American Gaming News

2012-02-11T23:34:00.001-08:00

Poker News Media: Bluff Media U. S. Operations Purchased By Churchill Downs, Inc.

Profiles

Gaming Casinos Poker Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment World Casino Directory

Bluff Media U. S. Operations Purchased By Churchill Downs, Inc...

In a stunning late afternoon announcement on Friday, the famed equine organization Churchill Downs, Inc., announced the purchase of the entirety of the Bluff Media organization’s United States properties.

Although terms of the sale were not disclosed, the purchase by Churchill Downs, a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the tag “CHDN,” is viewed as a potential move by the company to enter into the online gaming business. In the press release announcing the sale, Churchill Downs representatives state, “(It is Churchill Downs) intention to further expand and build upon Bluff Media’s current content and business model…this acquisition potentially provides (Churchill Downs) with new business avenues to pursue in the event there is a liberalization of state or federal laws with respect to internet poker in the United States.”

The sale is literally for the entirety of Bluff Media’s U. S. operations. Bluff Magazine (in both its print and online versions) and several of its blogs, forums, rankings and other URLs (interestingly, such as BluffPoker.com) will be under the new ownership, but another part of the company that was purchased may be of interest to players. ThePokerDB, one of the more reliable poker databases on the internet, will also be under the Churchill Downs twin spires.

While Churchill Downs has purchased the entirety of Bluff Media, the powers that be will remain in their current positions. Co-presidents Eddy Kleid and Eric Morris, who have been at the helm of the company since its inception, and vice president of online operations Jeff Markley all will remain with Bluff Media and continue to lead the company going forward. Foreign versions of the magazine, such as Bluff Europe, are not expected to be impacted by the sale.

The sale of Bluff Media has once again sparked consideration that the movement towards federally legislated internet poker in the United States. On the Two Plus Two forum, poster ‘oneonth3run’ asks, “Anyone in the know care to speculate what this could mean in the larger picture? They must be expecting certain things to happen at the top, and I wonder how they will utilize BLUFF going forward.”

Others in the 2+2 thread picked up the discussion as to why Bluff made this move at this time. Poster ‘AdamSmall’ stated, “Bluff was a perfect acquisition target really. They’re a US-based, US-heavy poker media company that presumably got hurt badly by Black Friday. They have a lot of reach and a good amount of history in the industry, and I think between their history and their brand name they have a lot of value still. The name Bluff is a very noticeable, reputable and easy to remember name for both current and prospective customers.”

The history of Bluff has been one of the success stories of the poker industry. Starting out as a bimonthly magazine in 2004, within a year it was published on a monthly basis. The magazine became the primary challenger to one of the venerable poker publications in the industry, CardPlayer Magazine, and also has been a partner with the World Series of Poker for its online and radio coverage.

The new partnership will be a way for one of the most recognizable names in the thoroughbred industry to enter into any potential U. S. online poker industry. The owners of the namesake racetrack which hosts the Kentucky Derby, the company also has interests in other racetracks around the United States, its own website (twinspires.com), and half-ownership in Horse Racing TV, among other items. Prior to the announcement of the purchase on Friday, Churchill Downs, Inc. closed at $55.87 on the NASDAQ exchange, a $.44 drop (.78%) from their Thursday price. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Day 1A: Uri Kadosh, Eliyahu Levy Lead Jason Mercier...

The first of two Day Ones is in the books for the World Poker Tour’s Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open in Hollywood, Florida, with a cozy starting field that should get larger after Saturday’s play.

125 players stepped up on Day 1A, putting up their $3500 buy in for this non-televised event and, although the field was a bit smaller, there were still challenges around the room. Season Ten Player of the Year leader Will “The Thrill” Failla, reigning POY Andy Frankenberger, Jonathan Little, “The Raw Deal” host Tony “Bond_18” Dunst, Shaun Deeb and Matt Waxman were just a few of the familiar faces at the start of the day, but they would be joined by other challengers who decided to take a late registration option.

One of those tables was particularly challenging. Noah Schwartz, Christian Harder and Matt Stout all ended up on the same felt due to late registration for the tournament, while other players went about their day of work with different results. Christopher Tryba was an early casualty when his pocket Jacks failed to catch against an opponent’s pocket Aces, but former WPT champion Rhynie Campbell was able to drop Steve Levy when his Aces stood up against Levy’s K-Q.

As the players worked their way to the dinner break, the field was dramatically reduced in comparison to the time played and the low blinds. From the 125 starters, only 96 players made their way to dinner in a somewhat happy mood. Campbell was one of these eliminations at the hands of Deeb.

It was thought that this pace couldn’t be maintained but the players actually increased the rate of eliminations as the night wore on. Deeb continued to accumulate chips as, against then-chip leader Matthew O’Donnell, he was able to get O’Donnell to lay his hand down on a 6-5-5-8-9 board to move up to 95K in chips. Dunst was not as fortunate, losing with pocket tens to his opponent’s pocket eights.

The Day 1A chip leader would not be determined until the second to last hand of the night. After a short stack moved all in, Uri Kadosh (who had avoided the limelight for much of the day) made the call and tabled Big Slick against his opponent’s suited 4-2. A four came on the flop but, unfortunately for the short stack, a King was there as well. Once the turn and river didn’t bring another four or a deuce, Kadosh had eliminated his opponent to end the night over the 275K mark and reduce the field to fifty players:

1. Uri Kadosh, 275,500
2. Ely Levy, 218,550
3. Jason Mercier, 176,400
4. Omar Sider, 170,600
5. Nick Avera, 133,200
6. Michael Michnik, 121,100
7. David Tiffenberg, 112,900
8. Shaun Deeb, 112,700
9. Victor Heffesse, 111,900
10. Mike Corbett, 111,300

Other notable names that are above the average chip count (44,347) include Shannon Shorr, Matt Giannetti, Schwartz and Waxman, while Allen Kessler and Failla will have some work to do on Sunday.

Perhaps the reason for the high knockout rate on Friday was the “second chance” option the Lucky Hearts tournament provided. For those players who were eliminated on Day 1A, they could buy in again on Day 1B and take a second shot. Several players, including Todd Terry, Kathy Liebert (who commented over Twitter, “I’m on Level 3 today, I think that’s better than Level 1!”), Dunst, Little and Lichtenberger have decided to step up for that second barrel.

By the end of action on Saturday, the total field size as well as the payouts will be known for this latest WPT event. Befitting the tournament’s name, the final table will be played out on Tuesday (Valentine’s Day) and will definitely award the champion with an excellent six figure score. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

Russia’s Rinat Bogdanov Wins WPT Venice Grand Prix...

Battling through a twelve hour final table – as well as the uber-aggressive opponents surrounding him – Russia’s Rinat Bogdanov emerged as the champion of the World Poker Tour Venice Grand Prix early Saturday morning (Venice time).

When the final six men came to the table on Friday afternoon, Italy’s very own Andrea Dato held the lead with his 1.591 million chip stack. This provided him with a good lead over two other contenders, Day Three chip leader Simon Ravnsbaek (922K) and Bogdanov (905K), while the other three members of the final table – Alessandro Longobardi (558K), Andrea Carini (347K) and Gianluca Trebbi (343K) – had their work cut out for them if they were to make a run at the championship.

From the start, Ravnsbaek and Dato were the major players on the felt, pushing their shorter stacked opponents around and adding to their chip stacks. The duo would even clash with each other, with Ravnsbaek coming out on the worse end of a couple of exchanges to chop his stack from second place to fifth within the first hour of action.

After another hour of play, the first elimination would occur. After Dato raised the pot to 50K, Carini pushed his remaining chips to the center of the felt. After Dato made the call and tabled pocket eights, Carini saw that his chances were slim with an off suit A-3. By the turn, he had a gutshot straight draw to go with his Ace, but couldn’t find either on the river, eliminating Andrea Carini in sixth place.

Following Carini’s elimination, Ravnsbaek began to mount a comeback. He doubled up through Longobardi when his pocket Aces were the cooler to Longobardi’s pocket tens, then would take over the lead when he doubled again with A-Q versus Dato’s pocket eights. After three hours of play, Ravnsbaek had been from the penthouse to the basement and back again, holding a slim 200K chip lead over Dato that, unfortunately, wouldn’t last very long.

After moving all in on several occasions, Gianluca Trebbi was eliminated in fifth place when his 10-7 of hearts failed to catch against Longobardi’s pocket Jacks. Ravnsbaek’s aggressive play finally caught up with him when he pushed all in for 600K with pocket deuces and Bogdanov looked to see pocket tens in his hole cards. Once the board ran with no help for him, Ravnsbaek was out of the tournament in fourth place.

By the time the dinner break rolled around, Dato had moved back into the lead over Longobardi and Bogdanov, with the Russian’s chip stack shrinking in comparison to his two foes. Dato and Longobardi went to battle following dinner, with Dato picking up a big pot on a complete bluff to push his stack to the three million mark and drop Longobardi to just over one million.

It was at this time that Bogdanov began his charge. Basically pushing with any two cards, Bogdanov would find a double through Dato to get back into the mix. After picking up a big hand against Longobardi, the three players were virtually equal in chips.

Bogdanov would make the first breakthrough, resulting in the elimination of Dato. After Dato jammed with an unassuming K-4 off suit, Bogdanov found Big Slick in his hand and made the call. An Ace on the flop basically ended the hand and, once a blank came on the turn, Andrea Dato was out in third place and Rinat Bogdanov became the surprising chip leader.

Within two hands of Dato’s departure, the tournament was over. After losing the first hand, Longobardi raised it to 200K holding an off suit K-Q and Bogdanov made the call with only a 6-4. Longobardi caught a Queen on the flop, but there was a four there as well and Bogdanov called a bet from Longobardi. When a six came on the turn, Bogdanov made two pair and check called another bet from Longobardi. Another four on the river brought the fireworks as, after Bogdanov checked, Longobardi fired off 300K. Bogdanov moved all in and, after a moment, Longobardi made the call, only to see his Queens up vanquished by Bogdanov’s full boat.

1. Rinat Bogdanov, €229,800
2. Alessandro Longobardi, €111,700
3. Andrea Dato, €72,275
4. Simon Ravnsbaek, €52,565
5. Gianluca Trebbi, €42,705
6. Andrea Carini, €32,195

With the end of the WPT Venice Grand Prix, the tournament circuit will come back to the U. S. for their next three tournaments. Beginning today, the Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open is in action while, later in the month, the L. A. Poker Classic will be contested. In March, the WPT will visit San Jose, California, for the Bay 101 Shooting Star and, in April, the WPT will head back to Europe with a stop in Montesino, Vienna, Austria. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

2012 WPT Venice Grand Prix Day 3: Simon Ravnsbaek Leads Tight Final Nine...

It is going to be a short day at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Venice Grand Prix on Thursday. If this wasn’t the World Poker Tour, the nine players remaining might be going to bed mentally preparing for Day 4’s final table action. But this is, in fact, the WPT, and final tables here are six-handed, so Day 4 will see just three eliminations before adjourning. Bagging up the most chips at the end of Day 3 was Denmark’s Simon Ravnsbaek, proud owner of a 795,000 chip stack.

Ravnsbaek isn’t on an island, though. Alessandro Longobardi is right behind with 783,000, Andrea Dato is close with 726,000, and Jason Wheeler is sitting on a stack of 699,000 chips. In fact, it looks like it could still be just about anybody’s tournament, as all but two players have over 400,000 chips. And those two players – Rinat Bogdanov and Massimo Mosele – have 20 and 16 big blinds, respectively, so it’s not like they are already at “all-in with any two cards” mode…yet.

The story of Day 3 was arguably the fireworks that surrounded the chip leader going into the day, Marcel Bjerkmann. The fun started on the bubble when the tight Lionel Tran moved all-in for his last 50,000 chips with pocket Kings. Bjerkmann had tons of chips, so why not call with J-4 suited? Tran was still doing alright after the flop of J-T-8 rainbow, but another Jack on the turn allowed the chip leader to suckout and put everyone remaining into the money.

A little while later, after Bjerkmann had been moved to an aggressive table, he four-bet shoved on Simon Ravnsbaek with just A-4. Ravnsbaek made the call with Q-Q and doubled-up to about 330,000 chips. Bjerkmann was still doing fine, though, falling to 460,000.

After the next break, things got crazy. James Akenhead raised to 8,500 pre-flop and was called by Andrea Dato, Marcel Bjerkmann, and one other player. Upon the Qc-8h-7s flop, the players check to Dato, who bets 15,000. Bjerkmann decided to go with a check-raise to 44,000, forcing the other two players to fold before Dato called. The dealer laid out the 8d on the turn, prompting a 64,000 chip bet from Bjerkmann and another call by Dato. Bjerkmann again led out on the river for 82,000 when the 4h was dealt. Dato proceeded to ponder his move for two full minutes before calling.

As he was the original bettor, Bjerkmann had to show first, revealing he was on a complete bluff with just 5c-9c. Dato must certainly have had that beat, but it almost must have been a tough decision to call, considering how long he took to act. Right? Not quite. Dato flipped over pocket 7’s for the full house.

Bjerkmann was incensed. “That is the sickest slow roll I have ever had in my life,” he growled at Dato. “Do not talk to me dude. If you see me in the street do not talk to me.”

Undeterred, Bjerkmann kept on plugging away, but that didn’t mean he was calm. He continued to jaw at Dato throughout the night, regardless of whether or not the two were involved in a pot together (they were on more than one occasion). Eventually he succumbed to the current chip leader, Simon Ravnsbaek, as his Ah-8h could not improve against pocket 5’s.

Play will resume at 1:00pm local time as the tournament makes it down to the final table. Again, it should be a short day, as only three more players must be eliminated for that to happen.

2012 WPT Venice Grand Prix – End of Day 3 Chip Counts

Simon Ravnsbaek: 795,000
Alessandro Longobardi: 783,000
Andrea Dato: 726,000
Jason Wheeler: 699,000
Gianluca Trebbi: 474,000
Andrea Carini: 430,000
Jeremie Sochet: 402,000
Rinat Bogdanov: 201,000
Massimo Mosele: 163,000 (Credit: Poker News Daily)

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2012-02-05T20:14:00.000-08:00

Giants beat Patriots 21-17 to win the Super Bowl - 5th February 2012

Profiles

Sport NFL United States

INDIANAPOLIS – Eli Manning and the Giants one-upped Tom Brady and the Patriots again, coming back with a last-minute score to beat New England 21-17 Sunday night for New York's fourth Super Bowl title.

It was a rematch of the 2008 NFL championship, when Manning led New York past New England to ruin the Patriots' bid for a perfect season.

This was the first Super Bowl with two starting quarterbacks who previously won the big game's MVP award -- and they took turns being brilliant. Manning became the first QB to open a Super Bowl with nine consecutive completions. Later, Brady put together a run of 16 completions in a row, breaking another Super Bowl mark.

But in the end, it was Manning -- who was selected as the MVP -- who directed the nine-play, 88-yard drive that put New York ahead.

Ahmad Bradshaw capped the winning drive with a 6-yard run up the middle. He wanted to stop at the 1-yard line but fell backward into the end zone.

Less than a minute later, it came down to one last play, when Tom Brady's long heave into the end zone fell incomplete among a maze of players.

New England had the ball for all of one play in the first 11 1-2 minutes, and that play was an utter failure, a rare poor decision by Brady. After Steve Weatherford's punt was downed at the New England 6, Brady dropped to pass in the end zone and had time. With everyone covered and Giants defensive end Justin Tuck finally coming free to provide pressure, Brady heaved the ball downfield while still in the pocket.

Only problem: No Patriots receivers were anywhere near the pass. The Giants were awarded a safety for Brady's grounding in the end zone.

Manning, meanwhile, couldn't have been more on target early, hitting six receivers in the first period, completing his first nine throws, a Super Bowl record. He also was aided by Ahmad Bradshaw, who hardly looked like a running back with a bad foot. Bradshaw broke a 24-yard run, and New England made another critical mistake by having 12 men on the field on a third-and-3 on which the Giants fumbled.

Instead, New York got a first down at the 6, and two plays later Victor Cruz beat James Ihedigbo on a slant to make it 9-0, prompting Cruz to break into his signature salsa move.

Manning's first incompletion didn't come until 1:19 into the second quarter.

At that point, it was 9-3 after Stephen Gostkowski's 29-yard field goal. The Patriots got to the Giants' 11, but All-Pro DE Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a third-down pass.

Soon after, when the Patriots had a three-and-out and Pierre-Paul blocked another throw, Belichick and offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien had a quick discussion. Then O'Brien, soon to take over as Penn State coach, went over to the struggling Brady.

The talk must have helped. On the final series of the opening half, Brady was masterful.

Starting at his 4, and ignoring the last time the Patriots began a series in the shadow of the end zone, he was vintage Brady.

With New York's vaunted pass rush disappearing, Brady went 10-for-10 for 98 yards, capping the drive that included two Patriots penalties with Woodhead's 4-yard TD reception with 8 seconds to go in the half. Hernandez and Woodhead each had four catches on the drive that, stunningly, put New England ahead despite being outplayed for so much of the first 30 minutes.

Brady kept firing -- and hitting -- in the third quarter, with five more completions. The Giants didn't come within shouting distance of the record-setting quarterback. He capped a 79-yard drive to open the second half with a 12-yard TD to Hernandez, but then the game turned. Again.

Consecutive field goals by Lawrence Tynes of 38 and 33 yards brought New York within 17-15.

Brady then threw deep for his tight end after weaving away from two pass rushers. His throw was short, and

Chase Blackburn picked it off early in the fourth quarter.

Although the Giants moved into New England territory again, as they did on every drive to that point, they bogged down and punted.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Global Gaming Directory

Media Man Entertainment

Media Man News

Australian Sports Entertainment

2012-02-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

Wynn Vs Okada: The Battle for Wynn Resorts

Profiles

Wynn Resorts Casinos Las Vegas Macau American Casinos American Gaming Property World Casino Directory News Casino News Financial News Entertainment News

Steve Wynn asks judge to oppose top investor’s suit as legal battle heats up...

Steve Wynn’s Wynn Resorts recently urged a US court to reject legal claims made by its largest shareholder, adding fire to an escalating public discord that could impact the future control of the US$15-B casino giant.

In a 117-page filing with the Clark County District Court in Nevada, Mr. Wynn stated that Kazuo Okada, who holds a 20% stake in the firm, was “utilising innuendo, hyperbole, half-truths and sweeping generalisations” in his legal petition that was filed on 11 January.

Mr. Okada, Wynn’s longtime business partner, known for his close relationship with Mr. Wynn, sued the Company for denying him access to Key financial information and has objected to an “inappropriate” UDS$135-M company donation to the University of Macau.

The Japanese businessman owns more than twice the stake of Wynn Resorts stock than Mr. Wynn himself.

Mr. Okada filed his suit through Aruze USA Inc., a unit of his Universal Entertainment Corp, an arcade-game manufacturer and developer of a multi-billion-dollar casino in the Philippines.

Responding to last Monday’s filing in Nevada, Mr. Wynn stated that Nevada law did not give Mr. Okada the right to inspection of the company’s bookd, and his requests were “nothing more than stockholder inspection requests, on behalf of Aruze.”

“Nevada law does not afford Mr. Okada or any other individual director the right to do an end run around the express statutory limitations on stockholder inspection rights, or to play detective, while unnecessarily distracting and burdening Wynn’s management with the endless task of satisfying his unfounded and unarticulated ‘concerns’,” the filing said.

Wynn’s donation to the University of Macau in Y 2011 was approved by the boards of Wynn Resorts and Wynn Macau on 18 April last year, with Mr. Okada the only member of the 12-person board objecting to the payment, according to the filing court filings.

Aruze USA said that as a member of the board of Wynn Resorts, Mr. Okada had the right to inspect the corporate documents he deemed necessary to carry out his duties as a Director.

“The response of Wynn Resorts’ management, while full of colorful rhetoric, cannot explain this away. We look forward to presenting our position to the Court,” Aruze said.

Mr. Okada, a Hong Kong resident who made his fortune in Japanese pachinkos, has also proposed 4 potential candidates for election ahead of Wynn’s Y 2012 shareholder meeting.

If these are endorsed, the Japanese businessman would be pushing out high level executives including Wynn’s Chief Operating Officer Marc Schorr and Linda Chen, President of Wynn International Marketing, whose terms expire this year.

Steven Wynn, creator of the volcano-roaring Mirage and lavish Bellagio in Las Vegas, upset shareholders more than 12 yrs ago with overzealous spending on items including his US$200-M art collection, eating into profitability of Mirage Resorts at the time.

Mr. Wynn, like Las Vegas and Macau rival Sheldon Adelson of Las Vegas Sands, has expressed interest in cementing his presence in emerging Asian gaming markets such as Japan and South Korea should legalization allow in the future.

Mr. Okada, who has been investing in Wynn Resorts since Y 2000, is seen as Key to the Company’s potential casino development in Japan due to his vast business links and contacts.

Japan is a market that analysts say would be highly lucrative and could generate revenues of over US$40-B a yr.

It is thought that this negative relationship issue with Wynn Resorts will probably press Mr. Okada to develop a relationship with another US casino gaming company. Certainly Las Vegas Sands has been very aggressive in their desire to do something in Japan, and the expectation is that many large corporates will reach out to Mr. Okada’s organization.

Revenues from Wynn’s property in Macau, the World’s largest gambling destination, accounts for 70% of Wynn Resort’s total revenues, and the Company currently does not have a presence in the fast-growing Singapore market, where LVS has developed 1 of the World’s most profitable casinos. Stay tuned… (Credit: Paul A. Ebeling, Jnr - Live Trading News)

Website Network

Casino News Media

Media Man Int

Global Gaming Directory

Poker News Media

Australian Sports Entertainment

Media Man Entertainment

Media Man News

2012-02-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

Profiles

United States American Gaming American Casinos

2012-02-04T18:20:00.001-08:00

Casino News Media Website Network Updated

Websites

Casino News Media

Media Man Int

Global Gaming Directory

Poker News Media

Media Man Games

2012-01-29T23:50:00.001-08:00

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment CEO Sees Legal Online Gaming In US Soon

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com Gaming Poker iGaming

Legalized online gambling in the U.S. is now a case of 'when', not 'if', Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PLC (BPTY.LN) Co-CEO Jim Ryan said Wednesday, adding that he expects the foundations to be laid this year.

But speaking at the ICE online gambling conference in London, the co-chief executive advised that establishing it up will take time.

The process of passing legislation, drawing up regulation, vetting and licensing operators will likely last through 2012, he said, and he speculates that actual operations likely won't happen before next year.

Partygaming, which last year merged with Austrian peer Bwin to form Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, along with other European operators withdrew from the U.S. market in 2006 shortly after then-President George W. Bush signed a bill designed to prohibit U.S. banks and credit card companies from processing payments to gambling websites.

Partygaming paid a $105 million fine as part of a non-prosecution deal with the DOJ (Department Of Justice) in 2009, for admitting indirect contravention of US law, but in anticipation of a relaxation of the rules, Bwin.Party last year inked a joint venture with U.S. casino operators MGM and Boyd to operate online gaming if and when it became legal in the U.S.

Ryan's confidence comes after a recent ruling by the U.S. Department of Justice, which clarifies the scope of the Wire Act, a law that in the past has been used stop online gambling sites. The ruling essentially gives U.S. states the green light to allow gambling within their borders, according to online gambling experts.

Still, Ryan said this doesn't mean the company is in line to recoup any of the $105 million fine.

Bwin.Party and its joint venture partners have already applied for a preliminary suitability review in Nevada which will lay the groundwork for gaining a license there once regulation is agreed.

Ryan also told the press the sale process for its Ongame poker network is very advanced and he expects to be able to announce further news in the not too distant future.

He confirmed recent reports that the company is looking for an executive to head up its payments processing division CQR with a view to ultimately taking it public, but said this was several years away.

He said the company wants to expand its online payments operations outside of the gambling sector to build an online merchant market place, increasing the value of this asset and ultimately realising shareholder value by listing it on the stock market.

Promotion

Weekend Warrior

Grab a Guaranteed Prize with Weekend Warrior

Week 1: 00:00 ET Sat 4th - 23:59 ET Sun 5th Feb
Week 2: 00:00 ET Sat 11th - 23:59 ET Sun 12th Feb
Week 3: 00:00 ET Sat 18th - 23:59 ET Sun 19th Feb
Week 4: 00:00 ET Sat 25th - 23:59 ET Sun 26th Feb

Power up your weekend with Weekend Warrior!

Earn points playing on Saturday - but don’t stop there! Make sure you come back and play on Sunday to guarantee yourself the biggest reward. We’ll pump up your prize to colossal proportions when you earn points on both days.

Remember - your prize will explode in size when you earn points on both Saturday and Sunday. So play your heart out on both days for the biggest Weekend Warrior rewards.

PartyCasino.com is the place to be at the weekend!

Website Network

Casino News Media

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

2012-01-28T16:42:00.001-08:00

Aussie Millions At Crown Casino, Melbourne: Phil Ivey Wins 2012 Aussie Millions $250,000 Super High Roller

Profiles

Crown Casino James Packer Aussie Millions Gaming Poker Australian Casinos

James Packer’s Crown Casino continues to host the annual Aussie Millions Poker Championships. Here's the latest on one of the world's most prestigious poker tournaments.

The 2012 Aussie Millions $250,000 Super High Roller commenced on Saturday and went till the wee hours of the morning on Sunday.

Phil Ivey snatched the $2,000,000 first-place prize after defeating Patrik Antonius heads up.

The last live tourney Ivey showed for was back in November for the APPT Macau, but there was no win back then.

First, he placed 12th in the Main Event for $100,000, and then went on to get the largest score of his career by winning the Super High Roller.

The event attracted 16 players, and they all had to buy in with 6 figures - no misprint. The top three spots were set to be paid and a bubble of $800,000.

Among the stars taking part in the event were last year's champion Erik Seidel, last year's runner-up Sam Trickett, Tom Dwan, Jason Mercier, John Juanda and Sorel Mizzi. In addition, the event had a handful of businessmen including Richard Yong, Paul Phua and Winfred Yu.

The first player eliminated was Dwan, who went down at the hands of Gus Hansen. After the elimination of Nick Wong, Seidel busted during Level 5. He exited thanks to $100,000 Challenge winner Dan Smith after his pocket eights couldn't overcome Smith's jacks.

After Yu got out in sixth place and Mizzi in fifth, the largest bubble of the year was set to take place. The two players joining Ivey and Antonius were Daniel Negreanu and Gus Hansen. From that bunch, the only man not doing so well was Negreanu, who turned out to be the bubble boy.

On his final hand, Negreanu was all in from the big blind with the during the 5,000/50,000/5,000 level for around 750,000 after Antonius raised to 100,000 from the button. Antonius called holding two jacks and was able to hold up as the board ran out .

