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Poker Pro Annie Duke Joins Decision Education Foundation Board

It is believed that Annie Duke, the sister of poker pro Howard Lederer, who comes from a family where talent runs in their blood, will be a good addition to the board of directors of the Palo Alto nonprofit group Decision Education Foundation. They are an organization that focuses on helping children in making better life decisions.

Saturday, the group hosted an “Evening with Annie Duke” welcoming her to their organization, where she talked about “Good Decision Making and Other Lessons Learned from Poker.”

“Poker is this incredible game of skill that really is the ultimate decision-making problem,” Duke said Monday in the San Jose Mercury News.

“How we make decisions shapes the quality of our lives,” Duke said. “I know that if I didn’t understand what makes a good decision, I wouldn’t be a success at what I do. And for kids, who are making decisions that will significantly impact their safety, their health and their future, it is a critical skill – and a huge gap in their education.”

It is still undecided whether actually playing the game of poker will be used as part of the Decision Education Foundation’s programs, but one of the foundation’s founders, Tom Keelin feels that Duke’s books and articles do reflect the philosophy of the Foundation.

House & Senate Hearing Planned Today to Discuss Dangers of Gambling

A hearing is scheduled to take place today that was brought on by the House and the Senate. Although both sides sponsored the meeting only House members will be in attendance.

The meeting will be an open debate with specialists speaking on the social dangers of gambling. Many senators believe this move was made because Governor Deval Patrick filed his bill on October 11th. They see it as an unfair situation towards the senator to be discussing the dangers of gambling when they agree with the senator’s bill to license three resort casinos around Massachusetts.

“If you’re going to give the guy a fair shake, you should schedule a hearing on the casino bill and then, if necessary, ask other committees to hold hearings,” said Senator Michael W. Morrissey, Democrat of Quincy and a casino proponent. “Have the governor’s bill up first and go from there.”

Salvatore F. DiMasi, House Speaker, has stated hearings on the full bill will not take place until sometime next year. A spokesman for the House Speaker stated that the hearing today will be one of many to examine the aspects of the bill. “The governor has proposed opening the door to a casino culture in the Commonwealth,” he said. “We think it’s imperative to look at what that will really mean, warts and all.”

The House will be discussing many different aspects during the meeting. They will go over social cost, economics and state lottery effects. Patrick has stated that he knows that the gambling plan will have a social cost of bankruptcies and addiction. He said the cost of those aspects would be outweighed by the benefits the state would receive.

Patrick’s administration will be sending an official to discuss their views while casino opponents Rep. Ruth B. Balser and Rep. Daniel E. Bosley will be presiding the meeting. There will also be attendees from the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Rep. Balser has stated that she is not trying to shoot down Patrick’s casino plan before it has a hearing. Patrick has not issued a response to the suggestions by certain senators that the House is being unfair.

DanDruff Responds to Absolute Poker’s Mark Seif

As seen previously on 4Flush, the interview Mark Seif did about the issues surrounding the Absolute Poker scandal, Mark stated that this type of event could happen at PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.

This statement has again fueled a lot of debate which lead Mark to write this on his blog about the statement as well as the video interview in a post dated 10/28/2007:

“I was quite surprised when I saw the interview because it was presented to the viewers as if I came in to present AP’s side of the story. I never knew that nor did I agree to that. Nor did AP. I came in representing myself and speaking only on my behalf. I’ll clear this up with the folks at RawVegas.tv. I’m sure it was unintentional. Probably a minor thing to them. Afterall, not EVERYONE is forced live and breathe this thing non-stop 24/7.

Based on some of the posts I’ve read, I think there is a substantial amount of confusion regarding my statement about Stars and Full Tilt. This is either due to me failing to be clear and/or poor editing. I don’t remember.

I stated that this type of thing could happen at Stars or Tilt, because it can. Let me be clear. I think, actually, I KNOW, that Stars and Tilt are run by very ethical, highly reputable people. I have tremendous respect for the management at both sites. I play on both sites.”

