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August was not a pretty month for Zynga (NAS: ZNGA) . The social-game maker lost a whole slew of high-level execs, including Chief Operating Officer John Schappert, who it poached from Electronic Arts just over a year ago. Schappert was just the beginning, as an exec exodus officially began shortly thereafter.

Apparently, this isn't a one-way street, though, because AllThingsD is reporting that Zynga has now scored a COO of new markets, Maytal Ginzburg. "New markets" really refers to Zynga's interest in entering the world of real-money gambling. CEO Mark Pincus said the company plans on launching its first real-money gaming products internationally in the first half of 2013, assuming it can procure all the licensing and regulatory approvals necessary.


Read More: Zynga Doubles Down on Online Gambling - DailyFinance
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The internet may be the reason why some young people appear to be so interested in gambling.

A study has found nearly 40 percent of people surveyed had gambled by the age of 10, with 4 percent of them at risk of developing a gambling problem.

Psychologist Dr Sean Sullivan says people often don't expect youngsters to be interested in gambling.

"They often get onto Facebook, and there's a huge amount of gambling available on there and it's called gaming."



Children start gambling interest online - Latest National News - Keep up with Newstalk ZB
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Tech policy issues play a prominent role in the Democratic Party's 2012 platform, released this week for the party's national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. The document touts an active federal role in a wide variety of tech policy issues, from copyright enforcement to the expansion of broadband Internet access.

Both major US party platforms endorse "Internet freedom"—but for both parties the phrase comes with important caveats. Last week, the Republicans called for "vigorous enforcement of current laws on all forms of pornography and obscenity," as well as the preservation of the ban on online gambling. The Democrats are silent on pornography and gambling, but they make the case for "vigorous" copyright enforcement efforts.


Read More: For Dems, “Internet freedom” means “vigorously” protecting copyrights | Ars Technica
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International Game Technology said Tuesday that its DoubleDown Casino on Facebook will partner with the Hard Rock Hotel, Double Down's first deal with a land-based casino in Las Vegas.

DoubleDown casino will have its application hosted on the Hard Rock website. The company is a social gaming firm that sells virtual casino chips and has online slots, poker and other games.

"Engaging through the website allows players to remain connected to the property ... with DoubleDown Casino simply providing the gaming content," said Eric Tom, executive vice president of global sales at IGT.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed. The deal with Hard Rock was announced about a week after IGT, which operates in Las Vegas and Reno, reached a similar deal with Jacobs Entertainment Inc.

Jacobs Entertainment operates five websites associated with its casino in Northern Nevada and Colorado, including its Gold Dust West casinos in Reno, Carson City and Elko.

Read More: Hard Rock Hotel, IGT sign deal for DoubleDown Casino - Business - ReviewJournal-com
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Tom Hanks and Gary Sinise have led the tributes to their The Green Mile co-star Michael Clarke Duncan, following his death on Monday, with the Hanks hailing his late pal as a "treasure" and a "magic" talent.

The actor, a former bodyguard, never fully recovered from a cardiac arrest he suffered at his home in Los Angeles in July and he died in hospital on Monday morning.

Duncan's famous friends flocked to Twitter after hearing the news, with Sinise writing: "Had the pleasure of working on 2 things with Michael Clark Duncan. The Green Mile, & as guest star on CSI: NY. A real gentleman. R.I P my friend."

Read more: 'He was magic': stars pay tribute to Green Mile actor
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Manne wrote: Last Friday, Marc Pincus saw the stake in his company shed another 3.11%. He has bagged more than $330 million from selling some of his shares, and he is still getting his hefty executive compensation, but its unlikely the falling price is making him happy. One thing Zynga, Inc. seems to be trying to do in order to offset the effect of its dismal earnings report, is to try to move in the real-money games arena. The latest development indicating such intentions was Zynga taking on board Maytal Ginzburg, a former SVP at 888 Holdings, a company operating a real-money games portal.

A successful entry in the online gambling business may very easily turn things around for ZNGA, but there are a number of very serious challenges in pursuing such a goal.

