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Online Gaming operation Bowmans has ceased US facing operations immediately.

All of Bowmans US player accounts are being migrated to Bodog.com, where all existing wagers and account balances will stand. This is the second high-profile deal of this nature Bodog has brokered, after claiming WWTS players several days ago.

Bowmans operates from Mauritius and is UK owned. The company was reportedly under no internal pressure to release it?s US players, however there is some speculation that recently passed UIGEA legislation forced this decision. This legislation is aimed at hindering financial transactions by US players with offshore Internet casinos, poker rooms and sports books.

posted by Ian of egaming pulse

Keith Furlong, deputy director of the Vancouver, British Columbia-based Interactive Gaming Council has said that banning online gambling is counterproductive.

"While the bill sponsors may have good intentions, they're not protecting consumers," Furlong said. "They have turned some of the most responsible, legitimate public companies out of the U.S. market."Online gambling companies traded on the London Stock Exchange shed their US players soon after President Bush signed off on the anti-online gambling bill earlier this year.Michael Bolcerek, president of the San Francisco-based Poker Players Alliance was quoted as saying that ''Illicit companies could take their place, sparking the creation of the online equivalent of speakeasie'' This would possibly lead to an increased amount of fraud and unsafe online-gambling transactions, he added.
''The best way to deal with online gambling is by legally regulating it so it's safe for consumers and taxing it so it benefits the government'' Mr. Bolcerek went on to say.
Mr. Bolcerek underlined that fact that the US federal government could profit by more than $3 billion in tax revenues each year from properly regulated online gambling.

posted by Ian from egaming pulse

Televised Premiership Matches
Saturday 25 November

Charlton Athletic vs Everton
Even the introduction of new manager Les Reed could not inspire Charlton to victory last weekend as they slumped 2-0 at Reading. They face tough opposition in Everton who themselves have won just two in their last eight league games since beating Liverpool 3-0 back in September. However, Everton keep things tight and have been involved in four 1-0 results in their last four games and will frustrate the rock bottom Premiership club. The Toffees have not won at The Valley since 2001 with the Addicks recording two wins and two draws since but this record could change on Saturday.
Walker's Word
1x2: Everton @ 7/5
AH: Everton level ball @ 19/20
OU: Over 2.5 goals @ 5/4

Bolton Wanderers vs Arsenal
Bolton have been the scourge of Arsenal in recent seasons, beating them twice last season in both the league and FA Cup and also the season before. They have secured 1-1 and 2-2 draws in the campaigns before that with Arsenal not winning at the Reebok Stadium in the Premiership since 2002. There is some bad blood between the two sides and Arsenal could be in danger of losing further ground on Chelsea and Manchester United this weekend. Despite a fantastic recent home record against the Gunners, the bookmakers are offering fantastic odds on a win for Sam Allardyce?s side.
Walker's Word
1x2: Bolton @ 5/2
AH: Bolton + � @ 17/20
OU: Under 2.5 goals @ 8/13

Sunday 26 November

Newcastle United vs Portsmouth
The league table could be turned on its head for this contest as Newcastle could pull away from the relegation zone with a win. Portsmouth are flying high in third place at the moment but have already been beaten 3-0 at St James? Park this season in the Carling Cup. The Magpies have won two out of three league meetings in the North East, with a draw in between a couple of years ago. Glenn Roeder?s side have had a dreadful run of late, but will be buoyed by two battling away draws, especially at Arsenal last weekend.
Walker's Word
1x2: Newcastle @ 13/10
AH: Newcastle - � @ 21/20
OU: Over 2.5 goals @ 5/4

Manchester United vs Chelsea
The top of the table clash sees Chelsea three points behind Manchester United who have won their last seven league matches since their 1-1 draw with Reading back in September. Chelsea also come into this match strongly, having won five of their last six league matches, the blip being a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham three weeks ago. Both sides lost in the Champions League this week, perhaps with one eye on this weekend?s game. United won this fixture 1-0 last season, but have only beaten Chelsea four times in 14 Premiership fixtures at Old Trafford. A draw won?t particularly help either side?s title ambitions but it won?t be the end of the world either.
Walker's Word
1x2: Draw @ 21/10
AH: Chelsea level ball @ 9/8
OU: Under 2.5 goals @ 8/13

Read Walker's Word
Betting Previews For All This Weekend's Premiership Fixtures (25,26 Nov, 2006)
Posted by David Walker From Bet Bonus.co.uk

Thai police yesterday arrested 11 people including two foreigner nationals, the Naewna a daily newspaper reports. They were apprehended for operating an online casino, something which is illegal in Thailand. They were apparently doing this in a building directly opposite the Bangkok Crime Suppression Division headquarters.

