Saturday, March 28, 2009

Australians are Biggest Gamblers in the World, by Danielle Almond - Gambling Online Magazine - 27th March 2009

A Canadian report has recently discovered that Australia is the biggest nation for gambling in the world. The report showed that Aussies and New Zealanders spend an average of $435 online every month.

The report has obviously been seen by some as more ammunition for online gambling to be banned in the country as it allows punters to use credit. This is to come as sad news to many Australians as added to this there have been other reports that the government is anticipated to be the next to ban online poker rooms.

20,000 adults were surveyed for the study which was conducted by the University of Lethbridge professors Robert Wood and Robert Williams.

Professor Wood said, “Australian Internet gamblers do report high average monthly gambling spending than the overall average we observed among our sample. This would suggest that Australian Internet gambler do indeed spend more on gambling compared with Internet gamblers from most other countries.”

Australian gambler, Greg Tingle, said, “This report confirms my suspicions and my own findings. Online gambling is red hot in the land down under. I think this officially marks a gold rush for the promised land.” Those who believe these finding should bring about a ban on gambling include Gerard Byre, the Salvation Army’s problem-gambling service co-coordinator, who said, “We would encourage bans on any capacity to gamble on credit and believe the Federal Government should take a lead on this. People are certainly reporting more and more sage of online gaming. We’ve got a culture in NSW where gambling is the state past time.” (Credit: Gambling Online Magazine)

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Friday, March 27, 2009

International Internet Betting Laws

It may seem difficult but it is important that all citizens across the world stay updated with Internet Betting laws. Below you will find what we understand as the laws to online betting in certain areas of the world.

US Internet Betting Laws
The United States of America has the most ambiguous online casino laws in the world. They have passed laws to ban banks from allowing transactions that are deemed illegal, but no one has any idea what the United States considers legal or illegal. Currently, all US citizens are advised to check with local laws before gambling online. Even the online casinos aren't sure if you should be allowed to bet at their site. Some companies don't allow US players, others allow some US players, and some could care less where a player is from.

UK Internet Casino Laws
The UK is the first major country to completely legalize and regulate online gambling. The Gambling Act of 2005 was passed while Prime Minister Tony Blair was in office. Blair had a flair for expanding gambling, but when Gordon Brown took over as Prime Minister in the UK he provided a tax structure that was so high that most online casino companies were not urged to relocate to England. Today, all web branded casinos that are in a UK approved jurisdiction are legal for UK citizens to play at.

International Online Betting Laws
As the world gets deeper into the 21st century and the Internet becomes a more common cultural tool more and more countries are realizing the reality that is Internet gambling. Currently, Spain, Italy, Germany and other countries have moved to legalize and regulate the industry, while few still look to protect their homeland gaming monopolies. It is extremely important to check all local, state, and federal laws before participating in any online gambling activities.

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Thursday, March 26, 2009

Australians Are The Biggest Gamblers In The World - Gambling911 - 26th March 2009

A report out of Canada paints Australians as the biggest gambling degenerates in the world. The report, obtained exclusively by The Sunday Telegraph, shows Australian and New Zealand gamblers spend an average of $435 online every month.

This is five times what punters put through poker machines and has prompted renewed calls for bans on online gambling, which allows people to bet using credit.

The study also found the prevalence of problem gambling was up to four times higher for Internet gamblers than those who used traditional means such as poker machines.

More than 20,000 adults from 105 countries were surveyed for the study, conducted by University of Lethbridge professors Robert Wood and Robert Williams.

"Australian Internet gamblers do report higher average monthly gambling spending than the overall average we observed among our sample," Prof Wood said.

"This would suggest that Australian Internet gamblers do indeed spend more on gambling compared with Internet gamblers from most other countries."

Australian Media Man for Gambling911.com, Greg Tingle, rejoiced at the news.

