TheRXCasinos the first in a series of specialised portals

One of online gambling's longest established portals, TheRX.com originally started by Ken Weitzner but sold to a highly successful Costa Rican operator some years ago embarked on a new portal strategy this week with the launch of the first in a series of specialised portal websites.

Branded TheRXCasinos.com and presented on a slick, professional looking site which is already carrying some impressive advertising the new portal has content that ranges from industry interviews (the inaugural issue carrying one with Alistair Assheton who has been in the thick of corporate moves arising from the UIGEA) to blogs, industry news and a legal column.

As the name suggests, being the first in a series of focused sites TheRXCasinos.com will centre itself on the online casino industry and seeks to create a true feeling of community. To reach this goal, TheRXCasinos.com offers member discussion forums and chat rooms. Additionally, members of TheRXCasinos.com can create their own personal gambling-related blog. Helping to encourage bloggers will be the weekly and monthly cash prizes for the "Best Blog."

Debbee Silverman, TheRXCasinos.com highly experienced and widely respected manager said: "We want our visitors to feel as if they're at home, hanging out with friends at TheRXCasinos.com. We'd like our members to have a better understanding of the online gambling industry, who the important 'movers and shakers' are, and what makes the industry 'tick.' And of course, we want our members to have fun, so our frequent casino tournaments and on-site competitions should ensure a great experience."

A subsidiary of successful online sports gambling portal TheRX.com, TheRX Casinos.com serves as a universal online gambling portal and informational resource for gamblers worldwide. Built to encourage greater player interaction, TheRXCasinos.com provides online gamblers with a broader understanding of the online casino industry through discussions and industry news. Members of TheRXCasinos.com can choose from a vast number of gambling sites and have more direct contact with other players than previously possible.

CANTOR GAMING CLINCHES ANOTHER MOBILE DEAL

GPWA INTRODUCES KITE MARK TO IDENTIFY PROFESSIONAL WEBMASTERS

Webmasters subscribe to professional and ethical standards under new ownership

Watch out for a new professional identification kitemark soon on portals operated by members of the Gambling Portal Webmasters Association acquired recently by Michael Corfman of Casino fame. 

At the time Michael Corfman acquired the Gambling Portal Webmaster's Associaion (GPWA) he said: "I think of the gaming industry as a public garden.  If we want people to visit so we can be successful, we have to get rid of the weeds. I believe communities like the GPWA can support the good industry players and expose the bad industry players if they have the right infrastructure in place. We will direct our energy, passion, and resources to build tools that will be of the greatest benefit to the GPWA community."

The energetic Corfman is reportedly about to implement his improvements with a Seal of Approval program for websites of portal webmasters that abide by GPWA private membership requirements. The move follows a consultative phase where GPWA members expessed support for the idea.   According to Corfman, the Seal of Approval program is an important first step in his commitment to build an infrastructure and associated tools to support good industry professionals.  

In terms of the program, members agree to abide by ethical rules that preclude them plagiarising, spamming or getting involved in pornography. The program will also decrease the risk of players being misled by casino and poker room operators using faux portals for marketing and biased review purposes, and actively discourages the use of "black hat" search engine optimisation practices.

The Gambling Portal Webmasters Association has traditionally required that its members act in a professional and ethical fashion or face the disapproval of their peers, and the new kitemark program will allow websites operated by private GPWA members to be clearly distinguished, thereby helping users to establish the credibility of the sites.

The kitemarks will be linked to a confirmation page on the GPWA website that authenticates the seal and explains what it means. This is at www.gpwa.net/members/member_verification.asp. GPWA members will this month be invited to sign up for the program, and all new members will be encouraged to register, too.

The authentication page on the GPWA site carries the following wording:

"The GPWA Seal of Approval is awarded to gambling portal websites that meet our standards and that are affiliated with approved GPWA members who abide by the GPWA code of conduct.

The Seal of Approval linked to this page signifies that the operator of the site is a current GPWA member in good standing who has agreed to abide by strict criteria designed to ensure that the highest ethical standards are upheld at all times and in all situations.

An investigative team headed by GPWA's Fair Gaming Advocate has determined that this site:

* Is managed independently of the online gambling websites it provides information about or promotes.

* Respects and upholds copyright standards.

* Does not send spam email.

* Does not use malicious search engine optimization techniques such as posting spam-like comments in forums and interactive blogs.

