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High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email [email]ftsales-support@ft-com[/email] to buy additional rights. Sony rebuffs Loeb’s push for entertainment spin-off - FT-com
Shares in Sony tumbled 5 per cent on Tuesday after the Japanese group rebuffed a proposal by Daniel Loeb, the activist US hedge fund manager, to spin off part of its entertainment business.
Kazuo Hirai, Sony’s chief executive, told Mr Loeb in a letter it made public late Monday night that the film, television and music arm was fundamental to the company’s strategy and that its investors would be better off if Sony continued to own the operation outright. High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email [email]ftsales-support@ft-com[/email] to buy additional rights. Sony rebuffs Loeb’s push for entertainment spin-off - FT-com
“While we share with you the objectives of increasing profitability and driving shareholder value, after careful review, the Sony board of directors has unanimously concluded that continuing to own 100 per cent of our entertainment business is the best path forward,” he said.
The board drew its conclusion after consulting with external financial advisers, he added.
Activist investors have a mixed record of forcing change at Japanese companies, but Mr Loeb’s Third Point group has a reputation for shaking up businesses elsewhere – most notably by forcing a management revamp at Yahoo.
His effort to squeeze more profit out of Sony had lifted the company’s share price. The rejection raised the possibility that Mr Loeb might sell the 7 per cent stake he has built in the company, though in a short response to Sony he did not threaten to do so.
He said he was “disappointed” by the board’s decision but welcomed a promise by Sony to disclose more detailed financial information about the entertainment business, which Mr Loeb claims is poorly managed.
“Sony has clearly recognised the performance issues we identified,” he said.
Sony’s shares ended down 4.6 per cent in Tokyo at Y2,039 after falling as much as much as 5.9 per cent in early trading. The Nikkei average rose 0.6 per cent.
Mr Loeb spent $1.1bn building his stake and in May proposed selling 15-20 per cent of the entertainment group, a move that would have made the unit a separately listed company. Sony had previously executed a similar partial spin-off of its Japanese insurance arm.
Mr Loeb last week criticised operating margins at Sony’s film studio and called for the entertainment group to have a separate corporate structure to increase transparency and improve performance.
Mr Hirai conceded in his letter to Mr Loeb that margins at the studio “should be higher”. The company had taken “additional steps to tighten controls and reduce costs”, he said, pointing to a “rigorous cost savings initiative” that would “generate significant annual savings”.
Mr Hirai also defended of Sony’s TV production business. The company was continuing to invest in its “high-growth worldwide networks business,” he said, noting that it had increased revenue from $600m in 2008 to $1.5bn in the 2013 fiscal year.
Mr Loeb has criticised executive pay at Sony’s studio, but Mr Hirai said pay was linked to performance at each of the entertainment divisions.
He also said Sony had enough capital to finance the restructuring of its lossmaking consumer electronics business, and did not need the funds that an entertainment sale would bring.
Third Point said in a statement that it was “pleased that our efforts have brought much-needed attention to Sony’s valuable entertainment assets”.
Sony had “clearly recognised the performance issues we identified,” it said, adding that “management should communicate more specific plans to improve entertainment results”.
Shares in Sony tumbled 5 per cent on Tuesday after the Japanese group rebuffed a proposal by Daniel Loeb, the activist US hedge fund manager, to spin off part of its entertainment business.
Kazuo Hirai, Sony’s chief executive, told Mr Loeb in a letter it made public late Monday night that the film, television and music arm was fundamental to the company’s strategy and that its investors would be better off if Sony continued to own the operation outright. High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email [email]ftsales-support@ft-com[/email] to buy additional rights. Sony rebuffs Loeb’s push for entertainment spin-off - FT-com
“While we share with you the objectives of increasing profitability and driving shareholder value, after careful review, the Sony board of directors has unanimously concluded that continuing to own 100 per cent of our entertainment business is the best path forward,” he said.
The board drew its conclusion after consulting with external financial advisers, he added.
Activist investors have a mixed record of forcing change at Japanese companies, but Mr Loeb’s Third Point group has a reputation for shaking up businesses elsewhere – most notably by forcing a management revamp at Yahoo.
His effort to squeeze more profit out of Sony had lifted the company’s share price. The rejection raised the possibility that Mr Loeb might sell the 7 per cent stake he has built in the company, though in a short response to Sony he did not threaten to do so.
He said he was “disappointed” by the board’s decision but welcomed a promise by Sony to disclose more detailed financial information about the entertainment business, which Mr Loeb claims is poorly managed.
“Sony has clearly recognised the performance issues we identified,” he said.
Sony’s shares ended down 4.6 per cent in Tokyo at Y2,039 after falling as much as much as 5.9 per cent in early trading. The Nikkei average rose 0.6 per cent.
Mr Loeb spent $1.1bn building his stake and in May proposed selling 15-20 per cent of the entertainment group, a move that would have made the unit a separately listed company. Sony had previously executed a similar partial spin-off of its Japanese insurance arm.
Mr Loeb last week criticised operating margins at Sony’s film studio and called for the entertainment group to have a separate corporate structure to increase transparency and improve performance.
Mr Hirai conceded in his letter to Mr Loeb that margins at the studio “should be higher”. The company had taken “additional steps to tighten controls and reduce costs”, he said, pointing to a “rigorous cost savings initiative” that would “generate significant annual savings”.
Mr Hirai also defended of Sony’s TV production business. The company was continuing to invest in its “high-growth worldwide networks business,” he said, noting that it had increased revenue from $600m in 2008 to $1.5bn in the 2013 fiscal year.
Mr Loeb has criticised executive pay at Sony’s studio, but Mr Hirai said pay was linked to performance at each of the entertainment divisions.
He also said Sony had enough capital to finance the restructuring of its lossmaking consumer electronics business, and did not need the funds that an entertainment sale would bring.
Third Point said in a statement that it was “pleased that our efforts have brought much-needed attention to Sony’s valuable entertainment assets”.
Sony had “clearly recognised the performance issues we identified,” it said, adding that “management should communicate more specific plans to improve entertainment results”.
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2006/12/07
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29893
Gambling in Atlantic City could take on a much different look as the British online gaming company 2Up-com, backed by investment banking firm MidOil USA, seeks to bring their operations to Atlantic City.
"I think it's a game changer," said Executive Director and Managing Director of MidOil USA, Vince Crandon.
"We believe in Atlantic City, we're going to implement what we're going to do by either the acquiring of an existing property or we're actually going to build one, and what’s in the best interest of our shareholders is what we will ultimately decide."
Crandon says their unique online gaming plans would also help to create jobs in the city.
"We’ll have a live dealer studio out of whatever brick and mortar we end up with and you'll be able to see the dealers dealing to a TV screen," said Crandon.
Gaming analysts say the attention Atlantic City could possibly receive from online gaming companies could inject new life into struggling properties.
"Its great for Atlantic City,” said Publisher of Casino Connection Atlantic City, Roger Gros.
“It just shows you how important Internet gaming is to Atlantic City. The interest we're seeing in the hotels right now you just wouldn't see if it weren't for online gaming."
Experts say this online gaming would be the first of its kind in the country and that the next step in the process would be turning online gamers into physical guests in the city.
"The real key is to get people to Atlantic City via online gaming and that's going to be a difficult situation to figure out how you’re going to do that," said Gros.
Officials with MidOil USA expect to make an announcement by Labor Day Weekend.
While officials cannot say which properties could potentially be sold, experts can speculate.
"Showboat is one of the properties possibly on the market, we know its on the market, Bally’s we know is on the market, Atlantic Club is on the market," said Gros.
Despite an official announcement being weeks away, the investors say they will remain committed to Atlantic City.
"We’re not just going to benefit from online but those people will want to come to our brick and mortar by virtue of Atlantic City which allows us to benefit on the online side as well as the brick and mortar side," said Crandon.
Officials say representatives from Europe will soon be arriving Atlantic City to begin two weeks of meetings and discussions before the final decision is made.
Online gambling site looks to buy or build Atlantic City propert - NBC40-net
"I think it's a game changer," said Executive Director and Managing Director of MidOil USA, Vince Crandon.
"We believe in Atlantic City, we're going to implement what we're going to do by either the acquiring of an existing property or we're actually going to build one, and what’s in the best interest of our shareholders is what we will ultimately decide."
