Right2bet is an initiative of online casinos gamblers from Europe seeking to assert their right “to bet with whichever European Union-licensed betting company they choose, regardless of in which member state that casinos company operates from.” The immediate objective is to collect signatures of a million players from European Union countries and take them to the European Commission.

This initiative stems from the Lisbon Treaty that was signed by the member countries of the European Union in December 2007. This treaty included a novel concept called the European Citizens Initiative (ECI). According to the ECI if citizens of the member states of the European Union can collect a million signatures supporting any petition then they can submit that petition to the European Commission. This will guarantee that the Parliament of the European Union will act on the petition. 26 of the 27 member countries have ratified the treaty. However unless the last member country also ratifies it, the Lisbon Treaty and therefore the ECI will not yet be in force. However, Rifght2bet has decided not to wait for the complete ratification but to start collecting the signatures while the ratification process goes on. It aims to be the first to submit a petition to the European commission under the ECI.

This initiative became necessary because many of the European countries are refusing to act on the principle that there should be free trade of goods and services across the European Union. Whereas member countries are more open to apply this principle when it comes to other goods and services, they somehow feel insecure when it comes to online gambling. Only a few of the European countries have initiated steps to allow for an open online gambling market. Most of the countries apparently want to protect their state-owned online gambling monopolies. Therefore they are dithering on the process of liberalizing the online gambling regulations and as a result the players are suffering.

Though only the signatures of the citizens of member countries of the European Union will count towards the magic number of 1 million, online players all over the world can sign this online petition. It will help them to legalize and liberate online gambling in their own countries and ultimately serve to create one global unified online gambling market.

Right2bet is leaving no stones unturned in order to ensure the success of this initiative. Two of the largest affiliate associations have thrown their weight behind Right2bet. The GPWA and the APCW have assured Right2bet that its members will support the petition. Right2bet is also taken its campaign across the Internet using social networking forums like twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. It is in the interest of all online players to check out the Right2bet website and register their support.

Bejeweled is a branded online slot game from Cryptologic. Not only is it visually very appealing but it has innovative features. It is one of the most popular casino games at VIP Casino. Therefore VIP Casino is offering an attractive online tournament played on Bejeweled.

The first attraction is that the tournament is a freeroll. There is no entry fee whatsoever. The second attraction is that this online casinos tournament offers a starting stack of $500. This is a bankroll that few players would start out with when they sit down to wager online line. Then the players have only 10 minutes of playing time. This is not so good in one sense because 10 minutes is hardly satisfying on an online slot game like Bejeweled. But it is great in another because it allows the player to wager aggressively like a high roller and go for the big prizes. And at the end of the rainbow is the pool prize that will be shared by the winners.

The pool prize is $1,000, which is by no means a small amount for a freeroll online tournament. It will be shared by the top 23 players on the leader board. The top two players will get half the prize pool and leave with something substantial in hand. The player in the first place will win $300 and the second place player will win $200. The remaining of the top 23 players will get a consolation amount of $25 each.

This event will commence at VIP Casino from October 16. In order to participate in the online freeroll tournament players need to access the ‘Play for Real’ casino. They should click ‘More Games’ in the menu and select ‘Free Tournament 2′. ‘Free Tournament 1′ is the online roulette tournament currently in progress and due to end on October 15. Players who have not yet participated in it have just two more days for doing so. After selecting ‘Free Tournament 2′ players should click ‘Sign Up Now’ to enter the tournament. Players can check out the leader board on the right hand side of the tournament screen and set their target and strategy based on total amassed by the current leader.

VIP Casino is allowing players to wager like high rollers with $500 of the casino’s money on Bejeweled and with a chance of winning tournament prizes. This is an opportunity not to be missed. Players who are not members of VIP Casino should join up to take advantage of this offer. VIP Casino comes with excellent credentials. It is powered by Cryptologic and licensed by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta. New players can also avail of the welcome bonus of up to $180.

The Maryland-based federal task group pursuing cash processors suspected of facilitating online gambling transactions has struck again, according to online casino games.

The newspaper is closely monitoring the task force’s activities, especially in regards to seizure warrants applied for through the courts and appearing on court records.