Hansen was the next to go down, collecting $800,000 for his finish after getting all in on the flop with the against Ivey's. Ivey built to full house and then the river completed the board.

When heads-up play began, Ivey held a slight lead with 2.2 million in chips to Antonius' 1.8 million. He won a big pot about 45 minutes into the match to extend his lead to 7:1 before the final hand came up.

Antonius was eliminated in second place. For his runner-up finish, Antonius snatched $1,200,000.

With his win, Ivey leaps over Negreanu into second place on the all-time money list. Even with his long absence from tournaments, Ivey performed awesomely at Aussie Millions. Many think Ivey is the greatest player in the world.

Website Network

Casino News Media

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Poker News Media

2012-01-22T20:27:00.001-08:00

Hulk Hogan Pro Wrestling God Tours Casinos; Sports Entertainment News Update, by Greg Tingle

Profiles

Wrestling WWE WWE Hall of Fame Impact Wrestling Ric Flair Hulk Hogan Casinos

Sylvester Stallone Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon

From Bondi Beach, Australia to Japan, Canada, the USA - most of the world knows of Hulk Hogan.

Who can forget the Hulk-A-Mania Australian tour from a few years ago where he feuded with long time rival Ric Flair, and how about the wrestling angle at the then Star City Casino (now The Star), where it appeared at first that Hogan and Flair went at it for real when Flair implied he "had" Hogan's wife "Jennifer", before Hulk did! Now, that would start a fight and boy did the blood flow. The action was so hot that Seven News decided to purchase the video camera footage from the Media Man agency for a considerable sum.

The red did turn to green, as the old wrestling kayfabe saying goes, but not anywhere near as much as the Australian promoter or Hogan would have prefered.

The arena numbers in Australia were on the downside so much that it was largely responsible for TNA Wrestling deciding not to to ahead with an Australian tour.

The only American (or actually global) pro wrestling - sports entertainment company that he since graced Australian shores is the one and only WWE, headed up by promoter genius Vince McMahon. Once in a while Hogan teases a return to the WWE, and the two do have some line of communication. Take note that McMahon has old Hogan rival Flair getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame again (with the other 3 Four Horseman members) the night before WrestleMania, so anything can and does still happen in the WWE. Read up on other recent Media Man WWE news for more on that matter.

This writer would like to see Hogan and Flair both become official WWE spokespersons at some point, but if its to be - they need to make the move soon. Father time is ticking away.

Pro wrestling cousin of sorts, UFC from the MMA world is about to hit Sydney, Australia for a third time, but it ain't wrestling. Note, Brock Lensnar from the UFC and pro wrestling world, has left the UFC recently suffering a loss at the hands of Alistair Overeem at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, USA.

Hardcore pro wrestling fans of the WWF and ECK ilk will likely know this bit of trivia. It was Lesnar that "injured" Hogan's back in 2002 which was the official reason that The Hulk didn't visit down under back then. The back story is that Hogan and McMahon couldn't come to business terms. What's left to say but that's the pro wrestling industry.

Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan was at Speaking Rock Casino and Entertainment Center last week.

Hogan was there for the Micro Championship Wrestling event held at the venue.

Hogan was accompanied by the Nasty Boys, Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags, as well as Ed Leslie, better known as Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, the former WWF Tag Team Champion (having held the title with wrestling legend Greg "The Hammer" Valentine).

Micro Championship Wrestling has a show promoted by Hogan on TruTV. The show, which screens as midget wrestling which has been up and running since August. Note we called them midgets, not dwarfs, so haters lay off ok. Some of the wrestlers also like to be called "little people". Whatever, they are full of excitement, talent and fun, and don't mind sharing it with the world.

Australia's Foxtel doesn't currently get TruTV, so we can't enjoy Hogan's midget wrestling show on the box at this stage, but we're hopeful time will change that. Foxtel is going to soon get a new Factual channel, so there's hope yet wrestling fans.

Hogan is the most recognizable figure in the history of professional wrestling from his success in the business since the 1980s. Hogan's also had many of movies and a host of other high profile shows and projects. Hogan's star power even ecliped "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Gorgeous George (Wagner) and Bruno Sammartino (for you old school wrestling fans out there).

Hogan enjoyed high level feuds with the likes of Andre the Giant, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Paul "Mr Wonderful" Orndorff, King Kong Bundy, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, "The Magnificent" Don Muraco, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

On the big screen Hogan has starred in "No Holds Barred," "Suburban Commando" and "Mr. Nanny." He has also made appearances in Rocky III and Walker, Texas Ranger. One can argue that current WWE superstars, John Cena, "The Rock" and Steve Austin took off where Hogan finished as far as mixing wrestling and movies. Roddy Piper is widely regarded as the most talented actor that pro wrestling ever produced. From time to time Piper does his famous "Pipers Pit" talk show segment for the WWE as well as helping out a few other smaller wrestling promotions.

Hogan even had his own reality TV show called "Hogan Knows Best.", and it wasn't long before daughter Brooke, did her own "Brooke Knows Best" show.

Hogan became a household name while in Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF), now known as WWE, which enjoyed a live event in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Sunday at the Pan American Centre.

He is currently signed to the Impact Wrestling - Total Nonstop Action wrestling promotion and has a range of business projects on the go including in the TV, gaming, casino and internet b2b sectors.

Recently, Hogan has made headlines on celebrity websites for his divorce, his son Nick's car crash, daughter Brooke's music career and the pending removal of his world famous moustache (to satisfy some Hollywood movie producers).

Other

Ric Flair is almost as famous as long time rival Hulk Hogan, who along with Flair is currently under contract to Impact Wrestling. Most would argue that Flair is one of the greatest pro wrestlers in history, while Hogan has earned more income from wrestling and wrestling related activities than just about anyone else.

* The writer has a b2b agreement with the WWE (WWE Shop)

* Wrestling legend Andre The Giant gets online slot game via Richard Branson's Virgin Casino.

* Hogan recently released his Kinnect-based "Hulk Hogan's Main Event" game which got mixed reviews from the gaming industry. The game promo goes "Get pumped and bring the pain in the first full-body wrestling game on Kinect for Xbox 360! In Hulk Hogan’s Main Event Hulkamaniacs can train with wrestling icon Hulk Hogan himself. As your mentor, Hulk will help you build your own wrestling personality and school you in the art of showmanship to win over the crowd. Entertain roaring fans with brutal stunts, combos, even devastating chair hits, that will knock your opponent to the mat or out of the ring. The crazier and wilder your motions, the more high impact your wrestling performance is in your living room ring!"

* Hulk Hogan is also tipped to be soon getting his own online slot game. His Hulk-A-Mania game is being developed by Endemol Games. Endemol is the company behind the famous Big Brother franchise, so you know they know about marketing and publicity. The Media Man agency is tipped to soon come to business terms with Endemol.

Websites

Media Man News

Wrestling News Media

Hulk Hogan official website

Ric Flair official website

Micro Championship Wrestling

Speaking Rock Casino and Entertainment Center

Impact Wrestling

WWE Hall of Fame

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Wrestling News Media

Australian Sports Entertainment

2012-01-03T04:23:00.000-08:00

Online gambling companies boosted by regulatory change in United States

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PKR Poker PKR Casino Virgin Games Poker Casinos Casino Legal World Directory Global Gaming Directory

Online gaming companies have having a grand old time as late since US law makers gave the industry an unlikely Christmas surprise.

On December 23, the US Department of Justice announced that its ban on online gambling now applied only to sports betting. It is no longer a wholesale ban on online gambling.

According to analysts the decision clears the way for legalisation of online poker and casino games on a state-by-state basis.

“There now appears to be no Federal law which would prevent the operation of non-sporting gambling,” Numis Securities analyst Ivor Jones said in a note to clients.

He added: “This is a major change in the position of the US DoJ. At the very least it clears the way for State-level online poker legislation.”

“Potentially it opens the way for gambling services to be provided from offshore and this may encourage the US Congress to legislate before the floodgates open.”

Jones advised that there may be no need for a federal law explicitly to make the licensing of inter-State online poker possible.

He thinks that all that may be needed is for a State to license online poker and it would be able to accept players from other states where online gambling is lawful, or not illegal.

The DoJ’s change of heart may be a massive boon to the online gambling industry which was all but dead in the water in the U.S in late 2006 when the government introduced the ban on all financial transactions linked to online gambling.

The news prompted a sector-wide rally with Bwin.Party (LON:BPTY) and Playtech (LON:PTEC) both gaining over 20% since the DoJ announcement. Meanwhile 888 Holdings (LON:888) shares also performed well advancing around 15%.

Ladbrokes (LON:LAD) and William Hill (LON:WMH) have also gained around 7%.

According to Panmure Gordon the biggest beneficiary of the regulatory u-turn will be 888 Holdings.

888 Holdings has a commercial relationship with Caesars Entertainment and the broker says the DoJ decision is particularly pertinent given the state of Nevada passed online poker regulation last Thursday and licences expected to be granted in the Spring.

Panmure has a ‘buy’ recommendation for 888 with a 63p a share price target, which implies some 57% upside from the current price of 40p a share.

The broker said the move by the DoJ would also remove the legacy legal risk from operating casino and poker websites in the US prior to October 2006.

Bwin.Party also has agreements with two Las Vegas operators, Boyd Gaming and MGM Resorts.
In a note to clients today, Daniel Stewart analyst Michael Campbell said that BPTY is well positioned to benefit from State and/or Federal legislation because of these agreements in the US market.

Daniel Stewart’s analysts have a ‘buy’ recommendation on the stock with a 256p target, which implies a potential uplift of around 60% from the current price of 160p.

Given the potential for new business for online gambling in the United States this de-regulation of the industry could be one of the big stories for the leisure and gaming industry this year.

Danske Licens Spil and bwin.party launch online games - 3rd January 2012...

Online gaming group bwin.party has launched online poker and casino games in Denmark for Danske Licens Spil, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Danske Spil.

Danske Spil is is one of the largest betting and gaming organisations in Europe with DKK10.3bn of turnover in 2010.

It is owned by the Danish government (80%), Sports Confederation of Denmark (10%) and Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (10%).

A statement by bwin.party co-chief executives Jim Ryan and Norbert Teufelberger said: "Building on our recent announcement regarding deals with both MGM and Boyd in the US market, this is another important milestone in the execution of our stated strategy that is focused on securing leadership positions in regulated and to-be-regulated markets.

"We are delighted that DLS has recognised our expertise and high standards of business practice and we look forward to building a market-leading customer offer for the Danish consumer."

At 8:30am: (LON:BPTY) share price was -3.85p at 160.15p

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Australian Sports Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-12-30T03:35:00.000-08:00

Gaming - gambling companies happy as U.S. signals end of prohibition; Players rejoice

PartyCasino.com website

PartyPoker.com

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyPoker.com PartyCasino.com World Poker Tour Casinos World Directory iGaming Global Gaming Directory United States

Shares of online gaming firms hit the jackpot after the US Department of Justice revealed it now plans to free them from legislation that should only apply to sports betting.

As industry experts forecast the beginning of the end for online gambling prohibition in the US, Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment jumped 29.7p to 160p, 888 Holdings advanced 3.25p to 39.25p and Playtech 34.5p to 266p.

There is no doubt the new stance on the Wire Act of 1961 marks a huge shift for the Justice Department, which has previously proclaimed all forms of internet gambling – especially the increasingly popular online poker – are illegal.

The Wire Act, which banned gambling via telecommunications across state lines, has also been applied within states to prevent web-based betting.

But in recent months it has become evident the Justice Department was moving away from that strict interpretation.

In April Preet Bharara, the US Attorney in Manhattan, indicted 11 individuals in a crackdown on online poker websites and launched a £1.95bn civil lawsuit against firms including PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, but did not include any Wire Act violations among the charges.

Rather, Bharara alleged the men had violated the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which became law in 2006, and the Illegal Gambling Business Act.

And as the Justice Department now advises that the Wire Act does not apply to online poker, industry followers believe the way is clear for online gambling to proceed within state boundaries.

Broker Investec advised that the states of California, New Jersey, Nevada, Illinois, New Hampshire, Florida and Washington are in advanced discussions to open up gambling across state lines too, with regulation likely to take shape during the upcoming year.

A spokesman for Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment said: "It is an interesting step forward and we will continue to keep a close eye on the situation."

If individual US states are allowed to profit from online gambling, the federal government will soon take an increased interest in controlling and taxing the market rather than allowing a patchwork quilt to emerge.

Bwin.Party brands include PartyPoker, PartyCasino, PartyBets and World Poker Tour.

Other countries whose citizens enjoy online gambling - such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Italy are watching the situation closely.

Websites

PartyCasino.com

PartyCasino.com Marvel Slots

PartyPoker.com

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-12-29T19:31:00.000-08:00

Alan Jones Joins Cast Of Annie The Musical At Lyric Theatre; The Star

Profiles

Celebrities Casinos Hollywood The Star Lyric Theatre Events Music Sydney Australia Global Gaming Directory

Australian broadcasting legend Alan Jones will demonstrate his singing skills when he makes his musical theatre debut in a new Australian production of Annie - The Musical.

Jones will star alongside Anthony Warlow, Todd McKenney and Nancye Hayes in producer John Frost's latest show.

The musical marks a return to the role of Daddy Warbucks for Warlow, who played the character in a 2000 production of Annie, about an orphan girl taken in by the multi-millionaire in Depression-era New York.

"It was a wonderful experience then. People say never work with children and animals, but in this case the children were wonderful," Warlow said.

Jones, who will perform a musical number in his role as president Roosevelt, was handpicked by Frost, who advised he had Jones in mind from the early casting days.

"I wanted to pull a rabbit out of the hat in a way," Frost said.

In a video message played at the show's launch on Monday, NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said he couldn't believe Frost had taken Jones on, "because he never ever takes direction".

Jones talked down his part in the production, requesting news media to direct questions to "the stars" of the show.

He said he just hoped he could do the role justice.

"I have a lot of good people to help me. I hope I'm going to do alright and not let the team down," he said.

Frost, who is the man behind the smash hit Australian productions of Wicked, Chicago and Phantom of the Opera, is confident Jones will not need any acting or singing lessons, despite having no previous theatrical experience.

Frost knows Jones is a safe bet.

"He's full of confidence and he holds a tune well," he said.

"If anything I'd love to put another song in for him, but I can't."

He said the show will be a true performance of the original stage production.

"The timing now is right to bring it back. With a fresh cast, I think it's got a good chance of being a great success," Frost said.

The battle for the Australian entertainment dollar continues, and certainly Sydney's The Star is going full speed ahead and betting that world class entertainment will remain paramount in the quest to bring more punters to land based casinos and entertainment complexes.

Media blurb we secured...

The timeless tale of Little Orphan Annie is back, giving a whole new generation the chance to experience this classic musical about never giving up hope. Boasting one of Broadway's most memorable scores, including It's the Hard-Knock Life, Easy Street, N.Y.C. and the ever-optimistic Tomorrow, Annie is one of the most awarded and loved musicals of all time. Reprising one of his all-time favourite roles as the charismatic and sophisticated New York ‘zillionaire' Daddy Warbucks, is Anthony Warlow. He will be joined by the ever-popular Nancye Hayes playing everyone's favourite villain, Miss Hannigan. Todd McKenney, Chloë Dallimore and Julie Goodwin also bring their talents to this delightful musical. And in a special treat, radio star Alan Jones will join the cast in the role of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

A MESSAGE FROM PRODUCER JOHN FROST

It gives me great pleasure to bring ANNIE back to Australian audiences. When I produced this show 12 years ago I was overwhelmed by the response it received. ANNIE is such a well known, well loved production that appeals to so many different age groups. Its popularity means that it is staged once a year in many countries around the world, and I have no doubt that the Australian audiences are well and truly ready to see it again.

This time around, I am especially delighted to be able to work once more with Australia's favourite leading man, Anthony Warlow and theatrical legend Nancye Hayes.

To be taking this wonderful show and the star studded cast on tour in 2012 presents a unique and exciting opportunity to reach a new generation of Australians and it gives me enormous pleasure to think that people Australia wide will again be able to experience this special production.

Websites

The Star

Annie The Musical

Lyric Theatre

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

Eva Rinaldi Photography

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Music News Australia

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

2011-12-27T18:44:00.000-08:00

Nevada approves online poker framework - 23rd December 2011

Profiles

Gaming Casinos Poker Online Casino Online Poker Casino Legal Nevada Las Vegas Global Gaming Directory News News Entertainment News Casino News Poker News

In the United States, the Nevada Gaming Commission unanimously approved a set of proposed regulations on Thursday that would permit companies to apply for licences in order to operate online poker for residents of the western state.

The proposals were widely supported by the industry and require applicants to prove their ability to maintain controls on registration, prevent underage play and establish the location of players before being licensed.

Regulation 5A was one of six draft proposals adopted or amended yesterday by the Nevada Gaming Commission and also addresses what information is to be presented on websites and establishes procedures for record keeping, dispute resolution, fees, taxation and problem gambling notifications.

The Nevada Gaming Commission is already considering applications from six companies in Cantor Gaming, Shuffle Master Incorporated, International Game Technology, Bally Technologies Incorporated, Caesars Entertainment Corporation and the South Point Hotel Casino and officials are optimistic that approving the regulations will lead to technology firms opening operations in Nevada and expanding current business.

The push to legalise online poker in Nevada goes back to mid-March when Las Vegas Assemblyman William Horne submitted his AB258 bill. This proposed legislation was approved by the Nevada Assembly in May before being passed by the Democrat-controlled Nevada Senate and signed into law by Republican governor Brian Sandoval less than a month later.

Yesterday’s public hearing to pass the framework required to implement Horne’s legislation saw no opposition or major amendments as it had already been revised eleven times and state officials now await the repeal of the federal Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) before being able to legally license operators.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-12-26T21:50:00.000-08:00

Web gambling gets boost from Obama administration - 26th December 2011

Profiles

Gaming Casinos Poker Online Casino Online Poker Casino Legal Global Gaming Directory News News Entertainment News Casino News Poker News

The Obama administration cleared the way for U.S. states to legalize Internet poker and certain other online betting in a switch that may help them reap billions in tax revenue and spur web-based gambling.

A Justice Department opinion dated September and made public on Friday reversed decades of previous policy that included civil and criminal charges against operators of some of the most popular online poker sites.

Until now, the department held that online gambling in all forms was illegal under the Wire Act of 1961, which bars wagers via telecommunications that cross state lines or international borders.

The new interpretation, by the department's Office of Legal Counsel, said the Wire Act applies only to bets on a "sporting event or contest," not to a state's use of the Internet to sell lottery tickets to adults within its borders or abroad.

"The United States Department of Justice has given the online gaming community a big, big present," said I. Nelson Rose, a gaming law expert at Whittier Law School who consults for governments and the industry.

The question at issue was whether proposals by Illinois and New York to use the Internet and out-of-state transaction processors to sell lottery tickets to in-state adults violated the Wire Act.

But the department's conclusion would eliminate "almost every federal anti-gambling law that could apply to gaming that is legal under state laws," Rose wrote on his blog at www.gamblingandthelaw.com

If a state legalized intra-state games such as poker, as Nevada and the District of Columbia have done, "there is simply no federal law that could apply" against their operators, he said.

The department's opinion, written by Assistant Attorney General Virginia Seitz, said the law's legislative history showed that Congress's overriding goal had been to halt wire communications for sports gambling, notably off-track betting on horse races.

Congress also had been concerned about rapid transmission of betting information on baseball, basketball, football and boxing among other sports-related events or contests, she summarized the legislative history as showing.

"The ordinary meaning of the phrase 'sporting event or contest' does not encompass lotteries," Seitz wrote. "Accordingly, we conclude that the proposed lotteries are not within the prohibitions of the Wire Act."

The department expressed no opinion about a provision in the law that lets prosecutors shut down phone lines where interstate or foreign gambling is taking place.

Many of the 50 U.S. states may be interested in creating online lotteries to boost tax revenues and help offset the ripple effect of a federal deficit-reduction push.

The global online gambling industry grew 12 percent last year to as much as $30 billion, according to a survey in March by Global Betting and Gaming Consultancy, based on the Isle of Man, where online gambling is legal.

Federal prosecutors in April charged three of the biggest Internet poker companies with fraud and money-laundering along with violations of another federal law, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006.

The government outlined an alleged scheme by owners of the three largest online poker companies - Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and PokerStars - to funnel gambling profits to online shell companies that would appear legitimate to banks processing payments. (Credit: Google News, Reuters)

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-12-22T05:44:00.000-08:00

Casino To Be Built On Fiji's Denarau Island; American Multimillionaire Wins Development Contract, by Greg Tingle

Profiles

Casinos Gaming Fiji New Zealand Property World Directory

An American multimillionaire has won the development contract to build a massive land based casino on Fiji's Denarau Island, one of the nations prime tourist destinations for New Zealanders.

Military ruler Voreqe Bainimarama has over-ruled long standing chiefly and church objections to announce that Larry Claunch, who describes himself as an investor, will get an exclusive license to build a casino on the island that will be home to at least 500 slot machines and 54 tables, and they home - lots of happy punters and entertainment lovers.

The well-to-do entrepreneur will also be permitted to construct a smaller casino in Suva.

The regime advertised internationally for expressions of interest earlier this year. New Zealand's well known casino group, SkyCity, was in the mix of those interested.

The license will be held by Claunch's One Hundred Sands Ltd, which will operate the casino with the Snoqualmie Tribe from Washington state and Seventh Generation LLC, a Native American company.

The impressive deal includes a US$290 million ($378 million) five star, 190-room resort on the manmade Denarau Island, which already has several hotels on it and timeshares.

Bainimarama said they would protect the rights and interests of Fijian people. A casino "provides a malleable fusion between the Western ideals of casino gaming with the strong cultural virtues of tribal and community life", he said.

He also pointed out that the casino would provide 800 jobs.

"Fiji does not wish to imitate Las Vegas in the Pacific. Fiji already has a unique brand, one defined by its uniquely pristine environment, tranquillity and world class hospitality."

Claunch advised the casino was "a union of both economic and cultural endeavours".

He also owns Nukudrau, a 19 hectare island in Savusavu Bay.

Claunch is confident he will be able to continue to ride his wave of success into Fiji, despite the casino industry hitting a number of ripples in recent years - a flow on effect from the global economic downturn. Just don't tell Claunch it won't work - he's a winner, and needless to say- his house always wins. Might see you in Fiji.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Australian Sports Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-12-16T22:32:00.000-08:00

Casino Stocks Report (MGM) (WYNN) (LVS) (CNTY) (MPEL) - 16th December 2011

Profiles

Casinos Gaming Crown Casino Crown Limited MGM Resorts International Wynn Resorts Melco Crown News Financial News Casino News Poker News Entertainment News

MGM Resorts International (MGM) stock moved 0.43% higher to $9.33 per share in today's trading. Stock volume in MGM Resorts International was 5 million shares in the trading session.

Wynn Resorts advanced 1.87% in today's session to $106.54 per share. In the last 12 months, Wynn Resorts has seen a high of $172.58 and a low of $100.51 per share.

Las Vegas Sands Corp moved 1.91% higher to $41.57 per share in today's trading. Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp have traded as high as $51.05 per share and as low as $36.05 in the last year.

Century Casinos advanced 0.87% in today's session to $2.32 per share. 6,800 shares were traded so far in today's session. On average, a total of 14,172 shares are exchanged in CNTY each day.

Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd (MPEL) stock moved 3.11% higher to $8.9909 per share in today's trading. In the last 12 months, Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd has seen a high of $16.15 and a low of $6.1 per share.

*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited

Websites

PartyPoker.com

PartyCasino.com

World Poker Tour

MGM Resorts International

Wynn Resorts

Las Vegas Sands Corp

Century Casinos

Melco Crown Entertainment

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-12-13T04:21:00.001-08:00

IGT Drives Cloud Computing Transformation in Gaming Industry

Profiles

IGT Gaming iGaming Las Vegas United States Online Gaming

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 7, 2011 - Unveiling the next revolution in the gaming industry, International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) announced today the premiere of the IGT Cloud solution at the Company's Investor Conference in New York. The initiative marks IGT's move towards empowering operators to provide seamless gaming experiences across land-based, mobile and online devices.

'IGT is leading the cloud computing transformation in gaming by offering operators innovative solutions to optimize their operations and casino floors,' said Chris Satchell, IGT chief technology officer. 'Utilizing the IGT Cloud will let casino operators focus on what is important to them: players, games and performance.'

The IGT Cloud delivers efficiency and value to casino operators utilizing Software as a Service (SaaS). These initial private, secure IGT Cloud services will enable casinos to manage game content using IGT Floor Manager to access the largest game library in the industry. sbX(r) Analytics will empower casino operators to increase marketing productivity and maximize floor-wide performance with a variety of reporting tools.

The IGT Cloud solution is the result of a powerful collaboration between IGT and CA Technologies to continue innovating how casino games, systems and experiences are delivered.

'CA Technologies is excited to be IGT's technology partner as they debut the IGT Cloud to investors and casinos alike,' said Roger Pilc, general manager, Virtualization and Automation, CA Technologies. 'Our turnkey CA AppLogic(r) cloud platform will be instrumental in helping IGT to quickly move its advanced casino software to cloud-based delivery.'

'Cloud computing continues to revolutionize the global Software and IT industries, driving significant business value. Over time, the new IGT Cloud initiative will allow the gaming industry to realize similar benefits in operations, customer experience and innovation. This will deliver new opportunities for IGT and our customers,' said Satchell.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-12-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack Birthday Extravaganza

Profiles

Frank Sinatra Pamela Anderson The X Factor Hollywood California Movies Music

A three part birthday extravaganza kicked off Sunday, celebrating Frank Sinatra's Birthday and to benefit the Alzheimer's Association's California Southland Chapter.

Old Blue Eyes would have turned 96 on Monday. The three-part gala, starting at Sinatra's old Twin Palms estate, will celebrate the life, artistry and birthday of the Hoboken, N.J.-born crooner who came into the world in 1915.

Named for Sinatra's 10th studio album, "A Swingin' Affair," the fundraiser will start with a cocktail party at Sinatra's Twin Palms estate. Canadian jazz artist Matt Dusk will play at Twin Palms, an estate designed by architect E. Stewart Williams where Sinatra and his first wife, Nancy, then Ava Gardner, lived.

Afterward, the fun will move to the Riviera Palm Springs, where actress Pamela Anderson will be holding court in the Starlite Lounge, helping deep-pocket supporters find their checkbooks.

At the Riviera, where the late singer held many of his famous parties, son Frank Sinatra Jr. and his Big Band Orchestra will handle the entertainment, along with Broadway star Lainie Kazan.

Of course, there's also an after-party, beginning at 11:30 p.m. at the Starlite Lounge in the Riviera.