Crandon says their unique online gaming plans would also help to create jobs in the city.
"We’ll have a live dealer studio out of whatever brick and mortar we end up with and you'll be able to see the dealers dealing to a TV screen," said Crandon.
Gaming analysts say the attention Atlantic City could possibly receive from online gaming companies could inject new life into struggling properties.
"Its great for Atlantic City,” said Publisher of Casino Connection Atlantic City, Roger Gros.
“It just shows you how important Internet gaming is to Atlantic City. The interest we're seeing in the hotels right now you just wouldn't see if it weren't for online gaming."
Experts say this online gaming would be the first of its kind in the country and that the next step in the process would be turning online gamers into physical guests in the city.
"The real key is to get people to Atlantic City via online gaming and that's going to be a difficult situation to figure out how you’re going to do that," said Gros.
Officials with MidOil USA expect to make an announcement by Labor Day Weekend.
While officials cannot say which properties could potentially be sold, experts can speculate.
"Showboat is one of the properties possibly on the market, we know its on the market, Bally’s we know is on the market, Atlantic Club is on the market," said Gros.
Despite an official announcement being weeks away, the investors say they will remain committed to Atlantic City.
"We’re not just going to benefit from online but those people will want to come to our brick and mortar by virtue of Atlantic City which allows us to benefit on the online side as well as the brick and mortar side," said Crandon.
Officials say representatives from Europe will soon be arriving Atlantic City to begin two weeks of meetings and discussions before the final decision is made.
Online gambling site looks to buy or build Atlantic City propert - NBC40-net
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2006/12/07
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London-listed 888 Holdings said it plans to launch online poker and casino games under its own brand in New Jersey this year when the US state ends a ban on internet gambling.
Internet betting was banned by Congress in 2006, dealing a blow to companies such as 888 which had set up in the US. However, tax-hungry states are now relaxing rules, creating opportunities for European players with years of expertise in the sector.
888 already has an agreement to make its technology available to US company Caesars Interactive Entertainment, one of a number of Atlantic City casino operators that are preparing to move into the online market.
But 888's chief executive, Brian Mattingley, said targeting New Jersey's gamblers with its own brand should allow it to maximise revenues from the largest and most lucrative of the three US states that are opening up their markets.
"We are providing the platform for Caesars but we are providing the one-stop shop that 888 is renowned for across Europe," he said.
"We are extremely well positioned in the US and are working with the regulators in Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey as these three states become ready to open," he added.
Ralph Topping, chief executive of bookmaker William Hill, warned last week that fierce initial competition for consumers in New Jersey risked creating a "bit of a bloodbath".
Mattingley would not be drawn on 888's marketing budget for New Jersey but said it would be carefully controlled.
He said analyst forecasts for total annual gaming revenues of $450m (£292m) from New Jersey looked a "bit rich" but would not put an exact figure on the size of the market.
888 said its second-quarter revenues rose 5% to $97m and that third-quarter trading was so far in line with its expectations.
888 to launch online poker and casino games in New Jersey | Society | theguardian-com
Internet betting was banned by Congress in 2006, dealing a blow to companies such as 888 which had set up in the US. However, tax-hungry states are now relaxing rules, creating opportunities for European players with years of expertise in the sector.
888 already has an agreement to make its technology available to US company Caesars Interactive Entertainment, one of a number of Atlantic City casino operators that are preparing to move into the online market.
But 888's chief executive, Brian Mattingley, said targeting New Jersey's gamblers with its own brand should allow it to maximise revenues from the largest and most lucrative of the three US states that are opening up their markets.
"We are providing the platform for Caesars but we are providing the one-stop shop that 888 is renowned for across Europe," he said.
"We are extremely well positioned in the US and are working with the regulators in Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey as these three states become ready to open," he added.
Ralph Topping, chief executive of bookmaker William Hill, warned last week that fierce initial competition for consumers in New Jersey risked creating a "bit of a bloodbath".
Mattingley would not be drawn on 888's marketing budget for New Jersey but said it would be carefully controlled.
He said analyst forecasts for total annual gaming revenues of $450m (£292m) from New Jersey looked a "bit rich" but would not put an exact figure on the size of the market.
888 said its second-quarter revenues rose 5% to $97m and that third-quarter trading was so far in line with its expectations.
888 to launch online poker and casino games in New Jersey | Society | theguardian-com
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2006/12/07
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Anti-competitive reforms to Greek gambling legislation are threatening the opening of the country’s i-gaming market, the association warned. These amendments to the law could see betting giant OPAP given an online monopoly.
In 2008, the Commission sent a reasoned opinion to Greece setting out its view that OPAP’s offline gambling monopoly is not compatible with EU law. The European Court of Justice also stated in the recent Stanleybet ruling that Greece had not provided any evidence to justify the existence of OPAP’s offline monopoly.
Since then, OPAP has been accused of “aggressive” promotion of its gambling products and the country has made no changes to its laws. According to the RGA, the government is in fact proposing extending OPAP’s monopoly to cover online gaming as well.
“The RGA understands that Greece is currently under considerable pressure because it has to address the obligations set by its creditors for the financing of its public sector and debts,” said Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of the RGA. “We also appreciate that because of that, the Commission might be minded to give Greece greater leeway than usual.
“However, after five years there must surely be a limit to how far Greece can unjustifiably be allowed to stretch the rules. Greece needs stability and legal certainty.
“We are therefore urging Commissioner Barnier to make it clear to the Greek authorities that he will not hesitate to bring early infringement proceedings against Greece if it does not fulfil its obligations and, even worse, if it creates new breaches of EU law by awarding an online sports betting monopoly to OPAP instead of creating an EU compliant gambling regime.”
Warning over Greek online monopoly | News | i-Gaming | InterGame
In 2008, the Commission sent a reasoned opinion to Greece setting out its view that OPAP’s offline gambling monopoly is not compatible with EU law. The European Court of Justice also stated in the recent Stanleybet ruling that Greece had not provided any evidence to justify the existence of OPAP’s offline monopoly.
Since then, OPAP has been accused of “aggressive” promotion of its gambling products and the country has made no changes to its laws. According to the RGA, the government is in fact proposing extending OPAP’s monopoly to cover online gaming as well.
“The RGA understands that Greece is currently under considerable pressure because it has to address the obligations set by its creditors for the financing of its public sector and debts,” said Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of the RGA. “We also appreciate that because of that, the Commission might be minded to give Greece greater leeway than usual.
“However, after five years there must surely be a limit to how far Greece can unjustifiably be allowed to stretch the rules. Greece needs stability and legal certainty.
“We are therefore urging Commissioner Barnier to make it clear to the Greek authorities that he will not hesitate to bring early infringement proceedings against Greece if it does not fulfil its obligations and, even worse, if it creates new breaches of EU law by awarding an online sports betting monopoly to OPAP instead of creating an EU compliant gambling regime.”
Warning over Greek online monopoly | News | i-Gaming | InterGame
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2006/12/07
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MTV has greenlit the anti-Jersey Shore.
The network has ordered 12 episodes of a new docu-soap series following a group of virgins.
This as-yet-untitled show follows the lives of several abstinent young people (ages 18 to 25) trying to handle their love lives, parental sex talks, sexually active friends, and the pressure to give in to their temptations. Throughout each episode, MTV chronicles v-card-carrying cast members from across the country, all “plagued with the overwhelming question of keeping their virginity… or losing it.”
The show will include messaging from MTV’s Peabody-winning “It’s Your (Sex) Life” campaign, which aims to empower young people to make better decisions about their sexual health. Endemol USA will produce the weekly, hour-long reality show, which is sure to generate plenty of discussion for the network. The channel has a history of reality hits starring sexually active party-going young people — from The Real World, to The Hills, to Jersey Shore, to Buckwild. While it’s common for such reality ensembles to have one character who is still a virgin, this may be the first time a grown-up docu-soap reality series will have an all-virgin cast. Previously, TLC aired a one-time special titled The Virgin Diaries, which followed virgins in their 20s and 30s.
Last year, MTV sent out a casting notice for a different prospective reality project called My First, seeking young people who were on the verge of losing their virginity. The idea was squashed after generating online controversy. This new series has a different focus — a group of virgins who may or may not eventually have sex. And, no, if they decide to shed their virginity, the act itself will not be filmed.