* Does not promote or display pornography.

* Provides consumers with information extending beyond banner advertisements and links.

* Acts professionally and respectfully in its business activities."

888.COM ENTERS THE MOBILE GAMBLING SECTOR

Common e-wallet and compatibility with over 340 types of handset in new system

The Gibraltar based online gambling operator 888.com claims it is setting the standard, and raising the bar, on what experts are calling 'the next frontier of online gaming' – casino games available on mobile phones. The company announced its entry to the mobile gaming sector this week, presumably using software developed by in-house company Random-Logic.

Alex Reign, promotions department manager, said that 888.com's latest offering has a useful facility: "Most outstanding about the mobile casino launch is that new players and current players alike can access the same account on their mobile phone and personal computer. Play online, play on your phone – all from the same account."

888.com's Mobile Casino is powered by the industry's latest mobile technology, the company claims. Downloading the software is free and the program is compatible with over 340 handsets; approximately 85 percent of the European market.

Once installed, people can play any, or all, of the three most popular casino games in the world - blackjack, roulette, and slots - available in free or real money play.

Players worldwide can download directly from the wap.888.com site using a web browser on a mobile phone or by entering a cell phone number into the 888.com Mobile setup wizard on the Mobile Casino page.

A 888.com Casino-on-Net account needs to be created online to wager real money on the mobile version. Current players will be able to use their existing accounts on the mobile casino.

MONEYBOOKERS ON THE MARKET

UK-based cash processor going for GBP 100 million

Moneybookers, the UK-based ePayment provider, is up for sale with a price tag of GBP100 million, the UK business media reports.

The business, which has around 2.3 million account holders, is owned by German retail tycoon Otto Beisheim. In 1964, Beisheim founded Metro Cash & Carry, now the world's fifth-largest retailer.

Industry observers say that potential buyers include Neteller, one of the world's leading independent payment processors regiatered with the FSA on the Isle of Man, as well as financial institutions and private equity firms. Neteller is thought to be particularly keen on Moneybookers following the recent restrictions on online gambling in the USA, which have caused Neteller shares to plummet by 81 percent.

The acquisition of Moneybookers would increase Neteller's presence in the European gaming market and bring in income from non-gaming operations such as CD-WOW.

Moneybookers' revenue for 2006 is forecasted to be around Euro 8 million with pre-tax profits of approximately Euro 4 million.

Longacre Partners are advising on the sale.

PLAYSHARE DECIDES ON A U.S. COMPROMISE

Players from 11 states will be banned

Playshare plc, the online casino and poker room group has announced that it will no longer accept business from US players in the following states, which have specific anti-online gambling restrictions:

Michigan
Illinois
Louisiana
Oregon
Washington
Wisconsin
Indiana
Nevada
South Dakota
New Jersey
New York

The ban is in response to the recent signing into law of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and will affect group operations such as CasinoShare.com, PokerShare.com and the recently acquired Grand Monaco Casino.com

The new ruling applies to all new and existing players residing in the States listed. Players from these states will no longer be able to play on the group's software, and existing players from these states have had their accounts closed and funds returned.

U.S. PLAYERS HELP PRODUCE ANOTHER GOOD WEEKEND OF ONLINE POKER

Even with major tourneys running contemporaneously, the attendance numbers were good

Full Tilt Poker's major Full Tilt Online Poker Series II tournament (see previous InfoPowa reports) must have impacted the promotions of other sites this past weekend, but attendances were still remarkably good for the regular competitions held by the major players who still accept American business.

Poker Stars' Sunday Million still drew one of its biggest fields with a starter field of 6 733 players on hand, and another giant prize pool of $1 346 600, among the largest in Sunday million history. 975 poker players were 'in the money' and the scheduled first prize was $188 524, when players sat down at the final table, led by '98club' and 'jeppg1111' , each holding around $12 million in chips. But, illustrating that a big stack does not guarantee ultimate individual victory, at the end of a thriller of a game it was a three way split on the final top three players, Tiger76 on $133 653; MxdMeta4 on $103 653 and only in third position jeppg1111 on $103 653.

In the Ultimate Bet $200,000 Guaranteed there were still 910 players raring to go despite the abundance of big money tourneys elsewhere. The resulting small overlay meant the standard payout structure was in place, with 100 players cashing and $45 000 the prize for first. Longhorn757 took the top prize, with drbob0008 in the number two slot on $26 000.

