Londra – Il sito di poker online PKR.com si è unito a Lovestruck.com per organizzare una notte di poker, giochi e divertimento. La nuovissima “notte di poker per single” ha visto dozzine di uomini e donne, single, riunirsi a Londra presso l’elegantissimo bar Hoxton Pony. Continua qui

I casinò stanno diventando sempre più popolari in tutti gli Stati Uniti. Mentre si continuano ad espandere, il loro futuro nelle città americane potrebbe essere messo sulla corsia preferenziale nel prossimo giorno delle elezioni. Ci sono domande riguardanti i giochi d’azzardo, proposte, emendamenti, su tutte le schede elettorali degli Stati Uniti. Continua qui

Sono iniziate le riprese del nuovo film di James Bond negli Studi Pinewood di Londra con l’attrice ucraina Olga Kurylenko scelta come nuova Bond girl.Le prime riprese delle tanto attese avventure del ventiduesimo James Bond hanno preso il via ieri con Daniel Craig di nuovo nel ruolo di 007.

Il film, ancora senza titolo, sarà diretto da Marc Foster e seguirà il successo di “Casinò Royale” l’ultimo campione d’incassi della serie. Craig sarà affiancato da un cast che include l’attore francese Mathieu Amlric, acclamato dalla critica, nel ruolo del cattivo e la Kurylenko.

Anche Gemma Arterton farà parte del cast nel ruolo dell’Agente MI6. Tuttavia, nonostante le recenti notizie, sembra che il suo ruolo in questo nuovo film sarà significativamente minore di quello della Kurylenko. L’ex modella, che è stata vista sugli schermi in “Hitman”, sarà la nuova Bond girl.

Già presenti in “Casinò Royale” ritornano nel cast del nuovo film: Judi Dench nel suo ruolo di M, Jeffrey Wright come Felix Leiter e Giancarlo Giannini nel ruolo di Mathis. Commentando l’inizio delle riprese, i produttori Michael G. Wilson e Barbara Broccoli hanno dichiarato: “Siamo fortunati a poter continuare la tradizione di Bond che è in grado di attrarre i migliori attori internazionali per i vari ruoli del film.Mathieu nella parte di Dominic Greene, un leader dell’organizzazione criminale introdotta in Casinò Royale sarà un notevole avversario per il Bond di Daniel Craig.Olga Kurylenko farà la parte dell’attraente e pericolosa Camille, che sfida Bond e lo aiuta a superare le conseguenze emotive del tradimento di Vesper .”

L’uscita del nuovo Bond è prevista per il 7 Novembre 2008.

The news that Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO), the California based internet service company, has opened an online poker room which would target primarily U.K. residents seemed to be a surprise to many people. And it should not. Not just because gambling is by far the most lucrative business in the world after baby food manufacturing, but it’s because this illustrates the business practice of most US companies.

Many people saw the news about Yahoo getting its own poker room due to the high Internet profile of the company, but if they were to keep with the online gambling industry on a daily basis – they would not have been all that surprised. People seem to be surprised mostly because Yahoo! Inc. is an American company which operates online gambling website, where foreign online gambling websites are not allowed to operate in the US.

Well, folks, though stuff, but it’s the E.U.’s and other countries fault. They should have hammered better laws to prevent US companies operating online gambling websites in their countries, the same way US did. But that’s not my point. My point is that the fact that Yahoo! Inc. has an online poker room in the US is nothing new.

US gambling company to launch online casino – The Las Vegas Sands is opening an online casino which targets U.K. citizens. The new online casino will have its license issued by the U.K. and Cantor Gaming will provide the software. On the same note, Harrah’s Entertainment was the last to try online gambling in Britain, but failed just six months after it opened virtual doors in 2004. Continua qui

Il sito slot del Regno Unito Cyberslotz.co.uk, ha un nuovo, rifatto sito web. Il sito ha una nuova configurazione, una nuova combinazione di colori e un nuovo gioco di slot ‘The Great Race’.

Il nuovo ‘The Great Race’ è il secondo gioco da Cyberslotz’s a 25-linee, con un bonus misterioso che si rimette a punto subito dopo che è stato vinto. Il bonus è stato vinto in una maniera completamente casuale, quindi una linea che sembra essere perdente può divenatare vincente.

