Casino Blog

In an election year, everyone watches the candidates. That’s so obvious that we never think about it, but it’s a basic fact that colors everything “we,” the people and the candidates, do. This year, we’re all living in a fishbowl.

Some background
Since the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), in 2006, the online gaming community has kept a close eye on political contests. Gamers want to know who’s running for the open seats, and where they stand on Internet gambling. Let’s face it: there’s a large bloc of potential voters out there who want this Act repealed. Read the rest of this entry »

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1994 - In the beginning…
Gambling, casinos, casino games and wagering have existed for thousands of years. But it was this year that Microgaming, the first online gambling software provider, was founded and the entire industry started rolling. Microgaming remains one of the industry’s leaders to this day.

By passing a free trade gambling law, Antigua and Barbuda make it possible for online casino companies to base their Internet operations in this Caribbean nation. The country remains a central location in and around which the industry evolves to this day to a large degree.

1995 - Early Position
Joining Microgaming, CryptoLogic, an online security software company, develops methods to make secure financial transactions over the Web.

With the software and security now developed, it is time for the first online casino to launch - InterCasino. It would continue leading the way for the years to follow, winning prizes along the way for best online casino.

1996 - The First Buy-In
The stage is set, software developed and security issues solved. InterCasino accepts the first real money wager online. It will pay out over $3 billion in winnings in the decade plus since. Read the rest of this entry »

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The brainchild of legendary casino owner and poker player Benny Binion, the WSOP has now become the annual Olympics for poker fans the world over

Early days
The World Series of Poker, or WSOP was established in 1968 as an invitation-only promotion by Tom Moore of San Antonio, Texas. It was held in the Holiday Hotel and Casino in Reno, Nevada, the “biggest little city in the world.” That inaugural event was won by veteran poker player Crandell “the Dandy” Addington.

Two years later, in 1970, the WSOP took place at the Binion’s Horseshoe casino where a series of cash games including five-card stud, deuce to seven, low-ball draw, razz, seven-card stud and Texas holdem were introduced. That year, Johnny Moss took home the prize money. He was subsequently elected as the first World Champion of Poker by his fellow players, receiving a silver cup as a prize.

Harrah’s steps in
Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. purchased the Binion’s Horseshoe casino in 2004, and retained the rights to the World Series of Poker. Harrah’s is a private gaming company based in Nevada, which operates casinos, hotels, and golf courses. It is currently the largest gaming company in the world with annual revenue in excess of $7 billion.

In 2005, the WSOP venue moved from Binion’s to the Rio Hotel and Casino, which is situated just off the Las Vegas Strip. In addition to the regular gaming event, a $2 million free roll Tournament of Champions was held, the event being won by Annie Duke in a “winner-takes-all” event. Read the rest of this entry »

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Trying to put an end to online gambling would be like trying to kill email.

One can do virtually anything on the Internet, from ordering dinner, buying clothes, trading on the stock exchange and checking one’s bank balance. If you want fun you can do the crossword, watch a movie, listen to music or gamble online.

The only limit to the Internet is man’s imagination. Having found this ‘new’ freedom it is impossible to take it away. Try and stop online gambling and watch what happens! Read the rest of this entry »

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While most of the world is struggling with a case of severe finanacial downturn, Macau reported a 54 percent revenue increase in the first six months of this year

Macau is “gambling town” is every sense. Over 70 percent of all income is a direct product of gambling. All the other niceties are used strictly to entice more gamblers

This is in direct disproportion to Las Vegas where only 20 percent of resort revenue is derived directly from gambling. Merchandise, shows, bars and clubs, high-end restaurants and pricey hotel rooms provide the rest.

The Las Vegas casino industry is showing a [news/theheadlines/2008/3/10/vegas-strip-revenue-down.php|decline in income] in the current economic downturn and it seems that it is as a result of the diversification of business away from the primary concern, namely gambling. As casino management searched to find new revenue sources they left themselves open to the surges of the general economy.

Gambling builds strong
The Online Casino Advisory’s gambling analyst Sherman Bradley, suggests that gambling growth, if properly exploited, may continue unaffected by the economic situation of the world. Macau clearly demonstrates this.

