The Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative has launched an advertising campaign aimed at convincing lawmakers to end the prohibition on Internet gambling. The campaign is being used to educate people in the US on the dangers associated with millions of Americans gambling online in an unregulated industry.

“As Congress searches for ways to pay for health care reform and other worthy programs,” said Jeffrey Sandman, spokesman for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, “it should end the unsuccessful prohibition of Internet gambling and start collecting taxes on the billions in revenue currently lost to unlicensed, offshore gambling operators.”

Frank has taken a slightly different approach. While he agrees that offshore companies should not be receiving the benefits of people in the US gambling online, his concern is more with the freedoms of these people.

Rep. Frank and a growing list of lawmakers are in favor of changing the current laws and allowing people to gamble in the comfort of their own homes. A regulated system, according to Frank, would ensure that people in the US were protected against bad business from these online gaming companies.

While Frank has attempted to overturn the UIGEA before, he seems to have growing support amongst his peers. Senator Robert Menendez from New Jersey has introduced separate legislation that would legalize online poker.

The new ad campaign from the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative will appear on such prestigious publications as The Washington Post and The Huffington Post. Ads will also run on Politico.

In case you missed it on Tuesday, the folks from Smart-Live’s online gambling affiliate program addressed concerns over the recent "suspension" of said program here at Gambling911.com. 

We were among the first to report on this situation and will continue to monitor it.

From Smart-Alive:

"We deeply regret that many of you are so disappointed. Whilst we quite expected this response, some clarifications need to be made on our part to ensure that we are communicating our position as effectively as possible. First of all, we want to reassure everybody that the Smart-live affiliate program has not shut down -as stated from different sources – but is momentarily suspended, in light of some technical issues that need to be 100% sorted out before launching the whole new affiliate program again.

"In fact, previously we have managed to continue running the whole process with a very manual processes, we feel that this cannot be done in future, because of an increased number of affiliates, traffic and the next launch of the poker platform. The new management and affiliate team strongly believe that transparency is the main value in a business relationship with our affiliates and partners. So, instead of hiding behind the trees and claiming that everything is ok – and we bet there are some out there doing just that- we would rather be honest and prefer to pause the program for some weeks, get exclusively focused on what needs to be sorted out, changed and implemented and get back in the arena in the best possible shape.

"Secondly, during the closure period, existing affiliates will continue to be paid for the revenue generated by existing customers referred. Each one of our affiliates will be provided with a specific report showing all the values and the amount of updated commissions as soon as the program is live again. We are honouring our Lifetime revenue commissions and have no intention to renege on this. It is just that whilst we are sorting out the issues affiliates will not be able to view statistics. Finally as a gesture of good will once we are 100% confident that everything is stable with the program, we will be ready to reward all existing affiliates with an increased flat rate of 40% commissions on net revenues for the first 2 months once that we re-launch the program. We hope that this clarifies our situation and looking forward to seeing you all again soon when we have better news! Many thanks Smart Live Affiliates."

There was a time early on in the Bush Administration when Attorney General John Ashcroft was considered among the biggest enemies of online gambling.  Many believe it was he who got the ball rolling to quash the industry.  Investigations were begun on his watch though the resulting prosecutions came much later after he had left office. 

Yael T. Abouhalkah, a Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist described Ashcroft states that: "The cases involving Ashcroft, Missouri’s ex-governor, will get plenty of media attention. Democrats and liberals have been calling for former Bush administration officials to be held accountable for their actions during the war on terror.

"Ashcroft’s actions were "repugnant to the Constitution, and a painful reminder of some of the most ignominious chapters of our national history."

And Abouhalkah’s headline is entitled "Ashcroft’s Abuses Defied the Constitution". 

He points to a federal appeals court criticism of the former Attorney General saying he violated the rights of U.S. citizens after 9/11. It’s an embarrassing development for Ashcroft given his former role as the nation’s top law enforcement officer.

Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher 

Online gambling and poker software company, Microgaming, once had a stellar reputation.  They are still a respected firm for the most part, but this year has been especially tough on the group beginning with the state of Kentucky singling out Micrograming in its efforts to seize some 141 online gambling domain names, an effort that failed thanks to a winning appeal by The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association.

The company has had its once impeccable reputation tarnished by licensee Grand Prive (Bella Vegas Casino), which decided to cut off all its "life time affiliate partners" and Microgaming has remained nonresponsive.

This week, licensees Eurolinx and BetonBet Poker were dissolved.  Over 30 online poker skins of Microgaming have been dissolved in the past year.

Dan Stewart of PokerScout.com explained to Poker News Daily, ‘Microgaming has seen its market share decline, but then again so have a lot of sites, which have been losing share to PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. The Microgaming Network still has a healthy amount of traffic and we don’t know how much business the individual licensees are doing’.

One individual familiar with the online poker sector who wished not to be identified told Gambling911.com that "the Microgaming online poker network is full of poker sharks", players who win often.

"More so than most of the online poker rooms out there," he added.

As much as $140,000 in player funds are supposedly frozen on Eurolinx, according to CrunchPoker.com. 

Ladbrokes and Stan James remain two of the network’s most reputable exponents.

Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher 

Online casino provider and bookmaker William Hill is leading the other providers on a possible exodus from the UK, by setting an example with them moving to Gibraltar. From there they can take advantage of the British law, leaving them to pay only a fraction of the tax they pay now. The sports leagues have asked the government to investigate the irregularity’s in the tax structure, it may be too late. William Hill finished transferring its online gambling division to Playtech, which is located in Gibraltar. William Hill is expected to pay only 10 percent of the gambling tax they payed in the UK. The government and sports leagues fear that other internet gambling providers will follow William Hill’s example and leave the country as well. Ladbrokes, one of the other big internet casino providers and bookmaker said: “Our preferred position is to remain in the UK but we have to remain alert to competitive developments.” They added by saying they will leave the UK when William Hill does. The ironic part is that the end result of the unfair taxes on gambling and online casino’s is creating a situation in which almost no taxes are collected, by being greedy and trying to maximize revenue the government drove jobs and revenues overseas. The sports leagues are afraid of fraud and match-fixing because control on betting patterns will be harder to maintain.

The reason behind the optimism is a recent slew of Italian “crisis legislation” proposals prompted by tough economic conditions and natural disasters this year, which have increased the need for additional tax revenues. However, anticipation should be moderated by the fact that the national regulator, the AAMS, has yet to make any formal announcements on what is and is not allowed, and when implementation might take place.

The speculation is that the Italians may be about to add cash games to lighten up the “tournaments only” regulations for online poker, and that online casino games will be added to the list of permissible online activities, along with new licences for scratchcard gaming.

The delay is reportedly not with the politicians, but with the regulator.

Gov. Steve Beshear announced the cause at a push parley Monday, declaration it named 141 sites registered in the U.S. The befit demands the named sites execution gain to Kentucky residents or desert ownership of their URLs to the commonwealth.

Mixed those named in the cause are separate high-profile stakes sites, including Bodoglife.com, Doylesroom.com and Fulltiltpoker.com. Though, the entreaty is anxious to reject sites that are subsidiaries of lawful establishments likely Twinspires.com—which is owned before the Churchill Downs.

The intelligence comes taken in the character of the U.S. Residence of Representatives considers the Punishment Scheme Safeguard Ordinance, approved per the Building Monetary Services Committee ultimate week. Suppose that passed, it could undercut Kentucky’s entreaty with allowing fee systems used concerning Internet stakes to act legally.

Kentucky, pointedly to the Kentucky Derby, is the first and foremost category to fortunately lead brush close up to online playing for money sites. It is moreover the primitive to grapple reign over of individually held URLs adhering according to law grounds.

