Casino Blog

This is the second part of our recent story regarding Dutch gaming legislation.

In Holland, the Senate has passed a proposal that would permit the Government to tax online games of chance, including those provided by foreign operators, at a rate of 40.85 percent.

The legislation also reportedly contains provisions targeting individuals that win on non-Dutch online gaming sites, players that authorities have up till now prosecuted in defence of the State monopoly.

Table casino games are legal in Holland and are taxed under a separate provision of current law. The proposal, which is being supported by a cross-section of political factions, calls for the laws on Internet gambling to be changed in order that ‘illegal online gaming is not given advantage over gaming in the real world’. (more…)

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Gambling could bring the Philippines more foreign investments on a level similar to those of Singapore and Malaysia, Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila stated Monday.
The Philippine Daily Enquirer has reported that Favila told the national House of Representatives of his support for plans to set up a gambling complex in the Philippines, saying that its two Asian neighbors have boosted foreign investment through similar projects.

He pointed to statistics showing the advantage Singapore and Malaysia have over the Philippines in foreign investments. In 2007 the Philippines brought in around $2 billion in foreign investment, compared to Singapore and Malaysia with between $8-10 billion each, he said. (more…)

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Republican VP candidate’s record suggests she won’t be a barrier to positive reforms.

The surprise choice of Sarah Palin as the Republican vice-presidential candidate doesn’t indicate either a pro- or anti-gambling shift in the party. As with her Democratic VP opponent, Joe Biden, Palin has never made any clear statement either for or against the legalization of gambling, but hasn’t opposed pro-gambling initiatives in the state she governs - Alaska.

Conservative voice
More socially conservative than Republican presidential candidate John McCain, Palin is not the sort of candidate one would expect to be particularly pro-gambling. A born-again evangelical Christian and mother of five, McCain’s running mate has made a name for herself since her election as Alaska governor in 2006 as a staunch conservative on issues such as abortion, gun control and crime.

Her selection was no doubt designed to attract the vote of the Republican rank-and-file, who could potentially have been alienated by McCain - a man who has developed a reputation as someone who opposes party traditionalists on key issues. The selection of a female could also attract swing voters put off by the non-selection of Hillary Clinton for either the Democratic presidential or vice-presidential nominations.

Lenience on gambling
Sarah Palin has not made any clear statement on gambling while Alaska governor, and in fact all the evidence points to some leniency on the matter. (more…)

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But Dutch Senate says that taxation doesn’t imply approval

Further details are now available on our earlier story concerning a move by Dutch legislators to start taxing foreign and ‘illegal’ online gambling sites, and it appears that taxation will not imply approval or legal recognition.

Specifically, the Dutch Staatssecretaris for fiscal affairs driving the proposal, Jan Cornelis de Jager, argues that tax laws do not differentiate between legal and illegal tax subjects, and that both should therefore be treated with equity by the fiscus. (more…)

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Mahjong (also called mah-jongg by the American association, Traditional Chinese: 麻將; Pinyin: májiàng) is a game for four players that originated in China. Mahjong involves skill, strategy, and calculation, as well as a certain degree of chance. Depending on the variation which is played, luck can be anything from a minor to a dominant factor in success. In Asia, mahjong is also popularly played as a gambling game. In the game, each player is dealt either thirteen or sixteen tiles in a hand (depending on the variation being played). On their turn, players draw a tile and discard one, with the goal of making four or five melds (also depending on the variation) and one pair, or “head”. Winning comes “on the draw”, by drawing a new or discarded tile that completes the hand. Thus a winning hand actually contains fourteen (or seventeen) tiles.

Object of the Game

The object is to collect a set of fourteen tiles grouped into four melds of three tiles each and a matched pair. The melds can be either three identical tiles, known as a Pung, or a straight of three tiles of one suit marked with consecutive numbers, known as a Chow. (Actually, sets of four identical tiles, known as a Kong, can also be used to make up the melds, but they’re described in more detail below, as they’re more complicated.) (more…)

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EELEX-2008, Moscow, September, 9- 11

Expecting the entry into legal force the new legislation about gambling business to the new rules are preparing as future owners of the gambling institutions as the world largest suppliers of the equipment for casinos and gambling halls: since the 1st of July 2009 on the territory of Russian Federation will be only four gambling zones and everyone is in a hurry to take its own place.
Gambling exhibition EELEX-2009 which will take place in Moscow, September, 9- 11, give an excellent opportunity for both parties for meeting and making arrangements.