The network has ordered 12 episodes of a new docu-soap series following a group of virgins.
This as-yet-untitled show follows the lives of several abstinent young people (ages 18 to 25) trying to handle their love lives, parental sex talks, sexually active friends, and the pressure to give in to their temptations. Throughout each episode, MTV chronicles v-card-carrying cast members from across the country, all “plagued with the overwhelming question of keeping their virginity… or losing it.”
The show will include messaging from MTV’s Peabody-winning “It’s Your (Sex) Life” campaign, which aims to empower young people to make better decisions about their sexual health. Endemol USA will produce the weekly, hour-long reality show, which is sure to generate plenty of discussion for the network. The channel has a history of reality hits starring sexually active party-going young people — from The Real World, to The Hills, to Jersey Shore, to Buckwild. While it’s common for such reality ensembles to have one character who is still a virgin, this may be the first time a grown-up docu-soap reality series will have an all-virgin cast. Previously, TLC aired a one-time special titled The Virgin Diaries, which followed virgins in their 20s and 30s.
Last year, MTV sent out a casting notice for a different prospective reality project called My First, seeking young people who were on the verge of losing their virginity. The idea was squashed after generating online controversy. This new series has a different focus — a group of virgins who may or may not eventually have sex. And, no, if they decide to shed their virginity, the act itself will not be filmed.
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2006/12/07
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While Canada and the United States of America share many significant cultural, economic and social ties, there are also many ways in which the two countries are different. One area in which these two large neighbors vary is in the world of online gambling. Canadians have a much easier time of things than their American counterparts.
On the surface, the approach taken by both nations may appear rather similar. Both have no federal-level online gambling regulation, and some general prohibitions on allowing internet gambling companies to operate in their countries. Both also allow states or provinces to regulate gambling (including online gambling) on their own. Finally, neither criminalizes playing at online gambling sites from the player’s perspective (though a couple states in the USA do have such laws).
Where the two countries differ is in how they’ve chosen to interact with overseas online gambling operators. In Canada, the federal and provincial governments have done almost nothing to stop Canadians from playing at foreign operated sites, or prevent them advertising to Canadian players. This has led to a situation in which Canadians feel quite comfortable playing at online casinos, poker rooms and betting sites - and sites such as onlinegambling.ca offer guidance on the best places to play.
The situation is quite different in the United States. There, the government has been rather hostile to foreign operators, a policy that began with the 2006 passage of the UIGEA regulations. These laws made it illegal for American banks to process online gambling transactions. When many sites continued to operate in the USA and found banks to help them do so, the government began targeting large poker sites and those banks, indicting nearly a dozen individuals and seizing the domains of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker in 2011.
This has resulted in a large-scale exodus of the American market by the majority of major online gambling companies around the world. While there are still plenty of options for Americans who enjoy online gambling, they generally come from smaller companies who hope they will slide under the radar of the U.S. government. Meanwhile, Canadians have a wide range of internet gambling options, with only the most cautious of companies staying out of Canada due to the lack of regulation at the federal level.
Both nations are also seeing a move towards more regulation of online gambling, though so far this hasn’t occurred at the federal level. Instead, both the United States and Canada have seen states or provinces move to regulate internet gambling one at a time, allowing each region to determine if they want to opt in or out on their own.
Again, Canada is ahead of their southern neighbors in this regard as well. Provinces including Quebec, British Columbia and Manitoba have all begun regulating some forms of online gambling, and others may well join them soon. While some provinces such as Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have chosen not to pursue this path, there’s still a significant portion of the Canadian population that can play at government-regulated sites if they choose to do so.
Meanwhile, very few Americans have such options. As of the summer of 2013, Nevada offers real money online gambling, and they only regulate online poker, not other forms of gaming. Delaware and New Jersey have already voted to regulate online gambling as well, and New Jersey expects to have their sites up and running by the end of the year – with both poker and casino games being offered. Still, that means that only about 4% of Americans live in states that regulate internet wagering.
What all of this information serves to illustrate is that Canadians who enjoy online gambling will generally find it easier to enjoy their hobby than their American neighbors. While Americans are slowly gaining more options, Canadians are more likely to have government regulation of online gambling. Canadians can also access more foreign gambling sites, and will have a much easier time processing their deposits to and withdrawals from gambling sites.
The future for both nations seems to be an increase in state/provincial level regulation with the possibility of federal oversight down the road. But for the time being, Canada definitely has every advantage when it comes to gambling online.
Online gambling in Canada and the United States :: GamingToday-com
On the surface, the approach taken by both nations may appear rather similar. Both have no federal-level online gambling regulation, and some general prohibitions on allowing internet gambling companies to operate in their countries. Both also allow states or provinces to regulate gambling (including online gambling) on their own. Finally, neither criminalizes playing at online gambling sites from the player’s perspective (though a couple states in the USA do have such laws).
Where the two countries differ is in how they’ve chosen to interact with overseas online gambling operators. In Canada, the federal and provincial governments have done almost nothing to stop Canadians from playing at foreign operated sites, or prevent them advertising to Canadian players. This has led to a situation in which Canadians feel quite comfortable playing at online casinos, poker rooms and betting sites - and sites such as onlinegambling.ca offer guidance on the best places to play.
The situation is quite different in the United States. There, the government has been rather hostile to foreign operators, a policy that began with the 2006 passage of the UIGEA regulations. These laws made it illegal for American banks to process online gambling transactions. When many sites continued to operate in the USA and found banks to help them do so, the government began targeting large poker sites and those banks, indicting nearly a dozen individuals and seizing the domains of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker in 2011.
This has resulted in a large-scale exodus of the American market by the majority of major online gambling companies around the world. While there are still plenty of options for Americans who enjoy online gambling, they generally come from smaller companies who hope they will slide under the radar of the U.S. government. Meanwhile, Canadians have a wide range of internet gambling options, with only the most cautious of companies staying out of Canada due to the lack of regulation at the federal level.
Both nations are also seeing a move towards more regulation of online gambling, though so far this hasn’t occurred at the federal level. Instead, both the United States and Canada have seen states or provinces move to regulate internet gambling one at a time, allowing each region to determine if they want to opt in or out on their own.
Again, Canada is ahead of their southern neighbors in this regard as well. Provinces including Quebec, British Columbia and Manitoba have all begun regulating some forms of online gambling, and others may well join them soon. While some provinces such as Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have chosen not to pursue this path, there’s still a significant portion of the Canadian population that can play at government-regulated sites if they choose to do so.
Meanwhile, very few Americans have such options. As of the summer of 2013, Nevada offers real money online gambling, and they only regulate online poker, not other forms of gaming. Delaware and New Jersey have already voted to regulate online gambling as well, and New Jersey expects to have their sites up and running by the end of the year – with both poker and casino games being offered. Still, that means that only about 4% of Americans live in states that regulate internet wagering.
What all of this information serves to illustrate is that Canadians who enjoy online gambling will generally find it easier to enjoy their hobby than their American neighbors. While Americans are slowly gaining more options, Canadians are more likely to have government regulation of online gambling. Canadians can also access more foreign gambling sites, and will have a much easier time processing their deposits to and withdrawals from gambling sites.
The future for both nations seems to be an increase in state/provincial level regulation with the possibility of federal oversight down the road. But for the time being, Canada definitely has every advantage when it comes to gambling online.
Online gambling in Canada and the United States :: GamingToday-com
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2006/12/07
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TV3's Rachel Smalley announces resignation: by John Drinnan of the NZ Herald
Interviewer Rachel Smalley has resigned from TV3 where she has been presenting the morning news show Firstline.
An announcement that she has been appointed for an early morning role at The Radio Network was expected tonight.
A TV3 source said Ms Smalley would continue as the presenter of the weekend current affairs programme The Nation, which screens on TV3 but is made by an independent production company.
TV3 has made a big push into current affairs programming this year with John Campbell and Campbell Live taking a starring role.
But Smalley - who was a presenter on TV in Ireland and the UK before returning to New Zealand - has also had a strong performance this year.
TV3's plans for Firstline are not clear, but parent company MediaWorks is in receivership and has been looking to develop a more commercial format.
A TV industry source said Firstline had a tiny but loyal following.
However it is understood that new owners at TV3 are aiming to make the channel's lineup more commercial, and have been looking at returning to a light breakfast show format to compete with TV One's Breakfast.