Over at Party Poker the Sunday $200 000 guaranteed competition seems to have stabilised after the departure of US contenders at a starting field in the 900 range, with 938 entrants in this week's offering. The final heads up was between aplunk and davidross and ended in a deal which guaranteed $35 000 for each and left $3 000 to play for. After pulling well ahead, aplunk hit river-river spades to fill an unlikely flush, overtake davidross's pocket tens, and finish off the win.

Once mighty Party Poker is only third in popularity this week

The once mighty Party Poker, haemorrhaging player liquidity as a result of reversing out of the U.S. market in the wake of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, was edged out of the number 2 popularity position this week by a private company rival.

According to the PokerSiteScout.com, privately owned Full Tilt Poker.com which has remained engaged with the US player cracked the number 2 position with an average 3992 real cash players over the week, beating by 479 players the Party Poker average of 3513.

Continuing to comfortably lead the field with record breaking numbers for the fourth week running is PokerStars.com with an average of 8075 players, evidence that its decision to continue to offer poker to American gamblers is still paying off.

Further back in the field was Ladbrokes; although the UK betting group has barred US players its popularity is clearly growing with an average of 677 real cash players and observers predict that using its considerable marketing muscle and solid reputation this online poker provider could be one to watch in the months ahead. The company has already announced (see previous InfoPowa reports) plans for a European version to compete with the popular American concept of the World Series of Poker.

Poker sites gathered under the banner of the Tribeca Tables network, which averaged just over 1500 real cash players in the current week looked impressive but could be impacted by the recent Tribeca withdrawal from the US market and the consequent loss of American players.

Speculation in the industry is rife that major Tribeca sites that have consistently displayed a commitment to the US player will bail out of Tribeca and seek other online poker providers and networks. One rumour suggests that several Tribeca sites will depart and become part of a new network using the Dobrosoft platform.

Major components in the Tribeca network that are believed to be intent on remaining in the US sector include Doyle's Room, Golden Palace Poker and BetUS.com.

FAIRGROUND BITES THE DUST

A brief but bright history blighted by the UIGEA. Spin Palace group bought back by former owner for GBP 11 MILLION.

The shock news that Fairground Holdings is to terminate business as a result of having to abandon US-facing online gambling activities arrived as the week ended, a sad close to a brief but promising business future for the agglomerator.

In a public announcement Fairground reports that it is voluntarily winding up its affairs following the need to halt US-facing online gambling activities in the wake of the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

Before taking this drastic course, the directors of Fairground Gaming focused on finding ways of maximising shareholder value and in doing so has considered a wide range of alternative strategies.

The board has now unanimously agreed that the best way forward is to dispose of its gaming operations and infrastructure, notably the Spin Palace group of online casino and poker venues, says the announcement.

The company has therefore entered into an agreement, conditional on shareholder approval, to dispose of The Spin Palace Group in its entirety to Seahouses Holdings Limited, the original owner and seller of the business, and a major shareholder in the company.

The main features of the proposed transaction are a total selling price of GBP 11 095 000 satisfied by a cash payment of GBP 5 090 000 and a complicated rearrangement of shares already held within Fairground by the buyer. Once completed, these arrangements will enable Seahouses to acquire The Spin Palace Group with all liabilities including player balances, all leases and the group's obligations to all employees.

The Executive Directors of Fairground Gaming will not remain with the operations which are being disposed of, but in any case Seahouses has advised the Fairground that it has no intention to operate the business of the Spin Palace Group in the United States.

The deal must be approved by Fairground shareholders, and to this end an Extraordinary General Meeting is to be held on December 11 this year.

Effective from the date of the announcement, announcement, Fairground has received irrevocable undertakings to vote in favour of the sale resolutions from shareholders representing approximately 9.7 percent of shareholders eligible to vote.

Fairground intends to liquidate Fairground Gaming and to distribute the cash balance to the remaining non-Seahouses shareholders, who in aggregate will hold 28 626 324 ordinary shares in the company, as a return of capital.  Once the sale has gone through Fairground expects that it will be left with approximately GBP 6 160 000 in cash after providing for winding-up costs and fees related to the sale. 