Quando appare un’emblema di vittoria sulle ruote 2, 3, e 4, potete vincere fino a 15 giri gratis – Questa caratteristica può essere ri-attivata durante i giochi gratis.

‘Cyberslotz è un marchio eccitante e amichevole e siamo sicuri che il nostro ri-marchiato, attrente sito web sarà un sucesso con I nostri clienti ,’ ha detto Brian Morgan, il direttore d’amministrazione del Cyberslotz.

‘Facciamo il meglio possible per rendere I nostri giochi interessanti e divertenti e se possiamo, aggiungiamo un sapore attuale, come il nostro gioco sul agente segreto ‘Rich Pickings’, che è stato lanciato l’anno scorso ed è collegato al nuovo film di James Bond.

Il nostro nuovo gioco ‘The Great Race’ colleziona diversi mezzi di trasporto per portarvi fino al jackpot.’ Per gli ultimi cinque anni, I giocatori di Cyberslotz hanno vinto più di £150 milioni in contanti sulle slot machines online e con il lancio del sito di bingo online nel 2006, Cyberslotz è conosciuto attualmente come uno dei dieci siti web più popolari per il gambling online nel Regno Unito.

L’ attore comico e commediografo Arthur Smith ha puntato audacemente e si è trovato vittorioso nella gara di ‘Celebrity Punts’ organizzata dal giornale Guardian,per raccogliere più di £650 per una associazione di beneficenza nazionale la national disability charity Vitalise.

L’allibratore e operatore di casinò online, Ladbrokes, che ha gestito la gara in associazione con il Guardian, ha generosamente radoppiato la vincita di Arthur è ha donato una somma di £1.322 a Vitalise.

Cominciando la gara con una puntata perdente- otto espulsioni per la Premiership di quella settimana- Arthur, che è uno dei vice presidenti di Vitalise, è emerso vittorioso alla fine, grazie alle puntate audaci, inclusa quella di appoggiare l’italia a vincere la coppa mondiale con i calci di rigore.

“Sono lieto di essere il ré delle dritte. Il mio trucco è di non far caso ad alcun motivo di forma e logica per creare un contesto di ignoranza. Da questa condizione di zen ho seguito i miei istinti e qualche volta sono venuti su a 10 a 1″ ha riflettuto Arthur.

David Williams, il portavoce per Ladbrokes ha detto: “Se per caso Arthur si trovasse senza lavoro, può venire a lavorare con noi a Ladbrokes come uno operatore commerciale- Abbiamo il massimo rispetto per la sua destrezza come scommettitore. Siamo lieti di essere in grado di dare l’assegno a Vitalise – un’associazione meravigliosa e un vincitore mertitevole.”

Non si sa ancora se Smith considererà l’offerta di Ladbrokes.

The Gordon Moody Association (GMA), one of the UK’s largest gambling support charities, has announced the launch of the first ever live multi-lingual service on its Gambling Therapy e-helpline www.gamblingtherapy.org.

Launched ahead of the Government’s new gambling licensing laws due in September this year, the service, which goes live on Monday March 12 2007, will be manned by a highly trained team of counsellors and advisors, who will be able to translate and offer help and advice to emails in 13 different languages.

Kevin Farrell-Roberts, Chief Executive of the GMA, formerly the Gordon House Association, explained, “Problem gambling is a widespread issue that unfortunately suffers from a lack of internationally-accessible support. The launch of our multi-lingual service, brings the GMA to the forefront in providing help to cultural groups that have previously had no access to gambling support.”

As part of this initiative, the GMA, together with existing supporters such as Betfair and William Hill, is calling for widespread international adoption of responsible gambling measures. Through the inclusion of the GMA’s ‘STOP!’ sign, an online link to the Gambling Therapy e-helpline, online operators can help showcase their support for the cause.

Kate Stewart, Social Responsibility Manager at Betfair added, ‘ We are extremely proud to be the first operator to show our dedication by displaying the STOP! sign on our website, and hope the rest of the industry joins us in taking such steps to tackle problem gambling.’

