PartyCasino Wins Media Man Online Casino Of The Month Award, by Greg Tingle - 31st August 2010
PartyCasino.com Wins Media Man Online Casino Award
PartyCasino.com has been awarded the Media Man and Casino News Media "Online Casino Of The Month".
PartyGaming's igaming suite has grown a custom to winning awards since they first opened for business in 1997.
The competition for the coveted award was intense again this month with massive bids from both WPTCasino.com, Captain Cooks Casino, Virgin Casino, Betfair, PKR and Noble Casino however there can only be one winner... ladies and gentlemen, that's PartyCasino.com
The award follows PartyPoker's EGR Poker Operator Of The Year and PartyGaming also made the shortlist for EGR Operator Of The Year. Recently PartyGaming's PartyPoker.com also won the Casino News Media "Online Poker Website Of The Month".
The Media Man - Casino News Media accolade is based on a combination of elements including user experience, innovation, trustworthiness, customer service, gameplay, affiliate program offerings, newsworthiness and company values.
PartyCasino.com is one of a number of PartyGaming brands.
The most popular PartyCasino.com games of late include Heist, Circus, Rambo, Palladium Slot, The Godfather, Sinatra, Slotbox, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Mission: Impossible, The Terminator, Cleopatra, Sinatra, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man, Monopoly, Resident Evil, Melon Madness, Wheel Of Fortune and Mega Fortune Wheel.
The PartyCasino.com jackpot is currently approaching the $2 million mark. Players can also compete for The Big One and Marvel Hero Jackpot, playing the Marvel super hero themed online slot games.
PartyCasino's most recent game releases include Shaaark! SuperBet, Crocodopolis, Alice's Wonderland, Glamour Puss, Super Cubes, Heist, Palladium Slot and Circus Slot.
PartyGaming CEO Jim Ryan has gone on record advising PartyCasino will soon feature more Hollywood blockbuster themed slots. A few in the know journalists and media agents have been recently tipped off that an all time classic movie adaption will be showcased in the PartyCasino portfolio within 1 month. PartyCasino has the world's most impressive line up of Hollywood themed games, and more are just around the corner.
PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com customers can also benefit from rewards and bonuses via PartyPoints and the Palladium Lounge. Be certain to check out the PartyCasino exclusive "Cash Machine" that is being championed as one of the greatest online casino promos ever.
Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with PartyGaming, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.
Websites
PartyCasino.com
PartyPoker.com
World Poker Tour Casino
Profiles
PartyCasino.com
PartyPoker.com
World Poker Tour
PartyGaming
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Poker News Media Website Network Updated
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Thursday, August 26, 2010
PartyGaming News: PartyPoker - Heal The World! Make It A Better Place! Tony G Offers Diplomatic Solution To Negreanu / Duke Spat
PartyGaming News: PartyPoker - Heal The World! Make It A Better Place! Tony G Offers Diplomatic Solution To Negreanu / Duke Spat
Websites
PartyPoker.com
PartyCasino.com
WPT Poker
WPT Casino
Gibraltar – 25th August 2010 – With the controversy and war of words escalating between poker superstars Daniel Negreanu and Annie Duke, Team PartyPoker.com pro Tony G has offered to step in and mediate. Inspired by Michael Jackson, Elton John, Sabrina Johnston, Kid Creole and the Coconuts and armed with soothing lavender, aloe vera and a United Nations mandate Tony calls for peace.
The countdown is on to the biggest month of poker in UK history and it all gets underway next Monday 30th August when shuffle up and deal is called for Day 1A at the inaugural World Poker Tour® London Poker Classic Main Event, presented by PartyPoker.com, which takes place at The Palm Beach Casino, Mayfair.
The £5,000 + £300 televised Main Event starts with the first of two day ones and runs until the 4th September. The £15,000 televised high rollers tournament runs from 3rd – 5th September.
PartyGaming News: Live Satellites Underway For WPT London Poker Classic Presented By PartyPoker
WPT LONDON POKER CLASSIC, PRESENTED BY PARTYPOKER.COM - LIVE SATELLITE SCHEDULE
£300 + £30 - 16th – 26th August – WPT Shootout Satellites (Nightly at 7pm), The Palm Beach Casino, 30 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8EH
£250 + £25 (rebuy) - 27th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX
£500 + £50 - 28th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX
£1,000 + £80 – 29th August – Super Satellite, 3pm, The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London, W1J 8LT
Websites
PartyPoker.com
PartyCasino.com
WPT Poker
WPT Casino
17th August 2010
The World Poker Tour is pleased to announce that live satellites for the inaugural televised World Poker Tour® London Poker Classic Main Event, presented by PartyPoker.com, which takes place at The Palm Beach Casino, Mayfair between the 30th August – 4th September 2010, are now up and running.
Every night at 7pm The Palm Beach Casino, Berkeley Street, London, hosts £300 +£30 WPT Shootout Satellites for Main Event seats. The tables are six handed with a cap of 36 players. The prize pool pays out five places with first place winning a seat into the WPT London Poker Classic Main Event.
Genting Casinos London Poker Manager Simon Tomsett said: “Our first WPT Shootout at The Palm Beach Casino was an instant sell out and rewarded one seat into the Main Event. There are plenty of good value chances to qualify for the Main Event between now and the 30th August. From the 27th August there is also additional satellites taking place at the Kingsway Hall and May Fair Hotels.”
The latest top pros to confirm their participation include Erik Seidel, Joe Beevers and Nicholas Levi. They join the likes of Phil Ivey, Tony G, Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott, Alexander Kravchenko, Annette Obrestad, Sorel Mizzi, Dragan Galic, Tyron Krost, Barry Shulman and James Akenhead. Jack McClelland is Tournament Director, while Doug Dalton is on hand to run the lively cash games expected at Crockfords.
LIVE SATELLITE SCHEDULE
£300 + £30 - 16th – 26th August – WPT Shootout Satellites (Nightly at 7pm), The Palm Beach Casino, 30 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8EH
£250 + £25 (rebuy) - 27th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX
£500 + £50 - 28th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX
£1,000 + £80 – 29th August – Super Satellite, 3pm, The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London, W1J 8LT
The £5,000 + £300 Main Event starts on 30th August with the first of two day 1A’s. The eight handed televised final table takes place on the 4th September. The £15,000 televised high rollers tournament runs from 3rd – 5th September. Coverage of the event will be presented by Kara Scott, with the influential commentary team of Mike Sexton and Jesse May combined for the very first time.
For more information, please visit
PartyPoker.com
PartyCasino.com
WPT Poker
WPT Casino
PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com customers can also benefit from rewards and bonuses via PartyPoints and the Palladium Lounge. Be certain to check out the PartyCasino exclusive "Cash Machine" that is being championed as one of the greatest online casino promos ever.
Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with PartyGaming, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.
Websites
PartyCasino.com
PartyPoker.com
World Poker Tour Casino
Profiles
PartyCasino.com
PartyPoker.com
World Poker Tour
PartyGaming
PartyGaming News: PartyPoker - Heal The World! Make It A Better Place! Tony G Offers Diplomatic Solution To Negreanu / Duke Spat
Websites
PartyPoker.com
PartyCasino.com
WPT Poker
WPT Casino
Gibraltar – 25th August 2010 – With the controversy and war of words escalating between poker superstars Daniel Negreanu and Annie Duke, Team PartyPoker.com pro Tony G has offered to step in and mediate. Inspired by Michael Jackson, Elton John, Sabrina Johnston, Kid Creole and the Coconuts and armed with soothing lavender, aloe vera and a United Nations mandate Tony calls for peace.
The countdown is on to the biggest month of poker in UK history and it all gets underway next Monday 30th August when shuffle up and deal is called for Day 1A at the inaugural World Poker Tour® London Poker Classic Main Event, presented by PartyPoker.com, which takes place at The Palm Beach Casino, Mayfair.
The £5,000 + £300 televised Main Event starts with the first of two day ones and runs until the 4th September. The £15,000 televised high rollers tournament runs from 3rd – 5th September.
PartyGaming News: Live Satellites Underway For WPT London Poker Classic Presented By PartyPoker
WPT LONDON POKER CLASSIC, PRESENTED BY PARTYPOKER.COM - LIVE SATELLITE SCHEDULE
£300 + £30 - 16th – 26th August – WPT Shootout Satellites (Nightly at 7pm), The Palm Beach Casino, 30 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8EH
£250 + £25 (rebuy) - 27th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX
£500 + £50 - 28th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX
£1,000 + £80 – 29th August – Super Satellite, 3pm, The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London, W1J 8LT
Websites
PartyPoker.com
PartyCasino.com
WPT Poker
WPT Casino
17th August 2010
The World Poker Tour is pleased to announce that live satellites for the inaugural televised World Poker Tour® London Poker Classic Main Event, presented by PartyPoker.com, which takes place at The Palm Beach Casino, Mayfair between the 30th August – 4th September 2010, are now up and running.
Every night at 7pm The Palm Beach Casino, Berkeley Street, London, hosts £300 +£30 WPT Shootout Satellites for Main Event seats. The tables are six handed with a cap of 36 players. The prize pool pays out five places with first place winning a seat into the WPT London Poker Classic Main Event.
Genting Casinos London Poker Manager Simon Tomsett said: “Our first WPT Shootout at The Palm Beach Casino was an instant sell out and rewarded one seat into the Main Event. There are plenty of good value chances to qualify for the Main Event between now and the 30th August. From the 27th August there is also additional satellites taking place at the Kingsway Hall and May Fair Hotels.”
The latest top pros to confirm their participation include Erik Seidel, Joe Beevers and Nicholas Levi. They join the likes of Phil Ivey, Tony G, Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott, Alexander Kravchenko, Annette Obrestad, Sorel Mizzi, Dragan Galic, Tyron Krost, Barry Shulman and James Akenhead. Jack McClelland is Tournament Director, while Doug Dalton is on hand to run the lively cash games expected at Crockfords.
LIVE SATELLITE SCHEDULE
£300 + £30 - 16th – 26th August – WPT Shootout Satellites (Nightly at 7pm), The Palm Beach Casino, 30 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8EH
£250 + £25 (rebuy) - 27th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX
£500 + £50 - 28th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX
£1,000 + £80 – 29th August – Super Satellite, 3pm, The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London, W1J 8LT
The £5,000 + £300 Main Event starts on 30th August with the first of two day 1A’s. The eight handed televised final table takes place on the 4th September. The £15,000 televised high rollers tournament runs from 3rd – 5th September. Coverage of the event will be presented by Kara Scott, with the influential commentary team of Mike Sexton and Jesse May combined for the very first time.
For more information, please visit
PartyPoker.com
PartyCasino.com
WPT Poker
WPT Casino
PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com customers can also benefit from rewards and bonuses via PartyPoints and the Palladium Lounge. Be certain to check out the PartyCasino exclusive "Cash Machine" that is being championed as one of the greatest online casino promos ever.
Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with PartyGaming, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.
Websites
PartyCasino.com
PartyPoker.com
World Poker Tour Casino
Profiles
PartyCasino.com
PartyPoker.com
World Poker Tour
PartyGaming
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Australian Casino, Gaming And Politics News, by Greg Tingle - 25th August 2010
Australian casino, gaming and political news remains crazy. Australia is counting the final ballots as Australia awaits the announcement of who the Prime Minister actually is! Crown casino has signed up more world class entertainment acts and online gaming and gambling moves forward down under, as the industry awaits internet laws to catch up to reality, in line with much of the rest of the world. James Packers' Crown Casino marketing, internet and legal is going to be very busy, as they updated system and websites to the evolution of the online gaming world, with a bit of Aussie Casino Wars on the side. Media Man and Gambling911 once again dominate the world of online gaming reporting, with just enough politics to keep them honest. Enjoy the ongoing journey of discovery...
Crown Casino Getting More Top Line Entertainment Acts...
The Australian Bee Gees Show returns to The Palms with a brand new show celebrating 50 years of wonderful music by the Brothers Gibb. This multimedia concert event is the only Melbourne show in the Australian leg of their 2010 world tour. Since 1996, The Australian Bee Gees Show has played to capacity houses around the world, cementing their reputation as an exceptional live concert act and the world's leading Bee Gees show. For one night only be a part of the magic that is, The Australian Bee Gees Show. Date Saturday 28 August 2010
Time: Doors Open: 7:30pm
Australian Hip Hop Championships 2010 - 18th September
Tommy Fleming - 1 - 2 October
Village People - 8 - 9 October
Cirque Mother Africa - 12 - 24 October
Bjorn Again - 18 - 21 October
Leo Sayer - 27 November
World's Top ABBA Show BJORN AGAIN Coming To Crown Casino 'The Palms' This November...
BJORN AGAIN plus Special guest support are The Old Romantics who are a highly entertaining parody of the New Romantic music era in the 80's, featuring songs by Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran and Culture Club. Get ready to have the time of your life! Tickets available from 9:00am 24 August, 2010. Dates: Thursday 18 - Sunday 23 November 2010
Tabcorp May Take On US Private Debt!...
Australian gaming gaint Tabcorp Holdings is looking at refinancing options as debt repayments near, and declared a preference for placing bonds in the US private debt market, its finance top brass says.. The firm would consider Australia dollars and other currencies, but the US traditional private placement market would be a natural place to revisit since the company has issued $US1 billion ($A1.11 billion) of bonds there, chief financial officer Matt Bekier told the press. "Ideally, I'd like to get 12 to 15-year money," Bekier said.
Traditional private placements in the United States have been a popular source of funds for Australian companies looking for long-dated debt. 7 Australian borrowers raised a total of $US2.2 billion so far this year. Bekier also said he was committed to keeping the firm's investment grade ratings, as Tabcorp embarks on an $860 million expansion strategy. Tabcorp is trying to fill a looming hole in its earnings from 2012 when it and Tatts Group are due to lose their duopoly on gaming machines in the Australian state of Victoria. This month, ratings agency Standard & Poor's warned it may cut Tabcorp's BBB-plus ratings due to higher debt levels after spending money on a revamp of Sydney's Star City Casino. "We want to remain investment grade, whether they are BBB flat or BBB-plus," Mr Bekier said. The lowest ratings for investment grade is BBB-minus. Bekier said his main focus was ensuring gross debt did not exceed a ratio of 2-2.5 times the firm's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation. He did not say where the ratio stood currently, though it was within that range. "That is, to me, the bigger metric," Bekier said. As to whether Tabcorp would consider raising equity to protect its ratings downgrade, as suggested by a Merrill Lynch research report, Bekier is unequivocal. "The idea we would raise equity just to maintain a specific rating is a bit outlandish," Bekier said. Tabcorp has $450 million of debt maturing in just over one year and is looking at refinancing into long-term debt. Typical buyers of US traditional private placements are "buy and hold" US insurance companies keen on long-dated paper to match their liabilities. Bekier said the Australian dollar bond market would always be part of Tabcorp's funding strategy but would not be its core, mostly because of the firm's focus on long-term debt. The gaming outfit could also sell Australian dollar retail bonds, as it did last year when all other long-term funding avenues were shut in the wake of the global financial crisis. However, Bekier highlighted the high costs associated with selling retail bonds. "It was relatively expensive," Bekier said, adding that the all-in cost of issuing retail bonds was around 100 basis points above what Tabcorp could get elsewhere. Unlike Japan and New Zealand, retail bond offers are rare in Australia, where bonds are typically reserved for professional investors. The Aussie authorities introduced this year measures to to ease documentation and speed up the lengthy process to give that market a boost. Yet Tabcorp's Bekier said the regulators would have to go much further still to attract borrowers. Looks like the Aussie Casino Wars are taking on more of an international flavor. Debt anyone?
Greens Exclude Themselves From Cabinet: Betfair Fun And Games...
The two Greens members of the Tasmanian Cabinet have excluded themselves from Cabinet deliberations over Betfair. Greens leader Nick McKim and the Greens Cabinet secretary Cassy O'Connor 48 hours ago exercised their right to abstain from Cabinet deliberations on an area of policy difference. Labor members of Cabinet approved legislation to enact a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Government and the online betting agency Betfair before the March state election. It includes a reduction in the company's state tax contribution, a move opposed by the Greens. McKim says it is simply a policy clash that will happen from time to time in the power-sharing Cabinet. Bartlett says it's the first time the Greens Cabinet members have abstained from deliberations under the power-sharing model. He says the difference was handled with maturity. "The spirit of cabinet is a very positive one," he said. Bartlett says the rest of Cabinet supported legislation to reduce the company's state tax contribution to secure its future in Tasmania for another 10 years. "This is a clear indication that this relationship is maturing and that the protocols that we have put in place to provide for certainty and stability are working." Liberal leader Will Hodgman says it is a split that highlights the uncertainty and instability of the Labor-Green Government. His statement did not indicate whether the Liberals would support the Betfair bill. Political analyst Richard Herr says if the Greens oppose the Betfair bill, the Government will need the support of the Liberals to pass the legislation. "Well the Government will realise that if it proceeds to present this to the House and the Greens do not support it and the Liberals don't support it then it will fall over, it'll fail," he said. "Either they're betting the Opposition will or they are manoeuvring to oppose the legislation in hopes that it will embarrass the opposition." Stay tuned to Media Man and Gambling911 for more political and gaming fun and games, and Packer's Betfair (now understood to be off the ACMA blacklist) is tipped to remain in the thick of the action.
