The Pokerati website is claiming foul when it comes to Queensland, Australia poker player Savvas Zenonos. 

"Big congratulations to Savvas Zenonos for successfully stealing $2,400 from the prize pool in a 2009 WSOP main event mega-satellite that was supposed to be shared in a 22-player chop," the website quipped.

Pokerati claims that five poker players were robbed of $300-$500 each "without (Zenonos) having to reach in their pockets!"

He reportedly said that he was "going to screw you over" to one of the players.

Zenonos’ career poker winnings total a mere $7675 and he did not cash in the 2009 World Series of Poker.

Zenonos declined comment when approached by the Pokerati website.

Ace King, Gambling911.com

 

 

Surrey based self-employed carpenter Kevin Packer (28) is celebrating this week after scooping a £100,000 win without risking a penny, thanks to a no deposit bonus from William Hill Casino.

Packer earned the windfall last week after seeing an advert for the £30 no deposit bonus, enabling him to sign up and play some of his favourite online casino and slot games without the necessity of laying down any of his own money.

It was Packer’s day – he was £500 up within 30 minutesm giving him the financial firepower to stake £50 on one spin of the online casino’s Millionaire’s Club progressive game. His luck held and he walked away with a £100,000 jackpot.

“I couldn’t believe it, actually,” said Packer. “I saw the five reels drop in and I just stood for a minute and gawped at the screen. I still can’t believe it now but it’s changed my luck and I have no idea how I’m going to spend it.’

“This is a high-rollers slot game and it’s unique to our casino,”* said a spokesperson for William Hill Casino. “The odds of getting the five top reels to land in a line are 10,000 to 1 and Kevin was playing for ten pounds a line, so he won a handy £100,000. It’s one of the quickest jackpot winners in online history. From zero to one hundred grand hero in under three hours.”

With the online gambling industry experiencing huge growth, it is imperative that online casino operators seek new and innovative ways to set themselves apart from their competitors within the seemingly saturated market.

The next step for online casino’s is to take their two dimensional interfaces, and place them head first into the 3D era, and that’s exactly what 888 Casino are underway in constructing. They are embracing brand new 3d engines, interfaces and games, in an attempt to differentiate their online casino in the gambling market.

Online poker sites have already taken this step to 3D, however, 888 will be one of the first online casino’s to head in this direction. With online gambling being questionably resilient to the recession – operators have still felt the tightened wallets upon their join ups and deposit numbers, and 888 hope that by going 3D, they can inject some freshness and innovation into their online casino, and draw people back in.

888 have felt success in higher numbers since they launched their online poker with 3d capabilities, and hope that the same will result from going 3D with their casino’s too.

A new online bingo site has just launched at EyesDown.com powered by software from Parlay Entertainment that allows players to place side bets on the outcome of some of the games.

Licensed in Malta, EyesDown.com’s Oddly Enough side game allows players to wager on whether a game of virtual bingo will have more odd or even numbers.

The site features a female bingo caller speaking in a northern English dialect while its Bingo War side game allows competitors to place bets on whether the last number of an online game will be higher or lower than the first number called.

New players can take advantage of ten pounds in vouchers to use on the site’s range of 75 and 90-ball bingo games but no winnings will be paid unless a deposit is made.

“Unfortunately, until you have made a deposit, any winnings you gain on your ten pounds no deposit bonus won’t be available for withdrawal,” reads a statement on the site.

“But, we have ensured that we have an impressive first deposit bonus for new players of 150 percent on all deposits of ten pounds or over. The bingo side games available at EyesDown.com are not accessible to players using the ten pounds no deposit bonus but as soon as you make a deposit you can try those out too.”  

The site is searching for an overweight lady under the age of 50 to be the centerpiece of a planned Show Us Your Bingo Wings promotion and is offering the lucky winner a £100,000 pro rata salary.

UnluckyForSome.co.uk has placed an advert for the position with jobs website Gumtree.com as well as at employment centres throughout the UK.

Candidates are being asked to apply by sending photographs showcasing their flabby underarms, also known as ‘bingo wings’, and face to BingoWings@PressmanPR.co.uk. Ten short-listed candidates will then be invited to London in order to take part in a selection test before the lucky winner is selected. The successful applicant will then feature in a filmed commercial that is to be shown around the world.

“This is a unique opportunity for someone who may have always wanted to become famous but didn’t know how to go about it,” said a spokesperson for UnluckyForSome.co.uk.

