There can be little doubt that there is a link between crime and gambling. Of course, the nature of the crimes can vary tremendously Here's the latest in the hundreds of crime - gambling related matters... Media Man and the aptly named Gambling911 continue to probe criminal issues and enterprises around the world...
A South Australian punter has now been sentenced to over 3 years in the can (jail) for stealing from Tote Tasmania in a crafty computer fraud scheme that turned over a cool $2.5 million.
Mr Dylan Johnstone, aged 23, pleaded guilty to a massive 362 counts of computer-related fraud between November 2009 and January 2010. He was a busy boy as the say in the suburbs.
The court house previously heard that Johnstone discovered a vulnerability of sorts in an internet payment system which he used and abused to facilitate false payments of more than $750,000 into his Tote online gambling account.
Hobart Supreme Court - Justice Shan Tennant advised Johnstone bet heavily and sometimes times won, with the turnover of his Tote account reaching a substantial $2.5 million.
But she went on to describe the scheme as "spectacularly unsuccessful" and said Johnstone ended up well over his head.
None the less, she sentenced him to three and a half years jail and with two and a half year parole period.
Johnstone has been ordered to pay back Tote's losses amounting to almost half a million dollars.
It is unknown at this time if, when or how much of the half a mill he will be able to pay back to the Tote.
Punters, please play it legal, bet with your head, not over it, know the odds, have fun and for Christ's sake, don't do anything we wouldn't do.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
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Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
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Australian Sports Entertainment
05 July 2010
UFC News: Aussie George Sotiropoulos The Pride Of Oz, by Greg Tingle - 5th July 2010
Australians are some of the biggest UFC fans in the world and have a deep respect for the sport, if recent PPV buy rates and response to UFC's Brock Lesnar and Aussie George Sotiropolous are anything to judge by. Lesnar may be the UFC Hwt Champ, but our boy George is every bit the champ in the eyes of many... Media Man and Gambling911 enter the cage...
The Place: MGM Grand Garden Arena - MGM Grand Casino
What: UFC 116, perhaps the greatest UFC event in history
Brock Lesnar VS Shane Carwin was the headliner that drew in the crown, media, sports betting punters and PPV buy rates, but it was a top card and Aussie George didn't disappoint, earning a victory over American Kurt Pellegrino in 3 rounds. Go Aussie.
Lady luck smiled for both the pride of Australia George Sotiropoulos (Aussie Greek) and Lensar, the undisputed heavyweight champion, the former 'Next Big Thing' from the WWE pro wrestling "circus", who has actually "wrestled" down under in Australia on the 2002 tour, then announced as having injured Hulk Hogan. What a difference a decade can make! Hogan's now in TNA, with casino and real estate deals on the side, and Lesnar is the real deal.
Lensar Pro Wrestling Connection Support...
Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), Bill Goldberg, Paul Heyman and good ol JR (Jim Ross) was there, so was the former 'Baddest Man On The Planet' Mike Tyson. The wrestlers would eventually have reason to celebrate with Lensar, after what would have been a test of nerves being ringside for the pro wrestling legends.
'Our George', the Geelong boy came out owned Las Vegas for 23 minutes, further cementing his national and international fame.
Brock Lesnar VS Shane Carwin (Main Event)...
Lesnar had canceled two previous bouts with Carwin after developing an intestinal illness that nearly killed him.
Lesnar recovered from a brutal first-round beating to stop Shane Carwin with a triangle choke in the 2nd, defending his heavyweight title at UFC 116. Lesnar won his first fight in nearly a year despite taking a pounding in the opening minutes from Carwin, the previously undefeated interim champion. Lesnar, the former pro wrestler and the UFC's biggest pay-per-view star, took down Carwin in the second round. He got Carwin in an arm triangle choke, forcing Carwin to tap at the MGM Grand Garden.
Lesnar following victory said "I stand before you a humble champion, and still the toughest SOB around, baby."
Carwin Speaks On Lensar...
"My hat is off to him," said Carwin, whose previous 12 fights never reached the second round. "He's the champion. I fell down the mountain, but I'll get back up."
* BetUS had Carwin priced at +125
George Sotiropoulos snapshot...
"I'm ready for anything. Of course I'd love a title shot but I'm in no rush, I'm happy doing what I'm doing". UFC president Dana White advised he continued to be blown away by Sotiropoulos but only put him in the top 5 of the division. Sotiropoulos nailed Pellegrino with a straight left in the first and dominated the second with power and control. Pellegrino was forced to adopt a defensive approach to avoid getting taken down. Late in the last round, Sotiropoulos was floored by a knee to the head but avoided disaster by surviving to hear the final siren. "I knew exactly what he was going to do in certain positions. He played into every part of my game".
Results
Pay-Per-View Bouts:
Brock Lesnar def. Shane Carwin via submission (arm triangle choke)
Chris Leben def. Yoshihiro Akiyama via submission (triangle choke)
Chris Lytle def. Matt Brown via submission (armbar)
Stephan Bonnar def. Krzysztof Soszynski via second-round TKO
George Sotiropoulos def. Kurt Pellegrino via unanimous decision in 3 rounds
Spike TV Bouts:
Brendan Schaub def. Chris Tuchscherer by first-round TKO
Ricardo Romero def. Seth Petruzelli via submission (armbar)
Preliminary Bouts:
Kendall Grove def. Goran Reljic via split decision
Gerald Harris def. Dave Branch via third-round TKO
Daniel Roberts def. Forrest Petz via split decision
Jon Madsen def. Karlos Vemola via unanimous decision
Wrap Up...
What a show, and outstanding matches and entertainment by both Lesnar, the former amateur wrestler and WWE showman and 'Our George', one step closer to the championship.
By all accounts, everyone was happy... UFC top brass, the fans present, promoters, TV execs. Only the UFC "haters" and fighters who badly beaten up were not smiling much.
Australian Pay TV operator Foxtel is not disclosing its buy rates for the event at this time, but insiders say it was the biggest UFC buy ever in Australia, and one of the biggest PPV buys ever in Australia full stop. UFC remains the biggest business threat to the world of professional boxing, and more experts are starting to question how much effect UFC may have on the WWE, giving that everyone is fighting for the Entertainment Dollar, in what is still well regarded as a global financial crisis. A Media Man spokesperson said "UFC and WWE are different animals, but people only have so much to spend on their entertainment dollar. Brock Lensar knows how to entertain and also has clout and pull with the traditional WWE crowd, so when Lesnar is on the card it stands to reason that it must have some effect on the WWE. Neither the UFC or WWE is going to put either out of business, and its great that the fans win with the choice".
Media Man and Gambling911 publicly thank the UFC, from president Dana White, all the way down for putting on a historic night of entertainment, and also for helping spike the websites again.
Punters, as always, bet with your head, not over it, know the odds and have fun.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Casino
Media Man Poker
Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
The Place: MGM Grand Garden Arena - MGM Grand Casino
What: UFC 116, perhaps the greatest UFC event in history
Brock Lesnar VS Shane Carwin was the headliner that drew in the crown, media, sports betting punters and PPV buy rates, but it was a top card and Aussie George didn't disappoint, earning a victory over American Kurt Pellegrino in 3 rounds. Go Aussie.
Lady luck smiled for both the pride of Australia George Sotiropoulos (Aussie Greek) and Lensar, the undisputed heavyweight champion, the former 'Next Big Thing' from the WWE pro wrestling "circus", who has actually "wrestled" down under in Australia on the 2002 tour, then announced as having injured Hulk Hogan. What a difference a decade can make! Hogan's now in TNA, with casino and real estate deals on the side, and Lesnar is the real deal.
Lensar Pro Wrestling Connection Support...
Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), Bill Goldberg, Paul Heyman and good ol JR (Jim Ross) was there, so was the former 'Baddest Man On The Planet' Mike Tyson. The wrestlers would eventually have reason to celebrate with Lensar, after what would have been a test of nerves being ringside for the pro wrestling legends.
'Our George', the Geelong boy came out owned Las Vegas for 23 minutes, further cementing his national and international fame.
Brock Lesnar VS Shane Carwin (Main Event)...
Lesnar had canceled two previous bouts with Carwin after developing an intestinal illness that nearly killed him.
Lesnar recovered from a brutal first-round beating to stop Shane Carwin with a triangle choke in the 2nd, defending his heavyweight title at UFC 116. Lesnar won his first fight in nearly a year despite taking a pounding in the opening minutes from Carwin, the previously undefeated interim champion. Lesnar, the former pro wrestler and the UFC's biggest pay-per-view star, took down Carwin in the second round. He got Carwin in an arm triangle choke, forcing Carwin to tap at the MGM Grand Garden.
Lesnar following victory said "I stand before you a humble champion, and still the toughest SOB around, baby."
Carwin Speaks On Lensar...
"My hat is off to him," said Carwin, whose previous 12 fights never reached the second round. "He's the champion. I fell down the mountain, but I'll get back up."
* BetUS had Carwin priced at +125
George Sotiropoulos snapshot...
"I'm ready for anything. Of course I'd love a title shot but I'm in no rush, I'm happy doing what I'm doing". UFC president Dana White advised he continued to be blown away by Sotiropoulos but only put him in the top 5 of the division. Sotiropoulos nailed Pellegrino with a straight left in the first and dominated the second with power and control. Pellegrino was forced to adopt a defensive approach to avoid getting taken down. Late in the last round, Sotiropoulos was floored by a knee to the head but avoided disaster by surviving to hear the final siren. "I knew exactly what he was going to do in certain positions. He played into every part of my game".
Results
Pay-Per-View Bouts:
Brock Lesnar def. Shane Carwin via submission (arm triangle choke)
Chris Leben def. Yoshihiro Akiyama via submission (triangle choke)
Chris Lytle def. Matt Brown via submission (armbar)
Stephan Bonnar def. Krzysztof Soszynski via second-round TKO
George Sotiropoulos def. Kurt Pellegrino via unanimous decision in 3 rounds
Spike TV Bouts:
Brendan Schaub def. Chris Tuchscherer by first-round TKO
Ricardo Romero def. Seth Petruzelli via submission (armbar)
Preliminary Bouts:
Kendall Grove def. Goran Reljic via split decision
Gerald Harris def. Dave Branch via third-round TKO
Daniel Roberts def. Forrest Petz via split decision
Jon Madsen def. Karlos Vemola via unanimous decision
Wrap Up...
What a show, and outstanding matches and entertainment by both Lesnar, the former amateur wrestler and WWE showman and 'Our George', one step closer to the championship.
By all accounts, everyone was happy... UFC top brass, the fans present, promoters, TV execs. Only the UFC "haters" and fighters who badly beaten up were not smiling much.
Australian Pay TV operator Foxtel is not disclosing its buy rates for the event at this time, but insiders say it was the biggest UFC buy ever in Australia, and one of the biggest PPV buys ever in Australia full stop. UFC remains the biggest business threat to the world of professional boxing, and more experts are starting to question how much effect UFC may have on the WWE, giving that everyone is fighting for the Entertainment Dollar, in what is still well regarded as a global financial crisis. A Media Man spokesperson said "UFC and WWE are different animals, but people only have so much to spend on their entertainment dollar. Brock Lensar knows how to entertain and also has clout and pull with the traditional WWE crowd, so when Lesnar is on the card it stands to reason that it must have some effect on the WWE. Neither the UFC or WWE is going to put either out of business, and its great that the fans win with the choice".
Media Man and Gambling911 publicly thank the UFC, from president Dana White, all the way down for putting on a historic night of entertainment, and also for helping spike the websites again.
Punters, as always, bet with your head, not over it, know the odds and have fun.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Casino
Media Man Poker
Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
Australia To Get More Casinos And Regulation, by Greg Tingle - 5th July 2010
Australia are likely to get more land based casinos and more regulation, if the recent turn of events is anything to judge by... Media Man and Gambling911 along with sniffer dogs, Bluey and Timmy, board the Aussie Regional Express and come up with a bush tucker bag of Aussie casino and gaming news as the global hunt continues... Kangaroos get hopping to it...
Outlaw Ban On Aussie And International Crooks From Casinos Down Under...
Australia with its grand plan to build more casinos and increase regulation, is looking to tighten up laws to ban criminals, both Aussies and tourists. The wide believe in the industry, society and police is that more needs to be done, Media Man having researched this and assisted some authorities for the past number of years.
As we go to print (technically Web) are being drawn up to stop criminals laundering money through casinos and gambling venues nationally.
Gambling exclusion orders are already imposed, but only at state and territory levels, and there's room for improvement.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor sdvised crims who have been subject to one state exclusion order have moved to other jurisdictions where venues are unaware of the order!
Our learned friend said the federal plan will see each state and territory pass and execute legislation to enable gambling exclusion orders that are issued in other jurisdictions to be recognised within their borders.
Cairns Casino Mecca Proposal Political Casino War...
You've heard of the Aussie Casino Wars, namely Sydney's Star City VS Melbourne
s Crown Casino... well, the wars are expanding north to regional Cairns and taking on an ultra political spin.
A far Northern Queensland mayor says a plan to turn the city of Cairns into a Las Vegas-style gambling destination is "bizarre and unwelcome". Liberal National Party defector and now independent MP Aidan McLindon wants all of Queensland's pokies, except those in casinos, moved to Cairns and a gambling strip like Vegas established.
Cairns Mayor Val Schier says she is opposed to the idea.
"I think the suggestion is absolutely bizarre and I'm not quite sure what his motivation is in making it," she said.
"Perhaps he is just seeking attention."
Cr Schier says the gambling destination will not get public support.
"The plan would never get any wings at all," she said.
"There would be no support for it at all - the last thing we want is more poker machines concentrated in one area.
"We know the problems that there already are with gambling but certainly Cairns would not want to have a bar of it."
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chairman Bill Calderwood says the plan has no merit.
"I don't think it's an idea that makes a lot of sense for this destination," he said.
"We have many wonderful, natural attractions and wonder products and experiences that attract people here.
"I doubt very much that we need the artificial injection of casinos to attract people up here."
Australia's Cairns In Northern Queensland To Become Aussie Las Vegas?...
Cairns would become Australia's equivalent to Las Vegas under a somewhat controversial scheme to transform it into the national centre for poker machines. Aussie Casino King, James Packer, his prize casino being in Melbourne, Australia, isn't speaking on the matter as yet. Packer also has his Burswood Entertainment Complex in Perth, Western Australia, so don't expect Packer to support the proposal. It's not a Crown Limited venture either, but maybe we would buy them out one day. The current proposal is to be heard within 24 hours in Brisbane, north of Sydney, and south of Cairns, at one of the tourism industry's key annual conventions, Tourism Futures, to be attended by international tourism heavyweights and politicians, including Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. It is being championed - sphere headed by breakaway Liberal National Party MP Aidan McLindon, who has previously had campaigned against the spread of pokies. But Mr McLindon, who quit the party in May to form the Queensland Party, is now pushing for debate on a scheme that would create a Las Vegas style gambling strip in gorgeous Cairns by relocating poker machines from existing pubs and clubs across Queensland to a new "Aus Vegas" to be built in the region. Punters may recal Aus Vegas was an online casino name owned and operated by Lasseters, but they closed shop roughly 3 years ago, unable to compete with competitors which snatched online casino tuna, dolphins and whales. Aussie punters turned off Aus Vegas (online), finding the likes of PartyCasino.com, Captain Cooks Casino and Virgin Casino.
