Let your mouth speak archive

The 7th Legal Gaming in Europe Summit just finished this February 4th and 5th 2013 in London England. Its impact will be felt but maybe not for long as the laws in Europe continue to change and adjust to new trends in gambling in different jurisdictions.

Anyone who is attempting to be a part of the online gambling industry in Europe knows that the need to understand the legal climate in Europe is paramount for success. Delegates were not disappointed at the conference which touched all the hot button topics and made significant progress in unraveling the maze of future and past legal hurdles in Europe. The peaking of interest in the European Union gambling market place has moved many operators to venture into emerging markets such as Latin America and the far east.

While the need for a harmonized platform for regulations within the E.U. is apparent and the European Commission has been talking about there has been little solid progress in the implementation of a platform. There is still discussion but as the refrain continues to be the same old talk the system seems bogged down by the usual let’s wait and see approach. The conference and summit is in its seventh year and offered only legal discussion and debate with no selling or commerce to distract from the main goal of enlightening attendees on legal issues in Europe.

The legal ramifications of the situation in Germany were also on the floor. Germany presents a unique issue within the Union where there are two different regulatory bodies in one country. While the European Commission has not insisted on E.U. legislation it has however stated its intent with a number of initiatives. Those include, enforcing compliance of national regulatory frameworks with EU law; enhancing supervision, administrative cooperation among member states and efficient enforcement; protecting consumers and citizens, minors and vulnerable persons; preventing fraud and money laundering; and safeguarding the integrity of sports and preventing match-fixing.









Emerging Online Gambling Markets Discussed at Summit

Entertainment One has secured multi-territory rights to the Reese Witherspoon-starrer The Good Lie. The Canadian producer/distributor will handle distribution of the film in the UK, Spain, Benelux and Australia and New Zealand.

Entertainment One inked the distribution deal with Lionsgate International, which acted on behalf of the film’s producers. The Good Lie is directed by Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar) and tells the story of a young refugee of the Sudanese Civil War who wins a lottery for relocation to the United States with three other lost boys.

“We are pleased to see that our friends at eOne are already realizing the benefits of their recent corporate acquisition. Having them take multiple territory rights for what is designed to be a powerful and important film is a benefit to all parties,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-chairman Patrick Wachsberger in a statement.

The film was written by Margaret Nagle (Boardwalk Empire). Ron Howard and Brian Grazer serve as producers on the film, along with Molly Smith and Karen Kahela Sherwood.

The film is executive produced by Kim Roth and Deepak Nayar.

The deal was negotiated by Entertainment One’s worldwide acquisitions lead Lara Thompson, executive vice president of filmed entertainment.

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email [email]ftsales-support@ft-com[/email] to buy additional rights. New Jersey opens door to online gambling - FT-com

The online gambling industry’s long-held hopes for a regulated US market received a shot in the arm after New Jersey decided to press ahead with legalising online poker and casino.

European gaming stocks surged on Friday after the state’s Republican governor Chris Christie said that, despite vetoing a bill to legalise online gambling, he was prepared to sign an amended version. These amendments include provisions for a 10-year trial period, an increase in the tax rate on online casino winnings from 10 per cent to 15 per cent and greater player protection. High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email [email]ftsales-support@ft-com[/email] to buy additional rights. New Jersey opens door to online gambling - FT-com

The Garden State will work with bricks-and-mortar casinos that have longstanding licences. But these companies require the expertise of predominantly European online operators to provide the actual games to New Jersey residents online.

“Now is the time for our state to move forward, again leading the way for the nation, by becoming one of the first states to permit internet gaming,” said the governor, whose state includes the depressed casino centre Atlantic City.

Nick Batram of Numis said Mr Christie’s move was a significant step in lobbyists’ attempts to create a US online gambling market.

“If Christie does pass an amended bill [which now looks more likely than ever], this would be an important development for the US online gaming market as a whole,” he said.

The bill allows established casinos and racetracks to offer online poker and some casino games in New Jersey, which has a population of 8.9m.

Several European-based gambling and gambling-related companies have been steadily building joint ventures in the US with casino operators and other legal gambling entities in readiness for a shift in the US regulatory landscape. High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email [email]ftsales-support@ft-com[/email] to buy additional rights. New Jersey opens door to online gambling - FT-com

888 Holdings has a joint venture with Caesars, which has four casinos in Atlantic City, under which it would provide casino and poker products to Caesars, which would then market these games to customers. 888 also has a strategic alliance with gaming machine manufacturer WMS.

Bwin.party has similar relationships with MGM and Boyd Gaming. Optimal Payments has a deal with Caesars to provide payment services.

In Friday afternoon trading, 888 shares were up 15 per cent and Bwin.party by 16 per cent. Optimal Payments’ share price rose 9 per cent.

Other gambling companies made smaller gains, including Playtech, the online gambling services provider – up more than 7 per cent – and William Hill, which has a licence from the Nevada gaming commission, up 1.4 per cent.

Analysts said an amended bill could be passed by the end of next month, leading to an online gambling market in operation by the end of 2013.

