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Zynga Inc. has begun investing in state and federal lobbying efforts around gambling with real money, even as the social-gaming firm predicts the U.S. won't be an initial market for the potentially lucrative new line of business.

The lobbying investments by Zynga in Washington, D.C., and California come as the company eyes real-money gambling versions of games as a key opportunity amid waning investor confidence and a battered stock price.

Zynga, of San Francisco, currently offers "Zynga Poker," which involves players winning virtual currency from one another that can't be cashed out for real money.

But the company has said it has begun talking to potential partners about games with real money changing hands, in response to user interest and a shifting legal landscape. Last year the U.S. Justice Department signaled that states could start developing regulations for online gambling, and several have seen related legislative efforts. Federal legislation that would regulate Internet gambling is also possible.

Read More: Zynga Builds Lobbying Presence on Gambling - WSJ-com

The UK's online casino site has the low-down on gaming odds

Gambling odds refer to the probability or likelihood of an outcome. Jackpot City, a leading online casino, points out that knowing the odds greatly improves a player's chances of making money from gambling. It has developed a new guide dedicated to gaming odds, aiming to provide new players with insight into the ins and outs of online gambling.

To start with, a basic understanding of probability is needed. Jackpot City gives a basic coin toss as an example. There are just two possible outcomes thus the odds of getting heads is one in two or 1:2. The same is true for getting tails.

Odds start to get more complicated as game play becomes more involved and the number of possible outcomes increases. This is why Jackpot City believes it's so important to produce a dedicated guide to gambling odds.

Read more here: Jackpot City Unveils its Guide to Gaming Odds - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee

Chris Brown and Drake were sued Wednesday over a bottle-throwing nightclub brawl involving their entourages, as a company with ties to the club sought to hold the music stars responsible for the melee.

Brown's representatives had no immediate comment about the $16 million lawsuit, and Drake's representatives didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The suit faulted the artists for - at a minimum - doing nothing to stop the June 14 melee and said it sullied the chic Manhattan nightspot's name.

Brown and Drake should bear blame for a glass-flinging, broken-bottle-swinging free-for-all in a crowded club "in circumvention of the venue's extensive security measures," says the lawsuit, filed by Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. The company owns the trademark for Greenhouse; the owners of the club itself aren't involved in the lawsuit and declined to comment.

No criminal charges have been filed in the fight, which left Brown, NBA star Tony Parker and others injured. Police say the fracas started after members of Drake's entourage confronted Brown on the dance floor as he was leaving the club's basement lounge, called W.i.P. Drake's representatives have said he was on his way out and didn't injure anyone.

Read More: Chris Brown, Drake sued over NYC nightclub brawl | Entertainment | The Seattle Times

Casual game companies are already big money-makers on smartphones and social networks, often by selling power-ups and extra digital goodies that gamers can use to supercharge their play.

But the industry’s next frontier is something edgier and potentially more lucrative: Real-money gambling.

As of today, Seattle’s Big Fish Games is going all in. Big Fish says it will offer players in the U.K. the ability to make real bets through the upcoming version of its Big Fish Casino iPhone app.

Players in the U.S. won’t be able to take advantage—online gambling is still illegal in this country. But American regulators are moving toward a legal and regulated online gambling system, and setting up a virtual casino now gives Big Fish a new stream of cash while it waits for the U.S. landscape to sort itself out.

Read More: Jackpot: Big Fish Games Dives into Real-Money Online Gambling | Xconomy

In the state of California alone, tribal gaming has brought in $7.5 billion annually. However, because of the aggressive movement to legalize Internet gambling, which effectively would give states the power to regulate and tax online gambling even on reservations, the financial success of these communities could change. In “ Native American Off-Reservation Gaming,” an expert roundtable published in Gaming Law Review and Economics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, panelists discuss and debate the issues of tribal gaming, focusing on the impact—both positive and negative—on both tribes and their surrounding communities. The full tables of content for Gaming Law Review and Economics are available online.