Interviewer Rachel Smalley has resigned from TV3 where she has been presenting the morning news show Firstline.
An announcement that she has been appointed for an early morning role at The Radio Network was expected tonight.
A TV3 source said Ms Smalley would continue as the presenter of the weekend current affairs programme The Nation, which screens on TV3 but is made by an independent production company.
TV3 has made a big push into current affairs programming this year with John Campbell and Campbell Live taking a starring role.
But Smalley - who was a presenter on TV in Ireland and the UK before returning to New Zealand - has also had a strong performance this year.
TV3's plans for Firstline are not clear, but parent company MediaWorks is in receivership and has been looking to develop a more commercial format.
A TV industry source said Firstline had a tiny but loyal following.
However it is understood that new owners at TV3 are aiming to make the channel's lineup more commercial, and have been looking at returning to a light breakfast show format to compete with TV One's Breakfast.
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The Tropicana Casino and Resort is the latest Atlantic City casino to line up an online partner to help it offer Internet gambling later this year.
The Trop has joined with Gamesys Limited, which runs the jackpotjoy-com website.
"Gamesys has a proven track record in the UK of providing excellent products and customer service and we look forward to launching Tropicana's Internet gaming business with them," said Tony Rodio, the Tropicana's president.
Noel Hayden, founder & CEO of Gamesys Limited, said the British company is eager to start operations in New Jersey.
"We have always sought ambitious partners and Tropicana Atlantic City is a great partner," he said.
In 2012, Gamesys became the first company to offer real-money gambling through Facebook in the UK.
Atlantic City casinos are scrambling to forge alliances before Internet gambling becomes legal in New Jersey. It is due to start Nov. 26, although the date could be pushed back if regulators determine the state is not ready for it.
Lisa Spengler, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Gaming Enforcement, said all 12 casinos "have identified an Internet gaming partner and either have entered into a contractual agreement with the partner or remain in negotiations."
So far, nine of the 12 casinos have announced their Internet plans. The four casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment — Caesars Atlantic City, Bally's Atlantic City, Harrah's Resorts Atlantic City and the Showboat Casino Hotel — are partnering with 888 Holdings. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa has selected Bwin.party.
Resorts Casino Hotel has joined with PokerStars, the world's largest poker website that had tried to buy the Atlantic Club earlier this year before the deal fell apart.
The Taj Mahal Casino Resort chose Ultimate Gaming, which began offering Internet gambling in Nevada earlier this year. Trump Plaza is widely reported to have chosen Betfair, the British online gambling firm, although neither the casino nor the company immediately responded to messages seeking comment.
The Golden Nugget Atlantic City is offering its own brand of Internet gambling using Bally Technologies.
The Atlantic Club and Revel Casino Hotel have not announced their online gambling plans.
New Jersey is looking to Internet gambling to help revive the casinos, which have suffered a seven-year plunge in revenue and jobs brought on by the expansion of casinos into neighboring states.
Tropicana in Atlantic City chooses Gamesys as online gambling partner | NJ-com
The Trop has joined with Gamesys Limited, which runs the jackpotjoy-com website.
"Gamesys has a proven track record in the UK of providing excellent products and customer service and we look forward to launching Tropicana's Internet gaming business with them," said Tony Rodio, the Tropicana's president.
Noel Hayden, founder & CEO of Gamesys Limited, said the British company is eager to start operations in New Jersey.
"We have always sought ambitious partners and Tropicana Atlantic City is a great partner," he said.
In 2012, Gamesys became the first company to offer real-money gambling through Facebook in the UK.
Atlantic City casinos are scrambling to forge alliances before Internet gambling becomes legal in New Jersey. It is due to start Nov. 26, although the date could be pushed back if regulators determine the state is not ready for it.
Lisa Spengler, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Gaming Enforcement, said all 12 casinos "have identified an Internet gaming partner and either have entered into a contractual agreement with the partner or remain in negotiations."
So far, nine of the 12 casinos have announced their Internet plans. The four casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment — Caesars Atlantic City, Bally's Atlantic City, Harrah's Resorts Atlantic City and the Showboat Casino Hotel — are partnering with 888 Holdings. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa has selected Bwin.party.
Resorts Casino Hotel has joined with PokerStars, the world's largest poker website that had tried to buy the Atlantic Club earlier this year before the deal fell apart.
The Taj Mahal Casino Resort chose Ultimate Gaming, which began offering Internet gambling in Nevada earlier this year. Trump Plaza is widely reported to have chosen Betfair, the British online gambling firm, although neither the casino nor the company immediately responded to messages seeking comment.
The Golden Nugget Atlantic City is offering its own brand of Internet gambling using Bally Technologies.
The Atlantic Club and Revel Casino Hotel have not announced their online gambling plans.
New Jersey is looking to Internet gambling to help revive the casinos, which have suffered a seven-year plunge in revenue and jobs brought on by the expansion of casinos into neighboring states.
Tropicana in Atlantic City chooses Gamesys as online gambling partner | NJ-com
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Karen Black, the prolific actress who appeared in more than 100 movies and was featured in such counterculture favorites as Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces and Nashville, has died.
Black's husband, Stephen Eckelberry, says the actress died Wednesday from complications from cancer. She was 74. Known for her full lips and thick, wavy hair that seemed to change colour from film to film, Black often portrayed women who were quirky, troubled or threatened. Her breakthrough was as a prostitute who takes LSD with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in 1969's Easy Rider, the hippie classic that helped get her the role of Rayette Dipesto, a waitress who dates — and is mistreated by — an upper-class dropout played by Jack Nicholson in 1970's Five Easy Pieces.
Cited by the New York Times as a "pathetically appealing vulgarian," Black's performance won her an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe Award. She would recall that playing Rayette really was acting: The well-read, cerebral Black, raised in a comfortable Chicago suburb, had little in common with her relatively simple-minded character.
"If you look through the eyes of Rayette, it looks nice, really beautiful, light, not heavy, not serious. A very affectionate woman who would look upon things with love, and longing," Black told Venice Magazine in 2007. "A completely uncritical person, and in that sense, a beautiful person. When [director] Bob Rafelson called me to his office to discuss the part he said, 'Karen, I'm worried you can't play this role because you're too smart.' I said 'Bob, when you call "action," I will stop thinking,' because that's how Rayette is."'
Struggled to find strong roles later in life
In 1971, Black starred with Nicholson again in Drive, He Said, which Nicholson also directed. Over the next few years, she worked with such top actors and directors as Richard Benjamin (Portnoy's Complaint), Robert Redford and Mia Farrow (The Great Gatsby) and Charlton Heston (Airport 1975). She was nominated for a Grammy Award after writing and performing songs for Nashville, in which she played a country singer in Robert Altman's 1975 ensemble epic. Black also starred as a jewel thief in Alfred Hitchcock's last movie, Family Plot, released in 1976.
"We used to read each other poems and limericks and tried to catch me on my vocabulary," she later said of Hitchcock. "He once said, 'You seem very perspicacious today, Miss Black.' I said, 'Oh, you mean "keenly perceptive?" 'Yes.' So I got him this huge, gold-embossed dictionary that said 'Diction-Harry,' at the end of the shoot."
The actress would claim that her career as an A-list actress was ruined by The Day of the Locust, a troubled 1975 production of the Nathanael West novel that brought her a Golden Globe nomination but left Black struggling to find quality roles.
By the end of the '70s, she was appearing in television and in low-budget productions. Black received strong reviews in 1982 as a transsexual in Altman's Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. But despite working constantly over the next 30 years, she was more a cult idol than a major Hollywood star. Her credits included guest appearances on such TV series as Law & Order and Party of Five and enough horror movies, notably Trilogy of Terror, that a punk band named itself "The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black."
Black was married four times. She is survived by Eckelberry, a son and a daughter.
Black's husband, Stephen Eckelberry, says the actress died Wednesday from complications from cancer. She was 74. Known for her full lips and thick, wavy hair that seemed to change colour from film to film, Black often portrayed women who were quirky, troubled or threatened. Her breakthrough was as a prostitute who takes LSD with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in 1969's Easy Rider, the hippie classic that helped get her the role of Rayette Dipesto, a waitress who dates — and is mistreated by — an upper-class dropout played by Jack Nicholson in 1970's Five Easy Pieces.