Towards the end of the initial video interview, Mark Seif talks about Todd Witteles (DanDruff) and says that he has said a lot of “untruths” and “exaggerated quite a bit” in his statements about the AP scandal. Seif goes as far as to say, “I think he’s actually engaged in some civil liability.”

Today, Todd Witteles (DanDruff) has done his own interview with rawvegas.tv. In this interview, Todd asks questions about why Mark Seif is still representing Absolute Poker, talks about the allegations of Mark cheating himself and addresses the Seif interview itself.

About the “untruths” and “exaggerated quite a bit” remark, Witteles says,

“You (Seif) said many times that I have lied and exaggerated about you, I don’t really understand this.”

He goes on to say that he has looked over posts and recalled conversations and added,

“Never once have I lied or exaggerated about you in my life”

 

Oldest Standing Casino Haunted By Monroe and Sinatra

If you have ever been to the Cal-Neva Casino or have ever looked it up, you may not assume that is of much importance. While it appears pleasant to the eyes, this historic landmark does not seem to fit the bill of a haunted casino, but it does have all the right key points to make an excellent story. But is it really all just a story? Or is there more to it then a spooky tale?

The Cal-Neva is currently the oldest standing casino within the entire United States. And until being forced out of ownership, Frank Sinatra himself owned the Cal-Neva. “Ol’ Blue Eyes” had his dream casino taken away from him due to alleged affiliations with some organized crime though many disbelieved this affiliation truly existed.

When the Cal-Neva was first built back in 1926 it was an illegal gambling operation but within a few years, the Cal-Neva received their casino license, which was one of the first issued ever.

When Sinatra bought the casino in the 1960’s, guests such as the Kennedy’s and Miss Marilyn Monroe would frequent the establishment. It has been said that Robert Kennedy and Marilyn spent a lot of time together hidden away.

After closing their doors for three years during the 1980’s, a lot changed when they reopened besides having a new owner. There are many ghostly appearances that have been spotted in the hallways. One of the most well known ghosts is said to be that of a weeping Marilyn Monroe. And all through the secret tunnel that lies on the grounds is the well-loved Frank himself.

Many guests and employees have spotted these spirits. Are they just a figure of their imaginations? A permanent but unintelligent energy mark on our universe, or are they the souls of those gone before us trying to hold onto to a past that was dear to them?

How Much is the U.S. Prepared To Pay Out Over Treaty Violation?

While the subject matter of the U.S. Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act has been going on for a while, it seems at times there is no light at the end of the tunnel. With the World Trade Organization ruling in favor of Antigua, there is now hope for the other countries that are currently seeking compensation from the United States. These other countries are Japan, India, and the European Union.The WTO ruled that the little Caribbean nation be allowed their $3.4 billion that they claimed the United States cost them by removing their main market for business.

“In a matter of months, you’re going to see billions of dollars in trade sanctions coming down against the United States,” stated Alfonse D’Amato, former three-term Senator for New York. ‘Then, I believe we will start to have a profoundly new and different group lobbying, saying you’ve got to stop this prohibition on Internet gambling. We look like the ugly American.”

In an attempt to solve the problem of dispute, the United States made the announcement that they would be removing online gambling from their list of obligations within the WTO treaty. But, this may have only added fuel to the fire as many allies have filed their own compensation claims against the United States in hopes to gain funds to offset the damage done by the UIGEA.

PartyPoker $300,000 Guaranteed

Just as some others had to do, PartyPoker had to add an overlay to reach their $300,000. A total of $3,400 in overlay had to be added on with only 1,483 players entered into this week’s tournaments.A total of 200 places were paid out and $60,000 was given to the player who was able to achieve first place.Party Poker Guarantee

Although there were lots of ups and downs during the poker tournament, it wasn’t surprising when the final two players decided to go ahead and take the safe beat. That safe beat was splitting the prize money. With being almost even in chips, the two decided to play one hand of heads-up. After that hand is when they decided to split the cash. First place went to bagetak who got $46,842.25 and tibzen received $46,157.76 for second place.

