FBI investigators have visited Second Life's Internet casinos at theinvitation of the virtual world's creator Linden Lab, but the U.S.government has not decided on the legality of virtual gambling. "We haveinvited the FBI several times to take a look around in Second Life and raiseany concerns they would like, and we know of at least […]
Monthly Archives: April 2007
Antigua had objected to recent US laws outlawing internet gambling. Itclaimed that the laws, which even ban gambling-related payments that takeplace outside the US's borders, broke the General Agreement on Trade inServices, a free trade multilateral agreement which underpins the WTO. TheWTO had previously ruled in favour of Antigua and Barbuda, a nation of only80,000 […]
Last year the Unlawful Online Gambling Bill looked to have made it illegalfor US Citizens to gamble online, including games like poker and at onlinecasinos. However, almost 6 months since the bill was passed there are stillpoker rooms and casinos allowing US players to play at their sites. Are theybreaking the law?Are the players breaking […]
It's an open secret that fraternal organizations and veterans groups financemany of their activities, including works of charity, through small-timegambling. Punchboards and pool sheets have long been passed along the bar,with at least the tacit approval of law enforcement. These devices now arelegal as long as the clubs buy a license for small games of […]
The Macau government confirmed that 2006 was a record year for gamblingrevenues as it revealed that casino income exceeded 7.0 bln usd last year,outpacing that of Las Vegas' famous strip. The tiny southern Chineseenclave's 22 casinos generated 16.7 bln patacas in the final quarter, takingthe year's total gross gaming revenues to 56.2 bln patacas (7.2 […]
Legislation aimed at cracking down on illegal gambling — particularly thevideo wagering machines often found in clubs, bars and truck stops — isheaded to the Senate after the Rules Committee unanimously endorsed ityesterday. House Bill 1510 would pay for 25 new state excise police officersdedicated to rooting out illegal gambling and create a special stateprosecutor […]
GamCare, the UK's leading problem gambling support organisation haspublished its 2006 Care Services Report, which provides a snapshot of thoseclients who utilised GamCare's services over the year. According to thereport, an increasing number of people turned to GamCare during 2006. Thereis no evidence to suggest that the increase in client numbers represents anincrease in problem […]
In response to repeated complaints by online betting companies, the EuropeanCommission (EC) took action to put an end to the obstacles to sports bettingservices in Hungary, Denmark and Finland. The EC formally requested thesemember states to amend their laws following consideration of their repliesto letters of formal notice sent in April 2006, in which the […]
According to a lifestyle study conducted by the Maltese organisationAgenzija Sedqa in collaboration with the National Focal Point for Drugs andDrug Addiction and the national commission on the abuse of drugs, alcoholand other dependencies, online gambling usage is relatively low. Just under60 percent of respondents aged between 18 and 24 admitted to having playedthe lottery, […]
Two weeks ago, if someone wanted to read the casino-and-slots bill thatwould pass the Legislature and make perhaps the biggest social and politicalchange in Kansas in the past 20 years, its sponsors didn't have a copy toshare. Even some supporters didn't see the text of the 98-page gamblingproposal until the House began debating it March […]
Kaplan was indicted in June by a federal grand jury in the Eastern Districtof Missouri, the US attorney's office said in a press release. Theindictment accuses Kaplan and 10 others of engaging in racketeering,conspiracy and fraud, arising from the operation of Costa Rica-basedinternet gambling businesses, including BetOnSports.com. Following Kaplan'sarrest in the Dominican Republic, the US […]
In a judgment published late on Friday the World Trade Organisation (WTO)ruled that the unilateral prohibition imposed by the US on offshore Internetgambling is illegal. However the decision is unlikely to have much effect inthe short term at least – as the Bush administration has simply ignored a2005 WTO finding that concluded the US was […]
Clark County officials hoping to land a riverboat casino are worriedcampaign talk among Kentucky's gubernatorial candidates about expandinggambling in that state could harm the southeastern Indiana county's casinodreams. With Kentucky's governor's race unfolding, gambling has emerged asone of the top issues. Although all three candidates in Kentucky's May 22Republican gubernatorial primary oppose expanding gambling, most […]
Online gamblers with an interest in the Eastern European nation of Polandhad reason to celebrate this week with news that the government of Poland ispreparing to license and regulate online gambling. A recent European Courtof Justice ruling in favor of British bookmakers who had been banned fromoperating in Italy without a license is expected to […]