Card Player has obtained information that MGM Resorts and Boyd Gaming are a couple of the latest entities to apply for a license to participate in a Nevada intrastate online gaming industry that would begin with poker.

In October, MGM and Boyd announced a deal with bwin.party to run Internet poker sites. The U.K-based company that owns PartyPoker and the World Poker Tour brand has yet to apply.

MGM is a brick-and-mortar casino powerhouse in Las Vegas. Some of its properties include Bellagio, Aria, The Mirage, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Circus Circus and Excalibur.

Caesars Entertainment, owner of the World Series of Poker brand, also formally applied recently. Just a few days ago, 888 (also an applicant in Nevada) and Caesars announced they were extending their U.K. software licensing agreement to the U.S.

Like MGM, Caesars owns the brand names for a number of Nevada casinos. In addition to Caesars Palace, some of the company’s properties in the Silver State include Flamingo, Harveys Lake Tahoe, Imperial Palace, O’Sheas, Planet Hollywood and Rio.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Thursday that Fertitta Interactive is now formally seeking to participate in online poker. The online gaming entity is co-owned by Station Casinos’ founders.

Here’s a complete list of the 12 applicants:

Cantor G&W (Nevada) L.P. — Service Provider
South Point Poker (Gaughan Straight Holdings) — Operator
IGT — Manufacturer/Service Provider
888 Holdings plc/888 US Limited — Manufacturer/Distributor/Service Provider
Bally Technologies — Manufacturer/Service Provider
Shuffle Master — Service Provider
Aristocrat Technologies — Manufacturer/Distributor/Service Provider
Monarch Casino — Operator
Caesars Entertainment — Operator
Boyd Gaming — Operator
Fertitta Interactive, LLC; Fertitta Acquisitionsco, LLC — Operator/Service Provider
MGM Resorts Online, LLC — Operator

Nevada regulators are already reviewing some of the paperwork, but have not given any indication on when the first potential licensee could be brought to the Gaming Commission for approval.

Although it’s invitation-only, don’t mistake today’s exclusive event at the area’s newest gambling palace as some swank affair for big shots and the well-connected.

In addition to Wyandotte County’s A-listers, those attending this sneak preview of the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway will include folks who, quite literally, just happened to be on the mailing list of two local charities or maybe even helped build the $400 million facility.

Because today isn’t about glitz as much as it is a nine-hour dress rehearsal. And the real target audience is much smaller than the 1,500 people holding invitations — it’s the regulators from the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission.

To put casino employees and systems through their paces during what in the gambling industry is known as a “controlled demonstration,” they needed a crowd.

Are the blackjack dealers handling the playing cards correctly? Do the casino money collectors — the “drop team” — exercise proper security procedures while retrieving coin and cash boxes from dozens of table games and more than 2,000 slot machines?

Racing and Gaming will be scrutinizing those activities and more in deciding whether the state-owned but privately managed casino is ready to open for business Friday.

Penn National Gaming’s managers aren’t sweating it. Most have long experience working in the industry. General manager Bob Sheldon ran the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas. Quite a few of his employees have come over from Hollywood’s sister casino, the Argosy in Riverside.

“Anything can happen, you never know,” marketing director Dean Doria says, “but we’re pretty sure we’ll pass.”

Still, a controlled demonstration is not a formality to be blown off. Boot Hill Casino in Dodge City asked for two nights to get it right.

So at Hollywood, casino workers drilled all last week, practicing their jobs with play money under the eye of supervisors and the state.

It was important to get it right because today’s invitees will be wagering with real cash. Their own.

Winnings, they’ll take home with them. What they lose will be split between the child-abuse prevention agency Sunflower House and the Kansas City, Kan., School Foundation for Excellence — that is, after the state takes its cut of 27 percent.

“Basically, we’re having a casino night within a real casino,” Doria said.

Yet it won’t feel like a casino night at the local parish. Things will operate as they would when Hollywood swings into action 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Guests will play and party as if the regulators weren’t even there.

Invited guests

Among those expected to walk through the front door at 777 Hollywood Casino Blvd. today will be Unified Government Mayor Joe Reardon and other top county officials who see the casino as a big source of future revenue.