The group fronted their operation as a TV film production company, but were broadcasting baccarat games via a webcam on the website www.ok2628.com. At the time of the raid, police found two men in tuxedos dealing cards to the webcams for gamblers to bet via the Internet. It is claimed by Thai authorities that each game attracted around 100 gamblers world-wide and the bets totaled Bt10 million (approx. US$250,000) Thai police claim that the online gaming group used brokers to lure rich customers to the games. These customers would be extended up to Bt1 million (approx. US$25,000) in credit. Any winnings were paid by bank wire transfer.

posted by Ian from egaming pulse

The detainment of two high-profile Online gaming executives made our industry collectively shudder. BetonSports? CEO David Carruthers was arrested at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport while waiting for a connecting flight en route from the UK to Costa Rica in July. Executive assistants to the industry's Gaming CEOs scrambled to keep the USA out of their boss' flight itinerary. However many believed at that point that Carruthers' apprehension was a targeted and specific situation and that travel to the US should continue without real concern. When Peter Dicks, a non-executive chairman of Sportingbet Plc was arrested entering Kennedy International Airport some weeks later, the USA was struck from the safe list of every publicly traded gaming company.

For US citizens in the online gaming industry the impact was also obvious. Many Americans who work for Sports books or casinos based in Kahnawake, Costa Rica or the Caribbean already use name aliases in hope to avoid the watchful eye of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Internal Revenue Service. For those people, after the arrest of Dicks, traveling to their mother country was now a real risk.

There has been much speculation about the existence of a so called 'watch list' which contains the names of known Online Gambling executives. The DOJ can compare this online gambling watch list with passenger lists owned by airline companies in the way they do with Terrorist and criminal lists. But what of Online gaming employees a little father down the totem pole? Surely those filling the less glamorous and less well known positions should be able to continue to travel through the United States without fear of being detained? After all, as long as you are not wearing a T-shirt with "I work for an Online Bookmaker" how are they to know? Many of you may be surprised to learn that US legislation allows customs and border guards to confiscate anyone's laptop and copy all the information within. There is no need for any ground for of suspicion either. Seized laptops must rank as business travelers' worst nightmare, and you would be forgiven for not reading about this before, in fact the issue was only recently brought to light by the (US) Association of Corporate Travel Executives. An informal survey of 2,500 international members conducted by the ACTE found that 90 percent did not know that U.S. customs officials had the right to examine, copy or even seize laptops without having to give a reason. This law dates from 1985, but its increased use is part of the post September 11 vigilance from customs and border guards. One woman from the ACTE survey claimed she had been waiting a year for her laptop to be sent back. Aside for the inconvenience of having to surrender a laptop for an indefinite period of time and the huge disruption it would cause to a business trip, there is also a question of privacy.

A court ruling in California earlier this month found that laptop searches were a serious breech of privacy and not part of a routine search. The U.S. government has challenged this ruling. While the ACTE are not questioning the validity of the law, Greeley Koch, president of the ACTE, suggests that frequent flyers shouldn't have anything on their computers that they would not want anyone else to read.

But if your business is Online Gambling, then that is the Department of Justice's business also.

posted by Ian of egaming pulse

A source inside the payments processing company FireOne has reported that the company is considering closing it's downtown Montreal based operation.
"Close to 90% of the company?s income was derived from US customers. After FireOne said they would no longer take US business the impact was felt right away. " the long time FireOne employee said.
A recent Sharecast report indicated that FireOne had slumped to an all time low in Q3 after recording a non-cash impairment charge of $78.4 million bought about by the new US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
"The company was in talks with one group about sale of their U.S. business, but that went no where" The source went on to say: "I have been with the company since early 2001. I saw our call centre go from 70 people to 7 in the months after September 11. We came back from 911 where many companies couldn't. There were a few bumps in the road sure, but then we went to the AIM in June 2005 with Mitch."
Mitch Garber is largely credited with developing FireOne into 700,000 customer business and the successful float of the company. He left FireOne to take the position of Chief Executive Officer of Party Gaming in April of 2006
"To the company?s credit they tried to hire back as many of the staff they let go in 2001. FireOne has talent, but I just can't see FireOne getting through this crisis. "
One recent departure from FireOne was Sean Briscoe, who joined Dynasty Gaming as their Chief Information Officer.

