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Oh wow, a gamble that really paid off well done to her!

A conference scheduled to be held in Las Vegas this week will discuss the success and challenges of the online gambling industry in Nevada, one year after the state pioneered the first independent state igaming platform. Casino executives will meet at Planet Hollywood from March 19th – 21 to hold the iGaming North America 2014 conference – an invitation-only event that is expected to attract over 700 people.

Editor Note: If you live in Nevada, New Jersey or Deleware you can now play for real money at Play Online Poker with the World Series of Poker. For out of state residents, we recommend Online Sports Betting, Casino, Poker & Horse Racing at Bovada.

Executives of Ultimate Gaming, the first company which launched online poker in Nevada’s new regime, will be given the honor of the keynote speech. Chairman Tom Breitling and CEO Tobin Prior will “offer a look back at the difficulties encountered, the initial successes and the huge possibilities for the future” in their keynote speech.

Things may heat up at the iGaming North American 2014 Conference since so many different views will be represented. While the majority attending are, by default, pro-online gambling regulation in the United States, there are others who are distinctly not. The conference will hear the views of Las Vegas Sands executive Andy Abboud who will represent the opinions of his boss, Sheldon Adelson. According to the program, “divergent views” will be heard when Abboud and Caesars Interactive Entertainment Chief Executive Officer, Mitch Garber meet to discuss the future of online gambling.

Caesars was the second company to launch an online poker room in Nevada and its WSOP-com site is hugely popular among local players.

Attendees at the conference will include land based operators (including commercial and tribal casino operators), iGaming operators and organizations, lottery and sports betting representatives, government regulators and authorities, industry vendors and suppliers, law firms, financial institutions, consulting firms, accountants, software providers, social media innovators and marketing, media and communications firms.

The conference’s “aim is to provide a cost-effective networking environment that helps foster understanding regarding the potential impacts of regulation of internet gambling in the U.S. and Canada, and provides critical information regarding the players, resources, legislative framework and topics that are important to all of the parties that comprise the important commercial gaming segment.”




Las Vegas Conference To Examine Online Gambling Success

Experts in online and mobile gambling, SuperCasino, have responded to news that the majority of Americans would rather individual states decide on online gambling regulation, rejecting a sweeping federal ban.

A survey from North Star Opinion and released by the Coalition for Consumer and Online Protection (C4COP) has revealed that the majority of American citizens would rather see individual states decide their stance on online gambling regulation than witness a federal online gambling ban hit the entire country. As reported by Casino.org, 74% of voters think that each state should decide on online gambling’s fate for themselves, with the individual percentage similar across all political groups.

A spokesperson for the C4COP, Alison Harden Siciliano, said: “The American public doesn’t want Congress to pass a sweeping ban of all online gaming. A nationwide ban would put more Americans at risk online, and allow the current overseas, black market gambling operations to thrive.”

The survey also revealed that gamblers in the country would be willing to switch to regulated sites if they became available as an alternative, and overwhelmingly agreed with the statement: “I may not personally engage in online gaming, but I support the rights of other Americans to do so as long as the games are fair, provide regulations to protect children, and raise tax revenues for state and local projects.”

SuperCasino, a leading online casino based in the UK, has responded to these results and would like to highlight the importance of allowing players the safety that only regulated online gambling can offer them. A spokesperson for the company said:

“Unregulated online gambling is a minefield of security issues that legalised internet casinos provide a solution to, and these survey results demonstrate yet again that residents of various states across the US, as well as in other countries where online gambling is already regulated such as the UK, would prefer to be offered the choice rather than be subjected to a sweeping federal ban that could help unregulated sites to thrive and threaten the safety of existing players.”

With live roulette games broadcast on Channel 5 and Sky channel 862, Super Casino is the longest running and most popular online TV casino in the world. Famous for providing a realistic gaming experience online, Supercasino-com offers games to suit a variety of tastes, including roulette, blackjack, card games, table and video poker as well as a selection of slots and arcade games.




