Casino Blog

Gamblers lost just over $34 billion in 2007 at U.S casinos, according to a report by the American Gaming Association (AGA).

That is a huge rise of 73 per cent from the casinos’ gross gaming revenue of $19.7 billion from 10 years ago and much smaller increase (but still impressive) of 5.3 per cent from 2006.

According to the AGA, 54.5 million people made trips to casinos, at an average of seven visits per person. (more…)

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There’s speculation that the current Greek government attitudes and policies towards access of the country’s gambling market may be about to change. Greece currently operates one of the most restricted gambling monopolies in the European Union (EU), but recent Greek media reports speculate an upcoming meeting may see a change in these policies.

European Commission official Charlie McCreevy and Greek economic minister George Alogoskoufis are scheduled to meet soon to possibly discuss the changes Greece needs to make to its protectionist gambling laws in order to bring them into line with EU standards.

It’s believed that the meeting is an attempt by Greece to avoid European Court of Justice charges against its state gambling monopoly OPAP. If so, the news will be welcomed by online bingo games operators and online bingo halls hoping for further access to foreign markets within the EU. Currently, there are a number of EU member states that restrict access to their online bingo markets, but the European Commission is making concerted efforts to change this.

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The American Gaming Association says 2007 commercial casino revenues in the United States hit $34.1 billion (U.S.), up 5.3 per cent from the previous year.

In a report released yesterday, the group also cited numbers from the National Confectioners Association and the Motion Picture Association of America to provide some context. Americans spent almost as much on candy, at $29 billion, although much less on movie tickets, at $9.6 billion.

The study also said casino jobs were down 2.3 per cent, or about 8,500 workers, bringing the total still employed to fewer than 361,000. (more…)

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PKR Poker, an enormously popular online poker room established in 2006, has proved its innovative success by ranking number-one in a recent poll by Hitwise, an Internet competitive intelligence service, having received the most hits in the online poker category. The poll covers the first quarter of 2008, calculating web site hits coming from the UK.

PKR Poker has been one of the most rapidly expanding online poker rooms in the world, dues to its ground-breaking three-dimensional environment and pioneering features, like its unique ‘Emote Control System’. PKR beat out the UK’s most prevalent online poker rooms, including Ladbrokes, William Hill and VC Poker.

“We are extremely pleased with this award,” exclaimed PKR Marketing Director, Simon Prodger. “We have seen some phenomenal growth and it’s not slowing up. We have never accepted US players, so to achieve the top ranking in the UK is fantastic.” (more…)

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Given the high-stakes gamble of being president, it’s no surprise that several of our 20th century presidents have played the game of poker:

The first president who we are sure played poker was Grover Cleveland. He was an especially hard-working president and took time off on many a Sunday afternoon to play the game. “My father used to say that it was wicked to go fishing on Sunday,” he once explained, “but he never said anything about draw-poker.”

Warren G. Harding’s advisers were known as the Poker Cabinet because they frequently played poker together. Harding played at least twice a week and gambled away a priceless set of White House china dating back to the administration of Rutherford B. Hayes. (more…)

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How you interpret the size of an opponent’s bet, especially in relation to his stack at certain points in a tournament, can give you the chance to take down a pot or tell you to get away from a loser.

Marcel Luske read it right at the $15,000-buy-in Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic at Las Vegas’ Bellagio in 2007.

With blinds at $2,000-$4,000 plus a $500 ante, players neared the money bubble, the point where those remaining in the event finish in the money, allowing aggressive players to take advantage of those who fear risk.

After a player in middle position raised to $12,000, Luske looked down to find 10-9 offsuit in the big blind. Owning a considerably bigger stack, Luske called the additional $8,000.

“The guy is not strong enough in chips to make a move,” Luske said. “In the bubble position, it’s very hard for people to play hands when they’re not that strong in chips.”

The flop came 4-9-jack, rainbow, giving Luske a pair of 9s.

“I checked to him so he can continue play with an A-K or A-Q, or represent an overpair, or he might have two 8s and make a continuation bet and I’d make some money out of it,” he said.

His opponent bet $14,500.

“The amount tells me that he doesn’t feel too good with his hand because he only bet a small part of the pot and this flop is very dangerous,” Luske said. “Either he has a monster such as three jacks or
he’s trying to get me off the hand with a small bet and a small pair.”

Luske called. The turn came the queen of hearts, giving Luske an open-ended straight draw. He checked.

“He cannot afford to bet it unless he has K-10,” Luske said. “He’s going to lose all his chips if he walks into 10-8 or 10-K. He has to have a hand that’s more than a pair.”

