker, the poker player can take advantage by the incentive bonuses offered by the site after a certain number of raked hands are played. For example, a site may offer a player who deposits $100 a bonus of $50 once he plays 500 raked hands. A poker player who can at least break even can become a long-term winner by playing with poker bonuses. This way, a winning poker player can add to their winnings with the use of bonuses.
Good luck!
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).
Source: Clarion Gaming – The Next Generation in Gambling
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.
This championship starts in May and it is managed by Titan Poker, a thrilling online tournament series where skilled poker players compete for a share of millions of dollars over an action-packed ten days.
The first ECOOP was in December 2007, when they gave away $2,500,000.
The ECOOP II will run from the
Play for your place on our special ECOOP II leaderboard and you could also win a seat in a $50,000 Freeroll. All top
ECOOP II schedule of events:
| ECOOP EVENT | Tournament | Date | Buy-In | Guaranteed Prize |
| DAY ONE | ECOOP NL Hold’em |
Friday
May 23
2008
|
$200+$15 | $250,000 |
| DAY TWO | ECOOP PLO Hi-Lo R/A |
Saturday
May 24
2008
|
$100+$9 | $100,000 |
| DAY THREE | ECOOP NL Hold’em |
Sunday
May 25
2008
|
$300+$20 | $500,000 |
| DAY FOUR | ECOOP PLO Rebuy |
Monday
May 26
2008
|
$100+$9 | $150,000 |
| DAY FIVE | ECOOP NL Hold’em |
Tuesday
May 27
2008
|
$750+$50 | $300,000 |
| DAY SIX | ECOOP NL Hold’em 6 Max |
Wednesday
May 28
2008
|
$200+$15 | $200,000 |
| DAY SEVEN | ECOOP Limit Hold’em |
Thursday
May 29
2008
|
$200+$15 | $100,000 |
| DAY EIGHT | ECOOP NL Hold’em Rebuy |
Friday
May 30
2008
|
$100+$9 | $300,000 |
| DAY NINE | ECOOP PL Omaha |
Saturday
May 31
2008
|
$250+$18 | $150,000 |
| DAY TEN | ECOOP MAIN EVENT NL Hold’em |
Sunday
June 01
2008
|
$1,000+$60 | $1,500,000 |
| MVP FREEROLL | ECOOP MVP Freeroll NL Hold’em |
Wednesday
June 04
2008
|
Freeroll | $50,000 |
You can buy-in to the ECOOP directly or win your seat at our qualifying satellites.
In all the ECOOP tournaments, every event winner will also receive a special ECOOP bracelet!
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 UIGEA implementation 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.
NCOP Economic and Foreign Affairs Committee wants to modify the National Gambling Amendment Bill, in order that only licensed interactive gambling providers may advertise interactive gambling in its generally accepted form of remote gambling.
There it is still under discussions between the various provinces the way the online gambling advertising will be allowed.
In accordance with IT Web, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will search for “a formulation that is recommended on the subject by both DTI and the state law advisers on the subject”.
The next NCOP meeting on the subject of the Gambling Amendment Bill will be on 13 February 2008.
Titan Poker
Web Design & Development
Internet Marketing & Advertising
English-Romanian Translation
Nicolae Sfetcu
E-mail, Tel.: 0745-526896
Follow me on Twitter & Facebook
Casino-Online.com (Gambling portal)