It is estimated that this will yield approximately 21.5p per ordinary share in the company and it is expected that this liquidation distribution will take place by the end of February 2007. This payment would represent a premium of  approximately 68 percent to the average weighted price of an ordinary share in the company from the period of 13 October 2006 when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was signed into law to 16 November 2006 being the latest practicable date prior to the date of this announcement.

Commenting on developments, Evan Hoff, CEO of Fairground Gaming said:  “The closure of our US-facing activity and the impact of that legislation on the listed company environment continues to be deeply felt, with our business now only marginally profitable.  Accordingly, in the interests of maximising value for our shareholders, we believe it is in the best interests of all our shareholders to accept this offer for The Spin Palace Group and for the Company to proceed along the lines announced today.”

Fairground expects to cease trading on London's AIM exchange on December 18 2006.

Informal study indicates that US bar could negate up to 45 percent of the action on major progressive jackpot

A moderator on the Winneronline message board did some arithmetic this week to produce an interesting informal indication of the impact on progressive jackpots of barring U.S. players.

The popular progressive Millionaire's Club is provided across Cryptologic powered online casinos and currently stands at approximately $4.6 million. But Cryptologic was among the first of the online gambling companies to ban US players when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act passed in the USA recently, and the moderator measured the growth in the jackpot from that date to assess it's impact.

He found that until the UIGEA, the jackpot was growing at about $11 000/day, but that since then it is about 6 000/day, suggesting that US players could have accounted for as much as 45 percent of the action.

Fort Knox s&g well named for this poker player

French poker player Remy Elkoubi, from Marseille, France, hit a Straight Flush that gave him a $100 000 jackpot prize at online poker room Titan Poker this week when he won six consecutive Fort Knox Jackpot Sit 'n' Go tournaments to qualify for the huge prize.

Elkoubi (who uses the 'handle' bennyking) had been playing at Titan Poker for less than a year when he hit the bigtime.

"I had tried to win this Jackpot a few times, but I never had any success until this beautiful day," he said. "I will remember this day for all of my life. I can barely recall the final game as I was under so much pressure -- but I remember the last hand. I won the Jackpot with the most beautiful hand -- a Straight Flush. A Straight Flush that earned me $100,000! I never believed that I could win this prize but the reality was different, the Fort Knox fortress is not untouchable!"

Elkoubi is the fifth Titan poker player to win the Fort Knox Jackpot in the past few months. In July, Guy Meridjen, also from France, took home $100 000. In April, Derrick Morin from Canada, Richard Stringer from the United Kingdom and Joseph Dulaney from Texas all won the Grand Prize. Derrick Morin had never even made a deposit when he hit the $100 000 Jackpot in a truly outstanding stroke of good fortune.

Buy-ins to the Fort Knox tournaments are $50 + $9. The Fort Knox Jackpot starts out at $50 000 and grows progressively by $10 000 each week if no player manages to win enough consecutive tournaments to take the prize. Any player who finishes in first or second place in six consecutive tournaments, but falls just short of winning the Grand Prize, will nonetheless be rewarded with a prize of $750.

Titan Poker is an online poker room on the Playtech iPoker Network.

BOSS MEDIA WORKING ON FLASH TECHNOLOGY FOR ONLINE POKER

Launch due in Spring 2007

Boss Media has announced that it has initiated the development of a web-based poker product. The new gaming client is being developed in Macromedia Flash. The fact that the client will be web-based means that players will be able to log onto Boss Media's partner-based poker network directly from the browser, without having to download software to their computer, which also means that availability will increase substantially. Delivery is scheduled for spring 2007.

"Our web-based poker product is a natural and desired complement to our existing downloadable product. The launch of the web-based poker product will attract so-called casual players to a greater extent. These could be players who have yet to try playing poker on the Internet or players who want a simple way of participating in a couple of quick poker rounds during their lunch break. They could also be players who quite simply do not have the capacity to download a full poker client for installation," says Eric Matsgård, Head of Product Development at Boss Media.

"Being able to offer our poker service via a web-based poker client will provide key support in our focus on the branded market. Our experience shows that related sites attract a different type of player, ones who demand simpler and faster access to the games offered, compared with those who traditionally play in our poker rooms," says Johan Berg, President and CEO of Boss Media.

