Gambling News Headlines from Around the World

Top Gambling News - Online

Some nice news for Obama last month when a federal judge has allowed Nevada Democrats to hold presidential voting in casino hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, potentially helping Sen. Barack Obama in the next round of the campaign on Saturday.  For the first time, Nevada Democrats planned to set up nine locations for Saturday’s vote so casino shift workers, who are largely represented by a union that endorsed Obama, could attend caucuses and vote for a presidential candidate.

The ruins of the Bethlehem Steel plant in Pennsylvania are of great interest to many history buffs. The plant is embedded in U.S. history, having had a role in everything from arming U.S. warships, to providing materials for some of the countries best architectural achievements. A deal for an $800 million casino complex on the site may give history fans the chance to learn the story of one of America’s most important industrial companies.

The new slot machines casino, to be opened by the Las Vegas Sands Corp., will open it’s doors early in 2009, and it is hoped that the financial boost from the casino will help to pay for expensive maintenance work on the site so that the historic buildings can be opened for public display.

Sands has already saved 20 buildings from demolition, and many people are now petitioning for public access. ‘’It’s a terrific opportunity,'’ said history professor Howard Gillette from Rutgers University in New Jersey. ‘’Bethlehem tells the whole story of industrialization in America, and de-industrialization.'’

Sands have expressed support for the idea of telling the Bethlehem Steel plant’s story. They have already dedicated one of the oldest buildings – the Stock House, which dates back to around 1860, to the city for use as a visitor’s center.  Great to see a casino taking an interest in preserving history.

In Illinois, The State Appellate Court have ruled that the law which allowed the Emerald Casino firm to move its operation to Rosemont does not prevent the Illinois Gaming Board from revoking the firm’s gambling license.

The Emerald Casino firm has been fighting for years to open a branch in Rosemont, and had its license revoked in 2005 after an investigation found that officials had lied to state investigators and sold shares to investors with ties to organized crime rings.

Emerald had appealed against the ruling, citing a law passed in 1999 which they believed gave them the right to open a casino in Rosemont. The ruling, given this Monday by a panel of the District Appellate Court in Chicago was unanimous.

The ruling was praised by Illinois attorney General Lisa Madigan, who said that it helps ‘protect the interests of the people of Illinois against unsuitable individuals operating casinos.’ No one from Emerald was available for comment, although Emerald have asked to appeal the ruling to the Illinois Supreme Court.

If they lose the appeal, then the 10th casino gambling license will become open, allowing an expansion of gambling in the state – something that is presently under discussion as lawmakers consider allowing another land-based casino in the area, as well as slot machines at race tracks. Other options for the expansion of gambling in Chicago include the increasing of the number of riverboat casino licenses available.

Roger Federer is stunned by all the talk of match-fixing and gambling in tennis.  “I’m surprised by all of these stories, shocked really that this might be happening,” the top-ranked Federer told The Associated Press on Friday. “I’ve been around for the last 10 years and have never been approached or ever heard anything about it until these comments came out.”  Andy Murray said corruption in the game was common knowledge earlier this week, but then backtracked.

“Before I make any serious comments about this I’m going to speak with Andy,” said Federer, who is in Madrid for next week’s Masters tournament. “I’m going to speak with the federation and all the bodies so I can get a better idea of just what exactly is going on with this right now.”

ATP Player Council president Ivan Ljubicic and second-ranked Rafael Nadal have doubted Murray’s claims. Nikolay Davydenko, the player at the center of the sport’s biggest match-fixing scandal, criticized Murray.

Davydenko withdrew from a match in Poland in August against 87th-ranked Martin Vassallo Arguello in the third set because of a foot injury. An online betting site, in an unprecedented move, then voided bets on the match.  The ATP has said it is investigating.

“I haven’t read into the whole circumstances surrounding these stories, but I will be these days,” Federer said. “I hope that this isn’t happening. I think I would have heard something sooner if it had been.”  Tennis and gambling are a bad mix as far as I am concerned.

Here are some of the top gambling related news stories hitting the web.

-A Pennsylvania company, Penn National Gaming Inc. with gambling operations in 12 states is the first applicant for a contract to manage a state-owned casino in Kansas.

