Online Gambling News

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Online Gambling News

Below post the latest casino news.

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Party Gaming revenue up 20% for Quarter 2

Q2 revenues will be up 28 percent

The London-listed online gambling giant PartyGaming plc issued a trading update Tuesday revealing that its second quarter revenue is expected to be up around 28 percent compared to the same period last year, mainly due to strong growth in its online casino division, along with the acquisitions of Cashcade and the World Poker Tour.

However, the update notes that total revenue is likely to be slightly lower by around 2 percent compared to Q1 following a 9 percent decline in online poker activity and some unexpected outcomes at the football World Cup which had a greater-than-expected adverse impact on other parts of the business.

Online casino revenues grew quarter-on-quarter despite seasonality and the impact of the World Cup, whilst online bingo and sports betting revenues remained steady when compared with the previous quarter.

Management said that prospective licensing and regulation in Europe and the US continues to offer exciting medium to long-term revenue potential through both B2C and B2B opportunities

"Poker has been particularly tough with the number of daily average players expected to fall by between 8 percent and 9 percent versus the first quarter, coupled with lower yields due to reduced frequency of play on the back of both seasonality and the World Cup," the update reveals. "As a result, we expect poker revenue in Euros to be down between 11 percent and 13 percent quarter-on-quarter."

The update notes that in Italy, the new licensing regime that would permit cash game poker has been delayed and is now not expected to occur until the fourth quarter of 2010. In France, the group launched its PartyPoker.fr website on 1 July 2010, one of the first operators to enter the newly regulated online market, and Management are 'very encouraged' by performance to date.

Online casino operations continued to perform well and aare expected to deliver net revenue growth of approximately 6 percent compared with the seasonally strong first quarter, due primarily to an increase in yield thanks to a higher hold and favourable currency movements, despite daily average player numbers down approximately 5 percent on the back of seasonality.

Party Gaming CEO Jim Ryan, said: “We are pleased with the relatively robust performance of our business compared to many other consumer facing businesses in what remains a challenging economic environment. Overall the Group has performed in-line with expectations even though the adverse impact of the World Cup on our non-sports betting verticals was slightly greater than expected.

“We have made great progress in securing partners for our poker network in France with PMU, AB Groupe and Aviation Club de France already in place. We expect to add another significant partner to our French network in the near future. The early signs from this important new market are encouraging.

“The World Poker Tour is performing in-line with our expectations and we believe that this asset, combined with the strength of the PartyPoker brand and the resolution of our US legacy issues ensures that we are well-positioned should online gaming become regulated in the US. In this respect, discussions are progressing well with a number of potential US-based gaming partners.

“Whilst progress on consolidating the online gaming industry has been slower than expected, we remain committed to playing an active role and are continuing to pursue opportunities with a number of parties."

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Flying start for PMU


400 percent increase in online sign-ups since May

According to a trading update issued Monday, the French online and land gambling group Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU) is enjoying significant and early rewards from the liberalisation of the French gambling market, reporting a 400 percent growth in sign-ups at its pmu.fr website since May alone.

The company's advantageous licensing position as the football World Cup action commenced, and its sports betting partnership with Paddy Power and Orbis contributed to what it described as a 'very encouraging' start to online gambling sector operations, which were augmented July 1 by the launch of dedicated French online poker action in partnership with Party Gaming .

Player registrations on the pmu.fr website soared starting early June, with some 9 million unique visits to the site during that month, the update revealed, whilst new customer sign-ups grew four-fold compared to previous months on the website, when horse racing action was offered pre-market liberalisation.

During H1 2010, overall internet wagers on racing increased some 19 percent, but a growth of over 200 percent in bets made via mobile phone technology was recorded. PMU launched an iPhone app during the period.

Total gross gaming revenues over the six months of H1 2010 rose 1.1 percent over last year to Euro 1.2 billion, with turnover growing to Euro 4.7 billion.

“Against the backdrop of a period marked by the opening of the online gaming market, horserace betting at retail points of sale was stable and also continued to grow strongly over the internet, in line with expectations,” the update reported.