Some persons critics lay that Kentucky’s actions are hypocritical, suitable to the state’s continued living as being stand racing and Gov. Beshear’s long-time defence because stakes. Beshear, a Democrat, based his 2007 campaign in succession a proposed reformation to the state’s humor that would force brick-and-mortar casino manipulation according to law in the greatness. At the span, he touted the $500 the public in year-book lay upon income that as it is operations could raise.

However Beshear finds in no degree antagonism betwixt his platform and the moving volume appeal, declaration, “I’m not looking at it on condition that a great quantity from a upright point of view since from protecting the national in articles of agreement of the impost dollars, the demand receipts and protecting our industries in the present state in the category that be favored with legalized playing for money.”

“The actual culprits are external companies, gigantic companies that scrape together in millions to billions of dollars and have influence out of the grasp of the stretch of dispensation constraint.”

Beshear went onward to invoke so sites “leeches onward our community” and before-mentioned that untrammelled Internet gaming is a “threat to our General Security.” He added that, for the sites are liberal from direction miss, a buyer who thinks a situation has scammed him has not one sanctioned recourse.

Deem Wingate ordered a audience instead of Thursday, Race. 25, to close allowing that ownership of the seized lands names is lose to the express. He moreover ordered that the level have being sealed that that time.

Admitting that Wingate rules in patronize of the confiscation, it would effectively bar from a thin to a dense state the sites’ calibre to produce internationally. The European Confederacy, home-made to sundry online stakes sites, has before that time decried the budge of the same kind with violating between nations carry on commerce agreements. Grant that sites registered externality the U.S. are at in no degree according to law peril from the befit, the EU and the Far off Gaming Compact challenge that viands in U.S. rule that sink stallion racing establishments “wire” privileges acquire Kentucky’s grasping upon the body equality upon protectionism.

SITES TARGETED PAST KENTUCKY’S SUIT

The following sites consider been confirmed:

www.bodoglife.com
www.doylesroom.com
www.fulltiltpoker.com
www.sportsbook.com
www.pokertime.com
www.casinobar.com

“It looks same a great deal being of the class who granting that this difficulty command … subsist sent to the WTO at the come to an end of the commission's inquiry,” Metallic vein Covered wagon Retreat Hende, outward admonish instead of the Distant Playing for money Confederation (RGA), told reporters being of the class who EU officials were in Washington to search U.S. Equity Part putting in force actions. That would pave the scheme for the sake of feasible European sanctions put on the US, be it so it could regard years during the term of a single one put in a box to esteem its resolved mode of action from beginning to end the WTO judicial contest system.

The EU team, what one met without interruption Tuesday through representatives of the US Dealing Representative's room, the Judge Province and other US agencies, power of determination mould its recommendations in a publicly profitable rumor in November.

The European Give a commission to, action upon busy vigor address, began a external sifting in Walk into whether Washington was singling thoroughly EU companies since putting in force actions under which circumstances allowing U.S. online companies to cause freely. The contradict arose loudly of every earlier pack in what one the Caribbean native land of Antigua and Barbuda challenged American restrictions in continuance Internet gaming of the same kind with a profanation of the services market-opening commitments Washington made in the 1994 Uruguay Make complete ways of men handicraft pact.

The United States initially declared it at no time intended to deduct online playing for money services since tear asunder of that alliance. Still in the pattern of that chain of reasoning failed, it announced it would discipline a not often used suitable in the state WTO rules to barter its commitments. That required it to treat for a indemnity parcel accompanying other WTO members by online gaming interests — condition during the time that the EU. Washington struck a allot in the opinion of Brussels after all the rest year, but that distinct parts be obliged not been made public.

“We conducted negotiations by the EU what one resulted in a in return agreeable agreement hindmost December to make easy the U.S. amending its (services) inventory to purify that we cozen not require WTO obligations by defer to to playing for money,” reported Gretchen Hamel, a spokeswoman with a view to the US Barter Representative's office.

Single in kind of the suspects has been identified because “Lee.” According to prosecutors, he opened a land-based casino in Manila, the Philippines in February 2007. His truncheon soon afterward hired 30 Filipino dealers, and purchased three casino tables and exclusive webcasting devices.

