Gambling Blog

Today heralds a major change in the UK’s gambling laws, and a major change in access rights for the UK consumer.  As of today gambling companies will be able to advertise in the national press and on TV, increase their jackpots and open their doors to members off the street.  So will it really make a big difference?

While many will argue that today’s changes should have been made 30 years ago, they will have a massive impact upon the gambling industry (and the casino sector in particular).  Consumers will have much more access, with many of the old time delays taken away, such as the 24 hour waiting period before joining a casino and actually being able to play, and gambling companies can now target the whole UK audience.

Since the changes were actually announced a few years ago, we have seen some major foreign investors target the UK for expansion into the gaming industry.  Casinos, bookmakers and various gambling web sites have all come under the microscope with many changing hands at sky high prices.  It seems as though the astute investors of the industry have been gearing up for this moment for some time!

While the industry is celebrating today’s changes, there are a number of associations who are concerned about the long term effects of gambling and the potential downside for those who become addicted.  This has always been a concern of the gambling industry as well, with all operators acutely aware of their social responsibilities and obligations.  Despite the relaxation of some rules, there are still a whole host of guidelines to ensure that all are able to enjoy gaming, and reducing the downside to society as much as possible.

It is still early days, although it will be interesting to see how today’s changes are  received, and the long term impact.

More people than ever are flying to Las Vegas thanks to the boom in bargain flights to the world’s gambling capital.

According to the latest statistics, July was the busiest month ever for the city’s McCarran International Airport, with around 4.3 million arrivals and departures passing through it during the month.

July’s figures bring the total number of flying visitors to Vegas to 28 million.

Plans for a $4 billion project aimed at maximizing McCarren’s capacity is still being considered by the aviation authorities while proposals have been mooted about the construction of a new major airport just 25 miles from the existing one. 
The new aviation report also shows that low-cost airlines are the major reason for the boom, with Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air now the sixth largest carrier using the airport, though it is soon expected to leapfrog American into the top five.

However, while this is surely good news for the city in general, particularly given that the money visitors save on their flights can then go into the casino’s slot machines, the airport, like Elvis’ jumpsuit, is beginning to show the strain.

“We have to continue to look at ways to push more people through a facility that wasn’t built to accommodate this many people,” airport spokesman Chris Jones said.

While up until the start of the year and the first mutterings of discontent within the ranks of the US authorities, stock markets around the world could not get enough of the online casino companies.  They were being floated on stock markets around the world with multi billion dollar price tags and investors were falling over themselves to get a share.  Now? Well, investor demand has collapsed as have their profits, so whats next?

While the headlines in the newspapers would appear to indicate that the sector is dead and buried, this is far from the case.  The casino companies are working around the clock to expand their operations overseas, as well as placing subtle pressure on the US authorities to reinstate the online gambling sector.  While publicly they seem to be having little luck, privately there are movements with many observers expecting regulations to be lifted later this year.

Lets not forget that many of the online companies made millios of dollars in the few years prior to the US lock out, much of which has been held back for future investment and marketing.  The financial health of many of these companies is nowhere near as bad as the headline figures of falling profits and increasing debts would have you believe.  While the US was THE major market, there are developments and increasing interest from around the world.

The gambling industry always seems to court controversy, and often receives little sympathy in difficult times, but it has and will bounce back again.  The profile of the Poker industry in particular has grown massively over the last few years, as have the profiles of many online casino companies.  The industry may be subdued at the moment, but it will bounce back stronger and fitter than ever before - watch this space!

One of Hollywood’s hottest actresses, Jessica Biel, is the latest star to come out as a poker enthusiast.

Just recently the one-time model, who has been romantically linked with Justin Timberlake, took part in a charity tournament held in conjunction with the opening night of the new Ivy hotel in San Diego, California.

Biel joins a host of young female actresses in expressing a keen interest in the sport, bringing a significant degree of glamour to the poker circuit and the numerous “celebrity” events taking place.

Shannon Elizabeth and Jennifer Tilly are perhaps the best known female pros playing on the tour right now, with celebrity heiress Paris Hilton also known to show her face at the occasional tournament.

