Let your mouth speak archive

Halle Berry is still getting uhhh… rave reviews for her razzie-inspired depiction of Catwoman. The 2002 best actress Oscar winner's movie Catwoman picked up four "Razzies" for worst picture, worst directing, worst screenplay and worst performance by an actress for Berry for her "berry bad" work. However now it seems her work on the movie is causing boating accidents after a British ferry crashed into a French fishing boat and killed the skipper. Reportedly, the ferry crew was talking about Halle Berry and not monitoring their radar, causing the crash.

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The crash occurred back in March when the Condor Vitesse smacked right into the fishing boat Les Marquises, splitting it in two. According to a report released today about the crash, the ferry's captain and first officer were talking about Halle moments before the crash.

The Daily Mail released transcripts of discussions that went down right before impact and that travelling at top speed in the fog, the ferry's captain said to colleagues: 'Yesterday evening I watched Catwoman on the TV. I'm an idiot because after that I slept very badly.'

The first officer replied: 'Catwoman?'

The master said: 'She was jumping from everywhere like a cat. She is very beautiful. She was wearing sexy outfit.'

During the Berry conversation, the crew also discussed drug testing and how long various substances remained in the body. Sadly, the large ferry tore the 30ft fishing boat in two, sending three crew members in the water and killing the 42-year-old captain, Philippe Claude Lesaulnier.

The World Class Gaming Platform *Merge Gaming Network*

The key architectural benefits of Merge Gaming Network platform are:

Scalable - network servers are dedicated to specific services enabling the network to balance the load across multiple redundant servers. This allows services to be scaled up independently to meet demand as network load increases. It also seamlessly provides transparent cutover in the event of hardware failures. The database is replicated across multiple servers allowing for high performance, real-time redundancy, and secure, offsite, live backups.

Availability - the scalable nature of the platform means it can remain available and responsive throughout load increases, hardware failures and traffic spikes. All gaming services are hosted in the Kahnawake Gaming Commissions secure data center. This is a fully secure, regulated, gaming-specific data center hosted in Canada. The network is dually monitored 24x7, 365 days a year by both the data center and the Merge Gaming network support team. Refer to the current YTD network availability report for 2008 for more information.

Integrity - the network is fully licensed, regulated and audited by the Kahnawake Gaming Commissions. Every event on the network is audited and the audit trail can be independently verified throughout the admin services. The network contains sophisticated anti-fraud measures and detailed network reports are delivered to operators and the gaming commission on a regular basis to ensure integrity. The gaming services use a secure random number generator that is seeded with a 4096 bit SHA1 key. This has been independently audited and verified by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.

Security - all information passed between the client and the server is encrypted using industry standard 128 bit SSL encryption and all clients must authenticate before being allowed access to services on the network. All sensitive information is stored in a secure data centre that is also under 24x7 physical security. This ensures the privacy and integrity of all customer data remains secure and confidential.

Reusable - the platform can support multiple poker rooms concurrently on the same network and multiple independent networks concurrently. The gaming services are highly flexible and can support virtually any betting-related game. They can also be updated seamlessly in real time without any down time. The platform can support operator-hosted databases, merchant account processing, customer support, and web services or fully automated and integrated solutions. The platform provides a secure web services SOAP API for communicating with network partners in real-time. This allows virtually any admin service (including user authentication, cashier, and CRM-related services) to be invoked securely, quickly, and easily via an external network.

Easy To Use - the software client is a self-updating, self-diagnosing 32 bit windows executable that installs using an industry standard installer. It runs on all version of Microsoft Windows and allows players to connect from anywhere in the world. It uses Adobe Flash for the GUI layer providing a rich, immersive, easy to use graphical experience. It allows operators full control over the look and feel of their product to make modifications easily and quickly.

Easy To Manage - the network provides a fully featured, secure backend reporting and administration website for each operator to securely manage their players and review their own performance. This allows operators the choice of managing their own customer support or outsourcing it easily and quickly.