Cited by the New York Times as a "pathetically appealing vulgarian," Black's performance won her an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe Award. She would recall that playing Rayette really was acting: The well-read, cerebral Black, raised in a comfortable Chicago suburb, had little in common with her relatively simple-minded character.
"If you look through the eyes of Rayette, it looks nice, really beautiful, light, not heavy, not serious. A very affectionate woman who would look upon things with love, and longing," Black told Venice Magazine in 2007. "A completely uncritical person, and in that sense, a beautiful person. When [director] Bob Rafelson called me to his office to discuss the part he said, 'Karen, I'm worried you can't play this role because you're too smart.' I said 'Bob, when you call "action," I will stop thinking,' because that's how Rayette is."'
Struggled to find strong roles later in life
In 1971, Black starred with Nicholson again in Drive, He Said, which Nicholson also directed. Over the next few years, she worked with such top actors and directors as Richard Benjamin (Portnoy's Complaint), Robert Redford and Mia Farrow (The Great Gatsby) and Charlton Heston (Airport 1975). She was nominated for a Grammy Award after writing and performing songs for Nashville, in which she played a country singer in Robert Altman's 1975 ensemble epic. Black also starred as a jewel thief in Alfred Hitchcock's last movie, Family Plot, released in 1976.
"We used to read each other poems and limericks and tried to catch me on my vocabulary," she later said of Hitchcock. "He once said, 'You seem very perspicacious today, Miss Black.' I said, 'Oh, you mean "keenly perceptive?" 'Yes.' So I got him this huge, gold-embossed dictionary that said 'Diction-Harry,' at the end of the shoot."
The actress would claim that her career as an A-list actress was ruined by The Day of the Locust, a troubled 1975 production of the Nathanael West novel that brought her a Golden Globe nomination but left Black struggling to find quality roles.
By the end of the '70s, she was appearing in television and in low-budget productions. Black received strong reviews in 1982 as a transsexual in Altman's Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. But despite working constantly over the next 30 years, she was more a cult idol than a major Hollywood star. Her credits included guest appearances on such TV series as Law & Order and Party of Five and enough horror movies, notably Trilogy of Terror, that a punk band named itself "The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black."
Black was married four times. She is survived by Eckelberry, a son and a daughter.
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Legalizing online lottery ticket sales might be one way to prevent the first year-over-year decrease in lottery ticket sales in 15 years from turning into a multi-year trend.
The Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency‘s plan to launch an online lottery service was vetoed by Gov. Martin O’Malley this year and the agency had to fight to stop legislation in the General Assembly that would have stripped away some of its regulatory authority.
Lottery officials have previously said that expanding its offerings to the Web would be critical to capturing the younger generation of would-be gamblers.
The lawmaker most responsible for evaluating gambling legislation in the House of Delegates said Friday there’s a lot of work to be done before scratch-offs could be purchased with a click.
“I think there’s a lot of unanswered questions,” said Del. Eric G. Luedtke, chairman of the Finance Resources Subcommittee. “You’ve seen other states race to get into it. A lot of the opposition [in Maryland] just came from traditional lottery retailers that don’t want the competition. For me, the biggest unanswered question is, how do you prevent underage players? I’m not entirely sure the technological infrastructure is there.”
Other states including Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada have already embraced online gambling, and some Maryland casinos are waiting for state law to catch up. Maryland Live Casino at Arundel Mills mall, the state’s most successful casino, has an online casino on its website where e-gamblers can play without placing real wagers. Caesars Entertainment Corp., the leader of a group that plans to open a casino in Baltimore next year, is active in online gambling in Nevada.
If Internet gambling is ever legalized in Maryland, the casinos will have the necessary framework in place to start taking bets.
“It’ll happen. It’ll be two years or three years,” said James Karmel, an associate professor at Harford Community College who studies the gambling industry. “Whatever can be done to capture the younger generation. … I’m interested in the effect online gambling is going to have on physical casinos.”
Luedtke, D-Montgomery, also admitted the question of online gambling was something lawmakers would have to seriously consider before too long — especially if lottery revenue continues to diminish.
“Everything’s going online eventually,” Luedtke said. “It might be something we have to do to continue getting revenues.”
Online gambling needs work before legalization in Maryland | Eye on Annapolis
The Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency‘s plan to launch an online lottery service was vetoed by Gov. Martin O’Malley this year and the agency had to fight to stop legislation in the General Assembly that would have stripped away some of its regulatory authority.
Lottery officials have previously said that expanding its offerings to the Web would be critical to capturing the younger generation of would-be gamblers.
The lawmaker most responsible for evaluating gambling legislation in the House of Delegates said Friday there’s a lot of work to be done before scratch-offs could be purchased with a click.
“I think there’s a lot of unanswered questions,” said Del. Eric G. Luedtke, chairman of the Finance Resources Subcommittee. “You’ve seen other states race to get into it. A lot of the opposition [in Maryland] just came from traditional lottery retailers that don’t want the competition. For me, the biggest unanswered question is, how do you prevent underage players? I’m not entirely sure the technological infrastructure is there.”
Other states including Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada have already embraced online gambling, and some Maryland casinos are waiting for state law to catch up. Maryland Live Casino at Arundel Mills mall, the state’s most successful casino, has an online casino on its website where e-gamblers can play without placing real wagers. Caesars Entertainment Corp., the leader of a group that plans to open a casino in Baltimore next year, is active in online gambling in Nevada.
If Internet gambling is ever legalized in Maryland, the casinos will have the necessary framework in place to start taking bets.
“It’ll happen. It’ll be two years or three years,” said James Karmel, an associate professor at Harford Community College who studies the gambling industry. “Whatever can be done to capture the younger generation. … I’m interested in the effect online gambling is going to have on physical casinos.”
Luedtke, D-Montgomery, also admitted the question of online gambling was something lawmakers would have to seriously consider before too long — especially if lottery revenue continues to diminish.
“Everything’s going online eventually,” Luedtke said. “It might be something we have to do to continue getting revenues.”
Online gambling needs work before legalization in Maryland | Eye on Annapolis
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A luxury shop owner in Zurich denied that racism was involved when U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey was discouraged from buying a 35,000 Swiss franc crocodile handbag.
Winfrey, recently named the world's most powerful celebrity by Forbes, was in Zurich for the wedding of singer Tina Turner when the incident occurred last month.
The broadcaster said in two US interviews that a sales assistant refused to show her the designer handbag, saying it was "too expensive" for the African-American celebrity and steering her towards other, cheaper purses.
Luxury shop Trois Pommes denied discriminating against Winfrey, who asked to look at a "Jennifer" purse, designed by Tom Ford and named for actress Jennifer Aniston. The owner put the incident down to a language barrier. "This is an absolute classic misunderstanding," shop owner Trudie Goetz told Reuters on Friday. The sales assistant wanted to show Winfrey that the purse was also available in other materials, which may have given the TV host the impression the shop didn't want to sell her the purse, Goetz said.
"Of course that's not the case. Who wouldn't want to sell a purse for 35,000 francs?" Goetz said. Winfrey, 59, who runs her own TV network, earned $77 million from June 2012 to June 2013, cementing the No. 1 spot on the Forbes list last month, the fifth time she has headed the annual ranking of 100 celebrities.
The incident unleashed a volley of criticism in Switzerland, where revelations this week that asylum-seekers are not allowed free movement to public sports venues like municipal pools caused a stir.
The Swiss tourism association said it regretted the incident and was "never happy when our guests' feelings are hurt". Winfrey is currently promoting her return to the big screen in Lee Daniels' "The Butler," which also stars Forest Whitaker.
Switzerland has contradictory attitudes towards foreigners: on the one hand, it employs large numbers of foreign professionals in big industries like finance, which accounts for roughly 6 percent of gross domestic product. On the other, the influential Swiss People's Party has long made opposition to immigration a key plank of its electoral appeal.
Winfrey, recently named the world's most powerful celebrity by Forbes, was in Zurich for the wedding of singer Tina Turner when the incident occurred last month.
The broadcaster said in two US interviews that a sales assistant refused to show her the designer handbag, saying it was "too expensive" for the African-American celebrity and steering her towards other, cheaper purses.