SuperCasino Respond to Americans

The upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII will start shooting in London in May, set 30 years after the events of 1983's Return of the Jedi, Disney have revealed.

Disney purchased the Star Wars production company, LucasFilms, in 2012, and announced it would release three new films in the franchise.

Episode VII, which will be directed by Star Trek's J.J. Abrams, is scheduled to hit cinemas on December 18, 2015.

"There will be some very familiar faces along with a trio of new young leads," Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger said during Disney's annual shareholder's meeting.

However that is all he would say about the film. Theories have been flying over who will star in the latest installment, but any decisions remain shrouded in secrecy.

"Rumour has it that almost every actor in the world has been cast in this movie, but so far, the official cast member that we've confirmed -- the only on -- is R2D2," Iger said.

Reports suggest Girls star Adam Driver is in talks to play a Darth Vader-like villain, while Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o met with Abrams only a few weeks ago to discuss a role as the offspring of Obi-Wan Kenobi, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Other rumours suggest Breaking Bad's Jesse Plemons, and British actors Ed Speleers and John Boyega, are also being considered for roles. Some have even called for the likes of Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher to return.

Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch was previously linked to the film, but he has since discounted the claims.

Sen. Lindsey Graham is giving a little help to his friend — Republican mega donor Sheldon Adelson.

Graham is expected to introduce a bill to ban Internet gambling as soon as next week, according to sources working on the issue.

Adelson launched a coalition late last year to ban online gaming. The billionaire casino mogul promised to use his fortune to push the issue, arguing that it is not good for society and could hurt the traditional business model of casinos.

Adelson has not been a long-time Graham supporter, but in 2013 he and his wife Miriam — who have spread their money widely among Republicans — cut checks for $15,600 in campaign contributions to Graham.

A spokesman for Graham said the senator had no plans to publicly unveil the bill this week and noted that the Adelsons’ contributions paled in comparison to the senator’s $8 million in fundraising this cycle, according to OpenSecrets.

Historically, Internet gambling has not been a foremost concern of the deal-cutting Graham, though he has been working to beef up his conservative credentials in advance of the 2014 election. For instance, last year he took the lead on a federal 20-week abortion ban bill widely supported by social conservatives.

Draft language has been circulating on Capitol Hill and K Street this week that would ban online gaming with the exception of fantasy games and horse racing. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would likely oppose any legislation that included horse racing, which is a key industry in his home state of Kentucky. A spokesman for McConnell said he had not seen the legislation.

Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz is preparing next week to introduce a sister bill to Graham’s that is expected to have support from both Democrats and Republicans in the House, a spokeswoman said. Chaffetz’s home state of Utah bans all forms of gambling and the congressman has not received any large contributions from the Adelsons in recent years, according to a search of campaign finance records.

Adelson’s aggressive move to try and reignite the issue that had withered in recent years has created a firestorm of lobbying activity.

The Adelson-backed Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling applauded the move.

“We support and applaud all efforts to restore the long-standing interpretation that the Wire Act prohibits Internet gambling. It’s common sense that putting a virtual casino in the pocket of every American with a phone is bad public policy.”

Meanwhile the Coalition for Consumer & Online Protection — which is backed by casinos like MGM Grand — believes the ban would put consumers at risk and violate states rights.

“Banning all online gaming nationwide, as this bill effectively does, would put American consumers at serious risk,” said coalition spokeswoman and former Rep. Mary Bono in a statement. “It is impossible to stand in the way of the Internet; instead, we should embrace and shape these new technologies in a way that is safe for consumers.”



Read more: Lindsey Graham does Sheldon Adelson a solid on online gaming - Anna Palmer and Burgess Everett - POLITICO-com

The fight over online gaming is about to heat up again in Congress.

