Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Frank Sinatra Land Based Casino To Close But Sinatra Slot Lives On At PartyGaming, by Greg Tingle - 1st April 2010

A Nevada casino once owned by legend Frank Sinatra and patronised by Hollywood stars and mobsters has closed due to plunging gambling rates and competition from the Vegas strip.

Media Man and Gambling911 investigate, as we mix it up with Hollywooders, journos, academics and mobsters...

Associations with the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Junior has not been enough to save the Cal Neva Lodge Casino from the distressed US land based casino industry.

The casino, situated on Lake Tahoe near the California border, last year saw its revenues fall to approximately 50% of what they enjoyed in 1992 allowing for inflation, tipped Mr William Eadington, director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada.

Other local casinos continue to close or have downsized, unable to compete with Las Vegas, not in good shape itself – and the growing number of gambling resorts on Native American Indian reservations.

"The realities are when you have that kind of decline the weakest operators typically get pushed out," advised Mr Eadington. "The older, tired casinos and the Cal Neva is a great example, don't have much to offer for gaming."

Understood to be America's oldest licensed casino, the Cal Neva opened for business in 1926. The Cal Veva enjoyed its peak in the early 1960s when it was bought by Sinatra, reportedly in partnership with Sam Giancana, a Chicago mobster.

Adding a 35-seat celebrity showroom and rooftop helicopter pad, Samy and Frank ensured film stars, singers and Mafiosi enjoyed its blackjack games and roulette tables.

A network of underground tunnels, built to smuggle alcohol during Prohibition, allowed the VIP guests to move around the establishment without being seen by the general public.

Monroe actually spent the last weekend of her colourful life at The Cal in 1962 as a guest of the infamous 'Rat Pack' actor Peter Lawford and his wife.

Various stories circulate as to why the blond goddess was there. One story goes on to say she discussed making a film with Dean Martin and to patch things up with her second husband, baseball icon Joe DiMaggio, yet another Cal Neva regular. The other side of the story we learn is that a 1999 biography claimed Monroe was brought there to be threatened not to reveal her Mafia links, drugged in her cabin and photographed in compromising positions! Another Cal Neva rumour claims she used the resort for a tryst with John F Kennedy.

Staff concede the resort has traded off its colourful history but Guy Rocha, a former Nevada state archivist, said it would not register with younger gamblers. The hotel and restaurant remain open, but the tables, slots and other gambling activity are history.

"The Cal Neva doesn't capture people's imagination the way it once did," he said.

The Sinatra name is however alive and strong on the internet. Media Man has created an online tribute (with the help of Wikipedia) which is found here
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/sinatra.html and an authentic Sinatra online slot game, developed by 'The Games Studio' of PartyGaming fame is also showcased. Frank Sinatra Enterprises came to business terms with PartyGaming last year and the slot game has proven to be one of the most popular of all time, even competing with the legendary Cleopatra, developed by IGT (International Gaming Technology) and WagerWorks. Gangster and mob related games are some of the most popular found anywhere in the world. 'The Godfather' franchise also has an online slot game and rumours are circulating that Australia's late Kerry Packer (code named "The Goanna" in The Costigan Commission report) may also get the same treatment.

PartyGaming is also currently rumoured to be in discussions with the Canadian Poker Tour aka HeadsUp Entertainment, as well as enjoying M&A talk with Bwin and others. This past week PartyGaming inked a b2b multi year deal with Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU). Party will provide its poker product to its horse racing website. Party continues its global strategy with France, South America, India, the U.S and Australia in its sights.

Media Man remains optimistic about America's igaming industry growth, having created http://www.americangamingnews.com and http://www.hollywoodslotgames.com

A Media Man insider was overheard, "If only the U.S igaming market would open up sooner rather than later. We could kick some major goals under Gambling911 and the Sly Stallone - Arnie connection guidance. I guess we will have to stick mainly to poker and sports betting in the U.S sector for now, but when things change those Gambling911 guys, PartyGaming and the Media Man crew might just take over Vegas and Atlantic City... we could back door it in via Canada and North America with those Canadian Poker tournament guys. It will be just like the good old days, and you know history repeats my friend".

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. The firm covers approximately a dozen business vertical markets including gaming and igaming

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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

PartyCasino Wins Media Man Online Casino Award, by Greg Tingle - 31st March 2010

PartyCasino.com Wins Media Man Online Casino Award

PartyCasino.com has been awarded the Media Man and Casino News Media "Online Casino Of The Month".

PartyGaming's igaming suite has grown a custom to winning awards since they first opened for business in 1997.

The competition for the coveted award was intense again this month with massive bids from both WPTCasino.com, Captain Cooks Casino, Virgin Casino, Betfair, PKR and Noble Casino however there can only be one winner... ladies and gentlemen, that's PartyCasino.com

The award follows PartyPoker's EGR Poker Operator Of The Year and PartyGaming also made the shortlist for EGR Operator Of The Year. Recently PartyGaming's PartyPoker.com also won the Casino News Media "Online Poker Website Of The Month".

The Media Man - Casino News Media accolade is based on a combination of elements including user experience, innovation, trustworthiness, customer service, gameplay, affiliate program offerings, newsworthiness and company values.

PartyCasino.com is one of a number of PartyGaming brands.

The most popular PartyCasino.com games of late include Rambo, The Godfather, Sinatra, Slotbox, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Mission: Impossible, The Terminator, Cleopatra, Sinatra, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man, Monopoly, Resident Evil, Melon Madness, Wheel Of Fortune and Mega Fortune Wheel.

The PartyCasino.com jackpot is currently approaching the $2 million mark. Players can also compete for The Big One and Marvel Hero Jackpot, playing the Marvel super hero themed online slot games.

PartyCasino's most recent game releases include Melon Madness, SlotBox, Rubik's Slot, Beat The Bank, Sands Of Fortune, Tarzan, High Noon and Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

PartyGaming CEO Jim Ryan has gone on record advising PartyCasino will soon feature more Hollywood blockbuster themed slots. A few in the know journalists and media agents have been recently tipped off that an all time classic movie adaption will be showcased in the PartyCasino portfolio within 3 months. PartyCasino has the world's most impressive line up of Hollywood themed games, and more are just around the corner.

PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com customers can also benefit from rewards and bonuses via PartyPoints and the Palladium Lounge. Be certain to check out the PartyCasino exclusive "Cash Machine" that is being championed as one of the greatest online casino promos ever.

Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with PartyGaming, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.

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PartyCasino New Games: Rubiks Slot, Slotbox, Sands Of Fortune, Beat the Bank and more - March 2010

PartyGaming's PartyCasino.com Releases New Games

Rubiks Slot, Slotbox, Sands Of Fortune, Beat the Bank and more

Multi currency

Multi language

24/7/365 support

Multi-time award winning casino

Australian, European, South African, South African players welcome.

Up to $500 bonus for new players via PartyCasino.com

PartyGaming has also recently launched WPTCasino.com which also carries many new game titles and is currently offering up to $600 welcome bonus for new players.