"Ahoy. This report confirms my suspicions and my own findings... online gambling is red hot in the land down under... Australia. I think this officially marks a gold rush for the promised land. Our phone hasn't stopped ringing, and there's a constant stream of overseas enquires.

"The Australian government's ACMA website blacklist doesn't appear to have slowed down those seeking to make a killing down under. We're seen a trend in more .net ventures taking off and online casinos are generally keeping the "play for free" or "play for money" option. Australian newsrooms are also starting to run more stories regarding the online gambling sector and most are surprisingly balanced stories. We're gladly assisting them on (some) of the inner workings of the online casino industry." (Credit" Gambling911)

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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Aussies Biggest Betters In The World

Online punters Downunder wager more money online than gamblers elsewhere in the world, reports the Melbourne Sun Herald this weekend. The newspaper references a new Canadian study by University of Lethbridge professors Robert Wood and Robert Williams which used a research base of 20 000 adults in 105 countries to reach its conclusions.

The study claims that Australian and New Zealand gamblers spend an average of A$435 online every month - five times what punters put through land poker machines - and has prompted renewed calls for bans on online gambling in Australia, the newspaper reports.

The Uni Lethbridge study also found the prevalence of problem gambling was up to four times higher for Internet gamblers than those who used traditional means such as poker machines, an apparent conflict with previous studies including the regular gambling prevalence studies carried out in the UK by the Gambling Commission. Whether this is a conflict, or an indication that Aussie and Kiwi gamblers are more prone to addiction by higher usage, is unclear. The finding is also dependent on what the researchers define as "problem gambling."

Professors Robert Wood and Robert Williams, who conducted the Lethbridge study, concluded: "Australian Internet gamblers do report higher average monthly gambling spending than the overall average we observed among our sample.This would suggest that Australian Internet gamblers do indeed spend more on gambling compared with Internet gamblers from most other countries."

The Salvation Army's problem-gambling service co-ordinator for Australia, Gerard Byrne, said he was not surprised by the figures and called on the Federal Government to ban credit-based betting.

"People are certainly reporting more and more usage of online gambling," Byrne said. "I'm not surprised New South Wales is near the top in problem online gambling. We've got a culture where gambling is the state pastime."

Clubs NSW chief executive David Costello said online gambling should be subject to the same restrictions as the heavily regulated land gambling industry.

"This is a very real issue," Costello said. "It confirms what we've been saying for the past two years: the incidence of Internet gambling is infinitely increasing."

He said there was a danger of young people using their parent's credit cards, with not enough age checks completed.

The news comes after online gambling group Centrebet posted a 23 percent jump in Australian online revenue last month. The company is also expecting a 10 percent increase for the 12 months to June 2009.

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Sunday, March 22, 2009

New Zealand And Australia The World Leaders In Online Gambling

Most people would think that the most online gambling is taking place in the US. Those people would be wrong if one is to believe the findings of a new study done by University of Lethbridge professors Robert Williams and Robert Wood.

The study was uncovered by The Sunday Telegraph and the results indicate that New Zealand and Australia are the world leaders in terms of online gambling. They both average over $400 a month worth of bets from gamblers.

The study consisted of surveying over 20,000 people from 105 countries. Australia and New Zealand gamblers admitted to betting $435 on an average online, per month. That figure exceeds any other countries.

"Australian Internet gamblers do report higher average monthly gambling spending than the overall average we observed among our sample," said Professor Wood, "This would suggest that Australian Internet gamblers do spend more on gambling compared with Internet gamblers from most other countries."

Some suggest that Internet gambling needs stricter regulations in Australia. The use of credit cards to gamble online is a main concern for at least one problem gambling coordinator from the Salvation Army.

"We would encourage bans on any capability to gamble on credit and believe the Federal Government should take a lead on this," said Gerard Byrne. Centrebet is at the center of the online gaming industry, with a ten percent revenue increase from online betting over the past year..