Punters Remain Excited On Aussie Election Result...
Australian punters wagered as much as $10 million on the election poll, with 1000s taking their changes on the craze that is election betting. There's is no sign of when the bookies will pay out or even when betting markets will actually close. Many are still taking bets on the final results two major betting agencies reported a flood of money rushing back to Julia Gillard on Monday afternoon. Prime Minister Gillard is neck and neck with Parliamentary Secretary Bill Shorten for the top job, says many punters. Betfair insiders Daniel Hoare went on record with "By Friday afternoon we had somewhere around $2.5 million on the federal election market overall. But at that point in time about mid-afternoon Friday there was about $3,000 a minute being traded on the election. That market now is bordering on $3.5 million. In the past few hours there's been a significant move towards Labor. This morning the Coalition were red-hot favourites to find a way to form government, but for some reason in the past few hours those odds have tightened right in for Labor and it's almost pretty much a toss-of-the-coin market at the moment and it's heavily fluctuating as we speak." Analyst Neil Evans from online betting agency Centrebet also noticed an increase in the total amount gambled and advised about $5.5 million has been wagered through Centrebet. "Certainly in the main book, the prime ministerial book, the market's still powering away," he said. "Hung Parliament punters of course have been paid and those who took the Coalition with the start, they're all in the winners' queue and of course most of the seats, but the battle goes on. It's been a very big day for the Australian Labor Party, who went from being favourite for so long out to a clear outsider overnight, with negotiations continuing. "But they've been backed from as high as $2.75 right down to $1.85 equal now with the Coalition. So the momentum back with Labor, the Coalition coming a long way out from $1.40 out to $1.85.". Some academic research suggests betting trends are a more reliable indicator of a likely election result than opinion polls. Newspoll, which is published in The Australian newspaper, was the closest to predicting the result with its final poll on Saturday. "We came out with a 50.2 two-party to a 49.8 in favour of Labor, which shows that we're very likely to have a hung Parliament. It was so close to 50-50 it wasn't funny," said Newspoll chief executive Martin O'Shannessy. Most of the other national polls showed a narrow Labor win, with the party ahead of the Coalition 52 to 48 on a two-party preferred basis. Newspoll had also been predicting a 52 to 48 result for most of the campaign and Mr O'Shannessy admits to being slightly nervous about Saturday's poll. "Obviously when you see a change like that, and especially the big negative swing in Queensland, you worry. "Then you look at it and you think well, a big move like that is much more than what you'd expect from sampling error, so the odds are then hundreds to one against it actually being sampling error. "And so while your hands shake, you have to remind yourself of the rules of sampling and you know and go with it."
Australian Punters Back Coalition To Form Government...(But Keeps Changing)!!!
Aussie bookies have installed the coalition as the favourite to form government following an inconclusive result from Saturday's federal election.
Aristocrat Not Concerned About Poker Machine Rules And Regulations...
Tougher rules and regulations on Aussie pokies are not likely to be a big ticket item of the new federal government, the gambling machine manufacturer Aristocrat Leisure has gone on record with. The company's half-year results went public less than 48 hours ago, and showed a 23% drop in revenue and a net profit of $49.5 million, Aristocrat's chief executive, Jamie Odell, advised he did not expect a new government would act soon on recommendations of the Productivity Commission's recent report on gambling, and did not factor it into his outlook. The report, published way back in June, proposes $1 bet limits with a maximum of $20 to be fed into a machine at any one time and recommends a pre-commitment system by 2016, for players to set a limit on the amount they are prepared to lose. The former prime minister Kevin Rudd referred the report to a council of state governments to consider. First things first...Once the election results are known, the new parliament may include the independent anti-pokie campaigner Andrew Wilkie. The Greens, who support greater restrictions on poker machines, will hold the balance of power in the Senate. 'O' told analysts earlier in the week that it was too early to know what all this might mean, and any changes would need to be managed "in an orderly manner through new product coming through. In the short term I'm not factoring anything in around the government because, like you, I don't know which government we will take or what influence that will have, but I would think with all the other issues around it wouldn't be the first cab off the block." Aristocrat's profit includes a $12.7 million sale of an asset, but also represents a turnaround from the $33 million loss the company reported this time last year, and its $157 million full-year loss. It reported encouraging results in its biggest market, North America, where profit rose 5.5% in local currency, but it made a 199 million-yen loss in Japan. Aussie revenue fell 22% and profit fell 46% to $11.8 million. Odell described the local result as unacceptable and attributed it to difficult market conditions "legacy issues" within the company. Aristocrat reported some good news with strong sales in Macau and in Singapore's 2 new casinos but Odell said he expected trading conditions to remain difficult in most markets. "We do not expect any improvement over the balance of 2010." Aristocrat declared an unfranked 3.5% dividend to be paid on September 30. Profit results were roughly in line with expectations, and shares rose 2.62% to close off at $3.52.
James Packer: Casino And Media King News Report...
James Packer's pay television investment group Consolidated Media Holdings last week said it would not seek a new standstill agreement with Kerry Stokes' Seven Group Holdings when the current agreement expires on September 10. The 2 groups reached the agreement last year following Seven raids on Consolidated Media, which raised Seven's stake in the group to 19.9%, compared to James Packer's 40.8% holding.
Mildura Jewel Casino Prop: Up To Public...
If Mildura wants a casino now is the time for the city’s “movers and shakers” to back the proposed $400 million development. That is the view of the man behind the Mildura Jewel entertainment and convention centre plan, casino and property developer John Haddad. In an exclusive interview with the Sunraysia Daily this week, Mr Had dad said the time for him to “push” the project had lapsed – it was now up to Mildura to show it wanted the development. It was a development he labelled “a once in a lifetime opportunity” for Mildura, one he hoped people would see as critical to underpinning the city’s future. “It’s a Mildura thing now, not a John Haddad thing anymore,” he said. “I’m not pushing it now – I’m standing back. “I’ve put the project and the idea together for everybody to look at. “I’ll await the outcome. “All I will say is that it’s an extraordinary opportunity that has been handed to Mildura by the government, to be able to decide whether it wants the Jewel or not.” Casino proponents have been buoyed in recent weeks by the level of backing from various interest groups around the city. Last week, a group calling itself the Mildura Progress Action Group met for the first time, its immediate aim to gain information on the development and the processes needed to move it forward. It followed earlier backing from the newly formed Advance Northwest Association, a resident-based, pro-development lobby group.
South Australian Govt Missing Millions Thanks To Online Gambling; Could Be National Trend...
Online gambling is clearly understood to be diverting tax money from state coffers as punters go colder on poker machines and give online pokies from the likes of PartyGaming, Centrebet, PKR, Virgin, Roxy Palace, Captain Cooks Casino and Media Man white label type deals a go. The most recent figures show a significant dip in the amount gamblers pour into the state's pokies and a $10 million annual fall in tax revenue. State Government analysis shows punters put $729 million into pokies in the past financial year, compared with $750 million in the 12 months to June 30, 2009. The result is the lowest annual outlay on poker machines for 6 years and has resulted in a Government gaming tax revenue drop from $292 million to $282 million in the past year. Experts say mass-media advertising campaigns have driven a dramatic rise in the popularity of internet gambling, which sidesteps traditional tax regulations. South Australian pubs and clubs have also suffered an $11 million revenue hit, which comes as smoking bans look to further harm the sector. Australian Hotels Association general manager Ian Horne said competition from both sports betting and online gambling outlets was placing major pressure on the industry. "The sports betting market is expanding enormously," he said. "Just look at the betting options for the federal election. The promotion of betting odds was unprecedented. It's becoming the normal way of life to bet on anything and everything." Horne said poker machines had been unfairly "demonised" while other gambling options were considered socially acceptable. A spokeswoman for Gambling Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the decline could be attributed to reduced household expenditure for recreational activities. "This expenditure is also affected by the Reserve Bank's increasing of interest rates over the past 12 months," she said. The spokeswoman also said the Government was working to reduce the number of pokies, despite figures showing 7 more in use now than last year. "There is always some variation in the number of live machines, as gaming venues may not use all of their entitlements, for example during renovations," she said.
"The Rann Government is committed to reducing pokie machine entitlements by 3000. "So far the Government has removed more than 2200 gaming machine entitlements from SA venues." Treasurer Kevin Foley has warned the state to brace for a tough September 14 Budget, saying the lingering impact of the global financial crisis has diminished revenue. Media Man and Gambling911 have strong reason to believe that online gaming and gambling will continue to grow in the Australian - Asia Pacific region, and many land based venues will continue to be hit hard.
A Media Man spokesperson said "Online gambling and gaming is here to stay in Australia. The internet is of course a global medium. Website portals, affiliate programmes, and media agency deals help determine where the traffic, players, entertainment dollar and media coverage goes to. Even Fairfax Media, News Limited and Google are big industry players now. YouTube may ramp up also. Website portal developers such as us have also done well. This is all fueled by media and gaming press speculation, and remains hot fodder for news articles. PartyGaming, Virgin, World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker remain some of the biggest brands that often get major articles in mainstream press, so of which we help facilitate, be it officially or unofficially. Smart Australian casino operators such as Crown Casino are starting to plug into the action, exampled by Crown accepting PartyGaming - PartyPoker.com online poker players as part of their Aussie Millions promo last year... one by an Aussie, and will be doing the same again this year. Google is pushing forward with Google Games on the back of Pac-Man. Marvel Entertainment, Sega, DC Comics and even Harrah's are expected to ramp up. Gambling911 and Media Man will remain in the thick of the action, even though gaming and sports betting are only 2 of about a dozen of sectors covered. Many media companies are heding thier bets are offering strong coverge, while also covering many of industries like tech, politics, entertainment and the like. Some brands like Party and Virgin are in a number of sectors which is very exciting and profitable. Online variations of Cleopatra, Monopoly and Sinatra remain the top slots, with Tomb Raider enjoying a second wind, with 3D games like Heist on the upswing too. The industry is looking forward to a further improved remainder of the year, and punters will be able to benifit from great promos and deals, so its a win - win - win".
Media Man Profiles
Australia
Crown Casino
Burswood Casino
Aussie Millions
James Packer
Australian Casinos
Aussie Millions Poker Championship At Crown Casino This January...
Folks, mark it down in your diary. Australia's richest poker tournament is coming back to Crown in Melbourne this January.
Readers, is it time for Crown and Burswood to get their own branded online casino games like 'Underbelly' and 'Kerry Packer'? Has Crown now got its security levels to the right level? What other developments would you like to see at Packer's world of entertainment? What's your favorite casino games and why? Tell us in the forum.
Crown Limited Shares...
$8.350
Readers, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Want more good Aussie fodder... check out Media Man and the 'Australian Casino Wars' portfolio at Gambling911 of course. Good punting.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
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Australian casino, gaming and political news remains crazy. Australia is counting the final ballots as Australia awaits the announcement of who the Prime Minister actually is! Crown casino has signed up more world class entertainment acts and online gaming and gambling moves forward down under, as the industry awaits internet laws to catch up to reality, in line with much of the rest of the world. James Packers' Crown Casino marketing, internet and legal is going to be very busy, as they updated system and websites to the evolution of the online gaming world, with a bit of Aussie Casino Wars on the side. Media Man and Gambling911 once again dominate the world of online gaming reporting, with just enough politics to keep them honest. Enjoy the ongoing journey of discovery...
Crown Casino Getting More Top Line Entertainment Acts...
The Australian Bee Gees Show returns to The Palms with a brand new show celebrating 50 years of wonderful music by the Brothers Gibb. This multimedia concert event is the only Melbourne show in the Australian leg of their 2010 world tour. Since 1996, The Australian Bee Gees Show has played to capacity houses around the world, cementing their reputation as an exceptional live concert act and the world's leading Bee Gees show. For one night only be a part of the magic that is, The Australian Bee Gees Show. Date Saturday 28 August 2010
Time: Doors Open: 7:30pm
Australian Hip Hop Championships 2010 - 18th September
Tommy Fleming - 1 - 2 October
Village People - 8 - 9 October
Cirque Mother Africa - 12 - 24 October
Bjorn Again - 18 - 21 October
Leo Sayer - 27 November
World's Top ABBA Show BJORN AGAIN Coming To Crown Casino 'The Palms' This November...
BJORN AGAIN plus Special guest support are The Old Romantics who are a highly entertaining parody of the New Romantic music era in the 80's, featuring songs by Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran and Culture Club. Get ready to have the time of your life! Tickets available from 9:00am 24 August, 2010. Dates: Thursday 18 - Sunday 23 November 2010
Tabcorp May Take On US Private Debt!...
Australian gaming gaint Tabcorp Holdings is looking at refinancing options as debt repayments near, and declared a preference for placing bonds in the US private debt market, its finance top brass says.. The firm would consider Australia dollars and other currencies, but the US traditional private placement market would be a natural place to revisit since the company has issued $US1 billion ($A1.11 billion) of bonds there, chief financial officer Matt Bekier told the press. "Ideally, I'd like to get 12 to 15-year money," Bekier said.
Traditional private placements in the United States have been a popular source of funds for Australian companies looking for long-dated debt. 7 Australian borrowers raised a total of $US2.2 billion so far this year. Bekier also said he was committed to keeping the firm's investment grade ratings, as Tabcorp embarks on an $860 million expansion strategy. Tabcorp is trying to fill a looming hole in its earnings from 2012 when it and Tatts Group are due to lose their duopoly on gaming machines in the Australian state of Victoria. This month, ratings agency Standard & Poor's warned it may cut Tabcorp's BBB-plus ratings due to higher debt levels after spending money on a revamp of Sydney's Star City Casino. "We want to remain investment grade, whether they are BBB flat or BBB-plus," Mr Bekier said. The lowest ratings for investment grade is BBB-minus. Bekier said his main focus was ensuring gross debt did not exceed a ratio of 2-2.5 times the firm's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation. He did not say where the ratio stood currently, though it was within that range. "That is, to me, the bigger metric," Bekier said. As to whether Tabcorp would consider raising equity to protect its ratings downgrade, as suggested by a Merrill Lynch research report, Bekier is unequivocal. "The idea we would raise equity just to maintain a specific rating is a bit outlandish," Bekier said. Tabcorp has $450 million of debt maturing in just over one year and is looking at refinancing into long-term debt. Typical buyers of US traditional private placements are "buy and hold" US insurance companies keen on long-dated paper to match their liabilities. Bekier said the Australian dollar bond market would always be part of Tabcorp's funding strategy but would not be its core, mostly because of the firm's focus on long-term debt. The gaming outfit could also sell Australian dollar retail bonds, as it did last year when all other long-term funding avenues were shut in the wake of the global financial crisis. However, Bekier highlighted the high costs associated with selling retail bonds. "It was relatively expensive," Bekier said, adding that the all-in cost of issuing retail bonds was around 100 basis points above what Tabcorp could get elsewhere. Unlike Japan and New Zealand, retail bond offers are rare in Australia, where bonds are typically reserved for professional investors. The Aussie authorities introduced this year measures to to ease documentation and speed up the lengthy process to give that market a boost. Yet Tabcorp's Bekier said the regulators would have to go much further still to attract borrowers. Looks like the Aussie Casino Wars are taking on more of an international flavor. Debt anyone?
Greens Exclude Themselves From Cabinet: Betfair Fun And Games...