-Tennis umpires and officials received letters from U.S. Open organizers reminding them of rules against gambling, part of strengthened security measures to prevent match tampering.   I guess a little reminder never hurts.

-Today brings a new era for bingo halls, betting shops, high end casinos and humble slot machine arcades in Wales.  The Gambling Act 2005 came into force from midnight overhauling legislation dating as far back as 1845 when Queen Victoria was on the throne and Sir Robert Peel was her Prime Minister. The new laws mean bingo players could now become millionaires as jackpot wins can be “rolled over”. More than 6,000 slot machines will be removed from takeaways and minicab offices to stop children playing them.  Ridiculously easy phone-in quizzes with phone charges as high as £1 per minute must be made harder (otherwise they will be classed as lotteries with a requirement to give 20% of profits to charity).

Here is a brief look at some of this weeks most interesting gambling news:

-Up to 40 per cent of online gamblers utilise the services of web-based forums, a new survey says.

-Chandrasekhar Billivara has made a cool $722,914 for his victory in the 49th event at the WSOP (World Series Of Poker), which had a record number of entrants for a non-main event competition.

-While declining revenues have jeopardised the horse racing industry in some parts of the US, a new breed of racing casino has brought track money indoors.  Over 35 racetrack casinos, dubbed ‘racinos’ have opened up in the US since 1992, with five states having new venues in the past three years.  According the American Gaming Association, last year, racinos raked in $3.6 billion

A spin around the world to check-out the news this month.

-World Poker Tour Enterprises (WPT) has announced that it will be sponsored by Southwest Airlines in its sixth season. Southwest Airlines branding will feature prominently on the World Poker Tour this coming year.

-Poker writer Jen Mason is better known for writing about poker tournaments than winning them, but the journalist had the luck of the Irish at the Green Joker Poker, wining more than 30,000 euros.

-London has been named by poker magazine Bluff Europe as the top city on the continent for poker action.

It looks like a sign that gambling addiction is going mainstream.  A company in Kitchener, Ont., is advertising specially designed adult diapers on the Internet for $35 each - two for $60 - and say they are a perfect fit for “gamblers at all-night casinos.”

They hold nine cups of fluid, are made of six layers of cotton and micro-fibre, dry in an hour, are reusable and come stylishly in white or burgundy with Velcro closures.

On a side note, The B.C. government reported revenues of more than $980 million last year from the Crown-owned B.C. Lottery Corp. These would come in handy for those long bingo nights too!

Yahoo!, one of the biggest search engines and Internet portals, has entered the online poker world with the addition of real-money poker to the games section of its UK operations.

Yahoo! Launched the online poker room in partnership with Gibraltar-based  St Minver, one of Europe’s largest gaming operators. Boss Media, which also supports the powerful gaming operators SportingBet, Bwin, and William Hill, will provide the poker software platform.

The new poker site does not accept players from the U.S., due to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which makes it illegal for credit card companies and banks to accept money transfers to and from online gambling sites.

Yahoo! is the only Internet Service Provider (ISP) to offer play for real money. The YAHOO! UK & Ireland Games Web site also offers real money Bingo. The new site will focus on the growing European poker market.

Saint Mary’s University researchers have received $345,000 from the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation to study the impact of gambling and gambling addiction on teens. “Our research is aimed at uncovering the common themes coming from youth concerning the commercial advertising of gambling and its impact on their perceptions of gambling and their play behaviours,” John McMullan, a sociology and criminology professor who’s the project’s lead researcher, said in a news release this week. 

The four-year project will look at advertising for gambling from the Atlantic Lottery Corp., Casino Nova Scotia and the Maritime Provinces Harness Racing Association, and unregulated advertising from websites, television and radio from Jan. 1, 2004, to Dec. 31, 2006, will be reviewed. Researchers will then interview teens to analyze the impact advertising has on them, the news release said, and the last part of the project will track beliefs and behaviours using continuous advertising snapshots over time. 

I think this is a very positive step forward for the gaming industry as a whole because of all the potential problems that arise from gambling addiction at a young age.