Issue N53, 2008
December 31, 2008
Online Gambling Comes to Czech Republic
After years of pressuring the government and pushing for a change in the country’s gambling laws, gambling operators in the Czech Republic will be issued licenses to offer online wagering services from the beginning of next year. A radio report this week announced that five of the country’s top gambling operators will be issued with licenses from January 5th. Tomas Bahnik, speaking for Fortuna, one of the five companies to receive a license explained the frustration felt by Czech operators all these years. “We are sad and bitter that foreign internet betting companies are allowed to operate in the Czech Republic without any control,” he said. “There is no legal restriction. So basically they operate in this country illegally. So we want to have the same opportunities as foreign companies.”
One of the reasons for denying the advancement into the world of online gambling for so long was the government’s fear that minors would have easier access to this form of entertainment. Bahnik reassured the government and the public and said: “Every person, including teenagers can use foreign company online gambling sites internet betting without control. Our main goal is to control this situation. If someone wants to bet through Fortuna on the internet, they must register in a bricks and mortar office and show their ID. Only then will they be allowed to play. We don't accept credit cards but only regular payment cards because we don't support gambling and gamblers and we don't want people to become addicted to internet betting. That's something foreign companies don't do.”
National Lottery Prize Affected by Computer Glitch
The main prize in last weekend’s British National Lottery was brought down in value by almost £800,000 as a computer glitch prevented lottery fans from purchasing tickets for four hours on Saturday. The jackpot winner had to make do with £3.4 million, instead of a potential win of £4.2 million. In addition, charities and other organizations that benefit from lottery ticket sales will also be affected with the lower than usual amount brought in over the weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, lottery players suddenly found themselves unable to purchase tickets online or through terminals across the country. The host of the National Lottery Draw show on BBC1 explained what happened just before the draw. “Due to a network communication issue this afternoon, players may have experienced difficulties buying National Lottery tickets in store or via the National Lottery website. We would like to apologize to anyone affected,” she said.
But British lottery fans were not easily subdued by the apologies. “I'm absolutely gutted. What's going on?” said one angry player. “I wanted to play my usual numbers but I couldn't. It's so frustrating. It would have been nice to see in the New Year with a lottery win.”
Dikshit’s Guilty Plea Angers other Party Gaming Co-Founders
According to a newspaper article in the Times, the decision by Party Gaming founder, Anurag Dikshit to plead guilty to charges of illegal gambling under the 1961 Wire Act in the United States has caused anger among the other co-founders. While Dikshit’s plea bargain will cost him $300 million and possibly two years in jail, the other co-founders are afraid that his move will make them “guilty by association”. These executives, as well as many in the online gambling world, believe that Party Gaming broke no laws in the US, where online gambling was not prevented by law before the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006.
“Dikshit's decision has created a rift with his former Party Gaming colleagues, in particular the three other entrepreneurs who helped launch what was once the world's biggest poker service - Ruth Parasol, her husband Russell de Leon and their marketing guru, Vikrant Bhargava,” said the article in the Times. “It will also have troubled executives at other big online gambling companies, such as 888 Holdings. And it could have grave implications for the entire gambling industry, estimated to be worth more than $12 billion a year.”
PokerStars Breaks World Record
One of the industry’s most popular online poker products, PokerStars broke a world record over the weekend by running the largest online poker tournament to date. A whopping 35,000 players were signed in to the site at once to take part in the Largest Online Poker Tournament and put themselves in line to win a part of the $500,000 prize. 8750 players eventually hit the money, and the event was finally won by Stan34Powa, who took home $30,000 for his efforts after a grueling 9.5 hours at the felt.
“No other site brings the level of excitement, skill, and challenge that poker players crave,” said Team PokerStars Professional, Daniel Ngu. “The Sunday tournaments at PokerStars provide an unrivaled opportunity to prove your poker prowess with a lucrative prize pool that matches the highest level of competition.”