NEW FINANCE CHIEF FOR BOSS MEDIA

Holm moves to new duties

Boss Media AB has appointed Urban Enqvist as the company's new Chief Financial Officer. He will assume his new position on December 18 and will be a member of the company's Executive Management Group. Enqvist joins Boss Media from a position as Chief Financial Officer at Orrefors Kosta Boda AB.

Markus Holm, Executive Vice President/CFO of Boss Media, will pursue other duties within the company, the announcement says. He will be responsible for such activities as the development of Boss Media's gaming machines (IVT/Interactive Video Terminals) and payment solutions and for further development of Boss Media's indirect sales channels. He will continue to serve as Executive Vice President of the company.

FULL TILT POKER WINNER TAKES HOME $224 634

*Spiked* the best out of 2 449

Besting a starting field of almost 2 500 other hungry poker players is no mean feat, but that's what player *Spiked* achieved in the second Full Tilt Online Poker Series II (FTOPS) Main Event this week, defeating a field of 2449 No-Limit Hold'em players for a $224 634 first place paycheck.

The competition was fierce and prolonged, but once the last nine players reached the final table it was all over in an hour Full Tilt reports.

Runner-up "dmkai3" gave the winner a tough heads-up finish, with the final duo playing nearly three dozen intense hands, but "Spiked" entered heads-up play as a 6-to-1 chip leader and "dmkai3" was never able to overcome the deficit. It was worth the stress, for "dmkai3" picked up $137 878 for finishing second.

FTOPS 2 attracted a large contingent of Full Tilt and other pros, attracted by the $1 million prize pool, and names like Eric Froelich, John Juanda, Erick Lindgren, Keith Sexton, Berry Johnston, Stuart Patterson, Carlos Mortensen, Mike Matusow, David Chui, Steve Brecher, Jeff Madsen, Rafe Furst, Lynette Chan, and Huck Seed featured in the starter line-up for the Main Event.

NEW RTG DISPUTES RESOLUTION CHANNEL SOON

Montana will no longer handle the hassles

Players wondering where they could go to lodge disputes against Realtime Gaming licensees were this week given a name new to most.  Instead of the Montana Overseas Disputes channel operating out of Panama City, a new master licensor titled Hastings International BV.com will soon be handling this vitally important function for the software provider.

"Montana Overseas is no longer handling any of our master licensor duties," Michael McMain the CEO at RTG told InfoPowa. "Although Hastings has still not finalized the Disputes department we are confident they will get this established quickly and it will perform even more effectively than it did when Montana Overseas managed the process."

ONLINE GAMBLING A POPULAR TOPIC AT G2E

NEW LOOK AND ONLINE POKER FROM SPORTSBOOK.COM

DOUBLE JACKPOT LUCK ON MAJOR MILLIONS

MICROGAMING PROGRESSIVE PASSES $1.1M

Looking for a festive season budget booster - King Cashalot may be ripe for the picking

Just in time for the expensive festive season comes news that the Microgaming Progressive Network high value video slot King Cashalot has topped the $1.1 million mark and continues to grow.

The future winner could become the tenth millionaire created through the network and the jackpot will take the amount paid out in winnings by the 70 casino progressive network to over $220 million in three years. All major prizes are paid in one cash transfer.

King Cashalot, one of the networks most successful progressives, has already been responsible for creating three of the networks nine millionaires, the last of which was AmandaR from Plymouth, who in April became one of the UK’s highest online gaming jackpot winners, taking home a cool $1 427 369.74.

The Microgaming Progressive Jackpot Network was re-launched in May 2006, following its re-brand from Jackpot Madness. The King Cashalot progressive is one of 20 progressives offered by the network - the largest progressive network in the world where over 6 294 players have celebrated wins to date.

The current record for the largest progressive available on the Internet lies with Cryptologic's Millionaire's Club, now worth $4.7 million and counting, which has not been won for some time.

HAVE YOU SEARCHED FOR XMAS GIFTS YET?

If not, poker looks like a good bet....

In tune with the fast approaching festive season, the Lycos portals and search engine this week published its take on the top gift searches its facilities have handled, and judging by the results you won't go far wrong in getting poker-related presents for your near and dear ones.

