Archive for the Casino News category
August 5th, 2008
As reported by the CBC News: “Saskatchewan’s government-owned casinos continue to be big money-makers for the province, generating net income of $43.8 million in the 2007-08 fiscal year.”According to the annual report of Saskatchewan Gaming Corp., the Crown corporation that runs Casino Regina and Casino Moose Jaw, SGC had revenues of $119.4 million and operating expenses of $75.6 million. The 2007-08 net income is an increase of about $9 million from the previous year”
source: casinocity.comÂ
July 16th, 2008
June Cotte, a marketing associate professor at the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario has called for the legalization of online gambling to allow for better regulation and to potentially reduce harmful effects.
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“One potential solution is to allow legitimate corporate sponsors, like the corporations that run the major casinos in Las Vegas or the government sponsors in Canada, to enter into a newly regulated market for online gambling,” opined the academician. “Just as legalised commercial gambling in casinos allows governments to regulate it, so, too, could the legalisation of online gambling
allow for better regulation and attempts to reduce the growth of problem gamblers.”
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CNW reports that Cotte and colleague Kathryn A. Latour from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, carried out a study, “Blackjack in the Kitchen: Understanding Online Versus Casino Gambling,” which is to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research in the winter of 2009.
The duo interviewed 20 regular casino gamblers and 10 regular online gamblers using pictures as stimuli to learn what gambling feels like and how it is perceived. Results show online gamblers gamble more frequently and aggressively, and the indications are that this is because [land] casino gambling, which requires travel to an outside location, is more difficult to hide.
In contrast, access to online gambling is easily integrated into daily home routines, meaning more time can be spent on gambling. Online gambling lacks social interaction so participants are involved for the game, rather than other aspects, which may appeal to gamblers’ competitive streak.
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“The unregulated online environment results in a more chaotic environment with no clear social norms and rules,” said Cotte. “The meaning of gambling changes, moving from a shared conviviality available in the casino to a no-holds-barred battle online. It brings out the gamblers’ more competitive side.”
Cotte observes that although online gambling is illegal or in a legal grey area in Canada and the U.S., except when initiated by Canada’s provincial lottery corporations, it is still easily accessible through Internet companies located offshore. According
to the study, more than $10 billion annually is spent worldwide by consumers on online gambling.
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In contrast, casino gambling, which is now legal in all but two U.S. states, is highly regulated and scrutinised. Cotte and Latour suggest that legalizing and regulating online gambling, similar to the way casino gambling is regulated, may help reduce the incidences of problem gambling.
The academicians suggest that the following elements could be tied into online gambling regulations:
* Better use of age checks when signing up for an online account;
* Cross-checking new users with lists of pathological gamblers;
* Setting financial limits on gambling and having the site communicate to gamblers spending long hours and excessive money;
* Making information available about problem gambling treatments via pop-ups on instant messages;
* Having an online gambling counselor available online;
* Mandatory “cooling-off periods,” which force online gamblers to stop gambling for a pre-set amount of time before they are allowed to wager money from their accounts;
* Making tabulations of wins and losses more central and larger on the computer screen to increase the players’ awareness of where they stand.
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The study also recommends that online gambling casinos minimise the use of bold, flashing graphics to signal wins in order to moderate the ‘emotional experience’ for gamblers.
July 3rd, 2008
The high cost of gas may be adversely effecting the world economy, but it also may be reducing gambling addiction across the globe. With less money to spend on recreational activities because of high gas prices, players are not spending as much at the online casinos.
As you know, since the new Congress took over the United States in 2006, gas prices have increased by 78%. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have been unable to deliver results due to their lack of understanding in world economics principles like supply/demand.
With extremely high gasoline prices in effect, fewer players are entering online slots tournaments and less people are playing poker online. Now, instead of risking their money in a casino, they are wasting it at the pump going to and from work.
As the prices continue to rise at the gas pumps, there is no doubt that people are changing their gambling habits.
“I use to gamble every Saturday night from my home computer after I put the kids to bed”, says Angela B. of Calgary.
“With gas up 78% in the past two years, I have to rethink how much money I am willing to spend gambling online”, she added.
With some players cutting out online gambling altogethor, other players are just slowing down. More people are playing less, without the need to complete eliminate their favorite past-time.
Source: http://www.onlinecasinosphere.com
June 24th, 2008
Vega Promotional Systems, Inc. (VGPR.PK) today announced it has narrowed the list of stops for the inaugural season of the Poker Tour of the Americas (PTA) to six cities.As a result of increased interest from cities in North and South America, Vega’s plan is to hold six tournaments during the Tour’s first year, with plans to expand to Tour to eight stops in season two.
