Goodlatte to Make His Move Thursday

Goodlatte to Make His Move Thursday U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., has announced plans to reintroduce his Internet Gambling Prohibition Act on Thursday. A media alert released from Goodlatte's office this afternoon links the failure of Goodlatte's previous attempts to pass prohibitory legislation in the 106th (1999-2000) and 107th Congresses (2001-2002) to Jack Abramoff's "campaign of misinformation." Goodlatte's office notes that the original Internet Gambling Prohibition Act received support from more than 60 percent of the House but lacked the necessary sixty-seven percent required by suspension calendar rules. Various Republican Congressmen have in recent weeks discussed reform as a means to distance themselves from and correct the political scandals involving convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former House Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX). Amid allegations that the voting on I-gaming prohibition bills in 2000 was tainted by Abramoff and DeLay, the House has been motivated once again to tackle online gambling. Goodlatte's prohibition bills have differed from the more recent efforts by Rep. James Leach, R-Iowa, and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., in that they seek to amend the federal Wire Act with language to specify that remote forms of gambling are illegal. The efforts of Leach, who has already introduced a separate piece of prohibitory legislation this session, and Kyl focus instead on preventing the financial transactions that facilitate online gambling from taking place. The media alert from Goodlatte's office asserts further: "Abramoff's total disregard for the legislative process has allowed Internet gambling to continue thriving and it's now a $12 billion industry. The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act is vital to protect our children and communities from the problems of addiction, crime, bankruptcy and family difficulties that come from gambling." Click here to view the media alert from Rep. Goodlatte's office.

From Casinos to Strip Clubs, a Tour across South Africa

From Casinos to Strip Clubs, a Tour across South Africa Source: Big OC News Staff Strip clubs and casinos are both enjoying a rising popularity in South Africa these days. The businesses, which as recently as a decade ago were considered illegal, are now booming. Thousands of adult entertainment fans and casino gamblers pour into these venues each day. In the past, local residents who wished to gamble or watch a strip show, had to go to neighboring countries. However, since censorship collapsed with South Africa's transition to a democratic regime in 1994, pornography and casino gambling have turned into a regular sight in the country. Official records demonstrated that, including the national lottery, as many as 80% of the population gamble on a regular basis. The biggest boom appears to have been felt at the top end of the market, with major businesses having entered these once-taboo markets. Ultimately, these businesses dominated the underground organizations that previously led these industries. Derek Auret, CEO of the Casino Association of South Africa, was reported as saying that since the country's constitution became so liberal, people just do what they like to do. And, if it's naked strippers and casino chips that please the nation, so be it.

New Online Casino Software for Interactive Poker

New Online Casino Software for Interactive Poker By Andrew B Zone4Play’s new poker game is soon to be available to 10 million households in the UK. The game, ‘Face-Up Hold'em’, is designed for multiple e-gaming platforms and hopes to tap into the poker market that generated $4 billion in revenues in 2005.

‘Face-Up Hold'em’ is based on the popular Texas Hold'em Poker but with a fixed odds twist. It will be available on all interactive platforms in the UK including mobile, Internet and interactive TV; however, the focus will be on participation TV in particular.

In addition to the fixed odds set up, ‘Face-Up Hold’em’ will enable TV viewers to participate in poker TV shows by betting during each hand on the results of the game.

Shimon Citron, CEO of Zone4Play, said, ‘We are excited about the introduction of this new game, which strengthens Zone4Play's growing e-gaming portfolio, as market demand is proving to be higher than ever.’