The top 10 of the 50 most popular Internet search results for the week ending Nov. 18, 2006 looked like this:

1) Poker                       
2) Pokemon                     
3) iPod                        
4) Neopets                     
5) Barbie
6) Harry Potter
7) Blackjack
8) Baccarat
9) Bratz
10) Playstation 3           

Poker and specific poker-related items like poker chips top the 2006 list of most-searched toys with web users for the second consecutive year. Online interest in poker jumped 316 percent over the past year, generating 308 percent more searches than the second most popular toy, Pokemon. Searches for Pokemon have increased 169 percent from 2005, as it overtakes Playstation as the second most popular toy with web users in 2006.

Gaming consoles, while still popular, see a decrease in search activity in 2006, with Playstation falling to number 10 on this year's list. Search interest in Playstation declined 14 percent since this time in 2005, while searches for Xbox dropped 17 percent, and Nintendo fell 25 percent. However, for the sixth straight year, Playstation remains more popular than all other gaming platforms, generating 119 percent more search interest than the Xbox 360, and 497 percent more popular than Nintendo.

Making its second consecutive appearance is Apple's iPod, as searches jump 17 percent over the past year, with the iPod Nano and iPod Video generating the bulk of the search activity. If web search activity is any indication, the iPod Nano will be more popular this holiday season, generating 471 percent more searches than the iPod Video.

ALL OUT OF ACES

Popular online gambling site joins US player ban

Aces.com has announced that as of November 21, they will no longer acccept bets from U.S. players.

US players needn't dispair, however - Aces.com has made an arrangement with the now privately owned and well established Sportsbook.com to look after the online gambling needs of American players, and all accounts are being transferred across. As the announcement claims: "Everything's been set up… and everything's the same."

US players will retain their account, password, PIN and user name and all balances will be seamlessly transferred to Sportsbook.com. Even the 24/7 Support contacts details remain unchanged. Players will find that the new site has a very similar layout and navigation once logged in.

Sportsbook.com management have impressive credentials, and boast that it is the only management team to ever win eGaming Review's "Best US Sports Book" award twice.

The casino, poker and sports betting facilities will be offering players "...a bigger range of bonuses more frequently, cooler gifts, better events, more props, higher limits, lines up sooner. We're rolling out $100,000 contests like the free Perfect Parlay, the Black Friday Poker Free Roll, the Caribbean Stud Progressive and the Sports Trivia Challenge. And we've got $10,000,000 prizes for the Perfect Play-off Parlay coming in January and the Perfect Bracket in March."

BETTER COMPLIANCE AND FRAUD PROTECTION FLOW FROM NEW PARTNERSHIP

E-retailers, payment processors and online casinos leveraging geolocation to fight online fraud, and comply with new anti-gambling laws

The IP intelligence and geolocation expert firm Quova, Inc., teamed up this week with British ID verification company 192.com Business Services, to deploy the latest technology enabling clients to fight fraud and better comply with increasingly stringent international regulations.

Partnering with Quova will enable 192.com Business Services clients to geolocate online users at the country, state and city levels, identify their Internet routing and determine whether users are obscured by anonymisers or other proxy servers. Leveraging that information and Quova's database of known fraudulent IP addresses will help e-commerce and iGaming companies determine the level of risk in each transaction, whether the risk be online fraud or regulatory violations.

Rising fraud rates and new legal restrictions on Internet gambling have made it essential for online enterprises to know who their customers are, where they are located and how they are connected to the Internet the two companies claim.

"Our people are continually scanning the landscape for authentication and identity solutions around the world, and Quova's brand of geolocation clearly fits that description," said Grant Greenwood, product manager for 192.com Business Services. "We chose Quova over several competitors because of its stellar reputation in the marketplace."

"192.com Business Services has established a formidable presence in the authentication market in the UK and Europe, and we're delighted to be working with them," said Quova COO Gary Jackson. "Quova's IP Intelligence is an ideal fit to 192.com's model of delivering customized, modular identity solutions to a wide range of industries, and we believe that together we will have a profound impact on the marketplace."

MORE STATS FROM POKER SCOUTS

Top ten online poker sites by player numbers

InfoPowa readers reacted positively to recent bulletins providing an insight into where poker players were going for their online gambling, and many requests have been received for a Top Ten assessment based on the same Pokersitescout.com statistics.

Readers should bear in mind that the following numbers present a snapshot of what's happening online on a given date, and this is a dynamic element that can fluctuate.  It nevertheless gives a good indication of what is happening on the poker scene, and the Pokersitesscout staff are saluted for their ongoing efforts to accurately keep a daily tracking record.