Pamela Anderson, Frank Sinatra Jr., The X Factor's Phillip Lomax, & America's Got Talent's Daniel Joseph Baker Perform at A Swingin' Affair! Gala

Superstar performances set for Frank Sinatra's Birthday Bash in Palm Springs, Tickets Nearly Sold-Out for Alzheimer's Association Benefit

Profiles

Frank Sinatra Pamela Anderson The X Factor Hollywood California Movies Music

PALM SPRINGS, Calif., Dec. 6, 2011 - A Swingin' Affair!, the Frank Sinatra birthday gala to benefit the Alzheimer's Association on Dec. 11 in Palm Springs, is becoming as star-studded as the late Sinatra's life.

Recently added to the lineup of spectacular talent are Phillip Lomax, whose crooner ways led him to the Top 17 on this season of The X Factor, and actor/singer Luca Ellis, who just earned three Ovation nominations for his musical on Frank Sinatra, Hoboken to Hollywood. They join the previously announced Pamela Anderson, Frank Sinatra Jr., America's Got Talent's Daniel Joseph Baker, Matt Dusk, and Lainie Kazan.

The three-stop event kicks off with an exclusive VIP cocktail hour at Sinatra's former Twin Palms estate, which was designed by famed architect E. Stewart Williams and lived in by Sinatra and first wife Nancy and then Ava Gardner. Canadian jazz artist Matt Dusk, who has three No. 1 international hits under his belt, will perform and cocktails and canapes will be served poolside from 2-5 p.m.

Stop two of the night is the Grand Gala at the posh Riviera Palm Springs Resort & Spa where Sinatra held most of his lavish parties. Architect and visionary Irwin Schuman designed the historic location and the event will be fashioned in the grand Hollywood Regency style. Pamela Anderson serves as hostess of the night, with performances by Frank Sinatra Jr. and his Big Band Orchestra, singer/pianist Daniel Joseph Baker from season 6 of America's Got Talent, Phillip Lomax from The X Factor, Matt Dusk, and actress/Broadway star Lainie Kazan. A sumptuous three-course dinner will be served and cocktails will be flowing.

The night closes with an after-party, starting at 11:30 p.m., at the swanky Starlite Lounge in the Riviera. Daniel Joseph Baker will once again perform, as well as the aforementioned Phillip Lomax and Luca Ellis. Cocktails will be flowing into the wee small hours of the morning. A special toast and a cake will be cut in honor of Sinatra's birthday. (He would've been 96 years old this year.)

A limited number of tickets are still available for all three parts of the gala and can be purchased by calling 760-561-5561 or on the website, http://www.aswingingaffair.com

About the Alzheimer's Association

The Alzheimer's Association works on a global, national and local level to enhance care and support for all those affected by Alzheimer's and related dementias. Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible degeneration of the brain that causes disruptions in memory, cognition, personality, and other functions that eventually leads to death from complete brain failure. Over 5.4 million Americans age 65 and older are thought to have Alzheimer's disease. Learn more at: www.alz.org

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

2011-12-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

Marvel Studios Considering ‘Game of Thrones’ Vets Alan Taylor and Daniel Minahan to Direct ‘Thor 2′; Will Also Hire a New Writer

PartyCasino.com Marvel website PartyCasino.com website

Profiles

Marvel Entertainment Marvel Comics Marvel Studios Thor Thor 2 PartyCasino.com Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Marvel Slots

Newsflash: Marvel Entertainment fans have recently being enjoying playing their favorite Marvel superhero characters at PartyCasino.com - the flagship casino brand of Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment.

Marvel’s search for a Thor 2 director isn’t going as originally planned. Patty Jenkins was on tap to direct the sequel to the summer blockbuster, but left the project citing the generic “creative differences” bit as the reason why she is departing from directing Thor 2. The latest events have left Marvel scrambling to find someone to direct the movie before its November 15, 2013 release date.

According to THR, Marvel head to familiar ground but is coming back with some very unfamiliar names. The trade reports that Game of Thrones’ helmers Alan Taylor and Daniel Minahan are in the running to direct Thor 2. Marvel’s first choice for director was Brian Kirk, who also has Game of Thrones experience.

Some of Taylor’s credits include 1996’s Palookaville, but he has become a huge cable TV helmer, directing episodes of HBO’s Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos (Credit: IMDB)

Be The Incredible Hulk, Thor, The Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and more at PartyCasino.com

Play your part in the legend of Thor
The mighty Thor storms into PartyCasino in this majestic 5–reel, 9–line slots game. Experience the power of the god of thunder and you could win up to 4,000 times your bet.

Thor Slot is a new ‘Marvel Hero Jackpot’ slot machine with a free game feature. The game also features a "Thor" wild symbol which substitutes for all symbols except the “Scattered Logo”. 3 or more “Scattered Logo” symbols anywhere on the reels triggers the free spins in which all wins are tripled.

Marvel Jackpots
Marvel Jackpot actually consists of 3 jackpots at different levels, the levels are - from the lowest - Hero Jackpot, Super Hero Jackpot, and Marvel Hero Jackpot, with the latter being the highest. All 3 jackpots grow progressively as bets are made by players in multiple participating online casinos. For each spin, on any of the Marvel Jackpot games, the house adds a small credit to all running jackpots. All 3 levels in Marvel Jackpot can be won irrespective of hitting any paying combination, while betting any amount on any of the "Marvel Jackpot" slots.

Marvel Jackpot slots is just a part of PartyCasino's massive range of slots and progressive slots, part of the ever–increasing suite of fantastic games. Visit PartyCasino and download the latest games or play games instantly, right on the site.

MARVEL, and all related characters and the distinctive likeness thereof are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries, and are used with permission. Copyright © 2009 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Licensed by Marvel Characters B.V. All right reserved.

As Marvel living legend Stan Lee would say, Excelsior!

Website

PartyCasino.com Marvel Slots

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-12-07T18:49:00.001-08:00

Casino Executive Based In Las Vegas Not A Fan Of Online Gambling; Competitor Is Pro Online Casino - Poker, by Greg Tingle - 8th December 2011

World's Richest Casino Exec Not So Keen On Online Casinos, Poker...

Profiles

Casinos Poker Slots Online Casino Las Vegas Donald Trump Global Gaming Directory

You may not of heard of this cashed up gambling and property tycoon, but he's happy to share his thoughts on online gambling, especially when it comes to his U.S turf. No, it's not Donald Trump, Steve Wynn or even Richard Branson. Meet Sheldon Adelson.

Adelson is by all accounts the world's wealthiest casino executive and top dog of the industry's largest publicly traded company, says he is against online gambling because he doesn't believe available technology is good enough at the moment to prevent young people from making wagers on the Internet, a spokesman said Wednesday.

Adelson's sharing his personal viewpoint is just that - personal - rather than a formal stance taken by his firm that owns and operates casino-resorts in Las Vegas, Macau, Singapore and Bethlehem, Pa., Las Vegas Sands spokesman Ron Reese said.

Reese advised Adelson hasn't spoken with the company's board about his position, nor has the board decided an online gambling plan.

"It's a personal observation of concerns about technology," Reese said.

The opposition comes at a time when numerous other operators, including Caesars Entertainment Corp and MGM Resorts International, have backed an industry push to legalize online poker and let established land based casinos offer the service in the U.S. MGM Resorts International even went as far as to ink a deal with world's leading igaming firm Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment.

Poker, which involves a combination of skill and luck (as ruled in legal cases), now huge on the internet (see World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker), has been illegal online for real money since a 2006 law was brought in and ruled against igaming operators from providing games by preventing financial institutions from processing funds for the majority of online gaming.

The land based casino sector has swayed over the years from anti online gambling to largely pro online gambling, of course, with them getting some of the financial rewards. The bricks and mortar casinos have seen some of their punters go online to bet, with the traditional casinos missing out of the action. It's unclear how much revenue traditional casinos are down, thanks to online casinos, but a Media Man spokesperson said "Online casinos have cost land based casinos in the U.S and elsewhere, many millions, if not billions of dollars. Vegas and Atlantic City land based casinos are down. People still like to bet and the internet serves them well, be it for poker, casino, sports betting or slots".

The American Gaming Association, the leading U.S gaming lobby group, has switched from a neutral stance to pro actively pursuing federal legislation that would allow for legalization and regulation of online poker. Online poker could be a lead in to online casino games.

Frank Fahrenkopf, CEO of the American Gaming Association, said he met with Adelson on Monday and Adelson advised him he'll oppose legislation to legalize online poker on U.S soil.

"Sheldon has long had concerns about this issue, and it is perfectly within his right to make this decision," Fahrenkopf said in a statement. "However, the AGA, at the direction of our board of directors, will continue to support federal legislation to allow states to license and regulate online poker."

The online gambling industry is not seeking to legalize other games like blackjack, craps and slots online. Those games are a different kind of animal because players wager against the house. In poker, players wager against each other and operators take a fee from each pot in exchange for hosting the game. Of course if online poker becomes totally legal in the U.S, this may lead to online casino games also becoming totally legal in the states.

The matter of online poker has heated up among players and casino executives in the past 12 months. U.S. Senate Majority Leader last year pitched a blueprint to legalize poker that fell short without legislation being introduced. Last April, three of the largest online gaming operators who offered online poker in defiance of the law had their websites seized and executives indicted by the U.S. Justice Department, accused of financial crimes including fraud and money laundering for disguising payments for gambling funds as transactions for things like flowers and golf balls. The day it all went down, including sites going down et al, is known in igaming circles as 'Black Friday'.

After the indictments, the estimated $6 billion U.S. online poker market dived overnight, leaving many players unable to access funds in online poker bankrolls.

Then, with the "big three" poker websites closed out of the U.S, the American Casino Association became more active in urging lawmakers to close loopholes and draw up better regulations.

One thing is for certain. Online poker and online casino players are not going to want to stop playing the games they love. Players are mainly sticking to brands they know and trust with some of the leading contenders being PartyPoker.com PartyCasino.com PKR.com World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker.

Australian casino mogul James Packer's Crown Casino has the 'Aussie Millions Poker Championship' coming up in Melbourne this January and providers such as PartyPoker.com are even offering qualifying poker matches, where players get to 'Win a seat to Aussie Millions'. Bwin.Party's World Poker Tour is also broadcast of American and Australian pay television, which online helps fuel the popularity of online gambling.

Fahrenkopf advised his casino association wants federal legislation that allows U.S states to decide whether to offer poker to its residents, keeps youngsters from gambling online and lets law enforcement shut down illegal operators.

If you enjoy a punt, please bet with your head, not over it, and have fun.

Profiles

Casinos James Packer Donald Trump Sheldon Adelson Steve Wynn Richard Branson Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment

Donald Trump says US should legalize Internet betting...

Donald Trump has witnessed lots of money side slipping him, and he's hoping that situation changes soon.

The real estate, gaming and entertainment tsar, and founder of an Atlantic City casino company says the US should legalize internet gambling. The company that bears his name, Trump Entertainment Resorts, is moving forward with plans to establish an online betting venture... just as soon as it is legal to do so.

The company says it wants to get in on the ground floor of the internet gambling industry, and is close to selecting a joint venture partner to run an online gambling operation. The idea is to be well-placed and ready to go as soon as such activity is legalized in the United States.

"It should be approved here," Trump told news media. "An awful lot of money is leaving the U.S. that should and could stay in this country."

Trump Entertainment, which includes Donald Trump and daughter, Ivanka, and the Avenue Capital hedge fund, would own 10% of the new business venture.

Donald Trump advised the key to success in the online gambling market is having the best brand.

"We think we have the hottest brand there is, the Trump brand, my personal brand," he said. "We think it's going to do phenomenally well."

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Trump Entertainment said it has "determined that such a joint venture represents the most advantageous way for the company to participate in opportunities in online gaming at minimal cost to the company."

No cost estimates were given, and Robert Griffin, the company's CEO, declined to comment Thursday. But in March, after Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill passed by New Jersey lawmakers that would have allowed Internet betting solely within New Jersey's borders, Griffin said the money lost to offshore operators should benefit New Jersey.

The new law would seen New Jersey become the first state in the nation to allow Internet betting.

"Currently, millions of Americans engage in online gaming with illegal offshore operators, and do so with no oversight, no regulation or no consumer protections," Griffin said at the time. "It makes sense for the state of New Jersey to regulate this activity, enforce strict standards to ensure games are fair and safe, and in turn be able to collect tax revenue instead of having those dollars and the jobs they support leaving New Jersey and going illegally overseas."

Christie advised he vetoed the law fearing it was unconstitutional and could lead to an explosion of betting parlors throughout the state. By law, gambling in New Jersey is restricted to gaming hotspot Atlantic City.

But a New Jersey lawmaker is asserting that individual states in fact have the legal right to offer in-state Internet gambling within their own borders.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, wrote in July to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asserting that New Jersey and all other states can legally offer online betting within their borders.

Lesniak said he will introduce legislation in November to address the prime concerns expressed by Christie.

The filing said the company, Donald and Ivanka Trump, and Avenue Capital have signed an agreement authorizing the joint venture once it becomes legal, and that prohibits any of them from seeking other online gambling ventures through May 2012.

Atlantic City is in the midst of a nearly 5-year revenue slump brought on by increasing competition from casinos in neighboring states, and worsened by the continuing unsteady economy. It's also speculated that many AC businesses have not adapted well to the internet medium.

Just a few online gaming companies that are understood to be interested in coming to business terms with Trump include Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, Richard Branson's Virgin Games and PKR. Most experts see Bwin.Party as the best bet, as they don't have any outstanding issues with the US Department of Justice, and have been playing by the rules (law) for many years, while other gambling companies continue to go after U.S players.

Internet gambling is legal in many countries, with the U.S being a glaring exception.

Media Man is following up.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-12-06T05:10:00.001-08:00

Casino Operators Apply For Licenses To Operate Online Poker Websites In Nevada - 6th December 2011

Profiles

Poker Casino Casinos Nevada Las Vegas Politics World Casino Directory Global Gaming Directory Casino Legal News Financial News Casino News Poker News Entertainment News

Five casino companies have applied for gaming licenses to operate online poker rooms in the great state of Nevada. The state gaming board anticipates licenses to be issued as early as February.

Firms that have applied include South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa, who became the first Vegas entity to offer a free-to-play online poker site last month. South Point would like to begin offering real cash play in the approaching months. The Nevada legislation would permit companies like South Point to allow real money play for Nevada residents. Should federal legislation pass, Nevada is likely to become a hub for internet poker rooms, pooling players from several states.

Nevada could sustain a pool of online poker players from the get go with a population of close to 3 million, a sweat number of which are passionate punters. Countries with similar populations such as Norway, Finland and Denmark, all with approximately 5 million people, have long supported a significant base of online punters.

IGT (International Game Technology), 888 Holdings, Cantor Gaming and Bally Technologies have also thrown their hat in the ring and applied for gaming licenses. Caesars Entertainment has also got a b2b agreement in place with 888, and Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment is understood to be looking to get a trump card on that situation sooner, rather than later. Media Man reports over the past 2 months have documented Bwin.Party's deals with MGM Resorts and Boyd Gaming.

IGT have purchased Swedish-based Entraction and its network of 112 rooms, none of which currently accept US customers, but that may change over time.

Like IGT, Bally Technologies, also based in Las Vegas, desires to be both a manufacturer and service provider for the lucrative gaming business.

While Cantor Gaming already enjoys a presence in Las Vegas as a provider of mobile gaming devices and sports wagering, a license would only permit the company to offer poker online.

IGT, Caesars Entertainment and MGM are considered the strongest and most powerful land based operations in the mix, while Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment is thought to be the European - offshore based operation best positioned to make the most of upcoming gaming opportunities in the U.S. Bwin.Party are already making inroads in the U.S with its World Poker Tour brand and attracts strong news media - TV broadcast coverage across America.

Who are you betting on? One thing seems likely - the U.S government is going to make a hell of a lot of money eventually when online gambling becomes totally legal.

Websites

World Poker Tour

South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa

IGT (International Game Technology)

888 Holdings

Cantor Gaming

Bally Technologies

MGM Resorts International

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-12-02T23:18:00.001-08:00

Facebook To Enter Into Real Money Online Poker? - 1st December 2011

Profiles

Games Gaming Casinos Poker Facebook Casino Legal Social Media Sydney Australia News Financial News Casino News Poker News Entertainment News

Rumors were abuzz yesterday about the possibility of the social networking behemoth Facebook entering into the online poker arena, but it may be that was the extent of the issue…simply rumors.

According to the popular blog “Friending Facebook” written by Emil Protalinski on ZDNet.com, Facebook has been rumored to be in discussions with several outlets regarding the future of online poker on the site. Currently, Facebook only offers “credits” that players can purchase to use to play a multitude of games that the site promotes, but it hasn’t stepped into the realm of a “real money” offering. Protalinski details out how some of the buzz regarding the possibility of Facebook stepping into online poker has gotten started.

Apparently, clandestine meetings were held over the summer between Facebook and “approximately twenty online gaming experts, consultants and social gaming entrepreneurs,” according to Protalinski. If this were to become a reality, it would happen at some point within the first three months of 2012, with the potential for up to eight licenses to be offered to potential online gaming operations through Facebook.

Protalinski notes, via eGaming Review Magazine, that two of those potential outlets have already been named as potential licensees. One of the top game developers, Gamesys, is potentially in the running for one of those licenses. Gamesys, which has been in the online gaming industry since 2001, offers bingo software as well as games based on television shows such as The Price Is Right and Deal or No Deal. The company also has a contract with Caesars Entertainment for CaesarsBingo.com.

The other operation named specifically as a potential suitor for Facebook also has connections with Caesars Entertainment, the owners of the World Series of Poker. 888 Holdings PLC, founded in 1997 and the ownership behind such offerings as 888Poker.com and the Caesars Entertainment owned WSOP.com online poker site, is rumored to be one of the companies at the front of the line for a potential Facebook partnership. 888Poker is currently the fourth ranked online poker network in the industry, having a seven day average of 2150 cash game players, according to PokerScout.com.

Protalinski points out several issues that will have to be overcome before any such partnerships can reach fruition. Age verification issues, something that anti-online gaming zealots have said would be problematic, are something that Facebook would have to deal with, as people do not always put their year of birth on their Facebook record for privacy reasons. Finding an outlet that could process real money transactions at a bulk rate would also be problematic as well as how Facebook and any partners would divvy up the proceeds.

In looking at how Facebook handles its “credits” transactions, Protalinski points out some significant numbers. Protalinski states that Facebook takes a 30% cut of revenues earned through the purchases of Facebook Credits, with the remaining 70% going to the developers of the games. To possibly see how much money is potentially involved in this partnership, PartyGaming – before it joined forces with Bwin early this year – pulled in $497.9 million in revenue in 2010. If that type of activity was seen with a Facebook gaming site – and using the same percentages as Facebook currently operates under – it would mean Facebook would make approximately $149.3 million and their partner company would pull in $348.5 million.

For American citizens, however, there is no glimmer of hope. Real money online poker through Facebook isn’t an option per the current status of online gaming in the United States. The offerings would first be done in the United Kingdom and potentially branch out to the rest of the world, Protalinski reports.

Then again, this could all just be conjecture. Protalinski contacted Facebook officials regarding this issue and quoted a representative of Facebook as saying, “We’re always in discussions with companies about lots of different ideas, but we don’t comment on future plans or speculation.” After the ringing in of the New Year, however, we may learn if these plans are true or false. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

Websites

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Facebook

Media Man Facebook

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-12-01T04:23:00.000-08:00

Facebook Gamblers Taking Bigger Risks Than They Know, by Greg Tingle - 1st December 2011

Profiles

Games Gaming Casinos Poker Facebook Casino Legal Social Media Sydney Australia News Financial News Casino News Poker News Entertainment News

A massive loophole in Australian - federal gambling legislation is allowing an online casino to receive funds from Facebook punters but not pay out winnings in cold hard cash, leaving punters in the lurch, out of moolah, and angry - and there's not much they can do about it at present.

Only recently have media companies such as Media Man and Fairfax Media been able to warn punters of the dangers of betting - especially on some Facebook affiliated websites.

Media and gaming commentators are advising gamblers to only bet with websites they can trust, and to avoid Facebook gambling websites until loopholes have been fixed up. Big name gambling brands which are considered ethical and trustworthy by most media and igaming experts include Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, Virgin Games (not available in Australia), Betfair, Centrebet and PKR.

The DoubleDown casino on Facebook is one brand in question. They "give" players "free" chips - but once they are used up, punters are required to purchase credits to continue to play online casino games such as poker, blackjack, slots and roulette (not Russian Roulette) - even more dangerous then the website in question.

As they say - always read the fine print! The terms and conditions explicitly say "regardless of the terminology used, Virtual Currency and Virtual Goods may never be redeemed for "real world" money, goods or other items of monetary value from the Site or any other party."

A wave of complaints has hit independent senator Nick "Mr X" (satire) Xenophon. A Facebook page condemning the site and warning others has also been established by anger players. A constituent contacted Senator Xenophon after he attempted to withdraw the chips, made a complaint, but was subsequently blocked from the site by administrators. So much for ethics and consumer confidence.

Senator Xenophon wrote to the Australian Communications and Media Authority complaining that the US-based website was misleading and was in breach of online gaming laws.

ACMA told Senator Xenophon the website's content is not prohibited because it was not possible to win 'money or anything else of value' from playing the games provided, so it does not in fact constitute a gambling website.

The Senator yesterday wrote to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy requesting an urgent meeting to discuss "a loophole in the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 which has allowed hundreds of Australians to lose money".

"People are paying real money to gamble on these sites," Senator Xenophon advised. "But because these gamblers are forbidden by the sites from converting that virtual money back into real money, the sites aren't technically breaking any laws. This needs to change."

A review of igaming - online gambling laws commenced earlier this year and Senator Conroy's spokesman advised online casino games were prohibited and could not be provided to Australians.

"Consumers participating in games purporting to be such things should think carefully as they are not regulated by Australian law," he said.

A spokesman for DoubleDown Casino said it took great pride in having established the world's largest virtual casino game on Facebook.

"We couldn't have done that without the millions of customers who return every day to enjoy free chips and our entertaining game. Casual gamers can play every day for free and it is entirely up to the user to decide if they wish to purchase virtual chips to play longer," he said.

"There are hundreds if not thousands of games on Facebook which accept virtual currency in the form of Facebook credits and we're proud to be one of Facebook's top 12 game partners."

Established gaming companies such as Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, PKR, Virgin Games, Betfair and Centrebet offer both play for free and play for money options, and have not received complaints like the ones directed towards DoubleDown.

Those who enjoy a punt are advised to bet with their head, not over it, and to have fun. If gambling stops being fun, its a strong sign to stop playing and seek help.

Websites

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Facebook

Media Man Facebook

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-11-28T19:41:00.001-08:00

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire told to ease off high stakes poker, by Greg Tingle

Profiles

Hollywood Poker Leonardo DiCaprio Tobey Maguire Hollywood Movies News Financial News Casino News Poker News Entertainment News

Tobey Maguire Ben Affleck Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon

Now we know another reason that movie stars Leo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire have enjoyed quite a bit of their time in 'Sin City' Sydney, Australia - they like a punt, and are fans of Australian land based casinos, with The Star being at the top of their list for the meantime. It's not known for certain if the twosome have played poker or gambled on Australian soil, but take a wild guess.

Many Hollywood (and AussieWood) stars love to gamble, and high-stakes poker is one of their favourite games. Privacy is high on their priorities and it's known that some forms of gambling don't sit well with the law in some parts of the world, including in the United States.

It's understood that Tobey Maguire and mates Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck are long time high stakes poker fans and may have participated in quite a few private games played mainly in Los Angeles and New York.

The word is that the FBI is probing into alleged Russian mob connections to those big dollar games.

A few months ago there was a lawsuit filed against Maguire claiming a big Wall Street investment guy paid his gambling debts with funds inappropriately acquired from his firm’s investors.

A longtime associate of both DiCaprio and Maguire is understood to have said "As much as those boys love to gamble, they don’t need this kind of hassle...It seems clear that a number of very unsavory people have used their own huge wealth to weasel their way into those games.

"No one needs a Frank Sinatra problem these days," added the leak, referring to the Mafia connections that followed Ol’ Blue Eyes most of his life.

DiCaprio and Maguire are currently enjoying a working holiday of Australia and both gents have been spotted at The Star (entertainment complex and casino - ex Star City Casino) more than once.

'Our Leo' is staring in The Great Gatsby. Maguire is not working Spider-Man, but has a number of exciting projects in the works. May the best player, er, actor Win.

All of this while online gaming companies such as Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, which owns the World Poker Tour, attempts to get the green light from the US government to offer Americans totally legal online poker games.

Media Man is following up the story, and understands that McGuire is close to coming to terms with prosecutors on the Hollywood Poker investigation.

Websites

The Star

Spider-Man (Sony Pictures)

Spider-Man (Marvel Entertainment)

Frank Sinatra Enterprises

Leonardo DiCaprio official website

Media Man News

Casino News Media

PartyCasino.com Sinatra Slot game

PartyCasino.com Marvel Slots

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-11-27T03:41:00.000-08:00

Frank Sinatra Film May Get Up With Martin Scorsese And Leonardo DiCaprio, by Greg Tingle - 27th November 2011

Profiles

Frank Sinatra Leonardo DiCaprio Hollywood Movies News Financial News Casino News Poker News Entertainment News

Industry talk is that the Frank Sinatra bio pic that Martin Scorsese pitched around town a few years ago is still very much on the cards to become a reality.

It was during the promoting period of his Hugo, genius director Scorsese slipped in that he was indeed going to get back to a new version of a Sinatra movie script he's had on the back-burner for a while.

DiCaprio was mentioned by name to play the lead. Rumours state Leo would not sing, as no one could ever do Frank better than Frank, so Leo would just lip sync the singing parts - not something Leo is all that much of a custom of doing, so hopefully the public (and investors) will buy into that.

Much like Sinatra, Leo likes to gamble at casinos a bit too, most recently spotted at The Star (formally Star City Casino) in Sydney, Australia, and last year Leo played some Hollywood poker for high stakes with friends including Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man), that made international headlines when the legalities of the games came into question.

It's understood that the Sinatra family have final script approval.

The first script presented too much of Sinatra's dark side to get to the next round, whereas this time around things appear to be sailing more smoothly.

The Sinatra Family have been interested in further developing their Frank Sinatra Enterprises, with games (via Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment) and memorabilia (Mattel etc) also part of a solid business model, and a movie deal would certainly get things to the next level.'

The Media Man agency, based out of Australia, will be following up the story in the coming weeks. As Sinatra said 'Hell hath no fury like a hustler with a literary agent.'

