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Days numbered for online casino gambling in Cyprus

The Mediterranean island of Cyprus, long the location of choice for many online gambling companies, may not remain so for much longer as the possibility of banning legislation looms closer. The island government has already drawn up banning laws that will see all online gambling, with the exception of sports betting, put on the verboten list.

The proposed law was submitted to the European Commission earlier this year to ensure that it does not fall foul of European Union principles.

This week the Cyprus Mail reported that a response from the EC was anticipated in the near future, and that if this was positive the parliament would vote the law in without delay, possibly before year-end.

The newspaper quoted Attorney General Petros Clerides, who said that the bill outlaws online games like roulette, poker, and slot machines, but allows for licences for sports betting online and retail outlets. It further provides for the creation of a Gaming Board that will regulate betting in Cyprus itself, with licensees paying a tax based on turnover, not profit.

To better control the online sports betting business, it will be prohibited to use cash for bets, which can only be placed via credit card or an e-account, thus making transactions easier to monitor, the official explained, adding that firms that failed to meet their tax obligations would be closed down whilst court proceedings took place. Payments to players would be guaranteed by specified bank guarantees.

Clerides said that the submission to the EC argued that Cyprus wished to introduce a ban on internet gambling to guard against criminality and protect the consumer.

“We need to convince the European Commission that the ban is in the public interest and that it adheres to the principle of proportionality,” he said.

Clerides says that European case law supports the proposed ban by Cyprus, pointing to the European Court of Justice decision in favour of Portugal.

He gave an indication of the direction in which the new law will go by noting that Portugal has defined online gambling as “Placing a bet from Portugal territory over the web with a company based outside of Portugal,” making it clear that a person cannot, at any time, gamble online whilst on Portuguese soil.

Another government official, Ionas Nicolaou, said that police statistics record over 600 online casinos on the island, which are currently operating legally because of a lack of specific legislation.

It is estimated that Cypriots wager hundreds of millions of euros online every year.

Scottish Premier League Betting – Who will take Charge of Celtic on Saturday?

Martin Hansson of the Swedish Football Association is the 3/1 betting favourite with British bookmaker Ladbrokes to take charge of Celtic Glasgow’s league game against Inverness on Saturday.

Terje Hauge of Norway is the 4/1 second betting favourite with Tom Henning Ovrebo, famous for officiating the Chelsea versus Barcelona Champions League match in 2009 which prompted a four letter outburst from striker Didier Drogba, a 5/1 chance.

Alex Donohue, spokesperson of Ladbrokes, said: “To avoid disruption to the fixture list there is talk of drafting in a Nordic referee. One with a track record of controversial decisions could add some spice to the fixture.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea have been eased to odds of 11/10 with the bookmaker for the Premier League title win after defeat at Birmingham City and coach Carlo Ancelotti is also now 20/1 to be the next English top flight manager to lose his job.

Latest Betting Odds – Who will referee Celtic – Inverness Saturday 27th?

Martin Hansson (Sweden) 3/1, Terje Hauge (Norway) 4/1, Stefan Johanesson (Sweden) 5/1, Tom Henning Ovrebo (Norway) 5/1, Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) 6/1, Martin Ingvarsson (Sweden) 8/1. Continue..

American Idol Online Gambling Shifting To Wednesday Next Season

American Idol has been the main draw on television for many years in a row, and the popular show has been a cash cow for Fox and also for online sports books. Now, the series is being shifted to Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Gamblers used to have to get their bets in on American Idol contestants before the Tuesday night live shows. Now, gamblers can wait until Wednesday evening right before the show to make their wagers. While it is a slight change for Idol fans, it could prove significant for bettors.

The past couple of years, Idol fans have had the ability to place bets on their favorite contestants through online sports books that have created odds based on public perception. The past two years, the winner started the competition with odds of over ten to one, paying off bettors that took a risk early in the competition.

Thursday is considered to be the biggest night for prime time television. Advertisers spend the biggest buck on Thursday night, and Fox may have wanted to capitalize on the success of its biggest show. Idol, although having its viewership decrease the past couple of seasons, still remains the most popular show on television.