The Beaudesert MP first tabled his vision for a Vegas-style pokies hub to reduce gambling in April last year in his virgin speech to State Parliament. It somewhat replicates the US model, where Nevada is the only state to have no significant restrictions against gaming machines. Under the "Aus Vegas" proposal, clubs would have to sell their poker machine licences back to the Government or relocate their pokies to Cairns and become "shareholders" in the new venture. The state's existing 4 major casinos would be exempt.
The plan would be supported by a shake-up of the current distribution of gambling funds collected by the State Government, with pokies revenue instead being poured into recreational sports through a scheme that would hand sports clubs a cash grant for each child they put on the sports field! (a suitable connection between pokies and kids). "The location is ideal given the Cairns region is suffering some of the highest unemployment levels and the tourism industry is plummeting," Mr McLindon said. "It already has the international airport there, which is under-utilised. Ideally, you want them (gaming machines) all in one place so people can go away, have a holiday, blow their money and come home." But welfare groups fear the plan could turn Cairns into another "Sin City", following Vegas, Sydney and Melbourne to a certain extent...making residents the sacrificial lambs of the nation's gambling problems.
Media Man Profiles
Northern Queensland
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/northern_queensland.html
Aus Vegas
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/ausvegas.html
Australian Politics - Kate Lundy VS Sen Stephen Conroy ("Censorship Minister")...
Julia Gillard's takeover of the Labor Party leadership has sparked calls for the communications portfolio to change hands also. Gillard became the country's first female Prime Minister after Kevin Rudd decided not to contest a leadership challenge. In her acceptance speech, Ms Gillard said she would make "consequential" changes to cabinet positions at "an appropriate time". However some bloggers and technology pundits have already decided on the two politicians they would like to see trade places. The minister they would like to see out is Stephen Conroy, currently in charge of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (BCDE), and the figurehead of the Government's controversial internet filtering policy. The favourite to replace him is Kate Lundy, a former shadow IT minister who has retained an interest in the area and the respect of industry figures. Technology wire service Delimiter speculated on whether Senator Lundy would replace Senator Conroy in a reshuffle, airing claims from critics of the current minister that Senator Lundy better understood the sector. Gizmodo Australia went one step further and launched a campaign titled "Kate Lundy For IT: The Change We Really Need" that was linked to by hundreds of users on Twitter. "If it's time for a change in Labor, there’s no better change than replacing Conroy with a forward thinking minister for BCDE like Senator Lundy," it said. Editor Nick Broughall said the campaign wasn't just a kneejerk reaction to the leadership change and had so far received encouraging support. "We're going to run with this until the new front bench has been named and we know whether or not the Government is going to change its approach to the BCDE portfolio, in particular its proposed internet filter," he told News Limited's news.com.au. Web filtering Much of the backlash against Senator Conroy is linked to the Government's controversial internet filtering plan. Under the scheme, internet providers like Telstra and Optus would be forced to block access to a secret list of banned webpages. One of the key differences between the two senators is the degree of their support for the plan. Senator Lundy has been one of the only Labor voices to publicly question the policy and earlier this month said she would propose an alternative to the Labor Caucus. "I am working to change the internet filtering policy to better achieve the policy goals of protecting children through empowering and educating parents," she wrote on her blog at the time. Senator Lundy's concerns lay with the mandatory nature of the filtering plan. She believes Australians should be given the option to choose whether their internet connections are censored. However Internet Industry Association chief executive Peter Coroneos said a change of minister wasn't necessary for the filtering plan to be dropped, if the Government chose to do so. "I wouldn't necessarily conclude from (Gillard's) comments that we're going to see a major rearrangement of the deckchairs," he told news.com.au. "To speculate on who will be the communications minister really is jumping ahead." Mr Coroneos said the association supported two of the Government's three main communications policies — the national broadband network (NBN) and its e-security agenda — but not its internet filtering plan. If the communications portfolio was up for grabs, Mr Coroneos said it would be a "difficult question to answer" which senator would suit it best. "Kate Lundy is someone we’ve worked with for a long time and we have a great deal of respect for both her commitment to our industry and also her understanding of*
Home Affairs Minister "But there's no doubting Stephen Conroy's commitment to the NBN either." Senator Lundy was one of the first Labor MPs to declare her support for Ms Gillard last night. Fittingly, she made the statement on Twitter. "I will be voting for Julia Gillard in the l'ship ballot. She will be an inspiring PM!," she wrote, from the @katelundy account. And speaking on ABC Radio this morning before the leadership decision was revealed, she seemed confident with what the outcome would be. When asked if Australia would have a new prime minister by lunch, Senator Lundy replied: "I believe so." She also took the opportunity to describe IT policy as one of "those areas I'm passionate about". Senator Lundy was Labor's shadow IT minister from 2001 until 2004 when the portfolio was handed to Senator Conroy under then opposition leader Mark Latham. Since that time Senator Lundy has maintained an active interest in communications and technology, speaking publicly about the NBN and initiatives such as Gov 2.0, and regularly updating her blog. Senator Conroy is also understood to have supported Ms Gillard, according to The Australian. His media advisor did not immediately return a request for comment about the reshuffle.
Aussie Casino Shares...
Crown $7.730
Tabcorp $6.38
Centrbet $1.130
Tatts $2.230
Reef Casino Trust $1.900
Aristocrat Leisure Limited $3.610
Lasseters Corporation $0.010
SkyCity $2.88
Punters, as always, bet with your head, not over it, know the odds and have fun.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Casino
Media Man Poker
Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
Outlaw Ban On Aussie And International Crooks From Casinos Down Under...
Australia with its grand plan to build more casinos and increase regulation, is looking to tighten up laws to ban criminals, both Aussies and tourists. The wide believe in the industry, society and police is that more needs to be done, Media Man having researched this and assisted some authorities for the past number of years.
As we go to print (technically Web) are being drawn up to stop criminals laundering money through casinos and gambling venues nationally.
Gambling exclusion orders are already imposed, but only at state and territory levels, and there's room for improvement.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor sdvised crims who have been subject to one state exclusion order have moved to other jurisdictions where venues are unaware of the order!
Our learned friend said the federal plan will see each state and territory pass and execute legislation to enable gambling exclusion orders that are issued in other jurisdictions to be recognised within their borders.
Cairns Casino Mecca Proposal Political Casino War...
You've heard of the Aussie Casino Wars, namely Sydney's Star City VS Melbourne
s Crown Casino... well, the wars are expanding north to regional Cairns and taking on an ultra political spin.
A far Northern Queensland mayor says a plan to turn the city of Cairns into a Las Vegas-style gambling destination is "bizarre and unwelcome". Liberal National Party defector and now independent MP Aidan McLindon wants all of Queensland's pokies, except those in casinos, moved to Cairns and a gambling strip like Vegas established.
Cairns Mayor Val Schier says she is opposed to the idea.
"I think the suggestion is absolutely bizarre and I'm not quite sure what his motivation is in making it," she said.
"Perhaps he is just seeking attention."
Cr Schier says the gambling destination will not get public support.
"The plan would never get any wings at all," she said.
"There would be no support for it at all - the last thing we want is more poker machines concentrated in one area.
"We know the problems that there already are with gambling but certainly Cairns would not want to have a bar of it."
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chairman Bill Calderwood says the plan has no merit.
"I don't think it's an idea that makes a lot of sense for this destination," he said.
"We have many wonderful, natural attractions and wonder products and experiences that attract people here.
"I doubt very much that we need the artificial injection of casinos to attract people up here."
Australia's Cairns In Northern Queensland To Become Aussie Las Vegas?...
Cairns would become Australia's equivalent to Las Vegas under a somewhat controversial scheme to transform it into the national centre for poker machines. Aussie Casino King, James Packer, his prize casino being in Melbourne, Australia, isn't speaking on the matter as yet. Packer also has his Burswood Entertainment Complex in Perth, Western Australia, so don't expect Packer to support the proposal. It's not a Crown Limited venture either, but maybe we would buy them out one day. The current proposal is to be heard within 24 hours in Brisbane, north of Sydney, and south of Cairns, at one of the tourism industry's key annual conventions, Tourism Futures, to be attended by international tourism heavyweights and politicians, including Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. It is being championed - sphere headed by breakaway Liberal National Party MP Aidan McLindon, who has previously had campaigned against the spread of pokies. But Mr McLindon, who quit the party in May to form the Queensland Party, is now pushing for debate on a scheme that would create a Las Vegas style gambling strip in gorgeous Cairns by relocating poker machines from existing pubs and clubs across Queensland to a new "Aus Vegas" to be built in the region. Punters may recal Aus Vegas was an online casino name owned and operated by Lasseters, but they closed shop roughly 3 years ago, unable to compete with competitors which snatched online casino tuna, dolphins and whales. Aussie punters turned off Aus Vegas (online), finding the likes of PartyCasino.com, Captain Cooks Casino and Virgin Casino.
The Beaudesert MP first tabled his vision for a Vegas-style pokies hub to reduce gambling in April last year in his virgin speech to State Parliament. It somewhat replicates the US model, where Nevada is the only state to have no significant restrictions against gaming machines. Under the "Aus Vegas" proposal, clubs would have to sell their poker machine licences back to the Government or relocate their pokies to Cairns and become "shareholders" in the new venture. The state's existing 4 major casinos would be exempt.
The plan would be supported by a shake-up of the current distribution of gambling funds collected by the State Government, with pokies revenue instead being poured into recreational sports through a scheme that would hand sports clubs a cash grant for each child they put on the sports field! (a suitable connection between pokies and kids). "The location is ideal given the Cairns region is suffering some of the highest unemployment levels and the tourism industry is plummeting," Mr McLindon said. "It already has the international airport there, which is under-utilised. Ideally, you want them (gaming machines) all in one place so people can go away, have a holiday, blow their money and come home." But welfare groups fear the plan could turn Cairns into another "Sin City", following Vegas, Sydney and Melbourne to a certain extent...making residents the sacrificial lambs of the nation's gambling problems.
Media Man Profiles
Northern Queensland
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/northern_queensland.html
Aus Vegas
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/ausvegas.html
Australian Politics - Kate Lundy VS Sen Stephen Conroy ("Censorship Minister")...
Julia Gillard's takeover of the Labor Party leadership has sparked calls for the communications portfolio to change hands also. Gillard became the country's first female Prime Minister after Kevin Rudd decided not to contest a leadership challenge. In her acceptance speech, Ms Gillard said she would make "consequential" changes to cabinet positions at "an appropriate time". However some bloggers and technology pundits have already decided on the two politicians they would like to see trade places. The minister they would like to see out is Stephen Conroy, currently in charge of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (BCDE), and the figurehead of the Government's controversial internet filtering policy. The favourite to replace him is Kate Lundy, a former shadow IT minister who has retained an interest in the area and the respect of industry figures. Technology wire service Delimiter speculated on whether Senator Lundy would replace Senator Conroy in a reshuffle, airing claims from critics of the current minister that Senator Lundy better understood the sector. Gizmodo Australia went one step further and launched a campaign titled "Kate Lundy For IT: The Change We Really Need" that was linked to by hundreds of users on Twitter. "If it's time for a change in Labor, there’s no better change than replacing Conroy with a forward thinking minister for BCDE like Senator Lundy," it said. Editor Nick Broughall said the campaign wasn't just a kneejerk reaction to the leadership change and had so far received encouraging support. "We're going to run with this until the new front bench has been named and we know whether or not the Government is going to change its approach to the BCDE portfolio, in particular its proposed internet filter," he told News Limited's news.com.au. Web filtering Much of the backlash against Senator Conroy is linked to the Government's controversial internet filtering plan. Under the scheme, internet providers like Telstra and Optus would be forced to block access to a secret list of banned webpages. One of the key differences between the two senators is the degree of their support for the plan. Senator Lundy has been one of the only Labor voices to publicly question the policy and earlier this month said she would propose an alternative to the Labor Caucus. "I am working to change the internet filtering policy to better achieve the policy goals of protecting children through empowering and educating parents," she wrote on her blog at the time. Senator Lundy's concerns lay with the mandatory nature of the filtering plan. She believes Australians should be given the option to choose whether their internet connections are censored. However Internet Industry Association chief executive Peter Coroneos said a change of minister wasn't necessary for the filtering plan to be dropped, if the Government chose to do so. "I wouldn't necessarily conclude from (Gillard's) comments that we're going to see a major rearrangement of the deckchairs," he told news.com.au. "To speculate on who will be the communications minister really is jumping ahead." Mr Coroneos said the association supported two of the Government's three main communications policies — the national broadband network (NBN) and its e-security agenda — but not its internet filtering plan. If the communications portfolio was up for grabs, Mr Coroneos said it would be a "difficult question to answer" which senator would suit it best. "Kate Lundy is someone we’ve worked with for a long time and we have a great deal of respect for both her commitment to our industry and also her understanding of*
Home Affairs Minister "But there's no doubting Stephen Conroy's commitment to the NBN either." Senator Lundy was one of the first Labor MPs to declare her support for Ms Gillard last night. Fittingly, she made the statement on Twitter. "I will be voting for Julia Gillard in the l'ship ballot. She will be an inspiring PM!," she wrote, from the @katelundy account. And speaking on ABC Radio this morning before the leadership decision was revealed, she seemed confident with what the outcome would be. When asked if Australia would have a new prime minister by lunch, Senator Lundy replied: "I believe so." She also took the opportunity to describe IT policy as one of "those areas I'm passionate about". Senator Lundy was Labor's shadow IT minister from 2001 until 2004 when the portfolio was handed to Senator Conroy under then opposition leader Mark Latham. Since that time Senator Lundy has maintained an active interest in communications and technology, speaking publicly about the NBN and initiatives such as Gov 2.0, and regularly updating her blog. Senator Conroy is also understood to have supported Ms Gillard, according to The Australian. His media advisor did not immediately return a request for comment about the reshuffle.
Aussie Casino Shares...
Crown $7.730
Tabcorp $6.38
Centrbet $1.130
Tatts $2.230
Reef Casino Trust $1.900
Aristocrat Leisure Limited $3.610
Lasseters Corporation $0.010
SkyCity $2.88
Punters, as always, bet with your head, not over it, know the odds and have fun.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
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Australia To Get More Casinos And Regulation, by Greg Tingle - 5th July 2010
Australia is likely to get more land based casinos and extra regulation, if the recent turn of events is anything to judge by... Media Man and Gambling911 along with sniffer dogs, Bluey and Timmy, board the Aussie Regional Express and come up with a bush tucker bag of Aussie casino and gaming news as the global hunt continues... Kangaroos get hopping to it...
Outlaw Ban On Aussie And International Crooks From Casinos Down Under...
Australia with its grand plan to build more casinos and increase regulation, is looking to tighten up laws to ban criminals, both Aussies and tourists. The wide believe in the industry, society and police is that more needs to be done, Media Man having researched this and assisted some authorities for the past number of years.
As we go to print (technically Web) plans are being drawn up to stop criminals laundering money through casinos and gambling venues nationally.
Gambling exclusion orders are already imposed, but only at state and territory levels, and there's room for improvement.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor advised crims who have been subject to one state exclusion order have moved to other jurisdictions where venues are unaware of the order!