In the United Kingdom there more than five million people register with new casino accounts to become online gamblers every year. However, there is only a very small percentage of these individuals who realize that where they are gambling may actually be an ‘unsafe’ online casino website. In a recent investigation, it was found that around 45 percent of all online casinos based in the United Kingdom do not hold the proper licenses in any of the ‘white listed’ jurisdictions. The United Kingdom continues to list all the online casinos that have had an operating license issued to them. All unregulated online casinos are not only considered unsafe, but they are also deemed illegal. The unfortunate thing is that a majority of online gamblers have no clue of the increased probability for financial loss when they choose to register to gamble at unregulated online casino websites. This has been made a primary concern within the government in the United Kingdom. The government is looking to increase public awareness of all the inherent risks that are associated with online casinos what are unregulated and without licenses.

The United Kingdom Gambling Commission currently has a list of all countries that follow the rules, are regulated, and have the proper licensing for all online casino establishments. Many licensed online casinos throughout the United Kingdom are able to advertise and market; however, the online casinos that are not on the white list cannot advertise. This prevents citizens from being able to register and gamble. Currently, there are more than one-thousand online casinos with operating licenses in white listed jurisdictions. This provides the opportunity for gamblers to find reliable selections for online casino entertainment. However, many still find the unregulated and unlicensed websites, which is a cause for concern.

Gov. Pat Quinn’s message last week was clear: Slot machines at Arlington Park, other race tracks around the state and the Chicago airports add up to too much gambling for Illinois.

The suburbs in particular would be flooded with new betting options under the plan Quinn decried, since three of the new casinos are slated for the Chicago region — in Lake County, Chicago and the South suburbs — and a fourth is a short drive away in Rockford. Quinn said he’s OK with the new casinos; he’s not OK with slots at the tracks and airports.

But suburban lawmakers of both parties say Quinn has already signed legislation with more far-reaching consequences than slot machines at race tracks.

In 2009, he put pen to paper to allow video poker and other similar machines into every Illinois establishment that has a liquor license.

“Video poker is probably a lot more of an expansion than anything we’re talking about right now,” said state Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat and architect of the plan Quinn has criticized. “What we’re trying to do now is minor compared to that.”

State gambling regulators are working on greenlighting those machines, but many suburbs have already outlawed them, as have Cook, Lake, DuPage and McHenry counties in the unincorporated areas. And Quinn has suggested making it more difficult for bars to obtain slot machines in return for his approval of a limited expansion of casino gambling.

Many other suburbs remain undecided, though, leaving the potential for video gambling machines at bars throughout the suburbs if the law doesn’t change.

“It’s the most addictive form of gambling,” said state Sen. Kirk Dillard, a Hinsdale Republican. “And it’s everywhere.”

Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said the governor was the one who pushed to allow local officials to outlaw the slot machines in the first place and that he signed off because the state needed a construction plan that was long-delayed under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

“The governor has never been a big advocate of gambling,” Anderson said. “The governor wanted a jobs bill.”

Quinn has proposed only allowing video gambling in communities that endorse its presence. But Quinn’s new gambling plan — his OK of a Lake County casino, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s coveted Chicago casino and all the rest of the complex legislation — will likely die because eliminating slots at the tracks would significantly upset the delicate political balance that led to lawmakers approving gambling expansion.

And Dillard says he’ll introduce legislation this week that would abolish video gambling. Because tax money from the machines is intended to pay for the state’s 2009 road and bridge building program, Dillard’s plan would use the sales tax on gasoline to pay for the construction. In the past, Dillard has proposed eliminating the sales tax on gasoline, without success.

But another effort, this one by the Illinois Lottery, could potentially bring gambling to every Internet connection in Illinois. In an effort to maximize profits, the Illinois Lottery has asked the federal government whether it can legally sell tickets online. Department of Revenue spokeswoman Sue Hofer says the federal government is still reviewing the idea.

In fact, despite all the talk about casinos, horse racing and even video gambling in bars, it’s the Illinois Lottery that creates the most tax revenue for the state.

A recent report by a bipartisan legislative commission showed that in 2010, the Illinois Lottery made up almost 66 percent of the state’s gambling revenues. Casinos were almost 34 percent. Horse racing was less than 1 percent.