U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, is preparing to introduce a bill that would restore a pre-2011 federal ban on gambling over the Internet, a spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday. It would join a similar bill to be sponsored in the Senate by GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

The bills might be introduced when Congress returns to session next week, aides said.

A draft that has been circulating on Capitol Hill declares the legislation would “restore longstanding United States policy that the Wire Act prohibits all forms of Internet gambling.” Its goals are consistent with the highly publicized campaign by billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson to outlaw Web gaming.

In recent years, Congress has been unable to sustain momentum for any piece of gambling legislation, pro or con.

But lobbyists say a wild card this time is Adelson, the megadonor to Republicans and their causes who believes online gambling is unsafe and bad for society and who has vowed to spend “whatever it takes” to stop its spread.

“All bets are off. It’s not like the guy has never shot for the sun, moon and stars,” said a gaming lobbyist who asked not to be identified to discuss activity behind the scenes as industry and anti-online gaming interests arm to resume battle.

The bill draft appears to exempt pari-mutuel betting on horse races. But it might pose a problem for lotteries, according to people who have examined it.

The 1961 Interstate Wire Act prohibited the operation of most betting businesses. But the law was reinterpreted by the Department of Justice in December 2011 to outlaw only sports gambling, an opinion that opened the way for states to legalize online poker and other casino games. Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey have authorized forms of online gambling, and the practice is being considered in a dozen other states.

Congress as well has debated how or whether to install federal regulation of online gaming, but has failed to reach any consensus. Major casino companies such as Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International want to legalize it and prefer a nationwide marketplace, viewing online gaming as a strategy to expand their brands, attract younger players and create new streams of revenue.

Adelson has launched an advocacy group, the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling, whose spokespersons include former Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and former New York Republican Gov. George Pataki.

In response to the emerging Graham and Chaffetz bills, the group on Wednesday said, “We support and applaud all efforts to restore the long-standing interpretation that the Wire Act prohibits Internet gambling. It’s common sense that putting a virtual casino in the pocket of every American with a smartphone is bad public policy.”

MGM Resorts and the American Gaming Association have launched a competing group, the Coalition for Consumer and Online Protection, with former Republican Reps. Mary Bono, R-Calif., and Michael Oxley, R-Ohio, as spokespersons. It advocates legalized online gaming, regulated to protect gamblers.

“Banning all online gaming nationwide, as this bill effectively does, would put American consumers at serious risk,” Bono said in a statement Wednesday. “It is impossible to stand in the way of the Internet; instead, we should embrace and shape these new technologies in a way that is safe for consumers.”

Chaffetz, who comes from one of only two states with no forms of legalized gambling, was not available to talk about the bill on Wednesday, his office said. Hawaii is the other state with no legal gambling.

Graham previously confirmed he was working on a bill to restore the Wire Act and effectively restore the prohibition on online gambling.

“I don’t think it’s good for the country,” Graham told the trade publication Gambling Compliance. “The Wire Act has been the law of the land for decades.”

Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Dean Heller, R-Nev., continue to discuss a possible bill to restore Wire Act prohibitions against most forms of online gambling but legalize online poker consistent with the law in Nevada.

Heller said in an interview last week he wants to see what Graham does with his bill, “and we’ll go from there.”


Fight over online gaming about to heat up again in Congress | Las Vegas Review-Journal

CALDINHO prides himself as an artiste who deejays about reality. He puts that energy into an ode to independent women in his latest single You Thing a Happen.

"Reality can be good or bad. And girls songs a reality too," the up-and-coming artiste told the Jamaica Observer.

The track, produced by DJ Tropical, was released on the Passport Riddim this week.

"The song is about independent girls who spend their own money and have their own stuff," he said.

Caldinho (given name Kemar Flash) said You Thing a Happen is intended to show fans his versatility.

The 25-year-old said, however, he is still actively promoting his 2012 anthem Street Struggles.

