Archive for
January, 2007
January 24th, 2007
Powerful industry leader and President of the Poker Players Alliance, Michael Bolcherek, claimed on Tuesday that the PPA was very close to introducing a bill to Congress that would ultimately have online poker exempt from recently passed legislation.
Michael Bocherek:
“As we know painfully well, poker has come under vicious attack over the past year. We continue to learn on a regular basis about home and tavern poker games being raided by law enforcement and how charitable Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments are being shut down. Perhaps even worse, we have seen the federal government’s full force efforts to curb this American tradition from the Internet. Legislation aimed at prohibiting you from funding your online poker accounts passed the U.S. House this summer, then was quietly slipped into a port security bill, literally in the dark of night, which was signed into law on October 13. During these troubling times, the PPA has given you a voice to express your opposition to the government’s intrusive actions and to rally in a united fashion against these constitutional incursions.
“The impact has been jarring, as the largest, publicly traded online poker operators shut down services to U.S. players. While many reputable sites still offer services to U.S. players, recent actions to close down payment processors and to subpoena banks are clear indications that the federal government is aggressively pushing the online gambling prohibition.
“We don’t have to tell you that a prohibition won’t work, and in fact will likely cause many more problems than it aims to solve. The unintended consequences will soon be apparent and all the good intentions of protecting children, helping problem gamblers, and ensuring the integrity of financial transactions will be lost as rogue sites and unregulated payment methodologies surface to replace the trustworthy operators the government is driving out of business.
“The PPA is not standing idly by. Poker should be exempt under the new law and that exemption is our primary goal. I have spent a good portion of January in Washington, D.C., meeting with lawmakers and others to get support for legislation that would provide a “skill game” exemption for poker. We hope to have a bill introduced very soon and then bring to bear the voice of more than 135,000 members of the PPA to push Congress to do the right thing. This would be a very positive development for the game. For the past year, we have been on the defensive, but now is the time to go on the offensive and get a bill introduced.
“This year we will also be taking the issue directly to Members of Congress in their home districts, to truly nationalize the debate. We had a tremendous response from our members about becoming PPA grassroots representatives on the state and regional levels. Soon we will be announcing our positions across the country and engaging U.S. Representatives and Senators where they used to feel safe from facts and spirited debate.
“While we are working toward the short-term goal of a poker exemption, the PPA will also be laying the foundation for the eventual U.S. regulation of online poker. This is the only proven public policy for online gaming. Licensing, regulating, and taxing online poker is technically feasible and the sensible and fiscally responsible thing to do. We will be working with others in Washington to move Congress in this direction.
“Finally, we not only rely on your active participation but also on your active support to achieve our goals. Our new site now offers no cost introductory annual memberships. Please help us build our membership to enable us to deliver a full house to Congress and stop further threats to our game. Tell your friends, family, and fellow players to become members of the PPA. We also offer an ability to upgrade your membership from introductory to full membership and beyond. Our new and improved Web site, www.pokerplayersalliance.org, gives you tools and information to help our cause, as well as make it easier for you to donate to the PPA. I hope you will make a contribution at www.pokerplayersalliance.org/donatenow.php
“2007 will be an important year for poker. With your help and continued support we are optimistic that poker will remain a great American tradition.”
January 22nd, 2007
LONDON: The Department of Justice has issued subpoenas to at least four Wall Street investment banks as part of a widening investigation into the multibillion-dollar online gambling industry, according to people briefed on the investigation.
The subpoenas were issued to firms that had underwritten the initial public offerings of some of the most popular online gambling sites that operate abroad. The banks involved in the investigation include HSBC, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Kleinwort, these people said.
The developments appeared to be part of an indirect but aggressive and far-reaching attack by U.S. prosecutors on the Internet gambling industry just two weeks before one of its biggest days of the year, the Super Bowl.
Unable to go directly after the casinos, which are based overseas, they have sought to prosecute the operations’ American partners, marketing arms and, possibly now, investors.
The prosecutors may be emboldened by a law signed by President George W. Bush last October that explicitly defined the illegality of running an Internet casino. Even before the adoption of that law, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, the government said that Internet gaming was illegal under a 1961 provision.
While online gaming sites like PartyGaming and 888 Holdings operate from Gibraltar and their initial public offerings took place on the London Stock Exchange, companies that do business with them and have large bases in United States have come under scrutiny by regulators in Washington.
These offshore casinos, typically based in Costa Rica and Antigua, offer millions of American bettors the ability to use their home and office computers to place wagers on a range of contests — from sports to poker and table games, like blackjack.
The prosecutors’ efforts have already taken a serious toll in the last two years on offshore casinos, most notably with the arrest last year of David Carruthers, the chief executive of an Internet sports book, BetOnSports. The arrest led to BetOnSports’s decision to stop taking bets from the United States, crippling its business.