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Monday, March 29, 2010

Casino News Media: Armed gang raids packed casino - 29th March 2010

Media Man and Casino News Media report

An armed gang of masked men raided a casino packed with about 600 guests and made off with hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Swiss prosecutors.

In a statement, prosecutors in Basel described a scene like an action-film heist:

About 10 men dressed in black arrived in two cars at the Grand Casino near Basel shortly after 4:00 am.

One smashed the front door with a sledgehammer, and the others ran inside with machine guns and pistols, the statement said.

Speaking French, a group of men ordered the guests and employees to the floor, while their accomplices emptied registers in the basement and an upper floor, it said. They could not get into the strong room, despite shooting at the locked door, prosecutors said.

"The criminals fired a number of shots, but luckily no one was hit," said the statement.

It said some guests and one security guard were lightly injured from being hit or stepped on, and that Swiss and French police were trying to track down the men. Swiss police said the men fled the casino quickly, driving away in two silver Audis with French license plates.

A woman who accidentally drove between the two getaway cars and blocked the casino's exit was pulled from her vehicle and beaten, police said. They said it was possible that the men fired a shot at another car during their high-speed escape.

The Grand Casino is located little more than 200 meters from Switzerland's border with France. The men made off with "several hundreds of thousands" of francs, police said.

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Sunday, March 28, 2010

Illegal online betting is thriving - March 2010

South African gamblers are providing a ready market for illegal international Internet casinos, which have thrived online while the government has delayed the implementation of legislation to regulate Internet gambling.

This was among criticisms levelled by gambling treatment activists and experts at the government during public hearings before the Gambling Review Commission in Durban yesterday.

Other concerns were about money laundering in casinos, under-age gambling, the ineffective banning of problem gamblers and a rise in sports gambling.

The commission is hosting public hearings across the country to gauge the socio-economic impacts of gambling and the effectiveness of policy and the regulatory framework.

Wayne Lurie, an attorney who was a special adviser to a 2004 committee which drafted a report on interactive gambling for the Department of Trade and Industry, said the country was in a "legal quagmire" over the issue of online gambling and the Interactive Gambling Act, which was promulgated in 2008.

The act, providing for 10 online gambling operators, has not yet been implemented because adjoining regulations still need to be approved by Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies.

"We have casinos operating from offshore in the country and if we scratch the surface, we will find illegal interactive casinos," Lurie said.

"The industry cries out for regulation. Unlike land-based environments, every transaction can be monitored and the exact tax can be monitored. It's the easiest environment to regulate."

Lurie said there was "no strong ban of interactive gambling... that will stand up in court. This needs to be addressed urgently. It's embarrassing to the legislature."

Tyrone Dobbin, a bookmaker who runs Great Odds, which uses the Internet as a communication tool for legal betting, said he hoped the government would not prohibit online gambling, which would drive it underground.

He said online casinos were being run from Gibraltar, Malta and the Isle of Man by South Africans who hired postal addresses there but targeted the local market.

"I watch these foreign illegals establishing a foothold in the country without the benefit of tax. They are moving into our borders where the authorities are not able to regulate."

Lurie said there was "no strong ban of interactive gambling... that will stand up in court. This needs to be addressed urgently. It's embarrassing to the legislature."

Tyrone Dobbin, a bookmaker who runs Great Odds, which uses the Internet as a communication tool for legal betting, said he hoped the government would not prohibit online gambling, which would drive it underground.

He said online casinos were being run from Gibraltar, Malta and the Isle of Man by South Africans who hired postal addresses there but targeted the local market.

"I watch these foreign illegals establishing a foothold in the country without the benefit of tax. They are moving into our borders where the authorities are not able to regulate."

An SAPS investigator said he had arrested criminals who confessed to having a gambling addiction, and he had "followed the money" to casinos.

"Often, people steal money to support their gambling. Casinos (are) the best haven for them to spend large amounts of money. A lot of the criminals use the casinos as a form of money laundering," he said.

National Council on Problem Gambling (Gamhelp) director, Raj Govender, said he was concerned about the rise in sports betting, gambling-linked suicides and casinos that entertained banned gamblers.

"In South Africa, we are trying to get all types of gambling as they have in the US and the UK, but we are a new country and so much has come to people so quickly, they don't know what to do with it. Kids are gambling. There are gambling machines in tuckshops and children are taking the Lotto," Govender said.

He claimed banning was not effected in casinos until the gambler won money, which was then confiscated.

Charl Faurie, the general manager of the Casino Association of South Africa, said a national programme aimed at assisting problem gamblers had been hailed internationally as an example for other countries to follow.

The National Gambling Board, he said, was responsible for a national database of people excluded from gaming establishments.

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Saturday, March 27, 2010

PartyGaming Eyes French With PMU Deal; Global Strategy Sees Punters And Government's Win, by Greg Tingle - 27th March 2010

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PartyGaming is aiming to take advantage of the newly regulated online gambling market opening up in France by inking a deal with Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) to provide an online poker offering to the French horse racing betting group.

The deal which is understood to be similar to b2b agreements PartyGaming has signed in Italy and Denmark, enables the company to operate its world famous PartyPoker website – provided it wins a licence in the regulated market – as well as power PMU’s poker offering.

Players on both sites will be brought into one poker liquidity pool.

Jim Ryan, PartyGaming’s chief executive, said the company intended to strike other B2B poker deals in France. "The objective is to have the largest poker liquidity pool in France," he said.

PartyGaming declined to disclose terms of the deal. PMU, which has signed up Paddy Power as its partner in sports betting, last year made turnover of €9.3bn and has 6.5m customers.

Wyn Ellis, analyst with Numis, advised the deal could add £5m to 2011 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation. "Party has a scale that has allowed it put people and resources into multiple markets to allow it to exploit the changing regulatory environment," Mr Ellis said.

Burt Paul Leyland of Collins Stewart said while the deal would give Party a leading place in the French market, it would not obviously drive revenue.

PartyGaming would have to absorb the loss of revenues coming out of France in the unregulated market, he said, adding that, given the proposed tax rates in the new regime, "Party could easily still be a net loser".

Ryan remains upbeat and positive, emphasising revenues coming out of France were small and that the opportunity for PartyGaming to advertise in France was crucial. "I don’t share the view that we can expect ebit margins to shrink," he said.

France plans to open the new market in time for the start of the World Cup in June. Under the new regime, the PMU is protected by regulations that require bets on horse racing to be pari-mutuel, but fixed-odds betting is allowed on sports.

PartyGaming's global strategy continues to take shape. A return to the United States this year, or next, would likely be the firms jackpot, however they continue to make progress in many regions. Other countries that Party are keen to expand into include Australia, India and South America.

The company's amicable settlement with the U.S Government last year, exceeding $100m, is tangible proof of financial stability and willingness to go the extra mile as to adapt to the market, while satisfying crucial legal requirements. Party's financial strength and positive result for the United States coffers has not gone unnoticed by Government bean counters across the globe. Clearly Party have far greater resources and experience than most of their would be competitors. Mainstream brands Virgin (Games) and Sega are also looking to expand internationally, but in the case of Virgin its more of a non gambling product push. In the eyes of most media and gaming analysts, PartyGaming is way ahead of the pack, with only Harrah's Entertainment giving them a real run for their money in the U.S.