"That song is about reality, life and personal aspects of struggles in the street. Because it's easy to get a gun and I never went that way. People outside my box can see and relate to it," he said.

He said his aim is for people to know him for his music.

Caldinho, who lives in Cooreville Gardens in St Andrew, said his musical journey began while he was at Duhaney Park Primary School.

He honed his skills and felt encouraged by his friends' response to his lyrics.

His break came in 2008 with Rising. He has since Buss Di Youth, Try Survive, Hustle Fi Mine, Bad A Yard and mixtape The Mad Reality.

The drive to legalize online gambling throughout the U.S. is gaining momentum, but the heads of the world's largest casino companies are divided on what could be an $8 billion market.

MGM Resorts International (MGM) CEO Jim Murren and Caesars Entertainment (CZR) CEO Gary Loveman support it.

"Gamers and casinos — those two industries are converging," Murren told IBD recently.

"We think that's a good thing. There's a business opportunity if it's regulated pristinely, preferably at the federal level."

Caesars also has spun off Caesars Acquisition (CACQ), whose goal is to acquire online gaming sites and technology. Most of the rest of the U.S. casino industry, which generates more than $37 billion in revenue a year, supports legalizing online gambling.

But Las Vegas Sands (LVS) CEO Sheldon Adelson is vehemently against it, and Wynn Resorts (WYNN) CEO Steve Wynn has withdrawn his earlier backing.

Possible Framework

Despite this opposition, Nevada and Delaware recently took what many see as a significant step toward national legal online gambling.

Last month they signed a compact — similar to the ones states use to enable multistate lotteries — that lets gamblers in both states play on sites based in each other's state.

The agreement is for online poker only, but market tracker Union Gaming noted in a report that it is the first of its kind and "could serve as a framework for future interstate compacts."

The two states hope to build on the Justice Department's 2011 decision to allow online gambling, except for sports betting, even though it limits betting to residents within a state playing on sites based in that state.

Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware were the first to offer online gaming. Struggling Atlantic City venues are betting online games will drive interest in playing at casinos rather than encourage players to just stay at home.

Other states, still licking wounds from the recession and looking to boost tax revenues, are mulling legalization too.

They won't get any help from Adelson, who has said online betting will open the door to minors gambling and to unscrupulous sites preying on vulnerable people.

In January, he launched the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling, which is calling on Congress to pass a federal ban on Internet gambling.

An opposing group, the Coalition for Consumer and Online Protection, has formed with backing from MGM Resorts, the American Gaming Association and the Poker Players Alliance, among others.

Read More At Investor's Business Daily: Casino Moguls Square Off Over U.S. Online Gambling - Investors-com
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A war over online gambling is about to spill out in Congress as opponents move to restore a long-standing Internet gambling ban and block Uncle Sam from creating a sprawling new federal department to police the web.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., plan to introduce legislation next week to challenge two bills introduced earlier this session that would either create an “Office of Internet Poker Oversight” in the Commerce Department or a broader “Office of Internet Gambling Oversight” in Treasury.

Those bills, also sponsored by Republicans, were inspired by states eager to cash in on gambling and the Justice Department’s abrupt December 2011 move to re-interpret the 1961 Interstate Wire Act that effectively banned Internet gambling.

Without informing Congress beforehand, Justice reinterpreted the law to outlaw only sports gambling, opening the door for states to legalize online gambling and lottery games.

In addition to dividing Republicans, the legislation has split the casino community. Backing online betting is Democratic donor and casino investor George Soros. The American Gaming Association also hired former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina to help on the issue.

GOP donor and casino owner Sheldon Adelson is fighting it, concerned that online wagering will take jobs from traditional betting parlors, hurt small casinos not in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and be harmful to some. He has even created a coalition to kill it, The Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling.

Other critics, like Ken Blackwell, a prominent legal and family advocate, noted that casinos are already heavily regulated and that legalizing online betting would bring those rules to the Internet. That, he warned, would “create a brand new form of government internet content cops and destroy the sort of openness that’s on the web.”