Bradley’s view is that Las Vegas would find it more profitable to return to its roots. “The good old days of the $1 shrimp cocktail, $2 steak dinner, and comped rooms will act as effective insulation against the slumping economy.”

Asian growth
In the meantime, PricewaterhouseCoopers has identified the Asia-Pacific region as the world’s fastest growth market, with new casinos in Macau, Thailand and Singapore spurring an annual revenue growth of 15.2%.

By 2012 the Asia-Pacific region should account for $37.2 billion in gambling revenue, or around 24% of global gambling revenue, compared to $18.3 billion in 2007, or 16% of global gambling revenue.

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Overall evidence says Democratic VP candidate apathetic - but not negative - about gambling.

It’s official - Joe Biden is Barack Obama’s choice to be the Democratic vice-presidential candidate in the 2008 US Presidential Election. So what would a Democrat administration mean for the future of online gambling in the United States of America, now that Biden is on board?

Biden’s record
Delaware Senator Joe Biden hasn’t made many statements on online gambling during his 35 years as a legislator. A search of his voting record and of gambling-advocate websites does not show a man rushing to legalize online gambling. But the little evidence there is would warm the hearts of pro-gambling advocates.

Biden’s voting record shows that he was one of just 10 senators to vote against a 1998 Internet gambling amendment that set higher penalties for knowingly gambling over the Internet and for knowingly creating an Internet gambling business. Read the rest of this entry »

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In new attempts to reverse the UIGEA law banning online gambling, the US is excited about the prospects of collecting taxes on the huge sums of money spent on online gambling. In addition, regulation could help reduce some of negative effects on consumers, says a new study by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the University of Western Ontario.

Understanding online casino gambling
The study, entitled “Blackjack in the Kitchen: Understanding Online Versus Casino Gambling,” is due to be published in the February 2009 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.

Kathryn LaTour, associate professor in the UNLV Harrah College of Hotel Administration, says that the integration of online gambling in the home can more easily “turn gambling behavior into a component of a consumer’s everyday life, like watching television.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Conventional wisdom says that an Obama Presidency will be good for the online gambling industry. What does the candidate’s record have to say about it?

With the November election rapidly approaching, Americans are starting to wonder what how a President Obama or a President McCain would lead on various controversial issues. While the ‘big ticket’ issues, the economy, the war in Iraq, and Iran’s nuclear program, get the press coverage, smaller issues are also on the voters’ minds. Online gambling is one of those smaller issues.

According to conventional wisdom, an Obama Presidency would likely legalize, regulate, and tax the online gambling industry. Obama has the highest ‘liberal’ rating in the US Senate, and he has consistently voted in favor of increasing government regulation in a variety of industries. He has no statements on record against online gaming. Read the rest of this entry »

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A majority of the casino gaming in the US is run and even regulated through the Indian reservations, usually with simple nods to the Feds. Let us hav a look at American history, society, business and law enforcement.

From the earliest days of colonial period, Americans have had a rocky relationship with their Indian neighbors. The Native Americans resented European expansion; the settlers pushed west onto tribal lands. Conflict was inevitable.

By 1890, the western ‘frontier of settlement’ was a thing of the past, and the Indian tribes had mostly been confined to a series of reservations across most of the 48 contiguous states. These Indian reservations had, and still have, an ambiguous relationship with the US and state governments.

Formed by treaties between the Federal authorities and the individual tribes, the reservations are, technically, sovereign entities, not bound by state laws and only loosely bound by Federal regulations and laws. Given the history of distrust between Indians and whites, it’s an uneasy relationship; sometimes it works well, and sometimes its bursts into violence (think Leonard Peltier). Read the rest of this entry »

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The UK Gambling Commission continues to provide valuable information through ongoing surveys. Following are important statistics from ICM Research based on 8,000 interviews since September 2007.

The UK Gambling Commission was established under the 2005 UK Gambling Act and took effect in September 2007. Its purpose is to regulate gambling in the public interest. The GC replaced the Gambling Board as the body responsible for keeping crime out of gambling, ensuring fair and open operations and protecting children and vulnerable people.

They have another important task - that of keeping tabs on online gambling activity. This is useful material for the online gambling casinos to help them in the development of their businesses. Read the rest of this entry »

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