While Mr Batram said it was unclear what benefits could emerge from a regulated New Jersey market, he said that “perhaps the biggest value is in the fact that a major state is prepared to legislate positively for online gaming and that, where New Jersey goes, others will follow”.

Ivor Jones of Numis said the move could encourage Federal legislators to pass a law in an effort to control the development of online gambling nationwide.

Gibraltar-based 888 said: “While it is still early days, we are very excited by the opportunities that the US market looks set to provide.”







New Jersey opens door to online gambling - FT-com

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval is using the low-grade rivalry between Las Vegas and Atlantic City to encourage lawmakers to pass a bill that could expand the state's online gambling market nationwide.

The day after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie suggested that he'd be open to legalizing some form of Internet gambling, the Nevada Republican released a statement asking lawmakers to act quickly to ensure the state maintains its place as the nation's leader in gambling regulation.

On Friday, Sandoval asked lawmakers to approve a bill that would a let companies offering online poker in Nevada accept wagers from players in other states. He said he wants Assembly Bill 5 to arrive on his desk within 30 days and announced that Democratic Assemblyman William Horne would manage the proposed legislation.

"I am pleased that the Assemblyman has offered to carry legislation allowing for the establishment of online gaming in our state and help Nevada maintain its position as the gold standard in gaming," he said. "In light of the developments in New Jersey yesterday, the need to act quickly has become even more important."

The Legislature began its four-month session Monday.

Nevada's existing online gambling regulations, which went into effect in 2011, stipulate that companies cannot accept wagers across state lines until Congress or the U.S. Department of Justice takes regulatory action.

Assembly Bill 5 would get rid of that requirement and allow Sandoval to enter into interstate online gambling agreements with other governors.

Several other states began looking into online gambling after the Department of Justice issued a letter in 2011 stating that the federal Wire Act of 1961, often used to crack down on Internet gambling, only applies to sports betting.

Read more: Nevada gov. pushes interstate online gambling bill - SFGate

AUSTRALIA'S main sports and their clubs receive millions of dollars in sponsorship and product fees from betting companies.

This week's report from the Australian Crime Commission about the integrity of sport has also prompted calls for the federal government to release the long-awaited final report into a review of the nation's online gambling laws.

Last financial year, Australians punted $26 billion on racing and sports, according to a Tabcorp report. Of that, only $4 billion was bet on sports, which was a 3 per cent increase on the previous year.

A Deloitte report into sports betting last year, commissioned by Sportsbet-com.au, found that in 2011 AFL and NRL betting accounted for half of all sports betting, with the AFL the largest at $900 million a year in turnover. In the NRL, it was $750 million. And, Deloitte forecast that within five years turnover in both sports would double. It also estimated that in 2011 gross profit, or punter losses, was 4.5 per cent.
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Fairfax Media asked five of Australia's biggest sports - AFL, NRL, cricket, rugby union and football - how much they received annually from betting companies in sponsorship and product fees, which is a sport's percentage of bets taken on their intellectual property.

The NRL said last year it received more than $2 million in product fees and sponsorship, and clubs also received money from their arrangements with betting groups.

This year Fairfax Media reported that Tom Waterhouse had paid close to $50 million to become the NRL's official gambling partner - Tab-com.au is the AFL's official partner.

Other sports did not reveal how much they received in sponsorship, but larger sports indicated it was in the millions.

Meanwhile, several Australian bookmakers have suspended betting on the opening match of the AFL season between Adelaide and Essendon.

Read more: Call for final report on online gambling

I don't think they know my limit.

Police in Beverly Hills say Chris Brown escaped injury after crashing his Porsche into a wall while being chased by paparazzi.

Lt. Lincoln Hoshino said the collision occurred around noon Saturday. Brown told police that he lost control of his black Porsche during the chase.

Hoshino said police will investigate the incident. He said he didn't know whether the paparazzi in the pursuing vehicles have been identified.

A call to Brown's lawyer was not immediately returned.

The crash came a day before the Grammy Awards, where Brown is up for best urban contemporary album.

Supporters of Internet gambling see it as a way to transform Atlantic City into the high-tech “Silicon Valley” of gambling.

Critics, however, believe customers will stay away from Atlantic City’s casinos in droves, choosing instead to gamble in the comfort of their homes.

“All of a sudden, the need to come to Atlantic City becomes less and less and less,” said Steve Norton, who was part of the executive team that opened Resorts Casino Hotel, the city’s first casino, in 1978.

Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a New Jersey Internet gambling bill Thursday in a way that encouraged the bill’s backers: He said he would sign a revised bill if it limits online wagering to a 10-year trial period. Gambling supporters in the state Legislature say they are willing to accept that condition.

“This is the future of gaming. It will give the Atlantic City casinos the opportunity to be the Silicon Valley of Internet gaming by positioning them to be the hub of future expansion into other states,” said state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, one of the primary sponsors of the legislation.

Lesniak and other lawmakers are predicting swift passage of a revised bill. Casino regulators would then have to grant Internet licenses, meaning it could be months before the first online bets are placed in New Jersey.