posted by Ian of egaming pulse

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Supporters of online gaming can take credit for playing a real part in the defeat of longtime Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa. Mr. Leach was driving force behind a new law that has steadily made gambling on the Internet within the US more and more difficult.
Jim Leach would not return for a 16th term as Democrats swept to power across the United States and took control of both the U.S. House and Senate.
John Pappas is a spokesman for the Poker Players Alliance. This US based non-profit group organized and sent over 150,000 e-mails to online poker players during the lead up to the mid-term elections. The e-mails contained instructions on how to register to vote, and included information on the way that members of Congress voted on the recently passed anti-internet gambling bill.

Pappas said that the alliance did not specifically target Jim Leach, but he does believe that the information motivated poker players in eastern Iowa's 2nd District to vote. "I can certainly say it played a very significant role in his defeat" Pappas said.

A spokesperson for Mr. Leach dismissed the suggestion that online gaming advocates played any part in his defeat.

posted buy Ian of egaming pulse

Much has been written on the impact of the recently introduced US anti-igaming legislation. To the companies who counted on US customers for the bulk of their income, the consequences have been nothing short of devastating. These companies have lost millions of dollars in revenue, and in some cases have had their stock valuation reduced to a third of what it was pre-September this year when the US senate voted on the anti-igaming bill. At time of writing SportingBet's AIM share price was at 45.50p.

For investors who had LSE codes SBT (SportingBet), PRTY (PARTYGAMING) or 888 (888 Holdings) the effect was obvious. A huge reduction in the value of the stock meant a contraction of any portfolio contained these stocks. Fortunately the average investor's portfolio contains a very limited percentage of aggressive funds and online gaming stocks fall into that bracket.
But what of the employees of these companies? With any downturn of business, a reduction in operations and marketing is often the where the "human" cost is felt. Recently, Gibralter based gaming outfits Gaming and 888 both announced layoffs. Australian based online gambling operator Lasseters Corporation Ltd announced that it has closed its entire Brisbane customer service operation. These are just the reported firings. Even for those non-PLC US facing companies there was a HR cost. For those buying media, be it on the internet or the more traditional TV, Radio and billboard, the future was obvious. Media companies would not place Online Gambling advertising and therefore those working in media departments could effectively not do there jobs. They were, effectively, also out of a job for the most part. An anonymous employee at a well known media house that served the online gaming industry reported "I know of lay offs in the media departments of 2 very well known sportsbooks who have their marketing departments based in Vancouver."

Many of the customer service representatives, media buyers and ancillary staff that lost their jobs do have transferable skills. The economies of Canada, Gibraltar and Australia are buoyant and they have a fair chance of integrating back to the labor pool quickly. It is those amongst the unreported layoffs in place like Costa Rica and Curacao that have the most to lose. In those jurisdictions, lower level jobs in the gambling industry pay well over the average wage.

For those people, the US anti-igaming bill had the biggest impact.

posted by Ian of egamling pulse

An insider at Doyles Room said that they were in discussions with Tribeca Tables to acquire the network provider's online poker software source code. Last week Tribeca announced that it would no longer take US players. Doyles Room is one of Tribeca's larger skins and is scrambling to find a suitable replacement.
According to the insider, Tribeca quickly rejected the idea and Doyle's Room is apparently examining a partnership with Ongame. If they do broker an agreement with Ongame, they will join US facing poker brands Hollywood poker and PokerRoom.com, along with European focused Bwin.com
Tribeca Tables recently merged with Scandinavian poker provider TAIN. Sentiment within Tribeca is that their new found euro connections will allow them to not only ride out the loss of their US business income, but help them to grow quickly in Europe and other emerging poker markets. Online Gaming software provider and network operator Playtech announced today that it struck a deal to buy part of Tribeca Tables Europe for US$75 million.