Websites

Frank Sinatra Enterprises

Leonardo DiCaprio official website

Media Man News

Casino News Media

PartyCasino.com Sinatra Slot game

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-11-24T04:44:00.000-08:00

Best 5 Gangster Movies Of All Time, by Greg Tingle

Profiles

The Godfather The Godfather 2 The Godfather 3 Al Pacino Robert Di Niro Casino (Movie) Movies Hollywood Mafia

Gangster movies are as cool as ever. In Australia we have to settle for Underbelly, Underbelly Razor (now in an Uncut DVD set), and then there was Dirty Deeds (collecting money from pokie dens et al) from a few years back. Gangster movies serve as history, entertainment and commentary. With a combination of violence, betrayal, power and family, it is no surprise gangster movies are so popular. Here's our Top 5 Gangster Movies of all time.

5. Scarface

Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay and Brian De Palma directed this movie that reflected the violent chaos that cocaine brought to Miami in the late 70s and early 80s. Al Pacino gave an epic performance as Cuban immigrant turned drug lord, Tony Montana. Lots of violence, done in a way that makes the movie even better.

4. Casino

“Casino” was written by Nicholas Pileggi and directed by Martin Scorcese. It is based on the real life story of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, but the protagonist’s name was changed to Sam "Ace" Rothstein. Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone give excellent performances and Robbie Robertson did an excellent job providing the music for the movie. You don't have to be a fan of gambling to appreciate this classic movie.

3. The Godfather

Directed Francis Ford Coppola and written by Coppola and Mario Puzo, “The Godfather” is an epic tale of the fictitious Corleone mafia crime family and their struggles. Marlon Brando gives the performance of a lifetime and Al Pacino is amazing in his break out role.

2. Goodfellas

Nicholas Pillegi wrote and Martin Scorcese directed this real life story of mafia affiliate, Henry Hill. With its raw depiction of criminal life, “Goodfellas” takes away whatever romance and glamour that other movies have attributed to mob life.

1. The Godfather II

Again written by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, “Godfather II” expands on the original by both going forward and backward, covering the origins of the original Godfather, Vito Corleone. The epic tale shows how crime took down Cuba and features great performances by Pacino and DeNiro as well as Lee Srassberg who played the Meyer Lansky based character, Hyman Roth.

The Godfather 2 profile, review and news

The Godfather profile, review and news

Scarface profile, reviews and news

Website Network

Media Man Int

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

2011-11-23T05:19:00.001-08:00

Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment Inks Deals With YouTube and EQAL - 22nd November 2011

Profiles

Stan Lee Michael Eisner YouTube.com Marvel Entertainment Marvel Comics Marvel Studios Comics Multimedia Animation

The comic business genius moves into digital content with exclusive programming and a new official website and more...

Comics creator and living legend Stan Lee and his POW! Entertainment is moving into the digital content production world, inking deals with YouTube and media company EQAL.

POW! is creating a YouTube channel called Stan Lee’s World of Heroes, which will be a joint venture with Michael Eisner’s digital studio Vuguru. The company announced it will launch the channel with “exclusive programming next year based on the company’s stories around amazing characters and extraordinary individuals.”

With EQAL, POW! plans to launch TheRealStanLee.com, a site to act as “all things Stan Lee.” EQAL is known for “building influencer networks around celebrities and brands,” creating websites and social media accounts for celebs such as Bethenny Frankel, JWOWW and Randy Jackson to name but a few.

Lee sure fits the bill as a celeb, thanks to his great work with Marvel Comics, Marvel Entertainment - Marvel Studios, and all that. He's a heat seeker and truly 'The Man' of the comic industry. Lee, who co-created superheroes such as Spider-Man, X-Men and Iron Man, will receive the Producers Guild 2012 Vanguard Award and is also being honored with the Visual Effects Society's 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award. Earlier this year, Lee received a star on the Walk of Fame.

Times are good for Lee and his army of brigadiers, and things look set to get even better. Excelsior!

Thor profile, review and news

The Amazing profile, review and news

Iron-Man profile, reviews and news

Website Network

Media Man Int

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

2011-11-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

Casinos Of The World: Land Based And Online; Media Man And Casino News Media Awards, by Greg Tingle

Online Casino Of The Month: PartyCasino.com 2nd PKR Casino 3rd Virgin Casino

Sin City Cleopatra Rambo The Godfather Sinatra The Terminator Thor Saturday Night Fever Unicorn Legend Palladium Slot

World Directory Global Gaming Directory World Casino Directory

Punters, here's 10 of the world's top land based casinos for you to mark down in your travel plans.

Monte Carlo, Monaco: Perched above the Mediterranean and bounded by the French
and Italian coastlines on either side, Monaco provides a spectacular and luxurious setting for the wealthy and the wannabees. Home to the Monaco Grand Prix and the legendary Casino de Monte Carlo, this isn't the place for those on a tight budget. The magnificent Casino hosts the annual European Poker Tour and was also the scene of several James Bond Films, including the original "Casino Royale" and "Golden Eye".

Paradise Island, Bahamas: Located just off the shore of the city of Nassau, Paradise
Island is best known for its sprawling 'Vegas-by-the-sea' resort, Atlantis. The resort spans seven acres along a lagoon, where guests can soak up the Caribbean sun and choose from a variety of outdoor gaming areas. When in need of a break from the tables, guests can enjoy the private beach or one of the resorts 20 sunlit pools.

Melbourne, Australia: As Australia's sporting and entertainment capital, Melbourne
offers the perfect option for high rollers looking for a local break. Aussies need look no further than Crown Casino on the southern bank of the Yarra River, which is one of the largest casino complexes in the southern hemisphere. The main gambling floor stretches more than half a kilometre and the casino was the first to introduce the new game Rapid Roulette, which allows players to place bets on a personal electronic touch screen connected to a central roulette wheel.

Macau, China: Known as the 'Monte Carlo of the Orient,' and the gambling capital of Asia, Macau now rivals Monaco and Las Vegas as one of the premier gambling destinations in the world. With no less than 33 casinos, in addition to local horse and greyhound racing venues, Macau is perfect for the betting junkie. The Wynn Macau casino is a standout, highlighted by 24-carat gold 'Tree of Prosperity' at the entrance, extravagant water displays and Moon Jellyfish Aquarium at reception.

Baden-Baden, Germany: Situated on the western foothills of the Black Forest and on the banks of the Oos River, Baden-Baden is not your typical casino town. However, in addition to its hot springs and picturesque countryside, the town is also known for its 200-year-old 'Spielbank' casino - the oldest of its type in Germany. With French chateau-style salons rooms named after historical figures such as Madame Pompadour and Louis XV's mistress, the quirky casino provides visitors with a very unique gaming experience.

Las Vegas, United States: With over 1700 licensed casinos in operation, Las Vegas offers the ultimate package for travellers who fancy a flutter. A visit to the famous 'Strip' is a must for any player, whether they're looking for a spin on the roulette table or a game of blackjack - this city has it all. The iconic Caesar's Palace hotel and casino offers 129,000 square feet of casino space plus an endless smorgasbord of entertainment, shopping and fine dining options, including Cleopatra's barge, a floating lounge perfect for a relaxing drink after a jam-packed night on the casino floor.

Manila, The Philippines: With a favourable exchange rate, Manila provides great value for Aussies wanting to live the high-life overseas. The city offers a range of shopping and entertainment options, along with a world-class casino at the Hyatt Hotel. Spread across three levels, the sparkling casino offers the newest in gaming facilities for both hotel guests and visitors, and is just a short distance from Manila's tourist hub.

Sun City, South Africa: Known as 'Africa's Kingdom of Pleasure,' this luxury resort and casino complex, just two hours from Johannesburg, boasts two large casinos, two 18-hole golf courses and a wildlife reserve. At the extravagant yet picturesque Palace of the Lost City, guests are treated to stunning valley views from the guestrooms, along with exclusive access to the Grand Pool. The nearby Sun City Casino is the entertainment Mecca of the resort, featuring a myriad of gaming options as well as an indoor jungle of native foliage and water fountains.

Atlantic City, United States: Regarded as the US's 'Las Vegas of the East', Atlantic City in New Jersey is renowned for its gambling, shopping and fine dining. Towering above the banks of the Atlantic Ocean, the Trump Taj Mahal casino is an icon of the city, with an on-site shopping district and an abundance of restaurants and bars. The 157,000 square-foot casino is also hard to miss, with 3,500 slot machines and 200 table games. Unveiled in 1990 by a number of celebrities, including the late Michael Jackson, the casino is the second-largest in Atlantic City and well worth a visit.

Genting Highlands, Malaysia: Nestled on the Titiwangsa mountain range, just an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur and 6,000 feet above sea level, the Resorts World Genting offers 360-degree views of the surrounding countryside. This spectacular resort has first-class accommodation, dining and entertainment, while avoiding the hustle and bustle of a capital city. The on-site casino, which covers 200,000 square feet, is Malaysia's sole gaming venue and is divided into separate themed areas, such as Hollywood and Monte Carlo, for the ultimate gambling experience.

Online Casinos:

PartyCasino.com : The world's leading online casino brand and part of Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment. Play for free or play for money at PartyCasino.com New players get up to $3000 sign up bonus via Media Man.

VirginCasino.com : Virgin Casino is part of Virgin Games. The parent company is Virgin Enterprises Limited, the creation of the world's most famous and celebrated entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson. Unfortunately the casino does not accept players from many countries due to what is known in legal circles as "grey areas". Most European players can play, but no Americans, Canadians, Australians or New Zealanders.

Captain Cooks Casino : Was once a very popular online casino with Australians and New Zealanders, however we understand these days they can only accept players from a few regions such as Europe, South Africa, Canada and South America.

PKR : Once only a 2D online poker room, they are now more 3D and offer online poker and a good range of online casino games, including classics, Marvel slots and table games.

Media Man's top online casino choice: PartyCasino.com PartyCasino is a multi-time Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' winner and have also won awards from EGR. Earlier this year PartyGaming merged with Bwin to create the worlds leading igaming company, Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment.

News

PartyCasino Gets New Games...

Aztec Gold, Atomic Fruit, Nag's To Riches and Fairies Forest. Check out the new games here.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Global Gaming Directory

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Media Man Games

2011-11-20T18:06:00.002-08:00

American Gaming News Website Network Updated

Website Network

Media Man Int

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

2011-11-20T18:06:00.000-08:00

Super Heroes Slot Games Online At PartyCasino; Hollywood Movie Slots; Get Up To $3000 Sign Up Bonus

Profiles

PartyCasino.com Marvel Slots PartyCasino.com Marvel Slots Marvel Entertainment Hollywood Slots Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment

Super Heroes online slot games at PartyCasino.com

Play for free or play for money!

PartyCasino.com also offers other movie and entertainment industry branded slot games such as The Godfather, Sin City, Mission: Impossible, Rambo, The Terminator and Gone With The Wind.

PartyCasino.com is owned and operated by Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment - established for over 10 years and listed on the London Stock Exchange.

PartyCasino.com is a multi-time Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' and Casino News Media award winner.

PartyCasino.com profile, review and news

PartyCasino.com Marvel Slots profile, review and news

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment profile, review and news

Website Network

Media Man Int

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

2011-11-18T16:59:00.001-08:00

Online Gaming Talk Heats Up With Native American Tribes, by Greg Tingle - 19th November 2011

Profiles

Casinos Casino Poker Slots Live Dealer

Native American Indians Gaming iGaming Politics World Directory Global Gaming Directory World Casino Directory

Native American tribes advised Thursday they want their cut of the jobs and revenue if online gambling is allowed in the United States but they don't want to lose their sovereignty to get it.

Internet gambling has been prohibited in the U.S. since 2006, which has seen players and their cash go to to websites and internet portals based offshore. With Congress searching for money to cut the deficit and create new jobs, supporters see an opening for legalizing at least some online gambling opportunities.

Should Congress act, the federal government will have to write rules and will likely collect taxes from proceeds. Native American tribes want the federal government to ensure they are allowed to operate, regulate, tax and license online gambling as well, if they choose to get in on the business.

"Although there is no legislation before the committee right now, one thing we are all aware of is the need for additional resources at the federal level," said Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka, chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which held a hearing Thursday to air tribes' concerns on the issue. "The discussions surrounding potential Internet gaming legislation have only increased as Congress looks to the supercommittee to find revenue sources and Congress looks to create jobs ..."

The supercommittee Akaka referred to is a bipartisan committee of 12 lawmakers created this summer to find a plan to reduce government borrowing by least $1.2 trillion over the next decade. The committee is stalled in part over whether to raise new revenue.

A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee planned to hold its second hearing Friday on Internet gambling. There is bipartisan support for at least some Internet gambling. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., has pushed for its legalization for years.

While there is no Internet gambling bill before the Senate committee, there is legislation in the House, though it already has opposition from tribal leaders.

Ernie Stevens, chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, said tribes have united behind some core principles, including no taxation of tribal revenues. Current Internet gambling proposals violate those principles, "and we oppose their passage," Stevens said.

One such measure, sponsored by Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, would legalize online poker. Spokesman Sean Brown said the legislation would allow tribes, like states, to opt out of allowing Internet gambling if they chose.

Some at Thursday's hearing expressed concern about proposals to allow the Department of Commerce to regulate operators of Internet games. Tribal leaders are calling for the National Indian Gaming Commission to continue to regulate their businesses.

The commission reported that last year, 236 tribes operated 422 gambling facilities in 28 states, generating $27 billion in revenue, evidence that the commission has the expertise to regulate tribal Internet gambling and won't have to start from scratch, learning laws particular to tribes as well as cultural considerations, witnesses at the hearing said.

Not all tribes support Internet gambling. Some see it as a potential competitor to their established brick-and-mortar casinos.

"The Tulalip tribe sees the legalization of Internet gambling as a direct threat to the economic growth in Indian Country," said Glen Gobin, vice chairman of the Tulalip Tribes of Tulalip, West Virginia.

"Do you think tribes are going to be able to compete with someone like Harrah's on Internet gaming?" Gobin asked.

Many U.S gaming companies including land based casinos are now starting to adopt online gaming into their business model, with MGM Resorts International recently teaming up with Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment (which owns and operates PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com and World Poker Tour).

It's widely believed that the U.S will see legal online gambling up and running soon, but then again, that's been the world for years, so for much of the gaming industry, they will believe it when they see it.

In the meantime entities such as Global Gaming Directory, Casino News Media and a host of entertainment and gaming website portals should consider to do a healthy trade.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Global Gaming Directory

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Media Man Games

2011-11-16T03:13:00.001-08:00

NextGen Gaming joins forces with Nyx Interactive AB - 10th November 2011

NextGen Gaming Gaming iGaming Unicorn Legend Crocodopolis Shaaark! Superbet

World Directory Global Gaming Directory World Casino Directory

Stockholm, Sweden - Nyx Interactive AB ("Nyx") today announced the acquisition of NextGen Gaming Pty Ltd ("NextGen"), a leading independent provider of proprietary and branded slot games to the online and land-based gaming industry.

The businesses will merge to create a content-rich software provider combining NextGen's games catalogue and innovation in game design across the online, land-based, social and mobile distribution channels with the Nyx bingo, lottery and casino modules. The acquisition brings together two experienced international software providers leveraging their compatible customer base and complementary product offerings to deliver a broader roadmap of products and services to their customers. The combined business will own a catalogue of over 300 gaming titles with more than 40 customers and as a larger organisation is even better suited to meet the investment requirements of certain strategic regulated markets. Critically, the group will adopt a unified set of software standards enabling rapid delivery and distribution of content, including slots, table games, bingo, instant-win games and scratchcards to a notable customer-base that includes several World Lottery Association members, leading tier 1 operators and large casinos and sportsbooks. Furthermore, this will place the group in a strong position to profit from land-based casinos seeking to add an interactive offering to their portfolios.

The senior executive teams of both NextGen and Nyx will be combined, with games development continuing from the base in Sydney, software development and operations in Stockholm and certain client-facing roles and executive management in London.

NextGen is a privately-held company founded in 1999 which pioneered platform-independent slots content delivery. NextGen has focused on game development and has built a reputation as an innovator in the online gaming industry. NYX Interactive was established in 2006 in response to a paradigm shift in the gaming landscape, from legacy systems towards flexible, full-featured solutions able to support a multi-channel strategy for the emerging interactive gaming operators. NYX's focus on its core technology has resulted in an award-winning platform with leading edge products such as NYX Bingo.

In commenting on the acquisition, Matt Davey, CEO of NextGen added: "Combining NYX's proven bingo, casino and software solutions with the NextGen excellence in building engaging and profitable games enables us to massively improve our ability to offer market-leading product in a fast and flexible manner to our combined roster of customers. Leveraging our respective heritage in technology and product and our common employment cultures we are confident in our ability to develop, license and support a world-class suite of e-gaming products."

Also commenting on the proposed merger, David Flynn CEO of Nyx said: "Nyx and NextGen are a perfect fit. In addition to a shared set of values between the two organisations, we share a highly scalable business model and enjoy respected reputations. Our combined entity will be much stronger and our customers will benefit from NextGen's leading-edge games studio which produces some of the industry's best performing games. We are very excited about our future together." Staffan Lindgren, co-founder of Nyx added: "In light of the regulation of the European gaming markets, this strategic move puts us right in the sweet spot of what operators expect from their technology partners."

About NextGen Gaming Pty Ltd:

NextGen is a leading independent supplier of innovative games to the gambling industry. NextGen has delivered hundreds of games to our international partners and gained a reputation for delivering the best player experience. We partner with online, land based operators and software providers and our success has been built on the exceptional performance of the games we have delivered to our partners.

About NYX Interactive:

Nyx Interactive has in a short time become one of the world's leading independent and total suppliers of systems for digitally distributed gaming entertainment. Nyx Interactive specializes in developing gaming system solutions for World Lottery Association members, media companies and both private and publicly listed Gaming companies world-wide. Licensed in the Isle of Man and Malta, NYX is positioned as a provider of choice to the gaming market.

News

PartyCasino Gets New Games...

Aztec Gold, Atomic Fruit, Nag's To Riches and Fairies Forest. Check out the new games here.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Global Gaming Directory

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Media Man Games

2011-11-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

Casinos Of The World: Land Based And Online; Media Man And Casino News Media Awards, by Greg Tingle

Sin City Cleopatra Rambo The Godfather Sinatra The Terminator Thor Saturday Night Fever Unicorn Legend Palladium Slot

World Directory Global Gaming Directory World Casino Directory

Punters, here's 10 of the world's top land based casinos for you to mark down in your travel plans.

Monte Carlo, Monaco: Perched above the Mediterranean and bounded by the French
and Italian coastlines on either side, Monaco provides a spectacular and luxurious setting for the wealthy and the wannabees. Home to the Monaco Grand Prix and the legendary Casino de Monte Carlo, this isn't the place for those on a tight budget. The magnificent Casino hosts the annual European Poker Tour and was also the scene of several James Bond Films, including the original "Casino Royale" and "Golden Eye".

Paradise Island, Bahamas: Located just off the shore of the city of Nassau, Paradise
Island is best known for its sprawling 'Vegas-by-the-sea' resort, Atlantis. The resort spans seven acres along a lagoon, where guests can soak up the Caribbean sun and choose from a variety of outdoor gaming areas. When in need of a break from the tables, guests can enjoy the private beach or one of the resorts 20 sunlit pools.

Melbourne, Australia: As Australia's sporting and entertainment capital, Melbourne
offers the perfect option for high rollers looking for a local break. Aussies need look no further than Crown Casino on the southern bank of the Yarra River, which is one of the largest casino complexes in the southern hemisphere. The main gambling floor stretches more than half a kilometre and the casino was the first to introduce the new game Rapid Roulette, which allows players to place bets on a personal electronic touch screen connected to a central roulette wheel.

Macau, China: Known as the 'Monte Carlo of the Orient,' and the gambling capital of Asia, Macau now rivals Monaco and Las Vegas as one of the premier gambling destinations in the world. With no less than 33 casinos, in addition to local horse and greyhound racing venues, Macau is perfect for the betting junkie. The Wynn Macau casino is a standout, highlighted by 24-carat gold 'Tree of Prosperity' at the entrance, extravagant water displays and Moon Jellyfish Aquarium at reception.

Baden-Baden, Germany: Situated on the western foothills of the Black Forest and on the banks of the Oos River, Baden-Baden is not your typical casino town. However, in addition to its hot springs and picturesque countryside, the town is also known for its 200-year-old 'Spielbank' casino - the oldest of its type in Germany. With French chateau-style salons rooms named after historical figures such as Madame Pompadour and Louis XV's mistress, the quirky casino provides visitors with a very unique gaming experience.

Las Vegas, United States: With over 1700 licensed casinos in operation, Las Vegas offers the ultimate package for travellers who fancy a flutter. A visit to the famous 'Strip' is a must for any player, whether they're looking for a spin on the roulette table or a game of blackjack - this city has it all. The iconic Caesar's Palace hotel and casino offers 129,000 square feet of casino space plus an endless smorgasbord of entertainment, shopping and fine dining options, including Cleopatra's barge, a floating lounge perfect for a relaxing drink after a jam-packed night on the casino floor.

Manila, The Philippines: With a favourable exchange rate, Manila provides great value for Aussies wanting to live the high-life overseas. The city offers a range of shopping and entertainment options, along with a world-class casino at the Hyatt Hotel. Spread across three levels, the sparkling casino offers the newest in gaming facilities for both hotel guests and visitors, and is just a short distance from Manila's tourist hub.

Sun City, South Africa: Known as 'Africa's Kingdom of Pleasure,' this luxury resort and casino complex, just two hours from Johannesburg, boasts two large casinos, two 18-hole golf courses and a wildlife reserve. At the extravagant yet picturesque Palace of the Lost City, guests are treated to stunning valley views from the guestrooms, along with exclusive access to the Grand Pool. The nearby Sun City Casino is the entertainment Mecca of the resort, featuring a myriad of gaming options as well as an indoor jungle of native foliage and water fountains.

Atlantic City, United States: Regarded as the US's 'Las Vegas of the East', Atlantic City in New Jersey is renowned for its gambling, shopping and fine dining. Towering above the banks of the Atlantic Ocean, the Trump Taj Mahal casino is an icon of the city, with an on-site shopping district and an abundance of restaurants and bars. The 157,000 square-foot casino is also hard to miss, with 3,500 slot machines and 200 table games. Unveiled in 1990 by a number of celebrities, including the late Michael Jackson, the casino is the second-largest in Atlantic City and well worth a visit.

Genting Highlands, Malaysia: Nestled on the Titiwangsa mountain range, just an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur and 6,000 feet above sea level, the Resorts World Genting offers 360-degree views of the surrounding countryside. This spectacular resort has first-class accommodation, dining and entertainment, while avoiding the hustle and bustle of a capital city. The on-site casino, which covers 200,000 square feet, is Malaysia's sole gaming venue and is divided into separate themed areas, such as Hollywood and Monte Carlo, for the ultimate gambling experience.

Online Casinos:

PartyCasino.com : The world's leading online casino brand and part of Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment. Play for free or play for money at PartyCasino.com New players get up to $3000 sign up bonus via Media Man.

VirginCasino.com : Virgin Casino is part of Virgin Games. The parent company is Virgin Enterprises Limited, the creation of the world's most famous and celebrated entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson. Unfortunately the casino does not accept players from many countries due to what is known in legal circles as "grey areas". Most European players can play, but no Americans, Canadians, Australians or New Zealanders.

Captain Cooks Casino : Was once a very popular online casino with Australians and New Zealanders, however we understand these days they can only accept players from a few regions such as Europe, South Africa, Canada and South America.

PKR : Once only a 2D online poker room, they are now more 3D and offer online poker and a good range of online casino games, including classics, Marvel slots and table games.

Media Man's top online casino choice: PartyCasino.com PartyCasino is a multi-time Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' winner and have also won awards from EGR. Earlier this year PartyGaming merged with Bwin to create the worlds leading igaming company, Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment.

News

PartyCasino Gets New Games...

Aztec Gold, Atomic Fruit, Nag's To Riches and Fairies Forest. Check out the new games here.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Global Gaming Directory

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Media Man Games

2011-11-10T18:34:00.001-08:00

Echo Entertainment: Entertainment name of the game at The Star casino, by Greg Tingle - 10th November 2011

Profiles

World Casino Directory Global Gaming Directory Australian Casinos The Star Echo Entertainment Gaming Sydney Australia

Stop saying Star City Casino... owned and operated by Tabcorp Holdings. It's The Star, run by Echo Entertainment, and don't you forget it my friends.

Integrated entertainment complex and land based casino owner Echo Entertainment advised revenue was stronger in the first quarter of 2011-12 and earnings are expected to rocket in the second half.

If you missed it, Echo Entertainment demerged from betting and gaming outfit Tabcorp Holdings in June 2011, and today operates The Star in 'Sin City' Sydney, Jupiters Hotel and Casino at Surfers Paradise, The Treasury Casino (Brisbane) and Jupiters up in Townsville.

Chief exec Larry Mullin told the company's AGM that Echo's performance in the three months to September 30 had been in line with the firms expectations.

Revenues in the period were up by 15.2 per cent and up 14.4 per cent on a normalised basis, he said.

Full-year earnings would be hit in the first half from costs associated with opening the newly revamped The Star, Mr Mullin said.

Pre-opening costs are going to be in the region of $30 million, while operating expenses at The Star will initially be higher.

Strong earnings growth is expected in the second half, due to new products and expansions at The Star, Mr Mullin said.

Second-half earnings in Queensland are also forecast to accelerate, following the impact of floods in the previous corresponding period.

In the meantime Australia's most famous gaming billionaire James Packer, and his Crown Limited - Crown Casino empire are not going to roll over and die, with casino revaps of their own in Melbourne and Perth, with Burswood in Perth expected to be rebranded Crown.

Media agencies such as Media Man and Casino News Media are currently obtaining information from the public at large as to whether The Star and Crown Casino are more about gambling or entertainment, or both. Roy Morgan and the Australian Government are expected to be very interested in the findings.

Websites

The Star

Echo Entertainment

The Darling

Casino News Media

Media Man News

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-11-09T18:30:00.000-08:00

Sylvester Stallone booked for Fallsview Casino: Canada, by Greg Tingle - 9th November 2011

Profiles

Sylvester Stallone Rocky Rambo The Expendables Vince McMahon Casinos Canada Hollywood News Entertainment News Casino News News

Sylvester Stallone Hulk Hogan Vince McMahon

Sly is coming to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

You can also hear the name chants... Rocky, Rocky, Rambo, Rambo.

In the third installment of its popular “An Evening With ...” series, Fallsview Casino Resort has booked Sylvester Stallone for a pair sit down sessions on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25. Stallone has followed in the footsteps of other entertainers such as Al Pacino, Sean Penn and even Hulk Hogan (who does the talkfests with a number of his wrestling mates).

The clever format will have the handsome 65-year-old Stallone talk about his career with a moderator and then take questions from the audience. He is tipped to be on stage for anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours.

Both the Pacino and Penn sessions sold out. Hogan and Friends talks at other casinos have also pulled strong numbers.

Stallone is expected to sell out the casino’s Avalon Ballroom. Tickets, which start at $90, go on sale at noon, Nov. 11.