Our learned friend said the federal plan will see each state and territory pass and execute legislation to enable gambling exclusion orders that are issued in other jurisdictions to be recognised within their borders.
Cairns Casino Mecca Proposal Political Casino War...
You've heard of the Aussie Casino Wars, namely Sydney's Star City VS Melbourne's Crown Casino... well, the wars are expanding north to regional Cairns and taking on an ultra political spin. A far Northern Queensland mayor says a plan to turn the city of Cairns into a Las Vegas-style gambling destination is "bizarre and unwelcome". Liberal National Party defector and now independent MP Aidan McLindon wants all of Queensland's pokies, except those in casinos, moved to Cairns and a gambling strip like Vegas established. Cairns Mayor Val Schier says she is opposed to the idea. "I think the suggestion is absolutely bizarre and I'm not quite sure what his motivation is in making it," she said. "Perhaps he is just seeking attention." Cr Schier says the gambling destination will not get public support. "The plan would never get any wings at all," she said. "There would be no support for it at all - the last thing we want is more poker machines concentrated in one area. We know the problems that there already are with gambling but certainly Cairns would not want to have a bar of it." Tourism Tropical North Queensland chairman Bill Calderwood says the plan has no merit. "I don't think it's an idea that makes a lot of sense for this destination," he said. "We have many wonderful, natural attractions and wonder products and experiences that attract people here. "I doubt very much that we need the artificial injection of casinos to attract people up here.". Some struggling business owners beg to differ hesitant to provide their names in fear of repercussions. "My business is struggling. We need more cashed up tourists. The casino proposal would bring in additional attention, tourists and money to the area. They would spend some of that in the local township also. It's a no brainer mate".
Australia's Cairns In Northern Queensland To Become Aussie Las Vegas?...
Cairns would become Australia's equivalent to Las Vegas under a somewhat controversial scheme to transform it into the national centre for poker machines. Aussie Casino King, James Packer, his prize casino being in Melbourne, Australia, isn't speaking on the matter as yet. Packer also has his Burswood Entertainment Complex in Perth, Western Australia, so don't expect Packer to support the proposal. It's not a Crown Limited venture either, but maybe we would buy them out one day. The current proposal is to be heard within 24 hours in Brisbane, north of Sydney, and south of Cairns, at one of the tourism industry's key annual conventions, Tourism Futures, to be attended by international tourism heavyweights and politicians, including Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. It is being championed - sphere headed by breakaway Liberal National Party MP Aidan McLindon, who has previously had campaigned against the spread of pokies. But Mr McLindon, who quit the party in May to form the Queensland Party, is now pushing for debate on a scheme that would create a Las Vegas style gambling strip in gorgeous Cairns by relocating poker machines from existing pubs and clubs across Queensland to a new "Aus Vegas" to be built in the region. Punters may recall Aus Vegas was an online casino name owned and operated by Lasseters, but they closed shop roughly 3 years ago, unable to compete with competitors which snatched online casino tuna, dolphins and whales. Aussie punters turned off Aus Vegas (online), finding the likes of PartyCasino.com, Captain Cooks Casino and Virgin Casino.
The Beaudesert MP first tabled his vision for a Vegas-style pokies hub to reduce gambling in April last year in his virgin speech to State Parliament. It somewhat replicates the US model, where Nevada is the only state to have no significant restrictions against gaming machines. Under the "Aus Vegas" proposal, clubs would have to sell their poker machine licences back to the Government or relocate their pokies to Cairns and become "shareholders" in the new venture. The state's existing 4 major casinos would be exempt.
The plan would be supported by a shake-up of the current distribution of gambling funds collected by the State Government, with pokies revenue instead being poured into recreational sports through a scheme that would hand sports clubs a cash grant for each child they put on the sports field! (a suitable connection between pokies and kids). "The location is ideal given the Cairns region is suffering some of the highest unemployment levels and the tourism industry is plummeting," Mr McLindon said. "It already has the international airport there, which is under-utilised. Ideally, you want them (gaming machines) all in one place so people can go away, have a holiday, blow their money and come home." But welfare groups fear the plan could turn Cairns into another "Sin City", following Vegas, Sydney and Melbourne to a certain extent...making residents the sacrificial lambs of the nation's gambling problems.
Media Man Profiles
Northern Queensland
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/northern_queensland.html
Aus Vegas
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/ausvegas.html
Adelaide Casino In South Australia: Changes Afoot...
Seems not only is Star City and Crown Casino duking it out, along with the Cairns casino proposal, Adelaide in South Australia is throwing its hat in the ring as the Aussie casino wars approach boiling point. Down Torren Riverbank land way, west of the Morphett Street bridge is the proposed worksite for a brand new Adelaide Casino. Relocating to a new purpose-built casino complex overlooking the Torrens Lake is the subject of confidential post-election talks between the State Government and casino management - with both parties bent on progressing the much-talked about riverbank precinct into a "a major tourist and entertainment hub". A key feature of a new casino complex is likely to be underground parking for several thousand cars, which would potentially solve parking issues for a redeveloped Adelaide Oval. Treasurer Kevin Foley has now confirmed he has been in extra talks with the casino over a waterfront redevelopment, advising casino management has "exciting ideas". Water features and light shows are part of developing plans to turn the Torrens Lake area into an entertainment hub. We think he's been borrowing a few ideas from Packer, Ho and Co. re City Of Dreams, Macau, and a number of Las Vegas casinos having been "playing" with water and lights for decades. Chatshave included options for either a Las Vegas-style resort and a more discreet European-style gambling plaza but the consensus appears to be a more homely development incorporating plenty of alfresco style dining, walkways and you get the idea, to take make good use of the outdoor-friendly climate. West of the Morphett St Bridge overlooking the Torrens Lake is regarded as the superior site for a new casino-hotel-entertainment venue. Relocating the casino creates new opportunities for transforming the historic Adelaide Railway Station. Casino general manager David Christian this week said the casino wanted to be part of a new riverside entertainment precinct linked to the redeveloped Adelaide Oval and new Royal Adelaide Hospital in the western railyards. "Adelaide Casino is one of several major businesses that call the riverbank precinct home and fully supports the idea of turning the area into a major tourist and entertainment hub," Mr Christian said. "We believe that Adelaide deserves a bigger casino but there is due process to work through before we finalise any plans and present them to the State Government." Mr Foley revealed during a recent business lunch speech he had been in talks with casino management but declined to elaborate. He has made a series of positive based talks recently...speeches which have championed Melbourne's Southbank development, which has the Crown Casino as one of its key attractions. Last month, Mr Foley told an American Chamber of Commerce lunch the CBD was "underdone". "We need to be more pro-development," he said. At another function, he said "Do we really want to see Adelaide in 10 years' time with a River Torrens precinct that is like going for a stroll in an Outback town where no one has any money or interest in developing something?" In May 2009, News Corp's Sunday Mail reported two construction consortiums were working on plans to present to SkyCity for new casinos at two landmark sites: Either on the Torrens river bank or on the current RAH site. Casino operator SkyCity Adelaide previously has confirmed it wants to move from the heritage-listed Adelaide Railway Station site into bigger, purpose-built premises incorporating a hotel, with chief exec Nigel Morrison telling budding investors Adelaide deserved a bigger casino. In 2008, casino management stopped plans for a $30 million underground car park at its current railway station location, as it looked at "conceptual" plans to relocate. In 2001, Adelaide developers revealed detailed plans for a $200 million, 22-storey hotel with casino and 240 apartments on the railyards site, and revived them in 2006, but failed to win Government support. This time around there appears to be a lot more government support and many locals have employment opportunities on their mind, as well as business owners in the area hoping to gain some positive spin offs from the proposal.
Australian Politics - Kate Lundy VS Sen Stephen Conroy ("Censorship Minister")...
Julia Gillard's takeover of the Labor Party leadership has sparked calls for the communications portfolio to change hands also. Gillard became the country's first female Prime Minister after Kevin Rudd decided not to contest a leadership challenge. In her acceptance speech, Ms Gillard said she would make "consequential" changes to cabinet positions at "an appropriate time". However some bloggers and technology pundits have already decided on the two politicians they would like to see trade places. The minister they would like to see out is Stephen Conroy, currently in charge of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (BCDE), and the figurehead of the Government's controversial internet filtering policy. The favourite to replace him is Kate Lundy, a former shadow IT minister who has retained an interest in the area and the respect of industry figures. Technology wire service Delimiter speculated on whether Senator Lundy would replace Senator Conroy in a reshuffle, airing claims from critics of the current minister that Senator Lundy better understood the sector. Gizmodo Australia went one step further and launched a campaign titled "Kate Lundy For IT: The Change We Really Need" that was linked to by hundreds of users on Twitter. "If it's time for a change in Labor, there’s no better change than replacing Conroy with a forward thinking minister for BCDE like Senator Lundy," it said. Editor Nick Broughall said the campaign wasn't just a kneejerk reaction to the leadership change and had so far received encouraging support. "We're going to run with this until the new front bench has been named and we know whether or not the Government is going to change its approach to the BCDE portfolio, in particular its proposed internet filter," he told News Limited's news.com.au. Web filtering Much of the backlash against Senator Conroy is linked to the Government's controversial internet filtering plan. Under the scheme, internet providers like Telstra and Optus would be forced to block access to a secret list of banned webpages. One of the key differences between the two senators is the degree of their support for the plan. Senator Lundy has been one of the only Labor voices to publicly question the policy and earlier this month said she would propose an alternative to the Labor Caucus. "I am working to change the internet filtering policy to better achieve the policy goals of protecting children through empowering and educating parents," she wrote on her blog at the time. Senator Lundy's concerns lay with the mandatory nature of the filtering plan. She believes Australians should be given the option to choose whether their internet connections are censored. However Internet Industry Association chief executive Peter Coroneos said a change of minister wasn't necessary for the filtering plan to be dropped, if the Government chose to do so. "I wouldn't necessarily conclude from (Gillard's) comments that we're going to see a major rearrangement of the deckchairs," he told news.com.au. "To speculate on who will be the communications minister really is jumping ahead." Mr Coroneos said the association supported two of the Government's three main communications policies — the national broadband network (NBN) and its e-security agenda — but not its internet filtering plan. If the communications portfolio was up for grabs, Mr Coroneos said it would be a "difficult question to answer" which senator would suit it best. "Kate Lundy is someone we’ve worked with for a long time and we have a great deal of respect for both her commitment to our industry and also her understanding of the issues," he said. "But there's no doubting Stephen Conroy's commitment to the NBN either." Senator Lundy was one of the first Labor MPs to declare her support for Ms Gillard last night. Fittingly, she made the statement on Twitter. "I will be voting for Julia Gillard in the l'ship ballot. She will be an inspiring PM!," she wrote, from the @katelundy account. And speaking on ABC Radio this morning before the leadership decision was revealed, she seemed confident with what the outcome would be. When asked if Australia would have a new prime minister by lunch, Senator Lundy replied: "I believe so." She also took the opportunity to describe IT policy as one of "those areas I'm passionate about". Senator Lundy was Labor's shadow IT minister from 2001 until 2004 when the portfolio was handed to Senator Conroy under then opposition leader Mark Latham. Since that time Senator Lundy has maintained an active interest in communications and technology, speaking publicly about the NBN and initiatives such as Gov 2.0, and regularly updating her blog. Senator Conroy is also understood to have supported Ms Gillard, according to The Australian. His media advisor did not immediately return a request for comment about the reshuffle.
Aussie Casino Shares... (generally on the upswing in past 24 hours)
Crown $7.790
Tabcorp $6.45
Centrebet $1.130
Tatts $2.240
Reef Casino Trust $1.900
Aristocrat Leisure Limited $3.610
Lasseters Corporation $0.010
SkyCity $2.93
References: Casino corporate websites and ASX Website
http://www.asx.com.au
Punters, as always, bet with your head, not over it, know the odds and have fun.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
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Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
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Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
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Outlaw Ban On Aussie And International Crooks From Casinos Down Under...
Australia with its grand plan to build more casinos and increase regulation, is looking to tighten up laws to ban criminals, both Aussies and tourists. The wide believe in the industry, society and police is that more needs to be done, Media Man having researched this and assisted some authorities for the past number of years.
As we go to print (technically Web) plans are being drawn up to stop criminals laundering money through casinos and gambling venues nationally.
Gambling exclusion orders are already imposed, but only at state and territory levels, and there's room for improvement.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor advised crims who have been subject to one state exclusion order have moved to other jurisdictions where venues are unaware of the order!
Our learned friend said the federal plan will see each state and territory pass and execute legislation to enable gambling exclusion orders that are issued in other jurisdictions to be recognised within their borders.
Cairns Casino Mecca Proposal Political Casino War...
You've heard of the Aussie Casino Wars, namely Sydney's Star City VS Melbourne's Crown Casino... well, the wars are expanding north to regional Cairns and taking on an ultra political spin. A far Northern Queensland mayor says a plan to turn the city of Cairns into a Las Vegas-style gambling destination is "bizarre and unwelcome". Liberal National Party defector and now independent MP Aidan McLindon wants all of Queensland's pokies, except those in casinos, moved to Cairns and a gambling strip like Vegas established. Cairns Mayor Val Schier says she is opposed to the idea. "I think the suggestion is absolutely bizarre and I'm not quite sure what his motivation is in making it," she said. "Perhaps he is just seeking attention." Cr Schier says the gambling destination will not get public support. "The plan would never get any wings at all," she said. "There would be no support for it at all - the last thing we want is more poker machines concentrated in one area. We know the problems that there already are with gambling but certainly Cairns would not want to have a bar of it." Tourism Tropical North Queensland chairman Bill Calderwood says the plan has no merit. "I don't think it's an idea that makes a lot of sense for this destination," he said. "We have many wonderful, natural attractions and wonder products and experiences that attract people here. "I doubt very much that we need the artificial injection of casinos to attract people up here.". Some struggling business owners beg to differ hesitant to provide their names in fear of repercussions. "My business is struggling. We need more cashed up tourists. The casino proposal would bring in additional attention, tourists and money to the area. They would spend some of that in the local township also. It's a no brainer mate".
Australia's Cairns In Northern Queensland To Become Aussie Las Vegas?...
Cairns would become Australia's equivalent to Las Vegas under a somewhat controversial scheme to transform it into the national centre for poker machines. Aussie Casino King, James Packer, his prize casino being in Melbourne, Australia, isn't speaking on the matter as yet. Packer also has his Burswood Entertainment Complex in Perth, Western Australia, so don't expect Packer to support the proposal. It's not a Crown Limited venture either, but maybe we would buy them out one day. The current proposal is to be heard within 24 hours in Brisbane, north of Sydney, and south of Cairns, at one of the tourism industry's key annual conventions, Tourism Futures, to be attended by international tourism heavyweights and politicians, including Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. It is being championed - sphere headed by breakaway Liberal National Party MP Aidan McLindon, who has previously had campaigned against the spread of pokies. But Mr McLindon, who quit the party in May to form the Queensland Party, is now pushing for debate on a scheme that would create a Las Vegas style gambling strip in gorgeous Cairns by relocating poker machines from existing pubs and clubs across Queensland to a new "Aus Vegas" to be built in the region. Punters may recall Aus Vegas was an online casino name owned and operated by Lasseters, but they closed shop roughly 3 years ago, unable to compete with competitors which snatched online casino tuna, dolphins and whales. Aussie punters turned off Aus Vegas (online), finding the likes of PartyCasino.com, Captain Cooks Casino and Virgin Casino.