posted by Ian of egamingpulse

Earlier this week the English Football Association said it will investigate claims that a number of Premier League managers and players placed wagers on Premiership matches. This was spurred when a former employee of Victor Chandler, the Gibraltar-based online bookmaker, made claims that some Premier League players and managers had made many hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of bets. He also claimed that one high-profile Premier League manager makes dozens of phone bets per day and is almost �500,000 worse off for his picks.
Victor Chandler quickly sought to block public knowledge of the football figures involved, and a British High Court order granted Wednesday prohibits the names of the managers being revealed. Now Max Clifford, Victor Chandler's publicist, says on that the managers had done nothing wrong.

?There?s a court order, basically a gagging order, all agreed (Thursday) night. None of them have bet on anything about themselves. No one has broken any rules; no one has done anything to compromise their position.?

Under FA rules, Managers may bet on soccer events that are not connected to their competitions. Clifford went on to say that he believed just two Premier League managers were involved. The UK Media has reported allegations have been made against four.

posted by Ian of egaming pulse

As part of the October 2004 Paradise Poker acquisition deal, SportingBet promised some US$33m in cash and a further 9.7 million shares to the owners of the then top tier online poker room. The main condition of this earn out was that a target of US$150m of operating profit be met. This was reached within two years and the former owners of Paradise were paid. Through their investment company Bonaire, this group of three are now 11% stake holders in SportingBet.
Rewind to September 7 of this year when SportingBet reported that its chairman, Peter Dicks, was detained in New York City on a Louisiana warrant while traveling in the United States on business unrelated to online gaming. The PLC?s stock price took a tumble, but this was just the beginning of the slide. In the final days of September 2006, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist championed a bill that aimed to outlaw all forms of online gaming in the US. The bill, known as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 was broad in its language and contained exceptions for government lotteries. But to publicly traded gaming companies the impact was very clear. The following Monday of the bill being passed, shares in US facing gaming companies on London?s Alternative Index Market lost millions of pounds within the first hour of trading. SportingBet was in that group.
SportingBet saw another black Friday on October 13th, when it announced that it was exiting the US by selling its U.S. operations to private investors for the sum of $1. The company said in a statement that "SportingBet received cash consideration of $1 for the shares and related assets of the U.S. operations, and has discharged excess liabilities amounting to approximately $13.2 million." SportingBet's shares lost over 13 percent just on rumors that it was disposing of its US businesses for such an insignificant sum, valuing the group at 274 million pounds. The bad news continued with a message posted at Paradise?s website that said that they would no longer accept any new deposits of funds or wagers from US citizens. This effecitively reduced the earnings of the once venerable paradise Poker, that SportingBet had paid handsomely for, to less than a quarter.
SportingBet has always been quick to point out that it?s success is due in some major part to its ability to understand and penetrate any target demographic. If SportingBet hopes to re-gain lost ground by looking to Asia and emerging markets to so, they better hope that this is still the case.

posted by Ian of egaming pulse

Dragons v Edinburgh - Friday 10th Nov - KO 7.10PM

When I?ve suggested it to my colleagues that I was going to be betting on the Dragons tonight their initial reactions have been ?Right, that?s me putting me mortgage on Edinburgh then? and ?That seals it. Edinburgh to win by 20? as in the past I have been far to over cautious and to be fair, I?ve cost them a couple of quid. Even the most amateur of gamblers knows never to be emotionally involved in a bet but I can?t help it. Don?t say you haven?t been warned.

It?s international weekend and obviously both teams are missing players, thanks to the quality of the Dragons squad we are only missing Morgan, Goughy, Cooper, Owen and Sweeney. Whilst Edinburgh are missing a whole plethora of players, mainly their backs and they have 6 apprentices making the squad ? I can only guess that an apprentice is the same as an Academy player here in Wales. It has to be noted that double Lions No8, Simon Taylor is starting for the first time this season for Edinburgh and he?s sure to steady the youngsters but it also has to be noted that Charvis, Ringer and Bearman are in for the Dragons and have been playing out of their skins all season. Charvis and Ringer have been looked over for the Wales squad and I know they will be out to prove a couple of points tonight.