Read More: Health News - Prosperous Native American Tribes Grow Anxious About Legalization of Internet Gambling

A real-money gambling app has been launched on Facebook – the social network’s first.

Developed by London-based online gambling operator Gamesys, the Bingo Friendzy app allows users aged 18 and over to play games for cash prizes.

Facebook said only its UK members would be able to view the app.

The website’s largest gaming partner, Zynga, said it also planned to introduce real-money gambling versions of its games next year.

A Facebook spokeswoman stressed Bingo Friendzy was not a joint venture, saying the game had been developed entirely by Gamesys.

“Real money gaming is a popular and well-regulated activity in the UK, and we are allowing a partner to offer their games to adult users on the Facebook platform in a safe and controlled manner,” she told the BBC.

Facebook intends to use age-gating technology to ensure under-18s and “vulnerable people” are unable to access the app.

The social network typically takes a 30% cut of transactions on its network, but would not confirm if that was the case with this title, saying it was “commercially sensitive information”.
Spending limits


Read More: Facebook’s Real-cash Gambling App Launched | Daily Guide Newspaper

Zynga is looking to expand from in-game purchases to in-game wagers. After revealing its ambitions for real-money gambling in an earnings call last month, public documents are revealing Zynga spent some $75,000 in lobbying fees last quarter in order to have its voice heard in Washington and California, reports The Wall Street Journal. Its presence in the latter centers around a bill that would let companies offer online poker in the state after passing a thorough background check and ponying up $30 million for a 10-year license. Zynga currently offers Zynga Poker on both desktop and mobile, and although it doesn’t allow players to cash out their virtual chips, the game already accounts for 18 percent of the company's revenue.


Zynga pays $75,000 for online gambling lobbyists | The Verge

Jennifer Lopez has been wildly successful in her professional life, going from a spot in the Fly Girls on In Living Color to becoming one of the most popular women in entertainment in television, film and music. Her personal life has been a mixed bag as Lopez has been married three times and has two children but Lopez is still searching for her life partner. Will it be Casper Smart?

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Lopez divorced singer (and the father of her four-year-old twins) Marc Anthony earlier this year but they actually separated last July. Within that time, Lopez started to date dancer Casper Smart later in 2012 and the two haven’t had any major breakup rumors interfering with their relationship just yet. Smart is only 25-years-old but the 42-year-old Lopez doesn’t seem to mind and has been seen many times in public putting on displays of affection for her younger boyfriend. Smart will also be the lead choreographer for Lopez’s upcoming world tour and was recently in her video for “Dance Again”, the first single from her latest album, “Dance Again…The Hits”.

Will Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart break up in 2012?
Yes +150
No -200

Bovada Sportsbook is backing the relationship to make it – at least to 2013 – as the odds are saying that Lopez and Smart will stay together to the tune of -200 while a breakup is valued at +150. There have been rumors this summer that Smart was cheating on Lopez with a gay lover but nothing seems to have come of it and Lopez surely has the power to make sure those rumors are quieted. You may even get better odds on Lopez getting married by the end of 2012 than the couple breaking up. You just never know what is going to happen in the world of Jennifer Lopez.

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When Mitt Romney chose his vice presidential running mate there was hope by many in the industry that he would choose Ron Paul, Chris Christie or someone else who is a little more open on social issues and particularly gambling. But instead Romney chose Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan, who is effectively Romney’s clone. On every issue from abortion to stem cell research to gay marriage Ryan has voted the same way as Romney, i.e. against it, and for gambling expansion Ryan never really voted one way or another, although he did vote in favor of banning credit card usage for online gambling in 2003 and he abstained from voting on pro-gambling bills in 2006.

There’s no question that Romney had zero intentions of ever choosing a moderate as his running mate but in failing to do so he likely killed his chances of winning over the undecided voters who may have been leaning Romney’s way if he was a little more flexible on social issues. Many electoral experts are suggesting that Romney’s pick was “a Hail Mary” because Ryan, as head of the House Budget Committee proposed a budget that would overhaul Medicare and food stamps and those proposals weren’t necessarily items that Romney agreed with. But at a rally recently, Romney said that both of them were on the same page with Medicare reform.