Four years ago, the report points out, casinos made up 52 percent of the state’s revenues, “which highlights the recent decline in riverboat figures,” it said.

Horse racing betting has steadily declined, too, a trend that Dillard says is the sole reason he voted for the gambling expansion proposal. The slot machines are coveted by racetrack owners, who say the additional revenue could help keep them afloat.

Dillard says he agreed with Quinn earlier this year when the governor began publicly saying the gambling plan was too big. But, as it turns out, they didn’t agree on what was too big about it.

“I thought that he meant the addition of five new casinos, not slots, which benefit agriculture, at the racetracks,” Dillard said. “To me, that’s the top-heavy part.”

Almost eighteen years after actor River Phoenix’s death, his final movie Dark Blood will finally be released by Dutch Director George Sluizer. The project came to a halt back in 1993 when the actor passed away from an overdose while partying in the Los Angeles bar, the Viper Room, and now after all this time the footage is being pieced together by the director and is set for release in 2012.

The film is called Dark Blood and tells the story of a young man who lives on a nuclear testing site in Arizona while waiting for the end of the world to roll around. As he carries out his lonely existence, he one day he encounters a couple whose car breaks down and holds as prisoners due to his desire for the woman.

Despite various reports that have been released stating that Sluizer will be using his brother, Joaquin Phoenix’s voice to help complete the project, IFC claims that there has been no involvement from the Phoenix family nor is there a desire to bring their son’s project to life, as stated by a family representative.

The question is why has he waited so long to release the footage? Sluizer claims that he kept the project under wraps for fear it may have been destroyed for some reason but is now ready to move forward. One would think it would be a good idea to include the family in the decision but it is his project.

Donald Trump sees money — lots of it — flowing away from him. That, he said, needs to change.

The real estate mogul and founder of an Atlantic City casino company says the United States should legalize Internet gambling. The company that bears his name, Trump Entertainment Resorts, is moving forward with plans to establish an online betting venture as soon as it’s legal. The company says it wants to get in on the ground floor of the Internet gambling business, and is close to selecting a joint venture partner to run an online gambling operation. The idea is to be well-placed and ready to go as soon as such activity is legalized in the United States.

“It should be approved here,” Trump told The Associated Press on Thursday. “An awful lot of money is leaving the U.S. that should and could stay in this country.”

Trump Entertainment, which includes Donald Trump and daughter, Ivanka, and the Avenue Capital hedge fund, would own 10 percent of the new venture.

Donald Trump said the key to success in the online gambling market is having the best brand.

“We think we have the hottest brand there is, the Trump brand, my personal brand,” he said. “We think it’s going to do phenomenally well.”

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Trump Entertainment said it has “determined that such a joint venture represents the most advantageous way for the company to participate in opportunities in online gaming at minimal cost to the company.”

No cost estimates were given, and Robert Griffin, the company’s CEO, declined to comment Thursday. But in March, after Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill passed by New Jersey lawmakers that would have allowed Internet betting solely within New Jersey’s borders, Griffin said the money lost to offshore operators should benefit New Jersey.

The law would have made New Jersey the first state in the nation to allow Internet betting.

“Currently, millions of Americans engage in online gaming with illegal offshore operators, and do so with no oversight, no regulation or no consumer protections,” Griffin said at the time. “It makes sense for the state of New Jersey to regulate this activity, enforce strict standards to ensure games are fair and safe, and in turn be able to collect tax revenue instead of having those dollars and the jobs they support leaving New Jersey and going illegally overseas.”

Christie said he vetoed the law fearing it was unconstitutional and could lead to an explosion of betting parlors throughout the state. By law, gambling in New Jersey is restricted to Atlantic City.

But a New Jersey lawmaker is asserting that individual states have the legal right to offer in-state Internet gambling within their own borders.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, wrote in July to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asserting that New Jersey and all other states can legally offer online betting within their borders.

Lesniak said he will introduce legislation in November to address the main concerns expressed by Christie.

The filing said the company, Donald and Ivanka Trump, and Avenue Capital have signed an agreement authorizing the joint venture once it becomes legal, and that prohibits any of them from seeking other online gambling ventures through May 2012.

