PartyPoker Introduces Five Star Poker Challenge

PartyPoker Introduces Five Star Poker Challenge

In December, PartyPoker will unveil the Five Star Poker Challenge, offering 31 freerolls worth $5,000 each plus other high-stakes cash prizes. PartyPoker offers some of the industry’s most unique promotions every month.

All you have to do to take full advantage of the Five Star Poker Challenge is rack up five Party Points in a single day. That’s it; that’s really all you have to do. When you amass five points, PartyPoker will grant you entry into a $5,000 freeroll the next day. There are 31 freerolls that will be held in total, meaning that the site is putting up over $150,000 for this part of the Five Star Poker Challenge promotion.

Now, if you qualify for five of the aforementioned $5,000 freerolls, you’ll score entry into a $50,000 freeroll that will be held on January 2nd. You’ll be ringing in the new year in style as you vie for a five-figure prize pool, all for playing on one of the world’s largest online poker sites.

In addition, repeat winners of the $5,000 freerolls will be in for a special treat. Win two daily $5,000 freerolls and you’ll take home a $5,000 cash prize. If you manage to win three daily freerolls, then your prize will be increased to $50,000. Finally, any PartyPoker player who manages to take down five daily $5,000 freerolls will win a colossal $500,000 cash prize.

Your $5,000 freeroll victories don’t have to be consecutive; rather, they can happen on any days during the promotion. Finally, PartyPoker is offering up one $5,000, $50,000, and $500,000 bonus, so start playing early to claim your prize, as jackpots will be paid out on a first come, first served basis.

Text found on PartyPoker’s website explains how bonuses can be claimed: “To make a claim, players must send an email to info@partypoker.com and confirm their account name. PartyPoker will respond to all claims within 48 hours in order to verify all claims and ensure no fraudulent play has taken place.” PartyPoker expects to pay out bonuses within 48 hours.

The $5,000 tournaments will kick off at 15:00 ET each day during the Five Star Poker Challenge. According to PartyPoker’s terms, a “day” runs from 00:00 ET to 23:59 ET, so make sure to pick up five Party Points during this time span to qualify.

Also in December, PartyPoker is holding the VIP Gift Accumulator for its VIP members. All players need to do is earn Party Points. Then, at certain thresholds, they’ll receive rewards for their play, ranging from a $50 cash prize to a $5,000 World Poker Tour (WPT) buy-in. Other prizes include $100 in cash, an iPod Touch, $700 in cash, and a 16 GB iPad, which will likely be one of the hottest gift items for the holiday season. All prizes are cumulative, which could make for a pretty full stocking come Christmas morning.

The VIP Gift Accumulator also includes a prize draw that will shell out $10,000. The top payout in the prize draw is $5,000, with cash sums of $3,000 and $2,000 also available. The VIP Gift Accumulator promotion runs from December 1st to 14th, with the prize draw occurring on December 17th. Players must opt into the VIP Gift Accumulator in order to participate.

The WPT buy-in is good for any event before March 31st. Players who would rather not head to a live poker tournament can opt for a cash alternative of $3,500. In order to check out how many VIP Gift Accumulator points you’ve earned, head to your PartyPoker account after you’ve opted in.

Visit PartyPoker for the full rundowns of the Five Star Poker Challenge and VIP Gift Accumulator. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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PartyCasino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award

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.

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PKR Poker Nominated For Casino News Media - Media Man - Global Gaming Directory Awards - November 2010

PKR.com nominated for Casino News Media - Media Man - Global Gaming Directory Awards - November 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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Poker News Media: Win A Dream Holiday And Guaranteed Entry Into WPT Celebrity Invitational: PartyCasino Big One Near 3 Million

Win A Dream Holiday And Guaranteed Entry Into WPT Celebrity Invitational; PartyCasino Big One Near $3 Million

‘The Big One’ at PartyCasino.com is nearing $3,000,000 while the accumulated jackpots on the world’s largest online casino are nearing $4,000,000! ‘The Big One’ is structured as a five tiered pool. The highest tier - Colossal Cash - seeds at $1.5 million, the biggest online jackpot seed in the industry, and currently stands at $2,840,000. Customers can play for ‘The Big One’ through traditional slot Melon Madness and the recently introduced Snow Business. Somebody is going to win very big!