PMU is widely regarded as one of the main movers in the newly liberalised French internet gambling market, which is nevertheless proving to be a competitive arena with major companies like Francaise des Jeux, Bwin, Mangas Gaming, Pokerstars, Partouche and Chili Poker all getting involved.

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Still going strong - Russian gambling

Banishment to remote regions does not appear to be working

One year on from Russia’s draconian bans on gambling in all but four remote regions , gambling is still apparently rampant despite police raids and other enforcement measures.

Far from being game over, it appears that the popular pastime has simply moved underground, or has remodeled to exploit loopholes in the law, resulting in calls for review and revision reports in the Russian media suggest.

In Moscow, experts say, it seems it’s business as usual.

“Slot machines businesses were shut down 12 months ago,” said Olga Golubeva, executive secretary of the Moscow Government’s Interdepartmental Commission for Gambling Business. “Regrettably, the majority of them were replaced with these so-called ‘lottery machines.’ “

There is no law defining the requirements of the lottery equipment or lottery software. The business owners are able to obtain certificates confirming that their old gambling equipment is, in fact, lottery equipment. And courts are unable to overrule such certifications.

It’s not just the lottery machines that are causing concern. Gambling has gone underground in Moscow and although officials have closed down some of the illegal games, many say corruption among law enforcement officials has enabled operators to continue offering their products.

“I have been gambling for about ten years,” said one anonymous gambler. “Since the ban’s come into force nothing’s changed fundamentally and people know where to go.”

Artur Voskanyan, who heads a Russian-based company which organises poker trips abroad, says the Russian government should rethink the law in the interests of protecting gamblers and in the process raising tax revenues for the government.

“If it were legal, the government would have more money,” he told one publication.

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Advertising Standards Agency halts Will Hill promotion email

Promotional email was ‘misleading’ says advertising watchdog

The online division of the British gambling group William Hill plc has had to pull a ‘misleading’ email promotion for its online casino following a ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority.

The e-mail advert concerned a bonus offer that was insufficiently specific regarding terms and conditions, leading to a William Hill spokesman apologising and offering the explanation that one of its ‘associate companies’ had been responsible for the error and that remedial measures were being taken.

However, the ASA supported a complaint from a member of the public and ruled that the advert must not be run again in its current form.