This year, bettors will not be influenced by Simon Cowell. The long time Idol judge has left the show, and Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi are also out. Randy Jackson will be joined by Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez on the judge’s panel for the upcoming season. The show is scheduled to begin airing on Wednesday, January 19th.

Fox has been successful on Tuesday night with their hit show Glee. The success of Glee has allowed the network to shuffle their line-up in the Spring. The elimination show on Thursday for Idol will be trimmed this year from its traditional hour slot to a half hour slot.

Casino bonuses at Aladdin’s Gold

Aladdin wasn’t really a very giving guy. Okay, I’ll be honest. The only version of the story that I know is from the Disney movie. But from that movie, I remember a spoiled brat that found a magic genie in a lamp and used it to make himself a prince to try to win the love of a Princess Jasmine. Everything he did was for that self-centered desire. Aladdin’s Gold Casino, in contrast, is very giving. Here, your wishes are gladly granted, as long as you wish for things like cool casino games or good bonuses.

From Thursday, November 18 to Sunday, November 21, the online casino is offering a total of 100 bonuses for up to $100,000. Not too bad for a casino based on a greedy Arabian liar. The casino is offering 50 bonus coupons for players of slots, keno and scratch cards and the other 50 are for players of blackjack, video poker and other table games.

For the former, players can receive a 60% deposit match bonus, with each bonus having a maximum amount of $1,000. The coupon can be redeemed up to 50 times, with a total bonus value of up to $50,000. The bonus must be wagered at least 25 times before a withdrawal can be made, but they can be used on any online slot, scratch card or keno game in the inventory of Aladdin’s Gold. The coupon code for that bonus is LUCKYDAY60.

The other bonus is a 45% deposit match, with each bonus having a maximum value of $1,000. Like the other bonus, this can be redeemed up to 50 times, for a total of up to $50,000 in bonuses. This bonus can be used on any video poker, blackjack or table games at the online casino. The bonus must be wagered a minimum of 50 times before you can withdraw the funds. The coupon code for that bonus is LUCKYSOCK45.

Those casino bonuses and more can be found at Aladdin’s Gold Casino, the best online casino based on a story of a selfish and greedy Arab who abused magical powers to gain power and a kingdom.

Tags: Aladdin’s Gold Casino, casino bonus

WinADay releases their latest slot – Pyramid Plunder

WinADay Casino has launched a new proprietary Egyptian-themed slot machine, Pyramid Plunder. Pyramid Plunder is a five-reel, 25 pay-line slot machine. Players can bet as little as 1¢ or as high as $4 per line per spin.

The game has three opportunities to win bonuses; a Scarab beetle that walks over any non-winning spin to uncover new symbols that could make a winning combination; a Mummy that waves its arms and shifts its reel down by one or two symbols adding winnings from any new combinations created to winnings from the original spin; and the Chamber of Treasures bonus game. The game is also tied to the site’s progressive jackpot.

“We create all of our games ourselves – you won’t find any of them anywhere else – so we got our game developers to think ‘Egyptian’ and I think they’ve come up with one of their most spectacular designs yet!” said a WinADay spokesman.

Tournament action at Millionaire Casino

Online casinos love holidays almost as much as I do. I love them because I get to take off of work but still get paid. They also give me something to write about building up to the holiday. Casinos love them because they provide for easy promotions and tournaments, which are a good way of marketing yourself to players and potential players. With that in mind, now that Halloween is over, don’t you want to hear about the Thanksgiving tournaments?

Millionaire Casino is holding a month-long slot tournament throughout all of November called the Big Turkey. The slot tournament has a $100,000 prize pool. You’re probably thinking it will take a lot of money to buy into that tournament. If so, you’re wrong. You can enter the tournament for only $5. A pack of chewing gum at the convenience store next to the office costs more than that!