PartyPoker.com recently introduced anonymous heads-up tables. How does that change your game? We asked Kara Scott et all for their views.

Win A Dream Holiday And Guaranteed Entry Into WPT Celebrity Invitational

Gibraltar – 16th November 2010 -- PartyPoker.com is offering customers the opportunity to indulge themselves in the world of the rich and famous by winning a four-day dream holiday to Los Angeles, including a seat in the prestigious WPT Celebrity Invitational at the Commerce.

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “Win one of our amazing prize packages and we’ll make sure you live it up in one of the coolest cities on the planet. Last year we took package winners on a tour of Hollywood and Beverley Hills as well as organising a fun-filled day at the world-famous Universal Studios – and this time it could be you experiencing the A-list lifestyle. As well as the sightseeing you’ll also get a seat at the exclusive WPT Celebrity Invitational. This event is packed full of celebrities and big names from poker but we’ve made sure our winners will have their place among the elite for a chance to win a major slice of the $200,000 prize pool.”

"These packages are sure to be popular. We don’t know how many of the 14 packages we’ll give away in each weekly satellite so remember, once they’re gone they’re gone and the promotion will be over."

PartyPoker.com’s Los Angeles packages include:

Four nights’ hotel accommodation
$2,000 spending money
Our world-renowned hospitality throughout your stay in Los Angeles
Guaranteed entry to the WPT Celebrity Invitational

There are a wide range of daily qualifiers that run until the 19th December or until 14 packages are given away. Daily freerolls mean there is the chance to win the trip to LA for free!

The WPT Celebrity Invitational is the curtain raiser for the LA Poker Classic and takes place on the 18th – 19th February 2011 – the event is overseen by WPT Executive Tour Director Matt Savage. The event is strictly invite only. Amongst the celebrities spotted in the field in 2010 were Ricki Lake and Terri Hatcher, with reality star Trishella Cannatella and poker pro Thor Hansen making the final table. Amateur Leron Washington took the $100,000 first prize.

Full information can be found at: PartyPoker.com

Please note that players have to be 21 to take part in the WPT Celebrity Invitational.

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Crown Casino Forced To Defend Reputation In Press, by Greg Tingle - 23rd November 2010

Crown Casino, Australia's leading land based casino and prize jewel of gambling and media tycoon James Packer, is publicly fighting back against a number of serious allegations being thrown at them. Media Man and Gambling911 play devil's advocate as we bring you this special report on the cafe and pub talk about Crown...

In the past year or so most of the media reports on James Packer owned Crown Casino have been balanced, with a number of even positive reports, but now a new batch of negative stories, allegations and even a spot of "attack journalism" is starting to read its ugly head again.

Casino Casino bosses are not happy in the least about a bush tucker bag of allegations being leveled at their gambling and entertainment premises.

One of the more gross allegations is that Crown was accused of letting desperate gamblers urinate at machines during 24-hour pokie marathon sessions!

Other leaks say Crown throws fights into the street and tries to cover up crimes and other unwanted attention.

The hard hitting allegations are found in a report based on interviews with 225 current and former Crown casino staff who spoke out about their impressions of the level of violence, problem gambling and alcohol abuse inside Australia's biggest gambling venue.

A number of Australian media and gambling commentators believe the reports may have been geared to generate negative results for the casino, and that a large number of former staff and disgruntled current staff may have been tricked into focusing on negatives, and that somehow the Uni compiled report was designed to make Crown Limited look bad.

The so call "study" was conducted by Deakin University researchers, sphere headed by Associate Prof Linda Hancock. Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union staff agreed to participate in the industry-wide research.