The two Greens members of the Tasmanian Cabinet have excluded themselves from Cabinet deliberations over Betfair. Greens leader Nick McKim and the Greens Cabinet secretary Cassy O'Connor 48 hours ago exercised their right to abstain from Cabinet deliberations on an area of policy difference. Labor members of Cabinet approved legislation to enact a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Government and the online betting agency Betfair before the March state election. It includes a reduction in the company's state tax contribution, a move opposed by the Greens. McKim says it is simply a policy clash that will happen from time to time in the power-sharing Cabinet. Bartlett says it's the first time the Greens Cabinet members have abstained from deliberations under the power-sharing model. He says the difference was handled with maturity. "The spirit of cabinet is a very positive one," he said. Bartlett says the rest of Cabinet supported legislation to reduce the company's state tax contribution to secure its future in Tasmania for another 10 years. "This is a clear indication that this relationship is maturing and that the protocols that we have put in place to provide for certainty and stability are working." Liberal leader Will Hodgman says it is a split that highlights the uncertainty and instability of the Labor-Green Government. His statement did not indicate whether the Liberals would support the Betfair bill. Political analyst Richard Herr says if the Greens oppose the Betfair bill, the Government will need the support of the Liberals to pass the legislation. "Well the Government will realise that if it proceeds to present this to the House and the Greens do not support it and the Liberals don't support it then it will fall over, it'll fail," he said. "Either they're betting the Opposition will or they are manoeuvring to oppose the legislation in hopes that it will embarrass the opposition." Stay tuned to Media Man and Gambling911 for more political and gaming fun and games, and Packer's Betfair (now understood to be off the ACMA blacklist) is tipped to remain in the thick of the action.
Punters Remain Excited On Aussie Election Result...
Australian punters wagered as much as $10 million on the election poll, with 1000s taking their changes on the craze that is election betting. There's is no sign of when the bookies will pay out or even when betting markets will actually close. Many are still taking bets on the final results two major betting agencies reported a flood of money rushing back to Julia Gillard on Monday afternoon. Prime Minister Gillard is neck and neck with Parliamentary Secretary Bill Shorten for the top job, says many punters. Betfair insiders Daniel Hoare went on record with "By Friday afternoon we had somewhere around $2.5 million on the federal election market overall. But at that point in time about mid-afternoon Friday there was about $3,000 a minute being traded on the election. That market now is bordering on $3.5 million. In the past few hours there's been a significant move towards Labor. This morning the Coalition were red-hot favourites to find a way to form government, but for some reason in the past few hours those odds have tightened right in for Labor and it's almost pretty much a toss-of-the-coin market at the moment and it's heavily fluctuating as we speak." Analyst Neil Evans from online betting agency Centrebet also noticed an increase in the total amount gambled and advised about $5.5 million has been wagered through Centrebet. "Certainly in the main book, the prime ministerial book, the market's still powering away," he said. "Hung Parliament punters of course have been paid and those who took the Coalition with the start, they're all in the winners' queue and of course most of the seats, but the battle goes on. It's been a very big day for the Australian Labor Party, who went from being favourite for so long out to a clear outsider overnight, with negotiations continuing. "But they've been backed from as high as $2.75 right down to $1.85 equal now with the Coalition. So the momentum back with Labor, the Coalition coming a long way out from $1.40 out to $1.85.". Some academic research suggests betting trends are a more reliable indicator of a likely election result than opinion polls. Newspoll, which is published in The Australian newspaper, was the closest to predicting the result with its final poll on Saturday. "We came out with a 50.2 two-party to a 49.8 in favour of Labor, which shows that we're very likely to have a hung Parliament. It was so close to 50-50 it wasn't funny," said Newspoll chief executive Martin O'Shannessy. Most of the other national polls showed a narrow Labor win, with the party ahead of the Coalition 52 to 48 on a two-party preferred basis. Newspoll had also been predicting a 52 to 48 result for most of the campaign and Mr O'Shannessy admits to being slightly nervous about Saturday's poll. "Obviously when you see a change like that, and especially the big negative swing in Queensland, you worry. "Then you look at it and you think well, a big move like that is much more than what you'd expect from sampling error, so the odds are then hundreds to one against it actually being sampling error. "And so while your hands shake, you have to remind yourself of the rules of sampling and you know and go with it."
Australian Punters Back Coalition To Form Government...(But Keeps Changing)!!!
Aussie bookies have installed the coalition as the favourite to form government following an inconclusive result from Saturday's federal election.
Aristocrat Not Concerned About Poker Machine Rules And Regulations...
Tougher rules and regulations on Aussie pokies are not likely to be a big ticket item of the new federal government, the gambling machine manufacturer Aristocrat Leisure has gone on record with. The company's half-year results went public less than 48 hours ago, and showed a 23% drop in revenue and a net profit of $49.5 million, Aristocrat's chief executive, Jamie Odell, advised he did not expect a new government would act soon on recommendations of the Productivity Commission's recent report on gambling, and did not factor it into his outlook. The report, published way back in June, proposes $1 bet limits with a maximum of $20 to be fed into a machine at any one time and recommends a pre-commitment system by 2016, for players to set a limit on the amount they are prepared to lose. The former prime minister Kevin Rudd referred the report to a council of state governments to consider. First things first...Once the election results are known, the new parliament may include the independent anti-pokie campaigner Andrew Wilkie. The Greens, who support greater restrictions on poker machines, will hold the balance of power in the Senate. 'O' told analysts earlier in the week that it was too early to know what all this might mean, and any changes would need to be managed "in an orderly manner through new product coming through. In the short term I'm not factoring anything in around the government because, like you, I don't know which government we will take or what influence that will have, but I would think with all the other issues around it wouldn't be the first cab off the block." Aristocrat's profit includes a $12.7 million sale of an asset, but also represents a turnaround from the $33 million loss the company reported this time last year, and its $157 million full-year loss. It reported encouraging results in its biggest market, North America, where profit rose 5.5% in local currency, but it made a 199 million-yen loss in Japan. Aussie revenue fell 22% and profit fell 46% to $11.8 million. Odell described the local result as unacceptable and attributed it to difficult market conditions "legacy issues" within the company. Aristocrat reported some good news with strong sales in Macau and in Singapore's 2 new casinos but Odell said he expected trading conditions to remain difficult in most markets. "We do not expect any improvement over the balance of 2010." Aristocrat declared an unfranked 3.5% dividend to be paid on September 30. Profit results were roughly in line with expectations, and shares rose 2.62% to close off at $3.52.
James Packer: Casino And Media King News Report...
James Packer's pay television investment group Consolidated Media Holdings last week said it would not seek a new standstill agreement with Kerry Stokes' Seven Group Holdings when the current agreement expires on September 10. The 2 groups reached the agreement last year following Seven raids on Consolidated Media, which raised Seven's stake in the group to 19.9%, compared to James Packer's 40.8% holding.
Mildura Jewel Casino Prop: Up To Public...
If Mildura wants a casino now is the time for the city’s “movers and shakers” to back the proposed $400 million development. That is the view of the man behind the Mildura Jewel entertainment and convention centre plan, casino and property developer John Haddad. In an exclusive interview with the Sunraysia Daily this week, Mr Had dad said the time for him to “push” the project had lapsed – it was now up to Mildura to show it wanted the development. It was a development he labelled “a once in a lifetime opportunity” for Mildura, one he hoped people would see as critical to underpinning the city’s future. “It’s a Mildura thing now, not a John Haddad thing anymore,” he said. “I’m not pushing it now – I’m standing back. “I’ve put the project and the idea together for everybody to look at. “I’ll await the outcome. “All I will say is that it’s an extraordinary opportunity that has been handed to Mildura by the government, to be able to decide whether it wants the Jewel or not.” Casino proponents have been buoyed in recent weeks by the level of backing from various interest groups around the city. Last week, a group calling itself the Mildura Progress Action Group met for the first time, its immediate aim to gain information on the development and the processes needed to move it forward. It followed earlier backing from the newly formed Advance Northwest Association, a resident-based, pro-development lobby group.
South Australian Govt Missing Millions Thanks To Online Gambling; Could Be National Trend...
Online gambling is clearly understood to be diverting tax money from state coffers as punters go colder on poker machines and give online pokies from the likes of PartyGaming, Centrebet, PKR, Virgin, Roxy Palace, Captain Cooks Casino and Media Man white label type deals a go. The most recent figures show a significant dip in the amount gamblers pour into the state's pokies and a $10 million annual fall in tax revenue. State Government analysis shows punters put $729 million into pokies in the past financial year, compared with $750 million in the 12 months to June 30, 2009. The result is the lowest annual outlay on poker machines for 6 years and has resulted in a Government gaming tax revenue drop from $292 million to $282 million in the past year. Experts say mass-media advertising campaigns have driven a dramatic rise in the popularity of internet gambling, which sidesteps traditional tax regulations. South Australian pubs and clubs have also suffered an $11 million revenue hit, which comes as smoking bans look to further harm the sector. Australian Hotels Association general manager Ian Horne said competition from both sports betting and online gambling outlets was placing major pressure on the industry. "The sports betting market is expanding enormously," he said. "Just look at the betting options for the federal election. The promotion of betting odds was unprecedented. It's becoming the normal way of life to bet on anything and everything." Horne said poker machines had been unfairly "demonised" while other gambling options were considered socially acceptable. A spokeswoman for Gambling Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the decline could be attributed to reduced household expenditure for recreational activities. "This expenditure is also affected by the Reserve Bank's increasing of interest rates over the past 12 months," she said. The spokeswoman also said the Government was working to reduce the number of pokies, despite figures showing 7 more in use now than last year. "There is always some variation in the number of live machines, as gaming venues may not use all of their entitlements, for example during renovations," she said.
"The Rann Government is committed to reducing pokie machine entitlements by 3000. "So far the Government has removed more than 2200 gaming machine entitlements from SA venues." Treasurer Kevin Foley has warned the state to brace for a tough September 14 Budget, saying the lingering impact of the global financial crisis has diminished revenue. Media Man and Gambling911 have strong reason to believe that online gaming and gambling will continue to grow in the Australian - Asia Pacific region, and many land based venues will continue to be hit hard.
A Media Man spokesperson said "Online gambling and gaming is here to stay in Australia. The internet is of course a global medium. Website portals, affiliate programmes, and media agency deals help determine where the traffic, players, entertainment dollar and media coverage goes to. Even Fairfax Media, News Limited and Google are big industry players now. YouTube may ramp up also. Website portal developers such as us have also done well. This is all fueled by media and gaming press speculation, and remains hot fodder for news articles. PartyGaming, Virgin, World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker remain some of the biggest brands that often get major articles in mainstream press, so of which we help facilitate, be it officially or unofficially. Smart Australian casino operators such as Crown Casino are starting to plug into the action, exampled by Crown accepting PartyGaming - PartyPoker.com online poker players as part of their Aussie Millions promo last year... one by an Aussie, and will be doing the same again this year. Google is pushing forward with Google Games on the back of Pac-Man. Marvel Entertainment, Sega, DC Comics and even Harrah's are expected to ramp up. Gambling911 and Media Man will remain in the thick of the action, even though gaming and sports betting are only 2 of about a dozen of sectors covered. Many media companies are heding thier bets are offering strong coverge, while also covering many of industries like tech, politics, entertainment and the like. Some brands like Party and Virgin are in a number of sectors which is very exciting and profitable. Online variations of Cleopatra, Monopoly and Sinatra remain the top slots, with Tomb Raider enjoying a second wind, with 3D games like Heist on the upswing too. The industry is looking forward to a further improved remainder of the year, and punters will be able to benifit from great promos and deals, so its a win - win - win".
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Aussie Millions Poker Championship At Crown Casino This January...
Folks, mark it down in your diary. Australia's richest poker tournament is coming back to Crown in Melbourne this January.
Readers, is it time for Crown and Burswood to get their own branded online casino games like 'Underbelly' and 'Kerry Packer'? Has Crown now got its security levels to the right level? What other developments would you like to see at Packer's world of entertainment? What's your favorite casino games and why? Tell us in the forum.
Crown Limited Shares...
$8.350
Readers, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Want more good Aussie fodder... check out Media Man and the 'Australian Casino Wars' portfolio at Gambling911 of course. Good punting.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
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Sunday, August 22, 2010
Australian Casino News: Crown Casino And Crown Limited Special, by Greg Tingle - 22nd August 2010
Australian casino, gaming and politic news remains red hot. The Australian Parliament may be hung...with the balance of power scenarios upon us, complete Labor getting a beating from Liberal's Tony "The Bruiser" Abbott and the Coalition...and Crown casino king James Packer is riding the high seas, but its business as usual at Crown Casino and its swinging sister, Burswood Entertainment Complex. Media Man and Gambling911 pick up the baton sticks and plastic handcuffs with this special report on the good, the bad, the ugly and the sexy at Crown Limited aka Billionaire Inc...
World's Top ABBA Show BJORN AGAIN Coming To Crown Casino 'The Palms' This November...
The world's #1 ABBA tribute show, BJORN AGAIN, return to The Palms to present THE ABBA GOLD CONCERT. Bjorn Again will perform all songs from "ABBA GOLD", the definitive collection of ABBA's greatest hits. This album has sold over 26 million copies worldwide and is in the top 30 best-selling albums of all time. This will be an amazing show and a great experience not to be missed. Bjorn Again were formed in Melbourne in 1988 and have performed in over 70 countries to critical acclaim. Bjorn Again have developed a world-wide following, even gaining praise from the original ABBA members, including Benny Anderson who stated: "Fans had better make the most out of Bjorn Again as that's the closest they are going to get to seeing ABBA". Special guest support are The Old Romantics who are a highly entertaining parody of the New Romantic music era in the 80's, featuring songs by Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran and Culture Club. Get ready to have the time of your life! Tickets available from 9:00am 24 August, 2010. Dates: Thursday 18 - Sunday 23 November 2010
Is Crown Casino Management In A Battle With Chef Gordon Ramsay?...What's Cooking?...
That's the question on the lips of Australia's foodie and casino industry. Numerous Australian editors and journalists are now saying the fight is on. Too many cooks in the kitchen, or not enough good ones, and what's happened on eh bean counter (money making and paying) front. Chef Gordon Ramsay is understand to be at war with Crown Casino, and its hotter than Hell's Kitchen. This news comes less than six months after media "custard tart" (Media Man inside joke) launch of his flagship restaurant in the Metropol complex section of Crown. Ramsay's Maze and Maze Grill are rumored (not fact - don't call the lawyers) to be flushing down the loo towards $20 grand a friggen week after the casino invested more than $10 million bucks on refurbishing the eateries and the like, leaked a number of sources, one known to MM and G911 as "Deep Throat" (not real name, nor a star in the movie sharing the same title). The restaurants' financial woes have soured and porked relations between Crown powers that be and the foul-mouthed chef, who are now commenced negotiations over Maze's future! A Network Nine reality TV show was previously on the cards but now looks to be in doubt. Crown pays roughly 6% of gross sales and a small percentage of profits to Gordon Ramsay Holdings, a deal which provides things like branding and marketing. Ramsay is understood to invoice Crown for the salaries of Maze's chef de cuisine Josh Emett and several senior cooks and assorted staffers. Crown is understood to not have its taste buds satisfied from the biz deal in recent supper sittings, as Ramsay's hospitality empire continues to suffer from the global slump in corporate dining. Sweeeet has turned to sour, and figure pointing goes on to who is a goose, turkey. Speculation also runs rife is Maze will last to see this Christmas' turkey roast dinner party. Crown Casino spokesman Gary O'Neill denied that Maze has gone sour. He spoke with Fairfax Media on the matter and advised "I don't know who has been calling you or for what reason but there is absolutely no truth in that accusation whatsoever. Crown has a very good relationship with Maze. It has exceeded our expectations quite significantly. A large number of people are going there." He also said Maze and Rockpool Bar and Grill were Crown's best-performing restaurants, both by patron numbers and dollars spent. He didn't get into what Maze's profits may or may not in fact be, and bean counters are silent. Restaurant deep throats told our friends at Fairfax Media that Maze and Maze Grill, which combined have more than 250 seats, have struggled somewhat to serve 100 covers a day, particularly early in the week. "Obviously winter is a factor and most places are quieter this time of year, but Mr Ramsay has certainly had a tough introduction to Melbourne,'" one local restaurateur shared. A spokeswoman for Gordon Ramsay Holdings said its agreement with Crown was strictly confidential. 'Ms X' she said Maze was meeting expectations. The king of the chefs also faces problems outside Australia. He was recently hit with a tax bill for $US2 million ($A2.3 million) by United States authorities and is now dealing with a series of lawsuits from unhappy creditors. Ramsay was also forced to close his restaurant in Cape Town last month and sold ("fire sale style")his TV production company for £40 million ($69AUD million) just last week. He disclosed that restaurants in New York, Paris, Los Angeles and Prague were "haemorrhaging" up to £200,000 pounds each month at the climax of the financial recession. Last year, Fairfax Media published that other exclusive Crown eateries were struggling, largely attributed to the global economic downturn, including once ultra exclusive Bistro Guillaume, which won Gourmet Traveller's best new restaurant back in 2009. At the time, owner Guillaume Brahimi and Crown management denied any problems, but it has since closed. Funny that. Punters, is Ramsay's goose cooked? Hot air or hot under the collar of bean counters? Off with his head, or not? Got a beef? Tell us in the forum. You be the judge, jury and executioner!