The Beaudesert MP first tabled his vision for a Vegas-style pokies hub to reduce gambling in April last year in his virgin speech to State Parliament. It somewhat replicates the US model, where Nevada is the only state to have no significant restrictions against gaming machines. Under the "Aus Vegas" proposal, clubs would have to sell their poker machine licences back to the Government or relocate their pokies to Cairns and become "shareholders" in the new venture. The state's existing 4 major casinos would be exempt.
The plan would be supported by a shake-up of the current distribution of gambling funds collected by the State Government, with pokies revenue instead being poured into recreational sports through a scheme that would hand sports clubs a cash grant for each child they put on the sports field! (a suitable connection between pokies and kids). "The location is ideal given the Cairns region is suffering some of the highest unemployment levels and the tourism industry is plummeting," Mr McLindon said. "It already has the international airport there, which is under-utilised. Ideally, you want them (gaming machines) all in one place so people can go away, have a holiday, blow their money and come home." But welfare groups fear the plan could turn Cairns into another "Sin City", following Vegas, Sydney and Melbourne to a certain extent...making residents the sacrificial lambs of the nation's gambling problems.
Media Man Profiles
Northern Queensland
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/northern_queensland.html
Aus Vegas
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/ausvegas.html
Adelaide Casino In South Australia: Changes Afoot...
Seems not only is Star City and Crown Casino duking it out, along with the Cairns casino proposal, Adelaide in South Australia is throwing its hat in the ring as the Aussie casino wars approach boiling point. Down Torren Riverbank land way, west of the Morphett Street bridge is the proposed worksite for a brand new Adelaide Casino. Relocating to a new purpose-built casino complex overlooking the Torrens Lake is the subject of confidential post-election talks between the State Government and casino management - with both parties bent on progressing the much-talked about riverbank precinct into a "a major tourist and entertainment hub". A key feature of a new casino complex is likely to be underground parking for several thousand cars, which would potentially solve parking issues for a redeveloped Adelaide Oval. Treasurer Kevin Foley has now confirmed he has been in extra talks with the casino over a waterfront redevelopment, advising casino management has "exciting ideas". Water features and light shows are part of developing plans to turn the Torrens Lake area into an entertainment hub. We think he's been borrowing a few ideas from Packer, Ho and Co. re City Of Dreams, Macau, and a number of Las Vegas casinos having been "playing" with water and lights for decades. Chatshave included options for either a Las Vegas-style resort and a more discreet European-style gambling plaza but the consensus appears to be a more homely development incorporating plenty of alfresco style dining, walkways and you get the idea, to take make good use of the outdoor-friendly climate. West of the Morphett St Bridge overlooking the Torrens Lake is regarded as the superior site for a new casino-hotel-entertainment venue. Relocating the casino creates new opportunities for transforming the historic Adelaide Railway Station. Casino general manager David Christian this week said the casino wanted to be part of a new riverside entertainment precinct linked to the redeveloped Adelaide Oval and new Royal Adelaide Hospital in the western railyards. "Adelaide Casino is one of several major businesses that call the riverbank precinct home and fully supports the idea of turning the area into a major tourist and entertainment hub," Mr Christian said. "We believe that Adelaide deserves a bigger casino but there is due process to work through before we finalise any plans and present them to the State Government." Mr Foley revealed during a recent business lunch speech he had been in talks with casino management but declined to elaborate. He has made a series of positive based talks recently...speeches which have championed Melbourne's Southbank development, which has the Crown Casino as one of its key attractions. Last month, Mr Foley told an American Chamber of Commerce lunch the CBD was "underdone". "We need to be more pro-development," he said. At another function, he said "Do we really want to see Adelaide in 10 years' time with a River Torrens precinct that is like going for a stroll in an Outback town where no one has any money or interest in developing something?" In May 2009, News Corp's Sunday Mail reported two construction consortiums were working on plans to present to SkyCity for new casinos at two landmark sites: Either on the Torrens river bank or on the current RAH site. Casino operator SkyCity Adelaide previously has confirmed it wants to move from the heritage-listed Adelaide Railway Station site into bigger, purpose-built premises incorporating a hotel, with chief exec Nigel Morrison telling budding investors Adelaide deserved a bigger casino. In 2008, casino management stopped plans for a $30 million underground car park at its current railway station location, as it looked at "conceptual" plans to relocate. In 2001, Adelaide developers revealed detailed plans for a $200 million, 22-storey hotel with casino and 240 apartments on the railyards site, and revived them in 2006, but failed to win Government support. This time around there appears to be a lot more government support and many locals have employment opportunities on their mind, as well as business owners in the area hoping to gain some positive spin offs from the proposal.
Australian Politics - Kate Lundy VS Sen Stephen Conroy ("Censorship Minister")...
Julia Gillard's takeover of the Labor Party leadership has sparked calls for the communications portfolio to change hands also. Gillard became the country's first female Prime Minister after Kevin Rudd decided not to contest a leadership challenge. In her acceptance speech, Ms Gillard said she would make "consequential" changes to cabinet positions at "an appropriate time". However some bloggers and technology pundits have already decided on the two politicians they would like to see trade places. The minister they would like to see out is Stephen Conroy, currently in charge of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (BCDE), and the figurehead of the Government's controversial internet filtering policy. The favourite to replace him is Kate Lundy, a former shadow IT minister who has retained an interest in the area and the respect of industry figures. Technology wire service Delimiter speculated on whether Senator Lundy would replace Senator Conroy in a reshuffle, airing claims from critics of the current minister that Senator Lundy better understood the sector. Gizmodo Australia went one step further and launched a campaign titled "Kate Lundy For IT: The Change We Really Need" that was linked to by hundreds of users on Twitter. "If it's time for a change in Labor, there’s no better change than replacing Conroy with a forward thinking minister for BCDE like Senator Lundy," it said. Editor Nick Broughall said the campaign wasn't just a kneejerk reaction to the leadership change and had so far received encouraging support. "We're going to run with this until the new front bench has been named and we know whether or not the Government is going to change its approach to the BCDE portfolio, in particular its proposed internet filter," he told News Limited's news.com.au. Web filtering Much of the backlash against Senator Conroy is linked to the Government's controversial internet filtering plan. Under the scheme, internet providers like Telstra and Optus would be forced to block access to a secret list of banned webpages. One of the key differences between the two senators is the degree of their support for the plan. Senator Lundy has been one of the only Labor voices to publicly question the policy and earlier this month said she would propose an alternative to the Labor Caucus. "I am working to change the internet filtering policy to better achieve the policy goals of protecting children through empowering and educating parents," she wrote on her blog at the time. Senator Lundy's concerns lay with the mandatory nature of the filtering plan. She believes Australians should be given the option to choose whether their internet connections are censored. However Internet Industry Association chief executive Peter Coroneos said a change of minister wasn't necessary for the filtering plan to be dropped, if the Government chose to do so. "I wouldn't necessarily conclude from (Gillard's) comments that we're going to see a major rearrangement of the deckchairs," he told news.com.au. "To speculate on who will be the communications minister really is jumping ahead." Mr Coroneos said the association supported two of the Government's three main communications policies — the national broadband network (NBN) and its e-security agenda — but not its internet filtering plan. If the communications portfolio was up for grabs, Mr Coroneos said it would be a "difficult question to answer" which senator would suit it best. "Kate Lundy is someone we’ve worked with for a long time and we have a great deal of respect for both her commitment to our industry and also her understanding of the issues," he said. "But there's no doubting Stephen Conroy's commitment to the NBN either." Senator Lundy was one of the first Labor MPs to declare her support for Ms Gillard last night. Fittingly, she made the statement on Twitter. "I will be voting for Julia Gillard in the l'ship ballot. She will be an inspiring PM!," she wrote, from the @katelundy account. And speaking on ABC Radio this morning before the leadership decision was revealed, she seemed confident with what the outcome would be. When asked if Australia would have a new prime minister by lunch, Senator Lundy replied: "I believe so." She also took the opportunity to describe IT policy as one of "those areas I'm passionate about". Senator Lundy was Labor's shadow IT minister from 2001 until 2004 when the portfolio was handed to Senator Conroy under then opposition leader Mark Latham. Since that time Senator Lundy has maintained an active interest in communications and technology, speaking publicly about the NBN and initiatives such as Gov 2.0, and regularly updating her blog. Senator Conroy is also understood to have supported Ms Gillard, according to The Australian. His media advisor did not immediately return a request for comment about the reshuffle.
Aussie Casino Shares... (generally on the upswing in past 24 hours)
Crown $7.790
Tabcorp $6.45
Centrebet $1.130
Tatts $2.240
Reef Casino Trust $1.900
Aristocrat Leisure Limited $3.610
Lasseters Corporation $0.010
SkyCity $2.93
References: Casino corporate websites and ASX Website
http://www.asx.com.au
Punters, as always, bet with your head, not over it, know the odds and have fun.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
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Australia's Cairns In Northern Queensland To Become Aussie Las Vegas?, by Greg Tingle - 5th July 2010
Australia's Cairns In Northern Queensland To Become Aussie Las Vegas?
Cairns would become Australia's equivalent to Las Vegas under a somewhat controversial scheme to transform it into the national centre for poker machines. Aussie Casino King, James Packer, his prize casino being in Melbourne, Australia, isn't speaking on the matter as yet. Packer also has his Burswood Entertainment Complex in Perth, Western Australia, so don't expect Packer to support the proposal. It's not a Crown Limited venture either, but maybe they would buy them out one day. The current proposal is to be heard within 24 hours in Brisbane, north of Sydney, and south of Cairns, at one of the tourism industry's key annual conventions, Tourism Futures, to be attended by international tourism heavyweights and politicians, including Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. It is being championed - sphere headed by breakaway Liberal National Party MP Aidan McLindon, who has previously had campaigned against the spread of pokies. But Mr McLindon, who quit the party in May to form the Queensland Party, is now pushing for debate on a scheme that would create a Las Vegas style gambling strip in gorgeous Cairns by relocating poker machines from existing pubs and clubs across Queensland to a new "Aus Vegas" to be built in the region. Punters may recall Aus Vegas was an online casino name owned and operated by Lasseters, but they closed shop roughly 3 years ago, unable to compete with competitors which snatched online casino tuna, dolphins and whales. Aussie punters turned off Aus Vegas (online), finding the likes of PartyCasino.com, Captain Cooks Casino and Virgin Casino.
The Beaudesert MP first tabled his vision for a Vegas-style pokies hub to reduce gambling in April last year in his virgin speech to State Parliament. It somewhat replicates the US model, where Nevada is the only state to have no significant restrictions against gaming machines. Under the "Aus Vegas" proposal, clubs would have to sell their poker machine licences back to the Government or relocate their pokies to Cairns and become "shareholders" in the new venture. The state's existing 4 major casinos would be exempt.
The plan would be supported by a shake-up of the current distribution of gambling funds collected by the State Government, with pokies revenue instead being poured into recreational sports through a scheme that would hand sports clubs a cash grant for each child they put on the sports field! (a suitable connection between pokies and kids). "The location is ideal given the Cairns region is suffering some of the highest unemployment levels and the tourism industry is plummeting," Mr McLindon said. "It already has the international airport there, which is under-utilised. Ideally, you want them (gaming machines) all in one place so people can go away, have a holiday, blow their money and come home." But welfare groups fear the plan could turn Cairns into another "Sin City", following Vegas, Sydney and Melbourne to a certain extent...making residents the sacrificial lambs of the nation's gambling problems.
Media Man Profiles
Northern Queensland
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/northern_queensland.html
Aus Vegas
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/ausvegas.html
Aussie Casino Shares...
Crown $7.730
Tabcorp $6.38
Centrbet $1.130
Tatts $2.230
Reef Casino Trust $1.900
Aristocrat Leisure Limited $3.610
Lasseters Corporation $0.010
SkyCity $2.88
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
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Australian Casino News
Cairns would become Australia's equivalent to Las Vegas under a somewhat controversial scheme to transform it into the national centre for poker machines. Aussie Casino King, James Packer, his prize casino being in Melbourne, Australia, isn't speaking on the matter as yet. Packer also has his Burswood Entertainment Complex in Perth, Western Australia, so don't expect Packer to support the proposal. It's not a Crown Limited venture either, but maybe they would buy them out one day. The current proposal is to be heard within 24 hours in Brisbane, north of Sydney, and south of Cairns, at one of the tourism industry's key annual conventions, Tourism Futures, to be attended by international tourism heavyweights and politicians, including Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. It is being championed - sphere headed by breakaway Liberal National Party MP Aidan McLindon, who has previously had campaigned against the spread of pokies. But Mr McLindon, who quit the party in May to form the Queensland Party, is now pushing for debate on a scheme that would create a Las Vegas style gambling strip in gorgeous Cairns by relocating poker machines from existing pubs and clubs across Queensland to a new "Aus Vegas" to be built in the region. Punters may recall Aus Vegas was an online casino name owned and operated by Lasseters, but they closed shop roughly 3 years ago, unable to compete with competitors which snatched online casino tuna, dolphins and whales. Aussie punters turned off Aus Vegas (online), finding the likes of PartyCasino.com, Captain Cooks Casino and Virgin Casino.
The Beaudesert MP first tabled his vision for a Vegas-style pokies hub to reduce gambling in April last year in his virgin speech to State Parliament. It somewhat replicates the US model, where Nevada is the only state to have no significant restrictions against gaming machines. Under the "Aus Vegas" proposal, clubs would have to sell their poker machine licences back to the Government or relocate their pokies to Cairns and become "shareholders" in the new venture. The state's existing 4 major casinos would be exempt.
The plan would be supported by a shake-up of the current distribution of gambling funds collected by the State Government, with pokies revenue instead being poured into recreational sports through a scheme that would hand sports clubs a cash grant for each child they put on the sports field! (a suitable connection between pokies and kids). "The location is ideal given the Cairns region is suffering some of the highest unemployment levels and the tourism industry is plummeting," Mr McLindon said. "It already has the international airport there, which is under-utilised. Ideally, you want them (gaming machines) all in one place so people can go away, have a holiday, blow their money and come home." But welfare groups fear the plan could turn Cairns into another "Sin City", following Vegas, Sydney and Melbourne to a certain extent...making residents the sacrificial lambs of the nation's gambling problems.
Media Man Profiles
Northern Queensland
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/northern_queensland.html
Aus Vegas
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/ausvegas.html
Aussie Casino Shares...
Crown $7.730
Tabcorp $6.38
Centrbet $1.130
Tatts $2.230
Reef Casino Trust $1.900
Aristocrat Leisure Limited $3.610
Lasseters Corporation $0.010
SkyCity $2.88
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Casino
Media Man Poker
Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
Global Gaming Directory.net
Casino News Media.net
Australian Casinos
Australian Casino News
04 July 2010
Australian And New Zealand Casino News, by Greg Tingle - 4th July 2010
The Australian casino and gambling sector continues to make the news, some good, some bad. Not to be outdone, New Zealand, the Kiwi's south of Australia, also have some newsy happenings. Readers, gamblers and sports nuts, time to swing into the Asia Pacific region... Media Man and Gambling911 with your voyage of discovery...