Atlantic City is in the midst of a nearly five-year revenue slump brought on by increasing competition from casinos in neighboring states, and worsened by the continuing unsteady economy.

Mobile sports-betting is seeing massive surges in popular growth, and this is a rising trend. It is certainly the case in the UK, and similar growth patterns have been seen in other countries too. However, mobile betting apps are just another online gambling channel essentially – over the internet – using a mobile phone. While US states, federal government, operators and fans still battle it out over the non-legalities of playing online poker; the first mobile sports-betting app for iPhone has received field trial approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Obviously the application will also be ‘intrastate’, iPhone gambling applications are governed accommodate this.

The application has been developed by Computerized Bookmaking Systems (CBS). It is owned by American Wagering Inc (AWI), which was acquired by William Hill earlier in 2011. If anyone is at all interested; the field trial will go out under Leroy’s Sportsbooks, a subsidiary of AWI and therefore William Hill. William Hill online is a massive sports betting concern with casino, bingo and all kinds of other online gambling possibilities too. It appears that with this JV and first foray into the mobile betting business, they have a stronghold for the future of legalized online gambling activities in the USA.

What is really interesting to note, is that off-track betting for horse racing is not illegal in the USA. Which essentially means that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, makes taking wagers on online gambling illegal, but not for certain sports bets. What is even more interesting is the fact that mobile apps for sports betting are ten-a-penny in the UK, and yet this is the first mobile app being released for Apple in the US. It is a crazy scenario to see that an industry which is led by the UK, is still considered illegal by the USA. It is all so terribly backward - – almost paradoxically so.

Horse-betting is also gambling. I just don't see the point why online gambling is still illegal in U.S the fact that they do horse-betting, a gambling activity. :bully:

Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies on Monday said a properly regulated gambling and betting industry can be a massive boost to the economy.

Davies addressed the International Association of Gaming Regulators in Cape Town.

Davies said the gambling industry has grown significantly since 1994.

In 2009 the industry made a turnover of almost R16 billion with revenue doubling on the previous year.

Davies raised concerns over the thousands of gambling addicts, especially among the poor who lose millions each year.

He used the opportunity to warn gamers that online gambling is illegal in South Africa and culprits will lose their investments and face stiff penalties.

The International Online Gambling conference will be hosted by the Isle of Man in November. The future prospects of the online gambling industry will be its focus, with particular emphasis on the companies operating and licensed on the island.

The Isle of Man online gambling conference will be held on November 22 at the Mount Murray Hotel in Santon. This will be the second conference of its kind to be held on the Isle of Man, with last year's conference a huge success. The conference will be an open forum for companies licensed and operating from the Isle of Man, as well as a sounding board for issues relating to the online gambling industry in general.

Discussions will centre on how to ensure the island remains a safe location for international online gambling operations, and leading executives will be invited to share their opinions and experience. In addition, service providers and gaming operators will be encouraged to discuss the future prospects of the online gambling industry.


Breakdown of the Online Gambling Conference

The morning session of the Isle of Man online gambling conference will focus on an update from the Gambling Supervision Commission and Department of Economic Development, examining operations for the previous. A panel of speakers will discuss the business environment and any changes that have occurred, based on the report provided. It will look at how these changes have affected businesses operating out of the Isle of Man. The afternoon session will focus on the prospects of the industry and the changing role of gaming executives as the industry evolves and develops. There will be a panel of speakers, as well as time for individual sessions with the respective speakers.

Russell Kelly, Manager of Gaming Services for KPMG Isle of Man said, "The e-gaming sector continues to expand globally and is a major contributor to the Manx economy. It is crucially important that the Island continues to make itself an attractive jurisdiction for the licensing and operation of online gaming companies, maintaining its demonstrated position at the forefront of the industry in this regard."

According to Archie Watt from KPMG, there have been significant changes to the e-gaming world since last year's conference.

"This involves input from the government, key industry players and service providers and our summit will once again bring those key players together to discuss the key events from the last 12 months, and the needs of the industry as it grows and develops," said Kelly.