The Dragons squad is: 15 Aled Thomas, 14 Gareth Wyatt, 13 Nathan Brew, 12 Ashley Smith, 11 Aled Brew, 10 Mike Hercus, 9 Alex Walker, 8 Joe Bearman, 7 Colin Charvis (c), 6 Jamie Ringer, 5 Luke Charteris, 4 Andrew Hall, 3 Lee Harrison, 2 Kieran Crawford, 1 Adam Black.Replacements: 16 Ben Daly, 17 Jamie Corsi, 18 Bryn Griffiths, 19 Nic Fitisemanu, 20 Richard Fussell, 21 Craig Warlow, 22 Gareth Baber.

And it really is the strongest we can put out, Aled Thomas makes his first start of the season after injury and has been sorely missed, the Brew brothers are fit and well and the Academy lads playing have already been blooded more than once this season, which is more than can be said for their Edinburgh counterparts. My main worry is Mike Circus, he hasn?t had his kicking boots on at all these past few weeks but Craig Warlow is on the bench should we need to haul the Yank off. Ashley Smith is at 12 and he has impressed me with his brave ball carrying, he could really be one for the future. The secret will be to get the ball wide and I know the lads are more than capable of it.

The bench is also surprisingly strong with Nic, Craig and Gareth who normally start for the Dragons, it?s a whole lot stronger than the Edinburgh bench that?s for sure.I also feel that Paul Turner has targeted this game, he rested a few vital players away at Leinster last weekend and he knows as well as everyone in Gwent just how important this is, we can either join the pack in the middle of table and keep in touch with Cardiff or we can be cast adrift with Munster and The Borders ? it really is the biggest game of the season so far. I think we could get a bonus point win.

Coral are offering ?7 on the Dragons but you can get as much as +11 with Edinburgh should you fancy them to turn us over. I don?t.

Recommendation Dragons ?7 @ Corals

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A source at Tribeca Tables has indicated that they will no longer accept customers from the United States. High profile US facing clients of Tribeca include Doyle?s Room, Golden Palace and Bowmans. Tribeca does have a large European customer base and counts Paddy Power, Victor Chandler and Blue Square amongst their largest European focused skins.
Tribeca Tables recently merged with Scandinavian poker provider TAIN, and appointed Erik Ahlberg, TAINs ex CEO as its new President.

posted by Ian of egamingpulse

Televised Premiership Matches
Saturday 11 November

Manchester City vs Newcastle United
Two teams battling against relegation will slug it out in this lunch time horror show. Things have got so bad at City, they have even started losing against Charlton, enduring a 1-0 reverse last weekend. Things are not much better in Newcastle either, bottom but one in the table and a home defeat against goal shy Sheffield United on Saturday. City have won three of their last four home encounters against the Magpies following their return to the Premiership in 2002 so a welcome home win is the call.
Walker's Word
1x2: City @ 11/10
AH: City - � @ 37/40
OU: Over 2.5 goals @ 5/4

Blackburn Rovers vs Manchester United
United will not have a better opportunity to end their Ewood Park hoodoo than on Saturday night. The Reds have not won at Blackburn in the league since 1998 and since then Rovers have won three out of five, the other two being draws. However, top of the table United will be licking their wounds following a midweek Carling Cup exit at the hands of Southend United and Mark Hughes? side are ravaged by injuries.
Walker's Word
1x2: Man Utd @ 4/7
AH: Man Utd - � @ 33/40
OU: Over 2.5 goals @ evens

Sunday 12 November

Reading vs Tottenham Hotspur
Two teams in mid table, both with contrasting opinions of being there. Reading, with survival as their priority, have lost their last four, while Tottenham have come off the back of a momentous 2-1 defeat of Chelsea last weekend. Prior to that result, Spurs won just three out of 10 Premiership matches and this fixture is a good opportunity for the Royals to stop the rot. Honours to finish even.
Walker's Word
1x2: Draw @ 9/4
AH: Reading + � @ 17/20
OU: Under 2.5 goals @ 8/13

