Casino Blog

There seems little doubt that EIG 2007 will be the biggest i-Gaming show anywhere in the world this year as the industry focuses with renewed vigor on the essential European marketplace.

With the largest EIG expo ever seen set to showcase the best in i-Gaming products, a conference programme designed to give you more hours of insightful and interactive sessions and truly stunning networking events, the buzz is building about Barcelona in October.

See ya there!

save this post as PDF

The much anticipated British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007 has been released today and the findings don’t seem as dramatic as has been highlighted in the media recently. The report, available in PDF format on the Gambling Commission’s website has the following statistics, which differ greatly from the media speculations over the past weekend.

68% of the population, that is about 32 million adults, had participated in some form of gambling activity within the past
year. This compares to 72% (about 33 million adults) in 1999.

Over the weekend The Telegraph newspaper had stated the study was likely to reveal the figure was 33 million adults, gambled in some form with approximately a million gamblers having a severe addiction. This was to be an increase of 300,000 at the time of the previous 1999 study.

However the study results reveal the rates of problem gambling to be approximately 250,000 (depending on the methodology the number varied from 236,500 to 284,000). It further states that results revealed the problem gambling prevalence rate to be the same as it had been in 1999.

The Independent also featured the report in an article over the weekend, speculating that a statistic of one million people in the UK would be given for those who gamble online, spending an annual average of $2,000 each.

The report reveals that 6% of the population (approximately 2,800,000) used the internet to gamble in the last year, but only 3% of the 32 million that gamble do so online (like playing poker or casino games) or placed bets with a bookmaker using the internet.

The results of the report will undoubtedly be a relief to providers of online gambling services, but also should serve as an indictation that the measures used by regulated gambling sites including responsible gaming measures and links to sites like Gamcare and Gamblers anonymous or certification by eCogra does have a valid and positive impact and effect on consumers.

The report should be a boost to those who point that regulation of the industry for the benefit of consumers. The supporters of the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (which is anti-UIGEA) may use the results to re-enforce their call for a similar US study.

save this post as PDF

The largest online pot so far this month was played last weekend, Sept. 15-16. Ingrid_Swede clashed with I_Knockout_U, and took home over $330k in one hand.

According to the High Stakes Poker Database, the two were playing heads-up at a $200/$400 No-Limit Hold’em table at the Microgaming Network.

The heads-up battle had been going on for while, and a couple of big pots had already been played, when Ingrid_Swede raised to $1,400 from the button. I_Knockout_U re-raised to $4,400 and Ingrid_Swede called.

On the 6d-7d-8c flop, I_Knockout_U bet out $8,200. Ingrid_Swede raised to $28,000, and I_Knockout_U responded by moving all-in for a total of $160,967. Ingrid_Swede called immediately.

Qs-3s finished out the board, and it was time for a showdown. I_Knockout_U showed 9h-8h for a pair of nines and a busted straight-draw. Ingrid_Swede had, however, flopped the nuts holding Tc-9c, and took home the $330,732.64 pot.

The High Stakes Poker Database has this pot listed as the biggest one so far in September, and the fifth biggest of all time. It remains to be seen if it will be topped in the weeks to come.

save this post as PDF

Now that France have been ordered to modify its legislation for online gambling, over 25 million people could become available for membership of gambling websites.

The European Court of Justice has given France until October 29 to change its laws. At the moment only native providers Française des Jeux (a multi game operator) and PMU (the French tote) are permitted to advertise their services over the Internet. With an online poppulation of over 26 million (source: Comscore), France represents a considerable chunk of a potential online audience and this is a case that has been eagerly watched by industry insiders. (more…)

save this post as PDF

A 30 year old man died in an internet cafe in Guanzhou, China, due to what state run media reports as excessive internet gaming. After playing for three days solid, the man collapsed and died in front of over 100 other internet surfers.

Paramedics failed to resuscitate the man who the Beijing News state collapsed from exhaustion on Saturday after his three day binge. He was declared dead on the premises. This is the first death linked directly to internet gaming to have been officially recorded.

This tragic event highlights the dangers of both gaming and internet addiction. It is reported that China has over 142 million internet users, which is second only to the USA. The average time spent on the internet in China is increasing by an estimated 30% per year, and this trend is reflected globally.

The effects of the internet and online gaming is being researched and investigated by charities and organisations such as GamCare and eCogra. Online gaming companies are certainly implementing more preventative measures and focusing on being certificated by regulatory bodies.

So this means that internet gaming companies are taking a more serious look into social responsibility. But when tragedies like this can happen, can this be considered enough?

save this post as PDF

LONDON, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Online gambling software firm Playtech (PTEC.L: Quote, Profile , Research) said its finance director was to leave as it posted first-half revenues within touching distance of levels before gaming firms were rocked by an effective U.S. ban last year.

Playtech, which provides gaming Web sites with games like poker, blackjack and roulette, said revenues from casino games was $32.6 million in the six months to end June with revenues of $10.5 million from poker.

It said it had a healthy pipeline of new business for the second half of the year and finance director Shuki Barak had asked to leave the firm for personal reasons.

The firm said his successor would be announced shortly and Barak would stay on to ease the handover.

As the company had earlier indicated, overall group revenues were $44 million, down just 2.2 million from a year ago before an effective U.S. ban on online gambling closed off the world’s biggest gaming market.

save this post as PDF