Ryan sees a number of mergers and acquisitions on the cards. Industry buzz of late is that Party may be about to secure a deal with a major Canadian based poker tour brand, and such a deal would add to Party's poker tour portfolio headed up by the World Poker Tour.

"With some acquisitions and major B2B deals already under our belt, we plan to do more in 2010 and I believe we are on course to meet our objective of becoming the world's most valuable online gaming company."

PartyCasino.com remains a big hit for Party and its customers, with Hollywood branded games such as the Sinatra slot, Rambo, The Terminator, Mission: Impossible and Saturday Night Fever enjoying record popularity. The deal with Marvel Entertainment also continues to serve Party, its partners and customers well, and let us not forget upcoming Marvel films, Thor and Spider-Man, that will further propel the Hollywood themed games.

Party is also utilizing the strength of other world class non gaming brands to stand out from the pack. This month PartyCasino players have a chance to win a Porsche playing slot games, a promotion most other competitors would die for.

Australians can currently play virtually all PartyGaming brands including PartyCasino.com, PartyPoker.com, WPTCasino.com, WPTPoker.com, PartyBingo.com, PartyGammon.com and PartyBets.com

Shares in PartyGaming rose ½p to finish at 329.3p on Friday.

*The writer has a b2b agreement with a number of PartyGaming brands, as they do with dozens of companies in the gaming, media and entertainment sector.

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Friday, March 26, 2010

PartyGaming News - 26th March 2010

PartyGaming Plc (PRTY LN) The U.K. gambling website operator has signed an alliance in online poker with French gambling company Pari Mutuel Urbain. The shares gained 6.1 pence, or 1.9 percent, to 328.8.

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Thursday, March 25, 2010

Poker Playing Students Suspended From School Down Under, by Greg Tingle - 26th March 2010

An Aussie clan of school students has been suspended for "gambling" during class hours in a development that many parents, students and members of the press have labelled a massive over-reaction for playing cards, on school grounds no less.

Seven (unlucky) students, from Western Cape College’s Aurukun campus, were nabbed while betting cash on the card game and were punished on Wednesday. It is not known who won the game or who was leading at the time of the bust, nor the pot at stake.

Education leaders have been especially critical of the sanction, saying such a punishment should only be used out for bullying and violent offences.

Media Man thinks it may be a different case if the students had wagged school, hit the "local" (pub - hotel) and were playing the pokies! Let us not forget that playing cards also requires skill and usage of the brain.

The move could have far reaching consequences for the parents who receive welfare payments under the Cape York Welfare Reform program.

Under the CYWR program, if a student is absent from school three times in a term without a reasonable excuse payments can be docked.

It is unknown how long the students will be banned from school.

Opposition education spokesman Bruce Flegg said the punishment didn’t fit the crime and believed the focus should have been on "rehabilitating" the card loving students.

"I would prefer to see such a punishment used for bullying and violence," he said.
"I wonder how letting kids miss out on school is a good thing. It’s a victimless crime, I would’ve thought some sort of guidance would’ve be an appropriate thing."

Child psychologist Frances Quirk said while the school needed to prove "gambling" was not acceptable, she questioned the merit in suspending them.

"Schools handing out suspensions on its own is not likely to be a deterrent," she said.

"I’d prefer to see intervention and discussion with the children, asking them if they know gambling is risky and if they’re doing other risky things. There’s better outcomes for children if you sit them down and look at how you can change the activities they’re engaging in."

An Education Queensland spokesman confirmed the students had been suspended.

"Seven students have been suspended from the Western Cape College’s Aurukun campus," he said.

Media Man says the harsh punishment has resulted in this matter becoming a local, national and now, international news story.

Readers minds might flick back to Betfair babe, Annette Obrestad, who goes under the nickname, "Annette_15". Betfair was warned by the UK advertising authority (Advertising Standards Authority) that such campaigns, tags and tactics et al going in the public domain may potentially encourage underage gambling, poker engagement and the like.

Poker is almost universally recognised as primarily a game of skill, as ruled in court rooms around the world. In fact recently as reported in Gambling911, Lithuania ruled that poker is in fact a sport.

Media Man is currently investigating if TNA pro wrestler Kevin "Big Sexy" Nash, formally known as "Vinnie Vegas", is or was a formidable poker player. Many celebrities present themselves as very poker and casino savvy, but few actually are.

Poker and gambling news remains red hot in the Asia Pacific - Australian region, as two days ago revelations surfaced in The Australian newspaper that cricket great Shane Warne is fronting an "illegal" (in Australia) poker brand (888) and that an Australian government "probe" was on the way. Some legal aspects of poker, gaming and igaming were also covered this past Wednesday at iGaming Business Down Under conducted at Sydney's Star City Casino. Media Man filmed some of the event and had more than one legal eagle in attendance.

Casino News Media and Media Man Online Poker Room of the Month: PartyPoker, WPTPoker and PokerStars (a 3 way tie!) PKR Poker, the 3D poker room was runner up.

Readers, ladies and gentlemen, young (not too young) and old, thank you for your loyalty and patronage. We, Media Man (and Google News) appreciate it, and that's no bluff. Keep it legal, and keep it fun. As rock icon Alice Cooper screams, Schools Out!

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They also run a poker news website portal Poker News Media.

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Australia's Crown Casino To Get $212 Million Revamp Creating Jobs, by Greg Tingle - 26th March 2010

Crown Casino, iconic Australian tourism icon, is to receive a revamp that will keep the demanding high rollers happy, and at the same time create hundreds more jobs.

Crown's most upmarket (and most expensive) area is to get a $212 million facelift to satisfy up whales, dolphins and the high roller type client who often prefer more luxurious casinos overseas. Good thing Mr James Packer also has the City Of Dreams in Macau, which is also on a roll at the moment.

The Mahogany Room upgrade will include 11 new private gaming salons installed and the Crown villas will also be refurbished to match standards found anywhere in the world.

A G5 Gulfstream jet, customized for casino high rollers, will be added to the casino's two existing jets at the cost of a cool $30 million.

Crown CEO David Courtney told the press that the casino planned to introduce an extra 26 tables in the new gaming club and expand the world famous Mahogany Room by 50 per cent.

Thirty-five new tables have already been introduced on the ground level game floor as part of the 150 extra tables granted by the Victorian Government in its agreement with Crown's king of the castle, James Packer.

Four new private gaming suites will allow individual high rollers to gamble by themselves, have their own massage and dining rooms and be waited on by butlers. It's all very much like the James Bond type of thing, but for real, for the elite who can afford such luxury.

Mr Courtney said the upgrade was necessary to help attract international gamblers from other, more modern and luxurious casinos in Asia.

"The competition for high-end gaming customers is intense. We need to make these investments. This is a continuation of our three or four-year program to upgrade. The timing is important to upgrade our rooms and facilities."