Arsenal vs Liverpool
Arsenal are climbing back up the table slowly but faced a setback against West Ham last weekend. Liverpool, while going great guns in the cup competitions they are involved in, have not performed in the Premiership this term, but they have won their last two matches. Arsenal have won the last three league encounters between the pair at Highbury, but have not hit the same heights at the new Emirates Stadium, winning two of their last five Premiership matches in their new home.
Walker's Word
1x2: Draw @ 9/4
AH: Liverpoool + � @ 4/5
OU: Under 2.5 goals @ 8/13

Read Walker's Word
Betting Previews For All This Weekend's Premiership Fixtures (11,12 Nov, 2006)
Posted by David Walker From Bet Bonus.co.uk

Gambling is as old as mankind itself. Who can say what the first wager was? Perhaps it was between two of our ancestors on whether a third would escape the jaws of a hungry predator. It may have been as sedate as how many fish were caught that day by the tribe. One thing is generally agreed upon however, and that is that gambling gives most people some feeling of high.

Online Gambling has grown exponentially over the last 8-10 years. This is due in part to operational scalability by operators but mainly by the sheer accessibility of online gambling sites by the gamblers themselves. But has the increased availability of gambling via the internet spelt a rise in compulsive gambling?

It is generally believed by experts that around 2 percent to 3 percent of the population suffers from some form of problem gambling. Many strongly believe that easy access to online gambling sites is making that number rise.

Research points to a clear and distinct relationship between gambling and brain chemistry. A relationship very similar to one found in instances of substance abuse. Imbalances in serotonin, the chemical that controls moods, and norepinephrine, a hormone released in response to stress figure in theories on compulsive behavior held in the medical world.

Pat Fowler, head of the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling in Altamonte Springs, said that "For some pathological gamblers, it is a chemical addiction. They don't need to ingest anything." Studies have reported that for some that placing a bet, whether on a Government sanctioned wager or not, leads to "a better, purer high" than cocaine.

The US government recently introduced a law that does not allow banks to process payments to and from online gambling sites. A lot of the sentiment by those who supported this bill through congress was that this would help to keep "the evils of addictive online gambling from Americans". I am sure that many experts in the fields of substance addiction would agree that the war on online gambling should not be mismanaged in the way that the war on drugs has. It is now obvious to many that for the later, helping the addicted to change their habits instead of trying to stop the supply is the safer bet.

posted by Ian from egaming pulse

Even if you don't gamble online, chances are you know something of the recent legislation against internet gambling passed by the US Senate. But what was your first exposure to online gambling? For many it was the plethora of online advertising from 888 (then casino-on-net) that absolutely flooded the internet. Online gambling has gone from nothing to something quite formidable since 2000. But what has driven this rise?

The answer is simple. The channel. The internet as a medium for delivery has changed the way that we find information, meet people, shop and, yes, gamble. Labroke's is one of Britain's biggest and most successful bookmakers. They have over 1,900 betting outlets on many "high streets" in the UK. They also have 150 shops in Ireland. Ladbrokes launched its internet betting site in 2001. Just 5 years later, it accounts for one fifth of all of it's sales. If a full fifth of betting business does not appear to be a large proportion, consider the following. It takes far less people to account for the operation of a betting website than it does the staff needed to operate these high street shops. The internet has allowed Ladbrokes to deliver a wider range of betting products to its punters. Poker, Bingo, Casino and skill-based games are all available. Bingo is a growth segment for Ladbrokes. When most people think Bingo, they think the blue rinse set; ladies in their 40s onwards. Surely this demographic would be the last to turn to the internet to replace their afternoon at the bingo hall? With the UK Government's introduction of anti-smoking legislation, it is this very segment that is turning to the internet for their bingo fix. An added benefit for these newly online players are the larger jackpots on offer. Someone used to scooping a prize of $25 at the local bingo hall can now play at any time for stakes almost 50 times that amount. The government has not banned smoking in the privacy of one's own home. Yet. But it is not just alternatives to event based betting that the internet has allowed bookmakers like Ladbrokes to offer. Reality TV shows are a modern phenomenon, whose popularity is due in most part to the very nature of the internet's ability to pass information quickly to it's users. Programs like Big Brother allow viewers to vote for there favorite contest by text messaging by cellular phone.