Public hearings into recommendations of the Gambling Review Report will be held soon, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said on Monday.

“The commission’s report is before the National Assembly’s portfolio committee on trade and industry, which will organise public hearings and hopefully finalise its report before the end of the year,” he said, according to a copy of his speech delivered at the International Association of Gaming Regulators’ annual conference in Cape Town.

The report would also be considered by the National Council of Provinces and provincial legislatures, he said.

The gambling review commission was established by Davies in December 2009. It tabled its report in Parliament in June.

Davies said the economic impact of gambling since 1994 had been significant.

“Gross gaming revenue doubled between 2001 and 2009 and stood at R15.9 billion (over US2 billion) in that year,” he said.

“In the same year, the industry generated R1.5 billion in tax revenue for provincial governments and accounts for substantial employment totalling 56,958 direct jobs.”

The commission found that although gambling policy and regulation had been largely successful, there was a need to strengthen some areas.

“Under certain, very specific circumstances, the commission recommended that a limited number of new forms of gambling could be accommodated,” Davies said.

The commission recommended regulating online gambling.

“This is not yet legal in South Africa, and we will act against anyone found to be ‘jumping the gun’,” Davies said.

He warned online gambling companies “not to assume that they will be the beneficiaries if we do eventually decide to license such activities”.

“We know that a number of jurisdictions prohibit interactive gambling, but also that the trend is towards licensing and regulation,” Davies said.

“The commission made a recommendation that I know will be the subject of much debate, namely that legislation should cater for all forms of online gambling, including person-to-person betting and participation in offshore operations.”

Gambling advocates will have the chance this week to persuade lawmakers that the time has come to legalize online betting.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade will hold a hearing Tuesday to discuss the issue of Internet gambling, which became a hot-button topic in April after the Obama administration cracked down on online poker and other betting sites.

The House Financial Services Committee approved a bill to legalize and regulate online gambling during the last Congress under the leadership of then-Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), but with staunch gambling opponent Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) now in charge, the Energy and Commerce Committee is considered a more attractive option for moving legislation.

Former casino mogul Donald Trump added his support to the cause Thursday, arguing that online gambling should be legal and declaring his intent to launch an online gambling operation once it is.

A spokesman for the Commerce Committee said the subcommittee hearing would focus on the issue of online gambling as a whole, rather than poker specifically, though a number of organizations have recently increased the pressure on Congress to legalize the card game alone.

Supporters of online poker argue it is a game of skill rather than luck. Energy and Commerce Committee member Joe Barton (R-Texas) introduced a bill this summer that would legalize and regulate online poker that has drawn strong support from casino owners such as Caesar’s and MGM — both of which stand to benefit greatly should the game be sanctioned by the government.

On Monday, AT&T will try to persuade U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle to throw out lawsuits from Sprint and C Spire Wireless seeking to block AT&T’s proposed $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile.

Sprint and C Spire argue the deal would violate antitrust law by stifling competition in the wireless market, but AT&T says its rivals lack the appropriate legal standing to block the deal.

The Justice Department has also sued to stop the merger, and Judge Huvelle will check in with the two sides in that case Monday in a status conference. The trial in the Justice Department’s case is set to begin Feb. 13.

Also Monday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will host a morning summit to educate small businesses on how to better prepare for today’s growing threat to their cybersecurity. Speakers include Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski, Department of Homeland Security Deputy Undersecretary for Cybersecurity Greg Schaffer and National Cyber Security Alliance Executive Director Michael Kaiser.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute will hold an afternoon briefing Monday at Cannon House Office Building on H.R. 2885, which would require all U.S. firms to check the employment eligibility of new hires using the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify system.

A coalition of liberals, conservatives, business groups and privacy advocates has formed to oppose the bill, which was recently approved by the House Judiciary Committee. Speakers will include representatives from the ACLU, Center for American Progress, Institute for Liberty and National Small Business Association.

Among the bills scheduled for markup by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday is H.R. 3012, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act. Sponsored by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the legislation would eliminate per-country limits on the number of H1-B and other visas aimed at skilled immigrants. The bill would also increase the per-country limits for family-based immigrants (those sponsored by a spouse or relative in the United States).