Earlier this month Shannon Elizabeth confirmed that she will be attending the forthcoming World Series of Poker Europe tournament in London, alongside the top pro players from around the world.

Online poker fans will be able to take on the challenge of more opponents with the latest initiative from the website PokerRoom.com.

The gaming site’s new mini-table feature will allow players to try their luck on up to 12 separate poker tables at once, meaning that, not only will it be more challenging, but potentially significantly more profitable for the more skilful players.

Karin Klein, a spokesperson for the website said: “Online poker players are always interested in game features that enhance the level of the game.

“Mini tables will test the concentration level and multi-tasking abilities of our most experienced players.”

The new software, which allows 12 real-time games to be displayed on the screen at the same time, can be downloaded through Windows Poker Client, the gaming operator confirmed.

The announcement comes as Absolute Poker revealed that it is to update its software to include new graphics, faster card dealing and resizable tables, again aimed at making it easer for players to take part in several games at the same time.

For those who check the casino news on a regular basis, one common feature is the differing news and views which come out of the different states of the US.  Some states seem to be pro-casino and some seem to be against them, but why do opinions differ so much and will it ever change?

There are a number of reasons why opinions seem to differ so much which include :-

State Government

In the US each state has its own local government who are in charge of various areas of the local economy, laws, etc.  A lot of the differing views about gambling can be traced to the political party in power, with the religious right very anti-gambling and vocal in their comments and opinions.

Tourism

Many of the millions of visitors to the US will at some point expect to come across a casino, which is why places such as Las Vegas will always be associated with casinos until the end of time.  In a need to ensure that tourists enjoy their stay and will come back again, many popular tourist states will have a pro-casino policy.

Taxes

When you think of Las Vegas, you automatically think of casinos and gambling arenas.  These establishments not only attract the tourist trade, they pay millions of dollars in taxes to the state and have a massive impact on local spending.  Investment, employment and further trade for nearby businesses are some of the effects which have been seen

Conclusion

In each and every state of the US it appears that someone has an agenda, a plan of attack, and they tend to let nothing get in their way.  The rigourous pursuit of the gambling industry by many local authorities has often been born out of strong political influences, often related to the religious parties - many of which have a strong say in US politics.  Often touted as the land of the free, this is not always the case.

We have seen major changes in a vast array of sports over the last 20 years, with big money pouring into the hands of the major players.  This has led many to believe that Football has seen the last of the big FA Cup shocks, the likes of lowly Hereford United knocking out the mighty Newcastle, or the Wimbledon “crazy gang” lifting the prestigious Cup at the expense of Liverpool. 

Are there no outside bets in football now? Is the game really dominated by the big boys?

The FA Cup is the world’s oldest football competition and the only tournament where both professional and semi-professional clubs mix (league and non-league). The old tournament still attracts a world audience of hundreds of millions on “Cup Final Day”, but are the great shocks gone for good, or can they still happen?

The fact that now a days some of the outside bets you night have fancied 10 years ago, may well in be quoted at up to 100/1 says a lot.  It seems that the only real shocks are seen amongst the top two divisions, and even then they are few and far between.  That is not to say that a non-league team can’t have a “Cup run”, but they are often shorter lived than they were in the past.  Money does talk and the larger clubs are able to put out second teams that would run away with many of the lower division titles. 

It now takes some research and a whole lot of luck to spot the next big upset, and it is often best to stick to the smaller clubs for upsets amongst themselves, with life a little more unpredictable in the lower leagues.  There are many “Cup Teams” in the UK including, Newcastle, Tottenham and Bolton, but it is very often the massive clubs such as Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester  United and Liverpool who are left to share the spoils.

The romance of the FA Cup may be dented a little, and while the massive outside bets are now few and far between, “Cup Final Day” is still something very special, whoever you are!

The gaming website PokerHeaven.com has announced the launch of its latest web portal, The Player Zone.

With the new feature, internet players will be able to log onto their own personalised site, where they will be able to adjust their own settings and take total control of their game.

In addition to being able to keep track of their own personal statistics, including their profits and account balance, players can stay on the lookout for tricky opponents who they wish to avoid (sharks) as well as look out for the easy pickings (fish).