Indeed, betting on popular cultural events or "specialty props is the fastest growing segment of events wagering today. All this due in the main part to the internet. Bingo & casino games are strong performers for Ladbrokes, but there core business is sports betting. A high watermark came for the company earlier this year. On May 17th of this year in Paris, Barcelona scored twice in the last 14 minutes to beat 10-man Arsenal in the Champions League final.
For Ladbrokes, this was the first time that they took more money online than from their high street shops. Betting on European football on the net is the fastest growing source of revenue at Ladbrokes and most probably it's main competitors. For the UK gambling industry, one that has been high-profile and well regulated for many years, this is a turning point.

posted by Ian of egamingpulse.

Earlier today, representatives of the publicly traded company BETonSPORTS and US government prosecutors agreed on a court order that permanently restrains the company from taking bets in the United States. Readers will recall that BETonSPORTS has not traded in the United States since August, after several executives were named in a 22-count indictment alleging they failed to pay the US government billions of dollars in excise taxes.

On August 16, the former chief executive of BETonSPORTS David Carruthers was freed on a $1 million bond. Conditions of the release included a home detention. BETonSPORTS fired Carruthers after his original July arrest, where he was detained during a layover at a Texas airport. At Monday's hearing, Jeffrey Demerath, the lawyer representing BETonSPORTS, said "agreement on the restraining order was not to be taken as an admission of guilt on the part of the company."

To many observers the verdict of the US government on this case is a foregone conclusion.

posted by Ian of egamingpulse.

Bwin, the Austrian online betting firm today denied reports that it was in discussion with PartyGaming to sell a part of it's operation. Karin Klein, a spokeswoman for Bwin, said "We are talking to PartyGaming, like with all other big firms, about lobbying together to show a united stance for the industry in the European Union," She went on to caution that "But we are not talking to PartyGaming about a sale."

It has been a tumultuous time for Bwin. Earlier this year three German federal states imposed a ban on commercial betting. That represented Bwin's key market segment and had immediate fallout for the gaming company. Bwin is fighting the German state's decision. Then in October, Bwin, like many publicly traded gambling companies, stopped accepting bettors from the U.S. after the country passed a ban on internet gambling. Bwin shares lost over 80 percent since the start of the year.

posted by Ian of egamingpulse.

Some days ago 888 made public the fact that they were in talks with "unspecified firms" about a takeover. Today the Gibraltar based British bookmaker Ladbrokes revealed that they are one of these firms. Analysts peg the deal at around �470m, but Ladbrokes was quick to stress that no agreement was imminent. 888 and indeed Party Gaming suffered greatly when they were forced to shed American customers & hence up to 75% of their income after the US Federal government introduced a law designed to effectively block online gaming for Americans. These new laws also caused a stock price tumble in the gaming sector on the LSE. Partygaming shares decreased in value by around 70% and 888 by close to 25%.

Analysts predicted a period of acquisition both by and of the larger online gaming companies. But chances are that we will see other groups moving in for opportunistic purchases. This may suit 888's key shareholders nicely, and in fact it was reported in the London newspaper The Mail that certain larger stake holders may prefer someone other than a direct online gaming competitor acquire them. Some readers will remember a certain Las Vegas casino's foray into the online world a few years ago. In short the whole exercise was a fruitless and costly, as this operator decided not to take US players. The online casino closed down some months after with many millions of dollars of losses. The Las Vegas strip may be slow to change, but the casino's business direction moves a little more quickly.

The MGMs and Harrahs of the world really are the best positioned to capitalize on any legalization through proper regulation of online gambling fin the US. The US casino industry has great brand recognition and not just in their own country but world wide. They are seen by many as leaders in customer retention management and they have huge customer databases. Both things, along with huge marketing marketing budget they can bring to the table, will make for a powerful cross-marketing situation. I am sure some in the industry are thinking more in terms of "when" and not "if" a large vegas player will acquire a still smarting wounded giant of the online world. When they do, the online gaming world will tremble yet again.

posted by Ian of egamingpulse.

Canada and the US. They have a common border, speak the same language and pretty much share the same habits. Another commonality is want to suffocate online gambling. Canada's conservative government recently introduced legislation that would ban advertising online gaming Unless the advertising is for government-sanctioned and government operated horse racing, lotteries and brick and morter casinos.