In the proposed legislation, Internet gambling would occur on servers and other equipment based in Atlantic City casinos, which also would be the only ones authorized to accept wagers. New Jersey would tax Internet gross gambling revenue at 15 percent, under the governor’s proposal. Gross gambling revenue currently is taxed at a flat 8 percent in New Jersey.

Early estimates of the amount of revenue that Internet wagering will generate have ranged broadly, from $230 million to $850 million annually. Some analysts predict online betting will be a $1.5 billion enterprise within five years.

State Sen. Jim Whelan, D-Atlantic, who also supports Internet gambling, argued it would be foolish for New Jersey to let other casino states get the jump on an emerging trend and gain a competitive edge on Atlantic City. Nevada and Delaware have authorized Internet gambling. Other states, such as California, are considering it.

“The solution is not to put our heads in the sand and pretend that it’s not going to happen somewhere else down the line,” said Whelan, a former Atlantic City mayor.

Whelan and other supporters say Internet gambling will be a catalyst for jobs and investment in Atlantic City, helping to reverse a six-year casino revenue slump caused by the sluggish economy and competition from neighboring states. Internet gambling companies that want to operate in New Jersey will have to build and staff data centers in Atlantic City, where equipment to host online wagering applications must be maintained, according to proposed legislation.

“The revenue raised through Internet wagering will have a real impact on the economy of Atlantic City — not only helping to keep struggling casinos afloat, but also ensuring the continuous employment of thousands of residents,” Whelan said.

The Rational Group, parent company of online gambling giants PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, has agreed to buy the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel for an undisclosed price. There is speculation that the deal would have died if Christie had been staunchly against the Internet bill.

“PokerStars is an Internet company, so the idea that an Internet company would buy a brick-and-mortar casino when there is no Internet gaming would be very unlikely,” Whelan said.

However, Eric Hollreiser, a spokesman for the Rational Group, said the company is anxious to complete the purchase of the Atlantic Club now that the governor has indicated his willingness to legalize Internet gambling under revised legislation.

“The distinctive environment that I-gaming can create for New Jersey is unprecedented, and we are pleased that Gov. Christie sees the significant benefits of mixing online and offline gaming,” Hollreiser said.

Joe Lupo, senior vice president of operations for Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City’s dominant casino, also believes Internet gambling will help fuel the industry’s growth in coming years.

“It will no doubt drive revenue and opportunities in New Jersey. We can market it promotionally and open the door for greater things to come,” Lupo said.

Resorts Casino Hotel also intends to offer Internet gambling, subject to the governor and Legislature legalizing the activity, spokeswoman Courtney Birmingham said.

Other casinos did not explicitly say whether they would offer Internet gambling but applauded the governor’s embrace of it.

“We are confident that with the governor’s recommended changes and New Jersey’s longstanding commitment to the highest standards of integrity, this legislation will expand the ways in which customers can interact with us,” said Jan Jones, executive vice president of Caesars Entertainment.

Caesars Entertainment operates the Bally’s, Caesars, Harrah’s Resort and Showboat casinos in Atlantic City as well as other properties across the country, including in Las Vegas, where Internet gambling is legal. One day after Christie’s announcement, the company’s stocks rose 38 percent to close at $13.91.

Atlantic City’s newest casino, Revel, also did not say whether it would offer Internet gambling but expressed support for the measure.

“We believe that Internet gaming can play a very positive and meaningful role in the economic evolution of Atlantic City by generating new revenue, jobs and taxes and, importantly, by creating diversification in the overall Atlantic City business model,” Revel CEO Kevin DeSanctis said.

Even critics of Internet gambling acknowledge it will generate new profits for the casino industry. They also say it could be a lifeline for struggling properties, such as the Atlantic Club and Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino.

“The flip side of online casinos is

I have a very cynical indeed friend who works in The City of London. This is our equivalent of Wall Street. And he was involved in the funding, creation and then IPOs of a couple of the online gambling companies. He then told me how he expected the entire market to develop. And it’s difficult for me to say that his, extremely cynical I hasten to add, prediction was wrong as Zynga is showing:

Zynga’s stock is seeing its first big leap in more than six months, fueled by a decent fourth-quarter report and evidence that online gambling is starting to make progress in the U.S.

That’s really not quite how I’d put it. Of course, I’m entirely happy for Zynga’s shareholders but there was a large, indeed thriving, online gambling scene in the US before the Feds closed it down. What’s actually evidence is that this sort of gambling might become legal again: allowing the market to recover.

Which is where my friend’s cynicism comes in.

The way he read it all it was UK companies (often domiciled in Gibraltar or perhaps Antigua where this was 5% of the entire economy at one time, but their financing coming from The City usually) who dominated the online gambling marketplace in the US. This wasn’t a situation he expected anyone to allow to continue: he felt that there would be strenuous attempts to make sure that domestic, US domestic that is, companies got a decent to majority share of the market.

His prediction was therefore that some method of cutting the foreign companies out of the market would be made. Perhaps that US citizens would only be allowed to gamble with US companies, something like that.

Then, when his original prediction went wrong, when the entire market was closed down, he thought that it would become legal again. But only when there were US companies able to take a good portion of that now newly legal market.