Grant Williams, head of marketing at PokerHeaven, said: “We are delighted to be able to provide our players with the opportunity to improve the way they play online poker.

“We are catering for every type of player out there - from the online professionals who can use the live data to manage their bank roll to the lower stakes players who can use their odds calculator to help them learn the game.

“We are looking to constantly evolve The Player Zone, this is just the start of things to come”

Just recently, the Poker Players’ Alliance (PPA) announced that it is to relocate to Washington DC in order to be better positioned to fight for the rights of internet poker.

As we approach the 1st September and “D” Day for the UK Gambling industry, there is already wild speculation as to who will be the first gambling company to hit the screens first, and go down in history as the first gambling advert on UK television.  While all of the major companies are playing their cards close to their chests, the dash is on for that exclusive first slot!

While the change in advertising rules relates to both online and traditional casinos and gambling establishments, it is the online companies who are awash with cash.  By a strange quirk of fate, it was the online advertising market which killed the TV advertising market over the latest decade, but it looks as though the online gaming market will refloat the TV advertising market.  The advertising from these companies alone will be worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

It would seem that those broadcasters set to benefit most would be those who show a large selection of sports related shows, and those who have rights to say the UEFA Champions League, Rugby, Cricket, etc - the big highlights of the year, which will exactly fit the profile the gaming companies are after. 

The knock on effect from the forthcoming changes could be felt for years to come, with the adverts feeding yet more customers to the gaming companies, who will then have more and more money to use for advertising.  There is sure to be a honeymoon period, but once this had quieted down we should see the groups with major spending power push further and further ahead of the rest.

It will be interesting to see who hits the screens first when the watershed of 9pm arrives on Saturday 1st September.  Anyone care to place a bet?

Pam Brunson will attempt to carry on the family tradition when she takes her place at the final table of the ladies’ World Poker Tour.

Pam, the daughter of poker legend Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson, will face five of the biggest names on the women’s circuit at the game on August 31st as they compete for the chance to win a $25,000 seat at the forthcoming WPT World Championship.

Joanne “JJ” Liu will be aiming to defend her title, with poker journalist and pro player Melissa Hayden, Linda Johnson, Mimi Tran and Kristy Gazes also having made it through to the final table.

Bruson, who won her final place after seeing off a strong field of 125 pro and celebrity players in a recent qualifying tournament, will be hoping that the venue for the event, the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles will be as good to her as it was to her father, who claimed his WPT title there during Season III.

For the first time, the tournament has teamed up with the Ladies Poker Association (LPA) meaning that it will be an official stop on the LPA tour, adding to both the presige and prize money.

In addition, a slice of the proceeds will go to help breast cancer research, making the event even more significant for Brunson given that she lost her mother and grandmother to the disease.

As we await first half results form PartyGaming, which are expected to show turnover down 66% and profits down a massive 97%, there are signs that the gambling industry is starting to fight back against strict US regulations.  It appears that US gaming institutions and companies have spent over $1.3 million in the first half of 2007, attempting to push Barney Frank’s online gaming bill through Congress.

If passed in to law, Barney Frank’s bill will introduce a new system of regulation into the online gambling industry, and open up the US online gambling sector for business again.  While online gambling companies seem to have been concentrating their efforts on non-US markets, it seems that there has been a lot going on behind the scenes.

When the US authorities initially stopped online gambling earlier this year, there were many observers who believed that this was just a strong arm ploy to reign in these massive gambling companies, and teach them a lesson.  The announcement of plans to bring the companies under US regulation, leading to increased taxes, etc , only goes to further strengthen the argument. 

Whether the Bill actually goes through to law remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that the industry will rise from the ashes at some stage.  There have also been similar soundings from other governments around the world, with the UK authorities introducing strict laws on who can gain access to the UK market. 

This is not just a fight for regulatory power, this is a fight for potentially millions of dollars in taxes and other income.  While the US authorities have put themselves in perhaps the strongest position of all, they will need to ensure they do not push the gaming companies too far - otherwise they may look at others options and other avenues of income.

The Poker Players’ Alliance (PPA) has announced that it is to shift its operations from San Francisco to Washington DC

At the same time, the organisation, which represents poker enthusiasts of all levels, will undergo a significant leadership restructuring.