Australia's Cairns In Northern Queensland To Become Aussie Las Vegas?...
Cairns would become Australia's equivalent to Las Vegas under a somewhat controversial scheme to transform it into the national centre for poker machines. Aussie Casino King, James Packer, his prize casino being in Melbourne, Australia, isn't speaking on the matter as yet. Packer also has his Burswood Entertainment Complex in Perth, Western Australia, so don't expect Packer to support the proposal. It's not a Crown Limited venture either, but maybe we would buy them out one day. The current proposal is to be heard within 24 hours in Brisbane, north of Sydney, and south of Cairns, at one of the tourism industry's key annual conventions, Tourism Futures, to be attended by international tourism heavyweights and politicians, including Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. It is being championed - sphere headed by breakaway Liberal National Party MP Aidan McLindon, who has previously had campaigned against the spread of pokies. But Mr McLindon, who quit the party in May to form the Queensland Party, is now pushing for debate on a scheme that would create a Las Vegas style gambling strip in gorgeous Cairns by relocating poker machines from existing pubs and clubs across Queensland to a new "Aus Vegas" to be built in the region. Punters may recal Aus Vegas was an online casino name owned and operated by Lasseters, but they closed shop roughly 3 years ago, unable to compete with competitors which snatched online casino tuna, dolphins and whales. Aussie punters turned off Aus Vegas (online), finding the likes of PartyCasino.com, Captain Cooks Casino and Virgin Casino.
The Beaudesert MP first tabled his vision for a Vegas-style pokies hub to reduce gambling in April last year in his virgin speech to State Parliament. It somewhat replicates the US model, where Nevada is the only state to have no significant restrictions against gaming machines. Under the "Aus Vegas" proposal, clubs would have to sell their poker machine licences back to the Government or relocate their pokies to Cairns and become "shareholders" in the new venture. The state's existing 4 major casinos would be exempt.
The plan would be supported by a shake-up of the current distribution of gambling funds collected by the State Government, with pokies revenue instead being poured into recreational sports through a scheme that would hand sports clubs a cash grant for each child they put on the sports field! (a suitable connection between pokies and kids). "The location is ideal given the Cairns region is suffering some of the highest unemployment levels and the tourism industry is plummeting," Mr McLindon said. "It already has the international airport there, which is under-utilised. Ideally, you want them (gaming machines) all in one place so people can go away, have a holiday, blow their money and come home." But welfare groups fear the plan could turn Cairns into another "Sin City", following Vegas, Sydney and Melbourne to a certain extent...making residents the sacrificial lambs of the nation's gambling problems.
Media Man Profiles
Northern Queensland
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/northern_queensland.html
Aus Vegas
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/ausvegas.html
Sky City New Zealand Crunch The Numbers...
The regulatory cloud which has overhung Australia's casino sector since late 2009 looks to have been removed by the government endorsing voluntary pre-commitment as the preferred way of targeting problem gambling, says Rob Bode at First NZ Capital. That's even though the more draconian recommendations seemed very unlikely with the more severe measures unlikely to pass a cost/benefit test, Bode says. "For Sky City Entertainment Group, not only does this remove risk of substantial erosion of gaming revenues for its Australian properties ... but it also avoids an unhelpful precedent being imported to New Zealand," he says. The Adelaide and Darwin casinos contribute about 30% of Sky's group earnings before interest and tax (EBIT). "Following the introduction of the Gambling Act 2003, New Zealand has been ahead of Australia in terms of introduction of harm minimisation measures and this has undoubtedly been a factor contributing to lacklustre performance of gaming machines over the past six years," Bode says. "If Australia had leapfrogged New Zealand in implementation of harm minimisation measures, it would have probably only been a matter of time before New Zealand followed suit." Bode says it looks like the Australian changes will be relatively drawn out and manageable for the industry.
Sky City Shares - 2nd July...
Casino operator Sky City closed up 1.8% at NZ$2.88. Macquarie earlier upgraded it to neutral from under perform following recent weakness in its share price and a benign government response to a Productivity Commission Report on Australian gambling industry.
New Zealand profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/new_zealand.html
Australian Politics - Kate Lundy VS Sen Stephen Conroy ("Censorship Minister")...
Julia Gillard's takeover of the Labor Party leadership has sparked calls for the communications portfolio to change hands also. Gillard became the country's first female Prime Minister after Kevin Rudd decided not to contest a leadership challenge. In her acceptance speech, Ms Gillard said she would make "consequential" changes to cabinet positions at "an appropriate time". However some bloggers and technology pundits have already decided on the two politicians they would like to see trade places. The minister they would like to see out is Stephen Conroy, currently in charge of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (BCDE), and the figurehead of the Government's controversial internet filtering policy. The favourite to replace him is Kate Lundy, a former shadow IT minister who has retained an interest in the area and the respect of industry figures. Technology wire service Delimiter speculated on whether Senator Lundy would replace Senator Conroy in a reshuffle, airing claims from critics of the current minister that Senator Lundy better understood the sector. Gizmodo Australia went one step further and launched a campaign titled "Kate Lundy For IT: The Change We Really Need" that was linked to by hundreds of users on Twitter. "If it's time for a change in Labor, there’s no better change than replacing Conroy with a forward thinking minister for BCDE like Senator Lundy," it said. Editor Nick Broughall said the campaign wasn't just a kneejerk reaction to the leadership change and had so far received encouraging support. "We're going to run with this until the new front bench has been named and we know whether or not the Government is going to change its approach to the BCDE portfolio, in particular its proposed internet filter," he told News Limited's news.com.au. Web filtering Much of the backlash against Senator Conroy is linked to the Government's controversial internet filtering plan. Under the scheme, internet providers like Telstra and Optus would be forced to block access to a secret list of banned webpages. One of the key differences between the two senators is the degree of their support for the plan. Senator Lundy has been one of the only Labor voices to publicly question the policy and earlier this month said she would propose an alternative to the Labor Caucus. "I am working to change the internet filtering policy to better achieve the policy goals of protecting children through empowering and educating parents," she wrote on her blog at the time. Senator Lundy's concerns lay with the mandatory nature of the filtering plan. She believes Australians should be given the option to choose whether their internet connections are censored. However Internet Industry Association chief executive Peter Coroneos said a change of minister wasn't necessary for the filtering plan to be dropped, if the Government chose to do so. "I wouldn't necessarily conclude from (Gillard's) comments that we're going to see a major rearrangement of the deckchairs," he told news.com.au. "To speculate on who will be the communications minister really is jumping ahead." Mr Coroneos said the association supported two of the Government's three main communications policies — the national broadband network (NBN) and its e-security agenda — but not its internet filtering plan. If the communications portfolio was up for grabs, Mr Coroneos said it would be a "difficult question to answer" which senator would suit it best. "Kate Lundy is someone we’ve worked with for a long time and we have a great deal of respect for both her commitment to our industry and also her understanding of the issues," he said. "But there's no doubting Stephen Conroy's commitment to the NBN either." Senator Lundy was one of the first Labor MPs to declare her support for Ms Gillard last night. Fittingly, she made the statement on Twitter. "I will be voting for Julia Gillard in the l'ship ballot. She will be an inspiring PM!," she wrote, from the @katelundy account. And speaking on ABC Radio this morning before the leadership decision was revealed, she seemed confident with what the outcome would be. When asked if Australia would have a new prime minister by lunch, Senator Lundy replied: "I believe so." She also took the opportunity to describe IT policy as one of "those areas I'm passionate about". Senator Lundy was Labor's shadow IT minister from 2001 until 2004 when the portfolio was handed to Senator Conroy under then opposition leader Mark Latham. Since that time Senator Lundy has maintained an active interest in communications and technology, speaking publicly about the NBN and initiatives such as Gov 2.0, and regularly updating her blog. Senator Conroy is also understood to have supported Ms Gillard, according to The Australian. His media advisor did not immediately return a request for comment about the reshuffle.
Aussie Pokie Palaces Use Games To Train Up Kids?...
Pokies venues across the state of Victoria are "grooming" kids to gamble by installing arcade games that mimic poker machines, electronic gaming experts and anti-gambling advocates tell anyone willing to listen. The so called "redemption games", many of which offer children prizes worth hundreds of dollars such as digital cameras or televisions, look similar to poker machines on the premises' adults-only gaming floors, usually located just a few steps away from the kids' areas. Last month Media Man and Gambling911 pointed out the interesting 'Insert Coin' feature on the Google Pac-Man game. Conditioning or not?
A gaming expert at Monash University, Charles Livingstone, says the arcade games served two purposes...to "indoctrinate kids to gambling, to make them think this is a normal part of life"; and to lure children, and with them their parents, into pokie venues. The good doctor said Australia had "one of the world's most liberal gambling regulatory regimes", which had led to more pubs and gaming venues offering children's activities. A state government spokeswoman said there was no "research or evidence linking children playing redemption games … with problem gambling in adulthood", but an Adelaide University study released last year contradicts that assertion! The study, involving more than 2500 teenagers, found that those who were already pathological gamblers were significantly more likely to have a history of playing video and arcade games. Independent Senator Nick Xenophon said state legislation was clearly failing children. "While mum and dad are playing pokies inside, the kids are getting trained up on redemption (arcade) games just a few metres away. The connection is insidious and it is totally cynical," he said. Senator Xenophon said games with gambling features that offered real prizes should be reclassified as gaming machines under the law and children should be banned from using them. If state governments were not willing to act, federal intervention was needed, he said. At the Westside Hotel in Melbourne's west, a group of children's games stands a few paces from the pokies floor. The prizes on offer are attractive...digital camera, 43-centimetre TV, iPod, Nintendo game console. "Win'n'Grin", one game greets us with. But not everyone is grinning.
The manual of one of Westside's games shows operators how to fix the number of games played before a prize is given. Anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello told Fairfax Media he was "very worried about blurring the boundaries of children's play and what is a highly addictive adult entertainment". The Productivity Commission's report on gambling released late last month reaffirmed its view that "minors should not … be exposed to gambling areas within venues". In 2001, arcade games offering cash prizes were banned in Victoria. But games are allowed to dispense redeemable tickets or actual prizes. And while children are not allowed on a gaming floor, venues are allowed to provide children's games nearby. Redemption games - whose primary focus is about winning prizes...have been fixtures in games arcades for years, but the push to install them in pokie venues has accelerated recently. The owner of the largest distributor of coin-operated amusement equipment in Australia, Zak Athanasiadis of Zax Amusements, said dozens of gaming venues around Melbourne now had kids' arcade games. But he said he refused to stock games with prizes worth more than $15. "I don't think it's ethical to have machines where there is a chance people might need to put in $100 to get their prize," he said. "It's not good for the children, it's not good for the parents, it's not good for the venue." The owner of Legends pub in Epping, Bruce McPhee, said redemption games were becoming more popular as children looked for thrills they could not get at home. McPhee said kids could now play race-car games or hunting games in their lounge room or bedroom, but they could not win prizes from their game consoles (but don't tell Richard Branson's Virgin Gaming that, as they may want to argue the point). PokieAct.org founder Paul Bendat said all children's games should be banned from pokies venues. "I stand for children not being in pokies venues at all because gambling is an adult form of harmful entertainment," Mr Bendat advised. He highlighted the issue in a submission to the Productivity Commission, and has raised it with the state government. Bendat said "They've done absolutely - in Victoria - nothing. Zero." Government spokeswoman Rebecca Harrison said redemption games were not covered by the state's gaming regulator, the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation, as they "are not gaming machines because you can't place a bet on the outcome of the game". She said redemption games were "typically games of skill", while pokies were "games of chance". A spokesman for Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group, which owns Westside Hotel, David Curry, said he did not believe the games trained children to gamble and regulators had never raised any concerns about the venue's provision of children's activities. "We operate family venues with a variety of entertainment opportunities for children included within that" he advised.
UFC: Aussies Want Brock Lesnar To Win But Money Goes On Shane Carwin...
Australian UFC and sporting nuts love Lesnar, but the majority think Carwin will... er Win. MMA junkies down under predict Carwin by submission, knockout or stoppage in the 1st or 2nd round. Carwin's positive momentum along with his size and agility, along with not being dwarfed by monster Lesnar are key reasons for the 60% or so backing on Carwin.
Aussie Casino Shares...
Crown $7.730
Tabcorp $6.38
Centrbet $1.130
Tatts $2.230
Reef Casino Trust $1.900
Aristocrat Leisure Limited $3.610
Lasseters Corporation $0.010
SkyCity $2.88
Media Man Financial News profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/financial_news.html
Punters, as always, bet with your head, not over it, know the odds and have fun.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Casino
Media Man Poker
Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
Australia's Cairns In Northern Queensland To Become Aussie Las Vegas?...
Cairns would become Australia's equivalent to Las Vegas under a somewhat controversial scheme to transform it into the national centre for poker machines. Aussie Casino King, James Packer, his prize casino being in Melbourne, Australia, isn't speaking on the matter as yet. Packer also has his Burswood Entertainment Complex in Perth, Western Australia, so don't expect Packer to support the proposal. It's not a Crown Limited venture either, but maybe we would buy them out one day. The current proposal is to be heard within 24 hours in Brisbane, north of Sydney, and south of Cairns, at one of the tourism industry's key annual conventions, Tourism Futures, to be attended by international tourism heavyweights and politicians, including Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. It is being championed - sphere headed by breakaway Liberal National Party MP Aidan McLindon, who has previously had campaigned against the spread of pokies. But Mr McLindon, who quit the party in May to form the Queensland Party, is now pushing for debate on a scheme that would create a Las Vegas style gambling strip in gorgeous Cairns by relocating poker machines from existing pubs and clubs across Queensland to a new "Aus Vegas" to be built in the region. Punters may recal Aus Vegas was an online casino name owned and operated by Lasseters, but they closed shop roughly 3 years ago, unable to compete with competitors which snatched online casino tuna, dolphins and whales. Aussie punters turned off Aus Vegas (online), finding the likes of PartyCasino.com, Captain Cooks Casino and Virgin Casino.
The Beaudesert MP first tabled his vision for a Vegas-style pokies hub to reduce gambling in April last year in his virgin speech to State Parliament. It somewhat replicates the US model, where Nevada is the only state to have no significant restrictions against gaming machines. Under the "Aus Vegas" proposal, clubs would have to sell their poker machine licences back to the Government or relocate their pokies to Cairns and become "shareholders" in the new venture. The state's existing 4 major casinos would be exempt.
The plan would be supported by a shake-up of the current distribution of gambling funds collected by the State Government, with pokies revenue instead being poured into recreational sports through a scheme that would hand sports clubs a cash grant for each child they put on the sports field! (a suitable connection between pokies and kids). "The location is ideal given the Cairns region is suffering some of the highest unemployment levels and the tourism industry is plummeting," Mr McLindon said. "It already has the international airport there, which is under-utilised. Ideally, you want them (gaming machines) all in one place so people can go away, have a holiday, blow their money and come home." But welfare groups fear the plan could turn Cairns into another "Sin City", following Vegas, Sydney and Melbourne to a certain extent...making residents the sacrificial lambs of the nation's gambling problems.