But also on hand will be folks like Liz Hernandez and her husband, Frank.

“He worked on the construction crew that built it,” Liz said.

But she got the invitation as one of about 60 Kansas City, Kan., School District employees who plan on showing up to have a little fun and show their support for the educational foundation.

Liz isn’t much of a gambler, she said. Just the quarter slots.

“And most of (the others) aren’t either,” foundation executive director Shelley Coulter said of the school district contingent. “But when they knew it was in support of the foundation, they said, ‘Hey, I’ll go.’ ”

An even larger group of approved attendees have Sunflower House to thank for their invitations. Of the 4,000 invitations the casino sent out initially, some 3,000 came from the mailing list of that agency that helps victims of domestic violence.

“They were looking for local charities they could do this with,” Sunflower House president Michelle Herman said in explaining how Sunflower House came to be chosen as one of the two beneficiaries, and she was only too happy to oblige.

“We’re always open to charitable gifts. As a nonprofit, there’s always a shortage of money.”

It’s unclear how many zeros will be on the checks that the two nonprofits will receive at Friday’s grand opening ceremonies, but seven charities shared $147,000 raised at last month’s controlled demonstration of Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane.

Before Hollywood Casino sent out invitations, though, Kansas Racing and Gaming scrubbed the list of anyone who is enrolled in the state’s voluntary exclusion program. That’s a list of problem gamblers who want help steering clear of casinos, should willpower fail them.

Regulators will be keeping an eye out for those folks today. Or rather, they’ll be checking to make sure casino employees are performing that task. They’ll also have the run of the place, from the count room to the cash cage to the security booth where casino workers monitor everything that occurs on the casino floor.

“We don’t want our presence to be necessarily that obvious,” says Racing and Gaming executive director Rick Petersen-Klein, who has assigned up to a dozen plainclothes technical experts and security personnel for today’s task.

Every procedure and electronic system has been mapped out on paper and reviewed or tested under state supervision. But it’s never been in a real-life situation. Indeed, the only thing controlled about a controlled demonstration is the guest list.

“Until we’ve actually put a load on the system,” Petersen-Klein said, “we aren’t able to determine for certain that all the testing that we’ve done has caught everything that could come up.”

Should sudden emergencies, jackpot situations and foul-ups happen, state officials will be watching to see how casino personnel respond. Close attention will also be paid to shift changes, which in an around-the-clock casino necessarily occur while the gambling goes on.

Especially problematic are the table games.

“Those shift changes have to be done in a certain way,” Petersen-Klein explained, “to make sure there isn’t any chance that individuals, employees, you know, or anybody would be able to walk off with state assets.”

He means the money that Kansas officials hope will bolster state finances from this casino and two others owned by the state, in Dodge City and Mulvane.

Doors are set to close at 9 tonight, but casino and state officials expect to be up for many hours afterward to count and re-count the dollars today’s gamblers part with.

No telling how long that will take, but it was 11 hours before the accounts were settled following the controlled demonstration in Mulvane.

“It is very draining,” Petersen-Klein said.

But it will be the last controlled demonstration his agency will have to manage for the foreseeable future. The Kansas Legislature allowed for only one more casino when it passed the enabling legislation in 2007. That’s for the southeast corner of the state, and so far no one’s put forth a viable proposal there.

The online poker landscape will change over the next few months of 2012. Several countries across the world have taken steps that will allow people to play poker online in a safe and transparent environment. To facilitate this, some countries are developing laws and regulations on the basis of which poker sites’ operations will be carried out. In addition, bodies dedicated to ensuring player protection are developing systems that will keep players’ money safe.

According to PlayPokerOnline.com, till recently, countries prohibited people to play poker online for money to protect them from the problems related to gambling. However, with the advancement of technology, measures can be taken at the national and site operator level to ensure player safety.

Legalizing Online Poker in 2012

At the national level, counties like the US are assessing whether online poker falls under the purview of laws that were passed decades ago. Till recently, the US had banned online poker sites from operating within the country on the basis of the Wire Act of 1961 which prohibited few betting activities.

In December 2011 the Department of Justice said that the Wire Act does not expressly ban poker. PlayPokerOnline.com stated that no one within the industry has come to a conclusion about whether online poker is legal. But this has not deterred some of the top poker site operators from entering the country.