There are attempts to change legislation for online gambling in the US, but it's not clear when and even if, it will be legalized. At the same time, laws regulating online gambling in the rest of the world are not identical and it will take time to enter that market; on top of that, ZNGA would be facing an uphill struggle, because there are already established names in that niche.

Recent troubles for Zynga have not been limited to the disappointing performance of the business, although they may be connected. In the past month ZNGA has lost a number of executives, including Bill Mooney, Brian Birtwistle and former Chief Creative Officer Mike Verdu.


Read More: Zynga, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZNGA) Takes Steps to Get in Online Gambling
That's Great News.
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Manne wrote: Michael Clarke Duncan, the hulking, prolific character actor whose dozens of films included an Oscar-nominated performance as a death row inmate in "The Green Mile" and such other box office hits as "Armageddon," "Planet of the Apes" and "Kung Fu Panda," is dead at age 54.

Clarke died Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he was being treated for a heart attack, said his fiancee, reality TV personality the Rev. Omarosa Manigault, in a statement released by publicist Joy Fehily.

The muscular, 6-foot-4 Duncan, a former bodyguard who turned to acting in his 30s, "suffered a myocardial infarction July 13 and never fully recovered," the statement said. "Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date."

In the spring, Clarke had appeared in a video for PETA, the animal rights organization, in which he spoke of how much better he felt since becoming a vegetarian three years earlier.

"I cleared out my refrigerator, about $5,000 worth of meat," he said. "I'm a lot healthier than I was when I was eating meat."

Duncan had a handful of minor roles before "The Green Mile" brought him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. The 1999 film, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, starred Tom Hanks as a corrections officer at a penitentiary in the 1930s. Duncan played John Coffey, a convicted murderer with a surprisingly gentle demeanor and extraordinary healing powers.

www-baldcelebrity-com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/michael-clarke-duncan-peta-jpg


Read More: seMissourian-com: Entertainment: Actor Michael Clarke Duncan dead at 54 (09/04/12)
A towering and hulking figure, the 6-foot-5-inch Duncan also was known for his deep voice.

RIP Michael Clarke Duncan
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One week after the Republican platform called for a prohibition of online gambling, the Democratic platform simply made no mention at all of the issue.

Tuesday marked the opening session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, where party members supported the recently released platform titled Moving America Forward. The 70-page document is “a declaration of [Democrats] plan to move America forward over the next four years and beyond,” but makes no mention of online poker or online gaming of any kind.

Proponents of a federally licensed and regulated online poker industry are undoubtedly disappointed that the platform did not address the issue, but the official no comment is consistent with a White House statement last May that said that online gambling regulation is up to the individual state.


Read More: Democratic Platform Omits References To Online Gambling - Poker News
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Just five years ago the Barcelona Affiliate Conference began to inspire delegates into thinking they could do more and make better profits while having a bit of fun doing it. Since then the affiliates have conquered and expanded their horizons. When the Barcelona conference first began there wasn’t a regulated online gambling market in Spain.

iGaming Business’ Shona O’Donnell said recently in a CalvinAyre-com interview, “Altogether we expect to have around 100 affiliate programs at Barcelona and so far it’s quite exciting because of all the registrations to date around 90 percent are affiliates so we should have really good affiliate numbers,” With iGB Espana coordinating the conference there will be two delineated streams at this event. The iGB Espana is all in Spanish while the Affiliate side will be English.

Read More: Spanish Online Gambling Market Focus of Barcelona Affiliate and iGB Conference
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The European Commission is expected to postpone the adoption of its action plan on online gambling, initially set for 26 September. Review of the text by its services appears to have raised questions that require substantial changes to the text.

The draft communication seen by Europoliticsfocuses on three key societal aspects: protecting consumers, fighting fraud and preserving the integrity of sport. On the other hand, it contains no relevant elements on the “ongoing infringements” aspect.

As announced by Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier, on 27 June (see Europolitics4454), the executive decided not to propose a directive, recommended by the European Parliament in a resolution of 15 November 2011. The Commission prefers interventions targeting more or less consensual subjects, in a European context in which legislative and tax frameworks are at odds. The communication states that the measures to be taken must not be minimalist but should seek a high level of protection and make for greater consistency in the EU.