Media Man Profiles
Northern Queensland
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/northern_queensland.html
Aus Vegas
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/ausvegas.html
Sky City New Zealand Crunch The Numbers...
The regulatory cloud which has overhung Australia's casino sector since late 2009 looks to have been removed by the government endorsing voluntary pre-commitment as the preferred way of targeting problem gambling, says Rob Bode at First NZ Capital. That's even though the more draconian recommendations seemed very unlikely with the more severe measures unlikely to pass a cost/benefit test, Bode says. "For Sky City Entertainment Group, not only does this remove risk of substantial erosion of gaming revenues for its Australian properties ... but it also avoids an unhelpful precedent being imported to New Zealand," he says. The Adelaide and Darwin casinos contribute about 30% of Sky's group earnings before interest and tax (EBIT). "Following the introduction of the Gambling Act 2003, New Zealand has been ahead of Australia in terms of introduction of harm minimisation measures and this has undoubtedly been a factor contributing to lacklustre performance of gaming machines over the past six years," Bode says. "If Australia had leapfrogged New Zealand in implementation of harm minimisation measures, it would have probably only been a matter of time before New Zealand followed suit." Bode says it looks like the Australian changes will be relatively drawn out and manageable for the industry.
Sky City Shares - 2nd July...
Casino operator Sky City closed up 1.8% at NZ$2.88. Macquarie earlier upgraded it to neutral from under perform following recent weakness in its share price and a benign government response to a Productivity Commission Report on Australian gambling industry.
New Zealand profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/new_zealand.html
Australian Politics - Kate Lundy VS Sen Stephen Conroy ("Censorship Minister")...
Julia Gillard's takeover of the Labor Party leadership has sparked calls for the communications portfolio to change hands also. Gillard became the country's first female Prime Minister after Kevin Rudd decided not to contest a leadership challenge. In her acceptance speech, Ms Gillard said she would make "consequential" changes to cabinet positions at "an appropriate time". However some bloggers and technology pundits have already decided on the two politicians they would like to see trade places. The minister they would like to see out is Stephen Conroy, currently in charge of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (BCDE), and the figurehead of the Government's controversial internet filtering policy. The favourite to replace him is Kate Lundy, a former shadow IT minister who has retained an interest in the area and the respect of industry figures. Technology wire service Delimiter speculated on whether Senator Lundy would replace Senator Conroy in a reshuffle, airing claims from critics of the current minister that Senator Lundy better understood the sector. Gizmodo Australia went one step further and launched a campaign titled "Kate Lundy For IT: The Change We Really Need" that was linked to by hundreds of users on Twitter. "If it's time for a change in Labor, there’s no better change than replacing Conroy with a forward thinking minister for BCDE like Senator Lundy," it said. Editor Nick Broughall said the campaign wasn't just a kneejerk reaction to the leadership change and had so far received encouraging support. "We're going to run with this until the new front bench has been named and we know whether or not the Government is going to change its approach to the BCDE portfolio, in particular its proposed internet filter," he told News Limited's news.com.au. Web filtering Much of the backlash against Senator Conroy is linked to the Government's controversial internet filtering plan. Under the scheme, internet providers like Telstra and Optus would be forced to block access to a secret list of banned webpages. One of the key differences between the two senators is the degree of their support for the plan. Senator Lundy has been one of the only Labor voices to publicly question the policy and earlier this month said she would propose an alternative to the Labor Caucus. "I am working to change the internet filtering policy to better achieve the policy goals of protecting children through empowering and educating parents," she wrote on her blog at the time. Senator Lundy's concerns lay with the mandatory nature of the filtering plan. She believes Australians should be given the option to choose whether their internet connections are censored. However Internet Industry Association chief executive Peter Coroneos said a change of minister wasn't necessary for the filtering plan to be dropped, if the Government chose to do so. "I wouldn't necessarily conclude from (Gillard's) comments that we're going to see a major rearrangement of the deckchairs," he told news.com.au. "To speculate on who will be the communications minister really is jumping ahead." Mr Coroneos said the association supported two of the Government's three main communications policies — the national broadband network (NBN) and its e-security agenda — but not its internet filtering plan. If the communications portfolio was up for grabs, Mr Coroneos said it would be a "difficult question to answer" which senator would suit it best. "Kate Lundy is someone we’ve worked with for a long time and we have a great deal of respect for both her commitment to our industry and also her understanding of the issues," he said. "But there's no doubting Stephen Conroy's commitment to the NBN either." Senator Lundy was one of the first Labor MPs to declare her support for Ms Gillard last night. Fittingly, she made the statement on Twitter. "I will be voting for Julia Gillard in the l'ship ballot. She will be an inspiring PM!," she wrote, from the @katelundy account. And speaking on ABC Radio this morning before the leadership decision was revealed, she seemed confident with what the outcome would be. When asked if Australia would have a new prime minister by lunch, Senator Lundy replied: "I believe so." She also took the opportunity to describe IT policy as one of "those areas I'm passionate about". Senator Lundy was Labor's shadow IT minister from 2001 until 2004 when the portfolio was handed to Senator Conroy under then opposition leader Mark Latham. Since that time Senator Lundy has maintained an active interest in communications and technology, speaking publicly about the NBN and initiatives such as Gov 2.0, and regularly updating her blog. Senator Conroy is also understood to have supported Ms Gillard, according to The Australian. His media advisor did not immediately return a request for comment about the reshuffle.
Aussie Pokie Palaces Use Games To Train Up Kids?...
Pokies venues across the state of Victoria are "grooming" kids to gamble by installing arcade games that mimic poker machines, electronic gaming experts and anti-gambling advocates tell anyone willing to listen. The so called "redemption games", many of which offer children prizes worth hundreds of dollars such as digital cameras or televisions, look similar to poker machines on the premises' adults-only gaming floors, usually located just a few steps away from the kids' areas. Last month Media Man and Gambling911 pointed out the interesting 'Insert Coin' feature on the Google Pac-Man game. Conditioning or not?
A gaming expert at Monash University, Charles Livingstone, says the arcade games served two purposes...to "indoctrinate kids to gambling, to make them think this is a normal part of life"; and to lure children, and with them their parents, into pokie venues. The good doctor said Australia had "one of the world's most liberal gambling regulatory regimes", which had led to more pubs and gaming venues offering children's activities. A state government spokeswoman said there was no "research or evidence linking children playing redemption games … with problem gambling in adulthood", but an Adelaide University study released last year contradicts that assertion! The study, involving more than 2500 teenagers, found that those who were already pathological gamblers were significantly more likely to have a history of playing video and arcade games. Independent Senator Nick Xenophon said state legislation was clearly failing children. "While mum and dad are playing pokies inside, the kids are getting trained up on redemption (arcade) games just a few metres away. The connection is insidious and it is totally cynical," he said. Senator Xenophon said games with gambling features that offered real prizes should be reclassified as gaming machines under the law and children should be banned from using them. If state governments were not willing to act, federal intervention was needed, he said. At the Westside Hotel in Melbourne's west, a group of children's games stands a few paces from the pokies floor. The prizes on offer are attractive...digital camera, 43-centimetre TV, iPod, Nintendo game console. "Win'n'Grin", one game greets us with. But not everyone is grinning.
The manual of one of Westside's games shows operators how to fix the number of games played before a prize is given. Anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello told Fairfax Media he was "very worried about blurring the boundaries of children's play and what is a highly addictive adult entertainment". The Productivity Commission's report on gambling released late last month reaffirmed its view that "minors should not … be exposed to gambling areas within venues". In 2001, arcade games offering cash prizes were banned in Victoria. But games are allowed to dispense redeemable tickets or actual prizes. And while children are not allowed on a gaming floor, venues are allowed to provide children's games nearby. Redemption games - whose primary focus is about winning prizes...have been fixtures in games arcades for years, but the push to install them in pokie venues has accelerated recently. The owner of the largest distributor of coin-operated amusement equipment in Australia, Zak Athanasiadis of Zax Amusements, said dozens of gaming venues around Melbourne now had kids' arcade games. But he said he refused to stock games with prizes worth more than $15. "I don't think it's ethical to have machines where there is a chance people might need to put in $100 to get their prize," he said. "It's not good for the children, it's not good for the parents, it's not good for the venue." The owner of Legends pub in Epping, Bruce McPhee, said redemption games were becoming more popular as children looked for thrills they could not get at home. McPhee said kids could now play race-car games or hunting games in their lounge room or bedroom, but they could not win prizes from their game consoles (but don't tell Richard Branson's Virgin Gaming that, as they may want to argue the point). PokieAct.org founder Paul Bendat said all children's games should be banned from pokies venues. "I stand for children not being in pokies venues at all because gambling is an adult form of harmful entertainment," Mr Bendat advised. He highlighted the issue in a submission to the Productivity Commission, and has raised it with the state government. Bendat said "They've done absolutely - in Victoria - nothing. Zero." Government spokeswoman Rebecca Harrison said redemption games were not covered by the state's gaming regulator, the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation, as they "are not gaming machines because you can't place a bet on the outcome of the game". She said redemption games were "typically games of skill", while pokies were "games of chance". A spokesman for Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group, which owns Westside Hotel, David Curry, said he did not believe the games trained children to gamble and regulators had never raised any concerns about the venue's provision of children's activities. "We operate family venues with a variety of entertainment opportunities for children included within that" he advised.
UFC: Aussies Want Brock Lesnar To Win But Money Goes On Shane Carwin...
Australian UFC and sporting nuts love Lesnar, but the majority think Carwin will... er Win. MMA junkies down under predict Carwin by submission, knockout or stoppage in the 1st or 2nd round. Carwin's positive momentum along with his size and agility, along with not being dwarfed by monster Lesnar are key reasons for the 60% or so backing on Carwin.
Aussie Casino Shares...
Crown $7.730
Tabcorp $6.38
Centrbet $1.130
Tatts $2.230
Reef Casino Trust $1.900
Aristocrat Leisure Limited $3.610
Lasseters Corporation $0.010
SkyCity $2.88
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Punters, as always, bet with your head, not over it, know the odds and have fun.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
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03 July 2010
Virgin Casino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award; Breaks PartyCasino Hold
Virgin Casino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award (Finally), Breaks Party Hold...
The PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino online casino wars have been going on for a few years now, much of that time PartyCasino having a lock on the coverted Media Man award. In a shocker, Richard Branson's Virgin Casino toppled Party for June. The new games, excellent affiliate offerings, gameplay, global expansion, addition of the Virgin Gaming arm and outstanding customer experiences were key reasons for the win. PartyGaming's casino got 2nd place, and Captain Cooks Casino in 3rd (comon' Aussie's)! Virgin doesn't accept Aussie or American players, but is big in Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa and much of Europe. PartyGaming remains ultra popular in Australia and New Zealand. Read about the PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino war here...
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The PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino online casino wars have been going on for a few years now, much of that time PartyCasino having a lock on the coverted Media Man award. In a shocker, Richard Branson's Virgin Casino toppled Party for June. The new games, excellent affiliate offerings, gameplay, global expansion, addition of the Virgin Gaming arm and outstanding customer experiences were key reasons for the win. PartyGaming's casino got 2nd place, and Captain Cooks Casino in 3rd (comon' Aussie's)! Virgin doesn't accept Aussie or American players, but is big in Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa and much of Europe. PartyGaming remains ultra popular in Australia and New Zealand. Read about the PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino war here...
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Australian Gaming And Sporting Round Up, by Greg Tingle - 3rd July 2010
Readers, gamblers and sports nuts, here's your weekly Aussie gambling and sporting round up as Media Man and Gambling911 circumnavigate the southern hemisphere. UFC weekend, Aussie NRL betting scandal update, Aussie casino wars continue and more...
Crown Casino VS Star City Casino "War" With Politics, Legal...
'Sin City' Sydney: Star City has collected only $212,000 in unclaimed winnings since it opened in 1995, while Melbourne rival Crown Casino collects about that amount every calender year!
This huge difference prompted an accusation that the Star Casino may be "pocketing" much of the unclaimed winnings it collects and a call for the Casino, Liquor and Gaming Control Authority to introduce enhanced auditing of the system used.
In NSW, unclaimed winnings include pokies credits left in machines and jackpots that are downloaded to a machine but not collected! They also include what are known as "sleeper" bets on gaming tables left unclaimed.
Greens Party MP, Lee Rhiannon, quizzed the Minister for Gaming and Racing, Kevin Greene...MP Green advised Parliament in June that the fashion Star City deals with unclaimed winnings is not subject to any regulation.
He did state re unclaimed poker machine jackpot "is dispersed back to the jackpot pool if the patron cannot be identified".
Unclaimed pokies credits are deposited into an unclaimed winnings account, while "sleeper" bets are returned to the float of the gaming table.
Victorian legislation dictates that unclaimed winnings at Crown are paid to the Treasury.
Star City estimates it has collected $212,000 in unclaimed winnings in its 15 years, Crown recently revealed it had collected about $1 million in unclaimed winnings in the past 5 years ($200,000 annually).
Ms Rhiannon remarks "Either Melbourne casino patrons are far more forgetful than those in Sydney, or Star City Casino is secretly pocketing … unclaimed winnings."
Spokesman for Star, Peter Grimshaw, rejected the allegation. He said that while he could not comment on Crown's figure findings, he pointed out that it was a much larger casino with 2500 poker machines, compared with 1500 at Star City. Grimshaw said money found on the floor and credits left on a machine or in a coin tray were deposited into an "unclaimed moneys account" which was then dispersed to registered charities. He did not provide a figure for how much has been given to charity, but advised the account now holds about $22,000 grand.
Ms Rhiannon said the retention of some of the unclaimed money such as "sleeper bets" and poker machine jackpots by Star City was "unjustified". She called on the government to introduce the Victorian system of returning the money to the Treasurer.
"This major discrepancy underlines the need for more stringent auditing and a law change to ensure this money does not go to Tabcorp but goes into consolidated revenue," she said.
Mr Grimshaw said any such change was "a matter for Parliament. Star City has a policy of giving all found money to registered charities, so they would miss out from any move to return the funds to consolidated revenue." A spokesman for Mr Greene referred inquiries about changing the rules to the Treasurer, Eric Roozendaal, who is in China on government business. Mr Grimshaw said the gaming control authority could review Star City's unclaimed winnings "at any time". Charities, you might want to contact the casino and the gaming control authority to give them your thoughts and 2 cents worth.
Aussie NRL Sports Betting Scandal Update...
