MGM Mirage, Harrah's Entertainment Inc. and other U.S. casino operators are increasing pressure on Congress to consider legalizing online gambling -- at the same time lawmakers are seeking to tighten criminal penalties for it, according to an article published today by Charlotte Observer.
The companies are trying to take advantage of a congressional backlash against gambling triggered by the Jack Abramoff scandal, involving his lobbying on behalf of Indian casinos.
The Wind River Casino in Riverton, Wyoming, is working to comply with regulations in order to be able to offer high-stakes blackjack. According to Jim Conrad, general manager, the process has been delayed due to rules for lighting and security cameras since the casino already has blackjack dealers.
“Plans are to initially offer four blackjack tables, with a variety of allowable bets. The minimum bet likely will be $3, and the maximum bet $500”, Conrad said. "You always have to have a table for the guy that wants to play a $100 hand.”
Excapsa Software Inc. will launch a new single player blackjack game for eWorld, which will allow players to sit at a blackjack table and play one-on-one against the house. EWorld is the operator of UltimateBet and UltimatePoker.
Jim Ryan, Excapsa Chief Executive Officer, said: “This is an exciting new path for our network that will allow us to cross market to a database of over 358,000 real money customers.”
In recent years, TV programs featuring poker tournaments have become very popular. Now, CBS Sports bets blackjack programs can be as popular as poker shows. The network signed a contract with the Ultimate Blackjack Tour for a televised tournament that will be aired in September.
Russ Hamilton, the gaming expert, founded the Tour, which gives amateur players the opportunity to play against the best poker players in the world. The Tour consists of a series of elimination blackjack tournaments.
More than 350 crimes related to Internet hazard games were discovered by the Chinese Public Security forces during 2005, according to a report published on May 8th.
The same sources indicated that last year more than 700 people were arrested for being involved in these illegal activities.
Online hazard games, pornography, intentional propagation of computer viruses and hackers are some of the worst dangerous problems of Internet functioning in Asia, according to the report.
Harrah’s Entertainment, owner of the famous Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, is planning to invest more than $736 million in Blackpool (Great Britain), in order to redesign the resort placed in Central Station and transform it into a new super casino.
If Blackpool wins the casinos competition and the local government chooses Harrah’s as its favorite operator, the luxurious complex could be inaugurated by 2011. Tottenham, Harrah’s owner, said: “We could develop something really important at an international level”.
A new member would join the cast of the successful American series “Desperate Housewives”. We are talking about the actress Laura Dern, who was nominated for an Oscar in 1991 for “Rambling Rose” and has a very wide career in movies. Some of the movies she has been in are “Jurassic Park III”, “I am Sam”, “A perfect world” and “Wild at heart”.
The series is about the story of five women who live in a neighborhood that appears to be perfect: Wisterial Lane. There, the past and secrets of all these women is hidden...
Numerous companies and societies dedicated to online gambling have moved their fiscal offices to the Rock of Gibraltar, attracted by the current exemption regime, which is planned to be cancelled in 2010.
In the last years, Internet houses of bets and online games have become an inexhaustible source of millionaire incomes for the companies working in this industry, which has demonstrated to be amazingly profitable.
A poll carried out by TripAdvisor in United Kingdom revealed interesting information about British gaming preferences. With regards to casino destinations, Las Vegas turned out to be the favorite gambling hotspot. 53% of the voters claimed in favor of this location, situated amid the desert of Nevada. Reno, located on Lake Tahoe, northern Nevada, was second, but with just 4% of the vote. In the third place came Monte Carlo, obtaining 3.3% of the vote, and Atlantic City in New Jersey ended up fourth with only 3%.
“We are still evaluating the situation, but until the present the impact of the May 1st strike doesn’t seem to have had a significant impact on our industry”, said Debra Nelson, spokeswoman of MGM Mirage Inc.
On the other hand, casinos operated by Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. registered a little employee absence, but most worked normally, according to David Strow, spokesman of the firm, who also assured that a significant number of workers in their casinos in Las Vegas are “immigrants from all over the world”.