The upgrade follows amendments to the Crown licence, negotiated with the Government and ratified by Parliament last year. The business deal allows more gaming tables and a higher tax on gaming machines.

Anti-gambling activist Tim Costello attacked the project with remarks such as "Crown gets whatever it wants. It has extraordinary power."

The presidential suite on level 39, which has housed high-profile figures such as former U.S president Bill Clinton, Pavarotti, Barbra Streisand Katie Holmes, and Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible, Top Gun) will move to level 38 and take up the entire floor.

At the same time Crown is looking into who to best adapt to the online gaming world. The company enjoyed some success last year with referrals from online poker brand, PartyPoker, a PartyGaming offering, for their Aussie Millions Poker Championship.

Media Man has suggested the addition of a Kerry Packer, Ned Kelly and Underbelly themed games to be incorporated into Crown's overall online-offline strategy, citing that punters want to see more slots than existing Cleopatra, Black Rhino, Big Red, Wheel Of Fortune and the like.

Crown Casino is also pro actively involved with movement, GenerationOne, an initiative to help created upwards of 50,000 jobs for Indigenous Australia. Thus far Packer's created 200, mining magnate mate, Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest with 2000, NSW government committing over 2000, and Media Man earmarking 2 part time positions. Speaking at the iGaming Business conference at Sydney's Star City, Media Man advised that employment for people has to come from somewhere, and that casinos and the gaming industry do enjoy significant resources, some of which go a long way to providing sustainable employment, tied in with the travel and tourism sector.

The casino rooms revamp project is on track to be completed in the first half of 2012.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company

*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited

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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

PartyPoker Women's World Open IV Underway - 23rd March 2010

London – The PartyPoker.com Women’s World Open IV is underway in London today, running from the 23rd – 24th March 2010.

To keep up to date with the latest news see PartyPoker.com

Play is expected to run until midnight tonight.

The 24 player $3,000 buy-in tournament features a total prize pool of $72,000 and a six-seat final table. The top two players from each of the three deep-stacked eight handed heats carry their chips through to the final table. Starting stacks for the heats are 200,000, with blinds starting at 1,000/2,000. Taking part are Team PartyPoker.com’s Kara Scott, who will also spend time in the commentary box, plus and the one and only Annette Obrestad. Joining them are Women’s World Open III winner Aisling Collins and last year’s runner-up, Kim Wooka from Japan. Other confirmations include Laurence Grondin, Maria Demetriou, Christine Klecz, Pippa Flanders and season two winner Soraya Homam.

Commentary will be provided by Jesse May, who will be joined by both Annette Obrestad and Kara Scott in the booth. Presenting duties will be shared between the glamorous pairing of Kara Scott and Tatjana Pasalic. Coverage of the Matchroom Sport organised event will first be broadcast on Five in the UK later this year and then distributed internationally.

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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Asia Pacific Tax Revenues Increase, by Greg Tingle - 23rd March 2010

Our friends in the Asia Pacific, Macau, to be specific, are riding a wave of success.

Media Man and Gambling911 have learned that Australia's James Packer and Asian casino king, Stanley Ho (and the Ho family), have rejuvenated the Macau casino and gaming landscape in recent months. Packer, Ho's and the Macau tax office are laughing all the way to the bank as their fortunes have turned for the better.

Now, the number crunching and vital statistics, to back up the bold claims. A word of warning, if your not a numbers person or mathematically inclined you might like to switch off for just a couple of paragraphs.

Direct gaming tax revenues in January - February, rose 54 percent to MOP 9.26 billion, the Financial Services Bureau (DSF) announced. Meanwhile, analysts said casino earnings may set a new record in March and shares continue to go up.

Direct gaming tax receipts accounted for 86.55 percent of total government revenue. Total government revenue reached MOP 10.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 45.8 percent. Government expenditure fell by 46.5 percent, to MOP 1.26 million.

Macau’s public finances confounded the international crisis last year as total public revenue in 2009 amounted to MOP 57.64 billion, an increase of 0.014 percent or MOP 8.1 million over the previous year.

Analysts at Citi said Macau gaming is on pace for a record month in March. According to the firm’s note, checks show gaming revenue in Macau has reached around MOP 7.5 billion in the first 16 days of March, up 58 percent from last year.

Year-to-date, gaming revenue is up 66 percent from last year the firm notes. If the current run-rate continues, Macau’s gaming revenue could reach a new high at around MOP 14.5 billion.

The company said SJM is the only winner in terms of market share gains for the month. In addition, it appears that Wynn, MGM and Melco-Crown have lost one percentage point each in market share in March so far versus February.

Moreover, Gabriel Chan, an analyst at Credit Suisse Group AG in Hong Kong, said that gaming stocks "are heading into a major substantial re-rating over the next couple of months".

"Over the past couple of months, we have seen, especially for Macau, month after month of much better than expected gaming revenue numbers, but share prices hardly reacted to that good news," he told our friends at Bloomberg.

"We have to adjust expectations a lot higher to accommodate much stronger growth – we are entering a stage where no one can ignore the growth anymore," Chan said. In his view, "valuation has not fully priced in the growth potential yet". You can just envisage Mr Packer and Mr Ho smiling as they read this. James will be jumping off his luxury liner (again) after getting his daily dose of Gambling911 news.

MGM are about to further shake up the region, pulling out of Atlantic City due to some friendly advise (diplomatic not) from the U.S government. MGM's elected to follow the Ho's money trail to Macau - Macao parts. MGM's expecting a warm welcome, unlike the public besmirching they endured while on U.S soil, in downtown A.C.

Media Man's little investment in an .Asia domain name, adding to the stable of 20 something internet portals and domains, not to mention the Crown Limited shares, have certainly paid dividends to date. The media and gaming industry awaits MM's next move!

Media Man and Gambling911 publicly congratulate Crown's James Packer on his "comeback of the decade" and Asian casino king, Stanley Ho, on his heath recovery.

May the power and good luck of the friendly dragon be with you whether City of Dreams or online casinos take your fancy.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company

*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited and is currently evaluating a shares purchase in a number of Macau based casinos

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Australian Casino And Adult Entrepreneur John Kizon Cleared Of Insider Trading

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Flashback to 2010

Australians continue to maintain their "Underbelly" like status on a national and international scale.



Perth's John Kizon, adult industry and (maybe former) gambling entrepreneur, got our attention.

The good news for John is that's he's basically off the hook on insider trader charges, at least at this stage of the game.

Charges in relation to trades in an online sex shop and gambling website, My Casino, have been thrown out.

His business partner, Nigel Mansfield, had all but four charges against him dismissed in the West Australian District Court last Monday.

The ruling Judge, John Wisbey, discharged all counts against Mr Kizon of criminal conspiracy and engaging in insider trading after concluding there was not enough evidence...perhaps Asian casino king Stanley Ho and MGM management might like to take a closer look at this situation. Evidence is paramount. The FBI, AFP and the like may say something, but until it's tested in court its allegations and hearsay.