Besides Stallone, other acts booked for February at Fallsview Casino include Lynyrd Skynrd on Feb. 16 and Feb. 17, the Band from TV starring “House’s” Hugh Laurie and Jesse Spencer and “E.R.’s” Scott Grimes on Feb. 18, Feb. 19 and Feb. 20, and Rascal Flatts on Feb. 23.

Tickets for all of the shows also go on sale at noon, Nov. 11.

Sylvester Stallone speaks to Entertainment Tonight about his Steve Austin injury during 'The Expendables'...

Entertainment Tonight's Nancy O'Dell (one-time WWE Raw guest host) caught up with Sylvester Stallone on-set at his new movie, "Bullet to the Head," to discuss the film's progression before an April 2012 scheduled release date. Stallone noted he's still feeling the effects of neck surgery that was required after he suffered an injury at the hands of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin shooting "The Expendables" last year. Austin was required to tackle Stallone, who accidentally landed on a pile of bricks. Stallone said, "It's never really the same. "You're just able to function a little bit better."

Rambo game in development...

MCV have revealed that a Rambo video game will arrive in stores next year, courtesy of UK-based publisher Reef Entertainment and supplier Creative Distribution. Reef fended off competition from other publishers to secure the game rights to Rambo from film company StudioCanal. The deal allows Reef to develop and release a number of titles based on the popular Sylvester Stallone movies. The first three Rambo films – First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III – have grossed over $600m to date.

Craig Lewis, commercial director at Reef said: “Rambo will be a triple-A title on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC and will capture the gritty atmosphere and full-on action which made the Rambo movies so successful.”

Websites

Fallsview Casino Resort

Sylvester Stallone website

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Australian Sports Entertainment

2011-11-07T01:07:00.001-08:00

MGM Resorts, Boyd Gaming, Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment In Talks For US Online Poker; Casino, by Greg Tingle

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com World Poker Tour Games Casinos MGM Resorts International Boyd Gaming News Financial News Casino News Entertainment News

Shares in Bwin.Party have jumped in recent days with news that the company has joined forces with leading casino brands MGM Resorts International and Boyd Gaming to offer online poker to US residents once legislation is passed in the States, a number of experts have advised not to get too excited, too soon.

Land based casino operators MGM Resorts International and Boyd Gaming this past week unveiled a plan to partner with online gambling company Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, subject to the legalization of Internet gambling in the United States.

Gibraltar-based Bwin.Party, the world's largest publicly traded online gaming company, was formed earlier this year through the merger of Austria's Bwin and PartyGaming.

Bwin.Party would own 65 percent of a start-up company that would offer online poker to U.S.-based players, while MGM would own 25 percent and Boyd would have a 10 percent stake.

U.S. prosecutors earlier this year accused the owners of three of the largest Internet poker companies of tricking regulators and banks into processing billions of dollars in illegal gambling proceeds.

That crackdown derailed a similar deal between online gambling operator PokerStars and Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts Ltd. Steve Wynn is understood to have gotten out of that deal in approximately one week.

MGM closed its original Internet gambling operations in mid-2003, citing regulatory uncertainties.

"There is now an overarching opinion in Washington that this needs to be addressed," MGM Chief Executive Officer Jim Murren told Reuters in a telephone interview. "U.S. citizens are putting their financial assets at risk on sites that the U.S. government has no comfort over how they are being operated."

Wynn, MGM and other land based casino operators have been lobbying hard in recent years for U.S. legalization of online poker...which they say is primarily a game of skill, rather than other forms of gambling where the customer is playing against the "house."

Their goal is legislation at the federal level, but legalization efforts are also underway in several states.

"Federal legislation is a vastly better solution ... to avoid any ambiguities in laws," Murren said.

Casino companies argue that millions of Americans are already playing online poker on websites operated from overseas and legalization would bring that revenue to the United States, where it could be taxed, jobs would be created and integrity could be assured.

Opponents, including groups like the Southern Baptist Convention, say online gambling is an irresponsible way to raise revenue.

Boyd Gaming and MGM Resorts also said each has agreements to use Bwin.Party's technology under its own brands.

MGM owns 10 casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, ranging from Circus Circus to the Bellagio, as well as casino-resorts in Mississippi and Michigan and joint ventures in New Jersey and Macau, the only place in China where gambling is legal.

Macau is currently seen as a more go ahead region for the gambling business than Las Vegas.

Boyd Gaming, which runs Las Vegas properties that cater mainly to local residents rather than tourists, owns and operates 16 casino properties in six states.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment is looking to expand in a number of countries. The United States is their key target, however they also have Australia and New Zealand squarely in their sights.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment is known around the globe for brands such as PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com and World Poker Tour.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-11-05T02:14:00.000-07:00

Marvel Entertainment Movies Become Games At PartyCasino

PartyCasino.com Marvel website PartyCasino.com website

Profiles

Marvel Entertainment Marvel Comics PartyCasino.com Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Marvel Slots

Marvel Entertainment fans have recently being enjoying playing their favorite Marvel superhero characters at PartyCasino.com - the flagship casino brand of Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment.

Be The Incredible Hulk, Thor, The Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and more at PartyCasino.com

You can even go for the lucrative Marvel Hero Jackpot.

Check out Marvel slot games today at PartyCasino, via Media Man, and pick up towards $3000 sign up bonus.

Want more? Check out another Bwin.Party owned and operated online casino, Casino Las Vegas, for even more Marvel heroes.

PartyCasino.com is a multi award winning online casino established since 1997. Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Download Marvel progressive jackpot slots at PartyCasino.com Pick your legend, save the world and play for cash prizes on the range of Marvel slot games today...download Fantastic Four, Hulk, Spider-Man and Thor.

Swing into action with Spider–Man
Become everyone's favourite web–slinger as you play for $5,000 on up to 25 paylines in the amazing Spider–Man online slot game. Set your spider–sense tingling and you could be one of the lucky players who hit a Marvel jackpot every 30 minutes. Catch Spider–Man in your web today and play for the chance to win a fortune with PartyCasino.

The Amazing Spider-Man is a 5-reel, twenty five-paylines ‘Marvel Jackpot’ slot game with 'Spider web Feature' and The Spider-Man Feature that gives you the chance to win extra cash prizes. The Spiderweb bonus feature occurs when Substitute Spider-Man appears on Reels 2 and 4 only. The Spider-Man Feature round is triggered when 3 or more Scattered Logos appear on the reels left to right. Spider-Man Feature has Venom Feature and Free Spin Feature.

Join forces with the Fantastic Four
Marvel comic legends and blockbuster movie heroes The Fantastic Four now come to you in an action–packed online slot machine. Join the Fantastic Four and be part of the defeat of the evil Doctor Doom in the exciting new game. Play up to 25 lines and you could win $5,000 a spin on your way to saving the universe from destruction.

The Fantastic Four Slot is a 5-reel, 25-paylines slot with a 'Fantastic Four' feature game that awards 'Free Spins'. 3 or more scattered logos anywhere on the screen triggers the 'Fantastic Four' feature round. The game also features 5!!! wild symbols - ‘Mr. Fantastic’, ‘The Invisible Woman’, ‘The Human Torch’, ‘The Thing’, ‘Dr Doom’ Wild symbols substitutes for all symbols other than the “Scattered Logo”.

Feel the power of The Incredible Hulk
It's time to get mean and green as you join the biggest superhero of them all in The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Revenge. The Incredible Hulk Slot Machine has 5 reels, 25 paylines and offers ‘Marvel Jackpot’ and "The Incredible Hulk Feature". Incredible Hulk feature prizes are awarded in the form of Free Spins and win Multipliers. The game also features a wild “The Hulk” logo symbol. "The Hulk" symbol substitutes for all symbols other than the scattered “Explosions” symbol. 3 or more “Explosions” symbol anywhere on the reels triggers the “The Incredible Hulk Feature" round. The prize is doubled when “The Hulk” (wild symbol) substitutes in a winning combination.

Play your part in the legend of Thor
The mighty Thor storms into PartyCasino in this majestic 5–reel, 9–line slots game. Experience the power of the god of thunder and you could win up to 4,000 times your bet.

Thor Slot is a new ‘Marvel Hero Jackpot’ slot machine with a free game feature. The game also features a "Thor" wild symbol which substitutes for all symbols except the “Scattered Logo”. 3 or more “Scattered Logo” symbols anywhere on the reels triggers the free spins in which all wins are tripled.

Marvel Jackpots
Marvel Jackpot actually consists of 3 jackpots at different levels, the levels are - from the lowest - Hero Jackpot, Super Hero Jackpot, and Marvel Hero Jackpot, with the latter being the highest. All 3 jackpots grow progressively as bets are made by players in multiple participating online casinos. For each spin, on any of the Marvel Jackpot games, the house adds a small credit to all running jackpots. All 3 levels in Marvel Jackpot can be won irrespective of hitting any paying combination, while betting any amount on any of the "Marvel Jackpot" slots.

Marvel Jackpot slots is just a part of PartyCasino's massive range of slots and progressive slots, part of the ever–increasing suite of fantastic games. Visit PartyCasino and download the latest games or play games instantly, right on the site.

MARVEL, and all related characters and the distinctive likeness thereof are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries, and are used with permission. Copyright © 2009 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Licensed by Marvel Characters B.V. All right reserved.

As Marvel living legend Stan Lee would say, Excelsior!

Website

PartyCasino.com Marvel Slots

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-11-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

IGT Goes 'All In' With Texas Hold'em Heads Up Poker(TM) at World Series of Poker

Profiles

IGT World Series of Poker Gaming Slots Casino Legal Casinos Las Vegas United States News Poker News Casino News News

Poker Game's Mathematical Model Simulates the Operation of the Human Brain to Give Players Authentic Experience

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 3, 2011 - The over 150 million Texas Hold'em fans around the world will be hootin' and hollerin' at no longer having to wait in long lines to play the tables or lasso up a willing opponent with the debut of Texas Hold'em Heads Up Poker(TM) from International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT). Premiering at the 2011 World Series of Poker at the Rio in Las Vegas on Nov. 5-6, fans can now enjoy everything they love about Texas Hold'em - the strategy, bluffing and tells - in an interactive poker machine.

IGT's Texas Hold'em Heads Up Poker(TM) is the first poker game to use a neural net, a technology-developed mathematical model that simulates the operation of the human brain.
The advanced technology of Texas Hold'em Heads Up Poker(TM) recreates engaging behavioral nuances such as opponent "bluffing" and "thinking" in a scenario that's less intimidating than a live-table experience - making the slot machine inviting to all levels of Texas Hold'em players.

In addition to the innovative technology, a number of other features will have casino-goers strapping on their cowboy boots to test their skills against this highly individualized game:
Striking graphics and player-customizable options - including fun touchscreen good luck charms - will entertain and delight even the coolest poker players.

The Multi-Hit Stud Bonus game doubles the action and increases the player experience.
After the conclusion of a game, the "peek" feature gives the player the choice to see the opponent's cards - even if a showdown did not take place - giving the player insight as to how the opponent plays.

At this year's World Series of Poker, Texas Hold'em Heads Up Poker(TM)will be on display for players, operators and media to try on Nov. 5-6. IGT brand ambassadors will be handing out free play coupons from 4-6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, and from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6.

"Designed to bring all the thrills and high drama of live-action table Texas Hold'em to the slot machine format, players will want to put on their shades and pull down the brim of their hats to hide their tells when they saddle up to Texas Hold'em Heads Up Poker," said Eric Tom, IGT executive vice president, North America Sales and Global Operations. "This is a game that players of every level can test their craftiest bluffing strategies and Texas Hold'em skills against."

About IGT
International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) is a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of gaming machines and systems products, as well as online and mobile gaming solutions for regulated markets.

Press Release

AGA Statement on the Eve of the World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table

Statement by Frank Fahrenkopf, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, on the Eve of the World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table

“The World Series of Poker Main Event final table kicks off in Las Vegas this weekend. As the popularity of one of America’s favorite pastimes continues to grow, it should come as no surprise that millions of Americans from all walks of life are expected to tune in to watch the action.

Unfortunately, when these same Americans – plus many more—log on to play poker online, they face a Wild West atmosphere with little or no regulation and where law enforcement has limited ability to protect them. Congress must act to approve legislation allowing states to license and regulate online poker so Americans who play online poker can do so safely with responsible, law-abiding operators.

Establishing federal guidelines to allow state-licensed and regulated online poker would also effectively keep minors from gambling online, prevent fraud and money laundering, address problem gambling and ensure players aren’t being cheated. American consumers deserve to be protected. Licensing and regulation of online poker in the U.S is the only way to do it.”

For more information about how to create a safe, responsible and regulated online poker environment in the U.S., visit the AGA’s Online Poker Headquarters at www.americangaming.org/onlinepokerHQ

The AGA represents the commercial casino-entertainment industry by addressing federal legislative and regulatory issues. The association also serves as a clearinghouse for information, develops educational and advocacy programs, and provides leadership on industry-related issues of public concern.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-11-03T05:50:00.001-07:00

Bwin.Party Shares Jump On News Of MGM, Boyd Partnership - 3rd November 2011

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com World Poker Tour Games Casinos News Financial News Casino News Entertainment News

Shares in Bwin.Party have jumped in recent days with news that the company has joined forces with leading casino brands MGM Resorts and Boyd Gaming to offer online poker to US residents once legislation is passed in the States, some experts have advised not to get too excited, too soon.

Share prices rose 11p at 120.7p following the press releases. The firms have entered into a long term 15-year deal.

“This is a potentially huge long-term deal that, along with bwin.party’s excellent European assets and brands, supports our bull stance. Short-term risk remains over changes to German legislation, but we think this is priced in and the shares are good value on current estimates.” Said James Hollins of Evolution Securities.

Paul Leyland at Investec was a bit more low key with his thoughts. “We would not get carried away for three reasons. One, legalisation of poker is still likely to take some time and bwin.party’s ‘suitability’ is not guaranteed. Two, a US regulated poker market is likely to be far less lucrative than historical ‘.com’. Three, medium-term performance should still focus on Europe.”

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment is known around the globe for brands such as PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com and World Poker Tour.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-11-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment agrees American joint venture with MGM Resorts and Boyd Gaming - 2nd November 2011

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com World Poker Tour Games Casinos News Financial News Casino News Entertainment News

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Plc has announced details of a joint venture agreement with US bricks and mortar casino groups MGM Resorts International and Boyd Gaming Corp that will see them offer online poker in America should it become regulated and licensed.

The deal will see bwin.party, MGM and Boyd form a jointly-owned US-based company (‘Federal NewCo’) with bwin.party owning 65%, MGM owning 25% and Boyd owning 10%. Should federal legislation be enacted the joint venture would offer online poker to US players via the World Poker Tour and PartyPoker brands with bwin.party providing the software and support. Should US poker be legalised at the state rather than federal level a new stand-alone company would be created to develop opportunities on a state by state basis.

“Our strategy has been designed to address any and all legislative outcomes, whether federal or state-by-state.” said Jim Ryan and Norbert Teufelberger, the Co-CEOs of bwin.party. “We are particularly excited to be working with MGM and Boyd. Combining their significant assets and regulatory expertise with the strength of our PartyPoker and World Poker Tour brands, all supported by our in-house technology, makes us perfectly positioned for any future opening of the US online poker market.”

In addition to the customer facing deal, bwin.party, MGM and Boyd also revealed details of a two separate 15-year business to business agreements that would “enable them to offer real money online poker services under their own brands in the US using the bwin.party technology platform and associated services.”

Jim Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, said 'MGM has long been supportive of federal legislation to strengthen UIGEA and provide the needed regulations and consumer protections for online poker. MGM is proud to have bwin.party as our partner as they have the assets and experience that, combined with our brands, can ensure a secure, fair and entertaining online poker experience.”

Keith Smith, President and CEO of Boyd Gaming, added “We believe the right approach to offering legal online poker in the United States is through a federal regulatory structure that ensures the games are conducted with the greatest possible integrity and security. Should Congress enact legislation to legalise Internet poker, this agreement will allow us to partner with the world’s most experienced and prestigious online operator to offer a secure, fair and entertaining experience for players in the United States.”

Bwin.Party also confirmed that it is set to enter a preliminary suitability review with the Nevada Gaming Control Board in order to secure an advanced finding of suitability in anticipation of future US-facing real money poker opportunities.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-10-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Tipped To Do Online Poker Deal With MGM, Boyd - 1st November 2011

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com World Poker Tour MGM Grand Games Casinos News Financial News Casino News Entertainment News

Casino operators MGM Resorts International and Boyd Gaming Corp. are teaming with a major European online poker operator to prepare to offer Internet gambling in the United States if it's ever explicitly legalized.

The casino companies and Gibraltar-based bwin.party digital entertainment plc advised Monday that if U.S. law changes...as many in the industry hope...each of the three companies would take a stake in a new entity that would run online gambling under PartyPoker and other brands.

Bwin.party's co-CEO, Jim Ryan, told the media that his company, which owns the World Poker Tour, has been hoping to return to the U.S. Bwin.party stopped offering online poker here after a 2006 law made it illegal to for banks to process funds for the activity.

"We have been putting in place the foundation, if you will, to re-enter the market," Ryan said.
The deal will help the companies build a large enough pool of players to make the business profitable, he said.

Bwin.party, formed earlier this year when online poker operator PartyGaming merged with online sports betting company bwin Interactive Entertainment. The combined company is the largest publicly traded online gambling company; together, their net revenue last year was 814 million euros. PartyGaming had half the U.S. market before it left in 2006.

Ryan said bwin has been preparing for scrutiny from gambling regulators.

Not all online gambling stopped in the U.S., and several poker websites powered along after the 2006 law passed. But the Justice Department has cracked down on several top sites, including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker, accusing their executives of various activities such money laundering and fraud.

MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren said it will be important to have tough new online poker laws because companies that now offer poker online to Americans have hurt the entire gambling industry's reputation.

"Whenever there's a problem anywhere, it reflects poorly on the gaming industry, of which we are a major player," Murren said. "The federal government needs to address this. It cannot wish it away."

Ryan said he thought his company did the right thing in leaving the US, even as the other operators appeared to flourish.

"Did we sit back and watch in envy and knowing full well that we (had) had 50 percent of the market at that point? Perhaps, but we never questioned our decision," he said.

The companies are pushing for legalization at the federal level. They still would pursue online poker if only states legalize it, but it's not clear whether state-by-state legislation would comply with federal laws.

In addition to setting up the new entity, MGM Resorts and Boyd plan to use bwin.party software to run online poker sites under their own brands, which insiders say is a very smart move.

Boyd CEO Keith Smith told the press he thinks it's important for the companies to be able to move quickly if the law changes, to be first to jump on a U.S. online market that once generated as much as $6 billion yearly in revenue.

"We want our investors to know we've been aggressive in positioning the company," Smith said.
MGM Resorts owns part or all of 18 casinos in Nevada, Mississippi, Michigan and Illinois.

Boyd owns 17 casinos in Nevada, New Jersey, Mississippi, Illinois, Indiana, and Louisiana.

Bwin.party is licensed in France and Italy and is pursuing online gambling licenses in Spain and Denmark, Ryan said. The company also has Australia, New Zealand and Canada well in its sights.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment offers online casino games, poker games, live dealer, sports betting, bingo and a range other casino games.

Some of their most popular Hollywood and movie themed games include Sinatra, Rambo, The Terminator, Saturday Night Fever, Gone With The Wind, High Noon, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man.

Read more about Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment here.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-10-21T23:05:00.000-07:00

Donald Trump Teams With Avenue’s Lasry in Online Gaming Venture; Casino And Poker Push - 20th October 2011

Profiles

Donald Trump Trump Entertainment Resorts World Casino Directory Global Gaming Directory Games Casino Slots Casinos United States Las Vegas

Donald Trump has witnessed too much money side slipping him, and he's hoping that situation changes soon.

The real estate, gaming and entertainment giant, and founder of an Atlantic City casino company says the US should legalize internet gambling. The company that bears his name, Trump Entertainment Resorts, is moving forward with plans to establish an online betting venture... just as soon as it is legal to do so.

The company says it wants to get in on the ground floor of the internet gambling industry, and is close to selecting a joint venture partner to run an online gambling operation. The idea is to be well-placed and ready to go as soon as such activity is legalized in the United States.

"It should be approved here," Trump told news media. "An awful lot of money is leaving the U.S. that should and could stay in this country."

Trump Entertainment, which includes Donald Trump and daughter, Ivanka, and the Avenue Capital hedge fund, would own 10% of the new business venture.

Donald Trump advised the key to success in the online gambling market is having the best brand.

"We think we have the hottest brand there is, the Trump brand, my personal brand," he said. "We think it's going to do phenomenally well."

Donald Trump and New York hedge-fund manager Marc Lasry want a seat at the virtual poker table if online gambling is legalized in the U.S.

The real estate financier, Lasry’s Avenue Capital Group and casino operator Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc. will form an Internet gaming joint venture should U.S. regulators permit such businesses to operate, according to an Oct. 14 regulatory filing. Trump Entertainment, which Avenue Capital took control of last year, would own 10% of the venture, the company said in its filing. It didn’t disclose the stakes to be held by Trump or Lasry’s $12 billion hedge fund.

The agreement coincides with a push to legalize online gambling by states including Iowa and New Jersey, where Trump Entertainment is based and holds casino licenses. The $6 billion that Americans wager each year through offshore sites is tempting state authorities who face budget deficits, as well as casino companies looking for new sources of growth.

"It’s just a matter of time," Ivanka Trump, Donald’s daughter, said in a telephone interview. "It would be a tremendous source of taxable revenue for states or the federal government and an enormous generator of jobs," said Ivanka, executive vice president of development and acquisitions for the Trump Organization, the New York-based parent company of Donald’s real estate operations.

2010 Bankruptcy

Todd Fogarty, a spokesman for Avenue Capital, declined to comment, as did Brian Cahill, a representative for Trump Entertainment. Lasry, 52, is chairman of the company, which operates the Trump Taj Mahal Resort and the Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino in its hometown of Atlantic City, New Jersey. It sold Trump Marina Hotel Casino earlier this year.

The agreement by Trump Entertainment, Donald Trump and Avenue Capital restricts all three parties from going after competing proposals through May, according to the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Trump Entertainment, which emerged from bankruptcy in July 2010, said in the filing that the joint venture represented "the most advantageous way" to pursue online gaming "at minimal cost" to the company. "One or more other qualified parties" may also participate in the venture, according to the filing.

Ivanka Trump, 29, said that the joint venture is “positioning itself” to be the largest online gaming company if the industry is legalized in the U.S. She added that Trump Entertainment had the necessary licenses, while Lasry’s firm would provide the capital and her father would contribute his name to the venture.

Expensive Proposition

"In terms of the Internet, brand is essential toward attracting players," Ivanka said. "The Trump brand would be the most powerful one in this space."

Setting up an Internet gaming site can be capital intensive, according to Richard “Skip” Bronson, chairman of U.S. Digital Gaming Inc., a Beverly Hills, California, company that has created a technology platform for Internet wagering. While the cost of creating a site is relatively low, online gaming companies must spend heavily to make themselves known and bring in bettors.

"The question is how will you get people to come to the site," Bronson said in a telephone interview. "It takes unique promotions and significant marketing spend."

Trump Entertainment Reorganization

The online gaming industry received a jolt in April, when the U.S. Justice Department indicted the founders of three Internet poker companies, alleging that they circumvented a 2006 federal law barring banks from processing payments to offshore gambling websites. The companies -- PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker -- ranked as the leading online poker sites doing business with U.S. customers, even though they were all based outside the country.

Following the indictments, Caesars Entertainment Corp. and MGM Resorts International, a pair of Las Vegas-based casino companies, funded an advocacy group called FairPlay USA. The group is pushing for the legalization of online poker and revisions to the 2006 law, known as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

At least a half dozen states have bills pending tied to the legalization of online gaming, Bronson said, and another six to 10 are studying the issue. He predicts that online gaming will follow the same pattern as state lotteries, which were first adopted in 1964 by New Hampshire and are now offered in 43 states.

‘Domino Effect’

"There will be a domino effect, the same way lotteries started in the 1960s," Bronson said. Under the 2006 federal law, Internet poker sites established in states that legalize online wagering could only accept bets placed within those states, Bronson added.

Lasry, a billionaire investor who specializes in distressed debt, was part of a bondholder group that won control of Trump Entertainment last year when a bankruptcy judge ruled that their bid for the casino company was better than a competing offer from Carl Icahn. The bondholders offered to reduce the company’s debt by $1.4 billion and invest another $225 million, while Icahn sought to convert some $480 million of bank debt into equity, leaving nothing for Lasry’s group.

Under the winning plan, Avenue Capital acquired about a 22 percent stake in Trump Entertainment by swapping the casino company’s beaten-down bonds for stock and purchasing additional shares through a rights offering. Trump, who joined Lasry and the other bondholders after originally submitting a competing proposal with billionaire Andy Beal, received a 10 percent stake in the company for the right to use his name.

Three’s A Charm

Trump, 65, entered the casino business in 1984 with the Trump Plaza, and in 1990 defaulted on $675 million in junk bonds from his Taj Mahal casino and declared bankruptcy. Following the bankruptcy reorganization, he took the company public in 1995 as Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc.

Trump Hotels & Casino filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2004. When the second bankruptcy proceeding was completed the following year, Trump stepped down as chief executive officer while retaining his role as chairman, and the company was renamed Trump Entertainment Resorts.

Just before the casino company made its third bankruptcy filing, in February 2009, Trump stepped down as chairman and Ivanka also left the board. At the time, he held a 24 percent stake in Trump Entertainment.

Lasry has hosted high-stakes poker games in which the take can be as high as $20,000, according to "Hedge Hunters," a 2007 book by Bloomberg News reporter Katherine Burton. He is one of several hedge-fund managers who are also poker buffs, including David Einhorn, head of Greenlight Capital Inc., Cliff Asness, chief of AQR Capital Management LLC and Kenneth Griffin, founder of Citadel LLC.

Just a few online gaming companies that are understood to be interested in coming to business terms with Trump include Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, Richard Branson's Virgin Games and PKR. Most experts see Bwin.Party as the best bet, as they don't have any outstanding issues with the US Department of Justice, and have been playing by the rules (law) for many years, while other gambling companies continue to go after U.S players.

Internet gambling is legal in many countries, with the U.S being a glaring exception.

Media Man is following up.

Profiles

Donald Trump Trump Entertainment Resorts World Casino Directory Global Gaming Directory Games Casino Slots Casinos United States Las Vegas

Websites

Trump.com

Trump Entertainment Resorts

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-10-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment tipped to be dominant player; Buy rec, by Greg Tingle - 21st October 2011

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com World Poker Tour Games Casinos News Financial News Casino News Entertainment News

Medium to long term investment prospect, Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment (LON:BPTY) could be the dominant player in online gaming across Europe, deriving the majority of its profits from regulated markets, states UBS analyst Simon Whittington.