“It’s also a celebration of the female form and to prove to everyone you don’t have to be skinny to be beautiful. Happy and healthy figures are the way to go.

“We’re looking for a big and beautiful woman aged 18 to 50. Perhaps they don’t think of themselves as conventionally beautiful but have loads of energy and confidence all the same. We’re sick of seeing pencil thin models promoting everything from make-up to washing powder so need your help. If you or someone you know is big and beautiful then we want to hear from you.”  

July has seen a feast of new games for online gamblers, increasing the depth of choice across several Internet gambling provider platforms.

Playtech introduced over a hundred Flash technology, no download games in its software upgrade, whilst World Winner introduced a new casual skill game title branded Bejeweled Twist from Seattle-based PopCap Games. In this new twist on the top-selling puzzle franchise, players must rotate blocks of gems against the clock in order to create rows of three or more matching jewels and build high scores to win cash and prizes. The company has also licensed the game Jeopardy for conversion to an online skill game.

Microgaming launched its now customary monthly four game release, which included Fortune Finder, Sterling Silver, Pedal Power and Summer Holiday themed slots, and new online casino client Expekt.com went live with a massive and diverse gaming suit from the veteran software developer.

The 32Red online gambling group teamed up with RM Royal Media to offer a range of rummy games online, and the Rival gambling software company launched its new i-slot Bust a Vault at licensee operations.

Realtime Gaming launched four new games in its Real Series of video slots, notably Mystic Dragon, Sea Captain, London Inspector and Loose Caboose, and NeoGames introduced a scratchcard game based on dominos.

Betsoft geared up to supply eight 3D slots to Nordic facing online casino Mister Green, an online casino launched last year by two of the Betsson founding partners, and the Bodog88-Haydock Sports team of Asian facing establishments started providing live dealer action from Enterasia.

Online gambling software developer CTXM, which provides games to many of the major companies in the industry, released two new casual slots for the popular iPhone. Both slots are derived from proved casino slots already published by CTXM through its partners – FreakyFruits and Totem Quest.

Cyberarts premiered new online bingo at the recent Bingo Summit, and Unibet and Microgaming got Maria Poker – a female demographic targeted site using Flash software – underway.

Online gambling games provider and distributor WagerWorks announced the release of online ports of Barcrest Group’s leading UK branded game titles Rainbow Riches, Ca$hino and Elvis Top 20 – arguably Britain’s best known land-based slot titles with a significant presence through bingo halls, motorway service areas, adult gaming centres and betting shops. These games have recently been integrated onto the Orbis Openbet platform.

Virtue Fusion Alderney, launched three new networked progressive jackpot scratch cards with summer beach and topical themes. The company has continued to grow its network with quality games and licensees, the latest being the Danish bingo site Krone Bingo.dk, whilst the online bingo operation of one of the UK’s major gambling groups, Gala Bingo, has announced the July launch of a series of new side games, adding variety to the gaming offering to players.

Jackpot City launched a mobile offering powered by Spin3 and featuring the growing range of mobile games from Microgaming, and the new partnership of NetplayTV and Playtech will ensure that players on licensees to both companies – among them the latest licensee Stanleybet International – have an expanded range of conventional online games, live over the Internet and interactive TV offerings and mobile games.

The massive online poker operator Full Tilt Poker’s latest software upgrade includes a Hand Replayer and Mixed Limit games, and appropriately comes on the eve of its fifth birthday.

Smart Live Casino, which is regulated by the UK Gambling Commission and offers live dealer gambling over the Internet and interactive television via SkyTV, added baccarat to its gaming suite.

Backgammon online is coming into its own with Jadestone signing up the World Series of Backgammon to its new online network dedicated to the resurgent ancient game this month.

August is already shaping up as set to continue the trend, with Net Entertainment believed to be close to launching new games on its online casino for Paf, and Cryptologic advising that it has orders from 888.com for a further 5 games. Cryptologic has also announced a deal to provide Victor Chandler group with a range of 10 games.

For UK football fans, The Sun newspaper’s fantasy football project Dream Team will be supported by the William Hill betting group next season, widening the scope of this major multi-platform initiative that embraces digital, mobile and print gaming.

Parlay Entertainment is reported to be almost done working on a white label bingo and casino site for the UK television group “Five”, and there have been reports that Gibraltar-based online group 888.com has plans to redesign its online casino operations around a 3D model in the near future with some very interesting innovations. Early in July the company introduced side games like Oddly Enough, which allow players to wager on whether a game of virtual bingo will have more odd or even numbers and similar side bets.