Luxury shop Trois Pommes denied discriminating against Winfrey, who asked to look at a "Jennifer" purse, designed by Tom Ford and named for actress Jennifer Aniston. The owner put the incident down to a language barrier. "This is an absolute classic misunderstanding," shop owner Trudie Goetz told Reuters on Friday. The sales assistant wanted to show Winfrey that the purse was also available in other materials, which may have given the TV host the impression the shop didn't want to sell her the purse, Goetz said.
"Of course that's not the case. Who wouldn't want to sell a purse for 35,000 francs?" Goetz said. Winfrey, 59, who runs her own TV network, earned $77 million from June 2012 to June 2013, cementing the No. 1 spot on the Forbes list last month, the fifth time she has headed the annual ranking of 100 celebrities.
The incident unleashed a volley of criticism in Switzerland, where revelations this week that asylum-seekers are not allowed free movement to public sports venues like municipal pools caused a stir.
The Swiss tourism association said it regretted the incident and was "never happy when our guests' feelings are hurt". Winfrey is currently promoting her return to the big screen in Lee Daniels' "The Butler," which also stars Forest Whitaker.
Switzerland has contradictory attitudes towards foreigners: on the one hand, it employs large numbers of foreign professionals in big industries like finance, which accounts for roughly 6 percent of gross domestic product. On the other, the influential Swiss People's Party has long made opposition to immigration a key plank of its electoral appeal.
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The Tropicana Casino and Resort is the latest Atlantic City casino to line up an online partner to help it offer Internet gambling later this year.
The Trop has joined with Gamesys Limited, which runs the jackpotjoy-com website.
"Gamesys has a proven track record in the UK of providing excellent products and customer service and we look forward to launching Tropicana's Internet gaming business with them," said Tony Rodio, the Tropicana's president.
Noel Hayden, founder & CEO of Gamesys Limited, said the British company is eager to start operations in New Jersey.
"We have always sought ambitious partners and Tropicana Atlantic City is a great partner," he said.
In 2012, Gamesys became the first company to offer real-money gambling through Facebook in the UK.
Atlantic City casinos are scrambling to forge alliances before Internet gambling becomes legal in New Jersey. It is due to start Nov. 26, although the date could be pushed back if regulators determine the state is not ready for it.
Lisa Spengler, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Gaming Enforcement, said all 12 casinos "have identified an Internet gaming partner and either have entered into a contractual agreement with the partner or remain in negotiations." So far, nine of the 12 casinos have announced their Internet plans. The four casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment — Caesars Atlantic City, Bally's Atlantic City, Harrah's Resorts Atlantic City and the Showboat Casino Hotel — are partnering with 888 Holdings. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa has selected Bwin.party.
Resorts Casino Hotel has joined with PokerStars, the world's largest poker website that had tried to buy the Atlantic Club earlier this year before the deal fell apart.
The Taj Mahal Casino Resort chose Ultimate Gaming, which began offering Internet gambling in Nevada earlier this year. Trump Plaza is widely reported to have chosen Betfair, the British online gambling firm, although neither the casino nor the company immediately responded to messages seeking comment.
The Golden Nugget Atlantic City is offering its own brand of Internet gambling using Bally Technologies.
The Atlantic Club and Revel Casino Hotel have not announced their online gambling plans.
New Jersey is looking to Internet gambling to help revive the casinos, which have suffered a seven-year plunge in revenue and jobs brought on by the expansion of casinos into neighboring states.
N.J. casinos lining up online gambling partners
The Trop has joined with Gamesys Limited, which runs the jackpotjoy-com website.
"Gamesys has a proven track record in the UK of providing excellent products and customer service and we look forward to launching Tropicana's Internet gaming business with them," said Tony Rodio, the Tropicana's president.
Noel Hayden, founder & CEO of Gamesys Limited, said the British company is eager to start operations in New Jersey.
"We have always sought ambitious partners and Tropicana Atlantic City is a great partner," he said.
In 2012, Gamesys became the first company to offer real-money gambling through Facebook in the UK.
Atlantic City casinos are scrambling to forge alliances before Internet gambling becomes legal in New Jersey. It is due to start Nov. 26, although the date could be pushed back if regulators determine the state is not ready for it.
Lisa Spengler, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Gaming Enforcement, said all 12 casinos "have identified an Internet gaming partner and either have entered into a contractual agreement with the partner or remain in negotiations." So far, nine of the 12 casinos have announced their Internet plans. The four casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment — Caesars Atlantic City, Bally's Atlantic City, Harrah's Resorts Atlantic City and the Showboat Casino Hotel — are partnering with 888 Holdings. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa has selected Bwin.party.
Resorts Casino Hotel has joined with PokerStars, the world's largest poker website that had tried to buy the Atlantic Club earlier this year before the deal fell apart.
The Taj Mahal Casino Resort chose Ultimate Gaming, which began offering Internet gambling in Nevada earlier this year. Trump Plaza is widely reported to have chosen Betfair, the British online gambling firm, although neither the casino nor the company immediately responded to messages seeking comment.
The Golden Nugget Atlantic City is offering its own brand of Internet gambling using Bally Technologies.
The Atlantic Club and Revel Casino Hotel have not announced their online gambling plans.
New Jersey is looking to Internet gambling to help revive the casinos, which have suffered a seven-year plunge in revenue and jobs brought on by the expansion of casinos into neighboring states.
N.J. casinos lining up online gambling partners
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In 1961, the United States passed the Federal Wire Act, which prohibited certain types of betting, such as sport betting, in the United States. Fifty years later, on September 20, 2011, the United States Department of Justice issued an opinion stating the use of the Internet to sell lottery tickets to in-state adults was not part of the Wire Act.
“We conclude that interstate transmissions of wire communications that do not relate to a ‘sporting event or contest’ fall outside of the reach of the Wire Act,” the opinion read. Although the opinion was in response to proposals by Illinois and New York to use the Internet to sell lottery tickets to in-state adults, it was the open door needed to legalize online gambling in certain states, according to Les Bernal, the National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling.
The Department of Justice made online gambling legal so long as it is permitted at the state level. The ruling is a stark contrast to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which was passed in 2006. The act prohibits Internet gambling, with the exceptions of fantasy sports and legal intrastate and inter-tribal gaming.
Since the Department of Justice’s 2011 opinion, three states have passed legislation legalizing online gambling: Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware, Bernal said.
“The whole reason why they are pushing Internet gambling is they want a whole generation of younger people to get hooked,” Bernal said. “Young people are less likely to go to brick and mortar casinos. Young people spend much of their lives now [online], and they grew up in a world where the Internet is part of their daily life. They live much of their lives on the Internet.”
Anyone from teens to people in their mid-30s are a prime target for online gambling advocates, Bernal said.
By the numbers
According to a July 11, 2013 article by Hannah Dreier of the Associated Press, global financial services firm Morgan Stanley has estimated online gambling will produce $9.3 billion by 2020.
According to Bernal, 40-60 percent of the profits made in slot machines come from the 6-7 percent of people who are problem gamblers.
For those people, gambling can cause serious problems. Bernal recalled one woman, Melinda, who was a resident nurse as well as a slot machine addict.
“This woman was incredible, still incredible. [She is] smart, attractive, very experienced intensive care unit nurse, very successful, very well educated – she got addicted to [slot] machines because they put a casino near her house, 10 minutes from where she lives,” Bernal shared. “She stole money from her hospital, where she worked, to help feed her addiction. She lost her job, she got fired and she also got addicted to online gambling.”
Although Melinda eventually received help for her addicted, Bernal says she still receives emails every day trying to entice her back to online gambling.
Legislation efforts
Wisconsin is not currently considering legislation regarding Internet gambling. As a matter of fact, Wisconsin Family Action is one of the groups that has asked Congress to toughen the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, according to a June 6, 2012 article on WTAQ News Talk 97.5FM and 1360AM.
While the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act prohibits online gambling, the act could become null and void soon. The reason? There are currently two bills before Congress that would legalize online gambling.
According to Dreier’s July 11 article, Texas Representative Joe Barton introduced a bill in Congress that would pave the way for states to legalize online poker without fear of federal intervention.
“Just like millions of other players, I enjoy the strategy and skill involved,” Barton is quoted as saying in a statement. “I continue to be supportive of the Americans who play poker online. They deserve to have a legal, on-shore system that makes sure everyone is playing in an honest, fair structure.”
