Issue N33, 2008
August 7, 2008
Unibet Under Fresh Attack by Dutch Authorities
In a new series of spats between the Dutch government and the online gambling operator, Unibet, the Ministry of Justice has clamped down hard on football clubs that allow the sports betting company to run its ads at their stadiums. Over the weekend, the Ministry said that it had noted the Unibet ad appear in at least two different football stadiums across the country, including FC Zwolle and Feyenoord. It is believed the Unibet ad reached the homes of millions of viewers through the broadcast of the Feyenoord Centenary Tournament Trophy.
"Gaming companies without a license cannot offer their services in the Netherlands, nor can they advertise. We therefore requested the Feyenoord and FC Zwolle soccer teams to remove the billboards. They are breaking the law," said a spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of Justice, Ivo Hommes.
Unibet, which has come into conflict with the government before regarding its advertising campaign in hundreds of bus shelters across the country, has vowed to continue serving the Dutch public. This is despite a court ruling that ordered the company to block access to its online gambling site as Unibet was not complying with the regulations of the Dutch Betting and Gaming Act.
"There is free movement of services in Europe," said a company spokesman, "and soccer events such as these are a perfect opportunity for us to generate publicity."
Olympic Themed Poker Tournaments at Paddy Power Poker
For players looking for an original way to celebrate the opening of the wonderful Beijing Olympic games, and still enjoy their online poker fun, Paddy Power Poker has the exact answer. This site has launched a fantastic new poker tournament to coincide with the opening of the Olympic Games this coming Friday night, allowing players to take part in exciting events and freerolls and stand in line to win super prizes as well.
Announcing the launch of the Paddy Power Poker Olympics, the site said: "I know there is a lot of excitement right now about the small sporting event due to take place in Beijing in August, but we wanted to offer something even more exciting for our players. We're giving away over $20,000 to those players willing to show us that they're at the top of their game and trying to get on the podium. For those who have been in training these last few months, it is now time to grab their spandex, shave all their body hair and reach out for the gold medal!"
Players can take their pick from two exciting tournaments each day – a No Limit Texas Hold 'em event and a Pot Limit Omaha event, with Paddy Power Poker promising to add up to $1000 to their prize pots. Any player who takes part in at least three events during this tournament week automatically qualifies for the $15,000 Gold Medal Freeroll on August 15th.
Crack in Republican Front Against UIGEA
Four Republican members of Congress in the United States have sent a letter to the US Treasury and Federal Reserve Board requesting that the ambiguous language of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act be clarified before any steps are taken to implement it.
This is the first time that a group of Republicans has shown any move away from the party’s traditional and unequivocal support of the UIGEA.
In the letter, Reps. Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania, Judy Biggert of Illinois, Kevin McCarthy of California and Christopher Shays of Connecticut said to the Treasury and Board: “Simply put, we believe that it is possible that if UIGEA laws and regulations are implemented with the vague language we described above, a judge may eventually be required to answer the question of 'what is unlawful internet gambling? It makes fiscal sense to resolve this question before saddling the public, regulated industries, small businesses and courts with uncertain UIGEA laws and regulations.”
Good News for Spanish Online Betting Site
Its online lottery offering may be only one month old, but already the Spanish Lottery is realizing just how popular its new site is proving to be. Created by Sistemas Tecnicos de Loterias del Estada (STL) and the online gambling company, Betware, the Spanish lottery site, loteriasyapuestas.com has tapped into an increasingly growing market of Spanish gamblers seeking their lottery and sports betting fun online.
While no official numbers have been released yet regarding the total returns made by this site, everyone involved believes that loteriasyapuestas.com has certainly exceeded all expectations.
“Nowadays, sales through this alternate channel are a must,” said Alfonso Pedro Fernandez Garcia for STL. “The rapid growth of internet penetration that we’ve been witnessing in Spain, makes it imperative to implement new sales channels in order to stay competitive.”
There are a wide number of popular gambling offerings on the new lottery site, including Euro Millions, the ever-popular El Gordo and Lototurf.