BetUS.com Posts Odds For Super Bowl XLIII – 01-22-09

January 22 – The NFL’s biggest game will feature the Cardinals and the Steelers in what is sure to be an epic battle. Speculation and analysis from experts to fans is at an all time high in regards to everything from who will win, to the likelihood of an overtime, to which player will take home the MVP ? fans are even wondering about the chances of another halftime wardrobe malfunction. This being the case, the largest most successful sportsbook on the web, BetUS.com posted odd son all things Super Bowl XLIII.

"Every year our site gets flooded with interest in the NFL’s biggest game," stated BetUS.com spokesman Reed Richards. "This year is no different as fans are looking for answers on everything from game MVP, length of National Anthem, even wardrobe malfunctions. "

Super Bowl Line
Pittsburgh -7 Moneyline 3/8 Total 47 5/6
Arizona +7  Moneyline 11/5 Total 5/6

Halftime Show Odds:
Playlist A: Glory Days, My Lucky Day, Badlands, Born to run: 5/2
Playlist B: Born to Run, Rosalita, Working on a Dream, The Rising: 8/1
Playlist C: The Rising, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Working on a Dream, Hungry Heart: 15/1
Playlist D: Born in the USA, Thunder Road, Rosalita, My Lucky Day: 3/1
Playlist E: Born to Run, Dancing in the Dark, Radio Nowhere, The Rising: 5/1
Playlist F: Rosalita, The Wrestler, Glory Days, Born to Run: 8/1
Playlist G: Glory Days, Born to Run, The Rising, Working on a Dream: 7/2

Number of songs played by Bruce Springsteen:
Over 3.5 3/2
Under 3.5 1/2

Wardrobe Malfunction:
Bruce Springsteen 3/1
Patti Scialfa 2/1
Clarence Clemons 4/1
Steven Van Zandt 8/1
Garry Tallent 12/1
Max Weinberg 10/1

BetUS.com represents a new generation of North American facing sportsbooks. The odds are generous and they run some hot promotions and some of the more entertaining prop bets around.

New Online Slot at Club USA Casino – 01-19-09

January 19 – Looking for ways to strike it lucky online? Then look no further than Club USA’s great new Old West themed slot game – a delight to the eye and potentially rewarding if you hit the right symbols.

Club USA, working off the powerful Rival Gaming software platform, is especially sought after by US players, now that Microgaming online casinos have shut their doors to gamblers from this region.

The new game is sure to bring a spot of nostalgia for the old days and perhaps even a hint of national pride as the Gold Rush days of yesteryear are remembered and honored through Paydirt.

Paydirt is full of great features to make your gaming session especially rewarding. There are no less than three bonus features in Paydirt – Gold Rush! Gold Fever! and Strike it Lucky!

The Gold Rush feature rewards with twelve free spins and an option to extend the spins even further. There are five free games with the Gold Fever feature, while the Strike it Lucky leads to a bonus game where the player is taken to a second screen of five gold mines, with the intention to pick a wild symbol that acts as substitute for all other symbols during the next free ten spins.

Club USA has certainly created a stir in the online gambling industry for its easy to use software, great selection of games and friendly service.

These sentiments were echoed by one player who said: “Club USA was one of the easiest installations I’ve found for online casinos. All the Real Series slots are here, and plenty of jackpots as well. I just always have a lucky feeling at this casino.”

Read our Club USA casino review.

Obama’s choice for Attorney General opposed to online gambling

A New York Times report on confirmation hearings for a member of the new US presidential team foreshadows continued Department of Justice hassles for online gambling in the United States.

Eric Holder is president-elect Obama’s choice for the important Attorney General post, and this official has a history of lobbying involvement with the vehemently anti-Internet gambling and influential national sports leagues in America – in particular the powerful NFL.

In the confirmation hearings, it was clear that Holder had had earlier discussions with long-time online gambling opponent Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, as the question and answer session went like this:

KYL: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There seem to be an inordinate number of members of this committee and the finance committee that discussed and talked about the potential for fraud and money- laundering and organized crime. Again, I won’t go through all of that.

HOLDER: That’s correct, Senator.

