The couple of days following this dramatic announcement were very reminiscent of the days that followed the introduction of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act in 2006. Nobody knew where the bomb dropped from. US poker players scrambled to try and withdraw their funds, only to be met with a statement on the websites that the domains had been seized and reminding them that gambling was “illegal”.  Poker Stars put out a press release, calling for calm among its members and reassuring them that their funds were safe and in a separate bank account.  However, the bottom line was that many players reported that they were unable to withdraw their funds – leading to even more panic.

Within a few hours of the announcement about the indictments, the after shocks were already being felt in the industry.  Wynn Resorts, which only a few weeks ago announced the signing of a strategic alliance with Poker Stars, publicly terminated that agreement, thereby distancing itself from Poker Stars in the hope that the bad luck following this site would not rub off on the Nevada based business.

European gambling operators scrambled to beat their rivals in a bid to see who could start attracting homeless US poker players first. The aim was – and is – to attract the ‘whales’ – those players who have huge bankrolls and who have traditionally played at Poker Stars and Full Tilt due to the competition among players with similar sized bankrolls and massive guaranteed tournaments.  Analysts agree across the board that the turn of events in the US are a blessing in disguise for European operators – in the short term at least.

Watch this space for more details as they unfold.

At least two online casinos have stepped forward to help out with relief to these charities. The first was Jackpot City Casino who announced that it would be running an online slots tournament, appropriately named Help Japan, with all proceeds going to Japan. The three day tournament was free to enter and the top five players shared a total prize pool of 50,000 loyalty points. A maximum of 5,000 players could take part in this online slot event, and Jackpot City Casino was ready to fill the entire number for such a good cause.

The second announcement this week by an online casino came from Maple Casino which promised to generously donate 50,000 Yen to the Japanese Red Cross, with the casinos urging other casinos to do the same. “There is untold horror, pain and suffering with immense loss in a multitude of facets which the Japanese people now have to deal with,” said the casino manager of MapleCasino.com. “The magnitude of life that has been lost is tragic and the earthquake and following tsunami victims also have loved ones to mourn.”

We can only say kudos to those online casinos who stepped up and did their best, and to those players supporting these sites, knowing that their money is going to a good cause.

If you want to identify with the Japanese, over and above making a generous donation, check out online slot games that depict traditional Japanese themes.

These include Vegas Technology’s Cherry Blossoms, as well as a relatively new iSlot by Rival Gaming called Japan-O-Rama. VMS Software has put out a game called Samurai Master, and you shouldn’t overlook Net Entertainment’s Geisha Wonders.

A cool story about Justin Bieber caught my eye this week involving the star and an online casino. Apparently, the young man – that of the recently shorn locks – made a surprise visit to the Ellen DeGeneres show and gave her one his locks as a souvenir birthday present.  Justin told Ellen that she could sell the hair and give the money to her favorite charity and without hesitation, she decided that the money would go to The Gentle Barn – a non-profit organization that helps farm animals and needy kids.

Ellen put the hair up for auction and there was a lot of bidding activity – after all, think of how many hysterical teenage girls would love to have a lock of their idol hidden in a locket around their necks…  But – and I’m sorry to burst the bubble here – the hair was eventually awarded to Golden Casino online casino site which offered to pay a whopping $40,000 for it. 

You may remember that Golden Palace Casino is fantastically famous for buying weird and wonderful items in a bid to attract publicity. Once the site purchased a grilled cheese toast sandwich in the shape of the Virgin Mary, while another time it picked up Britney Spears’ pregnancy test. And so, it came as no surprise that Golden Palace Casino REALLY wanted to get its hands on the Bieber hair!  The online casino realized the huge monetary potential in owning such longed-for locks and has promised to put the hair out on their very own tour – with all proceeds going to charity of course!

And so, it was with great pleasure that I read that one of my favorite online gambling software providers, GTech G2 will be creating a range of slot games based on CSI!

GTech signed a deal with CBS which gives it multi-year rights to develop games based on this award winning show and, according to the software giant, we’ll be seeing the new games rolled out by the end of this year.