Last year, several nations within Europe brought up the need for independent online poker legislations. The motives behind this were different. While a few nations wanted to allow offshore poker site operators to offer games to their players, others wanted to restrict online poker real money games to only their residents.

PlayPokerOnline.com clarified that though the nations are yet to announce their new legislations, they have to abide by a rule that the European Parliament has emphasized on – state-owned monopolies will not be allowed. Italy is the only country that has started offering online poker real money games. In the coming months in 2012, the European countries will announce their plans for online poker.

Player Fund Protection Systems

Kahnawake Gaming Commission, an authority on online poker recently made a few changes to its standards. These are to protect players. The commission now allows players to opt for self-exclusion. When they do this, players with gambling problems can inform the Gaming Commission about their needs. The sites that are regulated by the commission will be informed about the players’ requests.

A few poker sites have joined hands with financial service firms to establish a system which will ensure that players’ funds are protected. Through this system, the financial service provider will monitor whether poker sites have sufficient funds to repay people who have real money accounts with them to play poker online. According to PlayPokerOnline.com, more poker site operators from across the world are likely to adopt this system. The site also mentioned that a move like this shows online poker rooms’ dedication to ensuring that its players are protected at all times.

About PlayPokerOnline.com

PlayPokerOnline.com is one of the leading internet poker information portals. The site is updated daily with the latest poker news and articles based on poker strategy. More about the site can be found at the PlayPokerOnline.com Official YouTube Channel or by directly visiting the PlayPokerOnline.com website.

Top gaming site Jackpotjoy.com have arranged for their Queen of Bingo to phone some of their lucky members with a cash prize to cheer them up on Blue Monday – the most depressing day of the year…

The last Monday in January is officially recognised as the most depressing day of the year. It’s cold, it’s wet and it’s been ages since anyone was paid, but this year the members of top gaming site Jackpotjoy.com can not only play and enjoy a their favourite roulette, online bingo or slot games but also receive a surprise call from the Queen of Bingo!

“January is a bit like a month of Mondays,” explains Jackpotjoy Managing Director Michael Saunders. “So we wanted to do a little something to lighten the load.”

The site are currently collecting numbers on their promotions page, with a random selection of those numbers getting a call from the Queen of Bingo – comic legend Barbara Windsor – on Monday 23rd January 2012.

“It’s going to be an amazing day,” Michael Saunders assures us. “The Queen will be in our offices – in full Royal regalia – calling members with a cash prize for each of them. And if they answer the phone with Jackpotjoy’s iconic call of ‘Oi Oi Oi’ we’ll add an extra bonus to boot.”

The site are supporting the day with activity on their Facebook page, including the chance to ask the Queen questions and win cash prizes.

“Facebook is perfect for events like this,” Michael explains. “Social Media is all about immediacy and this event is going to be taking place live onsite and on Facebook.

The Royal Ring Around takes place today at Blue Monday (Monday 23th January). To qualify for a call from the Queen you must have registered your number at Jackpotjoy.com beforehand.

GAMESYS

The Gamesys Group was founded in April 2001 by Noel Hayden and a small team of developers. Since then their flagship site, Jackpotjoy.com, has become the UKs leading online gaming destination for online casino games, online bingo games and slots.

For more information on Gamesys, please visit: http://www.gamesyscorporate.com . Or follow events at Jackpotjoy on: • View the special Queen of Bingo site of Jackpotjoy! • Check Lottery results provided by Jackpotjoy • View the latest Bingo offerings from Gamesys in Spain.

Federal Cabinet is expected to formally abandon a deadline to introduce mandatory pre-commitment technology for poker machines at a meeting this morning.

Labor had a deal with independent MP Andrew Wilkie to form government, which involved changing poker machine laws by May 8.

But the Government cannot find enough parliamentary support for the changes, and Prime Minister Julia Gillard last night met Mr Wilkie for talks on the issue.

Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin, who joined in on the meeting, would not be drawn on the outcome of the talks. But she did announce that she has met with Clubs ACT to propose a 12-month trial of mandatory pre-commitment technology on poker machines.