The most disgusting allegation was that some one armed bandit players stood by the same pokies for up to 24 hours, with one respondent saying they "sit there and just wee, go to the toilet at the machine"

Crown Casino advises that allegation is not true.

Some staff also allege that Crown Casino is:

Permits patrons to gamble when drunk, even though it is against the law in Victoria

Calling taxis RSL cabs, Silver Service etc) for injured patrons and staff to avoid an ambulance incident report.

Permitting punters to stay on pokies for 24 hours plus marathon sessions or more.

Forcing drunks onto the street.

Covering up up 20 to 30 brawls per evening, with up to 40 punters a night being escorted out onto the street. This is mostly due to fighting, and sometimes patrons used knives and bottles.

Dr Hancock states her research showed a "systematic breakdown between Crown, government and regulators who don't enforce codes of practice".

The report that some say is bias, was rigged, and not accurate, also demonstrates poor awareness among staff of problem gambling, with half of those interviewed saying they wouldn't intervene if a gambler was in a distressed state.

A media spokesperson at Media Man said "The results of the report are not a total surprise. It's well known that there is an agenda from certain parts of the educational and political sector to get negative press on Crown Casino. Whispers are that the report was focusing on negatives and that they interviewed people who were not happy at Crown and has an axe to grind. They have used this report to try to create a media beat up, and also trying to generate attack journalism. University reports are often used to try to give certain agendas more credibility Do not believe everything you read, including from University reports. We know Crown Casino to do an excellent job of dealing with problems and are a very responsible employer. The report smells of a rat".

Crown casino spokesman Gary O'Neill said the comments in the report were all false and did not deserve to be described as "research: (a term also used to describe Japanese whaling).

"Crown absolutely denies that staff are encouraged or allowed to permit patrons to gamble while intoxicated," he said.

O'Neill said ambulances were regularly called to Crown and he denied claims that responsible gaming codes were being ignored.

At the time of press more media outlets are starting to go public saying there are flaws in the "research" and that Crown Casino haters are trying to create media beat-ups.

Crown Casino is understood to be considering some reality TV concepts and also is pursuing more national and international top line acts to add to its overall entertainment experience, as the famous Aussie casino wars continue with its main competitor being the embattled Tabcorp, owner - operator of Sydney's Star City, who are spending roughly 1 million dollars to try to play catch up to Crown - eventually wanting to become #1. Good luck Tabcorp, you will need it in spades.

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Wrap Up...

Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Is Crown Casino good or evil? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with 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.

*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited

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James Packer And Shane Warne Casino Deal, by Greg Tingle - 18th November 2010

What sort of business deals might an Aussie cricket legend and Australian casino king James Packer get up to? How about a Warnie branded poker room, and opening a bar or two, and plenty more win - wins in the works say those in the know. Warnie and Packer have also taken a liking to Tiger Woods, and some more good business is understood to be on the horizon for the daily double, soon to become a trio. Media Man and Gambling911 take a swing with the bats and balls and sink a cold one with this special report...

Shane Warne Expands Business Empire...

Aussie cricket living legend Shane Warne is further expanding his business.

He's the face of a poker brand, might have a poker room named after him, has a hair care endorsement, a venue music deal with Media Man mate Kym Illman, and now word leaks of both a Warnie talk show coming up on Network Nine, and perhaps a drinking bar - watering hole at Crown too. What a party animal, (with brains, and friends in all of the right places).

The champion spinner is coming back from more business deals offered to him from good mate and self appointed mentor, James Packer. Get this, the Crown Casino rooftop bar might also offer cigars and be smoker friendly, but details are a tad sketchy at the moment.

Warne was happy to confirm he and Packer were looking at a joint venture deal but wasn't able to, or willing, to discuss details at this stage of the game.

"Myself and James Packer are going into business and doing something at Crown," he said. "There might be something happening at Crown in the next 12 months."

Quizzed if it would be on the rooftop, cheeky Warne replied with "It should be very good views."