In the latest discover, the newspaper reports that the seizure of $365 366.69 from two bank accounts in the name of Atrium Financial Group (AFG) is the latest move by enforcement officials.

According to a court affidavit published by the newspaper, Delaware-based AFG is alleged to disburse money to online gamblers, including those using GoldenCasino.com.

Unlike earlier seizures, the Atrium Financial action is supported by an affidavit that was not sealed. The 13-page sworn statement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agent Augusta Ferenec, who is based in New Orleans, La., was signed on September 4 by U.S. District Court magistrate judge Beth Gesner, with the warrant filed in court records on October 22.

Ferenec’s affidavit, claims the investigation leading to the AFG seizures dates back to July 14, 2008, when Louisiana State Police officers opened an “undercover gambling account” with GoldenCasino.com, gambled online and later requested a payout.

The first check—from a Canadian company called Interco Finance Corporation (IFC) - bounced. Eventually, a second check came, this one from AFG. Thus, the investigation claimed to have established that GoldenCasino.com was using both IFC and AFG as payment processors for its online gambling patrons.

Ferenec explains in the affidavit that a fourth business - Con-Tex Converters in Canada - entered the picture as investigators followed the global money trail.

For instance, an AFG account with Mercantile Bank received wire transfers between December 2008 and January 2009 amounting to more than $1.5 million. The money came from a Con-Tex bank account in Cyprus and a combined Con-Tex/IFC bank account in Canada.

During the same timeframe, Ferenec’s affidavit continues, AFG cut 1 473 checks from that account, at least two of which went to people in Maryland. In August 2009, investigators talked to one of the Maryland recipients, who admitted the proceeds had come from online gambling.

In all, Ferenec’s affidavit maps out a total of nearly $6.3 million wired internationally by either Con-Tex or IFC to AFG bank accounts in the U.S. The AFG accounts, which the affidavit says have all been closed by the banks due to suspicions that the money was tied to illegal gambling, were held with Mercantile, Sovereign Bank, Wachovia Bank, National City Bank, and TD Bank North.

The international wire transfers from Con-Tex and IFC were the sole sources of funds in the AFG accounts, the affidavit explains.

The two AFG bank accounts targeted for seizure are with Fifth Third Bank and Wilmington Savings Fund Society.

The Fifth Third account, from which $124 028.88 was seized, received about $3.3 million in wire transfers from Con-Tex and IFC between December 2008 and June 2009, the affidavit explains. Nearly 4 000 checks were cut from the account, totaling about $3.1 million disbursed to people in the U.S.

During July and August 2009, 35 of those checks were issued to Maryland residents. The amount of money entering AFG’s Wilmington Savings account is not specified in the affidavit, which explains that about 575 checks were cut from the account, one of which was mailed to a Texan who “confirmed to the bank that the check was the proceeds of online gambling.”

Ferenec’s affidavit says it’s likely that money will continue to enter the targeted accounts “for a period of time” after the warrants are executed, because those involved “will be unable to promptly stop the flow of funds or inform all of their contacts of this investigation.” Therefore, Ferenec requests that the warrant order the banks to allow the deposits to continue, but not any attempted debits, and that “ICE be allowed to periodically remove such funds” during a 21-day period after the warrants are executed.

The online gambling software developer Playtech plc has issued a trading update predicting that it expects to deliver a generally positive third quarter 2009 for online casinos, with a 12 percent rise in gross income to Euro 31.9 million.

The revenues were down from the Euro 33.1 million reported in the previous three months, which Playtech attributed to a run of “unusual sport results” reducing the sport betting margins of online gambling partner William Hill Online.

The firm said the fourth quarter trading period has started well, however.

Analysts opined that the firm’s third-quarter earnings were ahead of expectations, as a strong margin offset revenue which was slightly behind expectations.

“Overall, this is a solid set of figures, with margin outperformance and strong current trading firmly underpinning our estimates,” brokers Daniel Stewart told clients in a note this morning.

Revenue was broadly flat on the year at Euro 27.7 million with a 10 percent drop in online casino sales to Euro 18.5 million and poker revenues declining around 3 percent to Euro 8.2 million.