Final Results Are (with 1st and 2nd being a split):

1st place – bagetak – $46,842.25
2nd place – tibzen -$46,157.76
3rd place – tipexmum – $20,700
4th place – ISplashFunds – $16,350
5th place – connieoffski – $13,800
6th place – CatenaccioMS – $10,350
7th place – Mariatik – $7,950
8th place – Ananasbrus – $5,250
9th place – lullipoker – $4,050
10th place – redragon63 – $2,850

Playful Poltergeist At the Plaza Hotel and Casino – Las Vegas Style

The Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, is busting at the seams with ghostly tales of things that go bump in the night. Could this be just the imagination of some creative individuals or is there more to these stories then what is yet to be seen.Formally known as the Union Plaza Hotel, this Casino was built at the site where the downtown train station once stood. As if that wouldn’t be enough history to start making stories go around, there was a suicide of a stagehand years ago right in the showroom.

Whether he is sticking around because of the regret he feels for taking his own life or that he enjoys playing tricks on people, his presence is surely known and forever imprinted on the walls of this historic casino.

This former stagehand makes himself known to employees and visitors alike with his chilling cold spots and his toying with other people’s personal belongings. Don’t expect that your purse will remain where you place it. You may just find it mysteriously sitting on the opposite side of the room the moment you aren’t looking.

And this spirit is not the only one who is said to roam the floors of the showroom as many claim that the great Houdini himself haunts the Plaza Hotel and Casino. It is believed that while Houdini of course did not pass away there, his spirit makes guest appearances as magic shows there are tributes to him. And as the perfectionist that he was, he may be lurking around to make sure that the magic shows are done just right…just as he would have made them.

If you want to play some ghostly online slots – How about these Halloween Slot Specials!

Online Poker Players Share $782.378.68 in Two Bad Beat Jackpots

You still have to lose a hand with quad 8’s or better but there are a couple things that make Ultimate Bet’s Bad Beat Jackpot different than all the rest. The first is that all poker players playing at the bad beat tables of the limit that hits the jackpot get a piece of the jackpot.

The second is it hit twice within four hours. Ultimate Bet had just announced that their bad beat jackpot was approaching $600,000 and less than 24 hours later, a combined $782.378.68 was won.

The first jackpot occurred around 6:30am when quad eights loss to quad aces at a qualifying Texas Holdem bad beat table. For the loss, the poker player with quad eights got $202,602.98 of the jackpot. $101,301.48 went to the player with quad aces and $2,366.68 each went to the seven other players at the table. There were 62 online poker players sitting at the same limit and at bad beat tables, each of them won $1,366.68.

All the other players would have to wait, but not for long. Less than 4 hours later at around 10:00am, the bad beat jackpot that had built to $158,984.93 was triggered again. This time the poker player losing the hand got $51,670.11 and 182 other players shared in the rest.

Ultimate Bets Bad Beat Jackpot is divided up as follows: 65% goes to the poker players, 25% remains to start the next jackpot and 10% goes to administrative fees.

40 Co-Sponsors For The Internet Gambling Regulation & Enforcement Act

Jim Moran, a Virginian Congressman and member of the Appropriations Committee, has signed on as a co-sponsor for Barney Frank’s IGREA bill. He makes number forty.

It seems that the Poker Players Alliance “Fly In” may have had some influence as a spokesman stated by email, “Yes, several of his constituents (PPA members) and a pro or two spent time with Mr. Moran in his office. They went over the merits of the bill and Moran agreed to cosponsor. We had several such meetings and I believe more will be added in the coming weeks.”

Jim Moran is in his ninth term in the House and has a record of being strongly against online gambling, voting for a ban of credit card use for internet gambling in 2003 and voted for the UIGEA in 2006. Although recently there seems to be a shift in his stand and he even co-sponsored the Skill Game Protection Act back in July.