I do have to point out again that my friend truly is horribly, horribly, cynical. But it does look like online gambling is going to become legal again in the US. And at a time when there is at least one US company, Zynga, that is able and willing to roll out casino style games to US customers.

And it wouldn’t surprise me at all to find that part of this new legality is that foreign companies won’t be able to offer those same games to US citizens.

What makes my friend so believable, even as he is so cynical, is that this is what happened to those gambling companies based on Antigua. They were barred from the US market even while US companies were still allowed (until it was all made illegal) to serve those same customers. Even the World Trade Organisation has ruled against the US on this point.

I tend to have a fairly rosy view of the world and I do so hate it when the cynics have even a chance of appearing correct.








Zynga's Shares Rise As Legal US Online Gambling Is Mooted - Forbes

Last week New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie put forward a proposal that supports the implementation of Internet gaming in the state. According to the governor’s website, Christie concludes that “now is the right time for the state to move forward and again lead the nation by becoming one of the first states” to allow online gaming.

"This bill represents an important policy decision for the residents of New Jersey, and a historic opportunity to continue the state's leadership as a premiere destination for tourism and entertainment. Such a significant step must be carefully considered, balancing the benefits of job creation, economic development, and the continued revitalization of Atlantic City against the risks of addiction, corruption and improper influence. It is my duty as governor to make these determinations," Christie said.

The proposal, contained in Christie’s conditional veto of Assembly Bill 2578, would revise and supplement the “Casino Control Act” to authorize Internet gaming through the licensed casinos operating in Atlantic City. The governor recommends safeguards for gambling addiction: "With these changes, we will increase resources to treat compulsive gambling, provide sensible safeguards to ensure careful oversight and a proper annual review of the implementation of Internet gaming, along with a 10-year sunset for future leaders to carefully reevaluate Internet gaming as a state policy broadly and critical transparency measures to guard against undue and improper influence and self-dealing.”

In his conditional veto, Christie also gave “great weight” to concerns over the potential spread of excessive gambling: "Our state cannot carelessly create a new generation of addicted gamers, sitting in their homes, using laptops or iPads, gambling their salaries and their futures," he said.

To protect against a proliferation of gambling addiction, the governor proposed an annual analysis of the potential harms associated with these new games to be undertaken at the expense of the gaming licensees. Furthermore, he recommends that Internet gaming and its societal impact should be studied and periodically revisited. To that end, he proposes that the law sunset after a period of 10 years, giving future policymakers the opportunity to revise and renew the law if appropriate.







New Jersey Approves Online Gaming | NACS Online

Kiwi singing sensation Kimbra has taken home two top Grammy awards for her part in Gotye's hit duet Somebody That I Used To Know.

Kimbra, with Gotye, won in the record of the year and best pop duo categories at the 55th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

She was presented with the record of the year award by her musical hero Prince.

The win is massive achievement for the New Zealand songbird and caps off the huge success from her album Vows last year.

Meanwhile, McKenzie's song Man or Muppet lost out to Safe and Sound by T-Bone Burnett and Taylor Swift in the best song written for visual media category.

Safe and Sound was on the soundtrack for the hit film The Hunger Games.

Man or Muppet took best song at last year's Oscars. Hamilton-born Kimbra returned to Los Angeles last week for the premiere music awards ceremony, which started at midday.

The 22-year-old has been posting online of her excitement at seeing pop singer Justin Timberlake, rocker Jack White and hip-hopper Frank Ocean perform at the Grammys.

"The day of the Razzle Dazzle begins," Kimbra posted on her Twitter account this morning.

"Prince will be at [the Grammys] presenting an award tonight. Breathe, breathe," she said.

Adele picked up the award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2013 Grammys.

The British singer - who took home six gongs at the same ceremony last year - won the award for her live performance of Set Fire to the Rain and praised her fellow nominees in her acceptance speech.

Speaking at the ceremony, she said: "Thank you so much. This is amazing, honestly! I just wanted to come and be part of the night 'cause I loved it last year, obviously. Thank you! I just want to say a massive ... some big love to the other girls. We work so hard ... See you later. Have a wonderful night."

Adele - whose win was the first of the night - surprised onlookers with her bright, printed dress, a change from her usual black attire and revealed she has been so busy with motherhood since giving birth in October that she has made very little progress on any new music. She said: "I'm not very far along [with my new album]. I've been having lots of meetings ... I've been out the loop, really.

"I've been singing my baby nursery rhymes."

Jay-Z and Kanye West took home three awards for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for No Church in the Wild, featuring Frank Ocean and The Dream, along with Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for N****s In Paris.

Fun won twice, Song of the Year for We Are Young along with Best New Artist.

Kelly Clarkson picked up the award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Stronger while Sir Paul McCartney took home his 15th Grammy Award for Kisses On The Bottom, which won the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

The crowd were treated to performances from Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys and a collaboration from Sir Elton John and Ed Sheeran.



