November 2005 Archives

By Mark Tran -

Empire Online, a promoter of internet poker and casino sites, today pulled out of takeover talks with PartyGaming, the owner of the world's biggest online poker site.

Empire said PartyGaming, the UK's biggest online casino, had revised a takeover approach made earlier this month.

PartyGaming initially tabled an all-share offer valuing Empire at 10% of an enlarged group - approximately £400m. Since then, with investors taking the view that online gambling has gone off the boil, Empire's shares have dropped, and the company is now worth about £260m.

Share in the Success of a World Brand Name

888! The Online Gaming Industry is the Internet's biggest financial success story. This company has established a reputation for providing online Casino gaming and Poker venues of outstanding quality, with unequaled success in retaining players.

(PRWEB) - Chicago, IL (PRWEB) November 17, 2005 -- The interest in online gaming has grown to a new level with a record over 2 million viewers watching the Odds Squad at www.Sportsbook.tv in the first month of broadcasting and podcasting.

The Odds Squad follows a group of sportsfans who gather at a friend's home each week to research this week's games. The superfans review the lines in Vegas and on Sportsbook's website.

(PRWEB) November 16, 2005 -- Although gambling has always been a man's affair, women all over the world are beginning to frequent the casino scene more than ever before. Online casinos provide an exciting and fun atmosphere, as well as fast-paced casino games which both men and women enjoy. And because ladies have begun to truly make their mark in the online gambling world recently, Lady's Casino, a new, only-for-women online casino site has been made for those thrill-seeking women on the net.

By Marla Matzer Rose -

In an industry filled with big aspirations and outsized egos, Stephen Wynn has made a name over nearly 40 years in Las Vegas as a man who accomplishes his goals with a deliberate and single-minded drive.

His success has confounded skeptics, from his turnaround of the Golden Nugget in the early 1970s to this year's opening of the splashy Wynn Las Vegas on the former site of the Desert Inn.

By Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop -

SINGAPORE Governments across Asia are lifting restrictions on gambling, and analysts forecast a huge increase in the number of new casinos built in the region. But while builders are pouring concrete, there is another frontier line opening up for gamblers here: cellphones.

"Wireless devices are now ubiquitous and in Asia in particular, the percentage of advanced devices and the gaming on these devices is very high," said Matti Zinder, chief executive of Spin3, an Israel-based wireless casino system provider. Its main competitors in the sector include Virtue Fusion of Britain and another Israel-based company, Zone4Play.

LONDON, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- The number of gamblers has jumped in Britain since the government abolished a 24-hour registration period for new visitors.

Casinos report 100,000 new visitors have entered their doors since the waiting period was lifted five weeks ago, the Times of London said. They predict there will be 250,000 new gamblers by the end of the year.

By Steve Malone -

The Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell warned online gambling companies to clean up their act when it came to advertising. Speaking at the Annual General Meeting of the British Casino Association she said that she was concerned by the increase in potentially illegal advertising for the online gambling operators and warned that any company caught flouting the laws would be prosecuted.

Under the Gaming Act of 1968 it is illegal for an advert to offer any incentive, inducement or encouragement to gamble. The Gaming Act does not presently cover many online gambling operators who operate from overseas. However the new Gambling Act will cover these companies. Any of those who are found to be overstepping the mark could face £5,000 fines and up to two years in prison.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Nevada casino gambling revenue increased 9.63 percent in September from a year earlier to $1.01 billion despite concerns that high gasoline prices would deter tourists, state officials said on Thursday.

Casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, the heart of Nevada's gambling industry, reported gambling revenue jumped 17.8 percent in September from a year earlier to $541.22 million, the Nevada Gaming Control Board reported.

Stanley Ho's Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM) has invited investment banks to submit proposals for an initial public offering of up to HK$7.8 billion in Hong Kong, said sources familiar with the situation.

Tim LeeMasterandZach Coleman -

SJM, the largest casino operator in Macau, sent out a request for proposals Monday, but any listing is "still a long way away" and not likely until the second half of next year, a source said.

LAS VEGAS – (PRESS RELEASE) -- Hard Rock Hotel, Inc. ("Hard Rock"), which owns and operates the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, today, for the third consecutive quarter, reported all-time record quarterly net revenues and EBITDA(1). Record net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2005 also rose to $4.8 million compared to $3.4 million in the 3rd quarter of 2004. Quarterly Adjusted EBITDA of $12.6 million surpassed the 3rd quarter of 2004 by 20% or $2.1 million. Net revenues reached $46.5 million compared to $39.6 million in the year-earlier three-month period, an increase of $6.9 million, or 17%.

The winners of eGaming Review’s first ever eGaming Industry Awards 2005 were announced on Friday 4 November at a glittering event held at The Brewery in the heart of the City of London.

With close to 600 guests attending, the awards were an indication of how far the online gaming industry had travelled in a short space of time.

PIGTOWN, Md. -- Eighty poker players have been charged with illegal gambling in what Baltimore police said was the largest gambling raid in the city in decades.

The arrests occurred Wednesday night at a club called the Owl's Nest in a refurbished warehouse near Camden Yards. Authorities seized more than $25,000 in cash, poker chips, cards, parts for illegal gambling machines and cases of illegal liquor.

Veteran Gibraltar-based betting group Victor Chandler has launched a dedicated Asian sportsbetting, casino and poker site branded vcbet88.com in association with Macau marketing and technology firm Macom. The site is in both traditional and simplified Chinese and is mainly targeted on that sector.

Victor Chandler will provide the bookmaking and gaming expertise for the venture, and Macom will use its knowledge of the region and culture to provide marketing savvy.

By John Albert -

INTERNET casino 888 Holdings gave encouragement to the online gaming sector as the number of regular players on its tables more than doubled in 12 months.

The number of people who gambled with 888 between July and September was up 118 per cent on the same period last year to 316,553, boosted by a huge increase in poker.

KAHNAWAKE, Canada -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Jackpot Factory, the leading online casino group that has paid out over $4 billion since its launch, will celebrate its sixth anniversary this month with daily promotions, bonuses, and cash prizes.

The casino group, representing All Slots Casino, All Jackpots Casino, First Web Casino, Wild Jack Casino, and Wild Jack Poker is one of the largest Microgaming casinos and will mark its sixth birthday by giving away over $180,000 in cash prizes this month including a $6,000-a-day slots challenge promotion and a weekly raffle that is open to players and visitors alike.

American Football Offers Opportunities

Costa Rica-based sports book BETonSPORTS has announced the schedule for its luxury buses hitting college and pro football games across the United States throughout the 2005-06 season. The buses are accompanied by the BETonSPORTS Girls handing out promotional items. The tour began Saturday in Durham, N.C. and will end Feb. 3 at the Super Bowl in Detroit.

Hall of Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly has signed on to serve as spokesperson for Online sports book SportsInteraction.com. Kelly will appear in Sports Interaction's marketing materials, will contribute articles for the Web site and will appear at VIP events for Sports Interaction clients.