Here are the current co-sponsors of IGREA:

• Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii)
• Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.)
• Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.)
• Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.)
• Howard Berman (D-Calif.)
• Michael Capuano (D-Mass.)
• Joe Baca (D-Calif.)
• Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.)
• Julia Carson (D-Ind.)
• William lacy Clay (D-Mo.)
• Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.)
• Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.)
• Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.)
• Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.)
• Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.)
• Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.)
• Michael Honda (D-Calif.)
• Steve Israel (D-N.Y.)
• William Delahunt (D-Mass.)
• Peter King (R-N.Y.)
• Jim McDermott (D-Wash.)
• James McGovern (D-Mass.)
• Charlie Melancon (D-La.)
• James Moran (D-Va.)
• Bob Filner (D-Calif.)
• Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)
• Robert Wexler (D-Fla.)
• Ron Paul (R-Texas)
• Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.)
• Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas)
• Steven Rothman (D-N.J.)
• Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.)
• Robert Scott (D-Va.)
• Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.)
• Don Young (R-Alaska)
• Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.)
• Melvin Watt (D-N.C.)
• Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.)
• Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.)
• Albert Wynn (D-Md.)

West Virginia Gets Their First Poker Table Games

Many happy poker players are able to get their fix at their local casinos now that two racetracks in West Virginia have opened table games to their players. With the government making online poker playing for real money harder to play, poker players can now play in a table game just a short drive away. Earlier this month, Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort in Hancock County, West Virginia and Wheeling Island Racetrack and Gaming Center in Ohio County West Virginia have opened their poker rooms up to the public.

With votes from residents giving the green light, the Race Tracks wasted little time and neither did the players. Within two hours after opening their poker tables for the first time at Wheeling Island the tables were full.

And with the new legislation in place, Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center in Kanawah County, West Virginia, plans on having their poker room up and running later on this year.

And poker tables is not where it is going to stop for these gaming centers as more types of games will be added so that there is a mix of table games to pick from. Games like blackjack and roulette are allowed but it was felt that poker tables would be the easiest thing to put into action first. Hopefully, if things go as planned, we will see blackjack and roulette tables in the beginning of 2008.

Sweden Ends Support for Governments Online Gambling Monopoly

This past weekend a party conference was held in Gavle and the Moderate party voted to de-monopolize the country’s gambling industry. They also ruled to privatize Svenska Spel which is the country’s government-owned gaming company.

The Moderate party had originally decided not to privatize the gambling industry but they finally decided to follow the European Commission directives after hearing from Tomas Tobe MP. They now will allow free movement of European services within their country.

Tobe told the Moderate party that they must do away with the current monopoly and join Italy and England in regulation of the industry. Tobe said that money would be placed for gambling research and risk-minimization controls and this would balance a possible increase in gambling. Sweden’s government is made of the Moderate’s, the People’s Party, the Centre party and the Christian Democrats. The Christian Democrats are the only part of the government still against the privatization and regulation.

Tobe stated also that the government will work with the companies to establish an effective method of taxation. This would be instead of a percentage of turnover based approach. “By December 2008, an in-depth report on the gambling market will be released following an investigation by Jan Nyr’n, legal counsel of the police authority, but the party congress did not want to wait for this and voted for change to take place more rapidly”, he said.

The only five casinos in Sweden are owned by Svenska Spel. They made over 500 million Euros last year in profits and is worth in the billions. If the monopoly situation was changed there would be more competition for the company and could also see foreign operators.

New Legal Poker Club: Dust To Dawn Opening in November

Entrepreneurial poker player Rob Yong came up with the idea to open the only legal poker only venue in the United Kingdom.  After two years, Yong was granted a full casino license to open and operate Dusk Till Dawn.  This Card Room will be the largest in the UK and the biggest in Europe with 45 tables.  As soon as Yong was granted this license by The Gaming Board of Britain, The Board was replaced by the Gaming Commission. This new Commission discontinued the issues of any new poker only licenses because of a minimum number of hard gaming tables at each venue stipulation.

As a casino operator, Yong has a sense of responsibility in not wanting to flaunt the laws and authorities by having an unregulated venue.  He also believes that hard gaming around poker players is not the best situation for them, so when he applied for a full casino license, he did not want the provision for other forms of gaming.