As at morning on November 21 Poker Stars.com was streets ahead of competitors with a daily average over the week of 8030 players with a 24 hour peak of 12 826. Its closest competition came from Full Tilt Poker on 3985 daily average players and a 24 hour peak of 6855. Both sites continue to take American business. The rest of the Top Ten looked like this:

Party Poker average of 3512 daily players and a 24 hour peak of 7431

Ongame average of 2032 daily players and a 24 hour peak of 3631

Bodog average of 1740 daily players and a 24 hour peak of 2848

Ultimate Bet average of 1735 daily players and a 24 hour peak of 2907

Microgaming Poker Network average of 1625 daily players and a 24 hour peak of 2988

Tribeca Tables average of 1547 daily players and a 24 hour peak of 2628

Everest average of 1472 daily players and a 24 hour peak of 2912

IPN (Boss Media) average of 1085 daily players and a 24 hour peak of 2244

Falling just outside of the Top Ten was Absolute Poker with a daily average of 1084 players and a 24 hour peak of 1853.

ONLINE PLAYERS QUALIFY FOR DECEMBER POKER SHOOTOUT

London the venue for $500 000 poker tournament final

Six amateur poker players have battled their way past thousands of online competitors to represent their countries at the ActionPoker.com $500 000 Poker Shoot-Out in London on December 1.

The finalists, some of whom have never previously played for high stakes in a live environment, represent a sweeping trend of online poker players who are making the transition from winning regularly at home to competing at major live tournaments.

Tournament sponsors ActionPoker.com is ensuring the finalists will be well cared for in what will be for most, their first live event. The players will be driven around London in limos and provided accommodation in a top hotel before settling down to the poker business at hand. The winner of the tournament will claim the title ‘International Man of Action’ as well as taking home $200 000, with the remaining finalists sharing $170 000 between them.

Finalists at the Poker Shoot-Outs table include two players representing Finland, two from Canada, one from the UK and one from El Salvador, all of whom qualified through online satellite tournaments.

SCRAMBLE FOR SPAIN

With renewed focus on Europe, this survey may come in handy

The Spanish online gambling market is poised to grow to a tempting Euro 4.2 billion by the year 2010, according to a new study released this week by the Munich-based MECN research company, putting the country high on the target list for marketers now excluded from the American market by recent legislation.

MECN defines Spain as a key region for future growth, with overall gambling potential by 2010 reaching Euro 39 billion.

The study reveals that William Hill group has already started its expansion into Spain, and a growing number of Spanish soccer teams are being sponsored by online gambling companies.
 
After the recent legal conflicts in traditional gambling markets a key strategic option is the expansion into less restrictive jurisdictions or into regions where an increased liberalisation is possible in the short term. Many operators surveyed mentioned Spain as a particularly attractive jurisdiction for such an expansion.

MECN gives the following reasons for marketers to re-focus on Spain:
 
* Many autonomous regions in Spain are working toward a liberalisation of the market, and particularly the betting sector and interactive gambling could benefit from that.

* William Hill and other big players are already poised for expansion into Spain, and other international companies, such as Betbull/BWin, already have joint venture agreements in place and are poised to take advantage of the market in Spain.

* Growth potential, especially for retail betting and interactive gambling is good. Overall Spain’s gambling market is expected to grow to Euro 39 billion by 2010. By 2010 the retail betting market is expected to grow to ca. Euro 4.5 billion, which is more than 750 percent larger than its current size (CAGR of 71 percent).

The other growth driver will be interactive gambling, which is expected to reach ca. Euro 4.2 billion by 2010, a growth of ca. 240 percent (CAGR of 36 percent) over the current level.

* Spain’s lottery market is one of the largest in the world and can boast impressive per-capita sales.
 
Price of the full survey document is US$ 485.00 / Euro 385.00

AUSSIE CANBET LEAVES U.S. MARKET

Players have a week to withdraw funds

The Canberra-based online betting group Canbet has told its US players that it will not be taking US sports, poker or casino bets going forward, and US customers have until 30 November to place their final wagers and clear their accounts.

The ban applies to sports, casino and poker services offered by the group and Canbet has told players that its decision is a direct consequence of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act introduced recently into US law.
 
Canbet customers not resident in the USA can continue to enjoy the full range of Canbet products, including North American sports betting.