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Virgin's Great Marketing Idea Pays Off

A tongue in cheek interpretation of gambler's luck has paid off big-time for online gambling firm

March 16, 2009 (InfoPowa News) -- The always-innovative marketers at online gambling firm Virgin Games.com achieved wide mainstream media -- including television -- coverage as well as online gambling publicity for an ingenious tongue-in-cheek interpretation of the luckiest and unluckiest places in the United Kingdom last week.

Triggering the exercise just before the notoriously unlucky date, a statement from the company commented: "With Friday 13th upon us for the second time already in 2009, those of a slightly superstitious disposition would be advised to take a trip to St.Albans -- according to data from Virgin Games, it's the luckiest place in the whole of the U.K. Residents of Sutton, Brighton and Luton also needn't get worried about Friday 13th as they follow second and third place respectively in the luck stakes!"

The statement went on to reveal that Virgin had analyzed more than 100,000,000 separate wagers, based purely on chance, placed over the past three years in order to create a map of the U.K.’s ‘luckspots’ -- handy advance information for those trying to protect themselves from bad luck on Friday the 13th. It identified the unluckiest spots in the U.K., too -- pointing to Belfast, Perth and Newbury with the advice that residents of those parts should hold on to a horseshoe or rabbit's foot for the duration of the year's unluckiest day.

Simon Burridge, CEO of Virgin Games, added momentum to the drive with an explanation: "Friday 13th falls three times in 2009, so we thought it would be interesting to see whether some regions in the U.K. are luckier than others." We matched the success of our huge database of players against the U.K.’s postcodes, and were surprised at just how much variation there was between regions.

"It’s just a bit of fun, of course -- but if I was at all superstitious I’d be heading to St. Albans this Friday 13th!”

The unusual and date-relevant nature of the story caught the attention of the Britsh media, ensuring wide coverage.

For those who worry when they walk under ladders, smash mirrors or spill salt perhaps a move to St. Albans would deliver more peace of mind, Virgin concluded. "Not only has the suburban district been crowned one of the best places to live in the U.K. -- it was recently selected as the 'Mayfair' spot on the British Cities version of Monopoly -- its residents can also consider themselves the luckiest, over four times more likely to win than residents living in Belfast.

"In St. Albans, a bet of £1 can expect to see an average profit of 83p -- compared to a loss of 60p if the same wager was made over the Irish Sea in Belfast," claimed the online gambling website.

For the superstitious, then, here's Virgin Games' take on the Luckiest and Unluckiest gambling spots in Britain:

Top 10 luckiest towns in the U.K.:

St. Albans
Sutton
Brighton
Luton
City of Manchester
South West London (SW postcodes)
Torquay
Bolton
Harrow
Stevenage

Top 10 unluckiest towns in the U.K.:

Belfast
Perth
Newport
Salisbury
Motherwell
Darlington
Dudley
Aberdeen
Doncaster
Colchester

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Monday, March 16, 2009

Playtech Signs Up Major Spanish Land Operator

Agreement could give gambling software provider a solid entry to a Spanish regulated online gambling market

March 16, 2009 (InfoPowa News) -- London-listed online gambling software developer Playtech plc has scored another important coup, signing up Casino Gran Madrid, one of the largest and most prestigious land-based gaming operators in Europe, as a licensee for its online casino and poker products.

Under the terms of the license agreement, Playtech will provide CGM with its casino platform and poker product, through its iPoker network, as the operator launches its online operations.

Mor Weizer, Chief Executive Officer of Playtech, said: "We are delighted to have secured this agreement with one of Europe's largest and most respected land-based operators. We expect this to be a significantly value accretive relationship, exemplifying our strategy to increase the number of regulated markets in which we operate."

Both parties are committed to meeting all the Spanish regulatory requirements, a Playtech spokesman stressed. CGM has already been working closely with Playtech's development and customer support teams to devise a suite of products tailored to meet the unique demands of CGM's players, offering a wide variety of games specifically designed to appeal to the gaming patterns of CGM's customer base.