Both Packer and Warnie are smokers and the former cricketer is known to enjoy a good cigar. Warnie new mate, golfer, Tiger Woods, is understood to be keen to spend more time with the spinner, but if he will brave the night air and a ciggy on the roof at Crown Casino is unclear.

A Crown spokesperson yesterday said Crown had "no comment on this matter at this stage".

Warne is also strongly rumoured to have a hamburger business deal in the worlds. We got a report he was seen eating a McDonald's burger, that might have been branded as his own. How hot or not the burger might be is the talk of cafes and bars in Melbourne. On the burger he's understood to have said "I don't do spicy stuff. Too many years in India."

He also said he had no problem endorsing Maccas, noting they offered many healthy options.

"We did a bit of due diligence on McDonalds," he said.

Warne event went as far to say his three kids don't mind a bit of Maccas.

"Once a week I say, 'What would you like to have?' ... eight out of 10 times, it's McDonald's."

Shane Warne Talk Show; May Mention Poker, Gambling...

It's going to be called Warne’s World, the chat show is scheduled to air on Thursdays at 9.30pm once the Ashes series kicks off next month. "We’ve secured two or three big-name guests at this stage so things are going well," Warne said. The hunt is on for potential co-hosts. It will also feature a slew of international mates. A production source said, "Warnie knows so many people – there are many closet cricket fans out there – so we’re expecting anyone who’s in town, whether it be a superstar singer or a Hollywood actor, to be called on by Shane." Maybe it possibly work as a summer cricketing counterpart to The Footy Show? Warne also recently appeared Top Gear Australia, the show he was heavily rumoured to be hosting, but the host gig didn't come off, of course. Warne's World sounds like a better fit for the former spinner.

Warnie Mate Tiger Woods Also Likes His Twitter...

Tiger Woods is now on Twitter. In his first tweet , the world's former No.1 golfer said, "What’s up everyone. Finally decided to try out twitter!" In a second tweet, TigerWoods said, "Yep, it’s me. I think I like this twitter thing. You guys are awesome. Thanks for all the love." Woods' public image has taken a beating since last November, when a car accident outside his Florida home triggered reports of numerous extramarital affairs. Woods and ex-wife Elin Nordegren finalised their divorce in August. Woods has also struggled on the golf course in 2010, failing to win a tournament for the first time in his professional career. He lost the world No.1 ranking to Lee Westwood on October 31. Woods, currently "down under" in Australia, is understood to have a chance of winning the Australian Masters, and insiders reckon his time with Aussie cricket legend and lady lover, Shane Warne, are helping the Tiger mindset. At the Masters - Crown Casino press conference their similar nocturnal habits were brought up, which got a smile and laugh from the "dream team". Granted, with the ladies or the press, Tiger is no Shane Warne, but he doesn't need to be. Go get 'em Tiger.

Warnie Did Not Have Facelift; Hair Treatment Works!...

Warne has denied having plastic surgery after a spat of rumours and innuendo about his appearance. The famous cricketer was finally forced to use his Twitter account to set the record straight after a picture of him at an event in Melbourne sparked a whirl of speculation. "No have not had facelift or any work done to face, training hard and lost 5kg. Yes have had teeth whitened," he tweeted. He later added: "NO have not had hair transplant, have re-grown my own hair with laser therapy!! It works and happy with results!!"

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Wrap Up...

Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? How's things looking for a Packer - Warnie, and maybe Tiger Woods deal? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with 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.

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Australian Gambling And Entertainment News, by Greg Tingle - 12th November 2010

Punters, entertainment and celebrity news junkies, casino and media millionaires and billionaires, and one and all. Another huge news update for you. Media Man and Gambling911 continue to satisfy your habit for the best gambling and entertainment news available anywhere...

Aussie Mark Webber Will Not Quit F1 Win Or Lose...

