Anticipating a better outcome in the recent vote by the National Indian Gaming Association the Morongo Band of California Mission Indians were upset that a motion to block Barney Frank's federal legislative proposal to legalise and regulate online gambling in the USA was defeated. The Indian Country Today reported recently that, "Tribal members of the National Indian Gaming Association voted 27-6 with one abstention to table what was intended as a compromise resolution in response to proposed bills by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and others to legalize and tax online poker." The issue of online gambling has divided tribes with some believing that if legal it will cut into profits gained by Native casinos and poker rooms. There are 440 tribal casinos in 28 states, with the opposing tribes contending that the use of the web for gambling is an opportunity to expand hospitality markets in the regions that need more revenues. Some Indian operators are sitting on the fence saying this is a complex issue that should be thoroughly thought out before committing to action. These sceptical bands "were apparently the tribes who carried the vote to table the motion." Robert Martin, Morongo chairperson, said, “I’m disappointed. Very, very much so. I thought we had the votes to get it done."
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Chief Miko Beasley Denson, commented, “I want to know more. I don’t want to make a decision prematurely,” It was suggested that a study be done to assess impact on Tribal gaming by online gambling legalisation. Most tribal counsels have came to the conclusion that the benefits of working with the Federal government will give the Tribal gambling establishments a much fairer shake should the legalisation eventually come to pass. Lynn Malerba, chairperson for the Mohegan band said, “I don’t believe gaming tribes are opposed to Internet gaming as much as the legislation,” adding in the news article, “We’re looking to protect IGRA. We’re looking to protect tribal-state compacts. Why not help craft the language?”

In Australia it is illegal to advertise offshore online gambling services to the Australian public. The same holds true in Canada, online gambling website advertising has not been sanctioned by the Federal government in either country. In a recently received email directed to the marketing managers of the clubs organized by National Rugby League in Australia it is revealed that the officials of the League are going to promote an international online poker company. The Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 specifically prohibits unregulated foreign gambling companies from providing gambling services to the population of Australia. A report in The Sun-Herald newspaper has exposed that FullTiltPoker.net is a possible advertiser with the National Rugby League, and it's sixteen clubs. Full Tilt Poker will pay a fee of $100,000 for the privilege of having their logo on the web sites of each club. The loophole in the Gambling Act is the .net .com difference. Full Tilt Poker is directing people to the practice poker players site where there is not for real money play going on but some impressive prizes.

Damien Mahoney, an official with the NRL said, “At this stage, they are looking at along-term involvement with an investment of over 100k, incorporating display advertising and brand integration into the content of the sites,” adding in the news article, “However, as this is new territory for the network and a potentially sensitive area, we have proposed that a smaller display campaign be trialed over the next few months. The advertising will only promote their 'practice' site where no money exchanges hands.” confirming the legality of the deal. PokerStars.net, another practice site associated with Poker Stars, a UK online gambling company is also advertising in the Australian sports sector with Cronulla unveiling their new uniforms bearing large badges with the PokerStars.net logo on both sleeves. NRL spokesman John Brady said the FullTiltPoker.net sponsorship deal did not contravene the law because it is advertising the free play web site.

Operating from the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake, in Quebec Canada the Kahnawake Gaming Commission has issued licenses to over 50 online gambling operators who between them run more than 250 gaming sites. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is known for its enforcment of the regulations. Adequate compensation was assured by the Commission when patrons were hit by the super user scandal that erupted in some of it's licensed poker rooms a while ago. Maintaining it's strict ethics is something the Kahnawake Gaming Commission is bound to do as it has recently proved with the complete suspension of licensee Grand Prive group. The advisory notice sites the Grand Prive group's failure to file a Material Change Report as the reason for the suspension. Grand Prive group did not inform the Commission that it had recently switched software suppliers. Maricass International Holdings Inc. which is known as Grand Prive Group and it's web locations Bella Vegas, Big Dollar, Casino Grand Bay, Fortune Junction, Grand Bay Casino, Jackpot Wheel, Jupiter Club, Kasino Grand Bay, Lake Palace and Road House Reels. Are all affected by the advisory signed by Murray Marshall, the general counsel of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. Grand Prive will be given a second chance to file the appropriate documents that outlines details of it software changes and should it not comply it's licenses will be suspended permanently. The Commission has alerted other online gambling jurisdictions, and the public, with a statement, "the Commission is not responsible for these sites should they continue to operate from another jurisdiction". Microgaming the former software provider may be looking for answers from the Grand Prive group as they were not informed the change in software. Grand Prive is reportedly using BetonSoft software to keep it's operations active, with the prefix 'Bet'. BetonSoft is licensed in the Netherlands Antilles jurisdiction.