KYL: And then we discussed the [UIGEA] regulations that were issued recently, actually, jointly by the Federal Reserve Board and the Treasury Department in consultation with the attorney-general. The regulations primarily try to go at the [online gambling] problem by thwarting the payments for unlawful Internet gambling – in other words, to shut off the cash flow.

And I mentioned the fact that they [supporters of online gambling legalisation] were already beginning to spend millions of dollars in an effort to try to undo these regulations somehow and hope that you would – and you indicated you would – oppose efforts to modify or to stop those regulations, and, of course, continue to be vigilant in enforcing those regulations to shut off the flow of cash from this illegal activity. Is that your intention?

HOLDER: Yes, that is my position. That’s what I will do.

KYL: Yes, thank you, and I appreciate that very much. And we could talk a lot more about the pernicious nature of Internet gambling, but in view of the time here, let me move on.

ESPN picked up on the New York Times story, commenting: “If the Senate confirms Holder as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, he will be responsible for federal prosecutions throughout the U.S.

“It is possible committee members will ask Holder about his stand on enforcing drug laws against players in light of his past representation of a professional league and its athletes. Holder is still being paid for his NFL work, with $2.5 million in deferred compensation and separation payments coming to him in 2009, according to a financial disclosure statement he filed with the Judiciary Committee in mid-December.”

ESPN refers to the transcript of the confirmation hearing, where Kyl inquires of Holder, “The question that I’d ask and wanted just to get confirmed for the record is that you indicated that under your leadership, the Department of Justice would continue to aggressively enforce the law against the forms of internet gambling that DOJ considers illegal.”

Holder responded affirmatively to this, leading ESPN to expand on the issue of legality by examining the confusing situation brought about by legislative “carve-outs” or exceptions in US federal anti-Internet gambling law such as horseracing, state lotteries and fantasy sports.

The U.S. Department of Justice which Holder will effectively lead appears to be out of step with both legislators and the exceptions they created in its continued insistence that all internet gambling, even on horse racing, is illegal.

iMEGA challenge to UIGEA laws now set for April

The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA) has announced that its legal team has been asked by the US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals to provide notice of their availability in April 2009 for oral arguments in their challenge to a Federal law targeting the Internet gambling industry.

The court provided a list of possible dates to Eric Bernstein, lead counsel for iMEGA, and to the US Department of Justice, the lead defendant in the suit. The suit (iMEGA v. Keisler, et al) also names the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Reserve as defendants.

iMEGA’s suit challenges the constitutionality of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), which prohibits US financial institutions from processing transactions between online gambling sites and US players, while shifting the determination, burden and cost of enforcement onto the financial institutions.

“We’re very happy the Court is moving forward to schedule oral arguments,” said Joe Brennan Jr., iMEGA chairman. “We’re confident we have a strong suit, and it will be difficult for the Department of Justice to defend UIGEA, because it is so fatally flawed.”

iMEGA’s attorneys argue that UIGEA should be ‘void for vagueness’, and that Congress erred when it declined to defined what “unlawful Internet gambling” is, as they are required. iMEGA also argues that Congress cannot delegate that necessary determination as to what is ‘lawful’ or ‘unlawful’ to US banks and credit card companies. The Department of Treasury, which crafted the regulations for UIGEA, testified last year before Congress that they themselves could not make the necessary determination.

iMEGA’s appeal follows a ruling by Judge Mary Cooper (US District Court, Trenton) that established iMEGA’s associational standing to challenge UIGEA on the behalf of its members and the Internet gambling industry, but was dismissed by Judge Cooper without considering the constitutional issues raised in iMEGA’s challenge.

iMEGA is a Washington DC-based, not-for-profit corporation which was founded in 2007 as a professional association dedicated to the continued growth and innovation of the Internet. The organisation maintains that growth and innovation is possible by continued adherence to the founding principles of the world’s online communities, and that openness and freedom will enable the Internet to become a means for citizens in national and global economies to raise standards for all who are touched by it.

International: Pennsylvania judge rules Holdem “skill game”

Friday, Poker News Daily reported that Pennsylvania Judge Thomas James ruled Texas Holdem a game of skill. The ruling concerned Walter Watkins and his girlfriend Diane Dent, who were each charged with 20 counts of illegal gambling for holding $1/$2 live Texas Holdem games in Watkins’s Columbia County residence.