Grammy award winners - Full list

Song of the Year: 'We Are Young,' Fun and Janelle Monae
Record of the Year: 'Somebody That I Used to Know,' Gotye & Kimbra
Best New Artist: Fun
Best Pop Vocal Album: 'Stronger', Kelly Clarkson
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration:'No Church in the Wild,' Jay-Z and Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean and The Dream
Best Pop Solo Performance: 'Set Fire to the Rain' Adele
Best Country Solo Performance: 'Blown Away,' Carrie Underwood
Best Urban Contemporary Album: 'Channel Orange', Frank Ocean
Best Rock Performance: 'Lonely Boy,' The Black Keys
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Dan Auerbach
Best Country Album: 'Uncaged', Zac Brown Band
Best Alternative Music Album: 'Making Mirrors', Gotye
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: 'Somebody That I Used To Know,' Gotye featuring Kimbra
Best Rock Album: 'El Camino', The Black Keys
Best Rock Song: 'Lonely Boy,' Dan Auerbach, Brian Burton and Patrick Carney
Best Long Form Music Video: 'Big Easy Express' Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros & Old Crow Medicine Show
Best Short Form Music Video: 'We Found Love' Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris
Best World Music Album: 'The Living Room Sessions', Part 1, Ravi Shankar
Best Country Song: 'Blown Away,' Josh Kear, Chris Tompkins and Carrie Underwood
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: 'Pontoon,' Little Big Town
Best Rap Song: 'N****s In Paris,' Shawn Carter, Mike Dean, Chauncey Hollis and Kanye West
Best Rap Performance: 'N****s In Paris,' Shawn Carter and Kanye West
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media: 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo', Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Best R&B Album: 'Black Radio', Robert Glasper
Best Dance/Electronica Album: 'Bangarang', Skrillex
Best Dance Recording: 'BangaranG', Skrillex featuring Sirah
Best Regional Roots Album: 'The Band Courtbouillon', Wayne Toups, Steve Riley & Wilson Savoy
Best Folk Album: 'The Goat Rodeo Sessions', Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile
Best Blues Album: 'Locked Down', Dr. John
Best Americana Album: 'Slipstream', Bonnie Raitt
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album: 'Midnight In Paris'
Best Latin Jazz Album: '¡Ritmo!', The Clare Fischer Latin Jazz Big Band
Best Jazz Vocal Album: 'Radio Music Society', Esperanza Spaulding
Best Improvised Jazz Solo: 'Hot House,' Gary Buron & Chick Corea
Best New Age Album: 'Echoes of Love', Oakram
Best Comedy Album: 'Blow Your Pants Off', Jimmy Fallon
Best Spoken Word Album: 'Society's Child: My Autobiography', Janis Ian
Best Children's Album: 'Can You Canoe?', The Okee Dokee Brothers
Best Reggae Album: 'Rebirth', Jimmy Cliff
Best Contemporary Classical Composition: 'Hartke, Stephen: Meanwhile - Incidental Music To Imaginary Puppet Plays,' Stephen Hartke
Best Classical Compendium: 'Penderecki: Fonogrammi; Horn Concerto; Partita; The Awakening Of Jacob; Anaklasis,' Antoni Wit
Best Classical Vocal Performance: 'Poemes,' Renee Fleming
Best Producer of the Year, Classical: Blanton Alspaugh
Best Orchestral Performance: 'Adams Harmonielehre and Short Ri

It's very very nice.

The N.C. Supreme Court affirmed the state’s right to ban gambling establishments – “Internet sweepstakes parlors,” if you prefer the polite term – but that hasn’t stopped a determined gaming industry from trying every possible angle to legalize the parasitic businesses.

Now a judge in Davidson County has tossed out a lawsuit that sought to prevent enforcement of that ban. Good.

We’ve heard the arguments of these companies, whose Internet “cafes” and “parlors” quickly multiplied even as the N.C. General Assembly visited and revisited a 2006 ban on video poker machines. Conflicting rulings left both opponents and supporters to wait for the cases to make their way through the courts.

They finally made it to the state Supreme Court last year, where the justices ruled that the state can keep these businesses from operating. Justice Robin Hudson, who authored the opinion, called the industry’s arguments that they were only selling Internet time “a mere pretext for the conduct of a de facto gambling scheme.”

Many of the sweepstakes businesses that were allowed to remain open while that case was on appeal have thumbed their noses at licensing fees imposed by cities and counties.

The gaming industry wants these businesses to stay open and has painted a rosy picture in which the state and cities could regulate and tax sweepstakes businesses. But its track record of end-run attempts around the law and its propensity for suing don’t bode well for a happy relationship between these businesses and government.

Even now, industry representatives are trying to figure out ways to change the technology so the courts won’t be able to see through the ruse of an innocuous, Internet-based business that just happens to allow people to gamble online.

Enough.

The video poker industry was able to move into North Carolina with the help of Democrats. Video poker and the state lottery passed over the objection of Republicans. The GOP now controls the House, Senate and Governor’s Mansion, and the industry’s friends in the legislature may not be able to get such favorable treatment, assuming the current crop of lawmakers follows in the footsteps of their anti-gambling predecessors.

The General Assembly already has spoken – three times. The courts have spoken, too. And both sides are pointing to the exit for “sweepstakes” operators. When will they finally take the hint?