The Cake Network is a Dutch Antilles based online poker network, in the top ten in the online poker sector. Cake Network is owned by it's parent company Cake Gaming N.V. and is hosted by Cyberluck, a Curacao based Regulating and Gaming Licensing & Hosting provider also licensed in the jurisdiction of the Netherlands Antilles. Other network partners include Sportsbook.com, Red Star Poker and BetUS with the Cake Network currently is at 35 partners including the well attended, Doyles Room which just came on board in 2009. Cake Poker has recently announced that the network would be dropping all players residing in France. This includes every site on the Cake Network such as Doyles Room, the Greek, Sports Interaction, Power Poker and many more casinos and sports books that use the casino or poker platform. Cake has responded with a statement “Due to new French legislation, players in France will not be able to play for real money from April 9th. Players will of course be able to access the Cashier after April 9th so that they can withdraw their funds. We are looking into obtaining the relevant licenses to adhere to the new legislation as a matter of priority and once the circumstances change, we will be in contact to let all players concerned know. We do hope to welcome French players back to our software soon. I apologize for the inconvenience caused.”Basically this looks like a reshuffling of the deck in the French online gambling market. As France becomes a regulated environment for online gambling companies those that want to get a piece of the action are attempting to comply with the new rules set out for the industry there. France is requesting all gambling sites that want to accept players from France to apply and obtain a proper licence. Newly entered text in the law is asking for French players who wish to play at a gambling site, must sign up at the site, only after the site has been licensed by the government. A finalized version of the wording of the law, has gone through the Nation Assembly with approval and will be reviewed by the European Commission before getting the signature of approval from the President at the end of April 2010.

The newly liberated French online gambling market has spawned a number of spin off benefits for companies other than just the online gambling operations. Media outlets such as television, newspapers and magazines are all garnering business because of the new market. Internet betting firms need to drive customers to their offerings that are on the web so these traditional means of advertising are usually employed in the process. In order to compete Ladbrokes from the UK teamed up with Channel CANAL+ and online betting giant Bwin renewed a partnership with L'Equipe sports news publications. Now Metropole 6 Group, reportedly France's second most watched television network has struck a deal with the French online gambling group Mangas Gaming. These activities are to be subject to the betting companies achieving licensing status with French regulator ARJEL which has yet to begin. The collaboration between M6 and Mangas and it's subsidiaries Everest Poker, Expekt, Bet-at-home and Betclic, will go for four years minimum. Everest and Betclic are to present their services on M6's network of websites, and sponsor poker and sports content across M6's nine digital channels. Nicolas Béraud, Mangas group's chief executive officer, said: "We are delighted about the visibility M6 will provide to our brands and services on both its channels and websites, especially in the poker segment." Managing Director of Metropole 6, Valéry Gerfaud, said: "We have chosen to actively participate in the growth of the online gaming industry by joining our forces to the leading French sports betting and online gambling group and providing our know-how in contents creation and interactivity." In order to keep online gambling in the public eye many companies have successfully made arrangements with large newspaper chains and television networks including Eurosport TV and the The Poker Channel, and the UK interactive television and the internet gambling group NetplayTV.