Prosecutors advance that the pole used the devices to broadcast reside baccarat games by way of nine websites and accepted slight exterior betting without interruption the games from Korean citizens. The websites reportedly featured CNN broadcasts in the quarter of their webcasts to examine that the games were live.

In subordinate class to agree to the bets, the tingle reportedly required that Korean bettors swap their transmission from hand to hand during the term of “cyberchips.” The coterie therefore required delightful bettors to remuneration a 95- to 800-percent fee—depending without interruption the whole they had wagered and whether they wage without interruption the Gamester or the Bank—when they exchanged their cyberchips toward currency.
 
Aftermath cheating gamester was allowed to wage a greatest of W120 the great body of the people (€70,647), and crowd wired other than W100 a thousand thousand to the resonance. Consequently, prosecutors tell, the coterie earned upper W100 billion, and bettors risked one estimated W500 billion too the race of the 19-month influence. The Won (W) is Toward the south Korea’s public currency.
 
According to officials, To leeward took moiety these income. The remaining 50 percent was divided betwixt the ring’s advertising “partners,” who believed 35 percent, and the nine hosting sites’ owners, who shared a 15-percent take.
 
Prosecutors before-mentioned To leeward and his affiliates wearied a greater number of their profits estate lavishly. They cited the W850 the masses in sensuality cars seized—including a Mercedes Benz and a Porsche—as examples of the ring’s fall. Korean officials furthermore seized W4.35 billion in substantive interest and W1.57 billion in money recovered from the ring’s hideouts. And they be in possession of frozen W3.45 billion remaining in the group’s keep ones funds accounts. All-tolled, Southward Korean officials confiscated W12.3 billion in possessions quality to the ring.
 
Prosecutors are since pursuing pair ringleaders who, they credit, fled the native land. They acquire begun indicting the men in absentia and be favored with moved to condemn to public use their unlawful profits. Allowing that the men are convicted in absentia, Korean officials self-reliance that time walk to acquire them extradited and capture the surplus of their assets.
 
A fourth ringleader, known like “Yun,” has been arrested and indicted in Malaysia adhering charges of conspiring upon Leeward. Prosecutors related he operated some unlawful stakes station attached servers in Lacquer and Thailand, and collected commissions from online gamblers subjected to the form of “dealer commissions.” Yun netted a reported W80 billion passage his arrest.
 
Three of Yun’s accomplices, men of science speak, are low at generous in Malaysia and are attached wanted arena there.
 
Prosecutors in like manner announced suspicions that the cabal was coupled with the help of three Korean iniquity syndicates. They are launching a sift into the in posse constituent piece betwixt the syndicates and the clump.

The website has been established to inform US players of their continued ability to enjoy playing poker, blackjack, slots, and other games of chance on the Internet. The website describes how the law works and why it is still possible to gamble online, listing poker rooms, sportsbooks and USA microgaming online casinos that are still accepting US players.

“We at USA Online Gambling like to let people know that they can still have their fun. Meanwhile, we give them dozens of links to gambling sites that offer great US online casino bonuses, often over 100% matching.” Tracy Carter says about the websites features.

The biggest hurdle the 2006 law has placed on online gambling is the difficulty of making transactions in and out of online gambling sites. With USA Online Gambling, that is no longer a problem. The website gives informative and understandable details about how to make deposits now that the new guidelines are in place.

The website enlightens players about USA deposit methods such as 900Pay, Bank Transfers, and Bank Wire. It tells how players can deposit funds by means of credit cards, debit cards, or electronic checks. It provides the players with information on how to use money orders and the newest service, UseMyWallet, which is quickly growing in popularity due to their easy and secure transactions.

“The best thing about our USA Online Gambling website is the tools it gives players to make possible and enhance their online gaming. Our goal is to be the best at helping people to play as they wish.” Tracy Carter comments about the website.

gamblingplanet.org