June 2004 Archives

SINGAPORE – As reported by the Agence Presse-France: "As underground bookies in Asia increasingly look outside the region for online gambling licenses, big gaming companies are urging Asian governments to fully legalize Internet betting.

"The Asian betting industry rakes in about US$100 billion annually, 80 percent of which comes from illegal transactions, according to the managing director of UK-based online betting company BetFair Asia, Tim Levene.

"…The president of gaming consultancy firm Playtech's Asia Pacific division, Tom Hall, said that underground bookies in Asia are voluntarily seeking government regulation by trying to acquire licenses to set up gaming Web sites.

By Glenys Sim

Suddenly, it seems, everyone in Asia is placing bets on gambling.

While Singapore debates the merits of having a casino on its soil, others such as Thailand, Japan, Taiwan and Indonesia are getting into the act by relaxing, or taking another look at their anti-gambling laws to allow casinos.

Those which already have them, such as Macau and the Philippines, are trying to stay ahead of the game by sprucing up what they have to offer to high rollers from around the region.

When MTV came to Las Vegas three years ago, some of the Strip's biggest hotel-casinos refused to host "The Real World."

A long production schedule, concerns over patron privacy and a target audience too young to visit Vegas were reasons they cited.

Big mistake!

The reality show transformed the eventual host -- the then fledgling, off-Strip Palms hotel-casino -- into the place for celebs and beautiful twentysomethings.

Affleck won $356,400 at a poker tournament that also earned him a seat in next year's World Poker Tour Championship, casino officials said.

The 31-year-old actor outlasted a field of 90 players to capture the Commerce Casino's California State Poker Championship.

At the final table, Affleck beat poker pro Stan Goldstein, who finished second, and knocked out Chuck Pacheco, president and co-founder of Castle Rock Entertainment, who finished third.

By David Flaum

A Canadian company won site and development approval Wednesday for a $523-million casino and entertainment complex in Tunica County.

The Mississippi Gaming Commission's approval of Myriad World Resorts' proposal gives the Edmonton, Alberta-based company two years to open the doors of the gaming development planned for the Old River Lake area, said commission spokeswoman Leigh Ann Wilkins.

It would be Myriad's first venture into gaming.

By Denis D. Gray

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP)— From snowy Himalayan valleys to steaming tropical cities, Asians are losing a lot of sleep - and money - as Euro 2004 fever infects a continent where soccer is passionately followed if not always brilliantly played.

Given time differences, Asian workers, and sometimes their bosses, are arriving at offices in a groggy state, or not at all, after watching games into the early morning hours. Family quarrels over Euro 2004 viewing are also being reported.

About one-third of the 3,357 people who responded to a survey in the Chinese city of Shanghai said they planned to ask for time off from work to see at least some of the games. Another 19 percent said they were buying bigger television sets to better enjoy the soccer fiesta.

A report released by UK media consultancy firm Screen Digest, has revealed that 64 percent of online gamblers are women. In a fast-growing industry, the number of female players is growing just as rapidly. The report looks to try and identify profiles of typical internet gamblers, and found not only that 64 percent are women, but also that 60 percent of these women are married, and approximately 50 percent of them are aged between 35 and 54.

Nick Gibson the author of the report, made these comments on the findings: 'This demographic is not only avidly playing online games but, over the past 24 months in particular, also appears increasingly comfortable doing so for money… The dramatic demographic shift has been so acute that some sites are now reporting that 70 per cent of their players are female. They favour card games such as solitaire, which promise cash prizes for the best player. Also popular are bingo, pub quizzes and casino games, chiefly one-armed bandits, roulette and poker …Ladbrokes says women are embracing online gambling at a phenomenal rate. About 16 per cent of women have tried poker in some form or other, although this is still only around a third of the percentage of men who have played.”

By Carolyn Thompson

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A decade ago, about the only things swallowing coins around here were parking meters and telephone booths.

Today, there is a whole new generation of hungry machines.

Actions by revenue-starved governments in New York, Ontario and the Seneca Indian Nation have touched off a gambling boom that has upward of 13,000 slot machines spinning and ringing within an hour's drive.

Middle-aged women are getting hooked on card games and puzzles online, says a report.

While hardcore online gaming remains the preserve of young men, research firm Screen Digest found that "bored housewives" are fuelling the growth of other games offered on the net.

Females make up 65% of the growing market in skill-based games such as cards, solitaire and puzzles.

A new field poll shows Californians generally support expanded gambling opportunities within the state.

Voters were asked if they would support two initiatives slated for the November election.

The first measure would remove limits on the number of slot machines and other games inside Indian tribe casinos. In return, those casinos would make a monetary contribution to the state based on their net gaming income.

The field poll shows 53% of voters support the measure, 30% do not, and 17% are still undecided.

Adam Goldman

LAS VEGAS - MGM Mirage would control about half the hotel rooms on the Las Vegas Strip if it manages to pull off a multibillion dollar buyout of Mandalay Resort Group.

MGM Mirage, as the world's largest casino company, also would dominate the most lucrative gambling market in the world with 10 hotel-casinos along the famous five-mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, including the immensely profitable Bellagio and Mandalay Bay resorts. It also would control about 40 percent of the slot machines and 44 percent of the gambling tables.

Stretching your bankroll for gambling can pay off

With gambling becoming an ever-more-common leisure activity, knowing how to stretch your bankroll can really pay off whether you’re spending the evening at your hometown casino or heading out for a weekend in Vegas.

Jean Scott is the author of the best-selling book “The Frugal Gambler,” a casino guide for thrifty low rollers. She stresses sensible, responsible gambling and shows how to get the most fun out of casino time regardless of your budget.

By John M. Broder

Jack Binion, son of the legendary Benny Binion, who ran the Horseshoe Club casino here for years, once said that Las Vegas was the best town in the world to live in if you had no weaknesses.
"But if you have one," he said, "we'll find it."

Las Vegas is the most efficient machine ever devised to relieve the willing or the weak of their earthly fortunes, whether that weakness is gambling, sex, drink, spectacle or consumption.