Weizer continued: "We are pleased to add further regulated markets to our sphere of operations. Playtech's gaming platform is supported by a transparent and efficient management system which an increasing number of customers view as integral to their future business plans."

Jorge Casanova, Director of Information Systems of Casino Gran Madrid, commented: "Our agreement with Playtech strengthens CGM's leading position in the Spanish casino market. With our casino brand and games available online we are delighted to be leading gaming development in Spain through Playtech's innovative, secure and transparent system."

Industry analyst Collins Stewart described the deal as strengthening Playtech's credibility in a growing regional market. "The Madrid region is one of the leaders of Spain's online gambling regulation drive, meaning the deal also reinforces Playtech's strengthening regulated position," the company said.

Playtech plc is due to release its full-year results on Thursday this week, in what is anticipated to be a positive annual report.

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Sunday, March 15, 2009

Macau still worth a gamble: analysts - AFP - 14th March 2009

MACAU (AFP) — Half-finished casinos and dropping revenues have fueled fears that Macau's staggering growth has faltered, but analysts insist the gaming haven remains a sure long-term bet.

The former Portuguese colony has transformed itself from a sleepy backwater to a dazzling entertainment centre in the last five years, with foreign and Chinese-owned casinos sprouting up across the territory.

The city of just 550,000 now takes in more gaming revenue than Las Vegas and Atlantic City combined, thanks to the voracious gambling of Chinese visitors who have poured in from the mainland.

But worries over corruption, problem-gambling and foreign companies grabbing the spoils from China's recent economic boom led Chinese authorities to stem the flow of visitors last summer.

The tougher visa restrictions caused a sharp drop in revenue growth sparking a slew of negative stories, plummeting casino stocks and a hiatus in the city's construction boom.

But some analysts are adamant fears about Macau's demise are premature.

"Macau has been used to more than 40-percent growth -- that cannot be sustainable and a slowdown is natural," said Zeng Zhonglu, a professor in gaming economies at Macau Polytechnic Institute.

"My impression is that the economy generally is healthy."

Jonathan Galaviz, an analyst with Las Vegas-based consultancy Globalysis, said any disruption to economic growth will be temporary with Macau's performance short-term expected to fluctuate along with the Asian economy.

While gaming revenues dipped sharply over the second half of 2008, the city still raked in a total of 13.5 billion US dollars for the year, a 31 percent increase year-on-year. Revenues rose 46 percent in 2007.

Meanwhile, employment held steady in the three months to January and retail sales rose 34 percent in 2008. Gaming is a central part of the economy.

During a recent visit, there were lengthy queues at the immigration counter and the city centre jewellery and watch stores were humming with shoppers.

The tables at the Grand Lisboa, the flagship casino of local tycoon Stanley Ho, were three deep with heavy-smoking Chinese gamblers playing their favourites game of Baccarat.

But it is in the hidden world of the VIP gaming rooms where the city has suffered.
VIP revenues have played a central role in the success of Macau's economy with top casinos tussling with each other to attract high-rollers.

But many of the heaviest gamblers were Chinese government officials and the heads of state-owned companies, whose frittering away of public cash in Macau's private rooms has become a national scandal.

Unsurprisingly, official figures are not collated, but Zeng has combed through mainland media reports to establish a clearer picture.

Of the 99 cases he uncovered, he said each official or businessman lost an average of 20 million yuan (2.9 million US) on the tables.

One official lost 100 million yuan in one day in 2007, while another had to be carried out of a Macau casino as he was too weak to walk after six days and nights of constant gambling.

"The central government is highly concerned that so much money is disappearing in Macau," Zeng said.

"It leads to bribes and the theft of public funds, all of which greatly damages the government's reputation."

Glenn McCartney, a tourism academic at Macau University and local businessman, said the city had to change its business focus from VIPs to a genuine mass-market entertainment, attracting visitors from across Asia.