World Poker Tour's Season Five Schedule Released

World Poker Tour's Season Five Schedule Released By Bob Pajich For CardPlayer.com In season five, like members of the Starship Enterprise, the World Poker Tour is going to a place it never has been before. In doing so, two familar tournaments have been axed. The WPT will visit Mandalay Bay for the first time in the fifth season of the show to cover the Mandalay Bay Poker Championship in June and is ending its working relationship with online poker sites Party Poker and Ultimate Bet. In a press release, Steve Lipscomb, the founder of the WPT, says: "We've had a great run with both companies, but the circumstances have changed since we elected to launch WPTonline.com, our own international gaming website. Although they will no longer be on the tour, we continue to explore future opportunities with both of these organizations." PokerStars.com’s Caribbean Adventure remains on the schedule. Season four has seven tournaments left until the championship takes place at Bellagio in late April; the Borgata Poker Classic takes place Jan. 29-30; the L.A. Poker Classic at Commerce Casino takes place Feb. 16-21; the WPT Invitation takes place at Commerce Casino Feb. 22-24; the Bay 101 Shooting Star takes place at Bay 101 Casino Feb. 27-March 3; the World Poker Challenge takes place at the Reno Hilton March 27-30; the Foxwoods Poker Classic takes place April 6-9; and the championship event takes place at Bellagio April 18-24. The schedule for season five follows, minus two events that will soon be announced: Mirage Poker Showdown, Mirage Las Vegas, May 14-17 Mandalay Bay Poker Championship, Mandalay Bay, June 4-8 Grand Prix de Paris, Aviation Club de France, June 12-16 Legends of Poker, The Bicycle Casino, Aug. 26-30 Borgata Poker Open, Borgata, Sep. 15-19 North American Poker Championship, to be announced, Oct. 23-27 World Poker Finals, Foxwoods Resort Casino, Nov 11-16 Bellagio Five Diamond Poker Classic, Bellagio, Dec. 15-19 PokerStars.com Caribbean Adventure, Atlantis Casino, Bahamas, Jan. 6-13, 2007 World Poker Open, Gold Strike Casino Tunica, Jan. 21-25, 2007 L.A. Poker Classic, Commerce Casino, Feb. 15-20, 2007 WPT Invitational, Commerce Casino, Feb. 21-23, 2007 Bay 101 Shooting Star, Bay 101 Casino, Feb. 27-March 3, 2007 World Poker Challenge, Reno Hilton, March 26-29, 2007 WPT World Championship, Bellagio, April 21-27, 2007

Online Poker Room Pokerstars For Sale

Online Poker Room Pokerstars For Sale Israeli owners appoint top investment bank to advise on sale or IPO The world's second largest online poker ROOM company, PokerStars is up for sale or a public listing by the Israeli Scheinberg family. Having moved their company to the Isle of Man jurisdiction recently, the Scheinbergs have engaged a leading City bank, NM Rothschild to sell or launch an IPO in London for Poker Stars...and they're looking at a price tag of over $2 billion (GBP 1.2 million) PokerStars is the second-biggest virtual poker operator after PartyGaming, the company behind the PartyPoker website, whose four owners pocketed about GBP 1 billion last summer after floating it on the London Stock Exchange with a value of GBP 4.64 billion. Isai Scheinberg founded Poker Stars and he and his family are believed to hold around 75 percent of the company, with his employees owning most of the other 25 percent. He comes from a technical background and was previously a programmer with IBM. Israeli business media reports indicate that Scheinberg worked for IBM’s Canadian subsidiary and that he and his family reside in that country. He has two sons, who manage the company with him. Scheinberg founded PokerStars in 1999, and the company now has a turnover of $150-200 million a year, with a high net profit margin, amounting to almost half its revenue. Although a flotation for PokerStars, probably in the second half of 2006, is a possibility, City analysts believe the huge growth in internet gambling is likely to make PokerStars attractive to both virtual and physical rivals. At a recent conference Lenny Barshack the head of Tribeca Tables, a poker software developer produced statistics showing that online poker revenues reached US $3 billion in 2005. Analysts postulate that one possible merger partner could be 888 Holdings, which in September followed in the footsteps of PartyGaming in floating on the London Stock Exchange with a value of almost GBP 600 million. Like PokerStars, 888 is controlled by Israeli interests, the Shaked and Ben Yitzhak families. Some City analysts believe that the sale of PokerStars may also attract interest from traditional gambling companies, such as Rank Group and William Hill, keen to boost their presence in the online sector. Source: online-casinos.com