Read more here: Maybe Republicans can finally end online gambling | CharlotteObserver-com

The Center on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) says the recent decision by the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the United States in its online gambling dispute with Antigua and Barbuda “presents a troubling scenario” for Washington.



“If the United States’ claim that the world’s 15th smallest economy is engaged in some form of economic bullying, attempting to force its hand in altering gambling laws by increased pressure from Hollywood lobbies, seems farcical, then so be it,” said COHA, a major think tank center here.



“American corporations largely have taken advantage of the swelling international tribunal system that encourages investor to state relations, and Washington has controversially promoted such terms in its recent free trade agreements.



“Now, Washington is experiencing the other side of international trade regulations, and if a reward of US$21 million to Antigua and Barbuda does not prompt a recalculation of US trade policy in this part of the Caribbean, perhaps eight billion (US) dollars in litigation arising from Chinese complaints will,” COHA said.



In its final ruling, the Geneva-based WTO has allowed Antigua and Barbuda to suspend certain concessions and obligations it has under international law to the United States in respect of intellectual property rights.

For nearly a decade, the government on the Caribbean island has sought to resolve the dispute with Washington over the US’s failure to abide by American treaty obligations with regard to remote gaming.
The Baldwin Spencer administration described the WTO ruling as a “fair and reasonable solution,” adding that it plans to break copyright laws by getting legal retribution over Washington’s refusal to let Americans gamble at online sites based in the island-nation.



Trade analysts speculate that Antigua and Barbuda’s action may involve offering downloads of American intellectual property, like Hollywood films, network television shows or hit pop songs. But the United Sates has warned Antigua and Barbuda about its proposed plan, stating that it might further hurt trade relations between the two countries. “If Antigua does proceed with the unprecedented plan for its government to authorise the theft of intellectual property, it would only serve to hurt Antigua’ own interests,” said Nkenge Harmon, a spokeswoman for the United States trade representative.



“Government-authorised piracy would undermine chances for a settlement,” she added. But with an economy mired in public debt, COHA said “there is no question that Antigua could use the additional revenue,” noting that St John’s is currently participating in a 36-month Stand-By Agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) “after a bruising 2008 financial crisis turned into the banking crisis of 2011”. Yet, the COHA said, it is still unclear whether the WTO dispute is “a legitimate step toward St John’s sponsoring an online piracy haven or if these contenders are using the edict as an American response to illegal gambling.



“It is far more likely that reality in this instance lies closer to the latter, as Washington has ample reason to make amends with St John’s gambling strategies,” said COHA, stating that Antigua and Barbuda is situated on “extremely important trade routes to the United States, lies only 300 miles from Puerto Rico, and has hosted a US military presence for much of its modern existence as a sovereign entity”. The think tank, however, said what is clear is that the WTO ruling “will provide ample rhetorical material for St John’s fellow Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) members and a blueprint on how to utilise the evolving international system to improve an otherwise asymmetrical position on a number of debating points.



“And while Washington has taken advantage of a self-serving trade system for the past 20 years, it should brace itself for the system to push back,” COHA said, adding that the January 28 WTO ruling signalled to Washington that “it must exist in the brave new world it helped create”.

Governor Brian Sandoval is making a push for legal Internet gaming within Nevada’s borders.

Sandoval says Assemblyman William Horne has agreed to sponsor a bill allowing online gaming in the Silver State.

The governor hopes it will be approved by the Legislature “within 30 days.”

Last week, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed a similar measure for his state, but left the door open for a modified version.

Delaware may become the first state with a broad spectrum of online gambling.

But federal law will limit play to gamblers physically located within the state's borders, as verified with geolocation software. The Delaware Lottery Office issued a request for proposals last week seeking bids from vendors to operate the state's centralized online gambling system with a strict stipulation that it would be up and running no later than Sept. 30.

Though efforts in other states to legalize online gambling have been percolating for the past year or more, Delaware remains the only state to have legalized full-fledged online gambling.

Nevada legalized online poker in 2011 and has issued licenses to operators, but state regulators aren't expected to begin allowing sites to go live until spring.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, vetoed the most recent version of a bill Thursday that would have enabled Atlantic City casinos to set up online gambling enterprises. It is the second time he has nixed an online gambling bill.

Christie's second veto message indicates he supports online gambling but wants the measure tweaked to garner more tax revenue from the venture. A revised bill is expected on the governor's desk in the coming weeks.

Delaware's online gambling bid package calls for the awarding of all contracts by early May, and lottery director Vernon Kirk says he sees little chance of New Jersey or any other state beating that timeline.

"We have quite a head start," Kirk said. "I'm not sure, based on where we are, how fast (New Jersey) could be."

Kirk said it took longer to prepare for online gambling in Delaware than originally expected.

When the General Assembly passed the Delaware Gaming Competitiveness Act of 2012 in June, Gov. Jack Markell's administration said online gambling would be available in early 2013, and that online wagers would generate at least $3.75 million in revenue for fiscal 2013.

Other components of that law, namely an expansion of football parlay betting to noncasino venues and the establishment of a statewide Keno network, pushed online gambling back, Kirk said.