In addition, a legislative critic of the gambling legislation said that federal officials would have to track consumer online spending in order to police who is allowed to bet.

And some fear that online gambling will be used for money-laundering purposes.

New York Rep. Peter King’s pro-betting bill would create a federal set of controls and fight underage and compulsive gambling. His measure would create the "Office of Internet Gambling Oversight" in the Treasury Department.

The bill from Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton focuses on poker and would creating a new regulatory office in Commerce called the “Office of Internet Poker Oversight.”


Next: Federal Department of Internet Gambling? | WashingtonExaminer-com

Experts in online and mobile gambling, SuperCasino, have responded to the impending regulation of online gambling in Massachusetts, USA after comments from the state Gaming Commission.

Legalised online betting in Massachusetts is looking more and more likely, according to a report by the Boston Herald on fresh comments made by Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby. The decision to regulate online gambling in the country would make Massachusetts the fourth state in the USA to do so after Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware, which all have their own methods of regulating online gambling for users.

State Senator Stanley C. Rosenberg, speaking about the prospect of allowing online betting in Massachusetts, said: “It’s a new frontier. I personally don’t see how you avoid it. You can’t control the Internet. When people turn on their computer they go where they want to go. We’re just at the early stages of trying to understand how this actually works, and given that you can organize businesses inside the commonwealth, within the country, and internationally and set them up online, so we need to figure out how that all works.”

SuperCasino, a leading online casino based in the UK, have responded to these new comments and feel positive about the impending legalisation of online gambling in Massachusetts. A spokesperson for the company said:

“The idea of regulated online betting has been slowly spreading across the US in recent years and, if Massachusetts is to be the next in line, then it is easy to imagine it growing even further. Without this legalisation, however, it is easy for unregulated online casinos to thrive – posing a potential risk to players – and regulation reduces this risk at the same time as providing valuable tax revenue for the government.”

With live roulette games broadcast on Channel 5 and Sky channel 862, Super Casino is the longest running and most popular online TV casino in the world. Famous for providing a realistic gaming experience online, Supercasino-com offers games to suit a variety of tastes, including roulette, blackjack, card games, table and video poker as well as a selection of slots and arcade games.




SuperCasino Respond to the Likelihood of Legalised Online Betting in Massachusetts | SourceWire

It took less than an hour for the first show to sell out, but fans will have a second chance to see Justin Timberlake in action.

The Grammy-winning pop star had announced he would perform at Auckland's Vector Arena on Sunday, October 12, and due to demand a second show has been added for October 13.

This will be his his second time in New Zealand after selling out the same venue three nights in a row in 2007.

Those shows earned rave reviews from fans and critics alike, and this time Timberlake will be performing on the back of last year's double album release The 20/20 Experience as part of his world tour.

The Australasian leg of his world tour starts its run of two night stands in Melbourne on September 18 followed by Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and finishing in Perth on October 9.

Tickets for the second Auckland show will go on sale Friday, March 28 at 10am. Pre-sales for the The Tennessee Kids fanclub and MasterCard cardholders will begin on March 25.

Justin Timberlake
Where: Vector Arena
When: October 12 and 13

Earning real money in online games may be a taxable transaction, though the IRS doesn't provide specific guidelines about income players earn, according to revenue service.

"Cyber-economic activities in the online world may have tax consequences that real world avatar counterparts need to consider," a page on the official IRS website called "Tax Consequences of Virtual World Transactions" reads. A 2013 U.S. government report called "Virtual Economies and Currencies" (PDF link) also examined "questions about related tax requirements and potential challenges for IRS compliance efforts."

Elisabeth Ashley, a Florida-based certified public accountant, described the "tricky business" of becoming tax compliant when players earn income through marketplaces like Diablo 3's recently shuttered real-money auction house.

