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In a potential bout of heavyweight proportions, animal rights group PETA has put itself into the ring against controversial former boxing champion Mike Tyson. The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals has alleged that Tyson's new reality show about pigeon racing involves cruelty to animals and illegal gambling. Official ComplaintPETA outlined the allegation in a letter March 18 to the Brooklyn district attorney's office calling for an investigation into the pigeon races. Tyson, who has raised pigeons all his life, will train and participate in races as part of the show, to be broadcast on Animal Planet in 2011. Animal Planet, a television network that advocates animal rights, denied PETA's allegations, with a spokeswoman saying that the birds "are cherished and respected by their owners, including Mr. Tyson." "There have never been any plans for wagering on the pigeon race," the spokeswoman said, adding that the show is just an inside look at "the intensely competitive and bizarrely fascinating world of pigeon racing." PETA RepeatsThe folks at PETA are not shy from complaints against high-profile figures. Last June, the organization attacked US President Barack Obama after he was filmed swatting a fly during an interview with NBC at the White House. In response to this latest complaint from PETA, a spokesman for the Brooklyn district attorney said that they are "looking into" the matter described in the letter.
A majority of Canadians are supportive of legalizing online casinos, while around half of their counterparts across the border are in agreement, a new study has shown. The study, conducted by Canadian market research firm Ipsos Reid, found that 55 percent of Canadians and 49 percent of Americans were willing to allow Internet gambling as long as it was accompanied by government regulations. This marked a shift in support since the last survey in 2007, in which 48 percent of Canadians and 46 percent of Americans supported legalized online gambling. Unsurprisingly, American respondents to the latest poll were less trusting of their federal government than the Canadian respondents. Forty five percent of Americans said individual states should deal with the regulation of online gaming, compared to 33 percent of Canadians saying it should be dealt by their individual provinces. The survey also found that fewer people in both countries were aware of the fact that online gambling was actually outlawed. Some 23 percent of Canadians said they knew online gambling was illegal, down from 28 percent in 2007. There was slightly more awareness of the laws in the United States, where 37 percent of respondents said they were aware, but that was still down from 41 percent three years earlier. The online study polled more than 1,000 Canadians and 1,000 Americans. Meanwhile, HeadsUp Entertainment International announced last week that it is negotiating with one of the world's biggest poker companies to buy the Canadian Poker Tour or to at least rebrand it. HeadsUp's management believes that Canada has the second biggest online poker market in the world, behind only the United Kingdom.
The Canadian province of Manitoba might just be entering the online gaming business. The Minister for lotteries, Steve Ashton, announced last week that the government of Manitoba was considering following the lead of British Colombia and Nova Scotia. Both of these provinces currently offer their residents online gambling lottery sites. By the end of the year, Manitoba will make the decision whether or not to establish its own website to offer online casino games. Alternative, it may enter into partnership with other provinces in Canada. Those in favour of this move argue that online gaming is a part of life regardless of whether it is regulated by the Canadian government. If Manitoba were to go ahead with this decision, their site would be a reliable alternative for players who currently play on largely unregulated sites at great risk. Ashton stressed in his press conference on that matter that a possible Manitoba site would have safeguards against under aged players and offer transfers limits and secure payment methods. Whether online gambling is legal across the country in Canada is not yet black and white. There are, however, already a couple of online gambling sites that are government backed in other Canadian provinces such as British Colombia, Nova Scotia and some Indian reserves such as Kahnawake. The other Canadian candidate to enter the online gambling market is Quebec later this fall when Loto-Quebec will launch its poker and sports betting site.
There are many reasons why playing at online casinos is advantageous over playing at land-based casinos, not least of which is the higher payback percentages. Online casinos are better placed to offer their customers higher payout percentages because their overhead costs are so much lower than those of their land-based rivals. And if that sounds like just heresy, many online casinos publish verified statistics on their payout percentages on their websites. Canada's own Maple Casino is just one example. According to statistics verified by eCOGRA, the independent player protection organization, Maple provides its customers with very positive payout percentages, with an overall payout of 97.92 percent on money spent on all games. A closer look shows a payout of 97.92 percent on slot games, 95.36 percent on poker games, and a staggering 105.65 percent on table games. And with eCOGRA ensuring that all its member online casinos stay in line, there are lots of benefits for customers at many other online casinos out there too!
Gross gambling revenues at land-based casinos in the United States fell 5.5 percent in 2009, according to figures released last week. According to the figures published in the 2010 edition of State of the States: The American Gaming Association Survey of Casino Entertainment, total revenue was $30.7 billion, marking the second consecutive year in which casino revenues dropped. The figures were taken from casino revenues in the 13 US states that have commercial casinos (not including casinos located on Indian reservations). The hardest hit was felt in Nevada and New Jersey, the two states in which most of the country's land-based casinos are located. In Nevada, gaming revenue was down 10.4 percent and tax revenue was down 10 percent. In New Jersey, gaming revenue fell 13.3 percent and tax revenue fell 18.6 percent. The drop was felt in the southern state of Mississippi too, where gaming and tax revenue both fell 9.4 percent. The news was not all bad, however, with New Jersey's losses turning into gains for east coast rival Pennsylvania. The keystone state reported a revenue increase of 21.6 percent, thanks in part to the two new casinos that opened there last year: the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem and the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.