Outside the courthouse, Mr Kizon's legal eagle, Stephen Shirrefs, told press the acquittal verdicts on all charges against his client showed "the judge agreed there was a fatal defect in the case".

He declined to go into specifics until the court ruled on the final four charges against Mansfield.

Kizon and Mansfield had pleaded not guilty to nine counts of criminally conspiring to commit insider trading offences and a raft of insider trading counts.

The prosecutors alleged the acts took place between January 6 and July 12 in 2002, and the charges were brought by the Australian Crime Commission in 2004.

The prosecution argued the pair possessed market-sensitive information about Adultshop.com and online gambling site My Casino, and bought and sold shares in those companies to profit.

The court had heard that the pair became aware AdultShop was expected to post a profit of $11 million in the 2002 financial year, up from $3 million the previous year, after its turnover lifted from about $50 million to $111 million.

It has yet to be discovered if Kizon and Mansfield prefer online poker or online casino, but we reckon they are a good bluff in any event.

Ah, the age old connection between gambling, porn and the legal system is alive and well down under. These Aussie's love their vice, and they don't need to travel to Miami to get it. Maybe Network Nine's 'Underbelly' producers may like to give these gents a visit, or if not them, how about Foxtel - Crime and Investigation Network babe and crime writer, Tara Moss. All good fodder for an upcoming book or mini series.

The trial, before a jury, continues this Tuesday to hear the remaining four insider trading charges against Mansfield. Good luck gentlemen, you're throw of the dice.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for News Media and newswires

PartyCasino News: Avatar type technology and innovation at PartyGaming's PartyCasino, by Greg Tingle - March 2010

Avatar type technology and innovation at PartyGaming's PartyCasino; More out of this world game experiences at PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com

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Monday, March 22, 2010

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Asian casino boss has mob ties in China

New Jersey casino regulators said Wednesday that they have evidence Stanley Ho, the Asian casino magnate, has extensive ties to organized crime in China.

Their suspicions led MGM Mirage to agree last week to sell its half of Atlantic City's top casino — rather than abandon the lucrative Chinese market, where it has a joint venture with Ho's daughter.

Considered the father of modern gambling in China, Ho lets criminal gangs "operate and thrive" inside his casinos, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement said in a report issued to the casino last May and made public Wednesday. The division found that Pansy Ho, his daughter, is dependent on him and his money and remains under his influence.

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PartyCasino Brings Back The Porsche Promotion!

PartyCasino Brings Back The Porsche Promotion!

Get Out Of My Dreams! Get Into My Car!

Gibraltar – 16th March 2010 – PartyCasino.com, the world’s largest online casino, is pleased to announce the return of its Porsche Promotion! If the Gold Mega Jackpot is won between 18th – 31st March 2010 the player who earns the most PartyPoints by playing the Gold Mega Jackpot games: The Godfather, Mega Fortune Wheel, Super Joker, Super Mystic, Super Fortune Wheel and Super Star wins the sports car!

There is a leaderboard running through PartyAccount and if the jackpot is won within two weeks one of PartyGaming’s Palladium Lounge VIP hosts will call with the news that the Porsche has been won. If the Gold Mega Jackpot is not won between 18th – 31st March cash prizes will be awarded to players 1st – 600th on the leaderboard with a total value of $80,000.* For more details and terms and conditions please see your individual PartyAccount.

Players ranked 1st – 5th will be rewarded as follows: 1st - $15,000, 2nd - $12,500, 3rd - $10,000, 4th - $7,500, 5th – 9th - $1,000. Hotspots for every 10 ranks between 10th and 300th pays $750 cash bonus. Hotspots for every 10 ranks between 310th and 600th pays $250 cash bonus.

A PartyCasino.com spokesman said: "The Porsche promotion is back and if someone doesn’t win a flashy car there is still going to be real cash rewards for customers! If the Gold Mega Jackpot doesn’t take your fancy then Colossal Cash, the biggest online jackpot seed in the industry, currently stands at over $2.5 million – it really is a big one!"

At the start of 2010, PartyCasino.com launched the largest progressive seeded jackpot in the online gaming industry in the form of ‘The Big One’ and introduced classic slot Melon Madness. The Big One is structured as a five tiered pool. The highest tier - Colossal Cash - seeds at $1.5m, the biggest online jackpot seed in the industry. Melon Madness is designed to be a classic 30 line video slot. Play is fast and the free spin feature is played in-reel.

PartyCasino.com now offers over 140 games, including 100 slots, and pays out easily over $10 million EVERY DAY to players. The world’s largest online casino continues to expand rapidly. The record Gold Mega Jackpot was hit with a fateful spin at 20.42ET on December 2nd 2009. The stake was $45 on popular PartyCasino.com Gold Mega Jackpot game, the Mega Fortune Wheel. The screen exploded with congratulations and colour as ‘gamago’ turned $45 into a record busting $4,978,336.62!

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Sunday, March 21, 2010

Casino News: How a pig farmer made billions in online gambling - 13th March 2010

From his beachfront villa in Antigua, Calvin Ayre epitomizes the carefree profile of a youthful, retired millionaire.

Drink in hand, beautiful girl on his arm, the 48-year-old Ayre has made great efforts to cultivate his image as a womanizing bachelor who loves to party. Ayre is also probably the most successful and charismatic Canadian entrepreneur that you've never heard about.

Ayre made his fortune from a business that U.S. officials consider illegal -- Internet gambling. In Canada, wagering online is also against the law unless the gaming websites are run by the provinces. But that hasn't stopped millions of bettors from visiting the sites of intrepid Canadians like Ayre, leading the industry to a current estimated value of 16 billion dollars a year.

In 1994, Ayre began his Internet gaming site, Bodog. It quickly grew into a gambling and entertainment empire, becoming one of the most popular websites to offer betting on sports and games of chance like poker and slots. At its height in 2006, Bodog handled seven billion dollars in bets. That year, Forbes Magazine put Ayre on the cover of their annual billionaire issue.

From pigs to player

Not bad for the son of a Lloydminster, Saskatchewan pig farmer.

"My Dad wanted to teach me to be a businessman, so he gave me my own little pigs and then I had to raise them up and then sell (them). So I was running a miniature little pig farm inside the bigger one," Ayre told W5.

Ayre went on to university in Ontario, obtaining a Bachelor of Sciences degree from the University of Waterloo. In 1989, he was awarded an MBA in Management Finance from City University in Seattle, Washington. After a failed attempt at running a medical company that manufactured heart valves -- which also led Ayre to run afoul of the BC Securities Commission -- he staked everything he owned on Bodog and hit the jackpot.

"In my case, what happened is almost like a fairytale. I set an expectation and I eclipsed it so astronomically that even myself, sometimes I have to go – whoa, what happened?"

What happened is that Bodog, and other gambling sites like it, skirted American and Canadian laws by operating and processing bets from offshore havens like Antigua and Costa Rica. When Forbes' article about Ayre ran the headline, "Catch Me If You Can," some wondered if that was the message that Ayre and other Internet gambling operators were sending to U.S. authorities.

"I've never done any business in the U.S. All the business I've ever done has always been in countries where I have a licence," Ayre said.

