UltimateBet today announced that poker legend and Team UB pro Phil Hellmuth will be hosting Hold’em for Heroes this November, a charity Texas Hold’em tournament to benefit the TASER Foundation for Fallen Officers. The organization is dedicated to providing financial support to the families of local, state/provincial, and federal law enforcement officials in the US and Canada who were lost in the line of duty.

"Over the last several years, and especially ever since 9/11, my respect for policemen, firemen and the people who protect us has risen higher and higher," stated UltimateBet’s Phil Hellmuth. "Our ‘Hold’em for Heroes’ charity poker tournament gives money to the Fallen Officers Foundation, which supports officers and the families of officers who were killed in the line of duty. My friends and I are grateful to these brave men and women and we’re proud to help out."

Hold’em for Heroes is a three-day charity event set to get underway on November 19th at Fort McDowell Casino in Arizona. UltimateBet pro and 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth is slated to host the event.

Entering his 5th year supporting the worthwhile cause, Phil Hellmuth has been invited to sit on the CEO Advisory Council of the organization. As a poker authority, Hellmuth will provide significant input related to the structure of the tournament, how to run the event, and more.

In 2008, the tournament raised $540,000. Attendees included Layne Flack, Jeff Madsen, Todd Brunson, Clonie Gowan and more. The UltimateBet pro is expecting an even more impressive result this year.

Kathy Hanrahan, CEO for the TASER Foundation, notes that Hellmuth has been instrumental in the success of the TASER Foundation’s annual Hold’em for Heroes tournament.

 "With Phil now lending his passion, talents and name in helping to guide the TASER Foundation as part of the new advisory committee, we’ll all benefit even further," stated Hanrahan. "The TASER Foundation, and the families of officers killed in the line of duty, have come to know Phil for his big heart and his commitment to seeing that the service of these officers is forever honored. We are grateful to Phil for his ongoing support, and look forward to his expanded role within our organization."

Full details on Phil Hellmuth and his philanthropic efforts can be found at PhilHellmuth.com.

About UltimateBet

Designed with the assistance of the best poker players in the world – Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke – UltimateBet provides the best poker games available on the net through the CEREUS poker network. Players can download the free poker software, play in free ring games and tournaments and get tips from the pros to learn the sport or to enhance their playing strategy.

According to a report in Friday’s edition of AM Costa Rica, the financial ministry is about to present to the legislature a bill to regulate online casino operations located in the country. Ministry officials said they hoped to get up to $100 million a year in new taxes.

That hope would be dashed should a good chunk of operators leave the country, which is what some have already suggested they plan to do should a tax go into effect.

"They (The Costa Rican Government) needs to understand our business and the consequences before passing such a law," said Mickey Richardson, CEO of BetCRIS.com, the largest and most established sports betting operation in Costa Rica in terms of bet sizes taken.  "Hopefully nothing will happen.  I think they would ask for our input and then we might be more supportive."

Richardson estimates that the industry both directly and indirectly employs some 10,000 people, perhaps even more.

"The industry pays above average salaries and contibutes substantially to household incomes," he said. 

The disclosure came from Jenny Phillips, the minister of Hacienda in the Comisión de Control del Ingreso y el Gasto Público. The minster pointed out that the virtual casinos are unregulated now.  She did not amplify what the bill would contain nor was the scope of the types of gambling to be covered outlined.

The minister said that the bill is part of a campaign against tax fraud and reforms so that the country can take in more taxes.

Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com 

I run the media, publicity and portal development company, Media Man

Australia.  We also have a gaming and igaming arm, Casino News Media.

We are a member of a number of affiliate programs.

PKR is just one of dozens of affiliate programs we are in.  These days

we don’t actively pursue new affiliate programs, as we’re pretty happy

with the mix we already have.