The season one plan includes tournaments in the following cities:
Vancouver, British Columbia
Tunica, Mississippi
San Jose, Costa Rica
Cartagena, Colombia
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Quito, Ecuador
The location of the season ending Poker Tournament of Champions to crown the champion of the PTA will be announced in the next few weeks.
In addition to promoting the PTA, Vega will be the Executive Producer of the video programming and plans to air the tournaments throughout North and South America. Since Vega will own the programming, the Company is currently negotiating for network airtime that would in turn, allow the Company to sell its own advertising for the programs.
The poker tournaments will be structured as invitational events with players from all over the world able to win seats via online and live local satellite tournaments.
Michael Herron, CEO of Vega stated, “This Tour will introduce the top players in the world to new audiences in South America as well as give local players the opportunity to play against poker’s best players. The response we have received from all over North and South America has been incredible. With the popularity that poker has achieved the past few years, this type of Tour makes a lot of sense. There are some very good poker players in South America and we look forward to finding the next big name. Our timing couldn’t be better. Poker is exploding in South America and Canada and combined with the popularity in the U.S., we feel the PTA will be a hit from day one.
We’ve all seen the success that other tours like the World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour have enjoyed and we feel that we can produce a first class tournament. Unlike a lot of poker programming you see on television, we are not attempting to sell the rights to a programmer, we will own the programming and will contract for the necessary time slots to air the one-hour shows. This will allow Vega to profit from the advertising, sponsorships, replays of the programming, and the tournament itself.”
June 18th, 2008
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June 10th, 2008
Century Casinos, Inc. announced today that its Century Casino & Hotel in Edmonton, Canada, will host the 1st Annual Celebrity Poker Tournament in support of the MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Society of Alberta on June 14, 2008.This celebrity poker tournament will feature stars of Canada’s most popular TV show “Corner Gas”, namely Tara Spencer-Nairn and Lorne Cardinal. Other confirmed celebrities include former Edmonton Eskimo Football Great Singor Mobley, as well as Playboy model and WWE Diva Rochelle Loewen.
Local media will also be represented including CISN morning man Sean Burke along with local poker legend Sandra Sperounes from the Edmonton Journal, and Gene Principe from Sportsnet, the commentator of the world-famous hockey team, the Edmonton Oilers.
The tournament is limited to 77 entries and commences at 2:00 p.m. MDT on June 14 in Century Casino’s new 24 hour poker room. On the day of the tournament, a silent auction will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. MDT to raise funds in support of the MS Society. In addition, a portion of the registration fees will be donated directly to the MS Society.
June 8th, 2008
Yesterday’s statement by Tokwiro Enterprises ENRG concerning a cheating scandal at its online poker site UltimateBet.com (see previous InfoPowa report) received almost immediate attention in the Canadian media.
The National Post claimed that confidence in the ability of Mohawk regulators to police lucrative online gambling operations on the Kahnawake reserve has been shaken following the second cheating scandal in less than a year.
UltimateBet’s stablemate in the Tokwiro group, Absolute Poker.com, was involved in a similar debacle last year and was fined half a million dollars by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.
The Post’s report detailed the content of the Tokwiro announcement, noting that the company is headed by former Kahnawake grand chief Joe Norton, and that the company had refused to disclose the amount of fraudulent winnings. The report quoted poker observers as saying that the amount runs into the millions and that an analysis of the scandal on the online poker forum twoplustwo.com found that one of the cheaters alone won more than $600 000 in the space of four months last year. The software glitch at the heart of the affair was in place for at least 15 months.
The National Post report quotes industry analyst Bobby Mamudi, who said the new cheating incident is another blow to the reputation of Kahnawake’s gambling industry. “They definitely do seem to be losing credibility and not doing too much about it,” he said. He called the cheating uncovered in Kahnawake “quite unique” in the global online gambling world. Sites taking bets on sporting events have been shut down for failing to have sufficent funds to pay winners. “There’s never been something like this to do with poker and this kind of overt cheating,” he said.
The Post takes a look at the historical background to the Mohawk regulatory jurisdiction, commenting that the Canadian federal government considers the 400 or so poker and sports-betting sites operating from Kahnawake to be illegal, but, fearing a confrontation, both the federal and provincial governments have been reluctant to intervene.
“Last March, however, an aide to Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said the government was studying ways of shutting down the gambling, possibly by targeting financial transactions with illegal Internet operators,” it claims.