"Offering advice on virtual world transactions (such as those found in [massively multiplayer online role-playing games]) is tricky business, considering the IRS itself has not developed any regulations or rulings that can be directly relied on for tax compliance," Ashley told DealNews. "Instead, the IRS points to existing tax guidance for hobby, business, gambling, and barter income."

The distinction between a hobby and a business is difficult to discern, particularly when accounting for losses, Ashley said. As an example, Eve Online's economy contains an in-game item called PLEX, which grants owners time to play the game. Players can earn PLEX by playing Eve Online, purchasing it with real world money and trading for it. Because players can also purchase play time with real-world money, PLEX has a real-world value. Financial loss enters the scene when players lose PLEX, as has happened in Eve Online's massive battles. If you lose PLEX, and PLEX has a real-world value, have you experienced a financial loss?

"If your gaming is a hobby, the loss could only be deducted up to your hobby income," Ashley said. "If you are gaming as a for-profit business, then the full loss could be taken."

It may not be quite that simple, though. Ashley said that the "IRS takes a hard look at businesses that generate regular losses and seem like they are actually hobbies performed for personal pleasure. Take care that the activity is run in a professional, business-like manner."



What online gaming income could mean for your taxes | Polygon

Forget Sister Act, there is a new soulful nun on the scene.

Sister Cristina Scuccia belted out a version of Alica Keys' No One that left the judge's of The Voice Italy stunned.

The 25-year-old is member of the Ursuline Sisters of the Holy Family, and was accompanied to the show by four sisters from her community, as well as her parents, according to the Catholic News Agency.

She surprised all four of the television singing competition when they turned around during the blind audition, where they only get to see the singer if they like what they hear.

After her performance, judge Raffaella Carra asked Sister Cristina if she really was a nun.

"Yes, I am truly, truly a sister," she replied.

"I came here because I have a gift and I want to share that gift. I am here to evangelize."

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson, head of Las Vegas Sands Corporation, was in the news all over the place last week.
First, he personally popped up in Singapore a few days ago to ask the Singapore Government for extra land to expand his casino resort there by about 60%.

Las Vegas Sands would like to add another 1,500 rooms to the Marina Bay Sands, which today only has about 2,500 rooms. Extra space for more meeting rooms, exhibitions and ballrooms would also be throne into the mix.

Adelson said there “We need more rooms”, adding “We are running at 100% occupancy; on a very bad day it’s 98%. No other hotel in the world runs like this except some in Vegas.”

The US$6 billion Marina Bay Sands resort opened four years ago when the Singapore government decided to permit gambling in the city-state. As Adelson pointed out the resort “has been a catalyst for enormous tourism growth.”

With over 1 million square feet of meeting and convention space already, and two theatres for Broadway shows marina Sands has become a favourite gambling destination in the Asian market which, together with his Macau resorts, Adelson dominates. Las Vegas Sands earlier announced willingness to spend US$10 billion in Japan as well if the government there would open up the country – Japanese businessmen are among the regions biggest gamblers.

Then the Poker Players Alliance, a US national organization of poker players, which is strongly in favour of online gambling came out on Friday, predicting that as soon as this week we could see the introduction of renewed federal anti-online gambling legislation in the United States.

Online gambling is something Sheldon is on record as firmly opposing, unlike some of his physical casino competitors who are trying to popularize it in New Jersey and Nevada, where State laws have now been passed which legalize it under strict geo-location conditions.

The PPA now believes that Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina will introduce a new bill into the US Senate to ban online gambling, and to override these new state laws. It had always been thought to be illegal in the past, but recent Federal Justice Department guidelines had appeared to soften the Federal Government’s position against it, thus allowing individual States to step in.

According to the PPA Senator Graham may be planning to introduce the bill, together with Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, calling for a renewed federal ban on internet gambing. Chaffetz is on record as seeking to “restore a longstanding United States policy that the Wire Act prohibits all forms of Internet gambling.”