“The vast majority of members of the Parliament would like to see a proper trial of mandatory pre-commit so I certainly hope it will proceed,” she said.

“We want to get proper evidence. The Government does believe that mandatory pre-commitment is a useful tool for problem gamblers.

“But of course we want to take an evidence-based approach. We want to work with clubs in the ACT, with the ACT Government, to properly trial mandatory pre-commitment.”

She told Saturday AM the discussions are in an early stage but financial support will be offered to clubs.

But Clubs ACT chief executive Officer Jeff House expects the trial will show the technology does not work.

“My view is that it probably won’t be as effective as it needs to be and nor do I believe it’ll be as cost effective as it needs to be to justify rolling it out through the rest of the country, but I’m prepared to have a trial to see whether that’s the case,” he said.
A dead deal?

Yesterday, Federal independent MP Tony Windsor weighed into the poker machine plan debate, saying he believed the deal was dead.

The Member for New England has been a vocal opponent of Mr Wilkie’s pre-commitment technology, but he admits something does need to be done to address problem gambling.

“If there are other ways of addressing the issue, well let’s have a look at them,” he said.

He has backed Ms Gillard’s assessment on the pokies plan being pushed through Parliament.

“If I was a betting man, I’d say the reform as far as mandatory pre-commitment are probably dead,” he said.

Mr Windsor’s suggested Mr Wilkie take another look at his options and find another way to tackle the gambling addiction.

During the gaming industry’s early years in New Jersey, Atlantic City officials established local zoning guidelines for casino property along the Boardwalk to maintain activity and minimize “dead zones.”

“The code set a percentage of Boardwalk frontage that should be entrances, or stores, or whatever. By and large, the casinos went along with that,” said Jay Fiedler, former Atlantic City planning director and land use administrator.

Planning professionals, however, did not apply the same principle to Pacific Avenue, where casino developers put entrances, customer drop-off and parking areas and loading docks, Fiedler said.

The burgeoning gaming industry also would have been loathe to create even more interactivity with the outside back then, given the gaming industry’s traditional practice of shielding gamblers in atmospheres where clocks, natural light, cell phone reception and other reminders of reality are scarce.

“Back then, we really wanted to get the industry up and operating in Atlantic City while respecting the Boardwalk, beaches and respecting everything we have there. They’re our greatest asset,” Fiedler said recently from his retirement home in Tuscon, Ariz.

They also figured the Boardwalk’s attributes would be more likely to entice visitors to return than Pacific Avenue. While the main strip at that time, it was less unique than the waves, dunes and elevated walkway overlooking them, he said.

“(Pacific Avenue) really wasn’t on the radar screen at that time. There was no reason to have a push,” Fielder said.

Without that push, however, many parts of Pacific Avenue lost the bustle that once made it the city’s main drag. Adding retail could revive the strip, said Paul Mas, managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle. The international real estate development corporation heads the consulting team working on the Atlantic City Tourism District Master Plan.

“They just have to convince (casinos) that it would be in the best interests of the city to make Atlantic City work. If they can pull it off and get more activity along Pacific, that’s a great idea,” Fiedler said. “The last thing you want is a grim gauntlet of granite and glazed glass.”

Mas said he and his team are “very much aware” that the industry has tended toward keeping guests inside.

“But you’re not going to stabilize areas that have problems without having people on the street,” he said.

To get people on the street, they first need a reason to be there — and retail in convertible space within the first level of parking garages and other areas would do that, Mas said.

The industry stands to be more easily convinced than in the past, said Kevin DeSanctis, CEO of Revel Entertainment Group.

“I think there are a lot of thoughts that used to be prevalent in the gaming industry that are no longer relevant. If it makes sense for the situation, I’d do it, regardless of the old thought process that you want them walking through the casino (to get to retail and dining outlets),” DeSanctis said. “(One) goal of the master plan is to make (the city) more pedestrian-friendly. It’s not easily accomplished, but it’s one we should all get behind and we ought to be thinking about it.”

The Xmas UKOPS run four events to match the success of previous autumn series

It was a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for many at Sky Poker in 2011.

From the 27th to the 30th December, Sky Poker held the second edition of the UK Online Poker Series: The Xmas UKOPS.