"I am very confident about Macau. The market is not anywhere near maturity level yet," he said.

"But Macau is not Las Vegas. If I was sitting in the marketing department of a casino firm, I would be asking what changes we have to make so we can attract more people from the mainland."

US firm Las Vegas Sands in particular is hoping China will allow more visitors in.
The most aggressive foreign investor in the city, it opened the world's biggest casino, The Venetian, in 2008.

But worsening credit markets have stalled its ventures across the world, and last November it was forced to sack 11,000 workers and halt work on a huge complex of new hotels opposite the gargantuan Venetian.

Four months later, the quiet building site remains the most potent symbol both of Macau's risks for investors, and its potential.

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Friday, March 13, 2009

James Packer Scraps Cannery Casino Resorts Crown Casino Deal - Gambling911 - 13th March 2009

Australian billionaire James Packer has a $1.75 billion takeover of Cannery Casino Resorts LLC and sold his Australian cattle ranches to Guy Hands U.K. buyout company, Terra Firma Capital Partners Ltd. Packer's Crown Casino enterprise, Australia's biggest, rose 13.5 percent on the news. Had the deal gone through, Packer would have obtained three Nevada casinos and a racetrack near Pittsburgh.

The 41 year old Packer's fortune shrank to half this past year according to Forbes Magazine. Crown lost 56 percent of its value and the Las Vegas casinos are not faring that much better.

"Anyone who is looking to borrow to buy an asset, particularly one whose value was set before the economic meltdown, has not been viewed kindly by investors," said Sean Fenton, who manages about $324 million at Tribeca Investment Partners in Sydney. "Some investors have been waiting for a resolution to this deal before getting back into the stock."

Australian media has been especially hard on Packer as of late, claims Media Man Greg Tingle.

Insiders close to the James Packer situation almost universally agree that he appears to have made two main business mistakes," Tingle told Gambling911.com last week.... "The One.Tel telco fiasco in Australia back in 2001. One.Tel was a 1 billion dollar mistake. The other more recent mistakes being buying land based casinos in the Macau region (at top dollar), but James was not to know the ass would fall out of the market. Some analysts say some of the casino investments are worth next to nothing. Hang on, wouldn't James Packer be paying people good advice on what to buy, what not to, and how much to pay? Packer didn't have a luxury of a crystal ball.

"The good news for Packer and the rest of us is that history shows us that global recessions don't last forever, or do they? The global economy has been punishing Packer for the past few years and it's largely matters which are outside his control, so I think the Australian's press should give him a break and try to reflect a more balanced approach to journalism in regards to covering the business of being James Packer."

The Cannery deal was part of more than $3 billion of North American gambling-industry acquisitions Packer has made since inheriting Australia's biggest fortune when his father died in December 2005.

Cannery is controlled by Bill Paulos and Bill Wortman's Millennium Gaming Inc. and Oaktree Capital Management LLC.

According to Bloombert, Crown will pay a termination fee of $50 million, which may go up to $250 million if it doesn't get regulatory approval to call off the deal. The casino operator will also pay Cannery $320 million to subscribe for a preferred instrument that could be converted into a 24.5 percent holding.

Packer's company will have the option over a two-year period to buy the rest of Cannery on the same terms as the original agreement, the gambling company said in a statement today.

Crown scrapped the deal less than a month after posting a first-half loss triggered by writedowns to its U.S., Canadian and U.K. casino investments.

Packer slashed the value of stakes in Harrah's Entertainment Inc., Station Casinos Group and Aspinalls by 90 percent as recessions in North America and Europe curbed gambling demand. (Credit: Gambling911)

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California Dealing?

27th February 2009

California is considering legalizing online poker to help boost its local economy. The state is best known for its white sandy beaches and Hollywood lifestyle, yet it could soon be famous for legalizing online poker.