Burswood Casino Accused Thief Hid Jewels Inside Own Body...
Yuk. Those jewels would have sure required some polishing. International readers, please don't confuse the "jewels" with the proposed 'Mildura Jewel' casino in Melbourne, just saying...Western Australian Police have now formally charged a mug er man...with stealing after he allegedly concealed jewellery inside himself after smashing a display case at Perth's Burswood casino. A glass panel in the display case in the gaming area was smashed in the early hours of Saturday, police told press. A suspect was later located but a search failed to find any stolen items until some dislodged from inside him (via his anus - arse we understand), police said. "He was then transported to Royal Perth Hospital for X-rays and further property was recovered," Inspector Gary Lewis advised. 6 rings and a necklace worth a total of $329,000 were recovered and a 29-year-old man is in custody after being charged to appear in court at a date to be determined. That's what we call an expensive and uncomfortable toilet sitting.
Australian Punters Back Coalition To Form Government...
Aussie bookies have installed the coalition as the favourite to form government following an inconclusive result from Saturday's federal election. Sportingbet Australia has the Coalition at $1.40, while Labor is at $2.80. Sportingbet Australia chief executive Michael 'Mr Sums' Sullivan advised it looked very hard for Labor to form government, and punters had instantly backed the Coalition to come to an agreement with the 3 re-elected independent MPs. "The Coalition are a clear favourite, as it is hard to see how a Labor government relying on support from a Green and essentially conservative independents would ever reach a consensus and be able to function effectively," Sullivan said. Sportingbet opened the book on Sunday with the Coalition at $1.50 and instantly took two bets of $5000 at $1.50 and $1.45. A rival agency, Centrebet, has the Coalition at $1.40 and Labor on $2.85. Ah, what a different a few days can make. Who are you picking? Don't be shy.
Media Man Profiles
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Aussie Millions Poker Championship At Crown Casino This January...
Folks, mark it down in your diary. Australia's richest poker tournament is coming back to Crown in Melbourne this January. Americans might be up for a 20 hour or so flight to get down under, but there's nothing on the planet quite like Aussie biffo, and we hear that Tyron Krost, Stewart Scott, Joe Hachem (2005 WSOP champion), Tony Hachem, Tony G, Shane Warne and Jeff Fenech are ready to serve up biffo in giant size quantities. Insiders are hopefully that Annette 15, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu and Annie Duke will bring their poker feuds down under. Maybe some one will end up in the river! (pun intended).
Readers, is it time for Crown and Burswood to get their own branded online casino games like 'Underbelly' and 'Kerry Packer'? Has Crown now got its security levels to the right level? What other developments would you like to see at Packer's world of entertainment? What's your favorite casino games and why? Tell us in the forum.
James Packer VS Kerry Stokes: ConsMedia War May Erupt...
When now relaxing or make the big decisions at Asia Pacific's most successful casinos, James Packer continues to build up his media empire. Let's take a peek shall we...An understood "peace deal" between Packer and Kerry Stokes over control of Consolidated Media will end next month with the two competitors set to raise the stakes. ConsMedia revealed its annual results yesterday and the executive chairman, John Alexander, said the standstill agreement would not be renewed! A media war to add to the casino wars! "It is a 12-month agreement that will expire and business will continue as usual" he said. Last year, Mr Stokes's Seven Network used a $243 million hostile share raid to increase its stake from just over 4.8 per cent to 19 per cent, then agreed to stop buying ConsMedia shares in exchange for two board seats. With the addition of Ashok Jacob from the Packer camp, this gave the board 10 directors - more than twice the number of the company's employees. ConsMedia's revenue comes from its 25 per cent share of Foxtel and a 50 per cent stake in Premier Media Group, whose other owner is News Limited. Premier produces and buys sporting content for pay television. It generated $447 million in revenue this year, up 2.9 per cent, and contributed $54 million to ConsMedia's net profit, a rise of $1.2 million. The Foxtel share contributed $29.9 million to profits, up $5.1 million. During the year, ConsMedia sold its 25 per cent share in the job site Seek.com for a $305 million profit and sold a Sydney property for $50 million. Despite the sales, the company's net profit fell 8.2 per cent to $392 million, as the previous year was boosted by ConsMedia selling down its stake in PBL Media, which it now values at nil. Punters, its all very complex, but Packer has another war on the horizon, and is set to do more media deals, not just throwing around the dice and shuffling the deck in the casino and gaming sector. You want more... ok, just a teaser.. Packer, through Consolidated Press Holdings, has a 47% stake, up from 38% last July. Channel Seven has a 23% share. Industry analysts expect the buy-back will eventually give Packer a 51% stake and Stokes 25%. What happens next might be up to the Gods. "For Stokes to take out Packer he'd have to offer a pretty big price," 'Mr X' tipped. "Packer's not going to take out Stokes - he could have owned 100% of it previously. So it's whether they get together and privatise it together and take out the minorities, but they'd have to pay a bit of a premium to do that." ConsMedia declared an unfranked dividend of 6¢ to be paid on Red October 15. Hopefully, red turns to green, as it goes in the UFC and formally in the WWE, before blood all but disappeared. Packer's favorite non blood sport is polo, if you forgot, and he also loves sailing the ocean in his prized Arctic P, sometimes catching up with mates overseas like Tom Cruise from 'Top Gun' and 'Mission: Impossible' fame. What Packer has shown is more than possible is cementing his place at the top of the world's gaming, gaming and tourism sector, having the Crown Limited empire ranked in numerous top 10 lists like Forbes, Google and WSJ. That's with or without the media empire arm, recently his media getting a boost from Bondi Beach based media icon David Gyngell, a part of the Media Man "Gumleaf Mafia" media puzzle (ask us over a beer). Packer's main business focus remains casinos with a lifestyle and tourism edge, but continues to hit runs in traditional media and new media. The world awaits a 'Kerry Packer' and 'Underbelly' slot game. Comon' Crown top brass, we know you read this. See you at Bondi Icebergs.. a bit easier than a flight to Melbourne, Perth or Macau...maybe Berg's Gaming hey.
Crown Limited Shares...
$8.390
Crown Casino Connection Colourful Crimes...
'Crown Casino Client Ferrari Stolen With Virgin Valet'
http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/crown-casino-client-ferrari-stolen-virgin-valet-051410.html
'Crown Casino Shaft Man Probed and Charged'
http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/crown-casino-shaft-man-probed-and-charged-080310.html
Readers, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Don't mix your passion for casinos and gaming with crime, and don't do anything we wouldn't do. Up for a punt? Perhaps invest in Crown Limited... we have, and we're up front about it. Feeling really brave... try Tabcorp Holdings, but beware... many tipsters say it might be a few years before a predicated Packer buyout of Tabcorp happens, but it's not a lock in. Want more good Aussie fodder... check out Media Man and the 'Australian Casino Wars' portfolio at Gambling911 of course. Good punting and fair winds.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
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Australian casino, gaming and politic news remains red hot. The Australian Parliament may be hung...with the balance of power scenarios upon us, complete Labor getting a beating from Liberal's Tony "The Bruiser" Abbott and the Coalition...and Crown casino king James Packer is riding the high seas, but its business as usual at Crown Casino and its swinging sister, Burswood Entertainment Complex. Media Man and Gambling911 pick up the baton sticks and plastic handcuffs with this special report on the good, the bad, the ugly and the sexy at Crown Limited aka Billionaire Inc...
World's Top ABBA Show BJORN AGAIN Coming To Crown Casino 'The Palms' This November...
The world's #1 ABBA tribute show, BJORN AGAIN, return to The Palms to present THE ABBA GOLD CONCERT. Bjorn Again will perform all songs from "ABBA GOLD", the definitive collection of ABBA's greatest hits. This album has sold over 26 million copies worldwide and is in the top 30 best-selling albums of all time. This will be an amazing show and a great experience not to be missed. Bjorn Again were formed in Melbourne in 1988 and have performed in over 70 countries to critical acclaim. Bjorn Again have developed a world-wide following, even gaining praise from the original ABBA members, including Benny Anderson who stated: "Fans had better make the most out of Bjorn Again as that's the closest they are going to get to seeing ABBA". Special guest support are The Old Romantics who are a highly entertaining parody of the New Romantic music era in the 80's, featuring songs by Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran and Culture Club. Get ready to have the time of your life! Tickets available from 9:00am 24 August, 2010. Dates: Thursday 18 - Sunday 23 November 2010
Is Crown Casino Management In A Battle With Chef Gordon Ramsay?...What's Cooking?...
That's the question on the lips of Australia's foodie and casino industry. Numerous Australian editors and journalists are now saying the fight is on. Too many cooks in the kitchen, or not enough good ones, and what's happened on eh bean counter (money making and paying) front. Chef Gordon Ramsay is understand to be at war with Crown Casino, and its hotter than Hell's Kitchen. This news comes less than six months after media "custard tart" (Media Man inside joke) launch of his flagship restaurant in the Metropol complex section of Crown. Ramsay's Maze and Maze Grill are rumored (not fact - don't call the lawyers) to be flushing down the loo towards $20 grand a friggen week after the casino invested more than $10 million bucks on refurbishing the eateries and the like, leaked a number of sources, one known to MM and G911 as "Deep Throat" (not real name, nor a star in the movie sharing the same title). The restaurants' financial woes have soured and porked relations between Crown powers that be and the foul-mouthed chef, who are now commenced negotiations over Maze's future! A Network Nine reality TV show was previously on the cards but now looks to be in doubt. Crown pays roughly 6% of gross sales and a small percentage of profits to Gordon Ramsay Holdings, a deal which provides things like branding and marketing. Ramsay is understood to invoice Crown for the salaries of Maze's chef de cuisine Josh Emett and several senior cooks and assorted staffers. Crown is understood to not have its taste buds satisfied from the biz deal in recent supper sittings, as Ramsay's hospitality empire continues to suffer from the global slump in corporate dining. Sweeeet has turned to sour, and figure pointing goes on to who is a goose, turkey. Speculation also runs rife is Maze will last to see this Christmas' turkey roast dinner party. Crown Casino spokesman Gary O'Neill denied that Maze has gone sour. He spoke with Fairfax Media on the matter and advised "I don't know who has been calling you or for what reason but there is absolutely no truth in that accusation whatsoever. Crown has a very good relationship with Maze. It has exceeded our expectations quite significantly. A large number of people are going there." He also said Maze and Rockpool Bar and Grill were Crown's best-performing restaurants, both by patron numbers and dollars spent. He didn't get into what Maze's profits may or may not in fact be, and bean counters are silent. Restaurant deep throats told our friends at Fairfax Media that Maze and Maze Grill, which combined have more than 250 seats, have struggled somewhat to serve 100 covers a day, particularly early in the week. "Obviously winter is a factor and most places are quieter this time of year, but Mr Ramsay has certainly had a tough introduction to Melbourne,'" one local restaurateur shared. A spokeswoman for Gordon Ramsay Holdings said its agreement with Crown was strictly confidential. 'Ms X' she said Maze was meeting expectations. The king of the chefs also faces problems outside Australia. He was recently hit with a tax bill for $US2 million ($A2.3 million) by United States authorities and is now dealing with a series of lawsuits from unhappy creditors. Ramsay was also forced to close his restaurant in Cape Town last month and sold ("fire sale style")his TV production company for £40 million ($69AUD million) just last week. He disclosed that restaurants in New York, Paris, Los Angeles and Prague were "haemorrhaging" up to £200,000 pounds each month at the climax of the financial recession. Last year, Fairfax Media published that other exclusive Crown eateries were struggling, largely attributed to the global economic downturn, including once ultra exclusive Bistro Guillaume, which won Gourmet Traveller's best new restaurant back in 2009. At the time, owner Guillaume Brahimi and Crown management denied any problems, but it has since closed. Funny that. Punters, is Ramsay's goose cooked? Hot air or hot under the collar of bean counters? Off with his head, or not? Got a beef? Tell us in the forum. You be the judge, jury and executioner!
Burswood Casino Accused Thief Hid Jewels Inside Own Body...
Yuk. Those jewels would have sure required some polishing. International readers, please don't confuse the "jewels" with the proposed 'Mildura Jewel' casino in Melbourne, just saying...Western Australian Police have now formally charged a mug er man...with stealing after he allegedly concealed jewellery inside himself after smashing a display case at Perth's Burswood casino. A glass panel in the display case in the gaming area was smashed in the early hours of Saturday, police told press. A suspect was later located but a search failed to find any stolen items until some dislodged from inside him (via his anus - arse we understand), police said. "He was then transported to Royal Perth Hospital for X-rays and further property was recovered," Inspector Gary Lewis advised. 6 rings and a necklace worth a total of $329,000 were recovered and a 29-year-old man is in custody after being charged to appear in court at a date to be determined. That's what we call an expensive and uncomfortable toilet sitting.
Australian Punters Back Coalition To Form Government...
Aussie bookies have installed the coalition as the favourite to form government following an inconclusive result from Saturday's federal election. Sportingbet Australia has the Coalition at $1.40, while Labor is at $2.80. Sportingbet Australia chief executive Michael 'Mr Sums' Sullivan advised it looked very hard for Labor to form government, and punters had instantly backed the Coalition to come to an agreement with the 3 re-elected independent MPs. "The Coalition are a clear favourite, as it is hard to see how a Labor government relying on support from a Green and essentially conservative independents would ever reach a consensus and be able to function effectively," Sullivan said. Sportingbet opened the book on Sunday with the Coalition at $1.50 and instantly took two bets of $5000 at $1.50 and $1.45. A rival agency, Centrebet, has the Coalition at $1.40 and Labor on $2.85. Ah, what a different a few days can make. Who are you picking? Don't be shy.
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Aussie Millions Poker Championship At Crown Casino This January...
Folks, mark it down in your diary. Australia's richest poker tournament is coming back to Crown in Melbourne this January. Americans might be up for a 20 hour or so flight to get down under, but there's nothing on the planet quite like Aussie biffo, and we hear that Tyron Krost, Stewart Scott, Joe Hachem (2005 WSOP champion), Tony Hachem, Tony G, Shane Warne and Jeff Fenech are ready to serve up biffo in giant size quantities. Insiders are hopefully that Annette 15, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu and Annie Duke will bring their poker feuds down under. Maybe some one will end up in the river! (pun intended).
Readers, is it time for Crown and Burswood to get their own branded online casino games like 'Underbelly' and 'Kerry Packer'? Has Crown now got its security levels to the right level? What other developments would you like to see at Packer's world of entertainment? What's your favorite casino games and why? Tell us in the forum.
James Packer VS Kerry Stokes: ConsMedia War May Erupt...
When now relaxing or make the big decisions at Asia Pacific's most successful casinos, James Packer continues to build up his media empire. Let's take a peek shall we...An understood "peace deal" between Packer and Kerry Stokes over control of Consolidated Media will end next month with the two competitors set to raise the stakes. ConsMedia revealed its annual results yesterday and the executive chairman, John Alexander, said the standstill agreement would not be renewed! A media war to add to the casino wars! "It is a 12-month agreement that will expire and business will continue as usual" he said. Last year, Mr Stokes's Seven Network used a $243 million hostile share raid to increase its stake from just over 4.8 per cent to 19 per cent, then agreed to stop buying ConsMedia shares in exchange for two board seats. With the addition of Ashok Jacob from the Packer camp, this gave the board 10 directors - more than twice the number of the company's employees. ConsMedia's revenue comes from its 25 per cent share of Foxtel and a 50 per cent stake in Premier Media Group, whose other owner is News Limited. Premier produces and buys sporting content for pay television. It generated $447 million in revenue this year, up 2.9 per cent, and contributed $54 million to ConsMedia's net profit, a rise of $1.2 million. The Foxtel share contributed $29.9 million to profits, up $5.1 million. During the year, ConsMedia sold its 25 per cent share in the job site Seek.com for a $305 million profit and sold a Sydney property for $50 million. Despite the sales, the company's net profit fell 8.2 per cent to $392 million, as the previous year was boosted by ConsMedia selling down its stake in PBL Media, which it now values at nil. Punters, its all very complex, but Packer has another war on the horizon, and is set to do more media deals, not just throwing around the dice and shuffling the deck in the casino and gaming sector. You want more... ok, just a teaser.. Packer, through Consolidated Press Holdings, has a 47% stake, up from 38% last July. Channel Seven has a 23% share. Industry analysts expect the buy-back will eventually give Packer a 51% stake and Stokes 25%. What happens next might be up to the Gods. "For Stokes to take out Packer he'd have to offer a pretty big price," 'Mr X' tipped. "Packer's not going to take out Stokes - he could have owned 100% of it previously. So it's whether they get together and privatise it together and take out the minorities, but they'd have to pay a bit of a premium to do that." ConsMedia declared an unfranked dividend of 6¢ to be paid on Red October 15. Hopefully, red turns to green, as it goes in the UFC and formally in the WWE, before blood all but disappeared. Packer's favorite non blood sport is polo, if you forgot, and he also loves sailing the ocean in his prized Arctic P, sometimes catching up with mates overseas like Tom Cruise from 'Top Gun' and 'Mission: Impossible' fame. What Packer has shown is more than possible is cementing his place at the top of the world's gaming, gaming and tourism sector, having the Crown Limited empire ranked in numerous top 10 lists like Forbes, Google and WSJ. That's with or without the media empire arm, recently his media getting a boost from Bondi Beach based media icon David Gyngell, a part of the Media Man "Gumleaf Mafia" media puzzle (ask us over a beer). Packer's main business focus remains casinos with a lifestyle and tourism edge, but continues to hit runs in traditional media and new media. The world awaits a 'Kerry Packer' and 'Underbelly' slot game. Comon' Crown top brass, we know you read this. See you at Bondi Icebergs.. a bit easier than a flight to Melbourne, Perth or Macau...maybe Berg's Gaming hey.