16 years EELEX exhibition has convoked on its grounds powers that be in gambling sphere and has become one of the largest theme exhibitions in eastern Europe.
Since 1991 promoting making, outliving prosperity, chaos, strengthening of gambling control EELEX has become not just exhibition but the club of professionals.
But the present-day the seventeenth exposition will not be just usual exhibition of gambling, lottery and amusement equipment. It will commemorate the rebirth, absolutely new step of the gaming industry’s development in Russia.

Since 2009 in Russia will appear four “Las Vegases”, the special gambling zones, the most distant from uptown. On these territories (from 500 till 2000 hectars each) the Government of RF are planning to build tourist recreational complexes. Most experts say that for development and tuning of infrastructure of these projects will be spent 40 months but alignment of forces has already begun. (more…)

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It was recommended by the newly formed Ireland Casino committee to reform the outdated gambling laws to benefit from a lack of competition from other countries where online gambling is illegal, most notably the United States with the UIGEA bill in place.
Formed in 2006, the Ireland Casino committee says that a “window of opportunity is present with the passing of recent United States prohibition of online gambling”. They support regulating gaming sites in an effort to curtail minors accessing the games as well as possible criminal activities from taking place.

Ireland’s Minister of Finance, Brian Cowen is in favor, mentioning generous tax breaks and the ability to boost the country’s financial standing in the European Union. Meanwhile, the Minister of Justice, Michael McDowell argued that not all Irish citizens are comfortable with the idea of legalizing online casinos. Reminding constituents that online casinos are far harder to regulate and control then land based casinos, he is staunchly against the reform.

In 2007, it was formally declared that Dublin had become the top choice of location for North American companies to relocate, with the Irish capital proclaiming that in the first year, over 300 new jobs had been created. (more…)

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eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA), the London-based independent standards body, has released its half-year statistics on player disputes showing a drop in valid queries for its accredited virtual casinos and poker rooms.

According to Tex Rees, Fair Gaming Advocate for eCOGRA, the first six months of 2008 saw a 19 percent decrease in valid disputes compared to the same period last year while 49 percent of queries were resolved in favour of the player.

Rees revealed that a total of 346 complaints had been lodged online at eCOGRA.org but that the group had rejected 50 of these because they had been made regarding sites that were not committed to its standards and discipline. In addition, a further 36 submissions had been thrown out due to insufficient contact information, abuse, falsehood or the lack of a specific complaint.

eCOGRA stated that the remaining 260 complaints had been fully investigated with both player and casino managements and that 127 had been resolved in favour of the player. (more…)

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Asian Casinos Executive Summit 2008
Grand Hyatt, Singapore
8 - 10 September 2008

This is Asia’s leading and most established gaming event.
Goals:
Assessing the growth, investment and financing opportunities in the Asia gaming sector

Evaluating changing casino business models and effective gaming operations strategies through industry best practices

Exploring the licensing and regulatory framework in newly liberalised Asia countries

Integration of casino gambling within hospitality, retail, leisure & entertainment real estate

Examining the latest developments, technology and legislation in online gaming (more…)

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Do you know where Belarus is located? :)) this is Europe and this is the greatest lotto country where almost everybody plays lotto and bingo every weekend hoping to get rich one day :))

American gaming technology firm GTech has announced an agreement with closed joint stock company Sport Pari to create the first online lottery system in Belarus.

Providence-based GTech revealed that Sport Pari had received a Government license to become the exclusive license holder and operator of online lottery games for the European country with the five-year agreement running through July of 2013. Decided following a competitive procurement, the subsidiary of Italian firm Lottomatica revealed that it expects to receive revenues of $15.84 million over life of the deal, which begins next month. (more…)

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