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APT Asian Poker Tour 2009

260 plus players made the $2500 buy-in for the main event of the Asian Poker Tour recently held at the Dusit Thani hotel in Manila. Three exciting days of No Limit Texas Hold’em tournament play saw some of the best poker professionals from all over Asia visit the Philippines and take their shot at a pot that was supposed to be a guaranteed $1 Million.
However, the lack of participants forced APT CEO and Chairperson Chris Parker to withdraw his guarantee for the $1 Million, but still the prize pool for the APT Main Event still was a whopping $600,000 plus. That’s still a lot of cash to play for.
And eventually, when it was all said and done, it was the Philippines very own Neil Arce who emerged as the APT Main Event champion, winning for himself a whopping $200,000, a pimp ass trophy to show off, and indeed a reinforced reputation as one of the best poker players in the country.
The poker success of Neil Arce was first noted when he became the first Filipino (with a Philippine address) to go deepest in the WSOP Main Event back in 2007 where Neil Arce placed 222nd in a field of 6,300+ players, also earning himself $51,000+.
Neil Arce also won the 2008 Filipino Poker Tour (FPT), and eventually caught the eye of the top brass of Pokerstars.net, and took Neil Arce into the family of Pokerstars.net.
A week prior to the APT Main Event, Chris Parker confessed that Neil Arce had confidently told him that he was going to win the tournament, and he certainly kept true to that promise.
I had followed the progress of the APT Main Event since the doors to the APT opened on Tuesday January 27. I visited the Dusit Thani regularly, grinding out the cash games. But then, this post isn’t about my meager accomplishments as a poker player, this is about Neil “Dirty Ice Cream” Arce!
On the first day of the tournament, Neil Arce had a monster chip stack to lead all poker players on Day 1a. On Day 2, I caught Neil Arce struggling a bit, dropping from the chip leader to going around average. There were 18 poeple left the last time I checked his progress in the 2009 APT Main Event.
Going back for final table action, I wasn’t surprised to find Neil Arce there. But when I arrived at the Dusit Thani, there were only 3 players left, and I was already ecstatic for Neil Arce at being guaranteed $70,000 for his assured 3rd place finish.
Neil Arce assured himself of at least second place when he busted out Casey Kastle with a showdown of A-6 vs A-K. The A-6 of Neil Arce looked dominated by the Big Slick of Casey Kastle, but a 6 on the flop kept Neil Arce ahead, and eventually lead to the elimination of Casey Kastle, and forcing heads-up action against APT Macau runner-up Steve Yeah of Korea.
The heads-up showdown between Neil Arce and Steve Yeah lasted 25 minues with Neil Arce bullying Steve Yeah in several hands before the final showdown of K-Q suited of Neil Arce against the A-K Big Slick of Steve Yeah.
Neil Arce was indeed worried that Steve Yeah had the advantage with a better hand. In fact, the flop looked even more worrisome for Neil Arce as his hand failed to improve. However, a Queen showed her panties on the turn and Neil Arce erupted in celebration along with the legions of Filipino fans cheering their kababayan. The Queen held up to knock out Steve Yeah, and Neil Arce was then crowned 2009 APT Manila Main Event champion.
A fine performance for Steve Yeah who gets another 2nd place finish in the Asian Poker Tour main events, the first in Macau and now in the Philippines. And while Steve Yeah didn’t win, his two runner-up finishes certainly shows him as one of the best poker players in the Asian Poker Tour.
Of course, there to cheer Neil Arce on were his lovely girlfriend Maike Evers and his good friends Nick Galan and Miguel Cuneta of the Metro Card Club, (which is also where Neil Arce plays most of his poker).
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Michael Binger Takes Down $3,250 Pot Limit Omaha Event at Aussie Millions

Event # 12 of the 2009 Aussie Millions was festive as 42 of the toughest poker players in the world forked over the $3,250 buy-in to join the Pot-Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys tournament. A staggering 87 rebuys pumped up the pot as poker professionals strategized in an attempt to grab the championship ring. In the end, Michael Binger beat back online phenom Josh “JJProdigy” Field to win the top prize of AUD $123,840.
Some of the greatest names in poker busted out early in the game including Billy “The Croc” Argyros, Tony Bloom and Van Marcus. Chris Ferguson almost reached the final table but ended up being eliminated by JJProdigy when he missed his draw. JJProdigy entered the final table with 121,500 in chips—a very dominant lead. Poker pro Tony G had 46,000 in chips and eventual winner Michael Binger had 22,000.
Sam Youssef busted out short of the in 9th place followed by Tony G. Both didn’t make it into the money. David “Chino” Rheem was the next to go against Michael Binger who tables the nut straight. Chino won $15,480 for his seventh place finish.
In a four way flop with Binger, JJProdify and Jason Gray, Michael Pesek was eliminated. Pesek’s smaller straight ran into JJProdify’s nut straight and he ended up with $23,220. Daniel Ewing finished in fifth place ($30,960) after Michael Zowie’s King-high straight dominated his straight.
Michael Binger then sent Jason Gray to the rail after Gray’s sets proved to be not enough for Binger’s second-nut straight. For fourth place, Gray won $42,570. Three-handed play went on for a while and after over an hour, it was Michael Zowie who was sent to the rail in third place with $61,290 courtesy of Binger’s trips.
Michael Binger was in chip lead going into heads-up play and at around 6:00am, the final hand was dealt. JJProdigy bet out on a 2h-Jh-6d flop and Binger raised. Field went all in with Qh-Qc-10h-3h and was called. Binger had 2s-6h-Kh-Qd for two pair and a higher flush draw. The turn was 8c and the river 2d, giving Binger the gold championship ring. JJProdigy won $89,010 for second place.
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David Steicke Wins 2009 Aussie Millions NLHE High Rollers Event

