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With the UK government's threats to make responsible gambling contributions to the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RIGT) compulsory making the headlines this week, the political blog at The Guardian made some pointed and valid comments on the slow voluntary payments of the past.

Imagine the scene: a young family man enduring tough times spends part of his New Year's Eve scratching off the numbers on an Ontario Lottery scratch card to see if benevolent fortune has smiled upon him. One card reveals a win of $75,000, but there's more to come and the excited punter finally has what appears to be a total win of $135,000 - it's a major boon to tight finances for the 27-year-old steelworker, his wife and their infant son.

And that's where the feel-good element of this story ends.

It hasn't taken long for some of the world's most accomplished online poker players to accept the $1.5 million challenge thrown out earlier this week by online poker ace Tom "durrr" Dwan. Phil Ivey, David Benyamine, Barry Greenstein and Patrik Antonius have all picked up the gauntlet, according to Poker Road Radio.

UK Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe has published a consultation document that could be the first step in turning a voluntary contribution to problem gambling charity R.I.G.T. (Responsibility in Gambling Trust) into a mandatory donation.

Dublin-based online gambling software provider Cryptologic sees in the new year this week with the release of three new games featuring the legendary Marvel Super Hero, Spiderman, a new adventure slot game called Dragon Sword, and an enhanced version of Atlantic City Blackjack, one of the company's most popular casino games.

It was not all sweetness and light over the festive season at online gambling software provider Cryptologic, it seems. A disagreement over corporate decisions with a shareholder and previous CEO, Javaid Aziz took place over the period, eventually leading to the company rejecting a demand from Aziz for a seat on the board of directors.

Anti-gambling activists in Australia are calling for pre-paid smart cards to be introduced into gaming venues to reduce problem gambling, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Under the plan, users would nominate a monthly cap on the amount of money they would be prepared to lose.

The annual wrangle over "voluntary" contributions by major British gambling groups to the Responsibility in Gambling Trust entered a critical phase as the new year started, with Culture Secretary, Andy Burnham, reportedly losing patience with the gambling industry after the emergence of a £1.2 million shortfall in donations for 2008-09.

The weekend reportage of WFSB TV in the United States featured a tragic but at the same time uplifting story of a $10 million lottery gift from the grave.