The World Series of Poker was concluding with the final table to be played out in November and players are finally stepping away from their tables to make themselves available to the public.  I’ve been a busy beaver catching up with some of these players to talk about their time at this year’s WSOP along with other topics going on in their lives.

One of those players was Team UltimateBet.com’s Matt Graham.  He is known for being a skilled and solid online player but has been making waves in the largest land based tournaments as well.

JENNY:  You just recently had your biggest winnings to date where you finished 1st in Pot-Limit Omaha at this year’s WSOP.  What’s next for you?  Vacation or more poker?  And what tournament will you be playing in next?

MATT:  I would have loved to go straight to vacation after the win, but I had to finish up the WSOP and then the Bellagio cup is right after that. I believe there is a month break after that so I plan on taking it easy and have actually planned a vacation to Cabo with my girlfriend – so definitely looking forward to that. When I return I will be headed to Indiana to instruct for WSOP academy. As far as my own tournaments are concerned I will start back up with legends WPT, WSOP Europe, ad then Aruba.

JENNY:  What biggest challenge did you face at this year’s WSOP? (If any)  And was there anything you wanted to change?

MATT:  I didn’t have any big challenges besides just struggling to build stacks in anything.  I did go in the 1500 PLO, but ran my AA into KK to go out 29th.  An interesting fact about my NL Hold’em events at the WSOP is that I never put an ante into a pot.  That’s right – I never even made it to 100-200-25….

JENNY:  Besides winning this year, did you have any other memorable moment at this year’s WSOP?

MATT:  I stayed pretty busy so not a whole lot went on in my life other than poker tournaments.  But I did enjoy sweating my roommate, Darryll Fish, who made several deep runs getting him 7 cashes and one final table which he unfortunately finished 9th at. 

JENNY:  How has it been joining the Ultimate Bet team?  And have the other well-known pros reached out to you and offered words of advice?

MATT:  It has been great. Everyone I have encountered with UB has been very friendly and helpful. Not to mention the team of pros and UB has got to be the nicest group of guys representing any site.  

JENNY:  What was your family’s reaction when you decided to drop out of college to pursue poker?  And what do they think of your success?

MATT:  I didn’t rush into it so by the time I was leaving school I had made a lot of consistent money.  So I think that helped ease their concern. They both get very excited whenever I get deep in any tournament. They have been 100% supportive so I never had to stress about that.

JENNY:  Do you think you’ll ever go back to school for your medical degree?

MATT:  Not a chance, but I may go back and get some sort of degree in something that interests me. I would mostly just be going for self-satisfaction, not to actually put that education to use. 

JENNY:  What’s your favorite thing about the game?

MATT:  I love that it is always changing. You can never really master it because due to trends in game play the optimal way to play will always be changing. You really have to keep up with what everyone around you is doing so it’s a never-ending learning process.

JENNY:  There’s obviously a need of skill to succeed in the world of poker.  However, do you think there’s a lot of luck involved as well or do you think it’s all skill?

MATT:  It’s pretty much impossible for a very skilled player not to win over time.  So in the long run luck really doesn’t matter a whole lot.  However, some people will of course be more fortunate in their life times (anyone who wins the main event).

JENNY:  What’s your game of choice – online and live?  And what’s your style of play on both?

MATT:  I prefer live. I just feel like there is so much more information that goes into every decision.  So this allows me to play a lot more hands and make plays I wouldn’t bother trying online. When I play online I play pretty straight forward, but do mix some plays in when I feel like my tight image will allow me to get away with it.

JENNY:  You’re a self-taught player.  What key advice would you give someone who’s just getting started in poker?

MATT:  Mostly just put in a ton of time and make sure you aren’t just going through the motions, but constantly evaluating your play in order to figure out what is making you money and what is not. The game can be learned on your own but having a few friends who are as motivated to learn around you to discuss hands with will help tremendously.  

Jenny Woo, Gambling911.com Senior International Correspondent

Sergio Garcia had the second shortest odds of anyone appearing in this week’s Open Championship golf tournament after Tiger Woods.

At Sportingbet.com, Garcia was offering a payout of US$1800 for every US$100 bet.

The problem is he’s never won a Major.  "Close but no cigar" applies here as he’s finished second on three occasions.  Could this finally be Sergio Garcia’s Major to win?

This will be his 41st attempt at ending the drought.

"Usually they say that the prime of a golfer is somewhere between 28 and 35," he says. "But I don’t know. I can’t read the future. I hope that in the next five years I win not one major but more than one. That would be great, hopefully starting this year, hopefully starting here. The only thing I can do is work hard and try and give myself the best opportunity."

