PartyGaming one of the leading online gaming operators with brands such as PartyCasino and PartyPoker.  Those who monitor the online gaming industry have for some time been speculating that PartyGaming is making waves to enter the United States market once it’s legalized and regulated online gambling.  First it settled with the US Department of Justice (DoJ) , paid a hefty fine and cleared the air.  Having no legal liabilities it will be one of the prime considerations for the issue of licenses in the United States.  Partygaming also entered into a merger with bwin thus forming the largest listed online gaming company.

However, PartyGaming received a set- back when the original owners and major shareholders Russ De Leon and Ruth Parasol refused to settle with the DoJ last week.  As a result PartyGaming left the United States market, apart from the company the then prime stake holders De Leon, Parasol and Dikshit were individually and separately held liable for conducting illegal …

Players from across Europe and the US don’t always realise how difficult it is for players from Latin America to fund online casino accounts.   Only 20% of the Internet users in this region have access to international credit cards.  Less than 20% of credit cards issued in Latin America are accepted abroad or by international online merchants like online casinos.  More than 60% of all online transactions in Latin America are paid through cash payment alternatives. 

Pertaing to the above it becomes difficult for players to interact with online casinos through electronic wallets such as Neteller.  The good news is that Neteller has now made it easier for Latin American online casino players to utilise its service and to fund their Internet casino accounts.  Neteller has now teamed up with the Latin American payment services provider Dinero Mail.

Casino players from Latin America will follow a two step process to fund their Neteller account. The first step, they will have to fund …

The European online gambling market’s playground has changed once again over the last couple of months.   Articles 43 and 49 of the European Union Treaty are supposed to ensure a uniform online gambling market across Europe, online gambling operators have realized that this will not be reached within the near future.  Experts in the industry are of the opinion that online gambling operators are willing to settle for regulatory regimes offered by individual countries even if it affects private enterprise.  Then again, bread crumbs are better than no crumbs at all…

The unified European market announced that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled the following in three high profile cases.  In the Netherlands ECJ ruled in favor of De Lotto’s monopoly against Ladbrokes and Betfair. In Portugal ECJ ruled in favor of the state monopoly against Bwin and it also gave a similar verdict in Sweden.  The heart of the matter is that the rulings mentioned by the EU provisions are not in …

Social Media sites are growing at a steady pace among people over the age of 45 in the United States, especially women over the age of 55.  This demographic is the fastest-growing segment in social media.  Women now out number men in social media groups, making them 56.2%, by-and-large a significant growth.  Any sensible online casino vendor cannot ignore these figures.

The good news is, there are an unprecedented number of media tools readily available to connect to your audience such as:  social networking sites to deliver greater profits to the online marketing game.

Internet Bingo with its colorful characters, has always been about connecting and socializing. Whether it is playing bingo in a traditional bingo hall or online at an online casino bingo site.  Today Internet bingo is set to become the next best thing to online poker, bingo’s social history is finally catching up with its other online counterparts.

Bear in mind whilst utilising social media, it …

Ad Astra and Full Fun to Microgaming/888 to join French Poker Network 

Microgaming the world’s biggest provider of online gaming software is the driving force behind Prima Networks Limited its European distributor.  It announced that its joint venture with 888 Malta Limited (‘888’) has recently signed operators Ad Astra and Full Fun to its French Poker Network, thus setting them apart as the only network to have a total of four ARJEL approved operator licenses.

This new network will enable 888 and Prima Networks Limited to combine their expertise and experience to deliver a Poker solution to the newly regulated French market.

Roger Raatgever, CEO at Microgaming said: “We are happy to announce a further two licence approvals in France, in addition of Ad Astra and Full Fun to the French Poker Network. Four of our operators have been granted licences, more than any other B2B Poker Network provider to date.”

“We are confident that this will represent the start our …

iGaming Business announced that nominations for the 4th annual iGB Affiliate Awards is to commence on the 23 rd of this month.  This is a much anticipated event and number of improvements in the nominations at this glittering award ceremony has been made, this will take place on Thursday 27th January at the Brewery in London.

This year the awards have been improved  thus offering a better experience for all those who participate whether they’re a nominee or not. “After hearing feedback from the industry last year, we have decided to chang the nominations and voting process,” said Alex Pratt the Publisher of iGaming Business. “It’s imperative to us that we celebrate the initiative and hard work of the people who find themselves in this industry”

The number of categories have been reduced to 14 this year.  In turn this will allow for a more detailed and transparent judging structure and will ensure that the integrity of the awards are adhered to.  Past winners have testified that to win …

When Angel a mother, wife and self-described “patriotic Italian-American” feels like unwinding, she heads to the bingo parlor. But Angel (not her real name) avoids the local church’s game: She doesn’t like the smoke and besides, “The crowd can get pretty vicious at Immaculate Mary’s when the callers are inadequate.”

Nor does she fly to Atlantic City or Las Vegas. “I’m not against that personally,” she explains on her Web site. “The coffee boys in Caesar’s are very buff. They can serve me in their little togas anytime. But road trips don’t go over real well when you’re a Mommy. You sorta hafta stay home and take care of things, capice?”

For Angel, the nearest bingo parlor waits on just the other side of an Internet connection. Like an increasing number of Americans, she loves the convenience and fun of online gaming. “If I choose to be a chooch and …

iGaming Business released results of a survey which indicates a postive trend and it predicts that the online gaming industry will more than double in  years to come. The report indicates that the industry could grow by as much as 80 percent from 2010 to 2014. By the end of this year the online gambling industry will be worth $4.7 billion globally this pertains to gross gaming revenues.   This figure could  increases to well over 1 billion by the end of 2012,  amounting to $7.1 billion at the end of 2014 which is a 79% increase compared to revenue generated at the end of 2009. The iGaming report also tracks recent trends and strategies of successful operators, and gives a comprehensive breakdown of the history of the online casino industry and statistics on starts-ups and expanding enterprises within it.  Successful operators average $1.5million in start-up costs which is far less than land-based casinos that require up to $300 million to start …