But 95 per cent of Bodog's gambling business came from Americans, which soon attracted the attention of American lawmakers and American justice officials.

"It doesn't matter where your business is located, if your customers are here in the United States and you're communicating with them in the United States, then you're subject to the American restrictions," said Rod Rosenstein, a U.S. Attorney in Baltimore who prosecutes offshore online gambling operations.

In the last five years, U.S. authorities have started cracking down on offshore Internet gambling operators. In 2006, U.S. agents arrested David Carruthers, the CEO of BetOnSports, while he changed flights in Dallas. Carruthers was sentenced to 33 months for racketeering.

Later the same year, new laws passed by the U.S. Congress made it illegal for financial institutions to transfer funds to and from private gambling sites.

In 2008, Rosenstein spearheaded a campaign against Bodog, and seized $24 million from the company's payment processors. By then, Ayre had stopped travelling to the United States and had announced he would no longer operate online gaming sites.

"It just seemed like the right decision. The right business decision," said Ayre.

Rosenstein would neither confirm nor deny whether Ayre was under active investigation.

He said some people may feel they're operating in a location beyond the reach of American law, "but we've demonstrated that our memory is long and, in fact, once someone is charged with a federal law in the United States we have the ability to arrest them in many different places," he said.

But while Ayre retired from the day-to-day-operations of Bodog, he still profits by licensing the rights to the Bodog name and brand in several geographical jurisdictions. Bodog still takes in millions of dollars each year from U.S. customers. And the operator of the site they visit to place their bets just happens to be another Canadian – a former Olympic gold medalist, a Member of the Order of Canada, and a Mohawk who lives on the Kahnawake Reserve near Montreal.

Mohawk country

"I sold the business as it was to Alwyn Morris in Kahnawake, who's a Mohawk, and he thinks he's got some kind of right under his status as a Mohawk to offer gaming services into North America," explained Ayre.

Morris operates Bodog out of Kahnawake -- still one of the major online gaming sites on the Internet. And Bodog is not the only betting site hosted on the Mohawk reserve. Kahnawake has established itself as a major player in the global Internet gambling trade, with approximately 60 per cent of the world's gaming websites hosted on computer servers on the reserve. Kahnawake Mohawk Territory is the Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Monaco of the online gambling world, all combined.

Even though the Canadian Criminal Code clearly outlaws private online gambling sites, Kahnawake's leaders insist that its special First Nations status places it outside that law.

"Although the Criminal Code may say one thing, the Canadian constitution says quite another, and so does the Canadian Indian Act," explained Chuck Barnett, spokesperson for Mohawk Internet Technologies, or MIT, which runs the giant computer servers.

"It makes provisions which allow for band or Indian municipalities to assert authority and control over things from dog catching laws to gaming to sporting events."

While the Mohawks of Kahnawake assert their Canadian constitutional and territorial rights, American authorities maintain that what they are doing violates U.S. law.

"Whether that company is located here in America, or in Canada, or in Antigua, it's equally illegal. It doesn't matter where the company is based. If it's projecting that activity into the United States, it's in violation of American law," explained U.S. attorney Rod Rosenstein.

So far, neither the Canadian nor Quebec governments have done anything to challenge the Mohawks of Kahnawake.

"The Canadian government still, to this date, has not pointed their long, bony finger at us and told us, 'what you're doing is illegal, you must stop it'," said Barnett. "If it were to happen in a hypothetical situation, if that were ever to come, I'm certain there would be resistance. It could get ugly."

A veiled threat? The last time Canadian authorities tried to intervene in a territorial dispute on Mohawk land, over the intended expansion of a golf course in Oka, Quebec, in 1990, the result was a police officer killed and a nasty 78-day standoff that involved the Canadian military being deployed.

Mike Delisle, the Grand Chief of Kahnawake says it's hypocritical that some US states are operating sanctioned betting websites while American authorities call what he's doing illegal.

"To me, it's all about money," said Delisle. A lot of money -- which explains why Canadian provinces are now getting into the business.

British Columbia and the Atlantic Provinces have online gambling operations. Quebec recently announced its intention to launch websites this fall. Ontario's premier, Dalton McGuinty, recently announced the province would investigate whether to operate online gaming sites.

"Until Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Loto Quebec and everyone closes, we're in business," emphasized Delisle.

That's good news to Calvin Ayre. He insists that he's out of running online gaming but the Bodog brand he licenses is still highly regarded in the world of Internet casinos. And the success of that brand lets Ayre live the high-life in Antigua -- whose government approves of online gaming.

"That whole executive stuff has gone out of my life and that gives me more time to enjoy myself," said Ayre.

Unless U.S. authorities extend their reach to Kahnawake or can catch up with Calvin Ayre away from his safe haven, there will likely be a lot more for him to enjoy. (Credit: CTV)

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Poker Named An Official Sport in Lithuania

On March 20, the official ruling body of Lithuanian sports, the Department of Physical Education and Sports issued an official decree recognizing the Lithuanian Sports Poker Federation as an official sports federation, opening the doors for further development of poker as a sport in Lithuania.

This recognition is extremely important because it will allow the LSPF to organize noncommercial poker tournaments outside of casinos in Lithuania. This is sure to boost poker's popularity in the country.

“This is extremely important step in our work,” Andrius Tapinas, president of the Lithuanian Sport Poker Federation, said. “We are receiving congratulations from many of our colleagues abroad and I know that we are breaking thick ice with our progress for similar international initiatives.”

WPT Hollywood Poker Open Attracts 143 Players - 21st March 2010

A quaint field of 143 players turned out for the World Poker Tour (WPT) Hollywood Poker Open. The event marks the WPT’s first ever trip to Hollywood Casino Indiana, located just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Topping the field after Day 1 is Eric Froehlich, a sponsored pro of Full Tilt Poker. Froehlich amassed a stack of 149,400 chips and doubled up after flopping a set of kings against another player’s set of jacks. The K-J-7 flop spelled disaster for Froehlich’s opponent and he moved to 50,000 in chips before tripling his total as the day wore on. Froehlich made the final table of the 2009 Foxwoods World Poker Finals, taking fourth place for $232,000. He holds two World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, which came by virtue of winning a $1,500 Limit Hold’em event in 2005 and a $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys tournament one year later.

Froehlich told WPT Live Updates Hostess Jacque following his Day 1 domination, “I’m looking forward to getting some sleep. I took the red eye in from Las Vegas and that was not the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. We got in today at 9:00am and I was so sick. I put my chances of playing the tournament after flying in today at less than 50%.”

Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, who has dominated the live poker scene in recent months, holds a stack of 144,425 chips entering Day 2. Jaka is fresh off an 18th place showing in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star event last week and made two final tables on the roving tournament series in 2009. Jaka took fifth in the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) High Roller Bounty Shootout for $95,000.

Tyler Smith sent Greg “FBT” Mueller packing on Day 1 of the Hollywood Poker Open. Mueller committed his stack late in the day with pocket queens on a board of K-9-6-K-K for kings-full. However, Smith held the case king in the deck for quads and sent Mueller packing. Smith ended the day with 58,625 chips, good for the 20th largest stack overall.