An expert group made up of two representatives per member state is expected to be set up by the end of 2012. It will examine the proposed actions and help encourage effective cooperation and the sharing of best practice as follow-up to the meetings of regulators organised since the start of the year by the Commission (4373). The executive considers that it is through such exchanges that it will become possible to move beyond what are sometimes highly ideological positions and converge on common objectives, impossible to achieve at national level due to the cross-border nature of online gambling. “This is also a way to short-circuit the Council’s working group and water down national positions. That was where the political impetus needed for breakthroughs in this sector emanated,” commented an expert from the sector.


Read More: 05/09/2012 Commission reworks draft action plan
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Anyone who has played poker even a few times knows it's a game of skill, and a federal judge agreed in a ruling last month.

Why does that matter? Because federal gaming statutes that outlaw poker are based on its being a game of chance. With U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein's ruling that it's a skill game, the path to legal poker - on land and online - has become more clear.

The recent case, United States v. DiCristina, involved a buy-in game in a New York warehouse, where the house took 5 percent of each pot. The U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, by saying that Texas Hold 'Em is a skill game, threw out the conviction of the man who ran the game, who'd faced up to 10 years in prison.

Read more: Fed ruling clears path for legal poker - SFGate
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The NFL Players Association is investigating the relationship between agent Drew Rosenhaus and former financial adviser Jeff Rubin, Yahoo! Sports reported.

One main issue is whether Rosenhaus knew or should have known that Rubin advised a number of Rosenhaus’ clients to invest in an Alabama bingo casino that went bankrupt.

Players lost up to $43.6 million in Rubin’s casino downfall, according to the report, and multiple sources, including Terrell Owens, told Yahoo! Sports that Rosenhaus actively recruited players with Rubin. That goes against NFLPA policy.

Rosenhaus denies any impropriety on his part

“Let me say this on the record, I had no reason to believe that Jeff Rubin was doing anything illegal or irresponsible or unethical,” Rosenhaus told Yankoo! Sports. “We never had any inkling that he was ever dishonest. We never had a player come to us until this casino fell apart.”

Owens claims Rosenhaus tried to direct him to Rubin.

“We recommend you use Jeff,” Owens said Rosenhaus told him, according to the report. “He handles our clients, we trust him.”

Owens thinks Rosenhaus bears at least some of the responsibility.


Read More: NFLPA Investigating Agent Rosenhaus - By Greg Pollowitz - Right Field - National Review Online
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Radio talk show host Glenn Beck isn't backing down from his public attack on American Airlines. For a second straight day, Beck on Wednesday used his show to complain that a flight attendant treated him rudely. Beck claims it was punishment for his conservative views.

Beck said American should fire the flight attendant, and he vowed to never fly on American again.

"These big, stodgy airlines that think they can treat people like garbage -- they can't," Beck said during a 14-minute segment on Wednesday's show. He suggested that such poor service could explain why American had to seek bankruptcy protection, yet insisted that he wasn't trying to hurt American and wasn't urging fans to boycott the airline.

American said it regretted that Beck "had a disappointing experience" on his flight home Monday from Newark, N.J., to Dallas. The airline said that it was still looking into Beck's complaint, a response that the commentator called "lumbering."

Beck said a flight attendant fawned over other passengers but spoke only one word to him, and slammed a can of soda on his tray without opening it as he did for others.

As for evidence of political bias, Beck said the man loudly told other passengers "how he was so proud of the very liberal cities in America."

Any tension between Beck and the flight attendant apparently went unnoticed by other passengers. Beck said that even his wife, seated directly across the aisle, didn't notice anything unusual.

American spokesman Matt Miller said the airline was still trying to figure out what happened on the flight. He declined to say whether the flight attendant would be fired if Beck's account is accurate.

"We take customer complaints seriously, but we owe it to all of our customers and people to follow our prescribed process to get the facts first and then take appropriate action," Miller said.