Read More: Paul Ryan Will NOT be a Good Choice for Online Gambling Expansion

One in three casinos worldwide is online. Monte Carlo, Las Vegas or Macao may be legendary locations for glamorous destinations for the rich and famous, including James Bond, gathering to dabble in an evening of roulette, blackjack or chemin de fer (baccarat), but they are not really for the common man. The legendary casinos are few and far between and the stakes can be more than most of us can afford. The other almost 2000 land-based casinos offer many forms of entertainment besides the traditional table games, with the most popular by far being slot machines.


Read More: The Canadian National Newspaper: Advertorials boost online gambling ? poker and casinos alike

Global revenue from online gambling is estimated to have been nearly US$30bn in 2011, from more than 1,000 different websites, reveals a new infographic about the growth of online gambling in the UK and the US in the past decade.

The infographic by Poker Sites that’s published on Visual.ly states that in some cases the growth of online gambling has surpassed the growth of social media. For example, from 2010 to 2011, online gambling drew 32pc more users, leaving social media way behind, with a 4.5pc increase in usage during the same time period.

The infographic also takes a look at the top 5 UK sports betting sites, the UK and US gambling market, and internet traffic around major sporting events. A few other facts and figures are also sprinkled throughout the infographic.


The amazing growth of online gambling (infographic) - New Media - New Media | siliconrepublic-com - Ireland's Technology News Service

The Irish government has decided to tax online gambling operators a further 1% for providing their services within Ireland. This tax was recently confirmed following a proposal published by the Finance Minister of Ireland, Michael Noonan.

Noonan published the proposal in the amendment of the Betting Bill 2012. Aside from the additional 1% tax that the government will be imposing, the bill also states that internet gambling exchanges, such as Betfair, will be taxed 15% on their gross profit.

Noonan believes that this bill will lead to an equitable and a fair regulatory and license system for all gambling operators and bookmakers. He also said that because gambling operators who run their operations offshore are not charged a betting levy then there is no equal playing field between rival operators. Offshore companies immediately have an advantage over operators which are located within Ireland who have to pay the levy; the idea of the new tax is to create a fair environment for all operators to work in.

Read More: 1% Tax for Gambling Operators in Ireland - Online Casino Archives

European activists rallied Friday amid global condemnation of a Russian court’s two year jail sentences on three members of female punk group Pussy Riot over an anti Vladimir Putin stunt in a Moscow church.



The European Union’s Foreign Affairs chief Catherine Ashton said a “serious question mark” hung over Russian justice and called on Moscow to reverse the judgement.



“This sentence is disproportionate,” Ashton said, adding in an unusually firm reaction: “I expect that this sentence will be reviewed and reversed in line with Russia’s

international commitments.”

Ashton said the case “puts a serious question mark over Russia’s respect for international obligations of fair, transparent, and independent legal process.”



Band members Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich were each found guilty of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” in staging a February 21 “punk prayer” in a Moscow cathedral against President Vladimir Putin.



“This case adds to the recent upsurge in politically-motivated intimidation and prosecution of opposition activists in the Russian Federation,” Ashton said.



The trend “is of growing concern to the European Union” and “runs counter to Russia’s international obligations as regards respect for freedom of expression,” she added.



Ashton said respect for human rights and the rule of law is “an indispensable part of the EU-Russia relationship” and that such a sentence “for a peaceful, if controversial, expression of … views, is deeply troubling.”



Washington called for a review, also voicing concern over the harsh sentences.


Read More: World leaders slam Russia over Pussy Riot sentence | Inquirer Entertainment

1% Tax thats nice!

Legislation that will legalize and regulate online gambling can have major fiscal and business benefits for the U.S., and Nevada should consider leading that revolution.

About 10 years ago, international poker sites like Party Poker began popping up and taking bets from American players. While the American government heavily frowned on the activity, it could take no legal action because the sites were offshore.