Crown Limited Shares...
$8.390
Crown Casino Connection Colourful Crimes...
'Crown Casino Client Ferrari Stolen With Virgin Valet'
http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/crown-casino-client-ferrari-stolen-virgin-valet-051410.html
'Crown Casino Shaft Man Probed and Charged'
http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/crown-casino-shaft-man-probed-and-charged-080310.html
Readers, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Don't mix your passion for casinos and gaming with crime, and don't do anything we wouldn't do. Up for a punt? Perhaps invest in Crown Limited... we have, and we're up front about it. Feeling really brave... try Tabcorp Holdings, but beware... many tipsters say it might be a few years before a predicated Packer buyout of Tabcorp happens, but it's not a lock in. Want more good Aussie fodder... check out Media Man and the 'Australian Casino Wars' portfolio at Gambling911 of course. Good punting and fair winds.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
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Poker News Media: PKR Live Five Hits London This November, by Greg Tingle - 22nd August 2010
PKR.com will play host to PKR Live Five at the prestigious Fox Poker Club, London from November 12 - 14.
Qualification for the 150 runner, $500 buy-in main event is now underway at PKR.com a most affordable just $4.95.
The main event will have an prize pool of approximately $75,000 and on the Sunday of the festival sees an exciting $150 Terminator Bounty event with $50 on each player’s head and $100 going to the standard prize pool mix.
PKR marketing manager Erika Schwartz said, “The countdown for PKR Live V begins! It’s great that for our fifth outing we have a brand new venue and some fantastic new events in store for the players. It’s a weekend we all look forward to, players and staff alike, and we’re planning to make this the best one yet.”
A number of media and gaming analysts are giving this event the thumbs up.
PKR was recently nominated again for Media Man 'Online Poker Room Of The Month' and has previously won awards and commendations from the likes of Bluff, eGaming Review and Poker News Daily.
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PKR.com will play host to PKR Live Five at the prestigious Fox Poker Club, London from November 12 - 14.
Qualification for the 150 runner, $500 buy-in main event is now underway at PKR.com a most affordable just $4.95.
The main event will have an prize pool of approximately $75,000 and on the Sunday of the festival sees an exciting $150 Terminator Bounty event with $50 on each player’s head and $100 going to the standard prize pool mix.
PKR marketing manager Erika Schwartz said, “The countdown for PKR Live V begins! It’s great that for our fifth outing we have a brand new venue and some fantastic new events in store for the players. It’s a weekend we all look forward to, players and staff alike, and we’re planning to make this the best one yet.”
A number of media and gaming analysts are giving this event the thumbs up.
PKR was recently nominated again for Media Man 'Online Poker Room Of The Month' and has previously won awards and commendations from the likes of Bluff, eGaming Review and Poker News Daily.
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Saturday, August 21, 2010
PartyCasino: The World's Leading Online Casino - A PartyGaming Company
PartyCasino: The World's Leading Online Casino
New Players get up to $500 sign up bonus at PartyCasino.com
PartyGaming also operates casinos, online poker rooms and bingo through various websites, including PartyCasino.com, PartyPoker.com, PartyBingo.com, WPTCasino.com and WPTPoker.com
PartyCasino is the Group’s most popular casino brand by far although other brands include CasinoKing and CasinoLasVegas.com The Group's casinos offer a huge variety of over 150 games including slots, blackjack, roulette, and video poker. As well as these traditional online casino games, the Group also offers virtual horse and virtual dog racing as well as multi-player blackjack.
Except for casino tournaments, all players place bets against the house, and the outcome is determined by randomly generated results. Wager limits vary from $0.01 to $1,000, depending on the game. Casino revenue represents the net win, being the amount wagered less player winnings and any change in liability of progressive prize pools. Bingo revenue represents player buy-in less prize payouts.
In 2007, the Group’s casino product was substantially improved through a series of software upgrades, the addition of a number of new slot machines and the integration of the acquisitions from EOL and IOG. Casino, which includes bingo games, is the Group’s second largest business segment and in 2007 it generated Continuing revenue of $146.7 million (2006: $51.0 million) and Continuing Clean EBITDA of $43.6 million (2006: $15.9 million).
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PKR nominated for Casino News Media - Media Man - Global Gaming Directory Awards, by Greg Tingle - August 2010
PKR.com nominated for Casino News Media - Media Man - Global Gaming Directory Awards - August 2010
Award winning online casino and online poker room, PKR.com, made the finals of the Casino News Media - Media Man - Global Gaming Directory "Online Casino of the Month" and "Online Poker Website of the Month".
The news comes as PKR enjoys a wave of momentum with a website revamp, more games, champion players flying the flag for PKR, and "Avatar" type technologies and sports betting on the way.
PKR also offer one of the world's most impressive new player sign ups and rewards systems.
For a unique poker and casino experience in 3D, check out PKR.com today.
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PKR.com nominated for Casino News Media - Media Man - Global Gaming Directory Awards - August 2010
Award winning online casino and online poker room, PKR.com, made the finals of the Casino News Media - Media Man - Global Gaming Directory "Online Casino of the Month" and "Online Poker Website of the Month".
The news comes as PKR enjoys a wave of momentum with a website revamp, more games, champion players flying the flag for PKR, and "Avatar" type technologies and sports betting on the way.
PKR also offer one of the world's most impressive new player sign ups and rewards systems.
For a unique poker and casino experience in 3D, check out PKR.com today.
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Friday, August 20, 2010
PartyGaming News: Live Satellites Underway For WPT London Poker Classic Presented By PartyPoker
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17th August 2010
The World Poker Tour is pleased to announce that live satellites for the inaugural televised World Poker Tour® London Poker Classic Main Event, presented by PartyPoker.com, which takes place at The Palm Beach Casino, Mayfair between the 30th August – 4th September 2010, are now up and running.
Every night at 7pm The Palm Beach Casino, Berkeley Street, London, hosts £300 +£30 WPT Shootout Satellites for Main Event seats. The tables are six handed with a cap of 36 players. The prize pool pays out five places with first place winning a seat into the WPT London Poker Classic Main Event.
Genting Casinos London Poker Manager Simon Tomsett said: “Our first WPT Shootout at The Palm Beach Casino was an instant sell out and rewarded one seat into the Main Event. There are plenty of good value chances to qualify for the Main Event between now and the 30th August. From the 27th August there is also additional satellites taking place at the Kingsway Hall and May Fair Hotels.”
The latest top pros to confirm their participation include Erik Seidel, Joe Beevers and Nicholas Levi. They join the likes of Phil Ivey, Tony G, Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott, Alexander Kravchenko, Annette Obrestad, Sorel Mizzi, Dragan Galic, Tyron Krost, Barry Shulman and James Akenhead. Jack McClelland is Tournament Director, while Doug Dalton is on hand to run the lively cash games expected at Crockfords.
LIVE SATELLITE SCHEDULE
£300 + £30 - 16th – 26th August – WPT Shootout Satellites (Nightly at 7pm), The Palm Beach Casino, 30 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8EH
£250 + £25 (rebuy) - 27th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX
£500 + £50 - 28th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX
£1,000 + £80 – 29th August – Super Satellite, 3pm, The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London, W1J 8LT
The £5,000 + £300 Main Event starts on 30th August with the first of two day 1A’s. The eight handed televised final table takes place on the 4th September. The £15,000 televised high rollers tournament runs from 3rd – 5th September. Coverage of the event will be presented by Kara Scott, with the influential commentary team of Mike Sexton and Jesse May combined for the very first time.
For more information, please visit
PartyPoker.com
PartyCasino.com
WPT Poker
WPT Casino
PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com customers can also benefit from rewards and bonuses via PartyPoints and the Palladium Lounge. Be certain to check out the PartyCasino exclusive "Cash Machine" that is being championed as one of the greatest online casino promos ever.
Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with PartyGaming, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.
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17th August 2010
The World Poker Tour is pleased to announce that live satellites for the inaugural televised World Poker Tour® London Poker Classic Main Event, presented by PartyPoker.com, which takes place at The Palm Beach Casino, Mayfair between the 30th August – 4th September 2010, are now up and running.
Every night at 7pm The Palm Beach Casino, Berkeley Street, London, hosts £300 +£30 WPT Shootout Satellites for Main Event seats. The tables are six handed with a cap of 36 players. The prize pool pays out five places with first place winning a seat into the WPT London Poker Classic Main Event.
Genting Casinos London Poker Manager Simon Tomsett said: “Our first WPT Shootout at The Palm Beach Casino was an instant sell out and rewarded one seat into the Main Event. There are plenty of good value chances to qualify for the Main Event between now and the 30th August. From the 27th August there is also additional satellites taking place at the Kingsway Hall and May Fair Hotels.”
The latest top pros to confirm their participation include Erik Seidel, Joe Beevers and Nicholas Levi. They join the likes of Phil Ivey, Tony G, Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott, Alexander Kravchenko, Annette Obrestad, Sorel Mizzi, Dragan Galic, Tyron Krost, Barry Shulman and James Akenhead. Jack McClelland is Tournament Director, while Doug Dalton is on hand to run the lively cash games expected at Crockfords.
LIVE SATELLITE SCHEDULE
£300 + £30 - 16th – 26th August – WPT Shootout Satellites (Nightly at 7pm), The Palm Beach Casino, 30 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8EH
£250 + £25 (rebuy) - 27th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX
£500 + £50 - 28th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX
£1,000 + £80 – 29th August – Super Satellite, 3pm, The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London, W1J 8LT
The £5,000 + £300 Main Event starts on 30th August with the first of two day 1A’s. The eight handed televised final table takes place on the 4th September. The £15,000 televised high rollers tournament runs from 3rd – 5th September. Coverage of the event will be presented by Kara Scott, with the influential commentary team of Mike Sexton and Jesse May combined for the very first time.
For more information, please visit
PartyPoker.com
PartyCasino.com
WPT Poker
WPT Casino
PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com customers can also benefit from rewards and bonuses via PartyPoints and the Palladium Lounge. Be certain to check out the PartyCasino exclusive "Cash Machine" that is being championed as one of the greatest online casino promos ever.
Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with PartyGaming, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.
Websites
PartyCasino.com
PartyPoker.com
World Poker Tour Casino
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PartyPoker.com
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PartyGaming News: French online poker and sports betting licences awarded
PartyGaming News: French online poker and sports betting licences awarded
Websites
28 June 2010
PartyGaming, the world’s leading listed online gaming company, announces that it has been awarded licences by ARJEL, the French Gaming regulator, to operate online poker and sports betting websites for residents in France. The Group can offer sports betting immediately and will offer poker on http://www.partypoker.fr when the market is opened, which is expected to be later this month.
As previously announced, the Group has signed three exclusive B2B deals this year to form a significant French poker network with PMU, the country’s largest pari-mutuel horse racing company, AB Groupe, a leading TV broadcaster, and Aviation Club de France, one of France’s most prestigious card rooms and private members clubs. This network will now benefit from pooled poker player liquidity that will be provided by PartyPoker.fr
About PartyGaming:
PartyGaming Plc is the world’s leading listed online gaming company. The Group is a constituent of the FTSE 250 share index with its shares listed on The London Stock Exchange under the ticker: PRTY. In the year to 31 December 2009, PartyGaming’s Continuing operations generated revenue of $446.2m and Clean EBITDA of $135.0m. PartyGaming’s principal brands are
PartyPoker.com, one of the world’s largest online poker rooms, PartyCasino.com, the world’s largest online casino, PartyBingo.com, PartyGammon.com, PartyBets.com, InterTrader.com, FoxyBingo.com, GetMinted.com, GameBookers.com and WorldPokerTour.com. None of the Group’s sites accept real money customers located in the US. PartyGaming is regulated and licensed by the Government of Gibraltar and by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission and it is also certified as a responsible gaming operator by GamCare, the leading UK authority on the provision of advice, practical help, support and counselling in addressing the social impact of gambling. PartyGaming’s shares are also a constituent member of the FTSE4Good Index Series, which enables investors to identify companies that meet globally recognised corporate responsibility standards. For more information, please visit PartyGaming
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
PartyCasino: The World's Leading Online Casino - A PartyGaming Company
PartyCasino: The World's Leading Online Casino
New Players get up to $500 sign up bonus at PartyCasino.com
PartyGaming also operates casinos, online poker rooms and bingo through various websites, including PartyCasino.com, PartyPoker.com, PartyBingo.com, WPTCasino.com and WPTPoker.com
PartyCasino is the Group’s most popular casino brand by far although other brands include CasinoKing and CasinoLasVegas.com The Group's casinos offer a huge variety of over 150 games including slots, blackjack, roulette, and video poker. As well as these traditional online casino games, the Group also offers virtual horse and virtual dog racing as well as multi-player blackjack.
Except for casino tournaments, all players place bets against the house, and the outcome is determined by randomly generated results. Wager limits vary from $0.01 to $1,000, depending on the game. Casino revenue represents the net win, being the amount wagered less player winnings and any change in liability of progressive prize pools. Bingo revenue represents player buy-in less prize payouts.
In 2007, the Group’s casino product was substantially improved through a series of software upgrades, the addition of a number of new slot machines and the integration of the acquisitions from EOL and IOG. Casino, which includes bingo games, is the Group’s second largest business segment and in 2007 it generated Continuing revenue of $146.7 million (2006: $51.0 million) and Continuing Clean EBITDA of $43.6 million (2006: $15.9 million).
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Monday, August 16, 2010
World Series of Poker Main Event Begins Airing on ESPN - 11th August 2010
On Tuesday night, the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event began airing on ESPN with a pair of one-hour episodes highlighting Days 1A and 1B. A stirring introduction by reigning Main Event champ Joe Cada touted the feature table as “the table where dreams come true.”
The first one-hour episode covered Day 1A of the Main Event, with a feature table that included Full Tilt Poker pro Mike Matusow and bracelet winner Jason Lester. Every player received 30,000 in chips and Matusow donned an “I Am McLovin” shirt for his kickoff day. “The Mouth” has recorded four top 100 finishes and two final tables in the Main Event since 2001. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who plays McLovin in the movie “Superbad,” turned 21 two weeks prior to the Main Event kicking off this year.
Out in the field were a variety of pros, including former Main Event champs Bobby Baldwin, Chris Moneymaker, and Greg Raymer, the latter of whom doubled up John Bennett with top pair against a set. The hand dropped Raymer to just 1,200 in chips and he was later eliminated with pocket eights all-in pre-flop. Raymer, who gave the Day 1A “Shuffle up and deal” command, signed over his signature fossil and departed the Amazon Room at the Rio in Las Vegas.
Ted Forrest, in the midst of competing in a $2 million weight loss prop bet against Matusow, doubled up and, over at Table 2, eight-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel tangled with Taylor Larkin. Seidel 3bet to 2,325 with A-6 and Larkin, holding A-K, made it 6,500. Seidel responded by 5betting to 17,000, or over half of the starting stack, and Larkin moved all-in for 17,000 more. Seidel thought briefly before laying his hand down.
Hands featuring Scott Seiver, Isaac Haxton, Peter “Nordberg” Feldman, Dallas Mavericks star Shawn Marion, and Abe Mosseri were shown and, back at the feature table, ESPN displayed Matusow’s vital stats. “The Mouth” boasted a VPIP (Voluntarily Put Money into the Pot) of 32% and an Aggression Factor of 40%. However, he promptly dropped half of his stack to former World Poker Tour Southern Poker Championship winner Allen “AawwNutz” Carter when he whiffed on a diamond flush draw.