The Poker Players Alliance, a poker-advocacy organization, sees the ruling as a milestone and says it will set a precedent for online-poker cases in other states.

“Clearly, the judge had an understanding of how poker is played. Coming to this decision, to him, was not a far leap,” PPA Executive Director John Pappas told Poker News Daily. “The decision sets an excellent bar for us in the future.”

James’s decision could have profound implications for the Internet-poker industry. U.S. law enforcement has continuously pursued online poker-room proprietors since Congress enacted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. The law, authorities argue, makes offering games like Texas Holdem over the Internet illegal.

The UIGEA prohibits Internet-gambling providers from accepting online and wire deposits from U.S. residents. However, it does not specify what constitutes “gambling” and defers to state legislators for a definition. Because some states differentiate between illegal, luck-based “gambling” and legal “games of skill,” online-poker proponents have argued that poker players’ success is primarily dependent upon how skilled they are.

These claims have been consistently undermined by the fact that no state law explicitly defines poker as a “skill game.” As a result, many online-poker advocates feared that the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s seizure of 141 poker and gambling sites’ URLs last year would result in a judicial categorization of poker as a type of “gambling.”

Franklin County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wingate upheld Kentucky’s right to confiscate the Web addresses in October. Yet, because the case was a civil suit concerning whether the state could legally seize Internet property it considered “gambling paraphernalia,” he did not rule on whether poker is a skill game. James’s decision is therefore the first time any government official has addressed the question of poker’s legal classification directly.

James’s decision refers to the findings of several mathematical studies, which affirm that some poker players win consistently despite the fact that all players receive an equal number of bad hands. The decision goes on to explain that a “dominant factor test” must be used in determining whether a wager is “gambling” or a “game of skill.” A game based primarily on skill, James argues, must be considered a “skill game” regardless of whether it also incorporates elements of luck. The decision concludes that “skill predominates over chance in Texas Holdem poker.”

The Associated Press reported that Watkins and Dent were arrested after an undercover Pennsylvania State Trooper participated in one of their games. According to the PPA – which helps supply counsel for poker providers facing prosecution and litigation in the U.S. – the couple did not charge a rake for their games and instead encouraged players to voluntarily tip Dent, who acted as the games’ dealer.

The pair has been cleared of all charges and freed as a result of James’s ruling. To date, no word of an appeal has been forthcoming.

phill.provance@gamblingplanet.org

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Unibet Gains Valuable Online Casino Games From CryptoLogic

CryptoLogic has formed a partnership with Gaming Technology Solutions and the result will be additional options for many of the top online gaming sites in the world. The partnership puts together one of the top online software providers with one of the leading global platform solution suppliers.

“Today, we connect CryptoLogic’s leadership in gaming innovation with GTS’ ability to serve top-tier gaming operators around the word. This partnership is yet another example of how CryptLogic is opening up powerful new distribution channels to get our market-leading games into the hands of more customers, and more players,” said Brian Hadfield, President and CEO of CryptoLogic.

While the two companies will benefit from the partnership, it is some of the world’s biggest online casino sites that will benefit the most. Sites such as Unibet and Betclick will now be able to carry some of the top online games provided by CryptoLogic.

The agreement allows for GTS customers to have CryptoLogic’s top games available for use through the company’s game platform, EdGE. It is expected that ten of those games will be made available to these casinos sometime in the first quarter of 2009.

CryptoLogic has been making a major push over the past several months to reach out to some of the biggest online gaming operators in the world. They have made agreements with PartyGaming, Orbis, and 888.com, and now their partnership with GTS further entrenches them in the Internet gambling community.

Taiwan legalises gambling on Penghu Islands

The Taiwan parliament approved a controversial bill to legalise land gambling on offshore islands by a 71-26 vote Monday. The government, led by President Ma Ying-jeou of China-friendly Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT), pushed to end the ban on gambling for the Penghu Islands off Taiwan’s west coast, reports Earth Times.

Protesters led by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party and several civilian groups demonstrated outside parliament against the decision.

“To legalize gambling on the Penghu Islands, the government needs to hold a referendum in the whole country, not only on Penghu, and Parliament should hold a public hearing to assess what the public think about it,” Shih Chao-hui, a Buddhist nun, said.