The authorities in the USA that have been following illegal gambling operations for the past 32 months have now put their investigation into arrest mode. The New York Police Department’s Organised Crime Division have charged 38 individuals with operating illegal online sports gambling businesses. Richard A Brown, Queens District Attorney Brown was backed up by members of the NYPD, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Broward County Sherriff’s Office during the press conference that explained the proceedings.

The defendants allegedly ran online sports betting websites and a toll-free phone number to distribute and collected wagers through out the USA. If the accused are found guilty a prison term of up to twenty five years could be sentenced. It is estimated over $170 million in wagers had been collected during the time the police were investigating the activities of these businesses. Charges will include money laundering, promoting gambling, conspiracy, and enterprise corruption charges. Millions of dollars in property and large quantities of cash have been seized during the raids on the various individuals homes and businesses.

Arrests were made in Arizona. Florida, New York, Louisiana, and Nevada. Modern technology, was the main tool used by the accused operators of the online sports books. Brown revealed there were five gambling websites as far as they knew that were big enough to handle large volumes of wagering from anywhere in the USA. Brown commented, “Unfortunately for the defendants, the law enforcement community is just as adept in using new technology to stop those involved in such criminal pursuits,” adding, “Today’s arrests close down two highly lucrative gambling operations and send a loud and clear message that law enforcement will keep up the pressure.” The pressure should be on the US government to clarify it's position on online gambling and bring needed legislation to the country and make online gambling a regulated and licensed form of entertainment.

Latin America is on the verge of becoming the hottest market in the world for online gamblers. Online gambling operator Vision Media has become the first company in the region to order a white label sports book from software provider OddsMatrix. OddsMatrix Ltd was founded in 2007 by BetBrain Ltd. in the United Kingdom. Registered in Malta 2008 holding a class 2 betting license in Malta. The firm currently has offices in Malta, England, Denmark, China, and Romania. OddsMatrix is a provider of a full service sports betting solution, known commonly as a white label solution. The new operation will be displayed across the Vision Media network of online gambling sites, which includes BetMotion.com, CopacabanaPoker.com, ApostoGano.com, and ApostouGanhou.com, offering a mix of poker, casino and bingo. The manager of business relations at Vision Media, Stefan Sluijter, commented, “Sports betting is an important component of Vision Media’s future growth strategy and we were looking for the right partner to help us deliver this content. We will offer a sports betting service with competitive odds across a comprehensive range of events and markets." The network OddsMatrix software will be available in time for action on soccer's World Cup this year with full integration with the Vision Media platform allowing punters to bet with existing accounts. CEO of EveryMatrix, owner of the OddsMatrix white label solution, Stian Hornsletten, said, “Our partnership with Vision Media will enable them to enhance their overall product offering, and will give EveryMatrix access to Latin America. We’re confident that sports betting will very quickly start to contribute to the growth of the Vision Media business.” OddsMatrix is growing in popularity as the software white label of choice as the list of clients suggests now including Tell Gaming, Chili Gaming, Tower Gaming, Setanta Bet, NoiQ, BetFriends, Best Games, Pepe Games, BeteXpress, Mr123, EuroPoker, Vision Media, BetWize, JuegosLucky, Mermaid Poker, Sun Poker, GUTS.com, Danbook, BetClick, Centrebet, Globet, Oxygen, Zedbet and IASbet.