After T.J. Cloutier and Ray Romano were shown the door, Matusow followed suit by running top pair into Carter’s middle set. Just prior, a dealer error had resulted in Matusow’s dealt ace being exposed. After looking at his other hole card, which was also an ace, Matusow became quite perturbed.
The second episode profiled Day 1B of the 2010 WSOP Main Event. The feature table hosted Gavin Smth and Ivan Demidov, while Table 2 sported 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event champ Annette Obrestad, who was playing in her first WSOP Main Event on U.S. soil. Obrestad’s run featured multiple exclamations of “So sick,” as she flopped a boat and ran into a higher boat in one hand. Then, Obrestad doubled up with pocket nines after check-raising all-in on a 10-high board. She received a call from an opponent with pocket jacks, but hit a nine on the turn to stay alive.
Former UB.com pro Liv Boeree, cancer survivor Thuy Doan, and Erick Lindgren’s better half Erica Schoenberg were all in the field. The comment of the night belonged to ESPN commentator Norman Chad, who introduced Schoenberg as follows: “Like me, she is a former model and personal trainer.” Lindgren hit the rail immediately after Chad’s intro, raising all-in on the flop with a flush draw against a player with two pair. Lindgren hit his flush on the turn, but his opponent rivered a full house.
Elsewhere in the field were Jean-Robert Bellande, Unabomber Poker pro Phil Laak, and Deepstacks instructor Tristan “Cre8ive” Wade. At the feature table, Smith doubled up after check-raising all-in with middle set on a flop of 7-9-Q. Smith turned a full house and the river was no help to his opponent.
The exits of Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Joe Sebok, Jennifer Tilly, and Boeree on Day 1B were highlighted. Then, Obrestad moved all-in less the chip protecting her cards with A-J on a flop of 2-2-9. Two-time bracelet winner Chris Bjorin called with pocket queens. A jack hit on the turn and an eight came on the river, sending Obrestad into the Las Vegas night. The internet whiz finished with four cashes and no final tables in the 2010 WSOP.
Action from the Main Event continues next Tuesday on ESPN at 8:00pm ET. Once again, two one-hour episodes will air. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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On Tuesday night, the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event began airing on ESPN with a pair of one-hour episodes highlighting Days 1A and 1B. A stirring introduction by reigning Main Event champ Joe Cada touted the feature table as “the table where dreams come true.”
The first one-hour episode covered Day 1A of the Main Event, with a feature table that included Full Tilt Poker pro Mike Matusow and bracelet winner Jason Lester. Every player received 30,000 in chips and Matusow donned an “I Am McLovin” shirt for his kickoff day. “The Mouth” has recorded four top 100 finishes and two final tables in the Main Event since 2001. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who plays McLovin in the movie “Superbad,” turned 21 two weeks prior to the Main Event kicking off this year.
Out in the field were a variety of pros, including former Main Event champs Bobby Baldwin, Chris Moneymaker, and Greg Raymer, the latter of whom doubled up John Bennett with top pair against a set. The hand dropped Raymer to just 1,200 in chips and he was later eliminated with pocket eights all-in pre-flop. Raymer, who gave the Day 1A “Shuffle up and deal” command, signed over his signature fossil and departed the Amazon Room at the Rio in Las Vegas.
Ted Forrest, in the midst of competing in a $2 million weight loss prop bet against Matusow, doubled up and, over at Table 2, eight-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel tangled with Taylor Larkin. Seidel 3bet to 2,325 with A-6 and Larkin, holding A-K, made it 6,500. Seidel responded by 5betting to 17,000, or over half of the starting stack, and Larkin moved all-in for 17,000 more. Seidel thought briefly before laying his hand down.
Hands featuring Scott Seiver, Isaac Haxton, Peter “Nordberg” Feldman, Dallas Mavericks star Shawn Marion, and Abe Mosseri were shown and, back at the feature table, ESPN displayed Matusow’s vital stats. “The Mouth” boasted a VPIP (Voluntarily Put Money into the Pot) of 32% and an Aggression Factor of 40%. However, he promptly dropped half of his stack to former World Poker Tour Southern Poker Championship winner Allen “AawwNutz” Carter when he whiffed on a diamond flush draw.
After T.J. Cloutier and Ray Romano were shown the door, Matusow followed suit by running top pair into Carter’s middle set. Just prior, a dealer error had resulted in Matusow’s dealt ace being exposed. After looking at his other hole card, which was also an ace, Matusow became quite perturbed.
The second episode profiled Day 1B of the 2010 WSOP Main Event. The feature table hosted Gavin Smth and Ivan Demidov, while Table 2 sported 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event champ Annette Obrestad, who was playing in her first WSOP Main Event on U.S. soil. Obrestad’s run featured multiple exclamations of “So sick,” as she flopped a boat and ran into a higher boat in one hand. Then, Obrestad doubled up with pocket nines after check-raising all-in on a 10-high board. She received a call from an opponent with pocket jacks, but hit a nine on the turn to stay alive.
Former UB.com pro Liv Boeree, cancer survivor Thuy Doan, and Erick Lindgren’s better half Erica Schoenberg were all in the field. The comment of the night belonged to ESPN commentator Norman Chad, who introduced Schoenberg as follows: “Like me, she is a former model and personal trainer.” Lindgren hit the rail immediately after Chad’s intro, raising all-in on the flop with a flush draw against a player with two pair. Lindgren hit his flush on the turn, but his opponent rivered a full house.
Elsewhere in the field were Jean-Robert Bellande, Unabomber Poker pro Phil Laak, and Deepstacks instructor Tristan “Cre8ive” Wade. At the feature table, Smith doubled up after check-raising all-in with middle set on a flop of 7-9-Q. Smith turned a full house and the river was no help to his opponent.
The exits of Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Joe Sebok, Jennifer Tilly, and Boeree on Day 1B were highlighted. Then, Obrestad moved all-in less the chip protecting her cards with A-J on a flop of 2-2-9. Two-time bracelet winner Chris Bjorin called with pocket queens. A jack hit on the turn and an eight came on the river, sending Obrestad into the Las Vegas night. The internet whiz finished with four cashes and no final tables in the 2010 WSOP.
Action from the Main Event continues next Tuesday on ESPN at 8:00pm ET. Once again, two one-hour episodes will air. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Sunday, August 15, 2010
Underbelly Real Life With Pokies And Gunfire, by Greg Tingle - 14th August 2010
Australian casino news sees the crime theme level hit fever pitch. With a script right out of Hollywood, Melbourne sees real life Underbelly return, with bloodshed, bullets and a pokies connection. The Underbelly scenario follows yesterday's report of Melbourne Crown Casino Chinatown high rollers getting busted for drugs, a curious casino chips connection and the works. Media Man and Gambling911 once again don the bullet proof vests and call on the sniffer dogs with this special report from the war zone. 3, 2, 1 rolling and action...
Underbelly real life has appeared to return to the now mean streets of Melbourne, down under in Australia.
Evening peak hour traffic in downtown Lygon Street, Carlton. One Aussie bloke dead as wood inside the doorway of a pokies pub, another fella lying on the footpath outside the venue. A gunman darts across a public park, reloading his weapon on the run.
The deceases were said to be middle aged, both gunned down at close range. A 3rd man was has been detained in custody, being questioned over the murders.
Earlier that fateful day, in another part of Melbourne, another man lay dead. Just before 11am, a gunman jumped out of a sedan in Conifer Avenue, Brooklyn, in the city's industrial western region. He strolled towards the bearded figure of Macchour Chaouk, who was standing in his backyard, and fired several rounds into his chest.
Everyone is looking to see if there is connection between the two bloody baths. Let us also recall the Crown Casino Chinatown crims who got busted for drug dealing around the same period, with a somewhat casino chip connection, often spotted in Crown's Mahogany Room (they won't be coming back to play nor mingle).
65-year-old Chaouk, a Lebanese - Australian man with the rep of a low-mid level crime boss, had died a violent death. Police made little secret that they were looking closely at a rival crime family, which had been engaged in a vicious turf war with the Chaouk clan. Turf is often associated with the patch used for drugs, distribution, deals... you get the idea.
Melbourne police advised a 57-year-old Altona North man was arrested over the shooting at a residential address in Altona North.
Chaouk had served time in the slammer for a for number of drug offences and was charged and acquitted of murdering a drug dealer. The crime figure was involved in two blood feuds: one against the notorious Haddara family; another against Victoria Police force, who in circa 2005 shot dead his son Mohamed when its officers raided their suburban Brooklyn home.
It was last month when papa and two surviving sons, Omar and Waleed, were arrested and guns were confiscated in a series of raids by coppers. It came within a couple of weeks of a drive-by shooting in a nearby suburb that left Sam Haddara with nasty facial wounds. Omar was charged, and reluctantly bailed by magistrate Fiona Stewart on the grounds he avoid the family home.
"There is an ongoing war between two families and the court should be extremely worried about the danger posed to the community by it," Stewart said.
These happenings bring back memories of Alfonse Gangitano and Lewis Moran's Carlton Crew.
The shootings took place in Players on Lygon, a pokies den across the road from Argyle Square. Witnesses to the shootings say they heard between five and eight shots above the noise of rush-hour traffic.
Reloading the weapon as he ran for his life, the killer dressed in midnight black, reached the other side of the popular park before giving up the pursuit.
He then strolled back across the park and into the pokies venue. Several more gun shots were heard in the region. He has returned apparently to finish the job, perhaps engulfed in hate and fueled by the smell of blood.
Homicide Detective Sergeant Wayne Woltsche said the shooting as "outrageous and callous." He said he didn't believe there was a connection between this crime and the earlier murder.
"Two people have been shot in the streets of Melbourne. It is a fairly callous crime. Whether it is an execution, I cannot say."
Police sealed off the Lygon Street crime scene, they were still preping to remove Macchour Chaouk's body from his Brooklyn house under police guard.
Footage captured from a Network Nine helicopter showed Chaouk's wife, dressed in Islamic black, prostrating herself on her husband's body as it lay covered by a sheet in backyard on the family home.
Abour an hour and a half after the murders, three kids, aged one, three and five, who were inside when the killing occurred, were taken from the home, wrapped in what looked to be blankets.
Twenty minutes later, after the arrival of a grey assault vehicle, an army of 11 heavily armed Special Operations Group police officers entered the home to make it safe for detectives, forensic experts and the like.
Family and friends, including 19-year old offspring Omar, still on bail waiting to face weapons, drugs and fraud charges, waited outside for many hours after the shooting as police sealed off the area to the public and curious types. He was not allowed inside until a touch after 3pm.
An aging neighbour heard shouting and several rapid-fire gun shots at the house, on the corner of Geelong Road and Conifer Avenue, just before 11am. Schools in the area locked students in their classrooms, neighbours advised they were not surprised by the killing. They were also aware of the strong potential for further gunfire and murders in their neighbourhood, with one sharing, "It will never end now."
Several described Chaouk as a "friendly man", although all were aware of his family's criminal reputation and then some. "He was always pleasant to me," one man said. "I guess you don't shit in your own nest."
Detective Superintendent Murray Fraser said that at 10.55am a gunman stepped out of a car in Conifer Avenue and fired several shots through the back gate, killing Chaouk. Attempts were made to revive him, but he was dead as before paramedics arrived.
Quizzed whether inquiries were centred on the family feud, Superintendent Fraser went on record with "That's a fairly obvious inference to draw at the early stages. At this stage there is no evidence that we can really rely on to take that matter any further but we have to look at that as an avenue of inquiry, no doubt . . . and we will obviously have to keep an open mind."
Probed if he thought there would be revenge attacks, he shared "That's an issue that we have to plan for. There has been a history of conflict involving the Chaouk family."
Before yesterday, the most violent make up of that history had been the drive-by murder of Mohammed Haddara in June last year. Chaouk's 22-year-old nephew, Ahmed Hablas, was charged.
Hablas's legal eagle, Alan Swanwick, advised his client feared for his life in custody as members of the Haddara family had vowed to take revenge. Those fears will be heightened considerable be it Chaouk id dead.
Back to the Lygon Street killings, suspicions are of an unrelated drug deal gone to *hit.
Lygon Street may never be quite the same, and no doubt these real life 'Underbelly' happenings are ongoing to boost interest in the Network Nine smash hit. Insiders say they will include the pokies connection, and perhaps also draw upon more history with Crown Casino, having a hard time stopping the rumor mill. The TV version of 'Underbelly' has yet more material to work with, as it prepares to screen the Brisbane and Gold Coast - Surfers' Parasise versions.
Unfortunately this 'Underbelly' themed report is real life and we call for calm.
The Late News...
Crown Casino coopering with Australian state and federal police
Melbourne CBD in lockdown mode
Underbelly happenings boost popularity of The Godfather and Hitman slot games
More arrests likely
Victoria, Mildura - Jewel Casino Proposal Getting To Next Level...
A Mildura based community group will round up the troops and assemble to support a Mildura casino following an impressive presentation from champion casino pitch man and developer Don Carrazza this week. "CasinoMeister" (Media Man tag) Carrazza spoke to more than 50 punters at The Office Wine Bar and Lounge re the positive progress of the Mildura Jewel convention centre project aka Jewel Casino... you got to love those long names and the adds ons to add value. Many people at the meeting responded saying a community group should be established to help gather support for the prop and also gain bi-partisan (both Labor and Liberal parties) support. A subsequent meet up for this Monday was arranged to assemble the passionate mob er group. Carrazza told the gathering Mildura’s community needed to show support for the casino. "Mildura at the moment needs a boost. We lost 60,000 acres of land with irrigation; that’s got to be replaced. If we stuff around for too long the people who want to fund this project will walk away. As a community we have to make these politicians understand what we want" said the likable pitch man.
Media Man Profiles
Australia
Underbelly
Crown Casino
Mildura
Australian Casinos
Wrap Up...
Readers, do you think the police are tough enough on the real life 'Underbelly' types? Crown Casino should ride off the publicity and get an Underbelly or Kerry Packer themed slot game? What's your predication for the next colourful crime to happen at an Australian land based casino? Should the Mildura Jewel Casino proposal go ahead? What's your favorite casino games and why? Tell us in the forum.
Crown Casino Connection Colourful Crimes...
'Crown Casino Client Ferrari Stolen With Virgin Valet'
http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/crown-casino-client-ferrari-stolen-virgin-valet-051410.html
'Crown Casino Shaft Man Probed and Charged'
http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/crown-casino-shaft-man-probed-and-charged-080310.html
Readers, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Don't mix your passion for casinos and gaming with crime, and don't do anything we wouldn't do.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
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Australian casino news sees the crime theme level hit fever pitch. With a script right out of Hollywood, Melbourne sees real life Underbelly return, with bloodshed, bullets and a pokies connection. The Underbelly scenario follows yesterday's report of Melbourne Crown Casino Chinatown high rollers getting busted for drugs, a curious casino chips connection and the works. Media Man and Gambling911 once again don the bullet proof vests and call on the sniffer dogs with this special report from the war zone. 3, 2, 1 rolling and action...
Underbelly real life has appeared to return to the now mean streets of Melbourne, down under in Australia.
Evening peak hour traffic in downtown Lygon Street, Carlton. One Aussie bloke dead as wood inside the doorway of a pokies pub, another fella lying on the footpath outside the venue. A gunman darts across a public park, reloading his weapon on the run.
The deceases were said to be middle aged, both gunned down at close range. A 3rd man was has been detained in custody, being questioned over the murders.
Earlier that fateful day, in another part of Melbourne, another man lay dead. Just before 11am, a gunman jumped out of a sedan in Conifer Avenue, Brooklyn, in the city's industrial western region. He strolled towards the bearded figure of Macchour Chaouk, who was standing in his backyard, and fired several rounds into his chest.
Everyone is looking to see if there is connection between the two bloody baths. Let us also recall the Crown Casino Chinatown crims who got busted for drug dealing around the same period, with a somewhat casino chip connection, often spotted in Crown's Mahogany Room (they won't be coming back to play nor mingle).
65-year-old Chaouk, a Lebanese - Australian man with the rep of a low-mid level crime boss, had died a violent death. Police made little secret that they were looking closely at a rival crime family, which had been engaged in a vicious turf war with the Chaouk clan. Turf is often associated with the patch used for drugs, distribution, deals... you get the idea.
Melbourne police advised a 57-year-old Altona North man was arrested over the shooting at a residential address in Altona North.
Chaouk had served time in the slammer for a for number of drug offences and was charged and acquitted of murdering a drug dealer. The crime figure was involved in two blood feuds: one against the notorious Haddara family; another against Victoria Police force, who in circa 2005 shot dead his son Mohamed when its officers raided their suburban Brooklyn home.
