Poker players make their voices heard

More than 3,000 people phoned the U.S. Senate offices earlier this month to express their opposition to legislation that would ban online poker.

According to The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a grassroots organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the game, many Senators received more than 100 calls from their constituents during a “Phone March” on Capitol Hill, Tuesday September 12th. The effort was lead by the PPA and supported by leading poker blogs and forums.

PPA President Michael Bolcerek called the Phone March a tremendous success, crediting the activism of poker players from around the country who phoned their U.S. Senators: “The March sent a clear message to the Senate that Americans are passionate about their ability to play this popular game of skill on the Internet. Congress can no longer disregard citizen support for online poker and their freedom to use the Internet. Poker is a game rooted deep in American tradition and simply putting the word ‘Internet’ in front of poker should not make the game or the people who play it suspect.”

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U.K. Betting Firm Stops Taking Wagers From U.S. Gamblers

U.K. betting company William Hill PLC has stopped taking casino and poker business bets from customers with a U.S. address or credit card in the wake of uncertainty surrounding Internet gambling.

More than two months after the first arrest of an online gaming executive in the U.S., William Hill is pulling out of the lucrative market until there is clarity about the Wire Act, which prohibits the use of telephone lines to make bets.

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World Gaming Chairman, Board Member Quit

The chairman and director of Internet gambling company World Gaming PLC have resigned from the company's board.

James Grossman, nonexecutive chairman, and Clare Roberts, nonexecutive director, handed in their notice at a board meeting.

World Gaming had announced earlier this month that it was in the early stage of talks with Sportingbet PLC about being taken over in a deal worth about 56 million pounds ($106.4 million). That announcement came the same day Sportingbet said its Chairman Peter Dicks had been arrested in the U.S. on gambling charges.

Dicks was the second executive from a British gaming company to be detained in the U.S. in recent months, after former BetOnSports PLC Chief Executive Officer David Carruthers was arrested on federal charges in July.

Dicks, who has resigned from Sportingbet, has been released on $50,000 bail. Carruthers remains under house arrest in the St. Louis area awaiting trial.

Source

Teenagers who play poker sharpen skills

Parents For Poker

Playing the game is more popular than ever with teens. Why some moms and dads think that isn't such a bad bet

Poker is resuming its place as one of the most popular and socially accepted activities in teenagers' lives, and the parents don’t seem to mind. Why the parental aiding and abetting? It's not just that poker in the home keeps kids off the unpredictable streets. Many parents are saying that their kids get real-life lessons from playing poker with one another.

Keeping track of the odds and the cards can help sharpen math skills without the kids even knowing it. And perhaps more important for teenage boys, who studies show lag in the development of their emotional intelligence, poker provides personal interaction. The game's central task--reading faces and psyching out opponents--can boost their EQ in ways that many other typical teenage activities do not.

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When online gambling becomes a problem - help is just a click away

Online Responsible Gambling Tool Given Green Light

Help is on hand for those who feel their gambling is getting out of control, and need help online.

A pilot service that was launched to help control and monitor online gambling behaviour has received so much endorsement that it is now set to be fully integrated within the industry later this month.

gamAid will be the first online service providing instant, real-time, one-to-one professional guidance for remote gamblers whose gambling activities are out of control or for those who wish to better understand the concepts of responsible gaming.

The new service which has been piloted on a trial basis for the last six months has already hosted over 55,000 visits, providing 1000 one-to-one help sessions between April and July alone.

'On-line advice is tailored to a client's needs and includes one-to-one consultations and information about managing a gambling habit. We also provide on-line links to support services, forums and specialist counselling local to the client, in whatever country they live.'

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Bodog.com cancels its conference again

Bodog.com has cancelled its second attempt at putting on a conference in Nassau, Bahamas during the month of December.
Bodog Founder, Calvin Ayre, issued a statement Tuesday night.

“Due to the uncertainty created by the U.S. Department of Justice's recent actions, the decision has been made to not proceed with the Bodog.com Marketing Conference at Atlantis in December.

With all the attention our industry has garnered in recent months by certain officials within the U.S. government, a number of speakers and attendees have communicated their apprehension about participating in an industry event of such magnitude. It is in light of these concerns, and with the best interest of all delegates in mind, that our decision to not proceed with the conference was made.

In an effort to bring together the elite of the online gamblíng industry, Bodog will continue hosting world-class WSOP-style Bodog-parties at various main events.

