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The online gambling landscape is not as it used to be and some say it has taken a turn for the worst. The industry held its breath this year in the hope that 2012 would have been the year where online poker would have been legalised in the United States.

Unfortunately this was not to be since the US government still perceives online gambling as an evil pass time. As a result many US states took matters into their own hands and started their own online gambling initiatives. Experts believe that this is not the right course of action since state by state legalisation will be ensnared by cumbersome red tape …

The United Kingdom’s Treasury Department is on the verge of lowering the tax rate for online gambling operators. The idea behind the lower tax rate is to lure offshore gambling operators back to the United Kingdom.

UK Treasury Lowers Online Gambling Tax

Many online gambling operators left the UK because the UK government imposed a steep 15 percent tax rate on all Internet betting. The government said that it will gain more in the long run by reducing its current tax rate. The UK government lost a whopping GBP2.1 billion the last seven years. Hence the Treasury is thinking of slashing its current tax rate on online gambling operators by a third.

The reason for the new “point of consumption” taxation is to compel operators to apply for a license from the UK Gambling Commission instead of applying for an offshore one.

The Mail on Sunday pointed out that certain EU countries pay up …

Warner Bros. has been slapped with an $80 million lawsuit from the estate of “The Lord of the Rings” and from its publisher HarperCollins.

Microgaming reported that it removed the slots from its portfolio but did not give an ample reason for doing so, now we know why.

Warner Bros Sued for Infringement

Time Warner Inc. a unit of Warner Bros. has been accused by Tolkien’s estate for “infringing conduct.”

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Monday. It purports that Warner Bros. and its subsidiary New Line Cinema – which own the merchandising rights to the “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” brands were guilty of copyrights infringements by licensing to casino slot machines, online gambling, games and downloads.

Warner Bros. received the lawsuit just a week before the release of the New Zealand premiere of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”. The first of a new …

Online gambling regulators in Greece and Spain have issued a stern warning to gambling sites that offer their services to its citizens illegally.

The Hellenic Gambling Commission

The Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC) based in Athens issued an advisory notice to illegal online gambling operators in Greece. The HGC said that in order to operate in Greece online gaming operators must follow the legal tender process, which has not been initiated as yet. Operators who continue their illegal operations will not only receive a minimum prison sentence of ten years but will have to pay fines ranging from between €200,000 and €500,000.

The Spanish Gambling Authority

Twelve unlicensed operators have been notified by the Spanish gambling authority DGoJ to suspend their operations immediately. They are UWin Poker, Betsson, Gaming VC, Come On Europe Ltd, DreamMakers Gaming Tech, Tempo Gaming Ltd, RM Royal Media Group NV, Midas Player Ltd, Media Entertainment, 12Bet, …

Professor Mark Griffiths one of the speakers at a problem gambling conference held in the United States recently said that he opposes online gambling.

He said it not only does it exacerbate problem gambling but it encourages minors to wager online as well. Griffiths is dean of gambling studies at Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom.

Griffiths Criticizes Gambling 

He pointed out that due to the pitfalls of it, it has become harder to regulate. It encourages people to wager more than they intend to and current technology is making it easier for minors to register accounts as well.

Griffiths said that minors who wager at social network sites firmly believe that the points they have earned could be cashed in lieu for cash. In itself this is ambiguous since children trust these sites.

He had the following to say about social websites, “How do we legislate stopping children from …

The state of New Jersey approved a new gambling bill that will enable punters to wager at Atlantic City casinos via their iPads and other wireless handheld devices.

Atlantic City Mobile Gambling 

Punters can now place bets via their mobile devices on condition they are within the boundaries of the casino, be it at the casino hotel, poolside, restaurants and guest rooms. However, they will not be allowed to wager in garages or parking lots.

David Rubuck, Director of New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement said, “We are looking forward to having Atlantic City casinos take advantage of mobile gaming and we see these regulations as one more step in the expansion of gaming opportunities afforded to Atlantic City customers.”

No one knows exactly when mobile gambling will go live at Atlantic City’s casinos. Lisa Spengler, a spokesperson of the Division of Gaming Enforcement said casinos have not submitted official applications yet.

…

Phil Ivey, the winner of eight World Series of Poker bracelets won $11,5 at a London Casino where he played Punto Bunco.

Foul Play?

The casino said that they suspected Ivey of foul play and approached authorities to investigate the matter since the pro poker player experienced an unusual winning streak playing Punto Banco. The game is a variant of baccarat and quite similar to Chemin de Fer. Editor in chief of the poker magazine Bluff, Lance Bradley said the game is based purely on luck and no skill is involved whatsoever.

In August Ivey and a female companion entered Crockfords in London’s up market Mayfair district, the casino is hailed by many as the city’s most prestigious and oldest gambling club.

Ivey and his companion managed to win back their losses plus an amazing $11,5 in winnings. Crockford’s casino management assured the poker star that the funds would be wired to his account immediately. …

Realtime Gaming software just released its latest slot game titled Hairway to Heaven. The online slots is based on the fabled story of Rapunzel.

The princess who was imprisoned in a tower by an evil witch. Before the prince could rescue her she had to drop her tresses for him to climb up.

Hairway to Heaven Slots Details

The gist of the story features as symbols on the reels. The wild symbol is the princess and she even acts as substitute for the scatter symbol. Before payouts are awarded it expands to cover the entire reel and only appears on reel 3. In the animation the princess drops her hair and players can see the prince climbing up the tower to try and rescue her.

When the princess substitutes in winning combinations the payouts are doubled. If necessary the entire expanded reel can count as one scatter symbol. The scatter …

Lucky Red invites all players to try out its latest fantastic bonuses. It says, “The sun is shining and our days are into full swing! Come down to the casino to spice your day up even more!”

Don’t forget to redeem your coupons to pad your deposits!” These fantastic bonuses are available from Tuesday 11 September until Thursday 13 September. Four different bonuses could be claimed each with its own bonus code.

Weekly Promotions Bonus 1. Could be used to wager on blackjack, video poker and table games. For deposits more than $21 the bonus is 55% of the deposit. The bonus code can be redeemed five times. Use coupon code: PRIZE55 Bonus 2. Could be used to wager on slots, keno and scratch cards. For deposits between $21 to $100 the bonus is 75%. The bonus can be redeemed three times. Use coupon code: PRIZE75 Bonus 3.  Is ideal …

Poker as a games does not yield that much revenue if compared to other table games in Atlantic City. However, industry experts state that when it comes to online gambling, poker is one of the most profitable.

Founder of U.S. Digital Gaming Richard Baskin says, “It is clear that poker will be the first major game (on the internet) and will lead everything else,”

“There’s just a huge market built for it because of all of the television that has happened in the last couple of years.”

The possibility that online poker might be legalized in the United States looks rosier by the day since the US Department of Justice had a change of heart with regard to the Federal Wire Act in December year. The DoJ said that it is up to individual states to impose the necessary laws within their borders that will not only regulate online poker …