I read a statement by the vice president of GTech G2 today and the guy says, and I quote:  “Everybody loves a great mystery complete with fingerprints, DNA traces and characters with shady alibis. No wonder CSI is an international sensation.”

No wonder indeed! It seems that this show has hit the nail on the head to bring viewers the perfect blend between human drama, mystery and audience interaction – this is the modern day version of the classic whodunnit, the reason why Sherlock Holmes remains one of the greatest characters in the history of literature, and why the murder/mystery genre is still considered one of the most profitable out there.

So with all this oozing success, there is absolutely no doubt that CSI slots will be just as appealing to the masses. There is no doubt that GTech G2 will take all those elements and combine them into a series of exciting, thrilling and rewarding games. Players will be able to relate to their favorite characters, help solve murders and make some cool money in the process. I’m seriously counting the days until the CSI slots are launched!

For several weeks now, I’ve been waiting – with the rest of my fellow online gamblers – to see whether Christie would have the courage to take his state to the forefront of gambling legislation and give the bill the final green light.  Unfortunately, tonight I was shocked to learn that the governor has vetoed the bill and send it back to the State Legislature with suggestions that the matter would best be resolved by national referendum.  I cannot tell you how frustrated I feel, and I can only sympathise with New Jerseyians who could almost touch a legal and regulated online gambling platform… only to have it taken away from them.

On a different note, Iowa seems to be making slow but steady steps towards its own intrastate online gambling system. The bill that will hopefully see this become a reality passed through to the Senate floor by a 9-6 vote and I’m holding thumbs that the whole process doesn’t come to nothing like New Jersey’s bill did.  The Iowa online gambling bill will allow state residents to play at regulated poker sites. Operators of these poker hubs would need to pay $3 million front for the right to run them, and the amount would be deducted from tax revenue in the long run. 

The great thing about these bills is that they have the potential to bring in serious money for cash-strapped states, battling with growing deficits. The Iowan bill, for example could bring in as much as $30 million a year in taxation and all it needs is a governor with a little vision to see how much of a difference it will make for the state.

Currently, a brand new 4,500 slots only casino is being built at the Aqueduct in New York, after the then-Governor, David Paterson, reached an agreement with Genting New York. The $385 million project will bring much awaited gambling entertainment to residents of the state and each bit of progress is seen as a cause for celebration.

However, a few weeks after signing with Genting New York, Paterson then went on to provide permission for a Wisconsin based Indian tribe to build a casino in the Catskills – a 90 minute drive from the Aqueduct.  It is thought that he gave the green light on this project to settle land disputes.

However, the federal goverment wasn’t too charmed with this idea and yesterday I read that it had said no to the Wisconsin Stockbridge Muncee Community Band of Mohicans for the idea of a fully fledged casino in the Catskills.

Naturally, gamblers would have loved to have two great new casino facilities, and IMHO, their reasonably close proximity would’ve done wonders for prices and competition. Unfortunately, nobody’s listening to my opinion, and many are actually rejoicing that the federal government vetoed this decision.

The New York Gaming Association, which represents racetrack casino operators in the state, issued a congratulatory statement, praising the federal government for stepping in and rejecting this “ill-conceived compact”.

“We are extremely pleased with DOI’s decision and look forward to working with Governor Cuomo and the state legislature to develop a gaming policy that maximizes revenue, creates jobs and keeps the racetrack casino economic engines turning,” they said.

In all events, I’m quite looking forward to when the new casino at the Aqueduct, to be known as Resorts World, finally opens its doors to the public.

And so, I can’t say that it is with a heavy heart that gamblers and customers at online gambling sites received the news that Senator Kyl won’t be seeking re-election in 2012. Kyl has served three terms in a career spanning 18 years and I believe that he has simply had enough of politics. It can’t be easy pushing for changes and trying to steer the Senate onto your conservative path year in and year out for nearly two decades, and it’s not surprising that Senator Kyl is simply worn out by the battles fought.