Kentucky has decided it's going to go after an online gambling operation and file a law suit against Pocket Kings owner of one of the largest poker rooms on the planet Full Tilt Poker. The Ireland based company is also on the investigating hit list by a Grand Jury in New York State. Kentucky, has been attempting to gain control of 141 internet gambling and poker domains to shut them down and is now trying to recover money lost by Kentucky residents wagered at the Full Tilt Poker web site. The commonwealth filed the new case, listing Pocket Kings, Ltd., as the owner of Full Tilt Poker. It states, “the Commonwealth is entitled to sue and recover triple the value of the money lost during the statutory period between March 25, 2005 and September 25, 2009 (the five year period preceding this Complaint but excluding the most recent six months) by persons located within the borders of Kentucky.” Pocket Kings is recorded as the only named defendant, the commonwealth officials goes on to list almost every gambling and poker site in operation as “unknown” defendants. The Louisville Kentucky Courier-Journal recently posted an article online describing the law as problematic for the commonwealth. With experts suggesting the case has no merit and may be dismissed before it is brought to a court. Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary J. Michael Brown has brought the legal action against the online gambling operators with a 14-page folder charging that Full Tilt Poker has “purposefully and knowingly conducted commercial transactions with persons whom they knew to be located within the Commonwealth.” Testimony in the Kentucky Court of Appeals has revealed that 13,000 Kentucky residents have played online poker games. Kentucky attorneys are seeking pre-judgment and post-judgment interest, attorney fees and other costs, and any “further relief as the Court deems just and proper.”

Barclays Capital is a leading global British investment bank, with 23,000 employees. The bank has a balance sheet of over £1.2 trillion, with a net income of $10.334 billion. In a recent equity research report for the internet gaming sector, Barclays Capital found that Sportingbet was "best-in-class sports betting system giving it the highest gross win margins in the online gambling industry." Good news for the punter that has the choice as to which casinos or sports book to use when making a bet. In this case Barclays Capital is convinced the best payout percentage with Sportingbet's win margins averaging over 9% over the past four years and, more recently,10% or more. It adds that Bwin's win margins were only about 8% and Party Gaming's as low as 5.5%. The report concluded that in-running now accounts for over 50% of Sportingbet's European sports betting, with an achievable margin of 8-10%. The Sportingbet site runs on the GTECH G2 MarginMaker platform. The Business Development Director of Sportingbet, Simon Gregory, says, "In particular, the automated set up features for in-running betting has enabled Sportingbet to drive this part of our business to over 75% of bets in some sports, meeting consumer demand and producing exceptional returns". SportingBet started using MarginMaker when it was just getting started and now the customised GTECH G2 platform, "allows Sportingbet to exploit the markets to their full potential" Gregory added.

Chief Technology Officer of GTECH G2, Predrag Popovic, commented "Sportingbet are one of our oldest customers and they have worked closely with us and invested in continuously evolving the platform. We are delighted that this commitment has been reflected in independently benchmarked commercial success." Sportingbet has recently renewed its agreements with GTECH G2 for the next three years, including all poker, casino and game products plus a new G2 bingo offering.

Whenever anyone sees the eCOGRA logo on an online gambling web site one can be sure that casino or poker room is in good standing and can be trusted. There are a few things that every online gambler wants and the number one requirement is honesty. Operators of virtual gambling establishments know the value of the eCOGRA certification in helping to obtain new clients and build a sustainable working business. Boss Media, certainly One of the Internet gambling industry's most respected pioneer software companies, has achieved the eCOGRA seal of approval. Boss Media powers many reputable online casino and poker rooms, and operates the International Poker Network. Bradley Khoury, a Chartered Accountant and Information Systems Auditor, did the audit in Växjö Sweden where the firm, is part of the GTechG2 group along with companion companies Finsoft, Dynamite Idea and St Minver. Bwin, Sportingbet, Svenskaspel and Bet-At-Home are all licensed to use the Boss Media software package. Khoury said, "The Boss Media staff members were exceptionally cooperative and well organised during the on-site review," adding, "The requirements of our follow up review were excellently structured and quickly resolved in a highly professional manner." eCOGRA's Andrew Beveridge, chief executive officer, said, "This is a highly respected industry company that has been active in the business for over a decade, and the process efficiencies and very high software quality reflect that," he said. "On behalf of eCOGRA's Independent Directors I congratulate Boss Media and its employees on a very professional effort." Johan Berg, Boss Media's CEO said, "Our achievement in meeting eCOGRA's demanding software certification standards reaffirms that commitment and provides us with a useful and internationally accepted benchmark against which we can measure our performance," The public can also now be sure the web site they are using is compliant with the most comprehensive set of rules in the online gambling industry.