In opposing online gambling Sheldon Adelson has an obvious business interest, as it I something new that would compete with his bricks and mortar casinos. But he also claims it is bad for people on social behavioural grounds, and indeed there are likely many people who would not disagree.

As he puts it “We support and applaud all efforts to restore the long-standing interpretation that the Wire Act prohibits Internet gambling. It’s common sense that putting a virtual casino in the pocket of every American with a phone is bad public policy.”

Finally, according to the Washington Post, Sheldon Adelson, who is a consummate practitioner of the discreet art of political lobbying, through its many indirect and direct forms is hosting an important political dinner next week in Las Vegas.

He and his wife Miriam Adelson will host the dinner as part of a senior Republican Party event taking place there. Many top Republican politicians will attend, including former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who may also take the opportunity to quietly sound out his Republican colleagues about a potential run for President in 2016.

Indeed Jeb Bush will be the featured speaker at the exclusive VIP dinner on Thursday, hosted by Adelson and his wife, Miriam, at his company’s private airplane hangar at the Las Vegas airport.

The Adelsons’ dinner for Bush will kick off the Republican Jewish Coalition’s four-day spring leadership meeting, during which politicians and major GOP donors will mingle at golf and poker tournaments, as well as in political strategy sessions.

As an influential political fund raiser, to say that Adelson plays an important role in the US Republican party would of course be a major understatement. 😁




Sheldon Adelson Wants To Expand His Casino In Singapore And Ban Online Gambling At Home In The US – Jewish Business News

TRIBECA Enterprises, the film company co-founded by Robert De Niro and the presenter of the Tribeca Film Festival, has sold a 50 per cent stake to the Madison Square Garden Company.

The deal, announced on Saturday night, combines two major New York show business players.

It gives Tribeca Enterprises the marketing power of a growing sports and entertainment company and offers the MSG Co an entry into the film business.

The deal values Tribeca Enterprises at $US45 million ($A49.8 million).

The acquisition comes just weeks before the 13th annual Tribeca Film Festival begins April 16.

The company was co-founded by De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, who will remain CEO.

Among the properties owned by the MSG Co are Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.

The opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival, a screening and concert for the documentary about the rapper Nas, Time is Illmatic, will be held at the Beacon Theatre.

The MSG Co's MSG Productions on Friday cancelled the opening of its high-profile Rockettes show Hearts and Lights days before its scheduled debut.

Hey guys, my name is Shaun and I am new to the online gambling community. While I have limited resources to play with, I have played some poker but I lost around 500 euros the last couple of months. Is this a common thing at online gambling? I mean I had some wins but the majority of the games were oblivious. Is there a way to limit my losses or could you guide me to some tips?
Thanks and well met!

Hello and welcome to ixgames forum!

A New Jersey Senate panel has approved a bill that would allow foreign online gambling operators to base their operations in the state. Once licensed and partnered with an existing Atlantic City casino, the companies could then offer gambling, as well as online poker, in countries where it is legal.

The measure, introduced by Sen. Ray Lesniak, has a chance to revitalize struggling Atlantic City as an online gaming hotbed.

“This could help make New Jersey the leader in online gaming, across the country and around the world,” said Lesniak in a statement. “We could be the Silicon Valley for high-tech gaming.”

Any products offered by these foreign operators would also be subject to New Jersey’s existing 15 percent tax rate, minus any taxes given to other countries for their resident’s play.

New Jersey recently revised their online poker market projections from the online gambling industry and is now on pace to collect $34 million in tax revenue. Any business brought in from off-shore operators would only help to improve those numbers.


New Jersey Senate Panel Approves Bill To Allow Foreign Online Gambling Companies To Do Business - Poker News

Shares in 888 Holdings rose more than six percent on Tuesday after the online gambling company beat annual profit forecasts and raised its dividend payout to shareholders.