It was last month when papa and two surviving sons, Omar and Waleed, were arrested and guns were confiscated in a series of raids by coppers. It came within a couple of weeks of a drive-by shooting in a nearby suburb that left Sam Haddara with nasty facial wounds. Omar was charged, and reluctantly bailed by magistrate Fiona Stewart on the grounds he avoid the family home.
"There is an ongoing war between two families and the court should be extremely worried about the danger posed to the community by it," Stewart said.
These happenings bring back memories of Alfonse Gangitano and Lewis Moran's Carlton Crew.
The shootings took place in Players on Lygon, a pokies den across the road from Argyle Square. Witnesses to the shootings say they heard between five and eight shots above the noise of rush-hour traffic.
Reloading the weapon as he ran for his life, the killer dressed in midnight black, reached the other side of the popular park before giving up the pursuit.
He then strolled back across the park and into the pokies venue. Several more gun shots were heard in the region. He has returned apparently to finish the job, perhaps engulfed in hate and fueled by the smell of blood.
Homicide Detective Sergeant Wayne Woltsche said the shooting as "outrageous and callous." He said he didn't believe there was a connection between this crime and the earlier murder.
"Two people have been shot in the streets of Melbourne. It is a fairly callous crime. Whether it is an execution, I cannot say."
Police sealed off the Lygon Street crime scene, they were still preping to remove Macchour Chaouk's body from his Brooklyn house under police guard.
Footage captured from a Network Nine helicopter showed Chaouk's wife, dressed in Islamic black, prostrating herself on her husband's body as it lay covered by a sheet in backyard on the family home.
Abour an hour and a half after the murders, three kids, aged one, three and five, who were inside when the killing occurred, were taken from the home, wrapped in what looked to be blankets.
Twenty minutes later, after the arrival of a grey assault vehicle, an army of 11 heavily armed Special Operations Group police officers entered the home to make it safe for detectives, forensic experts and the like.
Family and friends, including 19-year old offspring Omar, still on bail waiting to face weapons, drugs and fraud charges, waited outside for many hours after the shooting as police sealed off the area to the public and curious types. He was not allowed inside until a touch after 3pm.
An aging neighbour heard shouting and several rapid-fire gun shots at the house, on the corner of Geelong Road and Conifer Avenue, just before 11am. Schools in the area locked students in their classrooms, neighbours advised they were not surprised by the killing. They were also aware of the strong potential for further gunfire and murders in their neighbourhood, with one sharing, "It will never end now."
Several described Chaouk as a "friendly man", although all were aware of his family's criminal reputation and then some. "He was always pleasant to me," one man said. "I guess you don't shit in your own nest."
Detective Superintendent Murray Fraser said that at 10.55am a gunman stepped out of a car in Conifer Avenue and fired several shots through the back gate, killing Chaouk. Attempts were made to revive him, but he was dead as before paramedics arrived.
Quizzed whether inquiries were centred on the family feud, Superintendent Fraser went on record with "That's a fairly obvious inference to draw at the early stages. At this stage there is no evidence that we can really rely on to take that matter any further but we have to look at that as an avenue of inquiry, no doubt . . . and we will obviously have to keep an open mind."
Probed if he thought there would be revenge attacks, he shared "That's an issue that we have to plan for. There has been a history of conflict involving the Chaouk family."
Before yesterday, the most violent make up of that history had been the drive-by murder of Mohammed Haddara in June last year. Chaouk's 22-year-old nephew, Ahmed Hablas, was charged.
Hablas's legal eagle, Alan Swanwick, advised his client feared for his life in custody as members of the Haddara family had vowed to take revenge. Those fears will be heightened considerable be it Chaouk id dead.
Back to the Lygon Street killings, suspicions are of an unrelated drug deal gone to *hit.
Lygon Street may never be quite the same, and no doubt these real life 'Underbelly' happenings are ongoing to boost interest in the Network Nine smash hit. Insiders say they will include the pokies connection, and perhaps also draw upon more history with Crown Casino, having a hard time stopping the rumor mill. The TV version of 'Underbelly' has yet more material to work with, as it prepares to screen the Brisbane and Gold Coast - Surfers' Parasise versions.
Unfortunately this 'Underbelly' themed report is real life and we call for calm.
The Late News...
Crown Casino coopering with Australian state and federal police
Melbourne CBD in lockdown mode
Underbelly happenings boost popularity of The Godfather and Hitman slot games
More arrests likely
Victoria, Mildura - Jewel Casino Proposal Getting To Next Level...
A Mildura based community group will round up the troops and assemble to support a Mildura casino following an impressive presentation from champion casino pitch man and developer Don Carrazza this week. "CasinoMeister" (Media Man tag) Carrazza spoke to more than 50 punters at The Office Wine Bar and Lounge re the positive progress of the Mildura Jewel convention centre project aka Jewel Casino... you got to love those long names and the adds ons to add value. Many people at the meeting responded saying a community group should be established to help gather support for the prop and also gain bi-partisan (both Labor and Liberal parties) support. A subsequent meet up for this Monday was arranged to assemble the passionate mob er group. Carrazza told the gathering Mildura’s community needed to show support for the casino. "Mildura at the moment needs a boost. We lost 60,000 acres of land with irrigation; that’s got to be replaced. If we stuff around for too long the people who want to fund this project will walk away. As a community we have to make these politicians understand what we want" said the likable pitch man.
Media Man Profiles
Australia
Underbelly
Crown Casino
Mildura
Australian Casinos
Wrap Up...
Readers, do you think the police are tough enough on the real life 'Underbelly' types? Crown Casino should ride off the publicity and get an Underbelly or Kerry Packer themed slot game? What's your predication for the next colourful crime to happen at an Australian land based casino? Should the Mildura Jewel Casino proposal go ahead? What's your favorite casino games and why? Tell us in the forum.
Crown Casino Connection Colourful Crimes...
'Crown Casino Client Ferrari Stolen With Virgin Valet'
http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/crown-casino-client-ferrari-stolen-virgin-valet-051410.html
'Crown Casino Shaft Man Probed and Charged'
http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/crown-casino-shaft-man-probed-and-charged-080310.html
Readers, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Don't mix your passion for casinos and gaming with crime, and don't do anything we wouldn't do.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
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Media Man Asia
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Global Gaming Directory
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Australian Casino, Poker And Political News, by Greg Tingle - 14th August 2010
Australia is once again home to some of the world's most interesting and unique casino, gambling, poker and political news this week. Movie stars with 3D presentations at Aussie casinos, casino gang crime, Australian rock legend to release slot game to pubs, poker tours, political election betting, shake ups in Australian gaming and gambling landscape and more. Media Man and Gambling911 continue to bring you the best. The late, great Kerry Packer would love this edition, we're sure... proxy if need be... its worth it punters...
Crown Casino Chinatown Crime Figures Busted...
A Crown Casino VIP high roller and a Chinatown restaurateur personality are accused of heading up a Melbourne crime syndicate targeted by police over the past 48 hours in a series of explosive raids, arrests and record-breaking asset seizures. The alleged crime bosses of the multi-million dollar Melbourne drug ring that spent massive sums on property, gambling and overseas interests are set to appear in court after overnight out-of-sessions hearing. Crown Casino high roller Thi Nho Le and husband Thanh Hai Pham, both 46, spent the night in police cells with 6 other alleged members of the syndicate. Police allege it trafficked more than 30 kilograms of heroin in Melbourne and earned over $20 million in the past 9 months. Named and known as the Le Syndicate after the family that allegedly controls it, Ms Le's younger sister Thi Nho Em Le, her brother and their partners all faced a court hearing at St Kilda Road police complex early yesterday morning. Thi Nho Em Le's partner, businessman and restaurateur Kai Sin Mong, is also alleged to be a key player in the syndicate that police state has built a business empire including a Chinatown restaurant and a western-suburbs based petrol station. The group is accused of manufacturing and distributing large amounts of heroin, from locations including a flat in Napier Street, Fitzroy, laundering money and loaning money to other drug cartels and gamblers. Detective Acting Sergeant James Cole told the court that members did business at James Packers' Crown Casino's high-roller Mahogany Room, purchased a number of properties and businesses to conceal the proceeds of crime and sent money offshore to Vietnam, including a recent whopping $920,000 money transfer. This was allegedly used to create a multi-million dollar property portfolio, which may have been kicked along by plans to purchase a United States $2.5 million hotel. The mob aka triad were among 21 people arrested in a series of raids at properties in Melbourne's western and inner-northern suburbs, including Fitzroy commission flats, after a painstaking 10-month investigation.
Stay tuned to Gambling911 and Media Man for more details.
Jupiters Hotel and Casino: Avatar 3D Celebs Connection...
Film director James Cameron is backing up at the Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC) on the Gold Coast this season showing footage of his 3D underwater epic Sanctum. Cameron impressed delegates away when he showed exclusive footage from his blockbuster Avatar last year, now, 12 months later, he plans to wow the town again. Star of the Sanctum, Rhys Wakefield, and producer Andrew Wight, will attend the happening at Jupiters Hotel and Casino this Wednesday when Universal Studios will present the scenes. The media opp will help combat some mixed media reports on the crime rate at the Tabcorp owned casino. Sanctum, shot (pun intended) at Surfers Paradise - Gold Coast earlier this year, is understood to be in post-production down south in Melbourne (home to 'Underbelly' - real and TV) where the visual effects and the like are being meshed in. Director Alister Grierson says it will be a 'very exciting' event. "It won't be the fully finished version but what you will see will be in 3D. Universal pictures are really excited and pumped up to do the release and it's rare an Australian film gets this amount of positive review and anticipation before it's out. We're doing some pick-up shots and have built a mini set here for visual effects, so we're very close to finishing." He won't be present, nor will exec producer Cameron. "I flew over to LA and screened a version for Jim about a month ago and he really enjoyed that. He had some tips on how to improve it and a few nips and tucks." Sanctum is just one of the dozens of films that will be previewed over the 5 day convention, which commences with the Queensland premiere of Tomorrow When The War Began at Jupiters Hotel and Casino tomorrow night. Hollywooders Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell will walk the red carpet at Event Cinemas, Robina, this Wednesday night for the Australian premiere of The Other Guys. Great to see Jupiter's playing the Aussiewood - Hollywood card.
ANZPT - Australian New Zealand Poker Tour - Jupiters Hotel And Casino, Gold Coast - 14th August...
42 players are in the ANZPT on the Gold Coast for day 3. 32 players are going to at least break even. Mainly short stacks and a couple of big stacks. Hong Kong shark, er player, Nick Wong has the largest stack at time to press. Chip leading at 376,500. The top 5 players at this time are Nauv Kashyap, Darko Balaban, Liam O'Rourke and PokerStars branded Aaron Benton. Hello PartyPoker... pick up your game Tyron Krost and what's the story with your name Stewart Scott... you guys don't get paid the big bucks for nothing. You're only as good as your last game. Benton is on a roll winning at the season-ending APPT Grand Final in Sydney last December. Benton cashed at the ANZPT in Perth, before reaching the final table at the ANZPT Canberra for win of $12 grand. Journeyed to the WSOP and returned to get runner up spoils at ANZPT in Queenstown.
ANZPT - 12th August Update...
PartyPoker sponsored 2010 Aussie Millions Champ Tyron Krost joined the field Thursday, as did PokerStars Team Australia Professional Tony Hachem, ANZPT Canberra champ and high-stakes cash game pro Jason Gray and 2009 Aussie Millions $100k winner David Steicke. PokerStars Qualifier Darko Balaban finished at the top of the list of 63 survivors from the day. Go Aussies Go!
Pokie Rock N Roller With Rose Tatto; Some Angry, Some Not!...
Aristocrat Leisure has done a smart move to kill concerns that its pokie have been largely responsible for murdering the live music scene around Australia. The company has invented a new contraption that will allow pub rock bands and gambling machines to co-exist... get this...a pokie machine based on one of the country's iconic pub rock bands, the Angry Anderson-headed Rose Tattoo. "We are confident that our Rose Tattoo game will be a hit in pubs across Australia, said Aristocrat's MD for Australia, Trevor Croker, at the Australasian Gaming Expo in Darling Harbour, Sydney."The striking red and black colour scheme will make a statement on the gaming floor and patrons will enjoy the experience of playing along with some Rose Tattoo classics," he said. The Aristocrat website describes the game as "Reel Rock 'n' Roll''. "Rose Tattoo multi-game is guaranteed to rock your venue," the company claims. Next an 'Underbelly', 'Madame Lash', 'Mr Sin' or 'Kerry Packer' themed game? Stranger things have happened.
Australian Federal Election Betting Update...
Aussie betting markets moved firmly to Gillard's Labor by about 4.5% on the aggregate implied probability of victory, with all agencies moving in the same direction. Centrebet moved strongest with an 8.5% ALP boost while Sportingbet moved the least with a 3.5% boost to Labor. Betting odds and people putting their money where their mouth is has traditionally been more accurate to pick the winner than other types of political polling. You can still jab ahead Tony "The Bruiser" Abbott... go son...fight to the finish.
Tabcorp VIP Casino Upgrades...
Tabcorp’s casino expansion plans are not much exiting the market. One source said "deep dark money pit"! The press announcement brought a downgrade of the company’s rating and outlook. The Tabcorp plans to capture the Australasian VIP market, one that Crown Limited largely dominates. Ratings agency Standard & Poors (S&P) reduced the Australian-facing company’s A$1.99m debt outlook from “stable” to “negative” over concerns on the further A$285m investment in its Star City casino in Sydney announced as part of full year results last week. This came with the warning that Tabcorp’s capital expenditure plans could further risk its new rating as the company faces the possible loss of its Victorian wagering licence later this year. Gambling industry analyst Andrew Hills (Wilson HTM) said "The capital expenditure required to operate a competitive casino is oppressive and we question whether Tabcorp is throwing good money after bad. The New South Wales and Queensland casinos are attractive for the respective state governments but not for shareholders, in our view." Nathan Gee (Merrill Lynch) advised Tabcorp will either have to protect their new credit rating by an equity raising, or bite the bullet and incur higher debt costs from a further ratings downgrade, which he suggests may be the better option. Last week, Tabcorp chief Elmer Funke Kupper advised the aim of Star City was to create a destination for VIP’s and said the investment was a "no-brainer addition" to the company’s plans. In the full-year results, the Australian casino and gaming operator reported a 9.4% drop in its casino division’s EBITDA, however predicted that it would see an estimated A$130m-140m EBITDA uplift from its Star City investment by 2014. A concern for Tabcorp will be the expiration of its Victorian wagering licence, due to end in 2012. Aussie rival Tatts Group and the UK's Ladbrokes, no stranger to Media Man and Gambling911, have indicated their intentions to compete with Tabcorp for the next 12-year licence which will grant the winner a virtual monopoly on wagering and sports betting in that state of Victoria. Earlier this week the Victorian Government tabled legislation that would give valuable premium wagering tax concessions to the licence holder, but while analysts believe the license to be worth A$4bn, they also reckon renewing it could cost Tabcorp anywhere between A$300m and A$600m! "Tabcorp winning the Victorian wagering licence might put pressure on its S&P credit rating depending on the eventual price paid" said an insider. "Interestingly Tabcorp missing out on the Victoria wagering licence would ease the pressure around a credit rating downgrade or an equity raising," but over-paying for the licence may be better in the long haul than missing out full stop. Tabcorp has a war on its hands for the bid, as Australia’s Productivity Commission specifically recommended at the start of the year that it was against the renewal of wagering monopolies in New South Wales and Victoria. Tabcorp’s main investment program, the Star City Casino, is expected to now cost A$860m in addition to a A$100m payment to the New South Wales government for the pleasure, but Funke Kupper last week argued that the high price of investments would pay off by pulling in the big spending VIPs. That's his vision, but not that of the whole markets. The company reported that Star City’s 10% year-on-year EBITDA growth was offset by a 29% drop year-on-year in the company’s 3 "banana bender" Queensland casinos. Tabcorp is in negotiations with the government over increasing investment in its Queensland properties, where sliding trade is being caused by weak economic conditions in the region. A no-brainer? Readers, you be the judge.
NSW Government Keno Jackpot...