Murray Marshall, legal counsel to the gaming commission, told the National Post that Kahnawake’s regulation is among “the tightest in the world” and said similar frauds have occurred in casino gambling and banking. “We would obviously prefer to prevent all possibilities of this kind of thing happening, but no system is infallible,” he said.
Steven Ware, author of an upcoming book on poker strategy is also quoted in the report, having followed the UltimateBet controversy closely since players first voiced their suspicions online in January 2008. In an analysis on twoplustwo.com of cheater NioNio’s winning hands, he wrote that the odds of someone getting that lucky were “about the same as winning the powerball [lottery] jackpot three days in a row.”
In an interview with the newspaper, Ware said stricter oversight is needed of the Kahnawake gambling sites.
“Online poker is a billion-dollar-a-year industry, and it’s unfathomable that companies in this industry would operate with a total lack of transparency, beyond the reach of the law,” he said. “Kahnawake and the online gambling sites that it runs have shown time and time again that they are not willing to keep their games fair or protect the players.”
UltimateBet officials declined an invitation by the National Post to be interviewed. In an e-mailed statement, the company said the “perpetrators” of the fraud left the company “well before the fraudulent activity was uncovered.” Asked whether the matter has been referred to the police, the company said only that it is in the hands of the [Kahnawake] gaming commission.
June 6th, 2008
The Triple Crown trail is littered with colts whose feet failed them along the way. Less than 24 hours before the biggest horse race in three decades, favourite Big Brown and his Japanese challenger, Casino Drive, took steps in opposite directions.The cracked hoof that stood between trainer Rick Dutrow Jr.’s big bay colt and the sport’s first Triple Crown since 1978 was covered with an acrylic patch Friday, ending a weeklong drama.
No sooner had the glue dried on Big Brown when Casino Drive turned up with a suspect foot that could knock the early second choice out of the Belmont Stakes.
If he’s scratched from Saturday’s punishing 1.5-mile race, it would eliminate Big Brown’s chief rival, the only other undefeated colt in the field and send Dutrow’s brimming confidence over the top.
“I don’t think Casino Drive has any chance at all,” he said. “I think the horse has got his issues.”
Of course, that would leave eight other horses to take a shot at Big Brown, the early 2-5 favourite. Dutrow seemed even less worried about them, saying, “They’re going to have to run the race of their life to win.”
At 2-0, Japan-based Casino Drive is coming off a 5-3/4-length victory in the Peter Pan Stakes nearly a month ago on the same Belmont track.
Big Brown is seeking to join Seattle Slew (9-0 in 1977) as the only undefeated Triple Crown winners. He’s won all five of his races by a combined 39 lengths.
“There’s excitement in the air,” said Dutrow, who memorably declared that Big Brown winning the Belmont is a “foregone conclusion.”
It seemed that way for Spectacular Bid, another horse with the same aura of invincibility, whose attempt at sweeping the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont was derailed in 1979 when he stepped on a safety pin the morning of the Belmont.
The pin was still lodged in his hoof when jockey Ron Franklin rode him to a third-place finish.
Big Brown’s hoof issue was resolved out of public view, with hoof specialist Ian McKinlay applying an acrylic and fibreglass patch to the colt’s front left hoof.
“There were no problems,” he said afterward. “Things couldn’t be better. It’s time for history.”
McKinlay removed the stainless steel sutures holding the crack together, cleaned the area, redrilled holes and put in new sutures. Then he covered it all up with an acrylic adhesive – the same kind used for the $550 glue-on shoes Big Brown wears on his front feet – that set in five minutes. The entire process took about 30 minutes.
“That’ll be actually stronger than his hoof will,” McKinlay said. “That’ll probably be the last time I’ll work on that hoof unless something else crops up. It could be two months down the line that something else could happen.”
The patch will be left on indefinitely, growing out as Big Brown’s nail grows.
Taking a page from Dutrow’s brag book, McKinlay guaranteed his work.
“If that patch comes off in this race, I might as well quit what I’m doing,” he said. “There is no shot at that.”
If McKinlay’s wrong, he may need to find another job.
He did leave himself an out, explaining that if an infection is lurking in Big Brown’s hoof, it could be aggravated while using heat to apply the patch. An infection wouldn’t surface for another three or four days, though.
“I don’t expect anything to go wrong with this certainly before tomorrow and not even down the line,” he said. “He looks fabulous.”
Casino Drive, meantime, skipped going to the track. His left hind foot didn’t look good to his handlers when they checked him Friday morning.
“We are not 100 per cent happy with the movement of his hind leg,” said Nobutaka Tada, racing manager for owner Hidetoshi Yamamoto and trainer Kazuo Fujisawa. “There is a slight possibility of a bruise.”