The terms ‘Gaming Club Casino' and ‘trustworthy' have come to be synonymous. Gaming Club Casino was one of the first ever online casinos and first began taking bets way back in 1994 when the internet was still in its infancy. It has remained among the top group of online gaming operators thanks to its drive to stay one step ahead of its rivals in the industry. The release of its new website in 2009 is just a perfect example of such a strategy. The casino now has a very classy feel that gives you confidence in its professional dealings. The casino is very easy and intuitive to navigate with all the games grouped together in a logical fashion. In addition to the revamped visual look of the casino, Gaming Club Casino has also upgraded its international customer support so as to attract a broader audience. Now players can speaker to a customer service representative in German, French, Italian and Spanish. It is also just about impossible to miss the tempting displaying of progressive jackpot games, such as the famous Mega Moolah and King Cashalot, now appearing on the home page. The jackpot amounts are just clicking over, higher and higher, begging to be played. A little piece of trivia is that the biggest online progressive jackpot ever (£6,374,599.92 on Mega Moolah) was won at another member of the Belle Rock Entertainment.
Canada's online gamblers should be proud that some of the very best in online casino software is being produced right on their doorstep. Calgary-based gambling software provider, Chartwell Technology, has just been endorsed by the world's most respected independent auditor of online casino standards, eCOGRA. Guarantees for GamblersWherever players see the eCOGRA "Certified Software" seal, they know they're getting the very best - not only in innovative casino graphics and sound - but also in payment security and software reliability. Representing CanadaChartwell has been representing Canada in the online gambling industry since the company started making casino software in 1998. The company's new eCOGRA-approved status has launched its profile to the dizzying heights reached by some of the industry's premier software providers, including Net Entertainment and Microgaming. Chartwell's GamesSo just what can a discerning gambler expect from a Chartwell Technology-powered casino? Well… • Progressive jackpots – currently available on two slot games ("Pot O' Gold," with 3 reels and 1 payline, and "Jackpot Holiday," with a whopping 16 reels and 10 paylines) • Multiplayer games – including tables for Blackjack, Baccarat, Caribbean Stud Poker and Roulette, in which up to 5 players can take on the house. • An impressive array of themed slots, ranging from 1 to 30 reels, and including names such as: "Oktoberfest," "Cash Grab" and "Triple Bonus Spin and Win." • Multiple versions of table games, card games and video poker. Live GamesChartwell and another software developer, Entertasia, are currently cooperating on an exciting project to bring live Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat and SicBo to Chartwell-powered casinos. We look forward to the results! Where To PlayCasinos operating on Chartwell software include: Victor Chandler, Gala Coral and Betfair Casino, among many other respected names. Betfair in particular is a great option for Canadian gamblers because it accepts Canadian dollars and provides a toll-free customer service number for players in Canada.
Disappointed that Canada's not in the World Cup and looking for some way to feel a part of the action? Well you can still get involved by wagering on the outcomes, and a good place to start would be the mini site Victor Chandler Sports has set up specifically for the tournament. As well as all the odds, the site includes information on the match schedule and on all the stadia, has video content and features profiles of all 32 teams. Eight "teams to watch" feature prominently on the site, including tournament favorite Spain, reigning champion Italy, and host South Africa. As for the actual betting, eight teams are in with a realistic shot of winning the tournament, if the odds are any indication: Spain, 4/1, leads the way, followed by Brazil, 9/2, and England and Argentina, 7/1. A little further back are the Netherlands, 11/1, Germany and Italy, 14/1, and France, 18/1. Of course, there are plenty of other betting options, with Victor Chandler offering odds on the outcome of all eight groups, on every individual match, and of course on individual awards such as the golden boot for the tournament's top goalscorer. With the tournament beginning on June 11, there's plenty to think about before placing that bet.
The big prizes continue to be awarded at the 2010 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, with 23 of the 57 tournaments now completed in world poker's biggest event. In the biggest tournament of the past week, poker pro Jason DeWitt beat out 791 other competitors to win the $818,959 first prize in the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em tourney. Other big names to win tournaments were Erich Buchman, Carter Phillips and John Barch. On a more controversial note, WSOP Communications Director Seth Palansky told online poker site Card Player that men who entered the $1,000 No Limit Ladies Hold'em Championship (eventually won by Vanessa Hellebuyck) could be suspended or banned from future WSOP events. At least half-a-dozen men played in the ladies tournament, an act they could not be legally prevented from doing. "We can't prevent anyone from entering a ladies tournament. If they're scumbags, they're scumbags," Palansky told Card Player. "The good news is at the World Series of Poker, we have the right to refuse service to anyone at any time at any point that we deem, as operators of the event." Meanwhile, Oscar winners Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have confirmed they will once again participate in the annual WSOP Ante up for Africa charity tournament, which will take place on July 3.
Another big payout was rewarded at the All Slots online casino this week when British Columbia resident Lynne R. hit the $25,000 jackpot on the classic 5-reel slot game, Totem Treasure. It was fitting that the prize went to a Canadian given that the 5-reel, 5-payline slot features First Nations-themed images including eagles and tepees. Lynne R. claimed the huge jackpot after lining up three tepees and two lucky wild symbols on the fifth payline. David Brickman, deputy chief of Player Affairs at Jackpot Factory - which operates the All Slots Casino - said the company was "really happy for Lynne" as she had been a long0time customer. "With Canada Day right around the corner, I'm sure this jackpot will give Lynne even more reason to celebrate," he said. Powered by Microgaming and accredited by eCOGRA, All Slots markets itself as the web's biggest slots-based casino, offering more than 400 online casino games with a special emphasis on slot machines. To add to its appeal, the All Slots Casino currently has a running jackpot total of more than $6 million and growing.
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