USA-residents who wish to make a withdrawal may do so at any time, and the group's online Support staff stand ready to assist with any enquiries.

All bets that are placed on or before November 30th 2006 by residents of the USA (including pending bets) will stand and be honoured by Canbet. Members may withdraw funds at any time after November 30th 2006.

Canbet, a UK licensed and regulated firm, will continue to operate in all other global jurisdictions.

Canbet is a wholly owned subsidiary of global gaming and wagering company ‘International All Sports Limited’ (IAS). IAS is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, is subject to independent audit and is licensed in both the United Kingdom and Australia. IAS was established in 1995, the company owns and manages various licensed and regulated racebooks, sportsbooks, casinos and poker rooms in both the UK and Australia.

It all turns on the phrase “games, subject to chance”

Any thoughts that skill gaming may circumvent the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act will probably be up for reconsideration following a decision this week by the UK skill games provider GameAccount to turn away from the US market.

GameAccount, arguably the world’s largest provider of person-to-person (P2P) skill games, and winner of the 2006 eGaming Review Award for Innovation, confirmed that it has complied with both the letter and spirit of the UIGEA signed into law on 13 October 2006.

TheGameAccount statement points out that UIGEA specifically legislates for “games, subject to chance” and makes no attempt to carve-out or exclude skill-based contests or skill-based competition gaming, unlike the specific and detailed carve-out provided for Fantasy Sports.

Emphasising that in taking this difficult decision, after careful consideration and advice from in-house and external legal counsel, GameAccount says it is protecting the interests of licensee sportsbook partners, shareholders and directors from the very real threat of prosecution or detention under the UIGEA.

Kevin Dale, CEO of GameAccount commented, “Skill-based online gaming is and will remain a grey area under the UIGEA until tested under federal US law. It is extremely hard to argue that games of skill, such as those provided by leading skill games operators, have zero element of chance influencing the outcome of real money tournaments. Closing access to US-resident real money players was a hard decision, but a sensible one.”

Of the major skill-based gaming destination site operators, including King.com (formerly Midasplayer.com) and FUN Technologies Plc (operator of WorldWinner.com and Skilljam.com), GameAccount is the first to implement responsible measures against US resident players competing in skill-based competition tournaments. In common with other skill games companies GameAccount had developed partnerships with US facing firms which are being terminated.

In the course of the next few months US financial services institutions and online payment processors must comply with the terms of the UIGEA. This may include e-wallets such as PayPal and Netteller, which currently facilitate a significant proportion of cash deposits and withdrawals by US-resident skill-gamers.

Dale, stated, “To some extent the decision has been made for us as the source of fund transfers from the US dries up. But there’s also a very fine line between games such as Gin Rummy, Bejeweled and Poker – and it’s an orange suit and manacles that you can look forward to if you decide to test the DOJ’s interpretation of skill vs chance gaming.”

RIGHT ROYAL EVENT PLANNED BY 888.COM

Young Royals will choose their charity

Gibraltar-based online casino and poker room operator 888.com is planning a unique charity based bid that will, if it materialises, give the group major publicity: getting the next generation of the royal family to play a hand of poker for charity.

Using the current hype on the latest James Bond movie Casino Royale as leverage, the marketers at 888.com are organising a real Casino Royal event.

The one-off poker game staged by 888 will see the heirs to the throne - Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice and Peter and Zara Phillips – play one hand of Texas Hold’em poker. The company statement is not clear on whether these individuals have agreed to participate yet.

The GBP 1 million charity pot will see the winner receive GBP 600 000 to donate to a charity of their choice. Each of the other royals will get to donate GBP 100 000 to their chosen charity.

Echoing ‘It’s a Knockout’ and other televised charity work of their parents, Princes Charles and Andrew and Princess Anne, the future generation of royals have been asked to carry on the tradition of working for good causes on Her Majesty’s Service.

Matt Robinson, Head of Offline Marketing for 888.com said, “Royalty and card playing are intrinsically linked in history. With the advent of the new Bond film it seems only logical to stage a royal poker event in the name of charity.”

PLAYER ID INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT

The UIGEA has increased the need for ID checks claims security firm

Recent legislation in the USA has forced European operators to focus on the quality and validity of their players, claims ID verification solutions company 192 Business Services.
 
With operators losing significant amounts of their player liquidity and some operations having to close down completely, the pressure on those remaining to ensure their new customers are val