There has been a downfall sort of speak to many UK poker venues because of a new Gaming Act from The Gaming Commission.  Pair that with Prime Minister Gordon Brown not liking any form of gambling, not even poker.  He has been bearing down on many poker clubs that are in a non casino environment.  On that note, with Dusk Till Dawn opening in November, 2007 in Nottingham, players who live in the surrounding areas of Nottingham will have something new to look forward to.

Las Vegas Casino Hauntings

Las Vegas is known for high-class parties, gambling around the clock, and haunted casinos.

Yes, that’s right, haunted casinos. There are several haunted casinos in this bright and energetic city. Some more famous then others, but each, in their own right, equally frightening.

 

The Flamingo Hilton Hotel and Casino

This casino is a legendary landmark, which was originally opened in 1946 by the infamous mobster, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegal. But it was just a year after opening, that Siegal’s life ended after being shot at a girlfriend’s home in Beverly Hills.

It is said that his spirit returned to Las Vegas to haunt the Flamingo, as it was an extremely important part of his life. While he is mostly spotted in the Presidential Suite, it has also been reported by guests that he was seen by the pool during the late night hours. And one cleaning lady quit her job as see had seen his ghost walk on the fifth floor.

Bally’s Hotel and Casino

Back before Bally’s was built, the old MGM Hotel and Casino stood on that ground. But, on November 21st, 1980, a fire broke out and eighty-four people died leaving 679 others injured. Many people burned to death while others threw themselves out of windows in an unsuccessful attempt to save their lives as rescue ladders were not reaching the fire victims in time.

Soon after the cleanup of the fire, Bally’s bought the property and built their casino while MGM built their new casino further south, leaving behind their tragic past.

But the spirits of the victims are said to still roam the grounds where the fire took place. Most of the claims of ghostly apparitions are on floors 19 through 24. Many guests and employees have reported ghost sightings in the North Tower and a service elevator in Bally’s North Tower is avoided due to hauntings.

While these casinos are just two of the many haunted Las Vegas casinos, they are probably the most well known in their ghost stories. But their legendary haunts are not keeping people away. While some don’t believe, others flock to such locations at their chance to get a glimpse of ghostly images.

Imperial Casino Haunted By Slot Playing Ghost

Its almost Halloween and 4Flush hopes you will enjoy a hauntingly good series of ghost stories written by our own Jennifer Spriggs over the next few days.

While many people travel to Cripple Creek, Colorado for their breathtaking scenery or their casinos to try their luck at the slots, many actually journey there to visit one of the town’s most notorious haunted locations. And that location would be the Imperial Hotel Casino.

Originally named the Collins Hotel, built during the 1890’s, this hauntingly famous establishment is the base of many ghost stories told by guests and employees alike. There is one ghost in particular that these stories always seem to focus around and that is the ghost of George Long. George was an English immigrant who managed the hotel back in 1905. Not only was the hotel the place of his work, but is was the place of his death as well.

While there are many stories surrounding the actual events of his death, it is for certain that George Long died after falling down the stairs, which led to the basement. Whether it was simply an accident or an act of violence, this was an untimely death for Mr. Long.

The first reports of ghostly happenings once the hotel added its casino came in 1992 when a security guard heard something he will never forget. Around 4am one night, as the guard made his rounds, he heard a slot machine paying out. The doors had been locked and there was no one else in the building. It is impossible for this to occur on it’s own as the machine are set that if it pays out even one coin more then required, the machine will shut itself down.

Another night goes by and George is heard playing again. A new employee heard that clear, distinctive sound that is echoed through a quiet casino when a coin is dropped into a slot machine. Upon a search through the casino, no one was found. Apparently, George, like many others, enjoys the slots.

While it is believed that George is a kind and gentle spirit, it has been noted by a “sensitive” who took a tour of the building, that there is an angry presence in the spot where George has passed away.