Barton is not the first legislator to introduce a bill that would legalize online gambling. In June of this year, New York Congressman Peter King introduced the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2013.
The legislation would create a federal online gaming regulatory structure that would be overseen by an office of gambling oversight in the Treasury Department, according to a June 6, 2013 article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware, since they already have established Internet gaming regulations, would have their laws grandfathered into the new federal regulatory structure, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal article.
One of the dangers with online gambling – especially for problem gamblers – is the potential for no cut-off point, according to Bernal.
“When you are in a brick and mortar casino, at some point you need to go home. After 24 hours or something, you are going to need to go home, and that breaks up the zone. But if you are home, you can show up in the morning in your pajamas and be inside gambling all day,” Bernal said. “Now anytime you need to get that high, you go for it. It is like having crack cocaine right in your medicine cabinet or in your pocketbook. Anytime you need that hit, you just go for it.”
To be or not to be? The Internet gambling paradox - The Waunakee Tribune: Regional
“We conclude that interstate transmissions of wire communications that do not relate to a ‘sporting event or contest’ fall outside of the reach of the Wire Act,” the opinion read. Although the opinion was in response to proposals by Illinois and New York to use the Internet to sell lottery tickets to in-state adults, it was the open door needed to legalize online gambling in certain states, according to Les Bernal, the National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling.
The Department of Justice made online gambling legal so long as it is permitted at the state level. The ruling is a stark contrast to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which was passed in 2006. The act prohibits Internet gambling, with the exceptions of fantasy sports and legal intrastate and inter-tribal gaming.
Since the Department of Justice’s 2011 opinion, three states have passed legislation legalizing online gambling: Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware, Bernal said.
“The whole reason why they are pushing Internet gambling is they want a whole generation of younger people to get hooked,” Bernal said. “Young people are less likely to go to brick and mortar casinos. Young people spend much of their lives now [online], and they grew up in a world where the Internet is part of their daily life. They live much of their lives on the Internet.”
Anyone from teens to people in their mid-30s are a prime target for online gambling advocates, Bernal said.
By the numbers
According to a July 11, 2013 article by Hannah Dreier of the Associated Press, global financial services firm Morgan Stanley has estimated online gambling will produce $9.3 billion by 2020.
According to Bernal, 40-60 percent of the profits made in slot machines come from the 6-7 percent of people who are problem gamblers.
For those people, gambling can cause serious problems. Bernal recalled one woman, Melinda, who was a resident nurse as well as a slot machine addict.
“This woman was incredible, still incredible. [She is] smart, attractive, very experienced intensive care unit nurse, very successful, very well educated – she got addicted to [slot] machines because they put a casino near her house, 10 minutes from where she lives,” Bernal shared. “She stole money from her hospital, where she worked, to help feed her addiction. She lost her job, she got fired and she also got addicted to online gambling.”
Although Melinda eventually received help for her addicted, Bernal says she still receives emails every day trying to entice her back to online gambling.
Legislation efforts
Wisconsin is not currently considering legislation regarding Internet gambling. As a matter of fact, Wisconsin Family Action is one of the groups that has asked Congress to toughen the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, according to a June 6, 2012 article on WTAQ News Talk 97.5FM and 1360AM.
While the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act prohibits online gambling, the act could become null and void soon. The reason? There are currently two bills before Congress that would legalize online gambling.
According to Dreier’s July 11 article, Texas Representative Joe Barton introduced a bill in Congress that would pave the way for states to legalize online poker without fear of federal intervention.
“Just like millions of other players, I enjoy the strategy and skill involved,” Barton is quoted as saying in a statement. “I continue to be supportive of the Americans who play poker online. They deserve to have a legal, on-shore system that makes sure everyone is playing in an honest, fair structure.”
Barton is not the first legislator to introduce a bill that would legalize online gambling. In June of this year, New York Congressman Peter King introduced the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2013.
The legislation would create a federal online gaming regulatory structure that would be overseen by an office of gambling oversight in the Treasury Department, according to a June 6, 2013 article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware, since they already have established Internet gaming regulations, would have their laws grandfathered into the new federal regulatory structure, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal article.
One of the dangers with online gambling – especially for problem gamblers – is the potential for no cut-off point, according to Bernal.
“When you are in a brick and mortar casino, at some point you need to go home. After 24 hours or something, you are going to need to go home, and that breaks up the zone. But if you are home, you can show up in the morning in your pajamas and be inside gambling all day,” Bernal said. “Now anytime you need to get that high, you go for it. It is like having crack cocaine right in your medicine cabinet or in your pocketbook. Anytime you need that hit, you just go for it.”
To be or not to be? The Internet gambling paradox - The Waunakee Tribune: Regional
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The online gambling industry in Europe has been going through some serious issues mostly regarding the various monopolies that individual governments are keeping in spite of the European rules on free e-commerce among nations. A recent article in the Greek Reporter has again brought to light the latest news in a long story referring to the Greek Gambling monopoly OPAP.
The government of Greece has had its share of difficult challenges of late and they being faced with yet another from the Remote Gambling Association which said it will sue over the deal that grants exclusive rights to run the agency. A Greek-Czech consortium recently purchased the government stake with the deal unraveling over some of the details. The Remote Gambling Association has requested an injunction be issued to stop the government’s decision to approve the privatization of 33 percent of the betting firm.
In the 100-page brief,the RGA argues against the decision on 12 grounds, but chiefly that the State Audit Council approved the OPAP sale without waiting for a European Commission ruling on whether the ceding of the exclusive right for online betting constitutes state aid.
Officials at the government’s privatizations agency contend the court action by the RGA is unlikely to prevent the signing of the contract sale. The lawyers for the government organization are citing recent legislation that deprives third parties of the right to file injunctions against positive decisions by the State Audit Council. OPAP holds the rights to online betting in Greece exclusively until 2020. According to the contract s with Hellenic Lotteries, and Emma Delta Intralot will provide technical support and Scientific Games will undertake the printing of the scratch lottery tickets.
RGA Will Sue Over Greek Online Gambling Monopoly
The government of Greece has had its share of difficult challenges of late and they being faced with yet another from the Remote Gambling Association which said it will sue over the deal that grants exclusive rights to run the agency. A Greek-Czech consortium recently purchased the government stake with the deal unraveling over some of the details. The Remote Gambling Association has requested an injunction be issued to stop the government’s decision to approve the privatization of 33 percent of the betting firm.
In the 100-page brief,the RGA argues against the decision on 12 grounds, but chiefly that the State Audit Council approved the OPAP sale without waiting for a European Commission ruling on whether the ceding of the exclusive right for online betting constitutes state aid.
Officials at the government’s privatizations agency contend the court action by the RGA is unlikely to prevent the signing of the contract sale. The lawyers for the government organization are citing recent legislation that deprives third parties of the right to file injunctions against positive decisions by the State Audit Council. OPAP holds the rights to online betting in Greece exclusively until 2020. According to the contract s with Hellenic Lotteries, and Emma Delta Intralot will provide technical support and Scientific Games will undertake the printing of the scratch lottery tickets.
RGA Will Sue Over Greek Online Gambling Monopoly
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Jennifer Lawrence says growing up in Kentucky she always knew she would be famous.
The Best Actress Oscar-winner for “Silver Linings Playbook” tells the September issue of Vogue magazine that she used to “lie in bed and wonder” about what would make her well-known.
She says, “It wasn’t a vision. But as it’s kind of happening, you have this buried understanding: Of course.”
The 22-year-old also confesses her childhood was “unhappy” because she was “anxious.” Her parents even sent her to a therapist.
It was when she got cast in 2007 in the TV series “The Bill Engvall Show” that her mother realized she no longer needed counseling because acting made her happy.
Vogue’s September issue goes on sale August 20.
Read more: Jennifer Lawrence: ‘I always knew I’d be famous’ | Inquirer Entertainment
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
The Best Actress Oscar-winner for “Silver Linings Playbook” tells the September issue of Vogue magazine that she used to “lie in bed and wonder” about what would make her well-known.
She says, “It wasn’t a vision. But as it’s kind of happening, you have this buried understanding: Of course.”
The 22-year-old also confesses her childhood was “unhappy” because she was “anxious.” Her parents even sent her to a therapist.