888 offers casino, poker and bingo games and is expanding its sports betting business. It is the only online gaming company that has operations in three U.S. states where gambling rules have been relaxed - New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 13 percent to $76 million in 2013, boosted by operations in Italy and Spain moving into profit.

888 raised its total dividend payout for the year to 14 cents per share, up by 56 percent on last year.

"We have started 2014 well, with average daily revenue up more than eight percent in the year to date, and look forward to the year ahead with continued confidence," Chief Executive Brian Mattingley said in a statement.

888 shares traded 6.3 percent higher at 143.5 pence by 0830 GMT, valuing the firm at about 475 million pounds ($783 million).

One cloud on the horizon is a new British tax on online gambling that is set to be introduced from December, closing a loophole that had allowed companies to cut their tax bill by basing their operations offshore in places like Gibraltar.

Mattingley declined to quantify the likely effect on 888's results should the tax be introduced as planned.

Analyst Ivor Jones of Numis said the tax would cut 888's earnings by around 30 percent but Jones believes the government plan could still be derailed by legal challenge.



Online gambling firm 888 boosted by increased dividend | Reuters

Raising the standards for companies processing Internet gambling payments could encourage banks and major credit card companies to accept more deposits, adding millions to the state’s fledgling industry, one executive told Trenton lawmakers Monday.

Testifying in favor of a bill that would encourage foreign Internet gambling companies to set up operations in New Jersey, Chris Thom, chairman of Secure Trading Inc., told a state Senate committee that a critical component of the legislation would require Internet gaming payment processors to go through New Jersey’s stringent licensure process. Currently, state law requires the processors, which act as middle men between gamblers and online casinos, endure a less rigorous certification process.

Thom said the most “egregious” issues with illegal Internet gambling payments have developed as payment processors have camouflaged gambling transactions under other codes. That practice has made credit card companies wary of approving the transactions even in states where the activity is legal. Visa, for example, is approving just 10 to 15 percent of Internet gambling transactions, including lottery and horse-racing wagers, Thom said.

William J. Pascrell III, a New Jersey lobbyist, told the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee that the legislation has the ability to take New Jersey’s roll-out from “pedestrian to the next level.”

“New Jersey has to prove to the banking community and the credit card industry that they can trust this industry,” Pascrell said. “Money laundering, money fraud, credit card fraud are all done through payment processors, so we need to make sure these payment processors are the best of the best and are licensed with full suitability and full due diligence.”

The state’s online gambling revenue — which registered $10 million in February — continues to climb but not at the pace some predicted. That’s due, in part, to difficulties with credit card companies and banks processing the transactions. Pascrell likened the situation to the early days of online shopping, when credit cards would not accept those online transactions.

Still, the crux of the bill introduced in December and sponsored by Sens. Raymond Lesniak and Jim Whelan, would allow the state to license international Internet gambling firms. Those firms would only be allowed to offer online gaming to their current clientele around the world, but would have to have a physical presence in Atlantic City.

The companies would benefit from the legitimacy associated with New Jersey licensure, while the state would see added jobs and a share of tax revenue, lawmakers say. The companies would be taxed at 15 percent, the same tax New Jersey casinos pay on Internet gambling revenue.

“We expect that this would be a big boost for revenues in Atlantic City,” Lesniak, D-Union, said.

Questioned by Sen. Shirley Turner, D-Hunterdon, Mercer, as to how the legislation would bring additional foot traffic to Atlantic City, Lesniak said it wouldn’t. The added revenues, however, would help the industry, he said.

“If we are relying on foot traffic to make casinos viable, there are going to be two or three casinos that are going to close very soon,” Lesniak said.

An economic analysis by Econsult Solutions predicts the plan could generate between $5 billion and $8 billion a year in revenue and produce 11,000 to 16,000 jobs.

The bill now heads to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.



Training payment processors key to Web gambling, panel told - pressofAtlanticCity-com: Business