The charity has recently re-named itself in honour of its celebrated founder, the Rev. Gordon Moody, M.B.E. (1912–1994), who first established Gamblers Anonymous in the UK before later founding The Gordon House Association.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Washington state gambling regulators on Friday approved new compacts with 27 tribes that will allow thousands more slot-style machines in reservation casinos.

Although the deal now seems certain, state House Republicans decried what they called the largest expansion of gambling in state history and urged the Bush administration to reject the compacts.

The state Gambling Commission voted 5-3 to approve the new pacts, which include a major expansion of the machines and the gambling income to the tribes, but also place a limit on the number of casinos and require tribes to help finance problem-gambling and smoking-cessation programs.

After the compacts are signed by the tribes, they go to Gov. Chris Gregoire, whose office helped negotiate on behalf of the state. After she signs them, the tribes will send them to the U.S. Interior Department for approval.

The full process is expected to take about four to six months.

“On balance, we think this is a good place for the state to operate for a period of years,” said Tom Fitzsimmons, the governor’s chief of staff and a central figure in the negotiations. “The governor has signaled that she will sign them.”

The new compacts, dubbed X2 because they are amendments to the original compacts, expand the number of electronic slot machines from 18,225 to a maximum of 27,300. They cap the number of casinos, but give tribes authority to stay open around the clock and to offer higher stakes games.

Tribes now are allowed to operate 675 gambling machines, although the Muckleshoot, Tulalip and Puyallup tribes are allowed to lease or purchase as many as 3,000 terminals. The new compacts allow most tribes to have as many as 975 machines. The other three tribes will able to expand to 3,500 and, after three years, to 4,000.

The tally, while larger than the current level, is substantially below the 39,000 machines tribes originally expected in the 1990s, Fitzsimmons said.

The deal largely reflects the groundwork done in a sweeping new compact with the Spokane Tribe of Indians.

The Legislature, which has four voting members on the nine-member commission, has no veto over the pacts, but took generally favorable testimony at a joint House-Senate hearing on Thursday.

Lawmakers took no formal position.

Late Friday, House Republicans renewed their call for a legislative veto over expansion of tribal gambling. Rep. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, the deputy leader, asked the government to block the deal.

“The U.S. Department of Interior is our last chance to prevent the largest expansion of gambling in state history. The process has been moving like a freight train and we want to slow it down so we can fully weigh the social implications of the governor’s decision.

“We don’t think people fully understand what is coming down the track, and when they do, it is going to be a big surprise unfortunately.”

The Republicans also questioned whether campaign contributions from the tribes to the Democrats have affected the state’s position. Fitzsimmons flatly rejected that, saying neither he nor the Gambling Commission staff have considered tribes’ contributions when deciding gambling policy.

“Reasonable views differ on whether this is an expansion of gambling or not, but I really don’t think it’s right to politicize a delicate and complex set of negotiations,” he said in an interview.

Republican King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng, a frequent critic of gambling, has endorsed the deal because of the limits that are included in the negotiated compacts.

The commission’s vote came at the earliest possible date, and reflected little dissent. Two of the three opponents, state Rep. Richard Curtis, R-Battle Ground, and former Sen. Janice Niemi, D-Seattle, complained that the compacts don’t require the tribes to share profits with the state. Gregoire previously said she doesn’t want to rely on expansion of gambling balance the state budget.

Ron Allen, chairman of the Washington Indian Gaming Association, recently called the agreement a fair compromise.

Tribal machines have more than tripled in the past 15 years and tribal gambling accounts for an estimated $1.2 billion of the $1.8 billion gambling industry in the state.

Everest Casino has announced that a Swiss player has scooped a huge online jackpot while playing the casino’s Space Ace video slot machine. The player, only known as R.L., won $101,999.84 on a $9 bet placed on March 4.
‘We’ve had a number of remarkable jackpot strikes of late and I couldn’t be happier about it,’ said Eduardo Santos, Everest Casino’s property manager. ‘Not only do our players walk away with a great cash prize, but people can see that Everest Casino players win big.’
Space Ace is just one of over a dozen online video slots games offered by Everest Casino. Featuring state-of-the-art graphics and sound, Space Ace offers players the real casino experience of a top-flight video slot machine without the player leaving their home.
Familiar science fictions symbols such as galaxies, planets, stars, and comets are used in this online video slot machine. Bonus rounds in Space Ace allow players to plunder planets and scatters give you free spins with doubled prizes. Space Ace also offers an Everest Casino exclusive that lets players gamble their winnings to double or even quadruple the received prize.
‘Players respond to our online video slot machines for a reason,’ Santos added. ‘They offer one of the most exciting gaming experiences online. There are many online casinos, but Everest provides the best, most authentic experience to its players.’