Recent changes to US legislation have resulted in all online gambling activity being banned, however the sate of California is looking to try and boost it's struggling economy by legalizing the popular game of online poker.

State officials are in talks with several operators however have sated that they will avoid speaking to convicted Party Gaming co founder Anurag Dikshit, after he pleased guilty to fraud.

A spokes person at 911 quoted, a source saying, "California is not going to have an online poker room licensed in the state where one of the founders pleaded guilty before he was even charged with a crime."

They went onto add, "888.com is one that's been mentioned. They are looking at companies that are publicly traded and 888.com fits the bill." The fierce online gambling debate is still continuing in the U.S with growing numbers seeing a regulated industry as a viable option to help boost the economy.

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Thursday, March 12, 2009

France Opens Gaming Market to Competition

Budget Minister Eric Woerth unveils draft legislation that France hopes will stamp out illegal betting.

France announced on Thursday that it will open its gaming market to private competition, making it the latest European country to amend laws to bring it into line with its European Union obligations.

French Budget Minister Eric Woerth unveiled draft legislation for the regulation of the country's online gaming market at a press conference in Paris. The Council of Ministers must now review the bill before submitting it to Parliament. The law, to come into effect on January 1 2010, will allow French citizens to gamble online.

Woerth said the French gaming market would be expanded to help France "get out of an unsustainable situation in which the state is losing a growing part of the betting market."

France is the latest country to bow to pressure from a 2007 European demand, including the threat of a lawsuit, to end state gambling monopolies as outlined in EU competition laws.

Under the new laws, the French government will charge a levy of around 7.5 percent on online bets on sports events and horse races, and around two percent on online bets on poker. Given that France currently earns around $6.3 billion a year from its gaming industry, including online gambling, that will mean a large amount of revenue for the French government.

France follows the example of several smaller EU countries, including Sweden, Denmark and Poland, which all bowed to pressure in 2008 by introducing new laws that ended state-run gambling monopolies in compliance with EU regulations.

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Virgin Casino Review

Virgin Casino launched under the Virgin Games brand in June 2004. The site was refreshed in June 2006, providing players with a greater choice of games and additional means of earning bonus points and rewards.

Virgin Casino is packed full of Vegas favourites with Elvis Multi-Strike™, Wheel of Fortune™, The Price is Right™, Cleopatra™ and the 50.000 Pyramid™, as well as 6 different versions of Blackjack and 4 different versions of Roulette. You'll also find some of the most entertaining and unique slots on the web with Monopoly on a Roll™ and Cluedo™, not to forget the groundbreaking Monopoly and Cluedo Megajackpots™ slot games, the larger start and reset progressive jackpot on the internet, with a whopping starting value of £1,500,000.00!

Premium releases including ELVIS - A Little More Action®, Cleopatra II™ and Da Vinci Diamonds® have also been added to Virgin Casino’s portfolio of games in 2008. Further big IGT names will be added to Virgin Games in the coming months, ensuring a constant stream of new and exciting games to keep your adrenalin going.

Virgin Casino runs a 24 hour call centre, credits casino payouts quickly (between 24 and 72 hours) and with full Gamcare Certification is one of the safest places to play online. The casino does not accept bets from the USA or jurisdictions where online gaming is illegal.

With all Virgin Casino games players can earn V*Points - Virgin Games’ loyalty points - every time they play. Offering players the chance to redeem their points for further Virgin rewards, including Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Miles, cold, hard cash or even charity donations, V*Points can be transferred across Virgin Games portfolio of products, including Virgin Poker and Virgin Bingo. Virgin Casino is the only online casino where, whether you win or lose, you get the chance to build up enough Flying Club miles to jet around the world to destinations like Vegas and Sydney.

If that's not enough, new players will also find signing up is sweetened by a 100% sign up bonus up to £50 and there are regular cash and prize bonus promotions that run throughout every month of the year.

Sign up for your £50 bonus now.

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