The UKOPS for Christmas were initiated largely by the huge success of their previous series from the autumn, which was met with positive and enthusiastic feedback, and a collection of lucrative wins.

The Christmas series ran four events, with £100,000 in guarantees. There was also an additional £72,000 in side events, running alongside the tournaments. This hefty sum of £172,000 was an impressive feat of the competition and an attractive incentive for players.

Satellites were present at each of the UKOPS events, so online poker players parting with the smallest sum could partake in playing for the bigger prizes. Run consecutively from 9pm, the semi-buy in was £24, but the satellites meant players could join from as little as a modest £2.70. With qualification costs at a few pound coins, this series was designed to include a wide spread of players.

The results handed out some fruitful cash wins. Event 1, No Limit Hold’em on the 27th December, kicked off at 8pm and the winner, offshoot won a sizeable £5,274. In second place was Geldy, who took away £3,328, while tyger, in third was awarded £2,332. There was £10,000 to win on the Double Stack, 8000 chips to 12 minutes blinds. The winner, NIHIGHGUN won £4,779, RUNFLAMING won £2,778.90 and Mariusz80, who came third, met the New Year with £1,947, making it an SPT champion and final tablist in the top three.

It was the Main Event however, which attracted a buzz of energetic play. There was a lot to play for, with a pool of £50,000 at stake. The winner, TommyD took home £14,796, Second-placed rosiedog00 £8,494 and runner up in third, Boonicon £5,754. It was an extremely healthy start to the New Year for the winning players, proving once again that you truly do have to be in it to win it!

For more information on the Xmas UK Online Poker Series, please visit skypoker.com/ukops

About SkyPoker.com.

Sky Poker is the British Sky Broadcasting’s online poker division, which allows users to play poker online on their website and screens selected hands from various tournaments and cash games on Sky Poker TV, allowing players on the site to become the stars of the TV channel. Sky Poker focuses on UK poker players, with all play at the tables in pounds rather than dollars, as well as its own Sky Poker Tour around the country.

Sky Poker is licensed and regulated by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC).

Helen Jacob Sky Bet PR Manager T: +44(0)113-3895941 E: Helen.Jacob@bskyb.com Sky Betting & Gaming, 3rd Floor, West Cross House, 2 West Cross Way, Brentford, TW8 9DE

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/12/4182980/sky-poker-fills-pockets-for-the.html#storylink=cpy

Take a look at the Babble reviews page and you will find a list of the various bingo sites that are available for you to play on. This list comprises of just a few of the many bingo websites, however the total number of sites online stands at an impressive amount as new ones appear all the time, and we bring you news that another new site named Robin Hood Bingo has launched. This site has managed to find its way on to the market, opening its virtual bingo doors to the public last week. Although new it seems as though this bingo site, named after a local legend has proved to be a hit with its visitors, but is it any good?

It appears as though the launch of Robin Hood Bingo has been successful as the company behind the site have said that on the first day this new bingo site welcomed over 8,000 visitors and 3,500 of those visitors signed up for an account on the site. Whether any of these visitors deposited is another thing but having that volume of players come to your site on the first day of opening is surely something to be happy about.

Naming a bingo site after someone that was known for stealing from the rich and giving to the poor is an interesting choice, however it does break the mold of the usual name that includes one word either before or after the word bingo. Of course, using the name Robin Hood is just a theme and logging on to the site straight away this theme is apparent. You are greeted with a cheesy looking man (supposed to be the legend himself) stood there with a massive grin on his face leaning on the screen.

Although this site differs from some of the other bingo sites out there is it just another bingo site that is powered by the 888/Globalcom software that uses the Dragonfish network. This means that whilst it is a new bingo site, it offers pretty much the same as all of the other sites that operate on this network, therefore it has all been seen before.

Bianca Rojas Latraverse’s plan in life is to make a living playing poker.

She said as much on Thursday during a bail hearing at the Longueuil courthouse in a case where she is accused of orchestrating the home invasion of her former boyfriend Jonathan Duhamel, a poker player famous for having won $8.9 million in the World Series of Poker in 2010.

