By Tina Paterson | 12th July 2011 | Online Casino News
The present government in Australia is currently watching as the United States Department of Justice has been going after a number of online casino websites using numerous indictments. These indictments have recently ended the run of Full Tilt Poker, as well severely hurt other online gambling websites, like Absolute Poker and PokerStars.
In the last week of June, the Australian Department of Gaming, Racing and Liquor stated that numerous flaws have been found in Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act. The laws in this act prohibit gambling online with real money. However, it is not necessarily illegal for Australian citizens to enjoy playing on these websites. This creates a big problem when it comes to enforcing the laws.
The laws stipulated about online gambling have been in existence for close to a decade. The Australian Department of Gambling, Racing and Liquor makes the assertion that no arrests have been made during this period, however online gambling continues to gain popularity in Australia. Lawmakers are just now addressing this in hopes that a number of loopholes found in the act can be removed.
One senator, Nick Xenophon, has been quite verbal in his pushing the Australian government to enact much tougher regulations for both land-based and online gambling in the country. The current legislation proposed would require that all land-based casinos would install a new technology that would necessitate gamblers to set a better limit prior to playing on slot machines.
A majority of casino are opposed to the changes being proposed. Many casinos, for example with the new technology, offer to install it but it is optional for gamblers to use. When it comes to the online gambling industry, the government is looking to limit the industry. Xenophon has long been after online gambling. However, his negative stance toward online gambling is not shared by the majority of lawmakers in Australia. Australia wants to join a number of other countries, like Spain, France and Germany, who have created regulated systems for online gambling. Rather than creating laws to that would prohibit online gambling, regulate it much better.
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By Tina Paterson | 29th June 2011 | Casino News
A number of employees with Victory Casino Cruises walked along the gangway to a job working on the Victory 1 – billed as “America’s Largest Casino Cruise Ship.” If everything goes according to the initial plan and the Victory 1 passes the United States Coast Guard inspection, it should begin sailing by the end of June.
Originally slated to take off in November 2010, the date had been pushed back a few times. However, the operators have said that the delays were due to retaining the ship via bankruptcy proceedings. It was also due to needing to complete the multi-million dollar top-to-bottom renovation plan. This includes over 5,000 square feet of brand new carpeting, new fixtures, seating, signs, and brand new, high-tech state of the art gaming machines.
A lot of interest over the impending success of the Victory 1 has been sparked. First of all, the floating casino is said to provide 300 new jobs to people. As well, numerous gamblers are interested in a gambling cruise because they enjoy it much more than land-based casinos in the area.
Every passenger on board the Voyage one is going to have to pay a fee of $10 for admission which will allow them to enjoy the five hour cruise. Guests will receive complimentary drinks while they are gambling. There will also be a buffet available on board for an additional price. The ship itself will have four distinct levels. This will include a nightclub, known as “Club V,” and a sports lounge. The second and third decks of the boat will be used specifically for gaming. To make the boat more accessible, the operators of Victory 1 are planning to create a regional-based shuttle bus program in concert with local area hotel operators. This one program is said to bring a minimum of 160,000 passengers annually to the Victory 1.
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By Tina Paterson | 30th May 2011 | Blackjack News
Who said the house always has the advantage?
Say hello to the man who beat that saying and some of the best casinos on earth, by winning over $15 million dollars, in less than 6 months by playing blackjack at the Atlantic City casinos.
Don Johnson, 49, CEO of Heritage Development LLC, a company which deals with horse-racing computer based wagering systems and a blackjack high roller who in the past six months won at the Caesars over $4million, $5 million at Borgata and $5.8 at the Tropicana which was a record loss for them, leaving them in the red.
Johnson chuckled over his winnings by saying that he preferred “luck over any other skill” and that there was “no magic” to his incredible luck and that he believed that in time “someone would whack them” and that he is glad it just happened to be him.
You wouldn’t guess Johnson as a high roller as he isn’t as flamboyant like the stereotypical player. He wears plain jeans, sneakers and casino memorabilia sweatshirts and baseball caps.
Johnson also pointed out that he doesn’t always win and he does take losses in between winnings.
Johnson started playing blackjack 15 years ago placing $25 bets. His transition to high stake hands happened slowly letting him reach up to $100K a hand. He explains his winnings as a probability that can actually happen by saying that the reason he wins is because he has a bankroll, “If you can take the swings, you’re going to win. You also have to understand the math” he added. He also is very wary about skeptics and insists that he plays fair and square and no cheating is involved. “I’m not breaking any laws,” he said. “I’m beating them with my own skills.”