I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Be assured our decision was made with careful consideration for the safety of everyone involved.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,


Calvin Ayre
Bodog.com Founder “


Bodog.com cancelled its original conference in Las Vegas following the much publicized arrest of British online gambling CEO David Carruthers in the US. Carruthers served as the head of BetonSports.com prior to that company shutting down and terminating its detained CEO.

The Casino Affiliate Convention held in Las Vegas last week witnessed a huge decline in attendance following yet another arrest of an online gambling exec. Peter Dicks was picked up at a New York airport on a Louisiana State arrest warrant but was later released.

CAC anticipated close to 1000 attendees but when all was said and done, approximately 300 actually showed up. A large percentage of online gaming exhibitors pulled out at the last minute.

The whole article

Internet Gambling Bill Stalled and unlikely to Pass In Senate

It appears that the Internet gambling bill won't make it through the Senate this year, thanks largely to the banking industry.

The banking sector has voiced strong opposition to provisions that require banks to block electronic funds transfers or e-check payments to online gambling sites. These provisions are essentially broad and unenforceable, the banks claim; moreover, even if it were possible to surmount technical obstacles, prospective gamblers could easily use alternative means to finance such transactions.

No bill is likely before the end of this legislative year, leaving the online gambling issue to the new Congress, which convenes in January 2007.

This is great news for those who enjoy Internet Gambling.

Source: Casinomeister

Online Gambling – Our Choice, Our Responsibility

Drinking and gambling should remain a choice that people can make of their own free will and not have the government decide how citizens' hard earned cash is spent.

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Woman hits $1 million jackpot – AGAIN

Some people have all the bloody luck...

NEW YORK - A 56-year old woman who won $1 million from a state lottery game four years ago has improbably hit the jackpot again.

Valerie Wilson, who works at a Long Island deli, said she won another $1 million on a lottery scratch-off game last month.

“The first time I couldn’t believe it,” Wilson told Newsday. “This time I said, ’God’s on my side.”’

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I wish God would be on my side too….
PS. Why was she still working in a deli after winning a million?

A special thought....

Naturally, today’s all about 9/11 remembrance.

I believe that all of us were changed in some way the day, 5 years ago, when terrorists flew our own planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Although I wasn't directly affected, I still say a special prayer for all those directly touched by the tragedy.

May God bless you all and keep you strong.

Another Gaming Exec Detained by US Authorities

The United States has detained a second Internet gaming executive, adding to fears it is cracking down on the lucrative industry and sparking share price falls that wiped over 800 million pounds off the market value of the sector.

According to Sportingbet, their non-executive chairman Peter Dicks was detained by US authorities while visiting the US on non-Sportingbet business.

Dicks' detention follows the arrest of BetonSports PLC's former chief executive David Carruthers earlier this year and the subsequent 22-count indictment served on BetonSports, alleging various charges of racketeering, conspiracy and fraud, including breaches of the 1961 Wire Act.

Read about it

Have Your Say in Largest Online Gambling Player Survey

Players urged to have their say

eCOGRA has launched its much anticipated Global Online Gambler Survey. Millions of poker and casino players worldwide will now have the opportunity to have their say, in what has been widely reported as the largest research initiative ever undertaken into the behavior and attitudes of online gamblers.

Covering areas such as poker, casino, player protection, responsible gambling and luck, the survey will be promoted to players via an unprecedented show of support from leading software providers, operators and portals, as well as through eCOGRA's own contact database.

The results are expected to create a better understanding of players' needs and concerns and to hear directly from players as to what makes rewarding and safe online gambling experience.

Click here to complete the survey.

Bidding on hurricanes, bidding on heartache

These days, you can bet on anything.

Sports, those annoying "American Idol" winners, bloody Britney Spears’ marriage, etc. etc.

So I guess it was logical that the next step would be something no one could control. The thrill of betting on Mother Nature and her fury. The thrill of betting on the pain, suffering and heartache of hurricane sufferers.

So the question begs – how do you get the gall to bet on how many homes, hopes, dreams and lives will be destroyed in the next hurricane? Do you estimate how many months you think the power will be out, how many trees will be uprooted, houses flooded and destroyed and cars swept away?

Do you live in the hope that the next one will be a whopper, just so you can make a bit of cash off the misery of others?

Shame on you, I say.