It was when she got cast in 2007 in the TV series “The Bill Engvall Show” that her mother realized she no longer needed counseling because acting made her happy.
Vogue’s September issue goes on sale August 20.
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You can be a winner by social cash betting. This website offers you play and win prizes . I think maximum people will like it for their great services. I personally like the site so much.
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The internet gambling industry is a business that must protect the consumer from criminals who attempt to steal personal information from their files. Many people don’t realize that the operators themselves sometimes become the target of cyber criminals who attack the online gambling domains and create situations that require serious security firewalls.
A recent case is an example of the kind of threat that many businesses that operate on the internet encounter. A cyber attack against a Manchester-based online gambling site has made headlines recently with the arrest of two men who have been accused of attempting to extort money from the site.
Appearing before an Uxbridge Magistrates Court, the two men allegedly attempted extortion in connected to a distributed denial-of-service attack on the Club World Casino online gambling site. British police have arrested the two individuals at Heathrow Airport last week and charged them with blackmail and one offense of unauthorized acts on computers under the 1990 Computer Misuse Act.
The Polish nationals Piotr Smirnaw from Warsaw, age 31 and Patryk Surmacki, aged 35, of Szczecin were arrested after authorities from the USA and Poland in the investigation, along with Greater Manchester Police and the Serious Organized Crime Agency firmed up their allegations.
Security expert Graham Cluley commented, “Extortion attempts involving denial of service attacks certainly aren't a new phenomenon. In the past there have been numerous cases of websites that have found themselves the victims of attempted blackmail by criminal gangs who threaten to bring down their website," Cluley continued: "Often such blackmailers will demonstrate their ability to flood a website with traffic from a botnet of computers, proving their ability to prevent genuine customers from reaching the site, in an attempt to convince their victims into paying large amounts of money."
The two men launched a 36-hour DoS attack against Club World Casino on 2 August 2013, preventing customers from using the website then attempted to blackmail the host.
Online Gambling Site Cyber Attackers Arrested
A recent case is an example of the kind of threat that many businesses that operate on the internet encounter. A cyber attack against a Manchester-based online gambling site has made headlines recently with the arrest of two men who have been accused of attempting to extort money from the site.
Appearing before an Uxbridge Magistrates Court, the two men allegedly attempted extortion in connected to a distributed denial-of-service attack on the Club World Casino online gambling site. British police have arrested the two individuals at Heathrow Airport last week and charged them with blackmail and one offense of unauthorized acts on computers under the 1990 Computer Misuse Act.
The Polish nationals Piotr Smirnaw from Warsaw, age 31 and Patryk Surmacki, aged 35, of Szczecin were arrested after authorities from the USA and Poland in the investigation, along with Greater Manchester Police and the Serious Organized Crime Agency firmed up their allegations.
Security expert Graham Cluley commented, “Extortion attempts involving denial of service attacks certainly aren't a new phenomenon. In the past there have been numerous cases of websites that have found themselves the victims of attempted blackmail by criminal gangs who threaten to bring down their website," Cluley continued: "Often such blackmailers will demonstrate their ability to flood a website with traffic from a botnet of computers, proving their ability to prevent genuine customers from reaching the site, in an attempt to convince their victims into paying large amounts of money."
The two men launched a 36-hour DoS attack against Club World Casino on 2 August 2013, preventing customers from using the website then attempted to blackmail the host.
Online Gambling Site Cyber Attackers Arrested
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The main entertainment firm owned by singer Sinead O'Connor plunged into the red last year, according to new accounts.
New returns filed by O'Connor's So Touring Ltd show that the firm had accumulated losses of €186,565 (£160,000) last year. The firm had accumulated profits of €70,901 (£60,000) the previous year, which implies a negative swing of €257,466 (£221,000) in 12 months. However, the loss is explained by O'Connor lending the firm an additional €254,819 during the year.
The firm had no cash at the end of the year.
However, the amount owed by debtors increased from €89,348 to €182,231. The firm going into the red coincided last year with O'Connor releasing her first album in five years 'How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?' to enthusiastic reviews.
New returns filed by O'Connor's So Touring Ltd show that the firm had accumulated losses of €186,565 (£160,000) last year. The firm had accumulated profits of €70,901 (£60,000) the previous year, which implies a negative swing of €257,466 (£221,000) in 12 months. However, the loss is explained by O'Connor lending the firm an additional €254,819 during the year.
The firm had no cash at the end of the year.
However, the amount owed by debtors increased from €89,348 to €182,231. The firm going into the red coincided last year with O'Connor releasing her first album in five years 'How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?' to enthusiastic reviews.
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2006/12/07
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A first of its kind in the United Kingdom Gamble.co.uk, a leading independent gambling information website, has just launched a new Casino Finder application for iPhone and Android devices.
There are many innovative features that will get the ball rolling for novices as well as seasoned gamers. The app is proving to be very intuitive and extremely well focused and it is also free. Casino Finder has a complete database of all land-based casinos in the United Kingdom, and the venues can be viewed in list format or on a map display. Apple maps are used for the latter purpose wherever possible, while other devices use third-party mapping technology.
In addition, if your device is GPS enabled then the app will identify the venue that is closest to your current position, which is great if you want to explore the options available in your immediate vicinity.
As well as helping you to find casinos, the Casino Finder app will also tell you exactly what to expect with full and unbiased reviews. A spokesperson for Gamble.co.uk, commented, “A good offline casino can give people a great night out,” adding, “but if you visit a venue that doesn't provide the games or facilities that you want, your whole evening could be ruined. The Casino Finder app helps users to minimise that risk by giving them all the information they need to make informed decisions, even if they happen to be visiting an area that they don't know very well.”
As mobile internet becomes the norm more and more online gambling sites and gambling service providers are developing apps that meet the growing demand. There are thousands of applications available that can speed the player on to a greater and more rewarding gambling experience. Doing a little research can prove to be profitable in many ways.
Online Gambling Apps Making For Better Play
There are many innovative features that will get the ball rolling for novices as well as seasoned gamers. The app is proving to be very intuitive and extremely well focused and it is also free. Casino Finder has a complete database of all land-based casinos in the United Kingdom, and the venues can be viewed in list format or on a map display. Apple maps are used for the latter purpose wherever possible, while other devices use third-party mapping technology.
In addition, if your device is GPS enabled then the app will identify the venue that is closest to your current position, which is great if you want to explore the options available in your immediate vicinity.
As well as helping you to find casinos, the Casino Finder app will also tell you exactly what to expect with full and unbiased reviews. A spokesperson for Gamble.co.uk, commented, “A good offline casino can give people a great night out,” adding, “but if you visit a venue that doesn't provide the games or facilities that you want, your whole evening could be ruined. The Casino Finder app helps users to minimise that risk by giving them all the information they need to make informed decisions, even if they happen to be visiting an area that they don't know very well.”
As mobile internet becomes the norm more and more online gambling sites and gambling service providers are developing apps that meet the growing demand. There are thousands of applications available that can speed the player on to a greater and more rewarding gambling experience. Doing a little research can prove to be profitable in many ways.
Online Gambling Apps Making For Better Play
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2006/12/07
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A recent report in the Las Vegas Review Journal reported that Nevada Democrat representative, Dina Titus has written to the chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, urging the committee to set a date for a hearing. She stressed that time was off the essence as more and more states introduce individual laws and regulation governing online gambling, which could – in her opinion – negatively effect efforts to control the industry on a federal level.
“Previous efforts in Congress to create a national legal framework for Internet gaming have failed and states have moved ahead of Congress to develop these laws and accompanying regulations,” writes Titus.
States continue to push their own regulations, with the first real money online poker site, Ultimate Gaming already up and running in Nevada. Delaware is expected to launch online poker and casino games in September, while New Jersey is reviewing licensing applications and expects the first Atlantic City based online casino and pokers sites to go live by Thanksgiving.
Titus expresses her concern in her letter to the House committee that this type of individual state-to-state regime allows the entrance of ‘bad actors’ into the system and makes it difficult to regulate an entire industry.
“It is critical that Congress create a common sense regulatory framework to address this growing issue. Federal regulation would ensure that consumers are protected,” she writes.
Titus’ objective is to hold a similar hearing to the one held recently on internet poker by a Senate sub-committee, although it would place more emphasis on consumer protection.
Pressure On to Hold Online Gambling Hearing in Congress