Jason Mercier, a card-carrying member of Team PokerStars Pro, selected six players in a poker fantasy draft against Full Tilt Poker’s Gavin Smith. Cash in the bet is doled out for players who make the money and reach the final table. Mercier has a stable of younger pros that includes Joe Serock, Josh Arieh, Tom Marchese, Keith Ferrera, Steve Levy, and Nick Grippo. Smith selected a group of poker veterans including Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Brock “t soprano” Parker, Len Ashby, and Chris Bell.

Here’s how the top 10 stacks in the Hollywood Poker Open look after Day 1:

1. Eric Froehlich – 149,400
2. Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka – 144,225
3. Mike Mustafa – 114,050
4. Gevork Kasabyan – 89,500
5. Jess Yawitz – 87,875
6. Shawn Buchanan – 81,125
7. Billy Pilossoph – 79,425
8. Richard Pflum – 79,275
9. Carlos Mortensen – 78,600
10. Larry Lipman – 75,000

Other notable names who remain in the field include:

11. Ty Reiman – 73,450
12. Andrew “luckychewy” Lichtenberger – 69,400
17. Erick Lindgren – 62,750
28. Bryan “badbeatninja” Devonshire – 52,150
39. Brock “t soprano” Parker – 45,325
42. Prahlad Friedman – 43,575
48. Jack McClelland – 36,500
49. Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler – 34,750
62. Brian “SNo0oWMAN” Hawkins – 29,700
63. Dwyte Pilgrim – 29,625
64. Hasan Habib – 29,000
70. Eric “Rizen” Lynch – 26,575
75. Erik Seidel – 23,450
78. Kathy Liebert – 22,500
82. Jason Mercier – 17,325
83. Hoyt Corkins – 16,025
90. Vanessa Rousso – 11,200
93. David Williams – 9,900

The tournament will award a grand prize of $391,000, the smallest top payday for a North American WPT event since the 2006 Canadian Open. The top player in that tournament took home $222,000. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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PartyGaming News: WPT Casino: Get much more for your deposits - March 2010

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Thursday, March 18, 2010

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Potential Deal in the Works for Canadian Poker Tour Purchase by Online Poker Company - 17th March 2010

According to CNN Money, there is a potential deal being offered for sponsorship of the Canadian Poker Tour or an outright purchase of the organization by an unnamed online poker company. Poker News Daily has been in contact with Kelly Kellner, Chief Executive Officer of Heads Up Entertainment International, which owns the tour and other poker-related entities, and has been able to confirm that there is an offer on the table.

In the CNN Money article, Kellner was quoted as saying, “For competitive reasons, the online poker company wishes to go unnamed at this time. As the online poker market becomes more competitive, our brand name and our market become more and more valuable. As a result of these negotiations, the numbers here can get very large, very quickly.” Heads Up Entertainment has built the Canadian Poker Tour to encompass over 50 casinos across Canada and also reached into the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and cruise ships on the high seas of the Caribbean. In total, Heads Up Entertainment provides over 600 casino-based poker events through its partnerships.

In a discussion with Poker News Daily, Kellner stated that the offer was something that he knew would be coming. “Was it out of the blue? Yes and no,” Kellner said in an exclusive interview with Poker News Daily. “We have always figured that the Canadian Poker Tour would be an attractive candidate for acquisition by someone. The management here at Heads Up Entertainment has realized that, with our development of our relationships with casinos and our building of the CPT brand and our other poker outlets such as Canadian Poker Player Magazine and Canadian Poker Player Television, we might be on track for something like this in 18 months to two years.”

“When we started discussing the idea in more depth on Friday with this online poker outlet,” Kellner continued, “we realized that it was happening way before we thought it would.” The CNN Money article states that Heads Up Entertainment, through the ownership of the Canadian Poker Tour, Canadian Poker Player Magazine, and the recently launched Canadian Poker Player Television, has the ability to reach over 40 million people across the North American landscape.

Last year, the former ownership of the World Poker Tour (WPT), World Poker Tour Enterprises, sold the eight year old company to the online gaming giant Party Gaming for $12.3 million. While that was a sizeable amount, WPT management turned down a reported $36.5 million offer from Mandalay Media prior to accepting the Party Gaming offer. The potential discussions by Heads Up Entertainment and the unnamed online poker outlet could lead to another such battle.

Kellner, while not disclosing the online company who could become the potential sponsor or new owner of the Canadian Poker Tour, stated that the deal being discussed was “well into the seven-figure range.” He offered no timetable for the Tour regarding this proposal and indicated that, at this moment, the company was preparing for the next installment of the Canadian Open Poker Championships this fall. In the past, the tournament has featured such popular Canadian players as Gavin Smith and Brad “Yukon” Booth and other top professionals such as Phil Hellmuth, Joe Hachem, Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilly and Antonio Esfandiari. Kellner also stated that the popular Canadian Heads Up Championship (an event won in 2008 by former World Champion and 2009 National Heads Up Poker Championship winner Huck Seed), will be back on the schedule this year.

As of press time, there have been no details released regarding the potential deal for the Tour. “We have built the CPT and other parts of the company through offering the best of everything to our players, from tournament structures to other tournaments and cash games to entertainment outside of our events,” Kellner stated. “We certainly hope that is maintained by the entity that has made the offer to us if,” Kellner emphasized, “we decide to accept the offer.” (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

PartyCasino News: PartyCasino and WPT Casino Get New Online Slot Games: Rubiks Slot, Slotbox, Sands Of Fortune, Beat the Bank and more - March 2010

PartyCasino.com and WPTCasino.com, both owned and operated by PartyGaming, have just released some great new online slot games.

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Rubiks Slot

Rubiks game is a fixed odds game based on the popular Rubik’s Cube® Puzzle. The player selects the stake and then presses the Play button and gets wins based on how many lines and/or sides get completed on the 3 visible sides after the cube is automatically rotated several times. All wins are paid as per the paytable. Rubik's game also introduces Free Plays. Free Plays is triggered when all six letters in the Rubik's logo are highlighted, in which the player is awarded free plays and extra cubes.


Slotbox

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Sands Of Fortune

Sands of Fortune is a five-reel, nine-paylines slot game with a bonus feature game that gives you the chance to win extra prizes. Random number of picks of up to 5 is awarded. You get to select any 1 door in each pick to reveal a prize. 3 or more BONUS symbols appear anywhere in view triggers the bonus feature.


Beat the Bank

Beat the bank is a five-reel, twenty-paylines slot game with a 'free game' and a ‘Beat The Bank’ feature. The Free Games Feature is triggered when Thief appears any where on reels 2, 3 and 4 at the same time. 15 free games are awarded, during which all prizes are tripled, except for Beat The Bank feature win, even though it is triggered during Free Spins. The feature can be retriggered when Thief appears any where on reels 2, 3 and 4 at the same time. The Beat The Bank Feature is awarded when 3 or more Scattered Safe occur anywhere.