The public relations firm Ogilvy will host a discussion on online privacy issues Wednesday morning. The event will feature Erin Egan, the new director of privacy for Facebook; Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute; and Mark Rasch, director of cybersecurity and privacy consulting for information technology company CSC. The Hill’s Brendan Sasso will moderate.

Participants will discuss the changing concept of privacy in the digital age as well as possible government regulations aimed at protecting consumer privacy. The event begins at 8 a.m. at Ogilvy’s Washington office.

THURSDAY: The FCC will hold its open meeting, where the commissioners are set to vote on plans to overhaul the $4.5 billion high-cost portion of the Universal Service Fund by shifting the focus from subsidizing landline phone service to broadband Internet access. Observers are watching closely since Chairman Genachowski has yet to make the details of his proposal public.

The commission will also consider a plan to revamp the intercarrier compensation system that sets the rates phone companies must pay each other to complete calls.

Celebrity gamblers like boxing greats Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. may soon be able to take their love of gambling and poker away from the paparatzi and into the comfort of their own homes.A growing number of states are considering legalizing online poker and cash bingo games within their state, in hopes to generate more tax revenue. A concern about fair competition among brick and mortar casinos has them up in arms over the idea of legalizing online gaming.

Current federal law is poorly conceived and for the most part has turned a blind eye to internet gambling. In 2006 the US Congress outlawed most online wagering under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act that for years left many web gamblers under the questionable impression that online gambling was in fact legal. A recent poll showed a majority of online players who realized the true legality of the act, however agreed in regards to enforcing the law; the government did little to fear them away from playing.

The German state of Schleswig Holstein had decided to break away from the other states and pursue its independent path from 2012 once the existing common gambling treaty expired. It has now demonstrated its resolve to do so by announcing its schedule of license fees ahead of accepting new license applications in January 2012. Licensees will have to pay around €15,000 upfront. The annual fees will vary from €15,000 to €150,000 depending on turnover. This proposal will have to undergo a ratification process, which is slated for later in October. However, sources within the state administration have indicated that already leading European online gambling operators have shown considerable interest in the proposal.

Denmark has been one step ahead of the German state of Schleswig Holstein. The Danish licensing authority has revealed that there has been an outstanding response to its offer made to online gambling operators. They said that this response has come despite criticism from some quarters that the requirements were stiff and tax rates high. 43 online gambling companies have so far submitted applications for 68 licenses. The Danish Gambling Authority clarified that there had been 25 applications for online casino and sports betting licenses and 22 applications for dedicated online casino licenses. The Denmark online gambling market is expected to open in January 2012.

Meanwhile the news from Greece is not good, though perhaps on expected lines. After getting €850 million as license fees from the Greek gambling monopoly OPAP, the government has deferred the sale of its share in OPAP. The sale of the government's 34% stake in OPAP was initially planned for the fourth quarter of 2011 in an effort to relieve its massive national deficit as committed to the body of European and global lenders. Top privatization officials in the government announced that the sale will take place next year. The spokesperson declined to give any reason for the deferment. The reason, however, could be that the OPAP shares have lost 53% of their value in the last six months, in line with the Greek stock market's sharp decline. A sale of its shares of OPAP would fetch only about half of the estimated value.

However, some of the other gambling institutions are expected to be sold. Costas Mitropoulos, CEO of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRAF), told the Reuters news agency in an interview, that a public tender for the state lottery is expected to be announced this month. It is expected to raise €1.7 billion. He added, "Possibly by the end of the year we will tender the horse-racing and betting organization ODIE." In all the Greek government has to raise € 50 billion by 2015 from selling state assets and cutting government costs. The sale of OPAP is crucial to achieving this target.

I’m already tired of reading the headlines about Jessica Simpson possibly being pregnant. Paparazzi pictures are clearly revealing that the actress has a baby bump, not a food baby but you can see that she is clearly with child. After months of speculation, the singer finally revealed to OK Magazine a few days ago that she is preggers, so we can all rest now.