In the meantime, the company is buying back shares, paying around 5% dividend yield, and driving double-digit EBITDA growth, underpinned by conservative synergies, he added.

UBS rates the firm a 'buy' with a 12 month target price of 185 pence (current price: 104.8 pence).

Media Man is following up.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-10-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

Donald Trump says US should legalize Internet betting - 21st October 2011

Profiles

Donald Trump Trump Entertainment Resorts World Casino Directory Global Gaming Directory Games Casino Slots Casinos United States Las Vegas

Donald Trump has witnessed lots of money side slipping him, and he's hoping that situation changes soon.

The real estate, gaming and entertainment tsar, and founder of an Atlantic City casino company says the US should legalize internet gambling. The company that bears his name, Trump Entertainment Resorts, is moving forward with plans to establish an online betting venture... just as soon as it is legal to do so.

The company says it wants to get in on the ground floor of the internet gambling industry, and is close to selecting a joint venture partner to run an online gambling operation. The idea is to be well-placed and ready to go as soon as such activity is legalized in the United States.

"It should be approved here," Trump told news media. "An awful lot of money is leaving the U.S. that should and could stay in this country."

Trump Entertainment, which includes Donald Trump and daughter, Ivanka, and the Avenue Capital hedge fund, would own 10% of the new business venture.

Donald Trump advised the key to success in the online gambling market is having the best brand.

"We think we have the hottest brand there is, the Trump brand, my personal brand," he said. "We think it's going to do phenomenally well."

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Trump Entertainment said it has "determined that such a joint venture represents the most advantageous way for the company to participate in opportunities in online gaming at minimal cost to the company."

No cost estimates were given, and Robert Griffin, the company's CEO, declined to comment Thursday. But in March, after Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill passed by New Jersey lawmakers that would have allowed Internet betting solely within New Jersey's borders, Griffin said the money lost to offshore operators should benefit New Jersey.

The new law would seen New Jersey become the first state in the nation to allow Internet betting.

"Currently, millions of Americans engage in online gaming with illegal offshore operators, and do so with no oversight, no regulation or no consumer protections," Griffin said at the time. "It makes sense for the state of New Jersey to regulate this activity, enforce strict standards to ensure games are fair and safe, and in turn be able to collect tax revenue instead of having those dollars and the jobs they support leaving New Jersey and going illegally overseas."

Christie advised he vetoed the law fearing it was unconstitutional and could lead to an explosion of betting parlors throughout the state. By law, gambling in New Jersey is restricted to gaming hotspot Atlantic City.

But a New Jersey lawmaker is asserting that individual states in fact have the legal right to offer in-state Internet gambling within their own borders.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, wrote in July to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asserting that New Jersey and all other states can legally offer online betting within their borders.

Lesniak said he will introduce legislation in November to address the prime concerns expressed by Christie.

The filing said the company, Donald and Ivanka Trump, and Avenue Capital have signed an agreement authorizing the joint venture once it becomes legal, and that prohibits any of them from seeking other online gambling ventures through May 2012.

Atlantic City is in the midst of a nearly 5-year revenue slump brought on by increasing competition from casinos in neighboring states, and worsened by the continuing unsteady economy. It's also speculated that many AC businesses have not adapted well to the internet medium.

Just a few online gaming companies that are understood to be interested in coming to business terms with Trump include Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, Richard Branson's Virgin Games and PKR. Most experts see Bwin.Party as the best bet, as they don't have any outstanding issues with the US Department of Justice, and have been playing by the rules (law) for many years, while other gambling companies continue to go after U.S players.

Internet gambling is legal in many countries, with the U.S being a glaring exception.

Media Man is following up.

Profiles

Donald Trump Trump Entertainment Resorts World Casino Directory Global Gaming Directory Games Casino Slots Casinos United States Las Vegas

Websites

Trump.com

Trump Entertainment Resorts

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-10-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Sopranos actor John Marinacci arrested for gambling; Life imitates art, by Greg Tingle - 20th October 2011

Profiles

Gambling Poker New York The Sopranos HBO Hollywood

Mid range actor John Marinacci has been arrested along with 36 others as part of an inquiry into a mob-connected gambling ring in New York.

The 56 year old, who has appeared in episodes of The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire, was hauled in by police as part of Operation Flat Rate after allegations he solicited bets, collected money and took a percentage of losing wagers for the Gambino crime family.

Deputy Attorney General Peri Alyse Kadanoff announced on Tuesday that police have gathered a "great deal of wiretap evidence" against 37 members of the ring, which allegedly operated in Brooklyn from April 2010 until April 2011. Three other Gambino associates were also arrested.

Marinacci, who is also a professional poker teacher, was charged with one count of enterprise corruption, 30 counts of promoting gambling, 30 counts of possession of gambling records and one count of conspiracy, according to the New York Post.

He has been released on $US25,000 ($A24,506) bail.

It's understood Marinacci is or was associated with controversial online poker brand, Bodog, and industry insiders are suggesting that it may be a good idea for the keen gambler to change to a less risky brand, be it World Poker Tour or World Series of Poker (if they will take him).

Other actors from The Sopranos or Boardwalk Empire are not under suspicion of illegal gambling.

Something tells us that the poker lover will soon be self sponsored and will be practising his flushes with inmates.

Websites

The Sopranos (HBO)

Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

Boardwalk Empire

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Australian Sports Entertainment

2011-10-20T02:23:00.001-07:00

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Betting On United States, by Greg Tingle - 20th October 2011

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino PartyPoker World Poker Tour Gibraltar Gaming

Jim Ryan, the co-chief executive of Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment is a very busy man.

In fact, he's invested three of the past five weeks in the United States pushing a presentation that advertised to investors the strengths of the world’s largest publicly-traded online gambling - gaming firm. Ryan’s presentation included a one-page chart that listed the top online poker brands in the U.S. market. The names of once fierce competitors PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, were crossed out in red. Is Party the only real game left in town? Time will tell.

“Where you see the red lines, those organizations have been indicted, so although one can’t predict the future, it’s unlikely you will see those brands back in the U.S.,” Ryan said during an interview. “The brand that has the most consumer awareness is in fact the PartyPoker brand.”

Ryan’s company happens to own both PartyPoker and the World Poker Tour, two of the top online poker brands that did not have their U.S. operations shut down by the U.S. Justice Department in April because they were not facilitating for-money online poker play in America—in the case of PartyPoker since 2006. They also own PartyCasino, a top online casino destination website. The fact that Ryan, who is based in Gibraltar, has recently been spending so much time in the U.S. demonstrates he is optimistic and hopeful for a U.S. comeback. “My focus is on the U.S.,” says Ryan, who is in the final stages of negotiating partnerships with two U.S. companies. “Even though there is no guarantee that online gaming will ever regulate in the U.S.”

For years Ryan and his staff at PartyGaming, which merged with Bwin earlier this year, had to sit on the sidelines, watching how much money PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker were snatching. It was a difficult thing to watch for the top brass and workers at PartyGaming, which was the biggest online gambling company in the world thanks to its domination of the U.S. online poker market until Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006. PartyGaming exited the U.S. market and saw its stock price take a massive hit, while PokerStars and Full Tilt kept their U.S. facing .com websites on air. Party competitors enjoyed somewhat of an unfair advantage, with the rouges using the U.S. market to expand globally at PartyGaming’s expense. “We were beyond the point of frustration,” says Ryan.

Next PartyGaming struck a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, paying $105 million and admitting its U.S. operations had for years violated U.S. law. Meanwhile, PokerStars and Full Tilt continued to operate in the U.S. and claimed that their U.S. operations did not violate U.S. law, pointing to legal opinions the companies had received from top American legal eagles. To many, it appeared like PartyGaming had given a lucrative business away. Even at the company’s headquarters there were doubts until April 2011, when federal prosecutors in Manhattan closed down the U.S. operations of PokerStars and Full Tilt, naming them illegal gambling businesses, and indicted some of their key execs. "I think Party has been vindicated now in getting out when they did and in dealing with the Department of Justice," says Behnam Dayanim, a partner at Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider, who negotiated PartyGaming’s agreement with federal prosecutors in downtown Manhattan.

With all that said, Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment is not exactly holding a management party quite yet. It's so close, yet so far, from reclaiming online poker’s crown. Operating in highly-regulated and taxed European markets while competing against well-run companies like PokerStars is not for the faint-hearted. Bwin.Party’s stock, which trades on the prestigious London Stock Exchange, has dipped by 50% in 2011. Big corporate mergers can be problematic, but the outfit has also suffered a setback in Germany, where the nation’s top civil court recently decided to uphold an online gambling ban, and been dissed by higher gaming duties across Europe. When the company attempted to take advantage of the April U.S. shutdown of PokerStars and Full Tilt, Bwin.Party found that while some new European players were attracted to its poker brands, revenues remained flat-ish. It wasn’t until Full Tilt’s European regulator suspended Full Tilt’s license in late June that Bwin.Party’s increased advertising and promotional expenditures started to pay dividends. PartyPoker is now the second-biggest online poker room in the world, according to PokerScout, averaging 4,150 cash players during any given time. PokerStars has 22,800.

Ryan, who joined PartyGaming as CEO in 2008, has been waiting for this moment for what seems like forever. He long ago took Bwin’s Norbert Teufelberger to a McDonald’s in La Linea, Spain, and chatted to him at length about the pros of combining Bwin’s strong online sportsbook business with PartyGaming’s poker brands, resulting in the merger that was first announced in 2010. Ryan also fine-tuned his company’s business-to-business capabilities over the last few years with an eye toward finding a U.S. partner with whom he can re-conquer America. "We had to be realistic about where we sat in the food chain," says Ryan. "We figured if the U.S. regulated it would be unlikely that we would secure a license directly, that the laws of the land would be written to allow existing land operators and equipment manufacturers in the U.S. to secure the licenses." Ryan is optimistic about current efforts in Washington, driven by the American Gaming Association and powerful casino companies like Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts, to potentially get some sort of online gambling legislation through a divided Congress. Ryan notes he is also preparing for the possibility that online poker gets regulated first on a state-by-state basis.

"We have to be ready for both federal or state," he says. "It feels good to have American taxpaying companies finally driving this.".

If an offshore operator is to succeed in American, Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment looks like the firm to place bets with.

Bwin.Party has identified Australia and New Zealand as places to further expand their business, even sponsoring high profile poker players such as Tony G and Stewart Scott (a former Crown Casino 'Aussie Millions' champion.) PartyPoker is one of a number of rumoured brands set to take over the sponsorship spot at James Packer's Crown Casino that FTP once enjoyed. Party look to have as much chance as anyone, probably more so.

In the meantime, poker and casino game players in regions such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Italy, South America, South Africa and beyond can continue to enjoy their gaming.

Poker playing celebs such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Tobey McGuire are understood to be open to sponsorship approaches from Bwin.Party.

Governments of the world - you're throw of the dice.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Australian Sports Entertainment

2011-10-14T00:50:00.001-07:00

DiCaprio may take codebreaker role after Great Gatsby in Sydney, by Greg Tingle - 14th October 2011

Profiles

Leonardo DiCaprio The Star Sydney Baz Luhrmann Fox Studios Australia Paramount Pictures Hollywood Movies Actors Australia

Leonardo DiCaprio may be enjoining a working holiday or sorts (more working we understand), while enjoying the company of models in and around The Star (formally Star City Casino), but he's still thinking ahead.

As just about all of Australia, if not the world knows by now, 'Our Leo' is currently filming Bazmark's The Great Gatsby at Fox Studios, Moore Park. Ok, yes, he's catching up with a model or two also when the opportunity arises.

It's now been revealed that DiCaprio is tipped to play Enigma codebreaker Alan Turing in a biopic feature of the famed British mathematician.

Various media reports are surfacing that Warner Bros. have outbid several indi studios with a seven figure cheque for the rights to the 'The Imitation Game'...penned by virginal screenwriter Graham Moore...as Leo is keen as a Skippy kangaroo to play the lead.

Now get this. Turing was prosecuted by British thought police after the war for having a sexual relationship with another man, and forced to undergo "chemical castration" rather than being sent to prison for his sexuality.

The genius mathematician and computer scientist committed suicide by eating an apple laced with cyanide and it is claimed Steve Jobs named his company Apple as a tribute to him. We are not suggesting Jobs was gay, but readers will make their own minds up on that point.

Turing appeared to be written out of the 2001 film Enigma, about the Bletchley Park codebreakers, despite being the leading figure in World War II.

Dougray Scott's character Jerico seemed to resemble Turing, but he was heterosexual and had an affair with Kate Winslet's character.

Director Ron Howard is said to be interested in the film, but no deals have yet been made.

Leo, who will next be seen playing the title role in Clint Eastwood's J Edgar, has been shooting Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby.

Not long after that, he is due to play the bad guy in Quentin Tarantino's controversial spaghetti western Django Unchained.

For the world's producers and directors, let's hope Leo doesn't get too carried away with the Aussie spirit of "Work hard, play harder", as is likely to hold true at his current residence - an entire floor of The Star, thanks to the generous folks at Echo Entertainment and Star, many of which the management team just happen to be Leo's fellow Americans.

Long live the Australian - Hollywood - AussieWood connection. Thus far Leo's gamble to do Australia for business and pleasure looks to be paying off. Kendal Schuler and a bush tucker bag of Aussie models are not commenting. Baz sure seems happy with Leo's "down under" visit. Leo, you're throw of the dice.

News just in: Paramount Pictures is currently developing a remake of The Gambler with the original producers, Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler. Intended as a new directorial project for Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio has snatched the lead and William Monahan will write the screenplay.

Websites

The Star

Echo Entertainment

Baz Luhrmann - Bazmark official website

Fox Studios Australia

Casino News Media

2011-10-09T06:15:00.001-07:00

MGM Resorts Online Game to Attract New Customers - 5th October 2011

Profiles

MGM Mirage MGM Grand Casino World Casino Directory Global Gaming Directory Games Casino Slots Casinos United States Las Vegas

MGM Resorts International is moving into social gaming in an effort to attract more gamblers to its casinos, said MGM Chief Executive Jim Murren at casino industry conference last Wednesday.

The firm fully expects to soon announce a new social media game, he said, that would be along the lines of Zynga Inc.'s popular online game FarmVille. It would allow players to pretend to be casino moguls, he said.

The game-playing industry and gambling industries, he said, "are on a collision course."

Murren was speaking at the keynote address Wednesday at a conference entitled the Global Gaming Expo.

Murren didn't provide more details about the plans. Among hospitality companies, Marriott International Inc. has created an online game that allows players to manage a virtual hotel restaurant. Marriott's game is designed to be an employee recruiting tool rather than for acquiring customers.

Murren indicated MGM's game would be for trying to grab new customers.

"The demographics of (online) gamers are really right in the strike zone of the gaming industry," Murren said, pointing to the connection between non-gambling gamers and gamblers.

MGM is also among several large casino companies pushing hard for Internet gambling to become legal in the U.S.

MGM generates most of its revenue from casinos on the Las Vegas Strip and also owns around half of a casino in the robust gambling enclave of Macau. The company's stock price has lost nearly half its value since July on concerns of the U.S. economy and, more recently, concerns about a slowdown in growth in China. The company is still carrying a massive amount of debt.

Murren has consistently been among the most upbeat among gambling operators regarding the future of Las Vegas, even in depths of the recession of a couple years ago. He said he sees a wide gulf between what he thinks the company's stock price is and actual financial results and outlook.

"I turned my Bloomberg off about three weeks ago," Murren quipped.

After a deep downturn, both MGM and Las Vegas as a whole have shown signs of sustained but slow improvement in gambling revenue this year. Still, some observers are concerned by continued bad economic signs.

"We have exceeded our forecast and that of the street the last two quarters and had a nice third quarter as well," he said. "The market is valuing us about where we were three years ago in the teeth of recession and it just doesn't connect with me because we don't see anything inside our business that would suggest that that is accurate."

The company is optimistic about growth in Macau, he said, and has developed designs and plans for a new casino there. MGM and other casinos are awaiting government approval for their new projects.

His comments about Macau echoed those of Michael Leven, president of competitor Las Vegas Sands, who on Saturday said at a conference in Las Vegas that the company doesn't see negative signals there despite investor concerns.

MGM is also working on developing around 20 non-casino projects throughout China, Murren said.

Media Man is following up.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-10-09T03:39:00.001-07:00

Exciting News for Online Poker Site, PKR as USA Legalisation of Gambling Sites Edges Closer - 6th October 2011

Profiles

PKR PKR Poker PKR Casino PKR Slots Games Casino Slots World Casino Directory United States Australia

The popular UK 3D poker site, PKR could soon go transatlantic and launch in the US after the American Gaming Association's (AGA) contributed to the push for online poker regulation in the country.

Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., president and CEO of the AGA, commented: 'There are no longer any good reasons to put USA citizens at risk by continuing to outlaw online poker in the U.S.' The statement comes after the USA Justice Department tried to shut down illegal gambling sites but the number of Americans playing online poker unprotected continues to grow.

PKR has established itself as one of the most playable and secure online poker websites in the UK over the last five years. The campaign in the US for lawful online poker now has the backing of certain state reps from Massachusetts and the prospect of legalisation could open the gates for PKR to expand into a massive market.

The AGA had once condemned online gambling altogether and only changed their opinion due to reports of a threat of unregulated sites currently endangering American players. The prospect of US legalisation of online poker could be potentially huge for PKR as their fully regulated and licensed site already has the foundations to become a massive hit among gamers in the States.

Massachusetts state rep, Dan Winslow also added to the argument for legalisation by arguing the flailing US economy could benefit from the introduction of online poker because of the jobs it will create in game design and regulatory software upkeep - a notion America's 14 million unemployed will welcome.

Back in the UK, it's business as usual for PKR for the meantime but they are very excited by the suggestion of expanding their business across the pond. A spokesperson for the poker games site commented:

'It is still early days yet but it would be a massively exciting prospect to take PKR to the States. The whole regulation of online poker sites debate is unlikely to be resolved overnight however, but at PKR we will be watching closely as we are always keen to develop playing opportunities to improve the gaming experience for everyone'.

It is rumoured the AGA campaign may prompt online poker legislation on a state level first before the whole nation accepts it. However, the campaign certainly looks to have some weight behind it and as far as PKR is concerned, it is a matter of watch this space.

To find out more about PKR or to join in the fun, sign up today www.pkr.com

About PKR

PKR is a revolutionary new concept in online poker that has changed the way the game is played.

Featuring stunning real-time 3D graphics and a uniquely engaging and immersive gaming system, PKR brings an unparalleled and previously unseen level of realism to online poker.

Developed by some of the brightest stars in the video games and poker industries, PKR continues to be the most innovative poker room in the world.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-10-05T04:44:00.000-07:00

IGT and Aristocrat settle patent lawsuits

Profiles

IGT Aristocrat Gaming

American computerised gaming equipment designer and manufacturer International Game Technology (IGT) has settled a trio of patent litigation lawsuits with Aristocrat Leisure Limited.

Land-based gaming machine manufacturer Aristocrat Leisure is based in Sydney and sued IGT in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in 2006 regarding patents related to multi-level progressives such as its Hyperlink product.

In 2010, IGT filed a patent lawsuit against Aristocrat Leisure in the United States District Court for the Central District of California regarding the authentication of software in slot machines while a third suit initiated later that year was brought before the Federal Court of Australia, New South Wales District Registry by the Australian firm concerning a patent related to a side bet slot feature.

IGT stated that the pair have now cross-licensed their patents giving both the right ‘to offer all the products that were the subject matter of the litigations subject to certain royalty obligations’.

“IGT is pleased that we were able to reach an agreement with Aristocrat Leisure and put these disputes behind us,” said Robert Melendres, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for Reno-based IGT.

“This settlement confirms and reinforces the importance of intellectual property to IGT and this industry.”

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-10-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

Virgin Gaming: Call of Duty Elite 'not a threat'

Profiles

Call of Duty Electronic Arts THQ Virgin Gaming Virgin Games Virgin Enterprises Limited Richard Branson Gaming Games

The Battlefield 3 Worldwide Conquest Tournament helps EA compete with Call of Duty Elite, Activision’s social service which also includes a competitive gaming element with prizes up for grabs, according to Virgin Gaming.

“We don’t view Elite as a threat,” Virgin co-founder Zachary Zeldin told the press.

“We view it as one of the top industry leaders taking notice of what Virgin Gaming is doing and trying to implement it themselves. Which is great. We wish them nothing but success. I wouldn’t be surprised if Activision was a part of Virgin Gaming next year.

"We are very excited to see how Elite is going to do and how the community is going to receive it, are they going to view it as too hardcore? Or too expensive? It is going to be trial and error for Activision in the first year and I am excited to see it.”

The company says it has hit the jackpot with its official $1.6m Battlefield 3 gaming tournament.

The online competitive games specialist claims its EA deal has opened doors for them, helping the outfit score major clients such as 2K Games, THQ and Codemasters.

The company will give away some £2.6m in prizes to its members over the next 12 months. And it promised that its service can help sell DLC and keep developers’ games out of the pre-owned bins.

“When a company like EA trusts you with their $1bn IP, people see that and say ‘If EA is willing to do this then they must know something we don’t,’” said Virgin Gaming co-founder Zachary Zeldin.

“We have been teaching developers about how we can be beneficial to their game, how we are going to keep users engaged in their product more, how we can roll out DLC for them and help sell more of this extra content, or how we can keep their games out of the second-hand shelves for six months longer.

“If Battlefield has a map pack that EA wants to release, we can run a $50,000 or a $100,000 tournament specific to that map pack. So now they have to buy that map pack.

“We are helping that community evolve.”

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Australian Sports Entertainment

2011-09-27T03:28:00.000-07:00

Who You Gonna Call For IGT's Ghostbusters(TM) Slots? MGM Resorts International(TM) Properties

Partnership Gives MGM Resorts a 30-Day First-to-Market Exclusive

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX

Ghost-tracking Psycho Kinetic Energy meters will be going crazy at MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) properties when the frighteningly fun Ghostbusters(TM) Slots come to The Strip as part of a 30-day, exclusive first-to-market partnership with International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT). The Ghostbusters(TM) Slots featuring Slimer, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and the hilarious Ghostbusters team was launched throughout the MGM Resorts' Las Vegas properties Monday, Sept. 19.

Debuting on IGT's new Center Stage Duo(TM) model, the game features the mischievous and lovable character Slimer teasing, mocking and awarding players with antics, multipliers and credits as he leads them through the game. A vivid 55-inch overhead LCD screen and chest-pumping MEGAfx Surround Chairs will send players' adrenaline racing during spectacular bonus rounds including:

Ballroom Busters Pick Bonus: Holdin! Smokin! Ready! Players are awarded five proton shots to blow up the ballroom to find ghosts.

Stay Puft Free Games Feature: Marshmallows fall from the sky, stick to symbols and turn them wild during this sweet feature.

Are You Psychic? Bonus: Guess the correct card to win credits and advance to the next round!
Paranormal Pick Bonus: Five levels of Paranormal Pick Bonuses allow players to select from phantasm clouds for a chance to win the progressive jackpot.

"Based on the blockbuster film franchise from Sony Pictures, the memorable characters, a catchy song and many unforgettable scenes have made Ghostbusters a pop culture mainstay, and I think we've captured the fun of the brand in the Ghostbusters Slots," said Eric Tom, executive vice president, North America Sales and Global Operations. "Players will be thrilled by the constant action and our graphic and sound technology will make for a ghoulishly good time."

Sherri Gilligan, senior vice president of marketing for MGM Resorts International, said, "Our guests deserve to have an amazing experience each time they arrive at one of our properties and the Ghostbusters Slots will add to that overall experience. The partnership with IGT allows us to create new opportunities for our guests and this is another example of an exclusive game we will feature on the casino floors throughout our company during the festive Halloween season."

To help kick off the Ghostbusters(TM) Slots fun, MGM Resorts and IGT will launch a sweepstakes featuring a grand prize VIP trip to Las Vegas.

About MGM Resorts International

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a peerless portfolio of destination resort brands, including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage. In addition to its 51% interest in MGM China Holdings and the MGM Macau, the Company has significant holdings in gaming, hospitality and entertainment, owns and operates 15 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan, and has 50% investments in three other properties in Nevada and Illinois. One of those investments is CityCenter, an unprecedented urban resort destination on the Las Vegas Strip featuring its centerpiece ARIA Resort & Casino. Leveraging MGM Resorts' unmatched amenities, the M life loyalty program delivers one-of-a-kind experiences, insider privileges and personalized rewards for guests at the Company's renowned properties nationwide. Through its hospitality management subsidiary, the Company holds a growing number of development and management agreements for casino and non-casino resort projects around the world. MGM Resorts International supports responsible gaming and has implemented the American Gaming Association's Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming at its gaming properties. The Company has been honored with numerous awards and recognitions for its industry-leading Diversity Initiative, its community philanthropy programs and the Company's commitment to sustainable development and operations. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's Web site at www.mgmresorts.com.

About IGT

International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) is a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of gaming machines and systems products, as well as online and mobile gaming solutions for regulated markets. More information about IGT is available at www.IGT.com or follow IGT on Twitter at @IGTNews or Facebook at www.facebook.com/IGT.

Ghostbusters: TM & ©2011 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

SOURCE IGT; MGM Resorts International

2011-09-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

War Of The Worlds Comes To Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment; War of the Worlds game - Coming This Fall!

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino.com War Of The Worlds Steven Spielberg Paramount Pictures Hollywood Movies World Casino Directory iGaming Media Man

An adventure of a lifetime is waiting for players at PartyCasino with the launch of a brand new “War of the Worlds” themed game, based on Spielberg’s 2005 Hollywood blockbuster. This five reel 100-line slot will put you right in the centre of the action for as little as 1p per line and will give you a chance to win a massive jackpot of up to £250,000!

The most attractive feature of this slot is the great bonus round that players have access to by getting three bonus symbols anywhere on the reel. Winning the round will give players a chance to win up to 500 times their total stake and, for some, could be a good reason to make “War of the Worlds” a regular stop.

From outstanding graphics to a larger-than-life bonus round, it is clear that this game was designed with absolute precision, giving the player a superb game play experience that will keep you wanting more.

New players get up to $3000 sign up bonus via Media Man.

Enter the casino wars with 'War Of The Worlds', Media Man and Casino News Media.

War of the Worlds game - Coming This Fall!

The War of the Worlds Is a dark and breathtaking new vision of the classic H.G. Wells novel, retold as a videogame, narrated by the acclaimed actor, Patrick Stewart. The game follows the exploits of an unknown everyman struggling to escape the Martian invasion of 1950s London and rescue his family. Forced to think through insurmountable odds, players will outsmart an army of alien tripods, spidersbots and drones as they make their way through a landscape of total devastation.