A company spokesman said activity improved toward the end of the third quarter and initial trading in October is strong, with daily average royalty revenue more than 5 percent ahead of the third quarter.

Over the course of the nine months to September 30, gross income rose 24 percent on the same period in 2008 to Euro 98.8 million from Euro 80 million. Gross income is income from royalties plus profits generated from Playtech’s share in William Hill Online.

William Hill Online contributed Euro 4.2 million of the Euro 31.9 million gross income for Q3, a decline from the Euro 5.3 million in the prior quarter.

Commenting on the numbers, Playtech CEO Mor Weizer said: “The is a solid set of numbers. Playtech has delivered and the underlying performance has been strong, with an uplift at the end of September which is continuing this month.

“For the first time we are exposed to sports and that is more volatile than gaming, but there are many upsides. The joint venture is going very well, and we are already seeing a much higher number of new accounts and the gaming activity is in line with expectations.”

Weizer struck a positive note on the Internet poker sector, which he opined still has good potential for growth as countries like France, Italy and Serbia develop regulatory systems in which Playtech stands to prosper.

EBITDA for the nine months to September is expected to come in at no less than Euro 66 million.

Dragonfish, the independent B2B division of 888 Holdings plc, has launched its X-Factor branded Quickplay casino game.

This new 5 reel 20 pay-line video slot operates within the company’s new integration platform and has three types of bonus round - Judges Bonus, Boot Camp and Live Final.

The timing of the X-Factor branded online slot launch is positioned to take advantage of the Saturday and Sunday night scheduling of ITV1’s hit television show, the exciting knockout stages of the competition, and the show’s continued success at the top of prime time ratings.

Side games are a popular ingredient for successful bingo sites.

Gabi Campos, managing director of Dragonfish, commented: “Dragonfish continues to supply a range of highly attractive Quickplay games for our bingo clients, enabling them to increase player retention and drive increased lifetime customer values. X-Factor is one of a number of leading branded games such as Spiderman, Fantastic Four, Cluedo, Monopoly and Cleopatra that will be coming to our bingo partners soon.”

A week on from it’s launch earlier this (October) month, online gambling and offline betting firm William Hill plc’s in-house television channel is proving to be a popular casino portal service to punters visiting the group’s 2 450 betting offices.

The service provides internet gamblers with relevant breaking news, the latest odds, pundit insights and features across numerous sporting events, all broadcast from William Hill’s operations HQ in Leeds, UK. Presenters include Carla Hilton and Ross Brierley, both of whom have graduated from William Hill radio to the in-vision studio.

A spokesman for the company said: “We don’t expect to be Sky Sports News just yet but we take some pride in being the first bookmaker to launch its own dedicated TV service, independent of the industries suppliers SIS (Satellite Information Services) and Turf TV.

The online gambling group Betfair, and trade body the Remote Gaming Association are among the supporters of Right2Bet.net, an initiative that is inviting punters across Europe to register their vote and fight for their right to bet freely by going online casinos and signing a virtual ‘naked petition’, uploading their own content and sharing viral videos with friends.

Why naked? No, it’s not an exotic form of petition, but rather the funky way in which the organisers have presented the initiative, with upbeat music, an entertaining website and an attractive model called Katie-Marie whose ample curves visitors are invited to explore in signing up for the petition.

The website also gives punters the chance to write to their MEP, using the right2bet template to urge them to raise the matter in the EU Parliament as well as letting supporters submit their own photos depicting how they have been supporting the online gambling campaign.

And webmasters are being encouraged to carry the naked petition widget.

The campaign is aimed at the many short-sighted national government obstacles to online gambling across Europe, where protectionism has become common among nations trying to shield state monopolies from fair and open competition despite the tenets of the European Union treaty.

The goal of Right2bet is to encourage the European Union to implement its own cross-boundary laws and encourage individual governments to strip away such restrictions. The campaign target is one million signatures with its ‘naked petition’, the aim to persuade the EU that state monopolies are illegal, unfair, and ultimately curtail consumer freedom of choice.

This is serious stuff, and there will be divided opinions about whether the rather light-hearted approach to presenting the petition will carry the right sort of gravitas with Brussels bureaucrats, but it’s fresh and different and certainly interesting.