Thief appears on Reels 2, 3 and 4 only and substitutes for all other symbols except Scattered Safe.


PartyCasino.com is a multi time Casino News Media - Media Man - Global Gaming Directory Online Casino Of The Month winner and WPTCasino.com is a Casino News Media - Media Man - Global Gaming Directory Online Casino finalist.

PartyGaming is widely regarded as the world's leading igaming company. They are listed on the London Stock Exchange and were established in 1997.

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Perfect casino does exist - Press Holdings - 17th March 2010

S'pore's earliest casino advocate now cautions about their odds for survival

For the longest time, he agitated for a casino.

Now that the Republic's first casino is upon us, Singapore's earliest and staunchest casino advocate has apprehensions over how it is taking shape.

For almost three decades, Mr Ronald Tan lobbied the Government to set up a casino here. In 1981, he wrote his first letter to the then Singapore Tourist Promotion Board, proposing a restricted- access casino at Sentosa.

Now 65, the gaming and hospitality consultant, who recently addressed an Institute of Policy Studies roundtable on casinos, recounts ruefully: 'I received a phone call from an officer saying that Singapore was not ready for it.'

Leisure and gaming are his life's work

Over the last 35 years, Mr Ronald Tan has worked as a retail, leisure, hospitality and gaming industry consultant. Now 65, he has dabbled in many businesses, from military defence equipment to casinos, F&B consultancy to convenience stores.

In 1970, his link with casinos began when he represented the Genting Group in Singapore and sold travel packages from a 1,000 sq ft Golden Mile office.

He went on to advise gaming companies such as Australia's Federal Pacific Group and Britain's Mecca Leisure Group. He was involved in setting up many casinos, including the Wrest Point Hotel Casino in Tasmania, Star City in Sydney, Diamond Beach in Darwin, and the Christmas Island Casino.

Until recently, he was consultant to InterContinental Hotels, helping to rebrand hotels in the region. He presently consults for several hotel owners and is a regular speaker at regional casino conferences.

In 1981, he tried to save flailing standalone provision stores by overhauling them into self-service Econ Minimarts, designing everything from the chain's logo, jingle and house brands to centralised operations.

The alumnus of Kuala Lumpur's Royal Military College is now working on two books, on the future of hotels and sustainable gaming.

He is married to Serene, a housewife. They have three children - a lawyer, an engineer and an economist - and three grandchildren.

Q&A with gaming consultant Ronald Tan
Q: Do you think the current safeguards - like restrictions on ATMs and the $100 local admission - are sufficient? What else needs to be done?

A: Most of these measures are merely an appeasement to show steps are being taken to prevent wage earners here from losing their whole salary.

From my observation, if you really want to get serious, what has really worked is the UK Gaming Act, which is now widely followed in most casinos in Britain, New Zealand and Australia.

Admission to these casino clubs is by membership. To qualify, one must have a proposer and a seconder. Members must also undergo a stringent character and means test.

The main safeguard is that you have to first register as a club member and submit an application for betting, before you can even to start to play 24 hours later.

All members' data gets captured on the computer at the entrance and if they are found to have a criminal record or are blacklisted by other casinos, membership is immediately revoked.

With the latest technology, further state-of-the-art controls can be introduced here. The same way credit card companies appraise prospective card applicants can apply to granting membership. Using the help of a credit bureau and linkages to other casinos, most of the member's credit standing can be established. This rating is not for credit purposes but for the casino to monitor whether the member is over-gambling, or playing beyond his means.

Such pre-vetting also weeds out undesirable characters, such as those who are likely to wager money they cannot afford to lose, or loan sharks and underworld figures who are really there for money laundering purposes.

Q: Do you think our self-exclusion orders will work?

A: The exclusion order on its own is not watertight. You also need a character test that I mentioned earlier.

If a patron has just been dismissed from his job, or a man is having an affair and having to spend a lot of money on mistresses, it could be the beginning of a whole series of problems.

Generally, about 99 per cent of casino patrons are not affected by gambling, they go in for a good time and a laugh. But those with company or personal problems go in with an unstable state of mind and get burnt.

When you go into a casino with "fear money", which is either borrow or embezzled and which you know you've to replace, that's when you likely lose. People almost always are weakened by their senses of fear, stubbornness, disbelief or greed.

Taking it a step further, in Australian casinos, a team of trained psychologists walk around casinos to spot problem gamblers playing beyond their means. Once spotted, they are given counselling and if necessary, they can choose to ban themselves from the casino for a period of time.

Q: However, you've also warned against overdoing the legislation bit...

A: Yes, don't use a sledgehammer to kill an ant.

There tends to be a one-upmanship of councils here, where everyone wants to pile on his own agenda.

The gaming industry should be left alone to grow by itself. Gaming is about fun, not rigidity. We tend to overdo things.

Q: The Christian lobby here was vociferously against casinos. So how do you personally reconcile being a Christian and a casino consultant ?

A: The difference between me and rest of world is I gamble - smartly. I understand what goes on in a gambler's mind.

Two of my friends suffered heart attacks and died in casinos. One went to a Jakarta casino one Friday afternoon, played non-stop for three days till Sunday evening, and died on the Baccarat table in 1981. Another died in London playing roulette in the mid 70s. He had been losing so much that he suffered a reverse shock when the number he bet came up, he had a heart attack.

I also know of others who have committed suicide over the years. Because of such intimate knowledge, I developed this curiosity about the psychology of gambling and how it works. I also got to know many owners and operators of casinos and got to understand what motivates them to run casinos.

I feel with the knowledge I've gained over the years, I should broaden the understanding of the gaming industry here. It's wrong to bury my head in the sand like an ostrich.

If something is bad, the last thing I want to do is walk away from it. I should face it, confront it and make the best of it. Casinos and drugs are all around us. But I believe God has also chosen means and ways to contain it. (Credit: Singapore Press Holdings)

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Casino Stock Alert for Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. Issued by Beacon Equity

DALLAS, March 11, 2010 - Beacon Equity announces an investment report featuring casino and resort company Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (Nasdaq:MPEL - News). The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and industry information you need to know to make an educated investment decision.

Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (MPEL) develops and operates casino gaming and entertainment resorts within Macau. The Company operates through its subsidiary Melco Crown Gaming (Macau) Limited. The Company is one of six companies granted license to operate casinos within Macau.

In the report, the analyst notes:

"For the foreseeable future, the industry is expected to stabilize in revenue, with consolidations, rightsizing, mergers and acquisitions, as well as industry deleveraging anticipated to continue well into the future.

"Operators outside of the United States and Europe are expected to attract investor capital, as fiscal and trade imbalances between the West and East play out. Macau remains as a wild card location for the industry, a location more likely to run counter trend to the soft demand of the West.

"On the bullish side, Macau operators may benefit from the anticipated upward adjustments in the value of the Renminbi, which has been under pressure for several years to appreciate against the Euro and U.S. dollar as a mechanism of rebalancing trade between the West and China. Revenue generated in Renminbi offers investors an additional incentive associated with a rising trend in the value of the Renminbi."

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