This is the first child for the 31-year-old singer/fashion mogul who is engaged to former NFL star Eric Johnson. The singer wasn’t really releasing any information concerning her condition but after seeing several pictures of her wearing big bulky sweaters and jackets, that immediately set off the press hounds.

Last week, Simpson in an interview with OK Magazine finally told her story and revealed that she is pregnant in an issue which is set to hit shelves this week and opens with the headline, “Yes, I’m Having a Baby!”

According to Gawker, Simpson was apparently holding on to her story for a big $500K payout which is why she didn't break the news sooner. It just seems that she waited too long and in the end the offer never really came along.

Other big news on the Simpson Family horizon, include the big Simpson wedding coming in November with MSNBC claiming the star and football star fiancée will be tying the knot in Hawaii. Are maternity wedding dresses part of your Fall line there Jessica?

WASHINGTON (AP) — A House subcommittee hears testimony today on the five-year-old federal ban on online gambling. Americans spend billions dollars a year gambling online on foreign websites. Supporters of online gaming say reversing the ban will mean jobs and tax revenues. Opponents warn of the societal costs and ask if enough protections can be put in place. :dirol

Washington — The U.S. economy is losing billions of dollars annually to unregulated underground and offshore poker websites that can prey on compulsive and underage gamblers with impunity, proponents of legalized Internet gaming argued Tuesday before a House panel.

But huge questions remain about whether proposed federal legislation to legalize online poker might harm state governments and Indian tribes — including several local ones.

With the stakes high, Rep. Mary Bono Mack , R-Palm Springs , whose Riverside County district is home to seven tribal casinos, called advocates and experts on all sides of the thorny issue to testify before the Subcommittee on Commerce Manufacturing and Trade. Following 2½ hours of testimony, Bono Mack, who is the subcommittee chairwoman, said she believes it would be a mistake for the government to attempt to stand in the way of the power of the Internet. But she said she wants more information before formally considering a bill to legalize and regulate online poker.

“There are clearly a lot of questions and issues,” Bono Mack said. “I think to rush it would be a mistake.”

The bill, penned by poker aficionado and Republican Texas Rep. Joe Barton, follows 2006 legislation that effectively outlawed Internet gambling for money. Barton on Tuesday said the law is unenforceable and has only led Americans to sites that are foreign-based and illegal.

“People are playing poker on the internet in the United States for money today,” Barton said. “It’s not regulated, and so these sites are offshore, overseas and, consequently, outside of the ability for us to tax the winnings.”

Americans, including hundreds of thousands between the ages of 14 and 22, spend as much as $6 billion annually on Internet gambling sites — some of which are rigged or otherwise fraudulent, said Parry Aftab, an advisory board member for FairPlay USA. That group, made up of law enforcement officials, consumer protection experts and poker players, is among several organizations that sided with most lawmakers on the panel calling for congressional action to address the issue.

But while there appeared to be general agreement in support of legal, regulated online poker, concerns over how it would work cloud any path forward for the plan.

Among the concerns is how congressional action might affect efforts to legalize Internet gambling in California and other states. The federal legislation comes amid a continuing impasse in Sacramento on creating a state-licensed online poker system.

The Legislature adjourned last month without taking up either of two competing bills dealing with online gambling: one backed by a group of tribes and card clubs that would legalize online poker, and another that would legalize poker as well as other types of gambling.

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians near Cabazon and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians near San Bernardino are the leaders of the group pushing the state-wide poker-only legislation.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, has said the state Senate would take up the legislation after it returns in January. But even as California and other places consider legislation, the U.S. Justice Department has remained silent on whether it views intrastate online gambling as legal under the 2006 law.

Bono Mack said she is considering holding another hearing to take testimony from state officials and federal agencies not represented Tuesday.

California tribes are among those warily monitoring the federal legislation and its potential impact on tribes’ bricks-and-mortar casinos.

The association representing California tribes with casinos opposes the federal measures unless there are changes allowing states to opt out of a federal system and license their own games. Barton’s bill contains an opt-out provision, but states that choose to take advantage of it would be barred from passing a law to legalize intrastate online gambling, Barton spokesman Sean Brown said.

