Online Casino and Gambling News: February 2009

Barney Frank to renew legislative attack on UIGEA in March

Barney Frank, the Democratic Party's chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and a strong supporter of legalising online gambling in the United States, is preparing to launch another legislative attack on the controversial Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, according to a Reuters report as the week ended.

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Federal authorities retain $10m in confiscated Bodog funds

Millions of dollars confiscated from accounts allegedly linked to the Bodog online gambling group will be retained by the federal authorities in the US following a confirmatory order issued by a Baltimore judge this week.

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Comparison of 2007 and 2008 Nevada gaming revenues

Worried land gambling industry operators are concerned that a pronounced and sustained downward trend in revenues at Nevada land casinos could continue into 2009 following a tough 2008 that saw revenues decline by 9.7% - with the fourth quarter plunging 18.9%.

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South Carolina Judge rules poker is a game of skill

Pretty much as anticipated, South Carolina Judge Lawrence Duffy Jnr this week ruled that poker is "overwhelmingly" a game of skill and not chance, adding a third state precedent in as many months to the learned judgements supporting the concept of skill rather than chance in the game.

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Ex-CEO Javaid Aziz pressures Cryptologic for extraordinary general meeting

The former CEO of online gambling software provider Cryptologic, Javaid Aziz, is pressuring the company for an Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders. Aziz, who holds 12.5% of the company's stock, has enlisting the support of other shareholders, and has been critical of the direction in which the company is headed.

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Ladbrokes full year profit exceeds market expectations

The UK's largest online and land gambling group Ladbrokes reports that its business had shown resilience against the impact of the recession, with full-year operating profit slightly ahead of market expectations.

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Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security to investigate gambling rings

The spread of broadband and WiFi technology has led to an upsurge in online gambling in Vietnam, but due to the unregulated nature of the pastime local media are warning punters to be cautious with their choices and their money, pointing out that at the dark end of the business there have been reports of intimidation and theft to recover gambler debts.

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EU gambling investigation likely to recommend WTO action against USA

The European Commission probe into the activities of US enforcement authorities in pursuing European online gambling companies and executives appears to be nearing a conclusion, according to reports from the Reuters news agency this week. And sources close to the probe have said that unless a negotiated solution can be found, it is likely that the investgating officials will recommend that a WTO action against the USA be launched.

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eCOGRA celebrates fifth anniversary, issues three new certifications

The online gambling independent player protection and standards organisation eCOGRA marked five years of quality and safety oversight at its 126 accredited poker and casino websites this week by awarding its tough Safe and Fair gambling seal to three new partners.

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Sportingbet sponsors Brisbane Broncos NRL team

Hard on the heels of media reports that Betfair and Wests Tigers had signed a sponsorship and mutual cooperation marketing deal comes the news that UK Internet gambling group Sportingbet's Australian branch has formed a partnership with the Brisbane Broncos.

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