Poker is exempt from the Federal Wire Act of 1961 because it is considered a game of skill and not a game of chance. But what prohibits the U.S. from taking advantage of online poker betting is a law that prohibits domestic companies from using interstate wires to exchange money. There are no restrictions on foreign money exchanges, and, since 2006, about $72 billion has left the U.S. economy and been dumped into foreign online gambling sites.

Read More: www-rgj-com/article/20120819/OPED03/308190027/Nevada-can-pave-way-business-boom

Miss China won the coveted title of Miss World on Saturday, triumphing on home soil in a mining city on the edge of the Gobi desert.

The mostly Chinese audience erupted in cheers when it was announced that the home candidate, Yu Wenxia, had been awarded the title.

"When I was young I felt very lucky because so many people helped me and I hope in the future, I can help more children to feel lucky," said Yu, who was wearing a glittering blue dress, after the result was announced.

Last year's Miss World Ivian Sarcos of Venezuela handed over her crown in the futuristic Dongsheng stadium in the northeastern city of Ordos.

A total of 116 contestants -- the highest number ever -- took to the stage during the contest, watched annually by about a billion people around the globe.

Ordos, around 700 kilometres (440 miles) from the nearest beach, is an unusual venue for the world's biggest beauty pageant.

Besides the traditional swimsuits and evening gowns, participants also donned outlandish costumes, with some dressed as belly dancers.



Miss China crowned Miss World 2012, in China - Yahoo! Entertainment Singapore

IPhone users will soon be able to gamble with real money on virtual slot machines, trying their luck with the swipe of an index finger. Big Fish Games Inc. is introducing a version of its gambling application Big Fish Casino with real-money betting in the U.K., where it is legal, the Seattle-based company said. It will arrive in Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s App Store in the coming weeks, and Betable Ltd., a London-based partner of Big Fish, will process bets in the program.

Game developers are building digital versions of Las Vegas casinos as users of smartphones and tablets are expected to wager $100 billion annually on the devices by 2017, up from about $20 billion last year, estimates Juniper Research. That potential payout has made Big Fish and other developers eager to replace virtual currencies with real cash in apps, even though use may be limited by gambling restrictions in the U.S.


Read More: IPhones Become Mobile Casinos by Adding Real-Money Bets - Businessweek

Updates from the European Poker Tour, and Zynga is lobbying for online gambling regulation. It’s all in the weekend edition of the Hit and Run.

EPT updates: The European Poker Tour crowned a winner in its €50,000 Super High Roller event. Dan Smith took it down, winning €962,925 for his second “high roller” victory this year. He beat a final table that included Erik Seidel, Mike “Timex” McDonald and Ilari Sahamies.


Read More: HNR 8/19: EPT Updates; Zynga Lobbies for Online Gambling

The Vermont Lottery Commission isn’t ruling out the possibility of offering some of its games online, reports Vermont Public Radio, although officials admit there are many concerns that must be addressed first.

While some states, such as Illinois and Georgia, have moved forward with online gaming, states such as Vermont are taking a more cautious approach.

"We are looking at it. The Administration is interested in looking at it, the Legislature has asked us to look at it, and it's to make sure we understand it," Lottery Director Greg Smith told the news source, adding, that there are a lot of unanswered questions.

"[A] lot of times this sounds like Internet gambling. Does that mean you're going to put a casino in my computer and what problems might that cause for the society? Is it going to deliver money to the state and is there enough interest in the state to play it to make it worthwhile?" he said to the news source.

Smith also noted that there’s the problem of how online gamers will pay for their playing

"You have to have money somewhere to play. So can you play by credit card? Right now Vermont doesn't allow credit card payments to be used to buy Lottery products…So we'd have to cross that threshold and then do you do it by somebody being able to charge it to a credit card or do they need to set up an account like a PayPal-type of account?"

The news source adds that retailers that sell lottery tickets aren’t enthusiastic about having competition from online games. Their concerns are expected to be included in a report that the Vermont Lottery Commission will make to the Legislature in January.

For more on online lottery, read “You Can’t Win” in the April issue of NACS Magazine.



Vermont Considers Online Lottery Options | NACS Online