Mark Webber has squashed small talk he will quit Formula One if he wins or loses the world championship this Sunday. Webber, 34, is under a1 year contract with the mighty Red Bull and says he plans to race on in 2011 and beyond. "Yes, pretty much I'm taking on a year by year basis," Webber said. Webber strongly hinted he was looking forward to another stoush with young German teammate Sebastian Vettel, as well as proving he still had the speed to match it with the best. "The youngsters' eyes are really big when they arrive but I've been so proud of what I've done this year. "I'm not an old guy but to take Fernando (Alonso) and Lewis (Hamilton) and Seb on week-in week-out I feel proud I've been able to do that. "I've had to lift the bar up and I think next year I can still drive very well. "Timing is very important. To drive at 85-90% in this category - forget it, you need to be on top of your game." Webber advised he was confident Red Bull had not committed all their resources to this year's car and would again be competitive in 2011. "Time will tell but we've had a lot of god cars in the last two years," he said. "Last year was very, very taxing for us but the team responded for this year really well and produced another cracker. "Next year we'll find out in the next few races. There are a lot of big new changes and the pedal's going in one direction for this team. Much has been said of the tactics Red Bull will adopt in this season-ending race, but Webber said it was "too hard to call" whether Vettel should help him if in position to do so. "I think it is a question for Seb. What he does is going to be very dependent on how the race unfolds and there are so many scenarios that can happen," Webber said. "I can win this championship by finishing fifth and I can lose it by winning it (if Fernando Alonso finishes second). "Let's just see how things evolve. It actually is very, very tough to make a call at the moment and we know the team's position. "The team's position is that the gloves are off between Sebastian and I. They want us to race, which we've done all year." Webber will take an eight-point deficit into the race, trailing Alonso's Ferrari after the Spaniard took over the running when Webber spun out in Korea recently.

ACMA Rules Against Gambling Adverts On Network Nine And Ten...

Network Nine and Ten have both been found to have breached their license for running interactive gambling advertisements. The Australian Communications and Media Authority found that both networks ran several promotions for PokerStars.net, an interactive gambling service which contravenes the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA). .net means that it was a play for free websites "These are the ACMA’s first investigations into advertisements prohibited under the Interactive Gambling Act," said ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman, "All providers of television, radio and datacasting services need to ensure sure they are fully aware of and comply with their obligations under the IGA.” Network Nine ran ads for PokerStars during its Wimbledon broadcast in July 2009 while TEN ran similar ads in November 2009 in conjunction with its reality series on ONE, The Poker Star. ACMA says these are the first investigations relating to the broadcast of prohibited advertisements under the IGA. Both networks have agreed to measures intended to increase awareness of the IGA, with staff training, education and periodic reports to ACMA.

Centrebet Plans To Double Market Share...

Centrebet's 2011 financial year profit would be halved, but this news comes as the online wagering group unveiled a five-year strategic plan aimed at doubling its market share. Dubbed the "Rocket Plan", Centrebet has earmarked "tens of millions of dollars" to be invested in the five-year plan, which it is betting on to boost future profits and double its share of the Australian corporate bookmaker market to 20 per cent by the 2015 financial year. But management warned that its 2011 financial year profit would take a hit as a result of that investment and its net profit after tax would now be about $8 million, compared with $16m under a business as usual scenario. "The strategic plan is aiming to provide a step change in growth and a significant and substantial increase in earnings," Centrebet managing director and majority shareholder Con Kafataris advised.

Tabcorp Keen On Cloud Computing...