AUSTIN — Big resorts with full casinos, shops and restaurants could be built in up to a dozen Texas cities under legislation proposed Thursday by two high-profile senators and backed by major gambling interests.
Voters ultimately would have the say on the proposed constitutional amendment legalizing casino gambling.
A main selling point of the plan, the legislators contend, is a provision that would dedicate $1 billion per year to a fund to pay for eligible Texans to attend a community college or public university.
Sen. John Carona, a Dallas Republican, and Sen. Rodney Ellis, a Houston Democrat, sponsors of the legislation, both said they aren’t gamblers themselves. But they said casinos in Texas would slow the flow of gambling money leaving the state. They also said “destination resort casinos” will attract tourism money for related activities, like high-end entertainment.
“Texans are already voting with their feet and going out of state,” Ellis said. “It’s time for Texas to reap the economic benefits and use that revenue to help Texas students go to college.”
It hasn’t been determined which cities would get the casinos. A gaming commission appointed by state leaders would decide which developers receive permits to operate them.
The Ellis-Carona proposal would provide $1 billion per year for a trust fund to pay for college tuition covering about 240,000 students once the program is fully running. Details on who would qualify would be worked out by state officials, but roughly it would cover scholarships for the students who had a combined SAT score of 1,000 or above, said economist Ray Perryman, who conducted studies for the proposal.
Perryman said casino gambling would create up to 400,000 new jobs and generate $3 billion to $4.5 billion in state and local revenue.
Proponents say Texans already spend about $10 billion per year gambling, some of it in other states and some of it illegally in Texas through eight-liners and on the Internet.
The proposed constitutional amendment, if approved by Texas voters, would allow for 12 casino gambling sites _ seven in urban areas, two along the Gulf coast and three on Indian reservations. It also would legalize video slot machines at horse and dog race tracks.
Opponents predict the casino legislation will go the same place similar bills have gone before _ nowhere.
“They just warm this baby up and roll it out every session,” said Suzii Paynter, director of the Baptist lobby’s Christian Life Commission. “Why would we go for such a bad deal?”
Paynter said the state would get a far lower return on casino gambling than it does on the state lottery and that, despite talk of tourism, casinos depend heavily on addicted gamblers and a large percentage of gamblers who come from within a 50-mile radius.
There’s a stronger public relations effort associated with this gambling proposal and a new promise of college scholarships, said Paynter, but she expects there will be the same firm opposition in the Legislature seen in recent sessions.
“Texas doesn’t need this. We have great economic development in our state, and we bring businesses to our state that are built on a family friendly business model,” she said.
Ellis and Carona, along with the powerful Texas Gaming Association that backs their plan, said this is an opportunity to enhance Texas tourism and boost the state and local economies.
If the constitutional amendment is approved by statewide voters, local voters would also have to approve any casino project.
The key to success of casino gambling in Texas is doing it in a comprehensive fashion, said Jack Pratt of Dallas, a former hotel and casino developer who chairs the Texas Gaming Association.
“There’s only one way to develop this business, and that is with large destination resorts,” Pratt said. Those casinos would pull business away from neighboring states’ casinos, he said.
Other gambling bills are also pending at the Capitol.
Legislation by Rep. Ismael “Kino” Flores, a Palmview Democrat, would allow video slots at Texas race tracks and on Indian reservations.
Ellis and Carona said they would be working closely with Flores. They said they would oppose a gambling measure that allows only video slot machines at tracks without establishing full resort casinos.
On Thursday, Rep. Jose Menendez, a San Antonio Democrat, filed legislation seeking to regulate poker in Texas. It would allow up to four live or electronic poker tables at establishments meeting certain requirements and would allow charitable poker.