Is this anger a result of a life taken too early by a slip and fall or that of a life yanked by a criminal act? Either way, the ghost of George is sure to continue passing his time playing the slots.

If you like hauntingly good slots like George – Take a look at these Halloween Slots.

Over 25 Referees Violate NBA Policies on Casino Gambling

The NBA has strict rules for their referees about Casino Gambling. The rules prohibit any official from entering a gaming area of a casino or betting of any kind except for at race tracks during offseason. NBA Commissioner David Stern said on Thursday that more than half of his 56 referees had violated the gambling rules. He said none of the referees would be punished due to him feeling the rules were outdated.

“It’s too easy to issue rules that are on their faith violated by $5 Nassau, sitting at a poker table, buying a lottery ticket and then we can move along,” Stern said after wrapping up the league’s Board of Governors meetings. “And by the time I got through and I determined going into a casino isn’t a capital offense … I’m the CEO of the NBA and I’ll take responsibility.”

Stern decided he would not punish anyone because views on gambling had changed and he would not “penalize people for behavior that I’m about to change.” Stern did say that monitoring officiating officials Stu Jackson and Ronnie Nunn will have their positions changed. They are not demotions but expansions. “We are broadening and taking more responsibility and we are doing it with the people that we have and we’re going to add to them,” Stern said, “but certainly it’s not a reduction of responsibility.”

During the meeting Stern said there is no proof that any other officials were involved in illegal gambling but almost all of them violated the league policy. Stern believes this policy is too harsh because it involves buying lottery tickets to poker games as well as many other gambling activities that are legal in a law perspective.

Stern stated:”We evolve, we respond, we grow.” Time will tell if the NBA rules on gambling will be changed or remain the same for now.

Absolute Pokers Mark Seif Comments on AP Situation

As reported by Gambling911, Mark Seif sponsored pro from Absolute Poker since 2004, did a video interview about the current situation with Absolute Poker on rawvegas.tv.

Mark Seif is an attorney and poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada. He has two WSOP bracelets from 2005, in the $1,500 limit hold’em shootout and the $1,500 no limit hold’em events. This two accomplishments were back to back wins.

In the video, Mark discusses when he first heard about the allegations while at the Borgata Poker Open in Atlantic City a couple weeks ago. He was approached by players that also played online at Absolute Poker. He said, “I asked for an investigation and I was assured one was going to be done.”

He talks about meeting AJ Green twice and finding “nothing extraordinary” about him, describing him several times as being “free spirit”. But jokingly admits that there was no mention of seeing hold cards in there visits.

He also speaks about how he was approached by AP management about how this situation could be handled in regards to refunding accounts in certain situations and he said that they agreed to always, “air on the side of overpay” when it comes to dealing with those that were harmed. Mark also says said that AP has refunded “upwards of a million dollars” already.”

Mark also says he doesn’t think this situation will affect the ongoing fight to carve out online poker in Congress, comments on the Nat Arem conflict and the possible suit against DanDruff.

 

Poker Players Bring the Fight to Washington

The Poker Players Alliance, Capitol Hill “fly in’ saw 100 poker player from the professional high profile names to the average Joe just wanting to play the game, converge on Washington this week to lobby congressman to consider new legislation concerning internet poker.

John Pappas, executive director of the PPA, said “I think we had a very successful event and were able to elevate the issue in the minds of lawmakers and also elevate the fact that there is a growing and vocal constituency of poker player out there who’d like to be able to play.”

Some of the major items pointed out this week were that, according to estimations from the PPA, online poker could represent annually around $3b in tax revenues for the U.S. government. Its members also tries to highlight the fact that it seemed irregular for Congress to ban internet poker but all the while allowing online wagering on horse racing and state lotteries.

Vanessa Rousso talked about how internet gambling was important but especially to women stating:

“Being a woman, playing on the internet was a great way for me to become comfortable playing the game before having to sit down with a bunch of older guys in the intimidating atmosphere of a real casino. I play about 10 hours a week online and as a professional player, it allows me to constantly hone my game and improve.”

These poker players found some very receptive to their message.

Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.), “It’s a national pastime and the idea that we would prohibit adults from playing poker on the venue of the 21st century is illogical.”

“It’s outrageous telling the American people what they can and cannot do in the privacy of their own homes on their own computers,” Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) added.

Wexler, along with Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) have both introduced a bill that would seek regulation on the online gambling industry and allow state and federal governments to not only tax gambling transactions but also put in safeguards to prevent minors and those from states with laws already preventing internet gambling from playing. Both bills are in committee’s awaiting consideration.

John Pappas said he would like to see a change by the end of this congressional session. He stated, “We think we have a pretty strong hand, and we’re going to continue to play it until the end.”

Online Casino and Sportsbetting Helps PartyGaming Grow

PartyGaming PLC’s shares are up 10% on the London Stock Exchange in their third quarter from casino and sports betting revenue. Their casino business began booming after gaining possession of Empire Online and Intercontinental Online Gaming for $66.6 Million.  The casino line profited after customers lost disinterest in blackjack, which wasn’t a solid moneymaker, and gravitated toward other online gaming at the site.

One year ago, PartyGaming showed $93.3 Million in revenue and now it’s at $115.7 Million, which is a 24% increase.   It’s a positive sign because the company’s stock had lost three quarters of its value after the ban of transferring money to online gambling companies came about from US anti-gambling laws.

As part of their growth plan, PartyGaming struck a deal with ITV in September to provide casino and poker games on their website.  PartyGaming’s CEO Mitch Garber stated, “The formation of business alliances with companies such as ITV are important steps towards achieving our full potential and we remain confident about the group’s prospects for the full year and beyond.”  They are exploring partnerships with other companies and websites as part of their long term goals.  Reportedly, their daily revenues are up 9% as of Thursday.  They have had an estimated 1,300 in new players to their site as well as 65,000 current players.

BodogLife.com Soon To Offer Spanish Websites

n moving with the times, BodogLife, an online casino, is planning to focus some of their energy and attention to the Latino gambling market. They intend to do this by extending their services to their Spanish-speaking customers by adding a fully functional Spanish-language online casino.

But until that happens, BodogLife is happy to at least have a customer support center for their Spanish speaking online poker players.

“Bodog Entertainment has always been a leader in providing our customers with the highest quality service in our industry and beyond,” stated Calvin Ayre, Founder and Chief Executive Office for BodogLife.

“We are excited to expand our service to include in-language customer service to our Latino Customers.” Ayre continues, “We value their business and I am sure that our world renowned service will exceed each caller’s expectations on every single call.”

With BodogLife’s customer service call center being based in Costa Rica for the past 10 years or so, it does seem a little overdue for their websites to also be in Spanish.

Since beginning in 1994, Bodog Entertainment is one of the leading and fastest growing media entertainments, which offers the public a wide variety of services such as online gambling, music, and TV.

Ladbrokes Online Gambling Ad’s Come under Fire

After much fanfare and press, it seems the Ladbrokes’ first gambling advertisement on UK television has hit a snag. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is investigating the ads after a few complaints that it targets the young male and plays up to the “male bravado and peer pressure.”

A total number of complaints received by the ASA against the advertisement were four. According to ASA spokesperson Olivia Campbell the small number of complaints were significant enough to be followed up with an investigation.

Campbell said, “We don’t need to reach a specific number of complaints. If we receive just one complaint and there is an obvious breach of the code we will investigate it. If a complaint is just emotive, and the advert is within the guidelines, we won’t.”

Some of the points that were raised in the complaints were that the ads were a “clear encouragement to gamble,” as well as “irresponsible, and particularly appealed to young men.” The ads feature former footballers that are very popular and another point was that by using these popular personalities, there was more of a chance that people would likely emulate their behavior.

According to Campbell, the investigation will likely take 2 months to finish.

I am sure this is not what Ladbrokes had in mind with their tag line, “Everybody’s got an opinion, what’s yours worth?”

Emails to Ladbrokes have not been returned in time for this article.

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