Of course, now that his seat will be emptying, there are already speculations flying over who will take his place. There are hopes that his successor will be someone who is somewhat more open to the idea of legalized and regulated online gambling industry in the United States but – between you and me – I wouldn’t hold my breath over that one. We will most probably see another senator elected from Arizona, which has become quite a hotbed of conservatism of late.  Nevertheless, the fight goes on to introduce fair and just gambling laws in the United States, with more efforts being made on the individual state level and less focus on the federal level as has been the trend in recent years.

We can only wish Senator Kyl a peaceful retirement, with a side wish to see his legacy overturned very soon!

You really do have to check out the graphics and sound features of these games to understand why I get so hoo-ha about them. Playtech is known for producing graphics that are state of the art and brilliantly artistic, and Iron Man 2 definitely doesn’t disappoint in that respect.  Even more exciting is the fact that this new game has several new exclusive features that will make playing the game a pleasure.  You’ll be able to enjoy the new fixed pay lines feature, as all 25 lines are active at once. Look out for the famous Iron Man reactor that appears in all the free games and acts as an extra wild for even more winning potential.

What I like about Iron Man 2 (as well as the other Marvel Comics slot games in the series) is that it is linked to no less than four progressive jackpots: Power, Extra Power, Super Power and Ultimate Power.  You stand in line to win some cold, mean cash through these jackpots, and the last I heard players have the opportunity to win up to $500,000 through these jackpots!

 The other games in this series that are definitely worth checking out have titles like Gladiator and the Incredible Hulk.  Many of the Playtech powered casinos offer you the chance to try out these games for free first so that you can understand what all the hype is all about, and this also gives you the chance to explore the games and learn how to play.  Another way to get free spins on the new Iron Man 2 or other slot games is to take advantage of the generous welcome bonuses available at these sites. Check out the websites for some great offers and promotions.

Over the years, the store owner, who eventually involved his grown kids in the scam, lived the life of luxury, buying top of the range cars, mansions and electronic toys. Last year, however, everything fell apart when the police swooped down on the family and arrested them for fraud. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming corp. knew that the store owner wasn’t the real winner, and set itself the mission of finding who it was. “We found the haystack, and we found the needle,” was how the chairman of the OLG described the mission and its subsequent success.

For an entire year, a specially created team, which developed its own technology to shift through endless information and data, searched for the true winner. Over 600 people came forward to claim the prize, but it was finally whittled down to a handful of real possibilities. Finally, the seven men who shared the lottery ticket were brought in to testify and they shared facts with the investigative team about the purchase that only they could have known. The OLG finally declared that the winners had been found and a check-handing-over ceremony was held last week. The total win had already grown to over $14.5 million thanks to interest earned over the years, and each of the men were awarded with a check worth over $2 million each.

Heartwarming or what??

The latest report, though, confirmed what we have all been feeling and witnessing – that egaming has bucked the economic recession and is doing very well for itself. Internet gambling wins, according to the report, totalled just under $30 billion in 2010.  I can already hear some skeptics saying: “Well, sure, it was the year of the World Cup in South Africa, so it’s only natural that online betting would get a major boost.”  So, listen to this: The guys at H2 Gambling Capital tell us that even if the World Cup had not taken place, online gambling would still have grown by 11.4%.  So that puts pay to that theory!

Some other interesting stats to come out of the report showed that the fastest growing products were online bingo and online casinos. 2010 was definitely a bumper year for online bingo, with revenues stacking in at $2.67 billion – a growth of 28.4%. Online casinos did amazing well too, taking in revenues of $6.24 billion, which translates into a growth of 13.3% compared to 2009.

Sportsbetting also showed double digit growth, clocking in revenues of $12.06 billion (up 10.8% in comparison to the previous year).

And here are even more interesting facts:

• Online poker was the slowest growing product in the overal online gambling category, but still managed to grow by 7.1% compared to 2009.
• There are now 2,400 real money gambling sites across the world. This indicates 160 less than the previous year, however, as the industry continues to grow, more and more consolidation is expected. As such, they may be fewer online gambling sites, but the quality of those existing ones is higher overall.
• The report sees the future of online gambling growth through mobile devices as this market continues to break sales records across the globe.