"We did the whole sports lottery expansion, the Keno launch. These things were easy to say, but they were pretty involved to do," Kirk said. "There was a little too much to do as simultaneously as we'd like." The revenue estimates that accompanied the legislation have since been eliminated from the state's general fund projections for this fiscal year and next.

Industry experts agree that Delaware likely will be the first to break into full-service online gambling in the United States.

"From an industry standpoint, those RFPs from Delaware are very important. Whoever gets in Delaware has an advantage of getting future contracts," said I. Nelson Rose, a California law professor and gambling law expert. "Think of all the press that gets, the name recognition."

Big-time players in the gambling world already are positioning themselves to run online betting operations in the United States, acquiring and partnering with companies that do business in Europe, where online gambling has been legal for a decade.

That online gambling experience is vital, since Delaware's bid package stipulates that all contractors need to have at least one year of experience running legal, real-money online betting operations in Europe or North America.

Just last month, Delaware's current video lottery operator, Scientific Games, paid $1.4 billion for WMS Industries, an American slot machine producer that launched an online casino in the United Kingdom in 2010.

Even though Scientific Games has been a Delaware lottery vendor for years, Kirk said the company is not a lock for any part of the online gambling bid package.

"They are positioning themselves for the Internet world of gaming," he said.

The next step for U.S. online gambling will be for states to share players and the money they spend in arrangements known as interstate compacts, the agreements that now apply to multistate lotteries like the Powerball and slot machines that share big jackpots across state lines.

Compacts will be critical to the success of online poker, which needs a vast pool of players to keep games going and to collect profits from a percentage of the money bet, called the "rake."

The first states to legalize and put online gambling in place will not only benefit from tough competition among rival contractors, but they'll have the ability to set the terms of new interstate compacts, experts say.

"The big issue in Delaware is whether it's so darn small that it can really have an effective online business all by itself, and the biggest issue is poker," said Frank Fantini, a casino industry analyst based here. "You need enough people playing online at one time that a player can go on and find a game that fits his price and his skill level, whether it's 4 o'clock in the afternoon or 4 o'clock in the morning."

Lawmakers in Nevada, which has about three times the population of Delaware, have proposed legislation that would grant the governor authority to enter into interstate online poker compacts.

Kirk said compacts are in Delaware's future, and an arrangement with Nevada would be logical since its the only other state where online poker is legal.

"I think they would make a good partner. We'll see what New Jersey does, and there's even been discussion that (compacts) wouldn't necessarily exclude Europe," Kirk said.

Fantini thinks New Jersey would be a tough sell for a compact, since the industry there is in direct competition with the venues in Delaware.

"New Jersey is not going to cooperate with Delaware — 100% unlikely," he said. "The reason for their legislation was to defend their existing casinos."

Delaware also is likely to take its football betting enterprise online though federal law still prohibits interstate online wagering on sports. Delaware remains one of only four states — the others

British soul singer Beverley Knight has brought an attempt to recreate The Beatles' epic 10-hour recording session of their album Please Please Me - to mark its 50th anniversary, to a close.

She performed the classic album's final song Twist And Shout, accompanied by a full choir of backing singers.

She told the BBC: "It's a huge, raucous song which everybody knows."

Other stars who joined the recording at London's Abbey Road studios included Mick Hucknall and Joss Stone.

The Fab Four recorded almost all of the album in a day-long recording session 50 years ago, on 11 February 1963.

By the end of the long day, Lennon - who had struggled with a cold - performed what is the now legendary cover version of the Isley Brother's track Twist And Shout.

Knight said: "You can hear after the first verse that he's done, he's spent but he's still giving it.

"I heard he ripped his shirt off cause he was so hot and was getting down and dirty and that's what you want, you can hear he's giving every last drop." Stereophonics singer Kelly Jones - who sang I Saw Her Standing there - said the album "was the sound of a band capturing their raw energy".

Earlier in the day, he had busked outside the studio with Radio 2 Breakfast presenter Chris Evans.

The tracks were broadcast live on Radio 2 over 12 hours.

Soul singer Joss stone performed The Beatles' cover of A Taste of Honey, taken from the hit film.

Backed by a full string section, the 25-year-old took the lead in a jazzy version of the song. She described her self as an "idiot" as she "wasn't aware of the song actually, which is pretty bad".

But she added: "I'm glad it turned out alright."
Girl group sound

Blur guitarist Graham Coxon performed the less well known track Baby It's You, written by Burt Bacharach, and stripped it back to the sound of the original version by girl group The Shirelles.

He said: "I'm quite pleased to be doing that because it's not one that people immediately think about a Beatles song, so it's a sort of a soul song, which has its own challenges.

"Although I'm not a soul singer, maybe I should have gargled some rice crispies to get a rough voice going, cause I'm not very gravelly."

Ian Broudie of the Lightning Seeds covered Do You Want To Know A Secret - which originally carried vocals from George Harrison - at the Radio 2 session.

He said that while The Beatles' undoubtedly changed music, their debut was more of "a charming start".

"It was basically their live set. This is how they would have sounded at a live gig before they signed with George Martin. It's a great photo."