In assessing this week’s Open Championship course, Sergio felt relatively confident of his chances.

"I don’t think it is one of the toughest Open courses we play. It is definitely a good course, but there are tougher courses that we play at The Open. I remember we had really bad weather in 1996. That’s the thing I remember, as well as not playing very well. I did not even make the match-play.

"I already had a little bit of Scottish links golf experience. I have played links golf courses since I was 12 or 13. We came here a lot with the Spanish national team and we played a lot of British boys. Fortunately for me I have had the chance to play a lot of links courses."

The oddsmakers are fairly confident of Garcia’s chances, giving him shorter odds than Padraig Harrington, who has won two straight years.

"There are a lot of good players out there who can win it. It’s all about being out there and performing and doing what you know you can do, and giving yourself a chance on the Sunday," Garcia said.

More 2009 Open Championship betting odds appear below courtesy of Sportingbet.com  (please note that Sportingbet does not accept US customers at this time).  US gamblers wanting to bet on the 2009 Open Championship can do so at Sportsinteraction.com

Tiger Woods

+200 – pays US$200 for every US$100 bet

Sergio Garcia

+1800

Ian Poulter

+2500 – Pays US$2500 for every US$100 bet

Jim Furyk

+2500

Lee Westwood

+2500

Paul Casey

+2500

Rory McIlroy

+2500

Anthony Kim

+2800

Ernie Els

+2800

Henrik Stenson

+3300

Kenny Perry

+3300

Martin Kaymer

+3300

Padraig Harrington

+3300 – pays US$3300 for every US$100 bet

Retief Goosen

+3300

Ross Fisher

+3300

Adam Scott

+4000

 

US gamblers wanting to bet on the 2009 Open Championship can do so at Sportsinteraction.com

 

On 31st March ’09 the profit results of the leisure & gaming plc has released, and according to the statistics which they provide it clearly showed that the clear improvement of the profit of the company with compare to the previous year . When we analyze these data we can Cleary say that the net profit of the company has increased in about 80%. (2009- 1.8 million against 1 million of 2008)

The L & G thanked to all of its partners who are contributed in this great achievement made. Also they mentioned that if they didn’t get the proper support from its partners and they will not make this way.

Also the management announced great news which was really interesting. That is they are proposing to reduce the cost of premium membership to promote the business more over the world. Also here the C.E.O – Mr. Richard Creed mentioned that this great achievement made by the company and the credit of it should remain with all of its partners.

When we see the detailed statistics of the report, we can clearly see that the major income has received from the poker. The reason is that the online casino game is one of the most popular games among the players and because of that they could achieve this success. Also with compare to the other income methods of the L & G, this poker has showed a rapid increase of the profit. Mainly the major portion is contributed by the online gaming activates available in Grease.

According to the available statistics, they have analyzed that in a single quarter, the online poker activities are in a position to provide an income of Euro 400,000 net. So this is a good improvement of the online poker and by reducing the premium membership cost, they are trying to expand it further.

Also they are planning to start a marketing programmed with relate to the Palermo foot ball sponsorship in near feature.

CryptoLogic, one of the larger online casino software developers in the online gambling market announced today that they have extended their relationship with 888 Holdings plc, which will provide 888 with 5 new games for their popular online casinos by the end of 2009.

“The relationship between CryptoLogic and 888.com continues to grow, driven by our mutual commitment to a superior player experience,” said Brian Hadfield, CryptoLogic’s President and CEO. “It’s exciting to have one of the biggest names in online gambling choosing CryptoLogic games. CryptoLogic and 888 both recognize that in today’s internet gaming market, playability means profitability.” 888 is the owner of a number of very popular online casino sites around the world including 888.com, pacificpoker.com, 888ladies.com and 888sport.com. The new internet casino games from CryptoLogic will be available in several languages on all 888 sites before the end of Q1 2010. Gigi Levy, CEO of 888 Holdings plc said: “888’s success is built on offering a comprehensive selection and a powerful, trustworthy entertainment experience, and CryptoLogic’s games help us deliver just that. CryptoLogic’s games have earned acclaim from our players, and delivered strong numbers for our business. We are confident that these new CryptoLogic games will be both popular and profitable.” With more than 280 online casino gambling games available, CryptoLogic has one of the most extensive casino games portfolios on the web. CryptoLogic games are playable at 888.com, click the banner to visit the online casino.