Edgar Prado, set to ride Casino Drive, was surprised at the development.
“That’s not good news,” he said. “You want him to come to a race 100 per cent. Definitely it’s a setback. Hopefully, they’ll be able to fix him and he’ll be in the starting gate tomorrow.”
Casino Drive galloped on the track Thursday, but didn’t seem to like the muddy surface.
Tada said a veterinarian saw the horse, whose hoof was being treated with ice and heat. “He probably stepped on something,” Tada said. “He looks fine, he has a good appetite. He’s not lame.”
Tada said Casino Drive may have a stone bruise, which can be caused by walking on hard, rocky ground. The colt has gone for long walks all over Belmont Park’s horse paths this week, a training technique favoured by the Japanese. American trainers typically gallop, jog and breeze their horses on the track in the days leading to a race.
Casino Drive was pointed toward the Belmont because of his breeding. His dam produced the last two winners: filly Rags to Riches last year and Jazil in 2006.
“We are planning on running,” Tada said, “but we have to be sure he is well.”
 Source: http://www.thestar.com
May 16th, 2008
Titan Poker, the largest poker room on the iPoker Network, presented talented poker player Greg Metzak with a cheque for 40,000 Euros (more than $61,500) this week at the Eurocity Poker Tour (ECPT) in Madrid. Greg, a 23 year-old psychology student from Canada, won his seat to Madrid at an online freeroll tournament staged by Titan Poker exclusively for its top VIP Players.The skilled poker player was one of 66 players sent by Titan Poker to the ECPT Madrid Open, an exclusive tournament sponsored by the popular poker room at the Casino Gran Madrid, about 30 kilometers outside the city center. Poker enthusiasts from across the globe flew to Madrid this week for this exciting event.
For Greg Metzak, it was not only his first ever experience at a live tournament; it was also his first ever trip to Europe. Despite this, he succeeded in defeating experienced and professional poker players to claim the first prize of 40,000 Euros. He said: “Thanks to Titan Poker, I have had a week in Madrid and now 40,000 Euros - who could ask for more?”
Despite his outstanding victory, Greg plans to initially keep quiet about his success to his friends and relatives in Canada. He added: “I think I am going to wait until I get home and when people ask how it was, say ‘well, you know…poker’s a tough game…anything can happen…’
Titan Poker player Ingo Nassall from Germany finished in second place and took home a prize of 23,000 Euros.
A full report on the Eurocity Poker Tour Madrid Open has been posted on the Titan Poker website.
In addition to the ECPT Madrid Open, Titan Poker regularly awards players with seats to the world’s most well-known poker tournaments, such as the Aussie Millions and Various European Poker Tour events. It will be sending players to the World Series of Poker 2008 in Las Vegas and the Asian Poker Tour in Manila later this year. At the end of the month, it will also host the European Championship of Online Poker II (ECOOP) where skilled poker players will compete for a share of $3,600,000 dollars.
May 7th, 2008
WPT Canada (WPTC) tour kicks off today with its first stop—Coast to Coast Poker Championships, presented by British Columbia Lottery Corporation—at River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, British Columbia. WPTC is the dedicated tour for Canada, a country where some of the world’s greatest poker professionals call home and poker is booming in best-in-class casino properties nationwide.
“Canada is an incredible destination for poker, which we have experienced first-hand during three successful Canadian events on the main WPT tour,” said Steve Lipscomb, WPT Founder, President and CEO. “The sport of poker has long been growing in Canada, fostering poker fans and creating world-class poker professionals. It was only a matter of time before WPT offered a tailored tour unique to Canadian poker fans, and couldn’t be more thrilled to finally launch it today.”
WPT-Canada May 5 – 13, 2008, the event features multiple tournament options including a super satellite, bounty event, and a $3,000 CDN main event where players will face pros like Gavin Smith, WPT Season IV Player of the Year; “Yukon” Brad Booth; and Canadian Poker Tour Player of the Year Jody Trainer. Antonio Esfandiari, face of the WPT Poker-Made Millionaire™ will also play in the bounty and main events, representing Worldpokertour.com. Esfandiari recently placed eighth out of 842 players at the European Poker Tour Grand Finals in Monte Carlo.
The May 11 Coast to Coast Poker Championships final tables will play down on the WPT Canada set and will be filmed for television broadcast in Canada. Poker pro Kenna James will make his WPT Canada debut as TV commentator alongside host and well-known Canadian sports announcer, Jim Van Horne. The WPT Canada Coast to Coast Poker Championships television episodes will debut in Canada late this summer.