Tabcorp has harnessed the Cloud and iPads to help it address the massive increase in demand on Tabcorp's IT systems surged by the Spring Racing Carnival and the Melbourne Cup. Tabcorp's wagering division CIO, Kim Wenn, advised multiple load tests needed to be done to ensure Tabcorp’s IT systems could handle the huge influx of bets generated throughout the nearly three month long racing season. "Tabcorp’s preparations for the 2010 Spring Racing Carnival ensured we were ready for the significantly increased load,” she said. “As a guide, a typical Saturday sees our infrastructure usage at about 9 per cent of the load we see on Cup day. Our systems have to work a lot harder on the big days.” Combined with this increased load was Tabcorp’s introduction of iPad’s on the racetrack, a new iPhone app and live betting used for the first time during the racing season that stops the nation. “Tabcorp aims to be at the forefront of wagering technology,” Wenn said. “We introduced the TAB iPhone Betting App in time for the Spring Racing Carnival and more than 100,000 Australians have now downloaded it. “Tabcorp’s focus at the future is to continue to be at the forefront of wagering technology,” she said. “We are exploring new ways to allow our customers to transact with us such as Android technology, T-box and IP-TV.” In October, Tabcorp managing director and chief executive, Elmer Funke Kupper, flagged mobile and online gambling as a major source of future profitability.

Sky Falling On SkyCity In New Zealand...

Shares in casino operator SkyCity fell 3c early to 319 in trading on the New Zealand stock exchange, after the company said it had been unsuccessful in moves to buy the 50 per cent of Christchurch Casino it does not own. SkyCity said it had advised Skyline Enterprises of a cash offer it was willing to make, but Skyline had rejected the approach.

Call of Duty: Black Ops #360m First Day...

Video game Call of Duty: Black Ops has destroyed entertainment records by raking in $US360 million in its first 24 hours on sale. The result is a dramatic and lucrative indication that games have cemented their place on a par with movies, books and music. Activision Blizzard sold 5.6 million units the day Call of Duty went on sale, according to the company. Its predecessor, Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2, sold 4.7 million copies in 24 hours to reap $US310 million on its first day of sale last year and it made $US550 million within a week. “Not too many years back it would have been unfathomable that the biggest entertainment launch would be a video game two years in a row,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. No longer. Today, such games as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto and Halo all fit into the blockbuster category, and with each sequel they only get bigger. Production budgets for these games rival those of big-screen movies, as does the marketing push behind them. “You are delivering not just a gaming experience but a cinematic experience as well,” Hirshberg said. “The characters are emerging as the protagonists of the story.” The video game audience has expanded considerably in the last five years, reaching women, young children and even senior centres. But the people who flock to Call of Duty and other shooters are still primarily young men, just not as young as some would think. The average US game player is 34 years old, according to the Entertainment Software Association. Black Ops went on sale on Tuesday in North America and Britain for $US60, and works on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gaming consoles. Across two years, with a budget well in the tens of millions of dollars, the developers of Black Ops created a world that immerses players in Cold War-era battles with settings ranging from 1960s Cuba to Vietnam and the Soviet Union. Its intricate graphics and details - down to the gruesome sound a knife makes when pulled from an enemy's neck - are amplified in players' homes through big-screen TV sets and powerful speakers. In one mission, which takes place with John F. Kennedy in the White House before the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion and the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, players must shoot their way through Havana to assassinate a young Fidel Castro. Cuba state-run media has levelled harsh criticism at the game, calling it “doubly perverse” by glorifying assassination and stimulating “sociopathic attitudes in North American children and adolescents.” “What the United States couldn't accomplish in more than 50 years, they are now trying to do virtually,” said an article on Cubadebate, a state-run news website. A big part of the appeal of Call of Duty is its multiplayer feature, meaning gamers can fight against someone across the country or on the other side of the world. The game is rated M for mature - meaning it's not meant for kids under 17. It's bloody, to be sure, but new media professor Charles Palmer says that's not the main appeal. “It's the challenge,” said Palmer, who teaches at the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. “It's one of those areas that thrills and excites people.” Sports games, such as Madden, from Electronic Arts, are also popular, as are music simulators such as Guitar Hero. But shooters in the style of Call of Duty continue to be the most popular. “There is a DNA-level curiosity about and attraction to battle,” Hirshberg said. “That has been a staple of the entertainment industry - movies, television, books and fiction - forever. And the same is true for video games. Call of Duty has delivered perhaps the gold standard experience of battle.”