The news…

For approximately 1 week I have been unable to log into to the PKR.com

Affiliate interface.  We have been a member of their affiliate program

for approximately 2 years.  We’ve generated hundreds of leads and

players for them.  We currently have a commission payment coming from

them, so I believe, based on last check of my affiliate commission

payment due report 1 week ago.

Today when I check their affiliate section of the site I can’t log in

once again, and we didn’t change our username or password.

It may be too early to start ring major alarm bells, but in this

industry (igaming, gaming and online casinos) you never know, as the

industry has has way too many affiliate issues to list over the past

few years.

I am hopeful that my reporting of this to the Gambling911.com website, one of my personal favorite websites in the world, may help get the situation

rectified, and also make other affiliates and igaming media aware of

this.  Unfortunately this falls under the serious type of news story,

rather than a positive news and PR one.

Other news media and gaming media may like to make their own enquiries.

Let’s all do our best to try to make the industry a better place.

A couple of quotes and thoughts for the day, that this incident brings

to front of mind…

Internet is like electricity  -  James Packer

Big will not beat small anymore.  It will be the fast beating the slow

- Rupert Murdoch

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can

change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has -

Margaret Mead

Getting screwed is hard, especially when you’re a virgin –

Gambling911.com’s Jenny Woo 

Best Regards

Greg Tingle

PHILADELPHIA (AP)-A federal appeals court ruled Monday that sports betting in Delaware would violate a 1992 federal ban on such wagering, essentially halting the state’s plans to start taking bets next month.

The plan was opposed by the professional sports leagues and the NCAA, which claimed it violated the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, would harm their reputations and expose young people to gambling.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell had pushed for sports betting as a way to help resolve an unprecedented shortfall in state tax revenues and balance the state budget. Attorneys who argued the case for the state appeared stunned by the ruling.

Markell told The Associated Press that his administration was reviewing its legal options but still preparing to offer betting on a limited basis.

"Obviously I’m disappointed, but the bottom line is that Delaware is still the only state east of the Mississippi that can offer this sports betting product on NFL games," Markell said.

"I would have preferred the single-game bets with point spreads on more sports, but we didn’t get that," added Markell, admitting that sports betting won’t be as big as it might have been.

Delaware was one of four states exempted from the federal ban on sports betting because it once ran an NFL sports lottery in 1976 that required parlay, or multiple bets, on at least three games.

The 1992 law restricts sports betting to the four states that met a deadline to sign up for it: Nevada, where Las Vegas sports books determine the odds for sporting events across the country; Delaware; Montana; and Oregon.

But the leagues argued that the exemption does not allow Delaware to offer bets on single games, or on sports other than professional football.

Speaking for a three-judge panel, Judge Theodore McKee said Monday that the betting plan as currently envisioned violates the federal ban. A written opinion explaining the judges’ reasoning will be issued at a later date.

Administration officials said they will later decide whether to appeal the ruling to the full appeals court, or to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Lawrence Hamermesh, a professor of corporate and business law at Widener University, said pursuing an appeal would be difficult. The state’s chances are slim because there was no split on the three-judge panel, and there is no broad impact from the ruling, he said.

"This is a one-off situation," said Hamermesh, who described the state’s position as "pretty weak."

The court heard almost two hours of argument from attorneys regarding the denial of an injunction that would have prevented the betting from beginning with the start of football season in September.

But instead of ruling on the injunction, the appeals court turned directly to the league’s claim that sports betting would violate the federal ban.

"We were hoping the court would rule on the merits," said Kenneth Nachbar, an attorney representing the NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA and Major League Baseball. Nachbar and NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson both said they were pleased with the ruling.

During Monday’s arguments, the judge questioned what would happen if the state began sports betting in September, then had it declared illegal by the district court several months later. Individual bettors would have lost hundreds or thousands of dollars on what essentially was an illegal state scheme, he said.

"What happens if you’re wrong?" McKee asked Andre Bouchard, an attorney representing the state.