With a staggering AUD $100,000 buy-in, Event # 8 at the 2009 Aussie Millions attracted the who’s who of the poker world. A total of 23 players entered the event, including luminaries such as Phil Ivey, Tony G, John Juanda, JC Tran, Chris Ferguson, Erik Seidel, Patrik Antonius and Gus Hansen. In the end, it was Hong Kong commodities trader David Steicke who came out on top of a very tough field to win the $1.2 million top prize.
To add to the fun and level of difficulty, the tournament was in “speed format”. This meant that players only had 30 seconds to act. The betting was also pot-limit pre-flop and no-limit after the flop. This may confuse some poker beginners but for the pros who entered this tournament, the format wasn’t the problem. It was the tough competition.
At the end of Day 1, it was David Steicke in the lead entering the final table. He had 631,000 in chips. JC Tran was close behind with 528,000. John Juanda was also a contender with 480,000 in chips.
But it was clearly David Steicke’s day as he practically blew open the final table. The first to be eliminated was John Juanda who was sent to the rail by JC Tran. Juanda raised with pocket jacks and was called by Tran on the big blind with Qh-4h. The flop was Qs-Qd-10h, giving Tran trips. Tran check-raised Juanda who moved all in and was called. Tran then proceeded to add insult to injury by hitting a full house.
After Juanda’s elimination, it was the David Steicke Show all the way. He eliminated Bill Jourdanou who found himself facing Steicke’s pocket kings with his pocket queens. Then it was Dan Shak’s turn to feel Steicke’s wrath when his pocket 3s were clearly dominated by Tran’s pocket 7s.
By now, Steicke had a massive chip lead versus remaining opponents JC Tran and Tony Bloom. After Steicke raised with Kd-Jh before the flop, Tran went in for all his chips with Kc-6d. Steicke’s hand help
Steicke would enter heads-up play with a 10-1 chip lead over Tony Bloom. A mere few hands into heads-up, Bloom pushed with Ac-4s. Steicke called with 10s-3s. Unfortunately for Bloom, Steicke hit the 10 on the river giving him the win. Bloom won $600,000 for his 2nd place finish.

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888.com Launches New Live Casino Feature

New addition launched for 888.com gaming platform.

A new interface has been launched for 888.com's no-download live casino client.

This enables faster access to the favourite online games of players, as well as increased interactivity and user-friendliness, the organisation said.

In the no-download casino, live-dealer blackjack, roulette and baccarat can be enjoyed in a package that is described by 888.com as "sleek and attractive".


Available in Italian, French, English, German and Spanish, the live casino at 888.com allows live-dealer games to be transmitted to players in real time across live video feeds.

Commenting on the launch, chief operating officer of 888.com Itai Pazner said: "These games are popular with online players and we are pleased to offer our customers our stand-alone, live casino version. Now players can enjoy faster access to our new games and improved quality at the same time."

Players on 888.com have a choice of more than 30 different deposit methods, including Moneybookers, Neteller, PayPal, Visa and cash payments at physical locations.

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Competitive Online Gambling Market Opens In France

More sites will allow French people to check odds online.

The online gambling market is now open to competition in France, after legislators voted to end the dominance of casinos, the national lottery and a major horse racing company.

Some 17 licenses have been handed to 11 operators by the Regulatory Authority of Online Gambling just in time for the World Cup, which kicks off on Friday (June 11th).

Last year, French people spent more than €21 million (£17.3 million) on gambling and the country hopes to have three million online players in 2011.
Those the other side of the Channel will now be able to place wagers and view odds relating to current sports events, entertainment issues and political stories.

In March, French legal bosses voted to introduce the rule, which marked an end to 471 years of the existing gambling legislation.

Ed Nicholson, spokesman for 888sport.com, this week highlighted the importance of technology - such as the internet - to gamblers during the World Cup.