Aussie Tony Hachem Wins Player Of The Year...

Tony Hachem has scored a second consecutive victory as Player of the Year in the premier local event, the poker tour designed to reward ongoing strong performances, the PokerStars.net Australian New Zealand Poker Tour.

Gambling And Selling Arms: Not Cardinal Sins...

Gambling is not so bad says Australia's most senior Catholic cleric. Don't get him started on selling arms and smoking!

We kind of like this guy already.

Pell spoke at a an ethics in business lunch hosted by Notre Dame University, Cardinal George Pell hinting it might be hypocritical for the Catholic Church to totally condemn gambling, since poker machines are such a prominent attraction in New South Wales Catholic clubs.

"I must confess I do feel a bit uneasy about that, but only a bit uneasy," he admitted. "Because culturally I'm an Irish Australian and we grew up gambling."

Gambling in itself was not intrinsically wrong, he said. Only when it became an addiction, threatening the well-being of oneself and one's family, did it become a sin.

Warming to the forum's theme "God and Mammon: need or greed in the big end of town", Cardinal Pell said as far as the ethics of selling tobacco went, supplying the drug to adults who were aware of the risks and still chose to smoke was nothing to rush to the confessional sin box about. And when probed about the ethics of selling arms, he hypothesised that global military contractors may in fact be acting on a moral imperative.

"I think you can produce arms morally...You might say in some cases it is necessary. We are a peaceful country. If we were unarmed that would be an enticement to evil people. The best way to stay as we are is to be strong and effectively armed so I think you could make the case," he said.

Another question re Telstra's $10 million-a-year chief executive caught involved a comparison of his nice-guy reputation to that of his predecessor, Sol Trujillo, and its possible relationship to Telstra's all-time low of $2.58 a share. So can nice guys succeed in business?

"It's not about being nice or not nice," said Thodey, with a passing reference to the latest round of Telstra redundancies. "It's about doing things in an ethical and considerate way … in the best interests of our shareholders - which of course include customers and employees."

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Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Is having a punt a sin? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with 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.

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Poker News Media: PartyCasino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award

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.

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Australian Pensioners Tell Govt Big Brother Stay Away From Pokie Winnings, by Greg Tingle - 3rd November 2010

Australian punters, young and old, are telling the Australian Labor government to but out of their business be it gambling, sex or otherwise. In the latest chapter of People Power VS Big Brother, Australian golden oldies have told the government to mind their own business when it comes to their gambling habit - be it wins or losses. Media Man and Gambling911 with this special People Power report...

'Big Brother' Australian government cunning plans to track pokies - one armed bandit winnings received a crappy reception up the NSW coast at Port Macquarie yesterday, where oldie punters raised serious concerns about the impact on their pensions.

As Australia stopped to gamble millions of dollars on a single horserace, The Melbourne Cup, the country’s poker machine players were under attack by the federal government! How dare they.

A so called "agreement" between independent MP Andrew Wilkie and the Julie "Jungle Girl" (MM satire) Gillard government could see the introduction of a smartcard (to act as a spying device) to track people’s gambling habits.

And wait for it, any wins could be deemed as "income" for Centrelink’s payment assessment.

Port Macquarie Panthers club general manager Russell Cooper said Wilkie had demanded that “every single person who wanted access to a gaming machine would be issued with a smartcard or a fingerprint encoded USB stick”.

Critics to the smart technology say it reminds them of movies and themes of New World Order, Clockwork Orange and 1984, with some even remembering Gambling911's 'Conroy Youth Reminiscent Of Hitler Youth'!

The new tracking devices would be required for the gaming machine to actually work.

Casual gambling June Crook, a 74-year-old pensioner from Port Macquarie said yesterday the government should “butt out”.

“What we do with our money is up to us. The government should stay well away,” Crook said.

“If I have a win on the pokies it shouldn’t affect my pension.”

The sci-fi like devices identifying each user on a national poker machine network are set to be introduced from 2012 under the agreement.

