Online Casino Edition – Casino News News about online casinos and gambling

News has been trickling in that Australia is considering liberalizing its online gambling laws. This would mean increased consumer protection for Australian players as well as a broader range of gaming options. The interim report also hints at including various online sports betting options which are currently only available over the mobile or in person. This comes as a huge step in the direction of liberalizing online gambling laws in the country that currently lack clarity.

Online Gambling in Australia Today

The world witnessed an increasing popularity of online gaming sometime around the mid-1990s. Australia was quick to respond to this growing popularity.

In order to regulate online gambling, an Australian Interactive Gambling Act was formulated in 2001. As per this Act, it was illegal for the companies to offer online gaming services to those logging in from Australia. Advertising online gambling services were also prohibited in the country.

Contrasting to this, it was not illegal for Australians to gamble online. This meant that a person within Australia could log in to an international site if he wished to gamble online.

This Act had other exceptions as well. It did prohibit overseas operators from entering Australia, but local players who had obtained the license prior to the ban were allowed to function. In addition to this, it also prohibited new operators from entering the market.

Going with the exception, this Act did not include sports betting activities over the internet.

Changing times

There were times when countries remained secluded and uninfluenced by what was happening beyond their borders. Times have changed massively, and with the coming of the internet, it is becoming increasingly difficult, in fact impossible, to stay within ones boundaries. Keeping with the pace of the world, Australia has decided to relook into its gambling laws and the Australian Interactive Gambling Act is up for review.

Despite the strict gambling laws prevailing in the country, it has been increasingly observed that Australians do participate in online gambling. A BBC report in the year 2007 revealed that a record 80 percent of Australians took part in gambling as a recreational activity. Revenues also support this report which shows a regular increase in the amount spent by Australians on overseas gambling sites.

Under such conditions, it cannot be said that a check has been placed on online gambling activities in the country. It rather makes sense to liberalize laws and maintain a watch on all such activities. Taking into consideration the current scene of gambling activities in the country, the interim report has made recommendations to officially legalize online gambling in Australia. This will help better regulate online gambling activities within the country. As the same time, it will ensure that the huge sums spent on overseas gambling sites can be retained within the country, resulting in huge benefits for the government.

Gambling laws in Australia currently do not criminalize gambling over the internet, neither do they cover betting in sports. If you are in Australia, you do have options to explore without going into the illegal zone. But, if rules are liberalized, there will be greater options and increased consumer protection making gambling all the more fun.

The internet has brought the world into the houses of everybody. From the comfort of your home you can perform almost every task – be it shopping, bill payments, booking tickets, making appointments, playing games, and many more activities. Something like the casino that was available only at select places is also readily available for anybody who wants to gamble.

There are numerous online casinos operating, with each one offering something special. But, as an informed and aware person, you ought to keep in mind certain things before you register with any particular casino. There is a lot of money involved in the game and not everybody can be trusted blindly.

Selecting an online casino

An experienced player you must be aware of the details of casinos, but if you are a first-timer, you need to be very careful.

Casino type: There are multiple casinos and all vying for players. The more, the merrier; and for this purpose, they are ready to offer varying packages as per the requirements of the player. You might get tailor-made offers just for you. You need to decide what type of games you want to play and accordingly look out for the one that suits you.

Player reviews: Expressing ones thoughts was never easier than it is now. Every person has the facility and ability to post his or her views on websites. This helps other people in their decision making. When looking out for online casinos, search for reviews posted by other players. You will get a fair view of where each one stands.

Software supplier: Online gambling is all dependent on the software installed. Software supplied by a reputable company is bound to give good results which will ensure smooth gaming. With underperforming software, the fun is taken out of gaming.

Financial issues: Gambling is all about money. It involves major transactions of money between parties. Get to know about the payment options available with a particular website. A reputable and trustworthy website will ensure transparency in transactions which helps build trust.