“Intrastate internet poker could be much more controlled in California as opposed to federal legislation, which would be much more open-ended,” said Jerome Encinas, director of government affairs for the California Nations Indian Gaming Association.

The Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations, comprised mostly of gaming tribes in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, in March 2010 adopted a resolution opposing federal online gambling measures. The federal bills, it said, would break with a tradition of deferring to “tribal and state government policies concerning the authorization and regulation of gaming within their respective jurisdictions.”

The Illinois General Assembly’s fall veto session began Tuesday with a game of one-upmanship.

In an attempt to prove that Gov. Pat Quinn’s preference for a scaled-back gambling expansion would not pass the legislature, Senate President John Cullerton said he would move introduce a new bill Wednesday that mirrors the governor’s terms. Cullerton said he hopes the failure of that bill — which would include the five new casinos in the original gambling legislation but not the politically-important addition of slot machines at horse racing tracks — would compel the governor to return to the negotiating table.

But Quinn told reporters Tuesday during a hastily-called news conference he wouldn’t back down, telling lawmakers to “Bring it on.”

The standoff between the governor and Senate president didn’t slow a flurry of lobbying during the first day of the fall veto session. Swarms of consultants, former legislators and liaisons for the city of Chicago continued to press for passage of a casino bill before all momentum is lost.

Lawmakers approved a gambling expansion bill in May, but Quinn threatened to veto it, saying it was “excessive.”

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has worked to secure a city-owned casino, has been calling lawmakers directly who voted against the bill in May.

“He’s reached out to me,” said state Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, an Evanston Democrat, who knows the Emanuel family personally. “I told him candidly what my longstanding position has been. Not surprisingly, he was hoping to persuade me otherwise, but I told him I’m not going to support that. I have consistently opposed any expansion of casino gambling throughout my career.”

Also Tuesday, the Senate also took the first step toward overriding Quinn’s veto of a utility rate bill. The bill would allow the state’s two electricity giants, ComEd and Ameren, to raise consumer electric rates to pay for better infrastructure, promising fewer power outages.

Quinn has lambasted the bill as bad for consumers, but supporters are trying to collect enough votes to override his veto.

“I would tell you there’ s nothing in the trailer bill itself that is bad for consumers,” Senate sponsor Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) said before his bill passed with 37 supporters, one vote more than necessary for a full override.

A vote to formally override Quinn’s veto of the utility rate bill is expected sometime this week.

The Great British Bake-Off is one of those reality programs that does exactly hat it says on the tin: it features amateur bakers going against one another for their share of baking glory. So, why are we bringing it up here? Turns out that the winner, Jo Wheatley has poker ties that aren't quite as sweet as she'd like. Her husband, Richard 'The Bear' Wheatley, was given a seven year sentence in April of 2010 after admitting conspiracy with others to conceal, convert and transfer proceeds of crime, allegedly in connection with money related to drug trafficking.

British poker players at the time were shocked as Wheatley was a regular on the tournament circuit in the UK and across Europe. His Hendon Mob database entry featured a $60,000 win in a UK championship hosted by an online poker site as well as a £26,250 win in the GUKPT Grand Final in 2008.

Mrs. Wheatley, was up front with show producers about her husband's current status, saying that she "didn't want to use it as some X Factor–style sob story," and that can only be a good thing.

Michael Lohan finally has his picture in the paper… but not because he's famous. Lohan was busted around 1 a.m. ET last night after getting into a huge fight with his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Kate Major.

After getting in a huge fight with Major, Michael was hauled off by the popo but then complained of chest pains so he was checked out at a nearby hospital. Predictably, Lohan was given a clean bill of health, but after the doc cleared him, he tried to slip out the back, which is when an officer arrested him and took him to the pokey for alleged domestic violence.

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In her complaint against, Major alledges that Lohan came over to her Tampa apartment last night and ironically began to yell at her about an upcoming domestic violence court hearing. Major claims Lohan pushed her multiple times told her he would slit both his wrist and her wrist. He also threatened to throw her off the balcony.

Kate Major adds that her sexy ex Michael threw a TV remote control at her, but he missed, so he smashed her cell phone instead.