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By Tina Paterson | 17th May 2011 | Casino News
On Monday, 16th of May 2011, one of Las Vegas oldest casinos, the Sahara hotel-casino, closed its doors for the very last time at 2pm local time. Since its opening in 1952, the Sahara had been a second home to the famous “Rat Pack”, Frank Sinatra’s legendary posse. Since then The Sahara has been frequented by the American Hollywood royalty throughout the years. SBE Entertainment Group, which owns and operates the property, had to shuffle out aficionado casino players from the casino, who came to pay last respects to a bye gone land mark.
On that note, Sam Nazarian, SBE chief executive, who bought the casino back in 2007 said that The Sahara casino was no longer profitable, but kept onlookers curious by stating “Be Back Soon, Thanks for 59 Years”, he left a small sign which said the same thing. He also added that the location The Sahara hotel was on, which is the north end of the Vegas strip, was “where the future is”, therefore dropping more hope into tearful on-looking viewers. Nazarian didn’t say his future plans for the lush Moroccan style property but has sent small hints and hope that one day the 1750 room hotel might re-open.
The Sahara was only the 6th casino-resort to open on the Strip and is just one of just three still standing, post-World War II, along with the Flamingo and Riviera.
When The Sahara was at its prime, it was the most glamorous location of its era and was a favorite place of mix to the stars. It had guest performers such as Johnny Carson, Clint Eastwood, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, comedian Don Rickles and even the Beatles.
Even though gambling revenue has decreased over the years, it was still a land mark which tourists and gamblers from all generations loved to visit in order to get a glimpse of the olden casino days which personified Las Vegas’ glory days as a desert gambling and entertainment capital.
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By Tina Paterson | 4th April 2011 | Casino News
A law suit has been filed against Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, which allegedly fired 15 cocktail waitresses who couldn’t fit into a skimpy 1920’s flapper dress.
The cocktail waitresses were summoned for a photo shoot and naturally were very excited to appear in a promotional poster for the casino; little did they know that this shoot was to determine who is to continue working for the casino solely based on their outer appearance. One of the cocktail waitresses, Katharyn Felicia, has been working for the casino resort since it first opened in 1978 and has been worker of the month twice, couldn’t believe that she was being fired along with 14 more waitresses just because they couldn’t fit into the cookie cutter mold the casino was aiming for. The casino used a more politically correct term for terminating their job calling it “violating uniform standards”. Though the feeling the waitresses got at the time was that management was going to replace any waitress who was too old or not typically sexy enough for their new image.
Seven of the waitresses are suing Resort Casino Hotel claiming age and sex discrimination while the others are considering taking legal action. The manner of which the photo shoot was taken was very demeaning, there were only two different dress sizes and woman who didn’t fit it correctly were shot from the neck down in three different angles holding up a number, very similar to a mug shot. Allegedly on the panel of judges the casino hired to create this new image included modeling agents, who had no regards to the waitresses feeling or legal rights. Though, casino representatives have stated that all cocktail servers were given a fair chance and were evaluated personally and objectively.
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By Tina Paterson | 18th January 2011 | Slots Updates
Paolo Chisci, a 70 year old man from Carrara, Italy, is suing his doctor for prescribing him with a medication which caused him to spend $514,000 at a casino and other forms of gambling.
Paolo, who is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, reports spending this sum gambling between 1999 and 2005, the same years he was taking a dopamine agonist drug prescribed by his doctor to manage his illness.
The manufacturers of the drug in question do warn its users about some rare side effects such as “pathological addiction to gambling, shopping and internet pornography,” though these side effects were added to the warning leaflet only after 2005. Due to the belated notification, Paolo – who had used the drug for six years before it was added – is suing for the sum of money he lost while gambling and playing casino games.
Paolo Chisci is trying to prove that, before using this drug, he was not a gambler and very much a saver. During these gambling sprees, he found himself playing at a casino slots machine, gambling at other casino games – such as roulette and blackjack – and buying as much as 500 lottery scratch card tickets, all after he started taking the drug.
Besides suing the doctor who prescribed this medication, Chisci also intends to sue the drug’s manufacturer. A court hearing for a ruling on this lawsuit is set for 8 February. In a similar case in the United States, a plaintiff who used this particular drug sued and was awarded $8000 by the court for his gambling losses.
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By Tina Paterson | 13th January 2011 | Online Casino News
A severe smoking ban in Spain’s public areas has been put in place by the Spanish government. This ban on smoking forbids anyone to smoke in public areas, such as restaurants and bars – and the punishment is particularly severe if one is caught smoking outside more sensitive places, such as schools and hospitals.
Many businesses have applied for licenses to designate smoking areas. One Spanish industry that desperately wants to continue allowing smoking is the vast casino industry, which is known for its smokey parlors. Pleas by the casinos, however, have been denied by the legislators. These rejections have caused big disappointment amongst casino operators and players all over Spain.