We know you wanted an update... A multi month probe betting plunges on Melbourne to win the "wooden spoon" (loosing team) before the club was stripped of all its comp points has failed to identify any punters with connections to the game or News Limited, the owners of the Storm and 50% stakeholders in the National Rugby League. The case remains open and chief exec David Gallop and the NRL remain keen to learn who was responsible for a number of bets placed in Melbourne and Brisbane that attracted suspicion and worldwide headlines because of the time and manner they were put on. Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy yesterday handed the NRL his report into the alleged betting fix mania but did not name anyone who had backed the Storm to finish last that may have had inside knowledge of the penalties imposed on the club for rorting the salary cap. Allegations that the punishment given to the Storm had been pre-determined before Melbourne chairman Rob Moodie and board member Craig Watts flew to Sydney on 22nd April for meetings with News Limited and the NRL over allegations of salary cap rorts form part of the legal case by the club's four independent directors against the penalties. A series of wagers that stood to win huge amounts if the then competition leaders ran last were laid with Australian betting agencies either late on the night of Wednesday, April 21st or early the next day...before the NRL announced that Melbourne had been stripped of the 2007 and 2009 premierships and forced to play this season for no competition points for "cheating" the salary cap. Among them is a mystery punter who walked into a Melbourne hotel at 9.30pm the night before the penalties were handed down and placed five successive cash bets totalling $200 on the Storm to claim the wooden spoon. At odds of a massive 200-1, the punter holds winning tickets worth $40,000. More than 400 bets are believed to have been laid with Tabcorp, TAB Sportsbet and 14 corporate bookmakers around Australia in the 48 hours leading up to the Storm being stripped of all competition points. Next thing odds fell to 20-1 before suspicions of a sting prompted betting agencies to suspend the wooden spoon market.
Report Findings...
No evidence that any player or official as defined by the NRL rules placed a bet or had an interest in a bet on Melbourne Storm to win the 'wooden spoon' and/or 'miss the eight'; and.
The level of activity on the 'wooden spoon' bet type was consistent with information concerning the gravity of the breach becoming known prior to the Storm informing the NRL of the extent of its breaches at an 11am meeting on April 22.
"The most significant of the bets in terms of timing appear to have been from Melbourne and Brisbane based punters," Murrihy said.
Wires, SMH and News Limited reports have put out there...a punter, alleged to be a league official, stood to win $20,000 from bets placed with online bookmakers from a computer in Brisbane but had ripped up his tickets to avoid detection. However, the bookmaker alleged to have taken the wager said it would be impossible for any punters who had bet online to avoid detection by tearing up their ticket as the Northern Territory Gaming Commission had a record of all transactions. But it seems the identity of the punter who placed the bets totalling $200 in a Melbourne pub will not be known until he or she attempts to collect their $40,000 at the end of the season. Footage taken from CCTV cameras at the hotel did not show the bets being put on.
According to Tabcorp sources, the punter who made the cash bets totalling $200 had a "good knowledge" of the company's procedures. TAB outlets pay out a maximum of $10,000 without requesting photo identification. By placing 5 bets, none of which would return more than the $10,000 limit, the punter may have been trying to avoid handing over his or her identification.
The NRL said Murrihy had spoken to a number of persons who had placed significant bets as well as the integrity departments of betting operators. "The NRL stresses that while people may have gained information from outside of the NRL that led them to speculate on the seriousness of the meeting, the decision to stop Melbourne accruing points in 2010 was not made until the afternoon of April 22, nor were decisions in relation to the club being stripped of both premierships and minor premierships," a media statement issued in the past 48 hours stated.
Internet Addiction Not Linked To Gambling Addiction...
Internet dependence and "problem gambling" are both addictions, but Aussie researchers found no link between excessive Internet use and "problem gambling". Dr. Nicki Dowling of the University of Melbourne and his colleagues did an assessment of a group of uni students down under and determined similar vulnerabilities... attributable to anxiety, stress, depression, loneliness and social isolation...appear to contribute to excesses in Internet use as well as gambling behavior. The researchers conclude excessive Internet use and problem gambling appear to be separate disorders that share common "underlying psychological profiles"! The study was published in the journal Rapid Communication in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. Oh, punters and gamers also enjoy Facebook, and of course Gambling911 and Media Man are on Facebook also.
Former Australian Prime Minster John Howard (Not Rudd) Not Welcome On Aussie Cricket Board...
The powers that be have spoken loud and clear.... Former Aussie PM John Howard on the Cricket board? No Thanks.... We don't see Kevin Rudd throwing his hat in the ring either. Here's an update...
The Howard controversy which has engulfed world cricket gained diplomatic status on Friday with the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand supporting the former Aussie PM, whose bid to become ICC vice-president was rejected by the ICC executive board last Thursday. Howard was asked by present Australian PM Julia Gillard to give it another shot, raising the prospect of a protracted battle on racial lines. Meanwhile, new ICC president Sharad Pawar vehemently denied any racial connotation in Howard's rejection. He also shuddered off suggestions that the development would divide world cricket. The Indian cricket board (BCCI) stood behind him, saying, "It's not a diplomatic row as the media would like us to believe," a top BCCI official told TOI. With the Aussie and New Zealand cricket boards expressing shock and resentment over their candidate's failure, Gillard and Kiwi PM John Key echoed..."John Howard, passionate, passionate cricket fan. I share some of the concerns he's voiced publicly about the kind of factors that are influencing this decision," Gillard said on Friday, with Key..."I'd be very happy to offer full support for John Howard to get this role." Meanwhile, former ICC CEO Malcolm Speed's attack on the sub-continental cricket admin following Howard's inability to secure enough votes to become VP trotted around the cricketing world. Australian Speed, who often feuded with BCCI during his term as ICC CEO, even called Pakistan Cricket Board's chief Ijaz Butt a "buffoon" while also saying that two former presidents of the Bangladesh Cricket Board were jailed after a change of government. Butt didn't react but a PCB spokesperson said: "We will not comment on it as we are in the process of confirming the statement carried in the Australian media."
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Virgin Casino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award (Finally), Brakes Party Hold...
The PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino online casino wars have been going on for a few years now, much of that time PartyCasino having a lock on the coverted Media Man award. In a shocker, Richard Branson's Virgin Casino toppled Party for June. The new games, excellent affiliate offerings, gameplay, global expansion, addition of the Virgin Gaming arm and outstanding customer experiences were key reasons for the win. PartyGaming's casino got 2nd place, and Captain Cooks casino in 3rd (comon' Aussie's)! Virgin doesn't accept Aussie or American players, but is big in Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa and much of Europe. PartyGaming remains ultra popular in Australia and New Zealand. Read about the PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino war here...
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/partycasino_vs.html
Casino Legal and Poker Legal Situation...
Punters, don't forget to follow the laws and regulations in your country, state et al. French readers might want to consult legal eagles, or check with your current online casino or online poker websites of preference. California is the U.S is going to have to wait to see online poker bills passed as reported earlier this week. Check the Gambling911 latest coverage on France here...
http://www.gambling911.com/poker.html
Australian Politics: Julie Gillard Gets Labor Back In Front!...
PM Julia Gillard has reversed federal Labor's fall in the polls and put her party in an election-winning position, according to recent analysis. Reuters Poll Trend combining recent opinion poll results gives the Gillard govt a two-party preferred vote of 51.6%, compared to the Coalition's 48.4% If repeated on election day, the result would see Labor returned to government, but with a reduced majority. It lends weight to Labor's decision last week to dump then prime minister Kevin Rudd for Julia Gillard. The Rudd government's vote had been falling steadily since March. The combined polling also confirms the new Prime Minister's popularity. It suggests 52.2% of voters prefer Julia Gillard as prime minister compared to 33% for Opposition Leader Tony "The Bruiser" Abbott. There is heightened interest in the polls as Prime Minister Gillard decides when to call a federal election due between August and April, but likely to be held before the end of October. Keep checking Centrebet for current odds
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UFC: Dana White Loves Aussie Fans...
"You know over there in Australia, you have real men's men. They're not pussies. Do you even have pussies over there? Guys that go, mmmm, aahhh, I can't go into the outback. They are real men, tough men, who get the sport and like it." Australian fans are expected to bet big on the UFC 115 Lesnar VS Carwin fight, with Lesnar enjoying a slight favorite, is world on the streets and MMA websites and sheets. Aussie Pay TV operator, Foxtel, and its Main Event PPV channel are understood to be getting big numbers, and these are likely to be released within the week following the 115 fight event.
Aussie F1 Ace Mark Webber Fine After Crash...
Mark Webber has played down his 190mph European Grand Prix crash and is fine. Webber is looking forward to continuing on flying the flag for Red Bull Racing. He comments... "Obviously you get a bit concerned when that happens. But fortunately I walked away from it and when you race for as long as us guys do you're going to have the odd big one here and there. I remembered everything". "It certainly takes both of us to have the accident," Webber said. I could have done something different to not hit Heikki as well. Collectively we got involved with each other and certainly it was unnecessary over what was at stake, which was not a great deal. That's the stupid thing about it."
NRL State Of Origin - New South Wales v Queensland - This Wednesday...
NSW selectors have opted for a "something old, something new" approach to Game Three, sacking players, blooding players and recalling players as they battle to stave off an embarrassing 3-0 series nuclear destruction.
Coach info: Craig Bellamy will want to go out with a bang in his final as mentor of NSW. He enters this clash with a terrible 2-6 record for just a 25% return – way down on his 67% winning rate with the Storm. QLD's Mal Meninga now boasts a 71% winning record from his 14 games guiding Queensland.
Queensland remain extremely heavily tipped to win the final clash of the season.
NSW win 2.60
QLD win 1.50
Wrap Up...
The off field action and casino gossip continues to have just as much interest to both the media and public as do the odds, numbers and the odds. As the public continue to become ever increasingly media savy, leaks, hot gossip, inside information and the like is going to be sought after. Some fodder just fills up news bulletins and newspapers, while some is genuine news. Of course, some passionate gaming and sports nuts will endeavor to get there hands on every bit of information they can. It's of course better to have to much info, than not enough, and for these reasons Gambling911 continues to be one of the world's foremost website portals, where the reader or punter can get a global perspective of their passion in a quick, entertaining and informative fashion. Casino and online casino fans, check out the Media Man website too, and remember that not all online casinos are available to Aussies. Gambling911 has all the good oil on the American casino and gambling sector, updated multiply times per day.
Media Man and Gambling911 are website portals covering entertainment, gambling, gaming, sports, politics and much more. Punters, as always, know the odds and have fun.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited and Virgin
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Crown Casino VS Star City Casino "War" With Politics, Legal...
'Sin City' Sydney: Star City has collected only $212,000 in unclaimed winnings since it opened in 1995, while Melbourne rival Crown Casino collects about that amount every calender year!
This huge difference prompted an accusation that the Star Casino may be "pocketing" much of the unclaimed winnings it collects and a call for the Casino, Liquor and Gaming Control Authority to introduce enhanced auditing of the system used.
In NSW, unclaimed winnings include pokies credits left in machines and jackpots that are downloaded to a machine but not collected! They also include what are known as "sleeper" bets on gaming tables left unclaimed.
Greens Party MP, Lee Rhiannon, quizzed the Minister for Gaming and Racing, Kevin Greene...MP Green advised Parliament in June that the fashion Star City deals with unclaimed winnings is not subject to any regulation.
He did state re unclaimed poker machine jackpot "is dispersed back to the jackpot pool if the patron cannot be identified".
Unclaimed pokies credits are deposited into an unclaimed winnings account, while "sleeper" bets are returned to the float of the gaming table.
Victorian legislation dictates that unclaimed winnings at Crown are paid to the Treasury.
Star City estimates it has collected $212,000 in unclaimed winnings in its 15 years, Crown recently revealed it had collected about $1 million in unclaimed winnings in the past 5 years ($200,000 annually).
Ms Rhiannon remarks "Either Melbourne casino patrons are far more forgetful than those in Sydney, or Star City Casino is secretly pocketing … unclaimed winnings."
Spokesman for Star, Peter Grimshaw, rejected the allegation. He said that while he could not comment on Crown's figure findings, he pointed out that it was a much larger casino with 2500 poker machines, compared with 1500 at Star City. Grimshaw said money found on the floor and credits left on a machine or in a coin tray were deposited into an "unclaimed moneys account" which was then dispersed to registered charities. He did not provide a figure for how much has been given to charity, but advised the account now holds about $22,000 grand.
Ms Rhiannon said the retention of some of the unclaimed money such as "sleeper bets" and poker machine jackpots by Star City was "unjustified". She called on the government to introduce the Victorian system of returning the money to the Treasurer.
"This major discrepancy underlines the need for more stringent auditing and a law change to ensure this money does not go to Tabcorp but goes into consolidated revenue," she said.
Mr Grimshaw said any such change was "a matter for Parliament. Star City has a policy of giving all found money to registered charities, so they would miss out from any move to return the funds to consolidated revenue." A spokesman for Mr Greene referred inquiries about changing the rules to the Treasurer, Eric Roozendaal, who is in China on government business. Mr Grimshaw said the gaming control authority could review Star City's unclaimed winnings "at any time". Charities, you might want to contact the casino and the gaming control authority to give them your thoughts and 2 cents worth.
Aussie NRL Sports Betting Scandal Update...
We know you wanted an update... A multi month probe betting plunges on Melbourne to win the "wooden spoon" (loosing team) before the club was stripped of all its comp points has failed to identify any punters with connections to the game or News Limited, the owners of the Storm and 50% stakeholders in the National Rugby League. The case remains open and chief exec David Gallop and the NRL remain keen to learn who was responsible for a number of bets placed in Melbourne and Brisbane that attracted suspicion and worldwide headlines because of the time and manner they were put on. Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy yesterday handed the NRL his report into the alleged betting fix mania but did not name anyone who had backed the Storm to finish last that may have had inside knowledge of the penalties imposed on the club for rorting the salary cap. Allegations that the punishment given to the Storm had been pre-determined before Melbourne chairman Rob Moodie and board member Craig Watts flew to Sydney on 22nd April for meetings with News Limited and the NRL over allegations of salary cap rorts form part of the legal case by the club's four independent directors against the penalties. A series of wagers that stood to win huge amounts if the then competition leaders ran last were laid with Australian betting agencies either late on the night of Wednesday, April 21st or early the next day...before the NRL announced that Melbourne had been stripped of the 2007 and 2009 premierships and forced to play this season for no competition points for "cheating" the salary cap. Among them is a mystery punter who walked into a Melbourne hotel at 9.30pm the night before the penalties were handed down and placed five successive cash bets totalling $200 on the Storm to claim the wooden spoon. At odds of a massive 200-1, the punter holds winning tickets worth $40,000. More than 400 bets are believed to have been laid with Tabcorp, TAB Sportsbet and 14 corporate bookmakers around Australia in the 48 hours leading up to the Storm being stripped of all competition points. Next thing odds fell to 20-1 before suspicions of a sting prompted betting agencies to suspend the wooden spoon market.
Report Findings...
No evidence that any player or official as defined by the NRL rules placed a bet or had an interest in a bet on Melbourne Storm to win the 'wooden spoon' and/or 'miss the eight'; and.
The level of activity on the 'wooden spoon' bet type was consistent with information concerning the gravity of the breach becoming known prior to the Storm informing the NRL of the extent of its breaches at an 11am meeting on April 22.
"The most significant of the bets in terms of timing appear to have been from Melbourne and Brisbane based punters," Murrihy said.
Wires, SMH and News Limited reports have put out there...a punter, alleged to be a league official, stood to win $20,000 from bets placed with online bookmakers from a computer in Brisbane but had ripped up his tickets to avoid detection. However, the bookmaker alleged to have taken the wager said it would be impossible for any punters who had bet online to avoid detection by tearing up their ticket as the Northern Territory Gaming Commission had a record of all transactions. But it seems the identity of the punter who placed the bets totalling $200 in a Melbourne pub will not be known until he or she attempts to collect their $40,000 at the end of the season. Footage taken from CCTV cameras at the hotel did not show the bets being put on.