Of the original recording, Mark Lewisohn, in his book The Complete Beatles Chronicle, wrote: "There can scarcely have been 585 more productive minutes in the history of recorded music." Broadcaster Stuart Maconie, who is hosting a BBC Four documentary about the Radio 2 recording, said it was hard to imagine the original sessions.

"I got here this morning and what struck me was that there are so many people here - bands, crews, journalists - and how different it must have been that morning 50 years ago when the Beatles arrived in their van.

"I'm fascinated whether they knew they were changing the history of the world. Did they have an inkling? I wonder if McCartney knew?"







BBC News - Beverley Knight brings Beatles re-recording to a close

The New Jersey legislature is expected to vote on Feb. 26 on an amended version of the online gambling bill that was conditionally vetoed last week by Governor Christie.

Insiders tell me it could take nine to 18 months to get the system up and running, however – in part because there are no precedents of other U.S. states offering the internet games for money.

But Delaware officials predict it will earn its state nickname here as well:

That’s because the requests for proposals – or RFPs – sent out last week to prospective vendors has a Sept. 30 deadline for the games to be put into operation.

“We have quite a head start,” lottery director Vernon Kirk said in the story. “I’m not sure, based on where we are, how fast [New Jersey] could be.”

Meanwhile, Nevada – the only other state to approve a form of online betting beyond horse racing – may only be a few months away from offering online poker. The catch is that Nevada hasn’t approved the option of offering other casino games like Delaware has – and like New Jersey apparently will.

Delaware undoubtedly will look to join with other states so that Delaware-ians – all 917.000 of them – have a sufficient pool of players to compete against in games such as e-poker.

With a history dating back to 1932, Las Vegas-based Bally Technologies designs, manufactures, operates and distributes advanced gaming devices, systems and technology solutions worldwide. Bally’s product line includes reel-spinning slot machines, video slots, wide-area progressives, and Class II, lottery and central determination games and platforms.

When the Chief Executive Officer of a firm of this scale puts his money on the line you have to ask where the firm is headed. The recent revelation that CEO Ramesh Srinivasan bought 25,000 BYI shares at $47.48 for a total of $1,186,900 has speculators on the move to catch up with the massive purchase that has garnered the owner of those shares a tidy profit already with shares now going for approximately $49.188 only a week later. The speculated high for the same shares is around $58.00 per and the way Bally Technologies is running that may become a reality sooner than later.

The reasoning behind the purchase is obvious what with the online gambling market in the USA becoming more available with the Department of Justice clarification that it is legal to online gamble on everything other than sports. Delaware may allow real money betting as early as September, Nevada very soon and states like Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey and others considering online gambling as an available option for punters in those states. There is even the possibility that there will be interstate internet wagering in the works as these states look at hooking up and offering cross state line betting. It looks like, and the CEO of Bally must know something we can only speculate on that the prohibition on internet wagering has come to an end in America.

David O. Stewart at Ropes & Gray law firm commented, "Despite this government opposition, millions of Americans spend $4 billion every year to gamble online. Prosecutions against online gambling operators have driven the more responsible offshore operators out of the U.S. market, leaving Americans to conduct their online gambling through largely unregulated websites."






Online Gambling In America Sees Bally CEO Spend Big

Ke$ha says fans will see her drinking her own pee in the forthcoming documentary about her life.

Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life is scheduled to premiere in the US on MTV in April and will give an insight into the eccentric singer's habits.

The 25-year-old says viewers can expect some strange things from the series, which was filmed by her journalist brother Lagan Sebert.

"It's my brother and his weird friend following me around for the past two-and-a-half years. We didn't know what we were doing per se, but it's my little brother and he's my best friend. He's got me wasted at 6am ... He got all the things you would want to see and all the things you wouldn't really want to see - making out with dudes, drinking my own pee, jumping out of a building, jumping out of aeroplanes, swimming with sharks ..." she told BBC Radio 1.

"I was told drinking my own pee was good, I was trying to be healthy ... Somebody tried to take my pee away from me and I said, 'That is mine!' So I snatched it up and took a chug and it was really gross so I don't do it anymore."

Her outlandish behaviour has won the singer an army of adoring fans.

However, she joked she wishes the people around her on a day-to-day basis would appreciate her more.

"[How often do I get told I'm amazing?] Not enough! My fans are amazing to me but usually the people around me say, 'You're disgusting!' or, 'Put your pants on!' or 'You're late!' Or they say, 'You smell weird, what's that smell?' I smell like a hobo," she admitted.

"One time, someone told me I smelt like a shrimp on a diaper. I thought I could make a fragrance that was little like a shrimp on a Faberge diaper but I don't know if people want to smell like that."

Ke$ha is known for her bold fashion choices as well as her crazy antics.

The star is always covered in glitter and divulged how she achieves her sparkly look.

"Generally, I do glitter twice a day," she said.

"I have a bathtub; when I go on tour I bring a bathtub and I have a glitter roadie. His only job is to deal with the glitter and his job is to lather baby oil all over my body. Then I roll around in it and have to sit there until the baby oil dries. When I go to the bathroom you can follow the trail of glitter and tell which stall I peed in. I leave it all over the men I make out with."