Bonuses and payouts: The words gambling and money go hand in hand. As a player, you will surely enjoy maximum benefits. Some online casinos provide extra bonuses for new players. That may sound very attractive, but be sure to read the fine print. It may contain clauses that ultimately nullify that initial bonus and cost you much more than expected.

Customer support: When playing online, you cannot see who is on the other side. You might be sitting in your living room but at the same time will be in touch with a whole lot of strangers in the game. Amidst all this, the one contact point you have for resolving issues is the customer support. Make sure that the website you are registering with has an efficient customer support that is available at all hours. When you need help, you can drop an email stating your problem. Some websites go a step further and offer help over the phone. An efficient customer support plays a major role in the success of an online casino.

Gambling is fun when played as a sport. There are numerous websites offering this enjoyment. All you need to do is to make a wise decision and select a trustworthy and efficient online casino.

A review of the mobile gambling world had been recently brought out by a research company by the name of Research and Markets. This review has been appropriately titled “Mobile Gambling: A Comprehensive Strategy and Market Review.” It focuses on a complete analysis of the mobile market, its technological advances, and its market potential, including the case studies of many important and influential casino operators and suppliers. This year is believed to be crucial where mobile gaming technology is concerned. As early as 2005, Jupiter Research had predicted that mobile gaming services were going to generate nearly 20 billion more revenue by 2009. The past few years actually witnessed a growth rate as expected regardless of the economic recession. In February 2012, another study by comScore MobileLens suggested that smartphone users are more likely to indulge in mobile gaming rather than the generic mobile users.

Celebrity Guest Nick Leeson at Celebpoker.com

Nick Leeson who had been convicted of turning the Barings Bank bankrupt came as celebrity guest in Celebpoker.com. This poker website that had been launched recently allows the punters to place their bets against celebrities. Here, of course, the guest was none other than Leeson who had become famous after losing $100 million in a single day in Singapore Foreign Exchange. He had gambled as much as $800 million, but all the while he had successfully hid his losses from his seniors till it turned out to be very late. The site’s managing director, Donovan, believes that this incident by Leeson appeals to all gamblers, more so because the freedom to send mails to such celebrities can actually offer a lot of entertainment value to these gamblers who are otherwise tired of playing against faceless rivals. The other celebrities are comedian Kenny Lynch, snooker specialist Jimmy White, and magician Michael Feighan. Incidentally, Leeson had stated that he was actively practicing poker and was hopeful of scoring better here than in the stock market. Although he had never played poker till the last one and a half years and had never faced real opponents, playing online was definitely more entertaining and thrilling.

Belgian gambling problems increase

There has been an unprecedented increase in the number of self-exclusion requests over the past year. In this connection, the Belgian Gaming Commission has disclosed recently that the numbers of exclusion requests had gone up substantially because the numbers of those affected by gambling addiction had risen sharply. All the Belgian gambling venues were witnessing this development. Nearly 14,000 punters have put down official requests for banning them from getting access to any gaming center or online casino. This was publicly stated by the gaming commission saying that there had been 4000 self-exclusion requests in 2011. According to gambling-related laws in Belgium which had been passed in the month of January 2011, those suffering from the problem of gambling addiction could actually be legally prohibited from attending any gambling venue based on the requests by their doctors and family members concerned about this addiction.

Gambling has been prevalent in every society in some form or the other. Often taken up as an entertaining activity, it is welcomed by every society. It was probably this same sporting spirit that encouraged Taunton residents to vote in favor of the $500 million casino resort in their area. Taking the process a step further, the Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe reached a tentative agreement on the project. This resort casino deal was struck on 12th July.

The governor will be tabling the deal before the legislature on 13th July. The lawmakers will have time till 31st July to consider all aspects of the deal and give their final verdict.

As per the agreement, the state will be entitled to receive 21.5 percent of the tribal casino gambling revenue. It is true that this figure is less than 25 percent which would have been the case if this had been assessed on a commercial casino built in the area. The agreement also means that it gives the Massachusetts authorities control over all possible crimes and violations in gambling committed at the tribal casino.