Thanks to a generally progressive government attitude when it comes to properly regulated gambling, UK punters have the freedom to bet where and with whom they like, but Right2Bet is nevertheless encouraging them to sign up to the petition as an act of solidarity and to demand freedom of choice in Europe….and the right of British companies’ to offer their services across the EU.

Michael Robb, spokesperson for the right2bet campaign, says: “This is a sexy and fun campaign, but there is also a serious side too. Betting fans in Europe are fed up of being told by politicians how and where they can bet. It’s not fair that they should be restricted to one or two operators based in their own country, when there are so many other opportunities in the EU.

“So we decided it was time to make the politicians sit up and take notice - and the naked petition, supported by Katie-Marie, is the perfect way to do that! We want to lay bare the hypocrisy of the EU in allowing state monopolies and denying consumers the freedom to choose any online betting service they like.”

The bankrupt Fontainebleau online gambling resort in Las Vegas suffered a legal defeat (last) Wednesday when a judge ruled in casino bonuses favor of banks it is suing on key legal questions.

In denying Fontainebleau’s motion for partial summary judgment and an casino gambling order requiring the banks to immediately provide $656 million in funding, U.S. District Judge Alan Gold in Miami sided with Bank of America and other banks being sued.

He ruled the banks, not Fontainebleau, are correct in their interpretation of a key lending contract at the heart of the lawsuit.

“Defendants are legally correct in their interpretation of the credit agreement as a matter of law,” Gold wrote. “Alternatively, defendants’ interpretation of the credit agreement is reasonable, warranting further discovery and extrinsic evidence; and material issues of fact exist as to whether defendants were excused from their obligations under the credit agreement.”

The ruling puts the case on track for a trial, but it’s not yet clear if a trial will occur.

Given the judge’s ruling strongly backing the banks Wednesday, it’s unknown if Fontainebleau will expend the resources necessary to pursue the suit.

And a settlement is possible as the banks and Fontainebleau have engaged in court-ordered mediation of the dispute. The banks and Fontainebleau have reported to the court that unnamed investors may step in to rescue the stalled, 70-percent complete, resort on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Financing costs for the project — not including equity investments — have ranged up to $3.2 billion.

In his ruling, the judge reviewed the bank financing for the project that included a $700 million term loan, a $350 million delay-draw term loan and an $800 million revolving loan facility.

Besides the bank funding, the project was financed by $675 million in bonds and separate financing for its retail component.

After the $700 million term loan was funded, Fontainebleau on March 2 of this year asked the lenders to fund the $350 million delay-draw loan and $656.5 million from the revolving loan facility.

The loan agreement required funding requests to be made in a certain order and included “in-balance” tests to ensure the project was within its budget.

Bank of America, as a lender and administrative agent for the banks, refused to fund the $1 billion requested on March 2, saying the request did not conform to the requirements of the credit agreement.

The agreement says that unless the total delay-draw loan was “fully drawn,” the balance under the revolving loans could not exceed $150 million.

Fontainebleau argued “fully drawn” meant requested; the banks argued “fully drawn” meant “funded.”

Fontainebleau revised its request, and B of A did approve $337 million in funding under the delay-draw loan agreement.

A separate group of lenders called the term lenders is now suing B of A for approving that loan and later refusing to fund the rest of the project — a refusal the term lenders say harmed the value of their collateral by shutting down the project.

After approving the term loan, B of A continued to refuse to fund the $656 million sought under the revolving-loan agreement — a refusal Fontainebleau blamed for the shut-down of the project and its bankruptcy.

Fontainebleau on April 13 notified the banks that an event had occurred that could cause the project to fail the “in-balance” test. The revolver banks then canceled the loan agreement, saying Fontainebleau was in default of its terms.

Gold, in siding with the banks Wednesday, said the phrase “fully drawn” in the context of the contract is unambiguous and means “fully funded,” not “requested.”

The judge went on to write that even if “drawn” meant “requested,” he was “persuaded by the defendants’ arguments that they were entitled to reject the March 2 notice on the basis of the plaintiff’s default.”

Gold wrote, however, that there are issues of fact to be explored as to whether Fontainebleau was in default on March 3, the day after the initial draw request at issue.