Several weeks after Carruthers was detained, agents of the Port Authority of New York arrested Peter Dicks, the chairman of Sportingbet, which offers online sports betting and, like Carruthers’ company, trades on the London Stock Exchange.
Last week, Neteller, an online money transfer business based in Britain, said it would cease handling gambling transactions from U.S. customers because of regulatory uncertainty. That followed the arrest of former directors.
Neteller was the principal way that people sitting at home got money to Internet gambling sites, according to I. Nelson Rose, a professor of law at Whittier School of Law.
“It appears that the Department of Justice is waging a war of intimidation against Internet gambling,” Rose said.
One question facing prosecutors is whether the American financial companies are within their rights to invest in the offshore casinos, given that those operations are legal and licensed in other jurisdictions.
Matt Richtel contributed to this article from San Francisco.
January 19th, 2007
Bingos is proud to announce that the Online Bingo Site has officially been chosen “Bingo Operator of the Year 2006″. This award is the most prestigious award in the online gaming industry.
A big Congratulations to Bingos’ roomies and the Bingos’ staff who have helped to make this possible!
Here are the official words from EGaming Magazine
“Bingos.com, from Eurogaming, is comprised of six sites. The company has four sites which target the UK bingo market, though a signifi cant proportion of its business comes from its US and Spanish offerings. Using software from the Parlay group, Bingos.com has a UK celebrity headed marketing campaign and has an exclusive white label content agreement with AOL within Europe. Bingos is currently integrating mini-sots and other games into its sites.
Judges’ comments: “Stands out from the candidates as a pure play bingo operator with a strong stand-alone brand built from a standing start and on the back of a savvy marketing strategy. Strong conversion and brand building – with good growth in 2005/06 period.”
Play £25,000 Jackpot Fever at Bingos!!!
January 19th, 2007
New England vs Indianapolis
Record: 12-4 Record: 12-4
ATS: 12-4 ATS: 12-4
The New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts will both be gunning for a victory on Sunday afternoon when they meet at the RCA Dome for the AFC Championship Game.
The Patriots defeated San Diego 24-21 as a 4.5-point underdog last week. The combined score fell UNDER the posted over/under total (46).Tom Brady completed 27-of-51 passes for 280 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Jabar Gaffney caught 10 passes for 103 yards with a touchdown.
Adam Vinatieri booted five field goals as the Colts defeated the Baltimore Ravens 15-6 Saturday to advance to the AFC Championship Game. Indianapolis won the game as a 4-point road underdog and the final score fell well UNDER the posted total of 41.5.Joseph Addai rushed for 39 yards off 18 carries and Peyton Manning was good on 15-of-30 for 170 yards in the win.
Regular season records: New England: 12-4 SU, 9-7 ATS Indianapolis: 12-4 SU, 8-8 ATS
New England most recently: When playing in January are 8-2 When playing on turf are 10-0 After being outgained are 7-3 When playing outside the division are 9-1 Indianapolis most recently: When playing in January are 6-4 When playing on turf are 9-1 After outgaining opponent are 6-4 When playing outside the division are 9-1 A few trends to consider:New England is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games New England is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games New England is 14-0-1 ATS in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Indianapolis New England is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games on the road Indianapolis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home Indianapolis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Indianapolis’s last 14 games at home The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Indianapolis’s last 10 games when playing at home against New England
New Orleans vs Chicago
Record: 10-6 Record: 13-3
ATS: 13-3 ATS: 13-3
The fans at Soldier Field will be treated to a contest between the New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears when they take their seats on Sunday for the NFC Championship Game.
The Saints hung on for a 27-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles as they march into the NFC Championship Game. New Orleans failed to cover the 5.5-point spread in the win, but the final score made it OVER the posted total of 49.Deuce McAllister rushed for 143 yards off 21 carries and caught another TD pass in leading the Saints last week.
The Bears edged Seattle 27-24 as a 9-point favorite last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (37).Rex Grossman completed 21-of-38 passes for 282 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the win. Thomas Jones rushed for 66 yards on 21 carries with a pair of touchdowns.
Regular season records: New Orleans: 10-6 SU, 10-6 ATS Chicago: 13-3 SU, 10-6 ATS
New Orleans most recently: When playing in January are 3-7 When playing on grass are 3-7 After outgaining opponent are 5-5 When playing outside the division are 6-4 Chicago most recently: When playing in January are 3-7 When playing on grass are 8-2 After outgaining opponent are 7-3 When playing outside the division are 8-2 A few trends to consider:New Orleans is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road New Orleans is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road New Orleans is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Chicago New Orleans is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Chicago The total has gone OVER in 9 of Chicago’s last 10 games at home The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago’s last 6 games Chicago is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games Chicago is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games at home.
January 17th, 2007
NETeller has ceased allowing US Customers to use its services as of 8am EST 17th Jan 2007 to fund online casinos and betting websites.