Gamespot says “War of the Worlds is perfectly written and spoken.”

IGN declares “War of the Worlds is out of this world.”

A WORLD APART - Massive levels and dozens of different areas rife with Martian Tripods, mechanical spiders, drones, blood-harvesting ‘red weeds’, and lethal ‘black smoke’. Humans flee in terror and players must think their way through the ultimate journey of mankind’s survival.

SURVIVING THE EXTINCTION - As a survivor of the Martian attack, voiceover from Patrick Stewart’s character tells the tale of how he survived mankind’s near-extinction event, serving both as a way of fleshing out the world around players AND as a useful hint mechanism.

AN UNIMAGINABLE ENEMY - Players must avoid the unruly Martian invaders and stay aware of their surroundings. Players should be mindful of the alien heat beams, one zap could mean the beginning of the end of humankind’s survival.

Profiles

PartyGaming PartyCasino PartyPoker PartyBingo Circus PartyCasino Marvel Slots The Big One Melon Madness Casino World Poker Tour PartyCasino Promotions

2011-09-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

Gaming, Casino, Poker And Entertainment News: Bwin.Party, Full Tilt, Marvel Entertainment, Crown Casino, The Star, by Greg Tingle

Profiles

World Casino Directory Australian Casinos The Star Echo Entertainment Crown Limited World Casino Directory Global Gaming Directory Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Marvel Entertainment

Bwin.party stocks skyrockets after Schleswig-Holstein online gambling approval...

Bwin.party Digital Entertainment stocks rose over 12% after German state Schleswig-Holstein passed its new online gambling legislation. As reported earlier, the new bill which narrowly passed the Schleswig-Holstein Parliament poses more competition inducing rules and friendlier tax rates.

Bwin.party shares jumped 12.2% Wednesday while Betfair, an online betting exchange company, posted a 3.2% increase. Both Bwin.party and Betfair plan to apply for licenses to operate in Schleswig-Holstein as soon as the bill is implemented in January 2012.

Schleswig-Holstein is the first to implement such online gambling legislation among 16 German states and the remaining 15 continue to pose high tax rates that prohibit healthy online gambling market in the country in general.

PartyCasino Bwin.Party Online Casino Powerhouse Gets New Games...

Party's upped the ante again by adding yet more online casino games to their portfolio. They welcome in 'The War Of The Worlds' , 'Aztec Gold' and 'Loot'En Khanum'. PartyCasino has been awarded numerous industry awards and commendations over the years including Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' and EGR 'Socially Responsible Operator Of The Year'. The casino offers a range of slots, table games and also offers poker via its sister website PartyPoker.com

Online gambling site busted in 'Ponzi scheme'...

International online gambling site Full Tilt Poker stole $440 million from players around the world in a Ponzi scheme used to pay lavish fees to board members, US prosecutors said Tuesday.

Full Tilt "defrauded players by misrepresenting that their funds on deposit in online gambling accounts were safe, secure, and available for withdrawal at any time," the US Attorney's office for Southern Manhattan said.

"In reality, Full Tilt Poker did not maintain funds sufficient to repay all players, and in addition, the company used player funds to pay board members and other owners more than $440 million since April 2007."

The senior prosecutor, US Attorney Preet Bharara, said the site's top figures, including famed poker champions Howard Lederer and Christopher Ferguson, "lined their own pockets with funds picked from the pockets of their most loyal customers while blithely lying to both players and the public alike about the safety and security of the money deposited with the company."

In a classic pyramid scheme, gamblers were given the impression that they still had money deposited and were allowed to keep gambling, even when all that remained were "phantom" funds, prosecutors said. The company ended up owing $390 million worldwide, including $150 million to US customers.

"Full Tilt was not a legitimate poker company, but a global Ponzi scheme," Bharara said.

Full Tilt Poker was first sued by federal authorities in April as part of a broader crackdown on online gambling, which the Justice Department says is illegal. The suit was revised and refiled Tuesday in the still developing investigation.

In the original suit, Full Tilt Poker and two other online poker companies -- PokerStars and Absolute Poker -- were charged with bank fraud, money laundering, illegal gambling and other offenses.

Bharara said the Justice Department had filed an amended complaint against Full Tilt Poker to reflect the accusation that the company was running a Ponzi scheme.

Ferguson, the poker world's equivalent of a rock star and known to aficionados as "Jesus," and Lederer were not mentioned in the original complaint against Full Tilt Poker. They are alleged to have been paid $25 million and $42 million respectively by the site.

The amended complaint seeks the forfeiture of dividends received by Ferguson, Lederer, and other directors, and money laundering penalties.

While Internet gambling has been illegal in the United States since 2006, online poker remains a multi-billion-dollar industry with companies using a variety of ways to flout the law, including locating their operations offshore.

The US ban on Internet gambling has been challenged as an unfair trade restriction at the World Trade Organization and some US lawmakers are seeking to have online gambling legalized.

Crown Casino VS The Star Land Based Casino War Continues...

Greg Fraser has an interesting and intelligent article in today's Sydney Morning Herald. James Packer's Crown Limited still has the upper hand over rival The Star in many departments. The article reads...

Crown is still the king of Australian casino businesses.

There is a high-stakes game being played out between Crown’s Melbourne and Perth casinos and Echo Entertainment Group’s newly renamed The Star Casino in Sydney.

Echo has spent $960 million on its upgrade but Crown will have spent almost $2.1 billion across its two casinos by the time everything is finished.

Crown has consistently upgraded its properties to avoid the dangerous ‘‘tired’’ tag that can easily sap patronage and earnings.

The company has always produced a nice mixture of gaming and non-gaming earnings that has become the norm for all casino resorts.

But the headlines usually focus on the glamour and mystique of the high rollers, who last year put about $40 billion on Crown’s gaming tables in Australia.

This lucrative business generated $486 million of revenue for Crown last financial year and should continue to contribute earnings growth following the latest incarnation of its private gaming suites. Read the full article here

World Casino Directory Still A Big Hit With Industry And Punters...

Media Man's World Casino Directory and Global Gaming Directory are still a big hit, according to the numbers. Check out some of the world's best online and land based casino websites here and here.

PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino "War" Continues...

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment and Richard Branson's Virgin Enterprises Limited are still at it, with both continuing to add new slot games. Bwin.Party's PartyCasino is more established and accepts players from more countries than Virgin, while Branson's Virgin enjoys a strong brand name in hundreds of other sectors. Party consistently offers higher sign up bonuses to new players.

Billionaire Solomon Lew in ugly Crown casino carpark row...

The Herald Sun reports...Billionaire businessman Solomon Lew was allegedly involved in an ugly fight with his estranged son-in-law at Crown casino on Saturday night.

It is believed Mr Lew and Adam Priester were captured on casino security cameras clashing heatedly in Crown's VIP carpark about 9pm. But the two men have given conflicting versions of events.

Mr Priester, a businessman who is separated from Mr Lew's daughter Jacqueline, is believed to have reported the incident to police.

The Avengers hero Chris Evans praises Marvel's Stan Lee...

Chris Evans who brought Captain America to life on the big screen in this year's Joe Johnston directed Marvel Comics adaptation Captain America: The First Avenger has praised Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee, describing him as "amazing".

Lee who has brought to life so many iconic characters over the years recently filmed his cameo in next year's superhero team up The Avengers describing it as "probably the funniest line that I've had to say yet".

Speaking to MTV News Evans said "It's great. He's an amazing human being, the guy is a living legend. He's so positive and so upbeat and so energetic and just a nice man."

Lee will also appear in Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man and previously said it would be his "best cameo yet".

The Avengers sees Evens star alongside Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo and hits cinemas on May 4 while The Amazing Spider-Man swings into cinemas in 3D on July 4.

Stan Lee talks about his cameos in The Amazing Spider-Man and The Avengers...

Appearing before a capacity crowd on Sunday at the 2011 Montreal Comic Con, Lee spoke about his cameo roles in movies based on the classic characters he co-created, such as Iron Man, X-Men, Spider-Man and Hulk.

“If you blink your eye, you might miss me”, he said, in reference to his brief on-screen appearances. Though Lee, not surprisingly, said that he did enjoy doing them, since “I get to meet all the actors.” He went on, “I just show up on the set and everybody treats me well. And I get my own trailer.” Lee was quick to point out that his cameos are “always big hits”, before jokingly adding, “I wonder if Brad Pitt looks at me and goes ‘hmmm.’”

Lee then really wowed the enthusiastic crowd when he mused, “I don’t know why DC doesn’t ask me to do cameos in their movies. Then their box office revenues would shoot up”. Pausing for audience applause, Lee then added, “Imagine how people would react if they saw me in one of those movies?”

In fact, Lee has made two appearances in DC-related documentaries. He was interviewed in the Shadows Of The Bat: The Cinematic Saga Of The Dark Knight, which appears as an extra on the Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray disc of the 1989 Batman movie. Lee was also interviewed for Kevin Burns’ 2006 documentary, Look Up In The Sky: The Amazing Story Of Superman.

Lee also mentioned his appearances in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot, and the highly anticipated Avengers movie. While he wasn’t able to reveal the details of his cameo in those films, Lee did say, “I tell you this. It is one of the funniest ones I’ve done. It’s about as funny as the one that I did in the new Spider-Man movie which hasn’t opened yet. Spider-Man and The Avengers, remember when you see ‘em, I told you that they are going to get very big laughs.”

The Avengers will arrive in UK cinemas on 27th April 2012, while The Amazing Spider-Man is due out on 4th July 2012.

Stay tuned for American and Australian dates.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

2011-09-05T00:28:00.000-07:00

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Nears Finalizing US Deals, by Greg Tingle

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com Playtech Caesars Entertainment IGN World Poker Tour United States Casinos Gaming World Directory Brands Media Man

The Co-Chief Executive of Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, Jim Ryan confirmed this past week that the group is close to finalizing a number of deals with US based gambling companies, in a bid to enter the US market when legislation passes in this sector on a federal level.

Ryan said that the recently merged Bwin and PartyGaming were negotiating with companies who reached across the country, and particularly those in states where the likelihood of online gambling reaching them in the near future was higher than other states.

Ryan said that Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment was "in contract negotiations with a partner from New Jersey." In addition, the group was lining up partners in California and Florida.

These states had the greatest potential to see online gambling legislation passed, he said.

Ryan stressed that the current negotiations were not for acquisitions, but for partnerships only.

Above Consensus Market Expectations...

The announcement by Ryan was made as Bwin.Party released its first half earnings, showing that they had fallen by more than a fifth. This was put down in part to increases in gaming taxes across Europe.

The group said, however, that its numbers were still above consensus market expectations, which boosted its share prices somewhat.

While European gambling regulation continued to be encouraging, there was still uncertainty coming from the German market, which makes up for 22% of Bwin.Party's revenues.

Analysts believe that it may be two to three years before Germany's stand on regulation becomes clear.

An analyst with Peel Hunt, Nick Batram said: "While the current trading may reflect a worst case German scenario, it is frustrating that the company does not quantify the potential impact from an effective shutout and what plan B might be."

Troubles facing Full Tilt Poker also worked to Bwin.Party's advantage as players sought new poker sites and migrated to its brands.

First half earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization fell 21% to €81.8 million.

Ryan said that the group's strategy was "to be a pan-European operator and it looks like we are the only organization that has the strategy and capability to do that."

REG - bwin.party digital - Dividend Declaration...

RNS Number : 2933N
bwin.party digital entertainment
31 August 2011

bwin.party digital entertainment plc

('bwin.party' or the 'Company')

Interim Dividend

The Board of bwin.party has today declared an interim dividend of 1.56 pence per ordinary share in respect of the six month period ended 30 June 2011. This dividend will be paid by the Company in accordance with the timetable set out below.

Shareholders and depositary interest holders may elect to receive the dividend payment in Euros by submitting currency elections to the Company's registrar (Capita Registrars) no later than 23 September 2011. Currency election forms are in the process of being dispatched to registered shareholders and the form will be available on the Company's website, www.bwin.party.com. Depositary interest holders wishing to receive the dividend in Euros may submit a currency election via CREST. The foreign exchange rate used for converting the pounds sterling dividend payment into Euros will be the rate quoted by the Company at or about 11.00 a.m. (BST) on 26 September 2011.

31 August 2011 Interim dividend declared

7 September 2011 Ex-dividend date

9 September 2011 Record date

23 September 2011 Deadline for receipt of currency elections

26 September 2011 Pounds sterling/Euros foreign exchange rate struck for Euro dividend currency elections

7 October 2011 Interim dividend paid

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Financial Heads Up...

Wednesday could be one for the gamblers with online gaming operators Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment and 888 Holdings both reporting.

888 has already revealed its revenue figure for the first half – it made $153.m, an improvement of 18.1% on a year earlier. Panmure Gordon thinks earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) will be up 52% from last year at $19.1m, giving earnings per share of 4.5 cents.

“With the strong start to Q3 and, despite the planned increased investment, we believe the risk to our forecasts is on the upside,” the broker added.

As for Bwin.Party, UBS thinks the company will report a drab set of figures, with first half revenues of €425m. Even that is better than Panmure Gordon is expecting; the latter is predicting revenue of €410m.

Bwin.Party And 888 Update - 31st August 2011...

888’s rival bwin.party digital saw its shares rally 15.3p to 125.3p, as investors warmed to its first set of results since it was created by the merger of PartyGaming and Austria’s bwin earlier this year.

The numbers revealed cost savings from the deal would be £8.9m more than expected and recent trading had been strong.

But it plunged to a half-year loss of £27m from profits of £53m after a £54.4m accounting charge.

The half-year dividend is 1.56p. Bwin.party said it was benefiting from the suspension of rival Full Tilt Poker’s license.

It hopes the US may one day reopen its doors. In the meantime, it is grappling with increased regulation in some European markets and the higher taxes this brings.

Bwin blames poker for drop in profits...

Online gaming firm Bwin.party revealed a drop in profits after it was dealt a blow from greater competition in poker markets.

The owner of PartyCasino, Foxy Bingo and PartyPoker said like-for-like revenues dropped three per cent to 398 million euros (£352.2 million) in the six months to June 30.

In its first set of results since the merger of Bwin and PartyGaming in March, the group said it came up against stronger comparatives with the previous year, which was boosted by the World Cup.

Revenues at its poker business declined 10 per cent to 104.9 million euros (£92.8 million) amid greater competition, including a campaign from rival 888 fronted by former Australian cricketer Shane Warne.

Underlying profits fell 21 per cent to 72.4 million euros (£64.1 million) after the group, which generates a quarter of its income in Germany, was hit by increased gaming duties as it launched in newly regulated markets.

Bwin said the number of new poker players signing up to its brands increased six per cent to 373,700 in the period, but active player days were down 11 per cent.

Revenues at its bingo arm were down eight per cent to 33 million euros (£29.2 million) amid intense competition in the UK, while sports betting revenues were down two per cent. But its casino and poker division saw revenues increase two per cent to 124.3 million euros.

*The writer has conducted b2 with Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-09-02T04:01:00.000-07:00

Preview: Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, 888 Holdings, Gaming Business News, by Greg Tingle

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com Playtech Caesars Entertainment IGN World Poker Tour United States Casinos Gaming World Directory Brands Media Man

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Financial Heads Up...

Wednesday could be one for the gamblers with online gaming operators Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment and 888 Holdings both reporting.

888 has already revealed its revenue figure for the first half – it made $153.m, an improvement of 18.1% on a year earlier. Panmure Gordon thinks earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) will be up 52% from last year at $19.1m, giving earnings per share of 4.5 cents.

“With the strong start to Q3 and, despite the planned increased investment, we believe the risk to our forecasts is on the upside,” the broker added.

As for Bwin.Party, UBS thinks the company will report a drab set of figures, with first half revenues of €425m. Even that is better than Panmure Gordon is expecting; the latter is predicting revenue of €410m.

Bwin.Party And 888 Update - 31st August 2011...

888’s rival bwin.party digital saw its shares rally 15.3p to 125.3p, as investors warmed to its first set of results since it was created by the merger of PartyGaming and Austria’s bwin earlier this year.

The numbers revealed cost savings from the deal would be £8.9m more than expected and recent trading had been strong.

But it plunged to a half-year loss of £27m from profits of £53m after a £54.4m accounting charge.

The half-year dividend is 1.56p. Bwin.party said it was benefiting from the suspension of rival Full Tilt Poker’s license.

It hopes the US may one day reopen its doors. In the meantime, it is grappling with increased regulation in some European markets and the higher taxes this brings.

Bwin blames poker for drop in profits...

Online gaming firm Bwin.party revealed a drop in profits after it was dealt a blow from greater competition in poker markets.

The owner of PartyCasino, Foxy Bingo and PartyPoker said like-for-like revenues dropped three per cent to 398 million euros (£352.2 million) in the six months to June 30.

In its first set of results since the merger of Bwin and PartyGaming in March, the group said it came up against stronger comparatives with the previous year, which was boosted by the World Cup.

Revenues at its poker business declined 10 per cent to 104.9 million euros (£92.8 million) amid greater competition, including a campaign from rival 888 fronted by former Australian cricketer Shane Warne.

Underlying profits fell 21 per cent to 72.4 million euros (£64.1 million) after the group, which generates a quarter of its income in Germany, was hit by increased gaming duties as it launched in newly regulated markets.

Bwin said the number of new poker players signing up to its brands increased six per cent to 373,700 in the period, but active player days were down 11 per cent.

Revenues at its bingo arm were down eight per cent to 33 million euros (£29.2 million) amid intense competition in the UK, while sports betting revenues were down two per cent. But its casino and poker division saw revenues increase two per cent to 124.3 million euros.

*The writer has conducted b2 with Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-09-01T03:46:00.000-07:00

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Making Friends In United States: California, New Jersey, Florida, by Greg Tingle - 1st September 2011

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com Playtech Caesars Entertainment IGN World Poker Tour United States Casinos Gaming World Directory Brands Media Man

Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month Award'...

PartyCasino.com has once again won the Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award. Richard Branson's VirginCasino.com picked up 2nd place, while new entrant into the Asia Pacific Region, Grand Reef Online Casino picks up 3rd. Well done to all brands.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Continues To Make Friends In U.S Market; Talks Well Developed...

In a recent interview with eGaming Review, Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Co-CEO, Jim Ryan, advised re his firm's goal to enter the lucrative US market: “We have made the decision to target strategic partners. At federal level, we are finalising agreements with a couple of parties positioned nicely to operate in that market. In California, we are well advanced with a particular party. The same in New Jersey, consistent with where we are at a federal level.”

California’s legislator announced it will not be pursuing the issue until the start of next year, quite possibly after federal legislation is enacted.

New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak introduced new draft legislation earlier month. His previous proposal made it all the way to Governor Chris Christie’s desk before Christie announced he would not be signing off in the final minutes of a deadline. The Governor cited specifics in the bill that Lesniak believes the latest incarnation addresses.

Media Man is following up the situation.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Talk Of The Town...

Earlier this year, PartyGaming and bwin merged to create Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, which is traded on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol BPTY. In an news article that appeared in The Independent last Tuesday, it was noted that since the two online gaming giants merged, the combined company’s share price has dipped by nearly half. While part of the drop might be due to a slowing economic environment worldwide and so no action might be needed, other entities felt that an infusion could be in the offing. The news outlet cautioned, however, that investors might wait for the gaming environment in the United States to be sorted out first: "Not everyone agreed with the chatter, however, with one trader saying acquisitions in the sector were unlikely until there was further clarification over the potential regulation of online gambling in the U.S."

Despite the merger, PartyPoker.com remains the flagship site of its own network, while bwin makes its home on the Ongame Network alongside rooms such as Betfair.

Caesars Entertainment, one of the principal competitors of Wynn Resorts, has partnered with 888, also a publicly traded company in London. Prior to Black Friday, Full Tilt Poker teamed up with Fertitta Interactive, whose ownership group has strong ties to Station Casinos. Along with the PokerStars - Wynn deal, the latter fell by the wayside once the U.S. Department of Justice took action in April. Other members of TwoPlusTwo continued to cast doubt on the validity of The Independent’s report. One player wrote, "Party has never had any interest in selling. This feels like an absolute recycle of the previous such rumor that they were going to be bought out by Harrah’s. Unsurprisingly, it turns out there was never such a thing on the table and the only connection was former Party CEO Mitch Garber moving to Caesars Interactive." Rumors have also persisted that the Ongame Network could be sold outright. To that end, Sharecast.com noted in a recent article, "Bwin.Party, the world's largest online gaming group, already has its poker network, Ongame, on the auction block. The sale is expected to generate between 20M and 30M Euros ($28.5m to $42.7m), a modest figure reflecting the loss of players the network will incur through the sale." But could a deal between Wynn and Bwin.Party be finalized before online poker is legalized in the United States? And will it matter? This week, the New York Post published an article stating that online poker legislation could be coming sooner rather than later. One source told the Post, "I think there is becoming a feeling in Congress that this is something that needs to be regulated and be done. I believe there is a possibility a bill will pass towards the end of the year." Media Man will be following the story with weekly reports.

FTSE 250 Movers: Bwin.party bid may be on the cards...

Bwin.party Digital Entertainment saw its share price head north as rumours persist that a US company has it in its sights.

Casinos operator Wynn Resorts is one name in the frame, with a take-out price of 170p per share being talked about.

Bwin.party, the world's largest online gaming group, already has its US poker network, OnGame, on the auction block.

The sale is expected to generate between 20m and 30m euros ($28.5m to $42.7m), a modest figure reflecting the loss of players the network will encur through the sale.

Irish mining company Kenmare Resources was rapidly heading back down following a rally of 7.5% on Monday on the back of a tip in the Daily Telegraph which declared Kenmare a "bargain share".

FTSE 250 - Risers
Bwin.party Digital Entertainment (BPTY) 112.50p +6.43%

Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month Award'...

PartyCasino.com has once again won the Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award. Richard Branson's VirginCasino.com picked up 2nd place, while new entrant into the Asia Pacific Region, Grand Reef Online Casino picks up 3rd. Well done to all brands.

Betfair Poaches Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Executive...

A talent war of sorts has broken out between Bwin.Party and Betfair, with Betfair scoring the most recent strike.

Betfair has by all accounts poached bwin.party’s central marketing director Matt Robinson to become the firm's emerging markets director, a new role created for the top notch gaming executive.

Robinson, who has been at PartyGaming, today known as bwin.party, for two years and was previously at 888 for six years launching the brand in the UK, will join the betting exchange in September reporting to chief commercial officer Niall Wass.

Media Man wishes him well, and holds both Bwin.Party and Betfair in high regard.

*The writer has conducted b2 with Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment and Betfair.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-08-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

American Gaming News: PartyCasino To Get Andre The Giant Online Slot Game

Scoop: PartyCasino.com By Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment To Get Andre The Giant Online Slot Game

Profiles

Dwayne Johnson The Rock Hulk Hogan Roddy Piper Andre The Giant Wrestling WWE Movies Television Hollywood NBC Warner Bros. Paramount Pictures Media Man

Andre The Giant Slot Game Developed By NextGen Gaming

Legendary wrestler Andre The Giant now has his own slot game. The game was developed by developer NextGen Gaming. The slot game is expected to go live before the conclusion of this year and is tipped to be added to the portfolio of PartyCasino.com Media Man reports.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Wrestling News Media

Australian Sports Entertainment

Sports Entertainment News

2011-08-29T00:50:00.000-07:00

Leonardo DiCaprio to Star in The Gambler Remake, by Greg Tingle - 28th August 2011

Profiles

Movies Hollywood Paramount Pictures Celebrities Casino Movies Casinos Gambling Media Man

Paramount Pictures are revisiting the 1974 movie with Martin Scorsese in the director's chair and recently landed Leonardo DiCaprio in the leading role. The script about a literature professor with a gambling addiction is being written by William Monahan, who also wrote The Departed, another Scorsese-DiCaprio film. It wouldn't even be the first remake DiCaprio will have worked on this year — he recently finished work on Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby. Nor would it be the first or even second time he'll have worked with Scorsese. In fact, this would be the fifth time, with their joint titles including last year's Shutter Island and the Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator, for which DiCaprio won a Golden Globe in 2004.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Media Man Games

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-08-26T23:48:00.000-07:00

IGT Wins Again with Sex And The City Big Diamonds!™...

The sequel to record-breaking Sex And The City™slot debuts

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 17, 2011 - It's a blockbuster summer for International Game Technology with the debut of Sex And The City Big Diamonds!™ Reel MultiPLAY Slots, the sequel to the award-winning Sex And The City™ slot machine.

This new slot game is appearing in casinos worldwide where it is sure to be equally as fantastic as the original.

"The original Sex And The City™ Slots remain one of the most popular games on casino floors throughout the world," said Tom Mikulich, IGT senior vice president of MegaJackpots. "And if early reviews are any indication, we expect the new Sex And The City Big Diamonds!™ title to be just as popular with players. The combination of unique game play and interactive bonuses will entertain fans of the original game and new players alike."

Players will experience even more glitz and glamour on the casino floor as Sex And The City Big Diamonds!™ joins the award-winning, player-favorite original, Sex And The City™ Slots. And not only have players fallen in love with the smash-hit Sex And The City™ slot theme, it's also a favorite with the casino industry. According to the Roth Fantini Quarterly Slot Survey of January 2011, the original Sex And The City™ title, introduced in 2009, continues its lead as the top performing premium leased game in North America.

"It's hard to imagine a tougher act to follow than the original Sex And The City(TM) slot game, but with Sex And The City Big Diamonds!(TM), IGT clearly has another big winner," said Robert Allen, corporate vice president of Casino Operations at Pinnacle Entertainment.

Adorned with a diamond-lit cabinet, the Sex And The City Big Diamonds!™ game is the perfect sequel. Along with its sophisticated presentation, Sex And The City Big Diamonds!™ Reel MultiPLAY interface comes with all new bonus content and features five progressive pick bonus levels, one for each of the five characters of the hit series.

Mr. Big is back and his winning charm is bigger than ever. He steals players' hearts with a random wilds diamond shower feature in the base game.

Carrie's bonus is called The Right to Shoes, and in this version, players will experience a marvelous new twist using the "accept or reject" bonus feature. Charlotte's bonus is the Glamorous Gifts bonus, which awards the player a virtual wheel spin. In Miranda's Retail Therapy bonus, players touch the screen to spin the wheel to award shopping bags filled with credits, multipliers and maybe an additional spin. And in Samantha's Glimmer Ring bonus, players can populate gems in the top box display while a diamond ring moves back and forth, highlighting the potential for big wins.

Sex And The City Big Diamonds!™ will be available throughout the U.S. Visit www.megajackpots.com/wheretoplay/bigdiamonds to find out where you can play the game now.

About IGT

International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) is a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of gaming machines and systems products, as well as online and mobile gaming solutions for regulated markets. More information about IGT is available at www.IGT.com or follow IGT on Twitter at @IGTNews or Facebook at www.facebook.com/IGT

Official HBO Licensed Product. © 2011 Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HBO and related trademarks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc.

