Wednesday, 29 March, 2006
The online casino Bodog.com is already one of the most innovative and exciting online gambling sites. They feature not only a full online casino with all the usual games, but they have a very popular Poker room and Sportsbook to gamble on sporting events.
But this apparently is not enough for CEO Calvin Ayre, who has made it clear that he intends to break into mainstream entertainment. He has done so in a big way this week, announcing Bodog’s first-ever Battle of the Bands.
Bands who are interested in joining can go to bodogmusic.com and sign up to try on get on the show, which will be filmed and televised as a reality show. But Ayre has made it clear that the show is ‘about the music, the bands’ and not about image, like some other music-based reality shows. Though he didn’t name the shows, it is assumed he means popular shows such as American Idol and Nashville Star.
The grand-prize winner of the competition will win a whopping $1 million prize, plus guaranteed international distribution of their album, touring support, music videos, marketing and other support.
Wednesday, 29 March, 2006
In a move that has been whispered about and debated for over two years, Nevada has finally approved mobile gambling for use in public areas in and around casinos.
Bingo Halls within casinos have already had portable devices called BingoStar to give out to customers, who were allowed to use them in restaurants, swimming areas, bars and other places within the casino. The casinos that already have these devices simply plan to add more games such as Roulette, Blackjack, Poker and more.
Other casinos seem to be waiting to see if the idea will be a success, including giants Harrah’s and MGM Grand. They are not sure what the interest will be. But one thing is for sure- they do offer the chance to increase their revenues. If a customer is watching a show, lounging at the pool or sunbathing, they are not earning the casino any money. But if they have a portable device and are gambling, they will.
New Jersey is expected to be the next state to approve the measures, as there is already a bill on the table that would allow it. It is still up for debate and has met some opposition. However, the bill is expected to pass sometime this spring. It would make Atlantic City only the second place in the country where mobile gambling is allowed, behind Las Vegas.
Wednesday, 29 March, 2006
In a move that only shows how much the online casino industry has grow, PlayTech has recently acquired membership in the RGA.
The RGA stands for the Remote Gambling Association. Membership can only be had software providers that license or supply products to an online casino in the EEA (European Economic Area), the Isle of Mann or one of the Channel Islands. PlayTech recently started doing this for the Hard Rock Casino, which is licensed in Alderney, one of the Channel Islands.
Membership in the RGA can prove to be very useful to any company in the online casino business. The RGA works to protect the interests of all of its members within the online gambling community. They particularly pay attention to regulatory bodies and any laws that may infringe upon the business practices of its members. In addition, RGA also acts a bit like a watchdog group, making sure that its members comply with basic guidelines for honesty and fairness in how they run their casinos.
PlayTech is based out of Cyprus and is one of the leaders in software technology in the online gambling world. Their software is available at many of the finest online casinos in the industry including such popular ones as Golden Palace. Their NextGen software is thought to be the wave of the future, and they continue to strive for improvement in their products all the time.
Wednesday, 15 March, 2006
With thousands of Platinum VIP members, Gambling.com is one of the larger online casino portals that cater to High Rollers. But simply being an online magazine was not enough- now they have a glossy magazine as well.
This week, Gambling.com unveiled their new print magazine that is supposed to attract over 100,000 readers initially. More than half of that total is expected to be made up of the most active of all of the Platinum VIP members, comprised of casino High Rollers. These High Rollers bet huge amounts at online casinos and are very gambling savvy. The style of the magazine plays off of that savvy.
The magazine covers all things gambling, with part of the focus on online gambling specifically. The premier issue came out this week and features an interview with Poker expert Jennifer Harman, handicapping on the NCAA tournament and even a feature an Andy Bloch of the infamous MIT card counting group.
Future issues will continue to focus on Poker, casinos and online sportsbooks, all with a slant towards High Rollers and their needs.
Wednesday, 15 March, 2006
Following the recent trend of harsher enforcement of gambling laws, the UK has announced that they are cracking down on owners and operators of online sports betting sites, most popularly known as sportsbooks.
Sportsbooks take wagers online for everything from specific sporting events, point spreads and even propositional bets, such as who would finish last in a tournament. Several sportsbooks have started making serious money lately, prompting a surge in brand new sportsbooks online.
As with any industry, a few of the newer sportsbooks have shady business practices, which is causing the government to further enforce laws that already exist, while also threatening to create new laws.
The crackdown includes fines for bookies that don’t comply with laws, as well as removal of licenses to operate in the UK for repeat offenders.
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