In court papers, Bank of America and others have said Fontainebleau missed its budget and was insolvent on March 3 because of cost overruns, a lack of condominium sales and other problems.

The bank has also accused Fontainebleau of making “materially inaccurate” statements about its financial condition before March 3.

The bank has said that based on an appraisal, Fontainebleau’s value if it opened would be less than the debt against it, making it economically unfeasible for lenders to advance more funds under the current capital structure.

An appraisal submitted by the bank this summer, and taking into account the economic slowdown in Las Vegas, showed the project would be worth $1.764 billion if it opened next May. That’s far less than the $1.675 billion already loaned to the project and another $1.5 billion needed to complete it, B of A said.

Besides Bank of America, the banks being sued are B of A subsidiary Merrill Lynch Capital Corp., JP Morgan Chase Bank, Barclays Bank, Deutsche Bank, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., Bank of Scotland, HSH Nordbank and MB Financial Bank.

As reported by The Globe and Mail: “The entire board of casino gambling directors of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. has abruptly resigned and chief executive officer Kelly McDougald has also stepped down as the McGuinty online casinos and government takes sweeping, pre-emptive action to stop a potential spending scandal before it even begins.

“Finance Minister Dwight Duncan announced at a casino news conference on Monday that he has accepted the resignations of Michael Gough, chairman of the lottery corporation, as well as the entire board of directors. The first action of a new interim board was to end Ms. McDougald’s employment as CEO, a position she held for the past two years.

“Mr. Duncan has also asked the province’s Auditor-General to conduct a review of the practices governing expenses for travel, meals and hospitality at the lottery corporation…”

Poker superstars Daniel Negreanu and Annette Obrestad are proving they are more than just great online poker players – they have a keen online casinos eye for talent too.

Tasked with forming 8-person teams for the inaugural Caesars Cup, a unique Ryder Cup-style poker tournament pitting teams of the best players from both sides of the Atlantic against each other, Negreanu and Obrestad are assembling all-star rosters.

Negreanu, in his latest selections, has added 10-time World Series of Poker champion Doyle Brunson, and Jennifer Harman, the only woman to win multiple bracelets in open events in World Series of Poker (WSOP) history.

Obrestad, keeping with her young and aggressive strategy has named Patrik Antonius and Ilari Sahamies to the European team. Both Antonius and Sahamies are typical of the new crop of poker players – fearless, aggressive and willing to take on any challenge.

The Caesars Cup takes place on Friday, September 25 at 10:00 AM at the Casino at the Empire in London’s famed Leicester Square as part of World Series of Poker Europe Presented by Betfair.
The Caesars Cup is a made-for-television special that will air on ESPN-branded channels around the globe and syndicated in markets without ESPN affiliates as part of televised 2009 WSOPE coverage.

The Caesars Cup will feature the game No-Limit Hold’em with two teams of eight doing battle over a series of Heads Up and two-man doubles matches, with single points awarded for each match. The doubles formats will include alternate betting. The first team to 4 points will win.

The first match will be Doubles: Alternate Bet where two players compete per side. One player per side will play pre-flop and on the turn; the other player will play the flop and the river.

Once players are designated, their roles will not change. Two matches of this format will be played, so that 4 of the 8 players on each team will be featured.

The next two matches will feature Doubles: Same Stack where two new players compete per side. They share the same chip stack. They alternate playing two hands at a time so both have the button.

After the doubles matches conclude, the matches change to Heads-Up – if necessary. Team captains will select which members of their teams play heads up and it will be an alternate selection process, where if the European team names their player first for Match 1, the Americas team will have to name their player first for Match 2. That format continues until one team has accumulated 4 total points. The strategy of when to use a player and whom they match up with will be critical in determining which team will come out victorious.

Pride, bragging rights and claiming the inaugural Caesars Cup are all up for grabs at the event. It will be included in this year’s World Series of Poker Europe Presented by Betfair taking place at the Casino at the Empire in famed Leicester Square from September 17 to October 2. The unique event will be played on September 25th, with the tournament being fought out on the feature table area of the main casino floor to determine whether the Americas or Europeans are home to the best tournament poker players.