Cooper said there was no proof the measure would reduce problem gambling. He would rather see a voluntary scheme introduced where people can set their own limits. It was hinted it would see more and more Australian become less trusting of the Australian government, which is already reeling from a number of high profile scandals.

Crook said people will find other forms of gambling if the government reduces Centrelink payments because of a win on the pokies.

“They will just bet on the Keno, or even the football,” she said.

Experts also say more illegal gambling dens would be set up an also even more Aussie punters will turn to the internet and website portals like Gambling911, Media Man, Casino News Media, Marvel Entertainment, Google Games and the like.

Cooper said he didn’t think it was necessary to make the measures compulsory for anyone wanting to "throw a quick tenner in the poker machines with their mates. It will take the fun out of it for the 99.6% of people who are not problem gamblers."

The Australian government is also called the "Fun Police" as well as being known widely as "Big Brother".

A Media Man spokesperson said "All power to Australia's purple haired brigade. Australians young and old and so sick and tied of the Australian government's big brother policy. Yesterday Port Macquarie punters sure told them where to go. Great to see people power in full flight and wonderful to see folks stand up for their human rights and freedom to choose".

Don't know about you but I think we're with the "Golden Oldies" and clubs on this one folks. We will be following up on this human rights related news story as a matter of priority, so don't change your dial or website. Media Man and Gambling911 have you covered. Remember, spin to win, and tell your local MP what's important to you, and keep up the good fight.


Double Dose Exposure Of Australian Government Thought Police...

Big Brother To Spy On Aussie Pensioners Pokie Wins And Losses...

Up to a million of elderly Australians playing poker machines might see their pensions cut after wins as smartcards are introduced to track oldies gambling habits. Yes, they are tracking humans, not rats. Centrelink has previously used data tracked from pensioners using swipe cards at major casinos to count wins and losses as earnings, and demanded repayment, but that's only the tip of the iceberg as to what will come experts say. Thus far Centrelink has refused to tell welfare legal services whether or not other regular gambling wins need to be declared as income, despite the Tax Office not deeming them to be. Until now, it was impossible to track one armed bandit wins. Smartcards that identify each user on a national poker machine network will be introduced from 2012, recording how much has been won and lost, under a deal struck by the federal government with the independent MP Andrew Wilkie. National Welfare Rights Network director Maree O'Halloran said: "We are very concerned that a major problem for pensioners that arose at casinos, where their gambling losses were treated by Centrelink as evidence of earnings, may start to arise in a whole lot of communities now where people gamble on poker machines and they have the new card.'' More than a dozen cases of pensioners whose gambling habit was tracked through swipe cards at casinos and were assessed to owe Centrelink money are awaiting a ruling in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. The Welfare Rights Network has now contacted South Australian senator Nick Xenophon and Mr Wilkie, saying a "biometric card" to limit gambling losses could reduce high levels of problem gambling, but also had the potential for large numbers of pensioners to be caught by unclear rules on the reporting of income, partly because pensions are means-tested. ''The Welfare Rights Centre supports methods to stop excessive gambling and we know gambling can destroy lives,'' said Ms O'Halloran. ''We are alerting the government to this issue so they can protect, and Centrelink can tell people clearly what income do they have to declare if they gamble.'' Austrac provides data gathered from banks and casinos to Centrelink. Gambling services must monitor and record customer identities and transactions, including the reporting of big payouts to Austrac, under anti-money laundering laws. An Austrac spokeswoman said pubs and clubs with poker machines were not complying with these rules, and it was already in discussions with the sector on how to improve "intelligence gathering". Ms O'Halloran said the use of the swipe card data on gambling as evidence of pensioner income was misleading. ''People sometimes win $100, and lose $400. They can do that within one day … Centrelink would see that as you had $500 worth of income,'' she said. Centrelink has told the centre it assessed gambling wins depending on each customer's individual circumstances.


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Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with 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.

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