It would seam obvious to most that advertising online gambling in North America would lead to criminal prosecution. But has this legislation from both sides of the 49th parrell put web casino advertising to the sword? Granted, there has been a marked drop in the amount of paid internet gambling web advertising. But have you checked your e-mail account?s spam folder recently? The upswing in gambling spam is marked and not surprisingly. After all, only law abiding gambling companies will obey the anti internet gambling laws. The less scrupulous offshore operators have always used spam as a way to market their wares and now have surely opened the flood gates. Identifing these spam emails and tracking down the senders is much too big job for Canadian and American authorities combined.

This reminds me of another type of spam email that the US government would love to see gone; offers to sell illegal prescription drugs. But that is a subject that the Canadian government has a slightly different opinion.

posted by Ian of egamingpulse.

PartGaming PLC is in negotiations to buy some part of the Austrian betting giant Bwin.com. This comes after the PartyGaming reported that its sports betting operation Gamebookers had "exceeded expectations". Gamebookers was acquired by the world's largest online poker outfit in a deal worth just over �100 million in August of this year. PartyGaming spokesman John Shepherd declined to comment on the potential acquisitions, however a Source close to PartyGaming said that online bingo and casinos are also being looked at as acquisition targets.

Mr. Shepard did comment on the recent axing of some 800 party Gaming staff.
"Out of the 1,750 staff in India, we had to let go of 800," he said.

posted by Ian of egamingpulse.

Party gaming wielded the axe at it's India based operation firing 800 employees. The retrenchment came just weeks after the US strengthened it's anti online gambling stance by the introduction of new laws. PartyGaming, the world?s largest online poker company, responded by shedding all of it's US players representing over 70% of it's customer base. Sources said that ""The company is rightsizing its operations in order to go forward in the best shape in the current business scenario." It is believed that the majority of these ex-employees were low to mid level and that most left with some form of severance package.

PartyGaming has existing customers in the Philippines, Singapore and China and is looking to expand in Asia overall.

posted by Ian of egamingpulse.

Televised Premiership Matches
Saturday 4 November

Fulham vs Everton
Two sides enjoying an extended spell in the top 10 but it could be Fulham who edge closer to a place in Europe this Saturday. Chris Coleman's side boast a 100% record against Everton at Craven Cottage since they joined the Premiership in 2001/02. Fulham have scored nine goals in these encounters with Everton finding the net just once. Fulham have won this match 2-0 on three occasions so correct scores fans could opt for that, or play it safe and bank on under 2.5 goals.
Walker's Word
1x2: Fulham @ 8/5
AH: Fulham level ball @ evens
OU: Under 2.5 goals @ 8/13

Newcastle United vs Sheffield United
Newcastle need to win this match if they are to avoid slipping into the bottom three but the club?s minor injury crisis could hold the key to this game. The Blades have reported a feud between Claude Davis and Ade Akinbiyi has been resolved which should boost morale but it is Newcastle that could pick up a season-boosting three points.
Walker's Word
1x2: Newcastle @ 8/11
AH: Newcastle - � @ 39/40
OU: Over 2.5 goals @ 6/5

Sunday 5 November

West Ham United vs Arsenal
Arsenal have a poor record at Upton Park, winning just one of their last five Premiership visits and showed they couldn?t hit a barn door against Spartak Moscow in the week, squandering 20 clear chances. However, the Hammers have been dreadful this season and will find the Gunners a much sterner test than Blackburn, who they beat last Sunday.
Walker's Word
1x2: Arsenal @ 8/13
AH: Arsenal - � @ 3/4
OU: Over 2.5 goals @ 10/11

Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea
Chelsea have won the last three meetings at White Hart Lane by two 2-0 and one 1-0 scorelines. Another victory for Jose Mourinho?s side and another bet on the Under 2.5 goals market is the call.
Walker's Word
1x2: Chelsea @ 8/11
AH: Chelsea - � @ evens
OU: Under 2.5 goals @ 4/6

Read Walker's Word
? Betting Previews For All This Weekend's Premiership Fixtures (4,5 Nov, 2006)
? Premiership Football Preview Archive - Walker's Word
Posted by David Walker From Bet Bonus.co.uk