Thousands of travelers lodge complaints about airlines with the federal government each year. In June, the latest results available, American ranked 10th out of 15 airlines in rate of complaints.

Beck's radio show attracts more than 8 million listeners per week, according to Talkers, a magazine for the talk-show business.

"It comes down to an employee picking the wrong guy to be rude to," said Michael Harrison, the magazine's publisher.


People & Entertainment: Beck still fuming about flight slight | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
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Zynga Inc is stepping up its effort in achieving its objective to attract core gamers, by launching real-money games internationally early next year. The gaming company is hiring Maytal Ginzburg, vice-president of regulated markets for 888 Holdings, an online gambling operator based in UK.

A report from equity research firm Evercore Partners cited that Zynga’s marketing costs on Facebook Inc through paid channels is becoming more expensive. Zynga’s expenditures in traditional marketing are becoming less beneficial because of low lifetime customer value (LCV) on the users. Analysts also cited that Zynga’s ability to attract new casual game users on a cost-effective rate through Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:F😎 platform is becoming negative, as the social networking giant becomes a more established marketing channel.

According to Evercore Partners, Zynga’s plan to enter the online gambling business is favorable for the company. Analysts from the research firm projects that the real-money gaming is worth more than $135 million, and they assumed two things: 1) applies trailing 6x EBITDA and 11x P/E online gambling operator multiples to forward Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) online gambling estimates 2) assumes Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) has 50 % chance of reaching top three operator level status internationally. Based on its assumptions, Evercore Partners believed Zynga’s stock value will gain 4 percent to 6 percent, or $0.12 to $0.17 per share, on the current stock price of the gaming company.

Read More: www-valuewalk-com/2012/09/zynga-begins-to-move-away-from-facebook-and-into-online-gambling/
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More times than not people that gamble don’t go around shouting I gamble and I like it. Gambling for many is a personal thing that you have to concentrate on. Knowing where you stand in a game of cards is one of the most important elements. The same holds true for games that are run by random number generators, you have to know when to quit and move on.

Gambling responsibly also means sharing your wins and losses with your family and friends. Often gambling can be something people think is a bad activity that leads some to rack and ruin, well to be honest that does occur and there are plenty of ways to avoid the bad part and enjoy the good times that can be had while gaming.

Online gambling is seductive in ways we have to be careful to avoid. Staying up all night at an online gambling venue may not be good for your work the next day. Drinking a beverage or two while sitting at the virtual table can lead to soft decision making and losses and that is much easier to do when you know you don’t have to drive home from the casino. Gaming and betting on sports has been a past time for millions for hundreds of years and gambling on sports is considered by some critics to be extra bad because it can be corrupted by fixers who cheat.

The responsible gambler doesn’t let emotion run away with the pocketbook on hunches and possibilities. A responsible punt takes a little bit of research and the limits have to be set ahead of time and with no exceptions those funds have to be funds that can afford to be lost. That’s what gambling is all about losing and winning, bookies know the odds and make money, research pays.



Internet Wagering Needs Concentration
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Gambling is often much maligned in the press, as something that breaks homes, causes financial meltdowns and ruins lives on many other levels. However, this one-sided view is easy to take; fuelled by the media's need to pander to the public conception of the gambling world - a world that they would never find themselves locked in, despite their own weekly purchase of lottery tickets and "occasional" punt on the Grand National.

The media also seems to portray those addicted to gambling as society's degenerates, people who only have themselves to blame for falling into the destructive cycle of chasing yesterday's losses. As with most subjects though, there is far more to gambling addiction than meets the eye. In this article written and researched by MobileSlots4U, we will look at the reasons behind addiction, in particular the body's reaction to dopamine, to show that gamblers aren't simply people who have themselves to blame and instead that they are people with a predisposition to addiction in one form or another…

Should We All Be Addicts?