Quebec Court Judge Pierre Belisle stated he was not impressed with “the reliability” of some of the evidence presented in an effort to secure the woman’s release while she faces five charges, including conspiracy, in the Dec. 21 robbery in Boucherville. Duhamel was beaten by two men and robbed of $40,000 Canadian, 74,000 euros, a Rolex watch and a bracelet worth $40,000.

Belisle said his concern, with the hearing set to resume Friday with closing arguments, is that Rojas Latraverse, a 20-year-old St. Sauveur resident, did not make a solid case she has somewhere to live if she is released on bail. Her father testified he would set her up in an apartment on the South Shore and live with her while the case was pending. But while being cross-examined by prosecutor Nancy Delorme, the father proved he knows very little of his daughter’s life over the past few years.

Rojas Latraverse testified she recently had an argument with her mother that caused her to move out. She said she lived with Duhamel “from March to August” in 2011. She then shared an apartment with two men, including one who kicked her out for holding three parties in the flat in less than a month. From Oct. 1 to the time of her arrest, just before Christmas, she lived briefly with her mother and then left to live with different friends, including a boyfriend in Boisbriand who plays hockey for a prestigious college in Boston.

“I play poker,” is what Rojas Latraverse replied when Delorme asked her what her occupation is.

The young woman said she plays often at the Montreal Casino and on the Kahnawake reserve and testified she makes enough money to sustain herself. She also said she had plans to attend a college for women in the U.S. before her arrest. But it was clear her plans were nothing concrete.

“What really interests you?” said a flabbergasted Delorme after Rojas Latraverse offered up vague answers about her plans to attend school.

“I really like law,” the accused replied with a smirk.

Earlier in the day, Rojas Latraverse’s lawyer, Marc André Gauthier tried to knock holes in the evidence the Crown presented from their investigation of the home invasion.

He asked Longueuil police Det. Jean François Lapolice if a woman, a key witness in the case, had a previous conflict with his client. The woman, who cannot be identified because of a publication ban, told investigators Rojas Latraverse told her, three weeks before the home invasion occurred, that she intended to rob Duhamel. She also showed investigators text messages she claimed were sent by Rojas Latraverse seven hours before the home invasion. The text messages predicted something violent was about to happen in the coming hours.

While describing the conflict, Lapolice said during a period when Rojas Latraverse and Duhamel were still a couple, the woman went to visit them at his condo in Boucherville. During the visit, Duhamel was alone in a room watching sports on television and later joined the two women in his bedroom. He started kissing both, Lapolice said, adding Rojas Latraverse became upset and argued with the other woman about what had transpired. Despite the argument, the two women kept in touch, Lapolice said.

Belisle also said he had concerns with the evidence presented to secure the release of John Stephan Clark Lemay, 22, who faces seven counts in the case.

The Pointe Claire resident, who goes by the name John Clark, said he would live with an aunt in Point St. Charles while his case is pending, but the relative was not in court to back his claim.

Clark described himself as a “student/writer” who is writing a 8,000 page novel called A Dose of Psychosis, but is struggling with the end.

The unpublished novel appeared to interest Belisle somewhat, but he did not seem impressed with some of Clark’s other answers. Especially when asked, by Delorme, about what he does when he isn’t writing or working out.

“Drinking and being promiscuous,” Clark said without hesitation which drew chuckles in the courtroom. Clark admitted he has a serious drinking problem and was recently convicted twice of driving while impaired.

Delorme also was clearly not impressed with some of Clark’s other responses.

When asked if he would agree to a curfew, he replied: “I won’t like it, but I’ll do it.” And when asked if he would agree to a condition that he not carry a cellphone if released, he said: “I would say that it sucks but I would do it.”

The agency in charge of efforts to bring new life to Atlantic City’s tourism district is seeking suggestions from all stakeholders — including visitors — on how to revitalize the resort.

The fortunes of Atlantic City’s casino district have been on the decline in the face of withering competition from casinos in neighboring states.

Now the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority is working on a master plan to make the resort cleaner, safer and more successful.

The authority has set up a web site — www.revitalizeAC.com — where any stakeholders in Atlantic City’s future can confidentially offer their recommendations. It will also will begin holding community meetings, starting Tuesday night, to gather additional public input.