According to Tabcorp sources, the punter who made the cash bets totalling $200 had a "good knowledge" of the company's procedures. TAB outlets pay out a maximum of $10,000 without requesting photo identification. By placing 5 bets, none of which would return more than the $10,000 limit, the punter may have been trying to avoid handing over his or her identification.
The NRL said Murrihy had spoken to a number of persons who had placed significant bets as well as the integrity departments of betting operators. "The NRL stresses that while people may have gained information from outside of the NRL that led them to speculate on the seriousness of the meeting, the decision to stop Melbourne accruing points in 2010 was not made until the afternoon of April 22, nor were decisions in relation to the club being stripped of both premierships and minor premierships," a media statement issued in the past 48 hours stated.
Internet Addiction Not Linked To Gambling Addiction...
Internet dependence and "problem gambling" are both addictions, but Aussie researchers found no link between excessive Internet use and "problem gambling". Dr. Nicki Dowling of the University of Melbourne and his colleagues did an assessment of a group of uni students down under and determined similar vulnerabilities... attributable to anxiety, stress, depression, loneliness and social isolation...appear to contribute to excesses in Internet use as well as gambling behavior. The researchers conclude excessive Internet use and problem gambling appear to be separate disorders that share common "underlying psychological profiles"! The study was published in the journal Rapid Communication in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. Oh, punters and gamers also enjoy Facebook, and of course Gambling911 and Media Man are on Facebook also.
Former Australian Prime Minster John Howard (Not Rudd) Not Welcome On Aussie Cricket Board...
The powers that be have spoken loud and clear.... Former Aussie PM John Howard on the Cricket board? No Thanks.... We don't see Kevin Rudd throwing his hat in the ring either. Here's an update...
The Howard controversy which has engulfed world cricket gained diplomatic status on Friday with the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand supporting the former Aussie PM, whose bid to become ICC vice-president was rejected by the ICC executive board last Thursday. Howard was asked by present Australian PM Julia Gillard to give it another shot, raising the prospect of a protracted battle on racial lines. Meanwhile, new ICC president Sharad Pawar vehemently denied any racial connotation in Howard's rejection. He also shuddered off suggestions that the development would divide world cricket. The Indian cricket board (BCCI) stood behind him, saying, "It's not a diplomatic row as the media would like us to believe," a top BCCI official told TOI. With the Aussie and New Zealand cricket boards expressing shock and resentment over their candidate's failure, Gillard and Kiwi PM John Key echoed..."John Howard, passionate, passionate cricket fan. I share some of the concerns he's voiced publicly about the kind of factors that are influencing this decision," Gillard said on Friday, with Key..."I'd be very happy to offer full support for John Howard to get this role." Meanwhile, former ICC CEO Malcolm Speed's attack on the sub-continental cricket admin following Howard's inability to secure enough votes to become VP trotted around the cricketing world. Australian Speed, who often feuded with BCCI during his term as ICC CEO, even called Pakistan Cricket Board's chief Ijaz Butt a "buffoon" while also saying that two former presidents of the Bangladesh Cricket Board were jailed after a change of government. Butt didn't react but a PCB spokesperson said: "We will not comment on it as we are in the process of confirming the statement carried in the Australian media."
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Virgin Casino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award (Finally), Brakes Party Hold...
The PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino online casino wars have been going on for a few years now, much of that time PartyCasino having a lock on the coverted Media Man award. In a shocker, Richard Branson's Virgin Casino toppled Party for June. The new games, excellent affiliate offerings, gameplay, global expansion, addition of the Virgin Gaming arm and outstanding customer experiences were key reasons for the win. PartyGaming's casino got 2nd place, and Captain Cooks casino in 3rd (comon' Aussie's)! Virgin doesn't accept Aussie or American players, but is big in Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa and much of Europe. PartyGaming remains ultra popular in Australia and New Zealand. Read about the PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino war here...
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/partycasino_vs.html
Casino Legal and Poker Legal Situation...
Punters, don't forget to follow the laws and regulations in your country, state et al. French readers might want to consult legal eagles, or check with your current online casino or online poker websites of preference. California is the U.S is going to have to wait to see online poker bills passed as reported earlier this week. Check the Gambling911 latest coverage on France here...
http://www.gambling911.com/poker.html
Australian Politics: Julie Gillard Gets Labor Back In Front!...
PM Julia Gillard has reversed federal Labor's fall in the polls and put her party in an election-winning position, according to recent analysis. Reuters Poll Trend combining recent opinion poll results gives the Gillard govt a two-party preferred vote of 51.6%, compared to the Coalition's 48.4% If repeated on election day, the result would see Labor returned to government, but with a reduced majority. It lends weight to Labor's decision last week to dump then prime minister Kevin Rudd for Julia Gillard. The Rudd government's vote had been falling steadily since March. The combined polling also confirms the new Prime Minister's popularity. It suggests 52.2% of voters prefer Julia Gillard as prime minister compared to 33% for Opposition Leader Tony "The Bruiser" Abbott. There is heightened interest in the polls as Prime Minister Gillard decides when to call a federal election due between August and April, but likely to be held before the end of October. Keep checking Centrebet for current odds
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UFC: Dana White Loves Aussie Fans...
"You know over there in Australia, you have real men's men. They're not pussies. Do you even have pussies over there? Guys that go, mmmm, aahhh, I can't go into the outback. They are real men, tough men, who get the sport and like it." Australian fans are expected to bet big on the UFC 115 Lesnar VS Carwin fight, with Lesnar enjoying a slight favorite, is world on the streets and MMA websites and sheets. Aussie Pay TV operator, Foxtel, and its Main Event PPV channel are understood to be getting big numbers, and these are likely to be released within the week following the 115 fight event.
Aussie F1 Ace Mark Webber Fine After Crash...
Mark Webber has played down his 190mph European Grand Prix crash and is fine. Webber is looking forward to continuing on flying the flag for Red Bull Racing. He comments... "Obviously you get a bit concerned when that happens. But fortunately I walked away from it and when you race for as long as us guys do you're going to have the odd big one here and there. I remembered everything". "It certainly takes both of us to have the accident," Webber said. I could have done something different to not hit Heikki as well. Collectively we got involved with each other and certainly it was unnecessary over what was at stake, which was not a great deal. That's the stupid thing about it."
NRL State Of Origin - New South Wales v Queensland - This Wednesday...
NSW selectors have opted for a "something old, something new" approach to Game Three, sacking players, blooding players and recalling players as they battle to stave off an embarrassing 3-0 series nuclear destruction.
Coach info: Craig Bellamy will want to go out with a bang in his final as mentor of NSW. He enters this clash with a terrible 2-6 record for just a 25% return – way down on his 67% winning rate with the Storm. QLD's Mal Meninga now boasts a 71% winning record from his 14 games guiding Queensland.
Queensland remain extremely heavily tipped to win the final clash of the season.
NSW win 2.60
QLD win 1.50
Wrap Up...
The off field action and casino gossip continues to have just as much interest to both the media and public as do the odds, numbers and the odds. As the public continue to become ever increasingly media savy, leaks, hot gossip, inside information and the like is going to be sought after. Some fodder just fills up news bulletins and newspapers, while some is genuine news. Of course, some passionate gaming and sports nuts will endeavor to get there hands on every bit of information they can. It's of course better to have to much info, than not enough, and for these reasons Gambling911 continues to be one of the world's foremost website portals, where the reader or punter can get a global perspective of their passion in a quick, entertaining and informative fashion. Casino and online casino fans, check out the Media Man website too, and remember that not all online casinos are available to Aussies. Gambling911 has all the good oil on the American casino and gambling sector, updated multiply times per day.
Media Man and Gambling911 are website portals covering entertainment, gambling, gaming, sports, politics and much more. Punters, as always, know the odds and have fun.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited and Virgin
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02 July 2010
PartyCasino: The World's Leading Online Casino; A PartyGaming Company
PartyCasino: The World's Leading Online Casino
New Players get up to $500 sign up bonus at PartyCasino.com
PartyGaming also operates casinos, online poker rooms and bingo through various websites, including PartyCasino.com, PartyPoker.com, PartyBingo.com, WPTCasino.com and WPTPoker.com
PartyCasino is the Group’s most popular casino brand by far although other brands include CasinoKing and CasinoLasVegas.com The Group's casinos offer a huge variety of over 150 games including slots, blackjack, roulette, and video poker. As well as these traditional online casino games, the Group also offers virtual horse and virtual dog racing as well as multi-player blackjack.
Except for casino tournaments, all players place bets against the house, and the outcome is determined by randomly generated results. Wager limits vary from $0.01 to $1,000, depending on the game. Casino revenue represents the net win, being the amount wagered less player winnings and any change in liability of progressive prize pools. Bingo revenue represents player buy-in less prize payouts.
In 2007, the Group’s casino product was substantially improved through a series of software upgrades, the addition of a number of new slot machines and the integration of the acquisitions from EOL and IOG. Casino, which includes bingo games, is the Group’s second largest business segment and in 2007 it generated Continuing revenue of $146.7 million (2006: $51.0 million) and Continuing Clean EBITDA of $43.6 million (2006: $15.9 million).
PartyGaming's principle brands include PartyPoker.com, PartyCasino.com and World Poker Tour
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New Players get up to $500 sign up bonus at PartyCasino.com
PartyGaming also operates casinos, online poker rooms and bingo through various websites, including PartyCasino.com, PartyPoker.com, PartyBingo.com, WPTCasino.com and WPTPoker.com
PartyCasino is the Group’s most popular casino brand by far although other brands include CasinoKing and CasinoLasVegas.com The Group's casinos offer a huge variety of over 150 games including slots, blackjack, roulette, and video poker. As well as these traditional online casino games, the Group also offers virtual horse and virtual dog racing as well as multi-player blackjack.
Except for casino tournaments, all players place bets against the house, and the outcome is determined by randomly generated results. Wager limits vary from $0.01 to $1,000, depending on the game. Casino revenue represents the net win, being the amount wagered less player winnings and any change in liability of progressive prize pools. Bingo revenue represents player buy-in less prize payouts.
In 2007, the Group’s casino product was substantially improved through a series of software upgrades, the addition of a number of new slot machines and the integration of the acquisitions from EOL and IOG. Casino, which includes bingo games, is the Group’s second largest business segment and in 2007 it generated Continuing revenue of $146.7 million (2006: $51.0 million) and Continuing Clean EBITDA of $43.6 million (2006: $15.9 million).
PartyGaming's principle brands include PartyPoker.com, PartyCasino.com and World Poker Tour
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PartyPoker Sponsors TV show
PartyPoker Sponsors TV show
GIBRALTAR - (PRESS RELEASE) - 28th June 2010 - PartyPoker is proud to sponsor the new season of 'The Poker Show with Jesse May,' with the first one hour show being broadcast on Wednesday 30th June and available to download from 12pm. The Matchroom Sport produced show is available to download on the PartyPoker.com blog and through ITunes every Wednesday and Sunday throughout July. To mark the new sponsorship the guests for the opening show will be Team PartyPoker.com's Mike Sexton, Tony G and Kara Scott.
After each of the first eight scheduled shows there will be an exclusive $5+1 tournament on PartyPoker.com every Thursday and Monday (under the specials tab). Winners of each of the eight tournaments go into a final freeroll on Sunday 1st August where the winner will get a seat for the televised Main Event of the WPT London Poker Classic, which runs from 30th August – 4th September (value of £5,000). The tournaments are password protected and the passwords will be available through listening to the show and joining the mailing list. There are also exclusive great value bonuses for new and existing PartyPoker.com customers available through the show.
Jesse May said: "I'm very excited about the new format. The last three seasons have been trial and error but I think we have cracked the formula. The key words are big names and fast paced – the strength of the show has always been all the great contacts we have in the poker world but now we think we are coming to something that the listeners will love hearing rather than just the people we interview."
Shortly after the opening show Jesse flies out to Las Vegas to join the thick of the action at the WSOP and the second instalment of the series will be online on Sunday 4th July. Further shows with exclusive content from Vegas will be available on the 7th, 11th, 14th, 18th, 21st and 25th July before the show takes a brief break for Jesse to get his breath back. The show returns on Sunday August 29 to build up to the WPT and WSOPE coming to London. The one hour episodes then continue to be posted online every Wednesday and Sunday until the final show of the series on Wednesday September 29.
The Poker Show with Jesse May has run for three series - beginning in April 2009 and finishing in May this year.
PartyGaming's principle brands include PartyPoker.com, PartyCasino.com and World Poker Tour
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GIBRALTAR - (PRESS RELEASE) - 28th June 2010 - PartyPoker is proud to sponsor the new season of 'The Poker Show with Jesse May,' with the first one hour show being broadcast on Wednesday 30th June and available to download from 12pm. The Matchroom Sport produced show is available to download on the PartyPoker.com blog and through ITunes every Wednesday and Sunday throughout July. To mark the new sponsorship the guests for the opening show will be Team PartyPoker.com's Mike Sexton, Tony G and Kara Scott.
After each of the first eight scheduled shows there will be an exclusive $5+1 tournament on PartyPoker.com every Thursday and Monday (under the specials tab). Winners of each of the eight tournaments go into a final freeroll on Sunday 1st August where the winner will get a seat for the televised Main Event of the WPT London Poker Classic, which runs from 30th August – 4th September (value of £5,000). The tournaments are password protected and the passwords will be available through listening to the show and joining the mailing list. There are also exclusive great value bonuses for new and existing PartyPoker.com customers available through the show.
Jesse May said: "I'm very excited about the new format. The last three seasons have been trial and error but I think we have cracked the formula. The key words are big names and fast paced – the strength of the show has always been all the great contacts we have in the poker world but now we think we are coming to something that the listeners will love hearing rather than just the people we interview."
Shortly after the opening show Jesse flies out to Las Vegas to join the thick of the action at the WSOP and the second instalment of the series will be online on Sunday 4th July. Further shows with exclusive content from Vegas will be available on the 7th, 11th, 14th, 18th, 21st and 25th July before the show takes a brief break for Jesse to get his breath back. The show returns on Sunday August 29 to build up to the WPT and WSOPE coming to London. The one hour episodes then continue to be posted online every Wednesday and Sunday until the final show of the series on Wednesday September 29.
The Poker Show with Jesse May has run for three series - beginning in April 2009 and finishing in May this year.
PartyGaming's principle brands include PartyPoker.com, PartyCasino.com and World Poker Tour
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Tomb Raider and Thunderstruck online slot games arrive at Virgin Casino
Tomb Raider and Thunderstruck online slot games arrive at Virgin Casino
Play for free or play for money.
Tomb Raider is one of the most popular videogames and online slot games of all time. Join Lara Croft on an epic journey..
*Sorry, no U.S or Australian players. See World Casino Directory
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Play for free or play for money.
Tomb Raider is one of the most popular videogames and online slot games of all time. Join Lara Croft on an epic journey..
*Sorry, no U.S or Australian players. See World Casino Directory
Website
VirginCasino.com
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Tomb Raider
Thunderstruck
Hitman
Microgaming
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Richard Branson
Angelina Jolie
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Casino News Media.net
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