Ric Flair: Boozing Has Not Damaged My Heart...

Wrestling icon Ric Flair is furious over an article which claims the Nature Boy is suffering from a serious medical condition caused by years of hardcore boozing ... because Ric claims it's not true and now he's threatening to sue.

The unflattering article -- which paints Flair as a troubled, irresponsible mess of a person -- ran on an ESPN affiliated website called Grantland.com ... and the report is mostly based on court documents.

But Flair is particularly pissed about the reporter's claim that he suffers from Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy -- a disease caused by years of alcohol abuse which often leads to heart failure.

A rep for Flair whose real name is Richard Fliehr - tells TMZ, "While the information gleaned from courthouse records may be credible, Mr. Fliehr is currently evaluating his legal options with respect to falsehoods in the story, specifically the untrue statement that he suffers from alcoholic cardiomyopathy."

The rep adds, "Our client understands that these allegations are part of the territory when you are not only famous, but a living legend."

Hulk Hogan And Friends Tours American Casinos And Arenas; Gamble Paying Off...

Hulk and Friends, the live show that has been touring the country with stops at casinos, fairgrounds, arenas and other venues, announced that fans will have the chance to meet their favorite wrestlers in a unique and up-close setting on Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 7:30 P.M. at the famous AG Hall, now known as the Agri-Plex within the Allentown Fairgrounds, in Allentown PA.

"I'm really looking forward to meeting all my fans in the Allentown area on October 8th" Hulk Hogan said. "We are having a great time doing this show. Meeting the fans, telling jokes, and brother, everybody's laughing more than we have in years" he continued. Not only will all the fan favorites be there but Hulk Hogan promises to bring some very special guests along with him. "You never know who is going to show up at a Hulk and Friends Show" he added.

Tickets will be going on sale August 5th through Ticketmaster. A limited number of ringside seats (which include a VIP Meet and Greet) are also available. For those interested in sponsorship opportunities, please go to the official website www.hulkandfriends.com

Media Man Website Network Attracting Close To 6 Million Hits Per Month...

The well known Media Man website network, the online arm of Media Man, is attracting close to 6 million hits per month. The company was established in 2001 and coverage over a dozen different business sectors. Some of the Media Man website portals are listed in the Hitwise Australia top ten (entertainment - personalities category). Media Man is currently focused on the celebrity, film and television, technology, gaming and community sector. They plan to further ramp up their Casino News Media, Property News Media and Wrestling News Media brands.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-08-25T17:19:00.001-07:00

American Gaming News Website Network Updated

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-08-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

Wynn Resorts May Purchase Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, by Greg Tingle - 20th August 2011

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com Steve Wynn World Poker Tour United States Media Man

Earlier this year, PartyGaming and bwin merged to create Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, which is traded on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol BPTY. In an news article that appeared in The Independent last Tuesday, it was noted that since the two online gaming giants merged, the combined company’s share price has dipped by nearly half. While part of the drop might be due to a slowing economic environment worldwide and so no action might be needed, other entities felt that an infusion could be in the offing.

The Independent added that Wynn Resorts, headed up by Steve Wynn, has emerged as a possible investor in the newly formed gaming giant, which is focused on the European market and continues to feature two separate online poker rooms. Readers will recall just before Black Friday in the United States, PokerStars and Wynn Resorts announced that, once a gaming license was secured in the United States, the two companies would team up to launch Poker Stars Wynn.

Following Black Friday, in which the founders of PokerStars were indicted on charges that included money laundering and bank fraud, the deal with Wynn was called off as you would expect.

The news outlet cautioned, however, that investors might wait for the gaming environment in the United States to be sorted out first: "Not everyone agreed with the chatter, however, with one trader saying acquisitions in the sector were unlikely until there was further clarification over the potential regulation of online gambling in the U.S."

On Thursday, shares of Bwin.Party closed at 106.50 in London. Other rumored "aggressors," as the Independent calls prospective investors, include William Hill, which is also publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange. Shares of BPTY stood above 160 pence in April, but have since dipped.

One poster on the TwoPlusTwo forum, questioned whether the rumors of a Wynn takeover were plausible: "So the newly merged Bwin.Party will sell to Wynn before even taking advantage of all the millions of Euros they will make in the first two years by virtue of the their merger synergies?"

Despite the merger, PartyPoker.com remains the flagship site of its own network, while bwin makes its home on the Ongame Network alongside rooms such as Betfair.

Caesars Entertainment, one of the principal competitors of Wynn Resorts, has partnered with 888, also a publicly traded company in London. Prior to Black Friday, Full Tilt Poker teamed up with Fertitta Interactive, whose ownership group has strong ties to Station Casinos. Along with the PokerStars - Wynn deal, the latter fell by the wayside once the U.S. Department of Justice took action in April.

Other members of TwoPlusTwo continued to cast doubt on the validity of The Independent’s report. One player wrote, "Party has never had any interest in selling. This feels like an absolute recycle of the previous such rumor that they were going to be bought out by Harrah’s. Unsurprisingly, it turns out there was never such a thing on the table and the only connection was former Party CEO Mitch Garber moving to Caesars Interactive."

Rumors have also persisted that the Ongame Network could be sold outright. To that end, Sharecast.com noted in a recent article, "Bwin.Party, the world's largest online gaming group, already has its poker network, Ongame, on the auction block. The sale is expected to generate between 20M and 30M Euros ($28.5m to $42.7m), a modest figure reflecting the loss of players the network will incur through the sale."

But could a deal between Wynn and Bwin.Party be finalized before online poker is legalized in the United States? And will it matter? This week, the New York Post published an article stating that online poker legislation could be coming sooner rather than later. One source told the Post, "I think there is becoming a feeling in Congress that this is something that needs to be regulated and be done. I believe there is a possibility a bill will pass towards the end of the year."

Media Man will be following the story with weekly reports.

*The writer has conducted b2 with Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment and Betfair.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-08-16T17:42:00.001-07:00

Gaming And Financial Market Report: Investors take a flutter on Bwin.party bid talk - 16th August 2011

Websites

PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com

Profiles

PartyCasino.com Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Casino PartyPoker.com

Takeover talk was on the cards for Bwin.party yesterday, as investors mulled over whether to take a gamble on the online gaming group after rumours emerged it could be in line for an approach from the US.

The company has existed in its current form only since March, when the merger between PartyGaming and Austria's Bwin was completed. Since then, however, a steady slide – exacerbated by the sharp falls seen across the markets in the past few weeks – has resulted in its share price plummeting by 45 per cent.

The move has prompted chatter that the world's biggest listed online gambling group may become a target, and yesterday vague speculation suggested the casinos group Wynn Resorts, whose chief executive is the Las Vegas billionaire Steve Wynn, could be a potential aggressor.

With the gossip claiming a possible bid could reach as high as 170p a share, Bwin.party managed to touch 107.8p during trading before closing at 105.7p, a rise over the session of 1.7p.

Not everyone agreed with the chatter, however, with one trader saying acquisitions in the sector were unlikely until there was further clarification over the potential regulation of online gambling in the US.

The recent rumours came after mutterings last week suggested potential aggressors for Bwin.party could come from closer to home, with William Hill – up 1.9p to 224p – one of the names linked.

Those in the City returning to their desks after the FTSE 100's volatile movements last week would not have been blamed for being somewhat fearful over what the days ahead would hold, yet the top-tier index ended up powering forwards 30.55 points to 5,350.58, its third consecutive session on the rise.

Nonetheless, traders were still cautious. "We are not out of the woods yet," said one, who added that he would feel more confident if the banks managed a sustained rally as well. That was certainly not the case yesterday as – with nerves raised ahead of today's key meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's President Nicolas Sarkozy on the eurozone crisis – the sector was left in the red.

Following reports suggesting "ring fencing" proposals could be tougher than anticipated, Barclays dropped 3.85p to 183.35p, while Lloyds Banking Group was 0.59p behind at 33.23p. Meanwhile, HSBC fell 4.6p to 547.2p despite being picked by JP Morgan Cazenove as one of the more attractive stocks after the recent sell-off.

Saying that "equity markets are oversold and [we] see many signs of panic", the broker added that "indiscriminate selling is offering great opportunities if one can look through the current extreme volatility."

Also among its picks were Amec, which finished 43.5p stronger at 949p, and Xstrata. The latter was lifted 21.5p to 1,092.5p, and – with data from Japan showing its economy for the second quarter had shrunk less than feared – the rest of the miners were also rising.

SABMiller pushed up 15p to 2,105p after Nomura raised its glass to the Grolsch brewer and toasted its emerging markets exposure. Cutting its growth expectations for the amount of beer consumed in Western Europe and US, the broker pointed out that around 84 per cent of SABMiller's profits come from outside these regions and raised its recommendation to "buy" as a result.

However, Nomura's analysts were less keen on Diageo, dropping its advice to "neutral", thanks to its new estimates that spirit volumes Stateside will rise only 1 per cent next year, although the owner of Smirnoff vodka and Bell's whisky still ticked up 11p to 1,189p.

Down on the FTSE 250, there was a definite appetite for Domino's Pizza as the pizza delivery company – recently the subject of bid rumours – surged forwards 24p to 486.8p, helped by Peel Hunt upgrading its rating to "buy".

As well as claiming that investors now have "a rare second chance to buy into Domino's iconic marketing enterprise", the broker's analysts added that they would "also take seriously recent social developments which, even after calm has been restored, may result in a subtle shift between the considerations for going out as opposed to staying at home".

The wooden spoon on the mid-tier index was taken by Michael Page, with the recruiter dropping sharply as it released its interim results. The company ended up shedding 32.4p to finish at 368p after saying it was being knocked by hiring freezes among the European banks, several of which have recently announced large job losses.

It was a good session for the explorers operating off the coast of the Falkland Islands, with Rockhopper increasing its estimates for its Sea Lion discovery. As a result it spurted up 19.25p to 237p on the Alternative Investment Market, while Desire Petroleum – which operates in the same region – was 2.25p higher at 19.25p.

Sportingbet chatter a rare ray of light in a gloomy market; UK Report...

Takeover tittle-tattle engulfing the internet gambling industry provided a welcome distraction on an otherwise miserable morning in the markets today.

Sportingbet, at present being courted by Ladbrokes, rose 3.3p to 53.7p as investors bet that a deal is imminent. Sportingbet's rival GVC Holdings said it is in exclusive discussions with the company about buying its Turkish language website. According to Evolution Securities, a sale of the site would "pave the way for a Ladbrokes takeover [of Sportingbet]."

Recycled bid speculation also pushed Bwin.party Digital Entertainment into first place on the FTSE 250 winners' list. The ludicrously named gambling group is rumoured to be in the sights of either bookmaker William Hill or a predator from across the Atlantic, Wynn Resorts. Gossips named a price of up to 170p per share for an approach: that's already 10p more than they were dreaming about last Friday. Bwin.party, formed from the merger of PartyGaming and Austria's Bwin, surged 7.4p to 113.1p.

UBS also gave the stock a boost, noting that it is trading at levels last seen during the market panic which ensued after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. That is, according to the big-hitting bank, despite the prospect of €55 million (£48.3 million) of "merger synergies", the demise of a major rival (Full Tilt Poker) and better-than-ever prospects for re-entering the US poker market.

But analyst Simon Whittington added that first-half results at the end of the month are likely to be lacklustre and may provide an even better buying opportunity. He is a buyer of Bwin, and has a 185p price target.

Shares in London ended their three-day winning streak after disappointing German GDP data renewed investors' fears for global growth. The FTSE 100 fell 55.16 points to 5295.42, dragged down by mining stocks because of their exposure to economic growth. Xstrata dropped 35½p to 1057p, Kazakhmys lost 28p to 1022p and Chilean copper producer Antofagasta shed 34p to 1230p.

Car parts maker GKN was the worst performer on the top flight though, off 7.5p at 194.7p, as auto stocks were sold-off amid concerns that the economic slowdown will hit demand.

Only a smattering of blue-chips managed to post any gains. They were mostly "safe haven" stocks: drug-makers Shire and GlaxoSmithKline ticked up 14p to 1965p and 5p to 1282p respectively, and gold miner Randgold Resources climbed 60p to 6240p.

Recruitment firm Harvey Nash was 4p up at 72p as investors applauded a 40% jump in first-half profits. Polo Resources surged 0.4p to 5.3p after doubling its proposed special dividend to 2p per share. It comes after the mining investment vehicle sold its stake in Caledon Resources.

PartyCasino.com new players get up to $3000 sign up bonus via Media Man and Casino News Media

Websites

PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Global Gaming Directory

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Media Man Games

2011-08-14T21:34:00.001-07:00

PartyCasino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award

PartyCasino.com has been awarded the Media Man and Casino News Media "Online Casino Of The Month".

Profiles

PartyCasino.com Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyPoker.com Sin City Sinatra Slot PartyPoints Palladium Slot Live Dealer

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment's igaming suite has grown a custom to winning awards since they first opened for business in 1997.

The competition to knock off PartyCasino.com for the coveted award was intense again this month with massive bids from both WPT Casino, Captain Cooks Casino, Virgin Casino, Betfair, PKR and Noble Casino however there can only be one winner... ladies and gentlemen, that's PartyCasino.com

The award follows PartyPoker's EGR Poker Operator Of The Year and PartyGaming also made the shortlist for EGR Operator Of The Year. Recently Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment's PartyPoker.com also won the Casino News Media "Online Poker Website Of The Month".

The Media Man - Casino News Media accolade is based on a combination of elements including user experience, innovation, trustworthiness, customer service, gameplay, affiliate program offerings, newsworthiness and company values.

PartyCasino.com is one of a number of Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment brands.

The most popular PartyCasino.com games of late include Frank Miller's Sin City, The Sting, Heist, Circus, Rambo, Palladium Slot, The Godfather, Sinatra, Slotbox, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Mission: Impossible, The Terminator, Cleopatra, Sinatra, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man, Monopoly, Resident Evil, Melon Madness, Wheel Of Fortune and Mega Fortune Wheel.

The PartyCasino.com jackpot is currently approaching the $4 million mark. Players can also compete for The Big One and Marvel Hero Jackpot, playing the Marvel super hero themed online slot games.

PartyCasino's most recent game releases include Frank Miller's Sin City, The Sting, Enchanted Unicorn, Shaaark! SuperBet, Crocodopolis, Alice's Wonderland, Glamour Puss, Super Cubes, Heist, Palladium Slot and Circus Slot.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Co-CEO Jim Ryan has gone on record advising PartyCasino will soon feature more Hollywood blockbuster themed slots. A few in the know journalists and media agents have been recently tipped off that an all time classic movie adaption will be showcased in the PartyCasino portfolio within 1 month. PartyCasino has the world's most impressive line up of Hollywood themed games, and more are just around the corner.

PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com customers can also benefit from rewards and bonuses via PartyPoints and the Palladium Lounge. Be certain to check out the PartyCasino exclusive "Cash Machine" that is being championed as one of the greatest online casino promos ever.

Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.

Websites

PartyCasino.com

PartyPoker.com

Profiles

PartyGaming PartyCasino PartyPoker PartyBingo Circus PartyCasino Marvel Slots The Big One Melon Madness Casino World Poker Tour PartyCasino Promotions

2011-08-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Gaming, Airline Stocks Take Hit; U.S. Market Decline, by Greg Tingle - 8th August 2011

Profiles

Casinos World Casino Directory Promotions Las Vegas United States Casino Promotions Property World Directory Media Man

Gaming and airline stocks fell today amid a massive market decline tied to the U.S. debt downgrade and recessionary fears.

Just after 8 a.m. Las Vegas time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 2.17 percent, with stocks sensitive to consumer sentiment...like gaming stocks...particularly hard hit.

MGM Resorts International stock was off 6 percent at $11.90, Las Vegas Sands Corp. was down more than 6 percent at $39.20, Wynn Resorts fell 5 percent to $132.94 and Boyd Gaming Corp. was down more than 8 percent at $6.36.

Two of the larger casino operators in Las Vegas, Caesars Entertainment Corp. and Station Casinos LLC, don’t have publicly traded stock.

The stocks of two important airline operators in Las Vegas, Allegiant Travel Co. and Southwest Airlines Co., also fell, 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively.

Even before Standard & Poor’s cut the federal debt rating by a notch on Friday, consumer confidence was declining and that’s terrible news for gaming and other stocks tied to discretionary spending.

That’s because consumers are less likely to book vacations to Las Vegas and other leisure destinations if they see their 401(k) accounts declining and are worried they may be laid off.

Bloomberg last week reported its Consumer Comfort Index – based on phone surveys with consumers – fell to its lowest level in May as consumers were worried about jobs, the declining stock market and political fighting over the U.S. debt ceiling.

Experts are busy analysing the damage to land based casino operators VS online casino operators.

Bwin.Party. Digital Entertainment Shares Dip To Record Low; Online Players Up...

The global economic slump has once again impacted the share price of Bwin.Party, as share prices of the parent company that owns PartyCasino.com World Poker Tour and PartyPoker.com reached a record low less than 48 hours ago.

Bwin.Party share prices dropped as low as 113.8p prior to closing at 116.9p - a 5.7% decline in one day. Experts are investigating what may have caused a sudden decline in the share prices of the gaming giant.

There is an overall downward trend of the market. Bwin also has an increased reliance on Euro-zone troubled markets. Before merger of PartyGaming and Bwin, the latter showed that 11% of its revenue is generated from Greece.

The European Commission’s president Jose Manuel Barroso is warning European governments that the financial troubles of Greece, Portugal and Ireland could spread to Italy and Spain. Italy alone represents 10% of Bwin’s revenues.

Bwin.Party's online arm is business usual. PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com is continuing to run a number of attractive promotions, and the company looks like a safe bet to retain it's #1 position as the world's leading online gambling firm.

PartyPoker Sending Players to Oktoberfest...

Starting this coming Friday, PartyPoker players will be able to take the first step on a possible trip to Germany to join in one of the world’s most famous parties. Through the first week of September, PartyPoker will award 16 packages to the 201-year old Oktoberfest, held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

Beginning at the stroke of midnight on August 12th, PartyPoker will hold a VIP Oktoberfest Race, in which players can try to earn as many PartyPoints as possible at real money tables through August 21st. When the Race period is complete, the top seven points earners will each win Oktoberfest prize packages. In addition to those winners, players who finish from 8th to 25th will receive $250, 26th through 75th place will win $100, and places 76 through 400 will all receive a seat in September’s VIP Oktoberfest and Super Gadget Freeroll.

There will then be a second VIP Oktoberfest Race starting immediately after the first one ends, at midnight on August 22nd, and running through 11:59pm on August 31st. All of the prizes are exactly the same for Race number two.

Those who finish in the top 25 in both races will be gifted a 16 GB Apple iPad2, while anyone who finishes in the top 75 in both races will win a 64 GB iPod Touch.

The VIP Oktoberfest and Super Gadget Freeroll will be held on September 4th at 2:00pm ET. An Oktoberfest prize package will be handed out to the top two finishers in the tournament, while the remainder of the top 30 will receive Apple electronics. Those who round out the top five will win 4 GB Apple iPhones, 6th through 10th will get the 16 GB Apple iPad2, and 11th through 30th will win a 64 GB iPod Touch.

Players are allowed to win a maximum of one Oktoberfest prize package and one Apple electronic gadget.

The Oktoberfest prize package includes two night’s accommodation for two, with breakfast, at the Le Meridien hotel in Munich, dinner and drinks at the Hippodrom Oktoberfest tent, dinner and poker at the Olympic Tower restaurant, access to a reserved area and drinks at the P1 nightclub, daytime activities, all transportation in Munich, VIP hospitality, and $600 spending money. Travel to and from Munich is the responsibility of the winner, which is why the $600 is included.

Keep in mind that, like most of PartyPoker’s promotions, players must opt-in in order to participate. The option to opt-in can be found on players’ PartyPoker account pages. In addition, prizes cannot be transferred or exchanged for cash, so if you win a trip to Germany, you are going or you get nothing. For the rest of the terms and conditions, including how to claim prizes (yes, players must claim their Apple gadget prizes – they are not mailed automatically), visit PartyPoker’s web page.

PartyPoker is currently the third largest online poker room or network in terms of cash game traffic, according to PokerScout.com. With a seven day average of 4,200 cash game players, it is neck-and-neck with the iPoker Network, which has 4,250 cash game players. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Australian Casino News

Australian Casinos

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-08-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Caesars Entertainment wins approval for $500m Vegas project - 9th August 2011

Profiles

Casinos World Casino Directory Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas United States Travel Property World Directory Media Man

Caesars Entertainment has won approval for a major new entertainment, retail and dining development – codenamed Project Ling – in Las Vegas.

Clark County commissioners offered its approval to the project – situated between the Imperial Palace and the Flamingo casinos – earlier, with Caesars now hoping to break ground later this month.

When completed – in 2013 - the $500 million complex will include the biggest Ferris wheel in the world.

At 550-foot, the wheel will be larger than the Singapore Flyer and the London Eye.

“This is more of an entertainment experience,” explained Caesars spokesman Gary Thompson, noting Project Ling will offer no central gaming area.

It is hoped the project will create 3,000 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs.

Caesars Palace Las Vegas Gets World Class Entertainment...

Celine Dion
Celine has always been a pioneer when it comes to creating groundbreaking concert performances and this next adventure promises to be the best ever! Featuring 31 musicians, consisting of orchestra and band, Celine’s new show will include her biggest hits performed with a stunning visual presentation.

Jerry Seinfeld
Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner and entertainment icon Jerry Seinfeld is still a front-runner in the ratings. As a testament to its success in the television landscape, TV Guide's poll of the "Greatest Shows of All Time" listed "Seinfeld" as #1.

Rod Stewart
Legendary rock icon Rod Stewart returns to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace for the first 18 concerts of his two-year Las Vegas residency, kicking off on August 24, 2011. Rod Stewart: The Hits. will be a concert celebration featuring a set list of the rock and R&B favorites which have defined Stewart’s unparalleled five-decade-long career.

Luis Miguel
Latin music superstar Luis Miguel will return to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in celebration of the 2011 Mexican Independence Day weekend September 15-18 at 9 p.m. The four night engagement is presented jointly by AEG Live and Caesars Palace.

Elton John's Million Dollar Piano
World-renowned singer, songwriter and performer, Elton John will return to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace with an all new show, “The Million Dollar Piano,” beginning September 28 for sixteen shows. Elton’s September return will mark the beginning of a three-year residency at The Colosseum and his second as a Caesars Palace headliner.

Shania Twain
Shania Twain, international superstar and the world’s best-selling female country artist of all time returns to the stage and vocal spotlight with a two-year residency at The Colosseum.

Matt Goss
Produced by Robin Antin, creator of The Pussycat Dolls, Goss' show will offer a dynamic blend of musical talent.

Spiegeltent At Caesars Palace

Absinthe
Absinthe is taking Las Vegas by storm, stripside at Caesars Palace. Described by The New York Times as “Cirque channeled through The Rocky Horror Show”, Absinthe is an intoxicating collision of circus, burlesque and vaudeville featuring curious creatures, heavenly bodies and outrageous comedy.

*Media Man public thank you to Caesars Palace management and media unit.

Websites

Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Caesars.com

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Australian Casino News

Australian Casinos

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

2011-08-04T08:16:00.001-07:00

Casino News Media: What's The Craic? THE PKR World Poker Tour(R) Ireland Set For January 2012

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyPoker.com PartyCasino.com PKR.com World Poker Tour Poker Online Poker Ireland Casinos World Casino Directory

LOS ANGELES – 2nd August 2011 -- World Poker Tour ® is thrilled to announce a new date for its historic 10th season, as the main tour stops on the Emerald Isle for the very first time. The PKR.com WPT Ireland, featuring a €2,500 buy-in (10% withheld), will take place at the legendary City West Hotel in Dublin from Thursday 5th January – Sunday 8th January 2012.

WPT Ireland is the first event in a three-year deal inked between the World Poker Tour and leading next generation online poker room PKR.com, renowned for its thriving community and innovative 3D software.

As well as being a major tour stop that will award a $25,500 seat for the WPT World Championship, the PKR.com WPT Ireland will also incorporate the popular Irish Poker Championships, formerly held in Galway in early January. The €750 IPC Event will be part of a competitive series of side events to be announced shortly. Additionally, qualifiers coming through PKR.com will also win exclusive access to the PKR WPT Experience. Continuing on from their popular series of events during the WSOP in Las Vegas, players will now get to enjoy great parties and special events in Dublin around the WPT Main Event.

Adam Pliska, President of the World Poker Tour said: “We are excited to be join with our partner PKR.com to bring the World Poker Tour to Ireland for the very first time. The history and heritage of poker in the Emerald Isle make it a tremendous tour stop and the beautiful City West Hotel and all of its top-notch accommodations will make this a memorable event.”

Simon Prodger, Marketing Director of PKR said: “We are delighted to partner with the World Poker Tour to bring an event to Ireland for the very first time. Dublin will be a fantastic tour stop and we think the combination of high quality poker and the Irish spirit of fun will draw players from all over the world.”

Online qualifiers get underway on PKR.com later this month.

The most recent stop on the World Poker Tour, WPT Slovenia, presented by Goldbet.com, was won by Slovenia’s Miha Travnik, a 20-year old playing in his first major live tournament, who took down $144,399, including a $25,500 entry to the 2012 WPT World Championship at the Bellagio. Next month the highly anticipated Legends of Poker kicks off WPT Season X in the US on August 25 at the Bicycle Casino outside Los Angeles. Prior to shuffle up and deal, WPT will hold a press conference announcing a variety of new initiatives and developments for Season X, as well as award World Poker Tour Season IX Player of the Year Andy Frankenberger his POY trophy.

ABOUT WORLD POKER TOUR
World Poker Tour (WPT) is one of the most recognized names in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online and mobile. Leading innovation in the sport of poker since 2002, WPT ignited the global poker boom with the creation of a unique television show based on a series of high stakes poker tournaments. WPT has broadcast globally in over 150 countries and territories and is currently airing its all-new ninth season on FSN in the United States. Season 9 of WPT is sponsored by ClubWPT.com, a unique online membership site which offers inside access to the WPT as well as a sweepstakes-based poker club and is available in 35 states across the U.S. WPT participates in strategic brand license, partnership and sponsorship opportunities. WPT is a subsidiary of bwin.party digital entertainment plc. For more information, go to WorldPokerTour.com

ABOUR PKR (WWW.PKR.COM)
PKR is a revolutionary new concept in online poker that has changed the way the game is played. Featuring stunning real-time 3D graphics and a uniquely engaging and immersive gaming system, PKR brings an unparalleled and previously unseen level of realism to online poker. Developed by some of the brightest stars in the video games and poker industries, PKR continues to be the most innovative poker room in the world.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Global Gaming Directory

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Media Man Games