November 4 – 32 Red online casino players now have the choice of playing in Australian Dollars, using a variety of  secure banking methods, including NETeller, Moneybookers and credit and debit card systems.

32 Red’s transactions are processed by Barclays bank.

The Gibraltar-based online casino already claims to have a large ustralian player base, despite the fact that most of its marketing efforts are UK centric. Said Mark Quayle, Head of marketing for 32Red, "With over 250 online pokies in our casino, as well as hundreds of other casino game classics, the addition of Australian Dollars was a natural development to our global growth." Adding, "Our Australian players are attracted to our reputation for delivering top casino games and bonuses in a trusted playing environment.

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In Nova Scotia, ads have been running that show young athletes playing their sports. The reason for the ad is to show people that their gambling money is being used in a positive manner.

The children in the ads have received funds from gaming revenue to help in their training. It is part of the reason that the gambling system is in place, but an anti-gambling group is making waves over the ads.

The group, GameOverVLT’s, suggests that Nova Scotia Gaming, “is using underage and youth athletes to promote gambling.” That is according to the group’s director, Terry Fulmer. As is the case with most anti-gambling groups, GameOver is seeking vengeance.

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Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have studied the building blocks of a neurobiological link between alcohol use in the adolescent years and later decision-making impairments with adults. The results of the study were published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences website, and indicate a link between heavy drinkers and adult decision-making. Ilene Bernstein and Nicholas Nasrallah are the authors of the study, Nicholas is a psychology doctoral student at the UW and Ilene a professor of psychology and faculty member of the neurobiology and behavior program.

Nicholas said: “We know early exposure to alcohol and other substances is a predictor of later substance abuse in humans.

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Governor Pat Quinn has brought Illinois into the twenty first century earlier this year in regards to their gambling laws. The governor signed a law that will allow video gambling machines for establishments with liquor licenses.

Many towns and cities have already stopped the video gambling machines from entering their area. The law gave these areas a grace period during which they could ban the machines. Once that grace period is over, establishments can apply for the rights to operate the machines.

That is where the change over will take place from the current video gambling options to the new form. Currently, bars operate these machines, but they are forbidden to pay out cash winnings.

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The long-running litigation between Austrian online gambling giant Bwin and the Portuguese state betting monopoly Santa Casa has entered a new and negative phase following a ruling from the European Court of Justice.

The Court has found that the Portuguese government’s gambling monopoly may comply with European Union law, ruling that the prohibition which Portuguese legislation imposes on operators such as Bwin of offering games of chance via the Internet may be regarded as compatible with the freedom to provide services, if it is designed to combat fraud and other crimes.

The case has its roots in an attempt by Santa Casa to halt a sponsorship deal involving the Portuguese football league that allowed Bwin to advertise website links to fans.

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Launched late last year with massive publicity and plenty of commercial hype, the online banking operation Ivobank – owned by the Indonesian billionaire Sampoerna family – appeared to be going from strength to strength with a list of gilt-edged online gambling clients that included some of the top companies in the business.

It came as something as a shock, therefore to learn this week that the bank is apparently turning away new business without a clear explanation for its motives or its future, now the subject of intense speculation.

The bank’s advisory that new business was being turned away was accompanied by a statement almost guaranteed to fuel speculation: “…further information will be made available to retail customers, suppliers, merchants and the media” as “future strategic aims are developed”.

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One of the best known poker brands, Party Poker, are the marketleaders when it comes to online poker and promotions. On 11 September they will bring this to a higher level, 150 feet to be exact with the Poker in the Sky event.

The Poker in the Sky event will be held in Copenhagen in Denmark on 11 September, 150 feet above the Town hall Square. A total of 22 poker players will gamble in the event, which will last for four hours. The players will sit at a table on a platform, at 150 feet hoisted above the town hall square by a crane. Poker in the Sky is a much talked about event, one player has already retreated from the event even though he had already qualified, after he realized how high 50 meter really is.

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One of Australia’s favourite gambling vehicles – poker machine games commonly referred to as ‘pokies’ – are at the centre of a new row building downunder. Eight of the 134 games approved since December 2007 have a level of volatility which is higher than that recommended by the Australia/New Zealand Gaming Machine National Standard, but their identities remain secret, reports news site News.com.au.

The Australia/New Zealand Gaming Machine National Standard recommends the nominal standard deviation of a game be no more than 15, yet the eight machines exposed through Freedom of Information Act disclosures are alleged to have volatilities in excess of this number.

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The return to work from the summer recess of the Malta Parliament will see a renewed drive to complete debates on a new set of gambling regulations aimed at regulating video lottery terminals and other gambling arcades that have mushroomed around the island, reports the Malta Independent newspaper.

Police have recently conducted a number of illegal gambling raids on the Mediterranean island and the official opposition party says it is time for the government to quickly implement new regulations controlling the establishment of gambling outlets, in the process clarifying the situation and raising tax revenues.

Shadow Finance Minister Charles Mangion told the the Malta Independent: “There must be no further delays in the implementation of regulations for the gambling and Video Lottery Terminals sector.

“We have been calling for the government to regulate the sector for a long time since a level playing field must be established for the operators while the authorities watch over the social interest of gamblers,” he said.

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Giant credit card firm American Express has released a statement clarifying its position when it comes to processing payments from online gambling websites following numerous stories that one domain was accepting the option.

According to numerous reports out last week, RomeCasino.com had allegedly released a statement advising its players that they could now use their American Express card to deposit and withdraw funds at the online casino.

However, Christine Elliott, Vice-President Of Corporate Affairs And Communications for American Express, has slammed the online casino’s supposed assertion and followed this up with legal notification that the domain should remove the credit card firm’s logo from its site.

“It is a long-standing policy that American Express cards cannot be accepted for gambling; either online or offline and that RomeCasino.com is no exception,” read a statement from Elliot.

“Any merchant found to be in violation of this policy is terminated immediately from card acceptance. Read the full post >>