Read more here: LONDON, September 6, 2012: Gambling Addiction: Blame Biology, Not the Individual | PRNewswire | Rock Hill Herald Online
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Shares of Facebook (NASDAQ: F😎 rose more than 5% on Wednesday after investors learned that Mark Zuckerberg was planning to hold his shares of the social network for one more year at least. The stocks is still more than 50% below the IPO price, so it's a good time to go through some ideas regarding Facebook as an investment.

Valuations matter to some degree -- they always do -- but in this kind of company it’s all about innovation and future business opportunities. The fact that shares of Facebook are much cheaper now than a few months ago is not the biggest game changer for investors. The market will be willing to pay dearly for Facebook shares if the company can deliver a solid growth strategy, but no price will be low enough if it doesn't materialize.

Take a look at LinkedIn (NYSE: LNKD), for example. The stock has risen more than 90% from its lows around $60 at the beginning of this year to more than $114 currently. LinkedIn is trading at a P/E ratio above 900, but investors don´t seem to care too much for stratospheric valuations as long as the company has a trustworthy business model. LinkedIn has found a very solid monetization strategy via advertising, hiring solutions and premium services, and that´s what explains the big difference in returns between both social networks.

Read More: The Real Catalyst for Facebook - AMZN, EBAY, FB, GOOG, LNKD - Foolish Blogging Network
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Gaming conferences are the epitome of mixing work and play. But at today’s fifth annual New York Games Conference, “gaming” will take on it’s full meaning as industry execs look at the future of legalized gambling and several other industry defining debates.

Questions regarding the future role of virtual goods and other rewards associated with freemium and micro-transaction business models will be handled by panelists including Brock Pierce, chief executive of Playsino and managing director of the Clearstone Gaming Fund, beginning at 3 p.m. this afternoon.

The online gaming debate took on a new dimension earlier this year when the Department of Justice ruled to make it easier for sweepstakes-style businesses to operate as long as they didn’t charge people to play. But since it’s still illegal for banks to conduct online gaming transactions, the ruling was only a step along the way.


Read More: NY Gaming Conference debates legalized gambling
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An editorial in the Las Vegas Review-Journal criticizes the 70-page Democratic National Platform for using the words “Internet” and “Internet Freedom” 12 times but neglecting to address the hot topic of legalizing Internet gaming.

The platform promises to ensure that 98 percent of U.S. citizens would have access to wireless Internet. The plank on Internet freedom promotes online “commerce, debate, learning, and innovation in the 21st century.”

The Democratic platform was released a week after Republicans issued a call for a “prohibition” on Internet gaming in their platform, as well as a reversal of the December 2011 Department of Justice (DOJ) opinion that opened Internet gaming, with the exception of sports betting, to tribes and states.

Regardless, the Democratic Party outright omitted mention of online poker and gaming.

Read more😄emocratic Platform Avoids Mention of Internet Gaming - ICTMN-com Democratic Platform Avoids Mention of Internet Gaming - ICTMN-com
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Social Network site Fargotube-com is pleased to announce it has surpassed 1.5 million hits since its re-launch in June. It's beautiful, it's addictive, and now Fargotube is having its glorious hockey stick moment. F3 Technologies, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: FTCH) flagship entertainment social network platform Fargotube-com has just hit 1.5 million page views, crossing the coveted 1 million mark faster than any one had expected.

"This is a very big deal," said Frank Connor, F3's CEO. Fargotube is starting to grow at an exponential rate. I don't want to use the word viral yet but it's growing well beyond anyone's expectations. Hitting this milestone so early in its adoption confirms the fact that Fargotube-com has created the ultimate social network for the entertainment industry and considering that there has been virtually zero marketing of Fargotube we couldn't be happier with its growth," he concluded.

Since its re-launch in June, Fargotube has been aggressively courting the entertainment industry acquiring premium content from signed and independent artists as well as from partners such as MediaNet-com. Fargotube was built specifically for the entertainment industry as we believe that social is the future marketing platform for all industries. With the recent announcement that Apple, Inc.'s iTunes is integrating with Facebook to increase social networking we believe that Fargotube is now and has always been on the right track for social entertainment.


Read More: Entertainment Social Network Site Fargotube-com Hits 1.5 Million Mark
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