Issue N14, 2008
April 3, 2008
Dutch Parliament Vetoes Online Gambling Site
Dutch online gamblers will need to wait a little bit longer for their long awaited state-backed internet casino site after the upper house of the country’s parliament voted to block an operator’s bid to launch the site. Holland Casino, a company that holds a market monopoly in the Netherlands, was successful in its efforts to obtain state permission when it applied to the lower house in 2006. However, Tuesday’s vote of 37-35 against the proposal put an end to these attempts.
The narrow vote indicates just how equally divided the Dutch are regarding the online gambling issue. It is a known fact that Dutch players frequent online casinos that are run by offshore operators and these big firms, including Bwin and Sportingbet are understandably not sorry to see that the proposal did not pass in the upper house. A new, state-backed site would have removed a large portion of their customer base as Dutch players would finally have a regulated, legal and ‘official’ site where they could spend their time and money. It remains to be seen how long it will take for Dutch online gambling proponents to try getting the vote through again.
US Misses World Trade Organization Deadline Once More
Once again, the United States has missed an important deadline imposed on it by the World Trade Organization to make a proposed settlement to Antigua and Barbuda, following an arbitrary court ruling last year. The WTO ruled that the United States should pay the Caribbean twin-state the sum of $21-million for losses incurred due to the US’s policy of blocking foreign operators from servicing the public within its borders. The United States was ordered to offer a proposal by March 31st, which, as noticed, was simply ignored without so much as a comment.
By Monday evening, neither the Antiguan Directorate of Gaming, nor the country’s attorney in the case, Mark Mendel, had received any word from the United States, despite anticipation in the weeks leading up to the deadline. This is not the first time that the United States has flouted WTO rulings and missed deadlines, something that is beginning to grate on Antigua’s nerves and cause the country to lose patience. Already, there have been threats that Antigua will ignore United States intellectual property laws in order to recuperate the $21-million that rightly belongs to the country – a move that will undoubtedly cause the United States to sit up and, hopefully, take action.
All Slots Casino Announces Free $100,000 Tournament
All Slots online casino, a member of the Jackpot Factory Group, has announced the launching of a fantastic new $100,000 slots tournament that is sure to get slots fans excited. In a joint statement with the casino, Jackpot Factory’s Vice President of Players Affairs, Jack Brickman said: “The Jackpot Factory was the first casino group to offer free slot tournaments of this proportion. Last year, we hosted the original $100,000 tournament and it was a huge success, because it gave newcomers a firsthand chance to experience the thrills of online gaming. In fact, last year’s winner registered at the casino only 12 days before he won!”
The tournament’s semi finals stage will run from today until April 30th and the top fifty winners every day will earn themselves an entry ticket into the $100,000 main event. The first prize will be an awesome $50,000, followed by a $10,000 second prize and $5,000 for the third placed winner. The rest of the $100,000 will be split among the top 300 players in the tournament. All Slots offers 350 exciting casino games, including 21 massive progressive jackpot games.
888 Launches New Online Casino
One of the industry’s most popular gambling operators, 888.com has announced the launching of a brand new, innovative casino site that is sure to impress even the most critical player. The interactive site, known as 888 Casino.com is particularly appealing because of the beautiful hostess, Elizabeth, who welcomes players to the site and offers them step by step instructions on how to download software, how to take advantage of bonuses and other useful information.
888.com's Marketing Director, Matt Robinson, said about the new site: “Personal care for our players has always been a top priority for 888 and we decided to take it one step further with 888 Casino. I believe they will be pleasantly surprised.”
Players will be able to take advantage of lucrative bonuses, an excellent selection of games, 24/7 customer support and the backing of one of the most reputable gambling operators in the online gaming world. 888.com is also enjoying success after the launch of its newest ‘baby’ – an all-inclusive bingo site called 888.ladies that uses cutting edge technology to bring players one of the best bingo experiences on the internet.