His opponent also checked. The river came the 8 of clubs, completing Luske’s straight.

“I bet $30,000 into him just in case he does have a hand but played it wrong, or thinks I’m bluffing and am taking the chance to represent a 10,” Luske said. “The only way I get paid is if he has something and he thinks I’m bluffing.”

Luske’s opponent called his half-pot bet and mucked his hand when he saw the straight.

Try to repeat!

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A Washington State judge today sided with state attorneys who successfully defended a law that makes online gambling a Class C felony there. Lee Rousso, the attorney who sued the state in an effort to have the law declared unconstitutional, said he will appeal.

“Even though it was a loss today, I still think some good things will come of it,” Rousso said.

After the hearing, about 50 people took part in a rally that featured Barry Greenstein and Andy Bloch. The rally brought local media attention to the law, which puts playing online poker legally on par with child pornography and grand theft auto.

Rousso also brought attention to the law by running for Washington State governor earlier this year. He said he was running for governor solely to cast light on this issue (and, on the outside chance he was elected, to overturn the law) and dropped out soon after learning he would get his day in court to challenge the state’s online gambling law.

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No state in the nation has a more severe penalty for playing online poker than Washington, which, in early 2006, passed a law that made playing online poker a class C felony there. Washington is one of seven states where state legislators have outlawed online poker.

Washington State Attorney Lee Rousso has taken it upon himself to overturn the ill-conceived law, but he has recently run into some typical stall tactics by the state to keep his lawsuit from going to trial.

Earlier this year, Rousso filed a lawsuit trying to get to the law wiped off of the books because he believes it’s unconstitutional. The state responded by filing several requests for information about Rousso that he says he doesn’t think any lawyer would ever answer, information that could possibly be used to incriminate Rousso.

“I think the state’s strategy is basically to make sure the case never gets tried under merits, so they will do everything possible just to make sure that I will go away. And up to this point, they’ve been successful,” Rousso said.

Rousso appealed those requests, and so far, the courts have sided with state attorneys. An appeals court is set to rule on that portion of the case sometime in January. If the appeals court again rules against Rousso, he will re-file his case using a substitute plaintiff that he already has lined-up, and the process will start all over.

“One way or another, we should be able to get this in a courthouse,” he said.

If that case stalls, Rousso, with help from the Poker Players Alliance, will try to tackle this law by applying pressure politically.

But why is Rousso trying to get this law overturned?

“I like to play poker. I think Internet poker is one of the greatest inventions of all time,” he says. “Internet poker rocks, and people who are responsible adults should be able to play in the privacy of their homes without the government getting its nose in the way.” (more…)

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PartyGaming, parent company of Party Poker, announced today that it had appointed Jim Ryan as Chief Executive Officer and that it had promoted John O’Malia to the newly created executive board position of Managing Director. O’Malia will assume his new position on May 16, 2008 and will have day- to-day responsibility for the management of the company in addition to his seat on the board. Ryan will succeed Mitch Garber and will take over his new duties following a handover of his current responsibilities. Garber will remain available during this transition until July 31, 2008.

Jim Ryan, 46, has 22 years of experience in the Internet gaming and technology fields. Previously, he was CEO of St. Minver Limited, the largest operator of European gaming networks. Ryan was also President and CEO of Excapsa Software, a leading internet gaming software developer whose licensees included UltimateBet, and CFO of CryptoLogic, Inc., an internet gaming software developer. John O’Malia, 38, joined PartyGaming in August 2006 as its Chief Games Officer, following its acquisition of Gamebookers, an online sports betting business, which he served as CEO. (more…)

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As federal and state funds dwindle, lawmakers are eyeing a potentially lucrative source of income: Internet poker. According to a 2006 U.S. law, it’s illegal to pay for most online wagers with a credit card—which basically prohibits Americans from betting money on online poker or other such games. (Some people get around this by using foreign credit cards and bank accounts.) A bill sponsored by Rep. Robert Wexler (D., Fla.) seeks to exempt online poker and other games of skill from the law. If the legislation passes, it could lead to more than $3 billion a year in taxes.

“Regulating online poker could be a new revenue stream,” says Josh Rogin, a representative for Wexler, “and there aren’t many these days.” But critics fear that making it legal to bet money on Internet poker could harm people’s bank accounts—and lives. “The proposed legislation does not include funding for programs to prevent and treat gambling problems,” says Executive Director Keith Whyte of the National Council on Problem Gambling. Tell us: Should online poker be legalized? Vote. (more…)

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