"Caveat emptor," Bouchard replied, citing the Latin admonition of "buyer         

The British Columbian (BC) lotery will increase the weekly allowed lottery gambling limits for members of their online gambling site. Players who now log on to the state-run gambling site can now bet thousands of euros betting on lottery tickets, sporting events an a number of other gambling games.

The British Colombia Lotery Corporation (BCLC) is the state run lotery, they are planning to increase the maximum bet limits on their website. The maximum bet limit per week is now $120, BCLC will change this to $10,000 so players can determine the wager them self. Lotery officials say that the controversial decision was taken following an investigation, which confirmed that players themselves can safely determine what their personal limit is for online gambling. BCLC uses its online gambling site for the sale of lottery tickets, sports betting, to play bingo and poker. Higher limits mean also higher sales and improved revenue for the Canadian province. Lottery president Michael Graydon says: “It gives them the opportunity, based on their own economics, to be able to set what they’d like to do.” He added that the idea came from the company and not from the government. The possible increase in revenue is a fortunate side-effect, but not the reason for the change.” Since the introduction of the decision, it has seen lots of opposition. Opponents argue that raising the limit also increases compulsive gambling problems. “This has been done with no consultation, as I can see, with people who are concerned about problem gambling,” responded opposition member Shane Simpson. “It’s the government’s responsibility to ensure people are protected.” he added. The province’s annual revenue from gambling has held steady at about $1 billion, despite the recession.

Bob Simpson, associate executive director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, told Baptist Press in March that Baptists in Delaware and elsewhere must continue to oppose expanded gambling.



"I am well aware of the dramatic change that has occurred within American culture," Simpson said. "I get that we as Bible-believing Christians are swimming upstream on most things related to both faith and family values. But it just seems to me that, in spite of what the pro-gambling folks tell us, more good could come if we solidly defeat any and all gambling initiatives."

The Baptist Press featured an article on potential sports betting in Delaware on Wednesday.

The pro sports leagues contend that Delaware’s new lottery goes beyond what is allowed by the ’92 exemption. The lottery the state started in 1976 — which later failed — only offered parlay bets on the results of three or more NFL games. The new plan would allow betting on single games and on sports other than professional football.

In May, Delaware’s Supreme Court ruled that the current sports betting plan does not conflict with the state constitution as long as chance is the predominant factor in winning or losing.

The major sports leagues have argued otherwise.

Kenneth Nachbar, an attorney for the leagues, said the harm posed to the sports leagues was recognized by Congress in 1992 when the law was enacted, the Associated Press said.

"The only aspects that are being challenged are single-game betting and betting on sports other than the NFL," Nachbar said. "Delaware has never had sports betting on anything but NFL games."

Gambling911.com Staff

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians has added themselves to the growing list of supporters for legalized online gambling in California. The tribe is hooking up with card rooms around the state to push legislative law changes.

This is not the first time that rival gaming groups have teamed up. In recent months, the two major Connecticut casino resorts have partnered on a billboard ad campaign. The goal-to topple the Atlantic City casino industry once and for all. The billboards are set all across the New Jersey Turnpike.

In California, the card rooms and the Morongo tribe are not happy that offshore Internet gambling operations are taking potential customers away from them. They want the laws changed so they can drive out the illegal online gambling that is currently taking place.

“It’s a way to head off competition,” said Morongo Spokesman Patrick Dorinson, as reported in The Desert Sun, “This would be a game for Californians run by Californians. In a state strapped for cash, this will definitely bring in revenue.”

The plan for legalized online gambling is not fully supported in California. Some people believe that the plan has not been examined enough to become law. Time is needed, these people insist, for state lawmakers to determine the best way to go about Internet gambling legalization.

The state of California is one of the leaders in the US when it comes to gambling. They have many casinos that bring in millions of dollars in revenue to the state, and Governor Schwarzenegger has continued to ink agreements with Indian tribes for more casinos.

