Issue N3, 2010

January 20, 2010

Microgaming Poker Stops Data Mining Practices

Microgaming’s poker network announced this week that it would be putting a halt to the practice of storing hand histories of observed tables on computers in a bid to bring an end to data mining. The practice of using software such as Poker Tracker and Hold em Manager to exploit the weakness of less experienced players could threaten the future of Microgaming’s poker network, the software giant believes, and, as such, has made the decision to protect its recreational players.

“With immediate effect, hand histories on observed tables will no longer be stored on players' computers and the practice of downloading and storing hand histories in bulk will be stopped,” said Microgaming.

The Head of the group’s poker division, Andrew Clucas added: “Concern has been rising over the long term effect of third party software upon the poker industry as a whole, and in particular the negative effect it has on the recreational player demographic.”

“The decision to put a stop to the practice of data mining on our poker network is part of Microgaming's overarching network strategy to support operators in attracting and retaining recreational players,” said Clucas. “I would like to emphasize that with this change, as with the change to Weighted Contribution, Microgaming is not seeking to alienate its winning players. There has been a move in the industry towards penalizing winners; we believe that is the wrong approach. There will always be winners and losers in poker. What we are trying to achieve is a more level playing field for all the players.”

RGA Threatens Legal Action Against New French Gambling Bill

As the French government voted to bring about reforms to its gambling laws this week, the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) threatened to take legal action if the government introduces the bill in its current form. According to the RGA, the bill will create an environment that would make it impossible for regulated sports betting operators to conduct business in the French gambling industry.

“The French government has made it clear that it has no real intention of liberalizing the French online gambling market, but plans to retain a monopoly system in everything but name,” said the Chief Executive Officer of the RGA, Clive Hawkswood. “This can only be detrimental to French consumers and raises the question of whether the reform is only a pretext for protecting the existing monopolists, FDJ and PMU.”

The RGA is made up of representatives from some of the biggest names in the European online gambling industry.

Ladbrokes Launches New Sportsbook Online

Ladbrokes, one of the UK’s top names in sports betting, announced the launch of new site that will access no less than 30,000 live streamed sporting events during the course of this year. The group said that it had spent over £3 million obtaining the rights to broadcast a wide range of sports, including football, tennis, cricket, basketball and horse racing. Soccer events from over 11 nations would be broadcast, including FA Cup matches, UEFA Champions League and more. Ladbrokes players will be allowed to view the games and events for free, although horse racing fans will need to bet a minimum of £1 to view the races. A unique in-play betting service would allow players to wager throughout the events.

“The new site further reflects the growing importance of betting in-play and live video streaming content,” said John O'Reilly, Managing Director of Remote Betting and Gaming for Ladbrokes. “This initiative, together with further development of our mobile offering and the development of new markets in Europe, will continue the growth of our sportsbook.”

eCOGRA Shows Importance of Accredited Online Casinos

A particularly low number of disputes were received by the Fair Gaming Advocate for eCOGRA, Tex Rees last year, indicating that accredited online casinos did their utmost to settle problems with their players in a fair manner. Rees revealed statistics of cases that were mediated by the eCommerce Casino and Online Gaming and showed that 48% of disputes were settled in favor of online casino players. “The average number of valid disputes handled per week was 12.07, slightly up on the 2008 number of 10.6,” said eCOGRA. “Taken over a total of 141 'Safe and Fair' seal websites, that amounts to an average of 0.37 issues per site per month, an minute increase over the 2008 number of 0.36. That remains an industry leading dispute statistic by any standards.”

Rees that a total of 628 issues were investigated, all of them relating to cases at online casinos that fall under the eCOGRA accreditation standards. The majority of disputes (46% of them) involved cash in problems. 22% involved problems with bonuses.

eCOGRA is a non profit organization, acting as an independent standards authority on the online gambling industry, with a strong focus on player protection and responsible operator conduct.