Due to recent US gambling legislation and Monday arrests of the company’s Founders John Lefebvre and Stephen Lawrence, effective immediately, US members are no longer able to transfer funds to or from any online gambling sites.
All US members will continue to be able to use their NETELLER e-wallet account to safely transfer funds to and from non-gambling merchants and are not required to close their account or withdraw their funds.
Neteller has released no further information on the matter.
What’s going to happend?
We are 100% confident that the majority of these players will make an easy transition to one of the many safe, secure and similar banking methods we have already available.
Alternative Methods of Payments
Visa & Master Card – The Best!!
InstaDebit – Just like NETeller!!
ePassporte – Like NETeller!!
ATMonline - Easy to use!
Click2pay – Safe and Easy!
Central Coin – Easy!
UK Debit Cards – Reliable!
Moneybookers – Great!
Good Luck!
January 17th, 2007
CDPoker is giving you the chance to choose where you want to play at the WPT!
The World Poker Tour is a series of televised poker tournaments with non-stop action and excitement featuring most of the world’s professional players. CDPoker is hosting the five Super Satellite Tournaments from which the winners will be able to pick their preferred prize package from all the following WPT tournaments:
February 15 - 20, 2007 - L.A. Poker Classic, Commerce Casino, Commerce, CA
March 5 - 9, 2007 - Shooting Star Bay 101, San Jose, CA
The prize package is valued at $12,000, including buy-in, flights and accommodation courtesy of CDPoker! Win a seat to the WPT Super Satellite via one of ourongoing Sit ‘N’ Gosatellites, or at one of our daily Multi-TableQualifiers that are available for as little as $1 + $0.10 or Buy-in directly for $300 + $15.
CDPoker’s “Pick your WPT Tournament” Super Satellites will take place on the following dates:
- January 14th at 15:00 (server time) for events 3 and 4 only.
- February 11th at 15:00 (server time) for event 4 only.
Prove you poker skills at CDPoker.com and win your way to the WPT!
Check all the rules and schedule at CDPoker.com!!
January 16th, 2007
Neteller has been the preferred choice of deposit for online casinos for the last two years. And most online casinos will give you an additional bonus for depositing using the Neteller services. Neteller.com offer instant ATM wihdraws though not very many do. This is becoming more popular, and it wouldn’t hurt to mention that to your casino when setting up an account. I don’t play at casinos that charge a fee for you to get your own money back.
Funding your casino account should be practically painless. It is hard to part with the money to begin with, casino that make funding easy with multiple options will probably be easier to work with in all regards. Neteller is probably the easier way to deposit and withdraw earnings from your casino account.
Online Casino Bonuses and Comps are a very important part of the internet casino business, and all casino businesses for that matter. Just because you don’t physically make the trip to a casino, you are still bucking the same probabilities as gamblers in Las Vegas, who are rewarded for their loyalty and play. Why shouldn’t you be rewarded as well. Many of the larger on-line casinos claim to not be interested in giving bonuses to bonus hunters. I look at it more like getting more for your money. Using neteller payments you may get an extra percent bonus and/or comps points depending on the operator.
The brick and mortar casinos give everyone free drinks, and throw a free dinner your way once in a while, why should online casinos miss out on giving them to you also. One way or another anyway. Know the games you are playing. Random number generators are generally the same from one casino to another.
Since the U.S casino legislation approved last year, the whole gambling industry have been in “stand by”. There has been some press regarding some main shareholders been detained. To the best of my knowledge Neteller is still fully operational in the USA (and serving US residents). We need to wait and see.
All things considered, Neteller is by far the best payment solution for online casinos.
January 14th, 2007
You can win a huge amount of cash and prizes at Casino-on-Net.com every month. Below you can find details on the promotions run during the second half of January.
Simple Winnings
Deposit $100, earn 30 points and you get a $30 cash prize.
Blackjack 200
Every Wednesday, deposit $50 during event hours and play Blackjack. The player who plays the most hands will win $50.
Roulette Tournament
The top 50 point accumulators on Roulette will win a share of the bonus prizepool based on their finishing position. The top point accumlator will win $650, 2nd place gets $500, 3rd gets $300, 4th-10th gets $150 each, 11th- 30th gets $50 each and 31st-50th get $25 each.
Keno Krazy
Deposit $50 and the 50 winners who accumulate the most points receive between $15 and $100 each, for a maximum total of $1455.
Successive Progressive:
Deposit $150, if house wins $150 or more, you get back $30
Deposit $300, if house wins $300 or more, you get back $60
Deposit $500, if house wins $500 or more, you get back $100
Win a weekend break to the delightful city of Amsterdam
Take part in our exclusive VIP event, ‘Spring into Amsterdam!’, running over four days in January and February, for your chance to win a luxurious trip to Amsterdam in April 2007, including flights, luxury accommodation and full hospitality for you and a guest.
And a $12,500 Video Poker Tournament!
Visit Casino-On-Net.com Now!