It’s a tough job but someone has to do it. Members of South Africa’s National Gambling Board are hard at work in Antigua this month, studying the experienced Caribbean islanders’ online gambling regulatory framework as part of an initiative to learn and build relationships.

For the past several years, the South African government has extensively researched the regulation of online gambling prior to preparing its own legislation, which recently passed into law. The practical problems of administering a regulatory and licence system for Internet gambling must now be considered prior to issuing the first licenses.

Reporting on the visit, the Antigua Sun revealed that the South African mission is spending a week visiting the Division of Gaming within the Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC) of Antigua. It is the first visit of this nature by the South African National Gaming Board to Antigua and Barbuda as part of an initiative to aimed at strengthening ties with gaming regulators worldwide.

In July 2008, South Africa enacted remote gambling legislation and is now in the process of developing practical and supporting licensing regulations.

The newspaper reports that Antigua and Barbuda is one of three jurisdictions selected by the NGB to assist in the development of South Africa’s licensing and regulatory system.

NGB deputy chairman and acting CEO, Mmathebe Thebi Moja said the NGB as a member of the International Association of Gaming Regulators recognises the FSRC, Division of Gaming of Antigua and Barbuda as a leader in remote gaming regulation.

“The NGB has chosen to understudy their detailed policy and regulatory framework before implementation of our legislation that seeks to legalise and regulate online gambling,” Moja stated.

FSRC chairperson Althea Crick said she was pleased that the FSRC had been recognised in this way. “I am particularly heartened by the selection of the (Antiguan) jurisdiction by the NGB as it underscores the confidence placed by the international community on our regulatory and supervisory machinery,” Crick said.

While visiting Antigua and Barbuda, the delegation will attend a series of presentations covering a broad range of regulatory, licensing and supervisory policies that include meetings with the Minister of Finance Harold Lovell, the FSRC Board of Directors, key government agencies and gaming operators.

Antigua’s Director of Gaming, Kaye McDonald, said she views the initiative as an opportunity to advance the profile of Antigua and Barbuda internationally as a highly regarded and well regulated remote gaming jurisdiction.

In speaking with bookmakers down in Costa Rica last week we learned that the UFC really doesn’t attract enough volume to make any serious impact as far as betting goes.

"It just hasn’t really caught on compared to some of the big boxing matches like when Manny Pacquiao is fighting," one bookmaker said.  Then he followed up with his:  "UFC 100 was actually pretty good though."

Indeed, UFC 100 attracted a rather sizable number of bettors compared to nearly all other previous UFC or Mixed Martial Arts events.

UFC 101 betting could have a similar impact.

Already we are seeing the numbers and they are good in terms of traffic here at Gambling911.com just days before the event.  Our UFC 101 betting coverage, though very limited so far, has attracted the most readership of any other sports event over the past few days.  Then again, there hasn’t been a whole lot to cover in terms of sports betting.

UFC 100 resulted in all but two favorites winning.  In one sense, this may result in more people betting if they believe the "sure thing" is the favorite with most fights, especially the marquee events.

Then you have those looking for the big payout.

One big payout might be Kenny Florian vs. BJ Penn.  The folks at BetUS.com are calling this the "Upset Special".

"Florian has won 9 of his past 10 fights with the only loss coming to Sherk and the most impressive thing he has shown is his ability to string together moves and submission attempts," writes BetUS.com analyst, Nick Meyer. "His confidence in the Octagon is incredible and his underdog status lies at least partly with his stint on the Ultimate Fighter TV show. But Florian has proven time and time again to fans and the betting community that he is a force to be reckoned with and a truly elite fighter, and a strong reminder will come on Saturday as he will take BJ Penn’s championship belt at UFC 101."

And the good part is that Florian pays nearly 2/1 odds or $18 for every $10 bet at BetUS.com.

Most of the action will probably still be on BJ Penn however.

Payton O’Brien, Gambling911.com Senior Editor