Under the states gambling laws, there is provision for three resort casinos in the area giving exclusive rights to a federally recognized Indian tribe. This will hold true if the deadline of 31st July is met.

Tribal Council chairman Cedric Cromwell is overwhelmed with the victory, but he states this to be a victory for the residents of the area. He looks forward to the creation of multiple job opportunities. This will lead to increased self-dependency of the tribe. By Monday the tribe will be getting back to finalizing the compact on a project.

Like any other project, this proposed project too has its pros and cons. There is a section of the society that has raised its concerns surrounding the development of the casino resort in the area. To name a couple, the project will bring increased traffic problems in and around the casino region. The casino can also lead to a rise in crime rates in the region. Leaving these concerns aside, what could be a real hurdle in the approval of the project is the proposed location which lies close to three schools and environmentally sensitive areas.

Another hurdle on the way is stated by KG Urban Enterprises which claims that as per a previous US Supreme Court jurisdiction the Mashpee tribe is not legally eligible for the Taunton land mentioned in the agreement. This could prove to be an uphill battle for tribe.

Promoters are downplaying these concerns as they are looking at the economic benefits coming to the region. It has already been agreed upon that an upfront payment of $33 million will be paid to the city by the tribe. This will be followed by a minimum annual payment of $13 million to the city once the casino starts operations.

Cromwell has termed this as a monumental step in the process. This is the first time that local residents have polled in support of a casino in their region. Governor Patrick had signed a new gambling law for the state last year.

Casinos are a great source of revenue for a country and due to this many countries encourage the operation of casinos within their boundaries. But the easy access to casinos can encourage the citizens of that very country to engage in gambling activities. This can lead to a backfiring situation for the government. In order to avoid such situations, every casino-operating country makes sure to prepare and implement strict laws that keep the citizens away from casinos. Singapore is no exception to this.

The two casino giants in Singapore, Las Vegas Sands (LVS) and Genting Singapore (GEN.SI), might be seeing major changes in the Singapore Casino Control Act leading to the toughening up of rules. The changes proposed in the law aim at bringing about the changes that will be in the benefit of both the government and the citizens.

• The proposed amendments aim to put a check on problem gamblers and limit the number of visits per month for Singaporeans. A Singapore citizen is not permitted to visit the casino more than five times a month. Along with the limited visits, he or she may now have to furnish proof that they are not in any kind of financial distress and do not face any kind of restrictions. This has been proposed to keep a check on vulnerable groups and protect them from the harms of casino gambling.

• The amendment proposals also plan to allow the Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) to impose fines amounting up to ten percent of the generated annual revenues. In the present circumstances, fines imposed can go up to a maximum of S$1 million. When the proposals are passed, the fine amount can go up to a whopping S$200 million. As per a minister in the Prime Minister’s office, these changes are proposed to enable Singapore’s multi-million dollar business function successfully as full-fledged tourist destination.

• The proposal also includes clauses as per which the casinos are to immediately notify the CRA of any kind of unresolved patron dispute.

• Another proposal involving junkets, also known as International Market Agents (IMA), is also included in the amendments. It will empower the CRA to impose a cap on the commissions casino companies pay them. In addition to this, the penalties levied on illegal junkets will also be increased. In March the CRA had given out its first IMA licenses to two Malaysian junkets. These licenses are to be renewed annually.

• The proposed amendments also include VIP casino visitors. Post changes, all VIP high rollers will have to draw down their SG$100,000 deposit before they receive any further credit from casino operators.

• The proposed changes also aim to include steps by which casino operators take steps to discourage and deter any kind of illegal betting and gaming.

Changes are made in existing laws to include new clauses as per the changing times. These changes in the Singapore Casino Control Act are steps in a similar direction. What remains to be seen is how effectively they are implemented. What also is to be seen is how these changes affect the operations and finances of the two Singapore casino operators. Singapore had dropped its ban on casinos and allowed the two giants LVS and Genting to start operations two years back in 2010.