John Pappas, the vice president of government affairs at the PPA, will step up to the position of executive director as Michael Bolcerek confirmed that he would not be making the move but will be remaining in California with his family.

“This is the right time for me to step aside as we move the PPA operations to Washington DC,” said Bolcerek.

“I am happy to have helped the cause of American poker players and expect to see continued success from the efforts of Senator [Alfonse] D’Amato and our new executive director, John Pappas.”

The move means that the PPA will be better placed to lobby the government on behalf of the gaming industry, particularly given that its bid to make internet poker a regulated rather than a restricted industry has gathered momentum.

“This is an exciting time for the PPA and our members,” said D’Amato

“It is vital that the PPA centralise its efforts in DC, so we can best serve the interests of our 660,000-plus members.”
 

In a move which has been prompted by a recent number of high profile betting scandals in the US, we have seen the first appointment of a security company to oversee betting patterns at the United States Tennis Open - the centre point of the US tennis circuit.  Over kill of a move to ensure the sport stays whiter than white?

On the surface it probably looks a bit much to announce the high profile appointment of Safir Rosetti to be in charge of monitoring and reporting all suspicious gambling activity.  The company have also been put in charge of the actual site where the tournament will be taking place, with orders to ensure that only those with express permission are allowed anywhere near the players on match day. 

The company will be in charge of monitoring the comings and goings of players and there behind the scenes teams, ensuring everything is in order.  This announcement of the appointment of Safir Rosetti comes hot on the heels of an ongoing betting investigation involving world number four Nikilay Davydenko, and a recent match he was involved in,  While the authorities are not saying much about that specific case, it has obviously been enough to see them take this drastic action.

As the gambling industry continues to grow on a worldwide basis, the amounts involved are rising higher and higher,. allowing large betting rings to pay large retainers to those who “help” them.  As only the top echelons of any sport earn the big bucks, many just off the top may be tempted to look elsewhere for additional funds.

The reaction to the announcement has been lukewarm, but in an ever more litigious world, all sporting association are having to reconsider their positions, ensuring that they are as clean as possible.

Having racked up around $66.1 million worth of losses since coming out of a state of bankruptcy in May 2005, Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc has announced that it is to expand beyond Atlantic City.

The move to diversify comes as Donald Trump’s casino operations continue to be hit by increased competition from the new gaming facilities opened in neighbouring Pennsylvania and New York.

At present, the firm operates three casinos in the second biggest gambling market in the US, though it is believed that it would be willing to trade one in for a property outside of the city.

Donald Trump and his team are currently looking at potential opportunities in Oregon and Massachusetts, according to Reuters.

The news comes as the Press of Atlantic City reported that the New Jersey city’s council are becoming increasingly infuriated by Mr Trump’s attempts to get the partial smoking ban there repealed.

As we approach the 1st September, and the introduction of the UK Gambling Act, there has been a call from the Professional Players Federation to ensure that all sports people know the risks of assisting third parties or gambling themselves on events in which they are involved.  While this part of the act has received little coverage in the press, it marks a definite attempt by the various sports associations to clean up the relationship between gambling and sport in general.

While there have been a number of high profile investigations into alleged “fixing”, with horse racing receiving particular attention, there have been very few prosecutions,.  The situation is slightly different in the US where their laws are tougher and more well defined, resulting in a number of high profile convictions - including the ongoing trial of an NBA referee who has admitted to being involved in a gambling ring.

Under the new Gambling Act, a UK sports person found to be “cheating” or “helping to cheat” on sporting wagers faces a prison sentence of up to two years.  The move to clarify the situation for the sports world has been hailed by many, with the Professional Footballers Association particularly pleased that their members have been formally reminded of their new obligations. 

Even though there have been very few sports related convictions in the UK, there have been many high profile investigations although unfortunately the burden of proof appeared too great for many.  The new regulations set out the new rules and ensure that ignorance is no longer a defence - each sports person in the UK has a responsibility to ensure that everything is above board and there are no outside influences.

Sport and gambling have long been entwined and while it may take some time, the new act is certainly a step in the right direction.