A Spanish Ministry of Health study has found that 30% of the population smokes, which leaves around 70% exposed to the dangers of secondhand smoke. Spain has recorded that 55,000 smoking related diseases affect the population annually.
Other public places which were granted smoking area licenses include hotels. The licenses demand that 70% of hotel rooms remain smoke free, even though the ban on smoking explicitly states a no-smoking policy in private hotel rooms.
Land-based casino operators are concerned that their new appeal will again be turned down, which would mean huge potential losses in revenue for the industry, due to the absence of regular smoking players. Online casino operators, to their delight, are anticipating the opposite effect: they predict that more and more casino players will turn to online casinos due to the ban, so they can enjoy playing casino games while they smoke.
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By Tina Paterson | 9th December 2010 | Casino Game Updates
Statistics in Northern Ireland show that three out of four adults gambled in the last year. The most popular form of gambling is the National Lottery with a half of eligible punter buying at least one ticket in the past 12 months of 2010, other forms where land based casinos, online casinos and arcades.
According to research by the Department of Social Development, more than 2% of the population aged 16 or over were considered to have a gambling problem whether playing casinos games or just national lottery.
The severity will be known only When comparing directly to GB’s situation, these finding will be published early next year though the last survey was held back in 2007 which estimates the scale of the gambling problem in the UK at a mere 0.6%.
Gamblers Anonymous counselor, Joe, stated that most gambling problems are actually with the younger crowd who enjoys going to land-based casinos as a pass time with their mates and drink heavily too. The online casinos gamblers are more stay at home people, who don’t get up to no-good, usually older and more responsible types of people as they own credit cards and don’t look too far for a thrill.
Alex Attwood, Social Development minister, stated the study’s results highlighted the need for a closer supervision on gambling. He added by saying “”While my Department is not responsible for the treatment or care of those who may suffer from problem gambling I will be bringing forward in the consultation measures aimed at minimizing the harmful effects of gambling.
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By Tina Paterson | 7th December 2010 | Casino Game Updates, Online Casino News
Harry Reid, Senator Majority of the Nevada district, is going forward with his ‘lame-duck’ legislation to get online poker legalized in the US. Nevada’s home state casino operators have been eager for some time now to get on board of the online gaming industry, an estimated $5 billion for off-shore operators per year or as Reid says it “I say it’s about time”
The merits of online casino games were debated by the House already earlier this year and the Poker players Alliance has been working extremely hard proving that poker has integrated as part of mainstream culture. District of Massachusetts Representative, Barney Frank has been reported of saying “We are not talking about an activity that harms others where we properly step in”,”. “We are talking about a decision by adults to do what they want with their own money.”
A joint statement about the proposed poker legislation was put out by a group of Republican leaders stating “congress should not take advantage of the young, the weak and the vulnerable in the name of new revenues to cover more government spending.” When a group of citizens were asked what they think of the republicans stand, Judy Sanders, mother of 3, responded ” This is foreseen as yet another hypocritical step on the lives of Americans, Congress needs to stop legislating morality. Does online gaming need regulation? Of course, just as brick-and-mortar casinos do; just as other potentially harmful vices like alcohol do; just as many businesses do.”
Rafael Granados, local business owner, said “prohibition is foolish. Families will not crumble with the mere legalization of online gaming. Online gaming provides another entertainment outlet for adults — and a revenue stream for our government”
This dispute is an ongoing struggle the US has been facing for many years now since online casinos took over most of the gambling scene. Despite this Americans still found and will find ways to bet online, sending, millions of untold dollars are sent to offshore companies. Not only would making online poker legal funnel that money stateside, but legalization helps regulate the industry and protect American consumers.
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By Tina Paterson | 21st November 2010 | Casino Game Updates, Slots Updates
They say that the best things come in threes, and the new additions to Casino.com are no exception! Pink Panther, Rocky and Frankie Dettori make a formidable trio of new casino games to try!
What’s more, they’re running a $10k Slots Race between 25 November and 5 December, so whilst you’re having fun trying out these latest games, you could be racing towards a top prize of $1000.
So, will it be the cool new cat, the super-suave Pink Panther who takes you to the top, or will you take the lead with one of Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven? Maybe Rocky will deliver the knockout punch you need to land the top spot on the leader board.
But remember, you can play any online slot game in the casino to take part in the slots race, so if you’re quietly confident with an old favourite, then play it your way for a chance to win prizes.
Opt in by 23:59 Sunday, 5 December 2010 (GMT).
Promo period – 00.01 Thursday 25 November – 23.59 Sunday 5 December 2010 (GMT).
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