Issue N30, 2013
July 25, 2013
Online Poker Fan Proposes Own Federal Poker Bill
Sick of waiting around to see any movement on the federal front when it comes to online poker legislation, US poker enthusiast Martin Shapiro decided to take matters into his own hands and create his own law proposal. Shapiro, who is known at online poker forums as PokerXanadu, believes that his bill is player-friendly enough to satisfy the millions of pokr fans in the country, but at the same time strict enough to satisfy gambling opponents. He is now looking for a powerful enough lawmaker to take on the proposal and sell it to Congress.
Speaking about the Internet Wagering Citizens Protection Act, Shapiro explained: "I undertook this venture because no one else was doing it. Every bill that has been introduced to Congress to date has been an incomplete bill and which isn’t passable because it is partisan to a limited number of vested interests. I thought it was time to come out with a bill which covers every issue, preserves all the protections and rights of players and sufficiently meets the needs of all the major vested interests in a compromise with which they can support."
Shapiro is concentrating on a poker-only bill as he believes it has more chance of passing through Congress that way.
The bill is considered complete in every sense, incorporating the best of proposals which didn't pass through in the past, but were good models, as well as many elements of the current two pending bills introduced by Reps. Barton and King.
The proposal also touches on issues such as taxation, legislation, consumer protection, enforcement measures and regulatory oversight. It also proposes updates to current laws governing online gambling in the United States, including the controversial Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 and the 1961 Wire Act which relates more to sports betting.
Shapiro said that he also added a 'bad actor clause' and explained why: "I included a bad actor clause because I don’t think a bill would be able to pass the current Congress without one," he said.
Ladbrokes Casino Adds New Casino Games
Ladbrokes Casino, the leading UK gambling site, has launched a suite of new casino games following its recent partnership deal with Playtech.The new games, available under a newly established Vegas tab, will include 70 different titles – 30 of which will be also available for mobile channels.Some of the games now available at Ladbrokes Casino will include Monty Python's Spamalot, Little Britain and The Sopranos slot. Table games and card games are also part of the new package.
"Ladbrokes customers will now begin to see the benefits of our partnership with Playtech with a strengthened gaming offer across all channels," said the Chief Executive Officer of Ladbrokes, Richard Glynn. "This, together with the establishment of Ladbrokes Israel which was formed in May has seen us take a considerable step forward in our digital capabilities with further enhancements to come in the coming months.”
Real Money Gambling Coming to Italian Facebook Players
Facebook players in Italy and Spain will soon be able to enjoy real money online casino games across the social networking platform.Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment has been running online gambling games in the United Kingdom and after a successful trial run has now decided to bring this form of entertainment to its Italian and Spanish customers as well.The plans to launch real money games in Italy and Spain were announced during the World Gaming Executive Summit in Barcelona.
The publication Telecom Paperand Ansa news agencyalso said that the Irish sportbook, Paddy Power was in a trial sports betting deal with Facebook in the UK.
Probability Rolls out Mobile Roulette Game
The English mobile gambling group, Probability PLC, has launched an HTML5 mobile roulette game for Android and iOS platforms.The new game is unique in many ways, including the ability to switch from European and American roulette tables in the same application. Players can save betting patterns and load them back onto the table at a later stage, and also enjoy HD graphics, intuitive interfaces and more.
The COO of Probability, Matt Sunderland, said that the new mobile roulette game was developed after studying the roulette habits of players over a long period of time.
"This investment and attention to detail demonstrates our commitment to provide the best player experience ever, plus the best technology and platforms to our partners and operator customers," said Sunderland. "I’m sure the argument for native apps versus HTML5 will continue but we’re confident our approach to deliver the next generation of HD mobile gambling games will surpass player expectations."
The game also includes informative statistics and betting history so that players can keep tabs on their own gaming habits.