“To rescue Penghu’s economy, the government should give the islands assistance, not give them a casino,” DPP lawmaker Pan Meng-an said.

The KMT-dominated parliament approved the bill to allow residents of Penghu to hold a referendum on whether to set up casinos to improve tourism and revenues. The referendum among the 90,000 Penghu population is expected to take place in June 2009.

Parliament Speaker Wang Jin-pying said Taiwan wanted to copy Singapore’s leisure industry, and stressed that casinos were only part of the package.

“Taiwan is a plural society. We respect all opinions. If we adopt Singapore’s model of establishing a special tourism zone, building casinos is only part of the zone,” he said.

The Penghu County government is already amassing 30 billion Taiwan dollars ($909 million) in private investment to help develop casino resorts, and plans have been drawn up to build a 120-hectare international vacation village which would contain a 2000-room hotel, a duty-free shopping mall, an international convention centre, as well as golf courses and casinos, with construction scheduled to start in 2011.

All Slots reports iPhone casino exceeding expectations

Following the soft launch in December of its new iPhone-capable mobile gambling operation, All Slots Casino announced this week that it has already more than doubled expectations in terms of players visiting the casino and using their iPhone or iPod Touch mobiles to play.

“While exact figures are confidential, we can say that the consumer reaction to the newly launched mobile casino has been incredibly favourable – the iPhone and iTouch enable us to display rich graphics and bring an awesome gameplay experience to the end-user,” said David Brickman, VP Player Affairs at the parent group Jackpot Factory.

All Slots mobile operations come on the GameWire platform from Spin3 which is initially offering four mobile casino games, including classics such as Roulette and Blackjack along with major slots likeTomb Raider and the progressive, Major Millions.

New Rival Slots Game at Cocoa Casino – 01-14-09

January 14 – One Million Reels BC, a fun and rewarding new game from the Rival Gaming portfolio, can now be found at Cocoa Casino. This was according to an announcement released by the online casino, making it the third progressive slot game to be added to the site’s arsenal.

The pre-historic themed One Million Reels BC is the latest Rival slots game to be released and, while not part of the software company’s iSlot series, still promises to provide hours of fun and entertainment.

One Million Reels is a three reel, five pay line Rival slots offering and is the first of the progressive slot games available at Cocoa Casino that comes with multiple pay lines. This feature increases the player’s chance of winning quite significantly.

There are various prehistoric symbols to make this game as authentic as they get, ranging from dinosaur eggs to cave people. One symbol to look out for is the T-Rex icon that acts as the wild symbol and substitutes for several others in the game to form winning combinations. The Wild also acts as a multiplier. Three T-Rex symbols award the progressive jackpot.

Cocoa Casino has set the progressive jackpot prize fund to $5,000 but thanks to the popularity of this site and the strong industry reputation of Rival slots, this total is may very well climb dramatically in the coming weeks until it is won by a lucky slots player.

In addition, some believe that the casino will ensure that the reels will be set to pay frequently at first to attract players to the game, another reason why the progressive slot total will continue to rise to life-changing amounts.

As one player put it: “I played for about 45 minutes, and won over $200. Got the feeling this slot is loose for its premiere.”

Visit Cocoa Casino today. US players welcome!

Polar Pioneer Viedo Slots

For the adventurous explorer who likes a risk, an extremely relevant game will be unveiled this month when Platinum Play Online casino introduce their super cool new slot game Polar Pioneers video slot.

The betting range on the Polar Pioneers runs from 1pto 10p a line with a maximum bet per spin of £50. With the right combination and some luck from Mother Nature herself, a top prize of £30,000 is up for grabs in the base game and an amazing 60,000 to be won in the Free Spins.

You won’t be able to hold your excitement when playing if the amazing features such as Scatters, Wilds, Free Spins, spins-within-free-spins and a new second re-spin feature and if that doesn’t get your pulse racing, the prize money wll.

With the slot game set in the heart of the Arctic, become an intrepid explorer, complete with your trustee husky companions, and all the equipment you will need to navigate the unchartered landscape.

There are so many great features, and a chance to win like never before in a Gamble feature, Polar Pioneers video Slot will bring out the inner Arctic explorer in you as you attempt to collect the prize at the top of the snow capped mountain terrains.

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