Monthly Archives: December 2007

A New Casino Site for the Spanish market

A new online casino and sportsbook – Begawin.com – has been recently launched by Malta-licensed Begawin Malta Ltd for the Spanish market.

The site is promised to be confining its marketing activities to the Spanish market, though it will also feature games in English. There, a player can find casino games utilising Net Entertainment’s CasinoModule, a downloadable mobile casino product and a mobile sports betting connection of Moconso AG.

The site’s sportsbook offering odds on a number of international sporting events operates on the system called the Arland Technologies Bookmaker5 system. The sportsbook offers odds on a number of international sporting events, though its main focus is Spanish sports fictures.

The growth potential of the Spanish market cannot but be noticed. So, the success of Begawin.com seems to be inevitable.

Now, the Irish Open is for Ladies

An absolutely new event – a ladies-only game – is said to be added to the Irish Poker Open 2008.

Beginning on March 19th, player will vie in the 300 euro buy-in Super Satellite for a seat at the Main Event, which will start on the 20th with a 4,200 euro buy-in.

The poker fest will take place at the CityWest Hotel in Dublin. It’ll be finished off with a 1,500 euro buy-in No Limit Hold’em Freezeout, a Pot Limit Omaha Rebuy and another new event, the No Limit Hold’em Double Chance Scalp.

As for the Irish Open Ladies event, it will take place on March 22nd. It will be a No Limit Hold’em Freezeout tournament where women will buy in for 300 euros.

Nikki Newman, head of poker at paddypowerpoker website, thinks that the event will help bring more women into the game.

24hPoker.com Partners with Nordic Casino Ltd

A new Internet poker site will soon b released at KojakPoker.com by 24hPoker.com in partnership with Nordic Casino Ltd.

Nordic Casino, a major European media group, attracted attention of 24hPoker.com, the site belonging to 24hPoker Holding AB – a Swedish gaming group. The fact that Nordic Casino provides good marketing possibilities could not but be taken into consideration, as it is considered to be a key factor for success in the gaming industry.

24hPoker is licensed in Malta offers poker, a sportsbook and casino in the English language using 24hNetwork, Boss Media and Net Entertainment software.

German Monopolies will fight the Treaty?

According to the opinion of the European Commission Germany violates EU trade policies by standing behind the monopolies within the German market.

The debate between Germany and the European Commission is constant, though there is a German treaty that would open the online casinos market in 2008. But it’s hard to say what will happen to the German market over the next 12 months as the feasibility of the proposed treaty and the effect it would have on internet gambling and betting is being speculated on.

To note: most analysts agree that though the German online casino related companies may fight the Treaty, still it is inevitable.

Lotto24.co.uk Provides Access to European Lotteries

The launch of a UK lottery site has been recently announced by Tipp24, German lottery company. Lotto24.co.uk, the new site with a license secured from UK authorities, will provide access to a variety of European lotteries.

The launch of lotto24.co.uk followed last week’s launch of Jaxx.com, a sports betting subsidiary of Fluxx.com, Germany.

The interest of the German company in the British market is the result of “uncertainties surrounding the nation’s legislative situation and the possibility that restrictive laws could come into effect early next year”.

Despite uncertainties in German legislation, Tipp24 managed to post record third quarter earnings – almost $4.4 million, yearly revenues p 17% to $41.7 million and earnings before interest and tax up 2.4% to $7.6 million.

The company plans to stabilize its market share in the online lottery market and expects billings and revenues to grow.

The Game of Poker in Manhattan Produced Deadly Outcomes

An illegal poker game in Manhattan turned out to be the last day in the life of a former professor, Frank DeSena of Wayne. He was shot dead by a few gunmen wearing ski masks.

The game was held on the fifth floor of a commercial building on Fifth Avenue. The motive of the crime remains unclear. The gunmen managed to get in and opened the fire in spite of the fact that there was a guard on the ground floor. DeSena was shot in the torso. He was pronounced dead in the hospital.
DeSena was known to be a man who liked gambling. The fact that he was involved into illegal games surprised the people who knew him.

As for the poker game, it was going on for quite a while in the building. The investigation is going on, but as of Saturday, there were no arrests in the shooting.

High Stakes of Poker will Soon be on Air

Being the winner of ten WSOP bracelets and two WSOP Main Events, the first man to earn $1 million in poker tournaments, Doyle Brunson is going to take part in the soon to be televised series – High Stakes of Poker – where the minimum buy-in goes from $100,000 to $500,000. The event will be aired on November 5th.

Patrik Antonius, Daniel Negreanu, Jamie Gold and Barry Greenstein will also take part in the event. To attract amateurs, Guy Laliberte – the co-founder and CEO of the event – will enter the event as well. As Brunson quipped, Guy is the only guy who can really afford to play this high.

UltimateBet.com Releases Update

UltimateBet.com promises to take the online poker experience to a new and very exciting level with the launch of its latest software update which is full of new features.

A new resizable poker table function will enable players “to expand their viewing area along with the ability to tile and cascade tables for maximum organization”. Players will find there an option saving poker hand histories directly to a player’s hard drive. Besides, a unique hand history video player will allow players to relive a win or bad beat.

Being an existing UltimateBet.com player, you’ll get the update the next time you load game. New players can download the software for free.

Who Gains from Legal Proceedings Against Unibet?

A couple of days ago after the hearing Petter Nylander, Unibet’s CEO, was transferred from the Nertherlands to the French legal authorities in Nanterre. His bail amounted to €200,000.

In Nylander’s opinion the legal proceeding against Unibet has no sense, especially now when “the French government has publicly referred to the opening of its online gaming market. He thinks that it serves the commercial interests of France’s two state-owned monopolies. Nylander claims that the monopoly operators’ actions are “in… disregard of EU Treaties and the interests of French players”. So, the market needs being reformed.

Betfair will Operate in Australia

Residents of Australia’s most populated territory – New South Wales – will soon be able to enjoy Betfair’s expanded operations (taking racecourse bets), as “the government is looking into allowing Betfair and other online betting agencies to operate and advertise in NSW”.

Being allowed to operate and advertise services in NSW, Betfair will pay the government a “product fee of 20% of the betting company’s gross revenue from NSW bettors”.

The only obstacle for Betfair has been Racing NSW which, according to the company’s opinion, may lead to the loss of millions by the government if the online betting exchange enters the market and bettors bet online on horse racing.