In addition to the large tournament that takes place all month, there is also the Slottery tournament. This is the standard tournament that Millionaire often offers. It takes place in five segments, which each taking four days. Each tournament has a $5 entry fee and players compete for a share of the pot. With the Slottery tournament traditionally popular, you can expect a rather large pot for this.

The first segment of the Slottery tournament began on November 1 and ends on Friday, November 5. It is played on the slot game called Shaaark! The game has a comic take on shark attacks (sounds strange, but it makes sense).

To take part in either of the tournaments (or other tournaments that the casino is offering), visit Millionaire Casino.

Interwetten announces new B2B division

The Interwetten Group is expanding its operations to include a business to business (B2B) division. The company’s own sports betting software as well as further services will be provided under the name Sportsbook Software AG. Customers of the online platform will not be affected by this restructuring.

Planning for entry into the new business segment and the associated restructuring has been underway since the start of the year. The Interwetten Group now also offers its services to B2B customers. The sports betting software, which has been developed in-house over several years will be offered to business customers as a white label service.

As part of this strategic realignment the online entertainment company has also made changes with regard to personnel. Former Interwetten CFO Rita Landauer (35) will become the sole CEO of Sportsbook Software AG and Interwetten.

The structural changes also affect another important role. Company founder Wolfgang Fabian will take a step back from operations and pass the reins over to the newly appointed CEO. “Over the last 12 months we have worked together to create the structure for this step and prepare the systematic handover. I firmly believe that the company is well-positioned and ideally equipped for many further years of success under the leadership of Ms. Landauer. I wish her all the best in her new role,” said Wolfgang Fabian.

Ms. Landauer has occupied a management position at Interwetten since 2006, prior to which she held senior positions at Ankerbrot AG and Denzel AG.

UK Gambling Commission releases latest Gambling Participation survey results

The U.K. Gambling commission’s latest quarterly Gambling Participation survey results (pdf file) are in, showing once again that remote (online) gambling by UK players has not increased since last year, and that most internet punters bet on the National Lottery.

The latest survey studied 7000 respondents and found that 54.3% of them had participated in some form of gambling (2009: 55.2%) and of that 54.3% only 10.5% had participated in internet or remote gambling.

The omnibus surveys were conducted by ICM Research, a member of the British Polling Council, telephonically and the final report is based on two separate sets of questions.

The first set of questions measured participation in all types of gambling activity (including remote gambling) and the second set measured participation in remote forms of gambling (gambling through a computer, mobile phone or interactive/digital TV).

Each survey is conducted once a quarter (in March, June, September and December) with a nationally representative sample (in terms of age, gender, social classification and region) of adults (over 18-year-olds).

Key Findings of the Remote Gambling Report include:

• During the year to September 2010 an average of 10.5% of respondents said they had participated in at least one form of remote gambling in the previous four weeks. This compares with the same figure of 10.5% in 2009, 9.7% in 2008, 8.8% in 2007 and 7.2% in 2006.
• The growth in participation in remote gambling is explained very largely by increased online participation in the National Lottery. If those only playing National Lottery products remotely are excluded, 5.7% of respondents had participated in remote gambling in the year to September 2010, compared with the same figure of 5.7% in 2009, 5.6% in 2008, 5.2% in 2007 and 5.1% in 2006.
• A larger proportion of male than female respondents had participated: 12.6% of males and 8.5% of females.
• Those participating in remote gambling were more likely to be aged between 18-24 (13.3%), 25-34 (16.9%) or 35-44 (13.5%).
• Respondents aged 55-64 and 65+ remain least likely to have participated.
• Remote gambling via a computer, laptop or handheld device was most popular (9.5% of all respondents), followed by gambling via mobile phone (2.7%) and interactive/digital TV (1.4%).

Most popular remote gambling activities:

• The most popular remote gambling activity was the National Lottery draw (8.3%).
• Betting (2.7%) and National Lottery scratch cards (2.3%) were the next most popular.
• Other lotteries were next (2.0%),
• Followed by poker rooms and tournaments (1.2%) and bingo (1.1%).
• For all other activities, participation was less than 1%.

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