24 months after permitting Keno into hotels, the NSW state government has approved the installation into pubs and clubs of an expected 800 electronic Keno gambling machines which knockers say are a "gateway" to pokies. WSW will be #1 state to provide 'Touch Keno' after the government reviewed the results of a 3 month trial of 30 terminals at 15 venues including Star City Casino and Souths Juniors Rugby League Club. The devices are due to be installed in clubs from the coming month. Unlike the existing version, in which punters mark numbers with a pencil and paper and place bets at the bar, Touch Keno allows players to feed cold hard cash directly into the mouth of the machine, but payouts must still be collected from an human operator. Tabcorp, co-owner of the NSW Keno licence with ClubsNSW, is kindly offering to pay the cost of installing the machines if venues sign up for at least 24 months. Long enough to get the gambling bug. The government advised the terminals must be placed in a restricted area that cannot be accessed by minors". This may be a venue's lounge, bar area or gaming area. The government has recently introduced a $250 bet limit and said machines must carry information about gambling counselling and self-exclusion services. "The terminals were subject to a comprehensive trial to assess technology and harm minimisation issues," the Minister for Gaming and Racing, Kevin Greene, told press. There's no proposal to phase out the old form of Keno in favour of the new terminals. The "traditional" Keno game must be retained when a terminal is installed. The ClubsNSW chief executive, Anthony Ball, said the terminals would remove the need for punters to wait for a bartender to finish serving drinks before placing a bet. "This new technology means customers will instead be able to walk up to a screen and play Keno with, in most cases, no delay or waiting line. Self-service technology has existed at the TAB for a number of years and has proved very successful in reducing player waiting times." The anti-gambling campaigner, Senator Nick Xenophon aka "Mr X", advised the introduction of Touch Keno was worrying. "My concern is that Touch Keno will serve as a kind of gateway for casual gamblers to become poker machine gamblers. And as the Productivity Commission reported earlier this year, poker machines are far and away the biggest source of problem gambling." World Vision chief executive, Tim Costello, said he was concerned about the removal of an attendant from the betting process. "Human intervention is a natural restraint on access for problem gamblers." Last week, Tabcorp reported annual revenue of $157.2 million from its Keno operations in NSW, Queensland and Victoria. NSW down for $32 million, an annual increase of 5.4 per cent. Last month, the government said it would allow a Tabcorp-owned virtual racing game, Trackside, into pubs and clubs to pay for the refurbishment of Randwick Racecourse.
Both punters and insiders continue to enjoy the weekly Australian Casino Wars, largely dominated by Tabcorp and Crown Limited, but always watch out for an X Factor, be it PartyGaming, Ladbrokes, Genting or other.
Punters, er readers, stay glued to Media Man reports via Gambling911 for more "can't miss" information on the Australian media, gaming, casino and political wars.
Gambling911 Politics
http://www.gambling911.com/politics.html
Media Man Profiles
Australia
Australian Casinos
Politics
Censorship
Media Companies
Movies
Wrap Up...
Readers... er, punters, what's your view on online poker, online casinos, censorship, internet censorship and freedom of the press? Who will win the Aussie Casino Wars? Could you live without online poker? Do you enjoy adult content (that is legal)? Who are your betting on, and why? Make your voice heard. Tell us in the forum. The big wigs of Australian politics and business read and hang on every word at your beloved Gambling911. From Australia's answer to 'Casino Jack' to 'Outback Jack', they're all her folks. Keep checking daily for updates, Yes Minister, and have another cup of Full Strength Coffee (no caffeine or web filter thanks).
The Late News...
If your going to have a bet, please bet your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis.
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
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Casino News Media
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Global Gaming Directory
Australia is once again home to some of the world's most interesting and unique casino, gambling, poker and political news this week. Movie stars with 3D presentations at Aussie casinos, casino gang crime, Australian rock legend to release slot game to pubs, poker tours, political election betting, shake ups in Australian gaming and gambling landscape and more. Media Man and Gambling911 continue to bring you the best. The late, great Kerry Packer would love this edition, we're sure... proxy if need be... its worth it punters...
Crown Casino Chinatown Crime Figures Busted...
A Crown Casino VIP high roller and a Chinatown restaurateur personality are accused of heading up a Melbourne crime syndicate targeted by police over the past 48 hours in a series of explosive raids, arrests and record-breaking asset seizures. The alleged crime bosses of the multi-million dollar Melbourne drug ring that spent massive sums on property, gambling and overseas interests are set to appear in court after overnight out-of-sessions hearing. Crown Casino high roller Thi Nho Le and husband Thanh Hai Pham, both 46, spent the night in police cells with 6 other alleged members of the syndicate. Police allege it trafficked more than 30 kilograms of heroin in Melbourne and earned over $20 million in the past 9 months. Named and known as the Le Syndicate after the family that allegedly controls it, Ms Le's younger sister Thi Nho Em Le, her brother and their partners all faced a court hearing at St Kilda Road police complex early yesterday morning. Thi Nho Em Le's partner, businessman and restaurateur Kai Sin Mong, is also alleged to be a key player in the syndicate that police state has built a business empire including a Chinatown restaurant and a western-suburbs based petrol station. The group is accused of manufacturing and distributing large amounts of heroin, from locations including a flat in Napier Street, Fitzroy, laundering money and loaning money to other drug cartels and gamblers. Detective Acting Sergeant James Cole told the court that members did business at James Packers' Crown Casino's high-roller Mahogany Room, purchased a number of properties and businesses to conceal the proceeds of crime and sent money offshore to Vietnam, including a recent whopping $920,000 money transfer. This was allegedly used to create a multi-million dollar property portfolio, which may have been kicked along by plans to purchase a United States $2.5 million hotel. The mob aka triad were among 21 people arrested in a series of raids at properties in Melbourne's western and inner-northern suburbs, including Fitzroy commission flats, after a painstaking 10-month investigation.
Stay tuned to Gambling911 and Media Man for more details.
Jupiters Hotel and Casino: Avatar 3D Celebs Connection...
Film director James Cameron is backing up at the Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC) on the Gold Coast this season showing footage of his 3D underwater epic Sanctum. Cameron impressed delegates away when he showed exclusive footage from his blockbuster Avatar last year, now, 12 months later, he plans to wow the town again. Star of the Sanctum, Rhys Wakefield, and producer Andrew Wight, will attend the happening at Jupiters Hotel and Casino this Wednesday when Universal Studios will present the scenes. The media opp will help combat some mixed media reports on the crime rate at the Tabcorp owned casino. Sanctum, shot (pun intended) at Surfers Paradise - Gold Coast earlier this year, is understood to be in post-production down south in Melbourne (home to 'Underbelly' - real and TV) where the visual effects and the like are being meshed in. Director Alister Grierson says it will be a 'very exciting' event. "It won't be the fully finished version but what you will see will be in 3D. Universal pictures are really excited and pumped up to do the release and it's rare an Australian film gets this amount of positive review and anticipation before it's out. We're doing some pick-up shots and have built a mini set here for visual effects, so we're very close to finishing." He won't be present, nor will exec producer Cameron. "I flew over to LA and screened a version for Jim about a month ago and he really enjoyed that. He had some tips on how to improve it and a few nips and tucks." Sanctum is just one of the dozens of films that will be previewed over the 5 day convention, which commences with the Queensland premiere of Tomorrow When The War Began at Jupiters Hotel and Casino tomorrow night. Hollywooders Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell will walk the red carpet at Event Cinemas, Robina, this Wednesday night for the Australian premiere of The Other Guys. Great to see Jupiter's playing the Aussiewood - Hollywood card.
ANZPT - Australian New Zealand Poker Tour - Jupiters Hotel And Casino, Gold Coast - 14th August...
42 players are in the ANZPT on the Gold Coast for day 3. 32 players are going to at least break even. Mainly short stacks and a couple of big stacks. Hong Kong shark, er player, Nick Wong has the largest stack at time to press. Chip leading at 376,500. The top 5 players at this time are Nauv Kashyap, Darko Balaban, Liam O'Rourke and PokerStars branded Aaron Benton. Hello PartyPoker... pick up your game Tyron Krost and what's the story with your name Stewart Scott... you guys don't get paid the big bucks for nothing. You're only as good as your last game. Benton is on a roll winning at the season-ending APPT Grand Final in Sydney last December. Benton cashed at the ANZPT in Perth, before reaching the final table at the ANZPT Canberra for win of $12 grand. Journeyed to the WSOP and returned to get runner up spoils at ANZPT in Queenstown.
ANZPT - 12th August Update...
PartyPoker sponsored 2010 Aussie Millions Champ Tyron Krost joined the field Thursday, as did PokerStars Team Australia Professional Tony Hachem, ANZPT Canberra champ and high-stakes cash game pro Jason Gray and 2009 Aussie Millions $100k winner David Steicke. PokerStars Qualifier Darko Balaban finished at the top of the list of 63 survivors from the day. Go Aussies Go!
Pokie Rock N Roller With Rose Tatto; Some Angry, Some Not!...
Aristocrat Leisure has done a smart move to kill concerns that its pokie have been largely responsible for murdering the live music scene around Australia. The company has invented a new contraption that will allow pub rock bands and gambling machines to co-exist... get this...a pokie machine based on one of the country's iconic pub rock bands, the Angry Anderson-headed Rose Tattoo. "We are confident that our Rose Tattoo game will be a hit in pubs across Australia, said Aristocrat's MD for Australia, Trevor Croker, at the Australasian Gaming Expo in Darling Harbour, Sydney."The striking red and black colour scheme will make a statement on the gaming floor and patrons will enjoy the experience of playing along with some Rose Tattoo classics," he said. The Aristocrat website describes the game as "Reel Rock 'n' Roll''. "Rose Tattoo multi-game is guaranteed to rock your venue," the company claims. Next an 'Underbelly', 'Madame Lash', 'Mr Sin' or 'Kerry Packer' themed game? Stranger things have happened.
Australian Federal Election Betting Update...
Aussie betting markets moved firmly to Gillard's Labor by about 4.5% on the aggregate implied probability of victory, with all agencies moving in the same direction. Centrebet moved strongest with an 8.5% ALP boost while Sportingbet moved the least with a 3.5% boost to Labor. Betting odds and people putting their money where their mouth is has traditionally been more accurate to pick the winner than other types of political polling. You can still jab ahead Tony "The Bruiser" Abbott... go son...fight to the finish.
Tabcorp VIP Casino Upgrades...
Tabcorp’s casino expansion plans are not much exiting the market. One source said "deep dark money pit"! The press announcement brought a downgrade of the company’s rating and outlook. The Tabcorp plans to capture the Australasian VIP market, one that Crown Limited largely dominates. Ratings agency Standard & Poors (S&P) reduced the Australian-facing company’s A$1.99m debt outlook from “stable” to “negative” over concerns on the further A$285m investment in its Star City casino in Sydney announced as part of full year results last week. This came with the warning that Tabcorp’s capital expenditure plans could further risk its new rating as the company faces the possible loss of its Victorian wagering licence later this year. Gambling industry analyst Andrew Hills (Wilson HTM) said "The capital expenditure required to operate a competitive casino is oppressive and we question whether Tabcorp is throwing good money after bad. The New South Wales and Queensland casinos are attractive for the respective state governments but not for shareholders, in our view." Nathan Gee (Merrill Lynch) advised Tabcorp will either have to protect their new credit rating by an equity raising, or bite the bullet and incur higher debt costs from a further ratings downgrade, which he suggests may be the better option. Last week, Tabcorp chief Elmer Funke Kupper advised the aim of Star City was to create a destination for VIP’s and said the investment was a "no-brainer addition" to the company’s plans. In the full-year results, the Australian casino and gaming operator reported a 9.4% drop in its casino division’s EBITDA, however predicted that it would see an estimated A$130m-140m EBITDA uplift from its Star City investment by 2014. A concern for Tabcorp will be the expiration of its Victorian wagering licence, due to end in 2012. Aussie rival Tatts Group and the UK's Ladbrokes, no stranger to Media Man and Gambling911, have indicated their intentions to compete with Tabcorp for the next 12-year licence which will grant the winner a virtual monopoly on wagering and sports betting in that state of Victoria. Earlier this week the Victorian Government tabled legislation that would give valuable premium wagering tax concessions to the licence holder, but while analysts believe the license to be worth A$4bn, they also reckon renewing it could cost Tabcorp anywhere between A$300m and A$600m! "Tabcorp winning the Victorian wagering licence might put pressure on its S&P credit rating depending on the eventual price paid" said an insider. "Interestingly Tabcorp missing out on the Victoria wagering licence would ease the pressure around a credit rating downgrade or an equity raising," but over-paying for the licence may be better in the long haul than missing out full stop. Tabcorp has a war on its hands for the bid, as Australia’s Productivity Commission specifically recommended at the start of the year that it was against the renewal of wagering monopolies in New South Wales and Victoria. Tabcorp’s main investment program, the Star City Casino, is expected to now cost A$860m in addition to a A$100m payment to the New South Wales government for the pleasure, but Funke Kupper last week argued that the high price of investments would pay off by pulling in the big spending VIPs. That's his vision, but not that of the whole markets. The company reported that Star City’s 10% year-on-year EBITDA growth was offset by a 29% drop year-on-year in the company’s 3 "banana bender" Queensland casinos. Tabcorp is in negotiations with the government over increasing investment in its Queensland properties, where sliding trade is being caused by weak economic conditions in the region. A no-brainer? Readers, you be the judge.
NSW Government Keno Jackpot...
24 months after permitting Keno into hotels, the NSW state government has approved the installation into pubs and clubs of an expected 800 electronic Keno gambling machines which knockers say are a "gateway" to pokies. WSW will be #1 state to provide 'Touch Keno' after the government reviewed the results of a 3 month trial of 30 terminals at 15 venues including Star City Casino and Souths Juniors Rugby League Club. The devices are due to be installed in clubs from the coming month. Unlike the existing version, in which punters mark numbers with a pencil and paper and place bets at the bar, Touch Keno allows players to feed cold hard cash directly into the mouth of the machine, but payouts must still be collected from an human operator. Tabcorp, co-owner of the NSW Keno licence with ClubsNSW, is kindly offering to pay the cost of installing the machines if venues sign up for at least 24 months. Long enough to get the gambling bug. The government advised the terminals must be placed in a restricted area that cannot be accessed by minors". This may be a venue's lounge, bar area or gaming area. The government has recently introduced a $250 bet limit and said machines must carry information about gambling counselling and self-exclusion services. "The terminals were subject to a comprehensive trial to assess technology and harm minimisation issues," the Minister for Gaming and Racing, Kevin Greene, told press. There's no proposal to phase out the old form of Keno in favour of the new terminals. The "traditional" Keno game must be retained when a terminal is installed. The ClubsNSW chief executive, Anthony Ball, said the terminals would remove the need for punters to wait for a bartender to finish serving drinks before placing a bet. "This new technology means customers will instead be able to walk up to a screen and play Keno with, in most cases, no delay or waiting line. Self-service technology has existed at the TAB for a number of years and has proved very successful in reducing player waiting times." The anti-gambling campaigner, Senator Nick Xenophon aka "Mr X", advised the introduction of Touch Keno was worrying. "My concern is that Touch Keno will serve as a kind of gateway for casual gamblers to become poker machine gamblers. And as the Productivity Commission reported earlier this year, poker machines are far and away the biggest source of problem gambling." World Vision chief executive, Tim Costello, said he was concerned about the removal of an attendant from the betting process. "Human intervention is a natural restraint on access for problem gamblers." Last week, Tabcorp reported annual revenue of $157.2 million from its Keno operations in NSW, Queensland and Victoria. NSW down for $32 million, an annual increase of 5.4 per cent. Last month, the government said it would allow a Tabcorp-owned virtual racing game, Trackside, into pubs and clubs to pay for the refurbishment of Randwick Racecourse.
Both punters and insiders continue to enjoy the weekly Australian Casino Wars, largely dominated by Tabcorp and Crown Limited, but always watch out for an X Factor, be it PartyGaming, Ladbrokes, Genting or other.
Punters, er readers, stay glued to Media Man reports via Gambling911 for more "can't miss" information on the Australian media, gaming, casino and political wars.
Gambling911 Politics
http://www.gambling911.com/politics.html
Media Man Profiles
Australia
Australian Casinos
Politics
Censorship
Media Companies
Movies
Wrap Up...
Readers... er, punters, what's your view on online poker, online casinos, censorship, internet censorship and freedom of the press? Who will win the Aussie Casino Wars? Could you live without online poker? Do you enjoy adult content (that is legal)? Who are your betting on, and why? Make your voice heard. Tell us in the forum. The big wigs of Australian politics and business read and hang on every word at your beloved Gambling911. From Australia's answer to 'Casino Jack' to 'Outback Jack', they're all her folks. Keep checking daily for updates, Yes Minister, and have another cup of Full Strength Coffee (no caffeine or web filter thanks).
The Late News...
If your going to have a bet, please bet your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis.
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Casino News Media
Poker News Media
Global Gaming Directory
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