Betting Casinos Poker::UK Gambling Blog: August 2004

The Brits will Bet on Anything - so say the Yanks

Is Anything Sacred Here? Well, That's Worth a Wager

Novelty betting, mostly a low-stakes venture, has soared in Britain and Ireland in the past five years, attracting a swath of new, casual gamblers, some of them women, who hope to make money off their conviction that "Sex and the City" will hold a reunion by 2005 or that Mr. Beckham will dump his wife by year's end.

The New York Times report on the increase in 'novelty bets' that us Brits will bet on - everything from John Motson's first cliche in his commentary to whether JK Rowling will kill off Harry Potter

Paddy Power states: "We're willing to take bets on anything, even two flies climbing a wall or the price of oil this Friday."

And Graham Sharpe of Hills notes with an air of typical understated (and amusing) patriotism: "There aren't many countries you can do this in ...We don't lead the world in much, but in this, we do.''

The bets mentioned in the article include:
- It took just 69 seconds for John Motson, to utter one of his notorious clichés - "these are nervous moments" - during the start of the England vs. Portugal match back in July.
- how many sips of water the chancellor will take during his budget speech, who will play the next James Bond, and will J. K. Rowling, the author, kill off Harry Potter.
- which character from "The Simpsons" will come out of the closet in January
- who will replace Pope John Paul II
- a woman who bet that her sister, Anne Redhead, a redhead, would give birth to a redhead.

But Paddy Power thankfully looks at this with a bit more realism: "Gambling is possibly too strong a word here.."It's having a laugh"

That it is - but I doubt they would have expected betting on Big Brother or Pop Idol would be such the money spinner its turned out to be

US Open Tennis - Latest Odds

The second-best tennis tournament in the world starts on monday as the big guns come out to play at the US Open in Flushing Meadows New York - just as the Republican National Convention starts a few subway stops away in Madison Sq Gardens - I know what I'd rather be watching.

Whilst I can't see past the unstoppable Roger Federer, the US player that'll get the NY crowds in to watch will undoubtably be Andy Roddick, but i'm hoping Agassi plays a good tournament.

The bookies show Federer to be a strong favourite, with Roddick just in behind him at 5/2. If you're looking for an outsider for a nice each-way bet, Nalbrandian is proven on the surface and often creeps through quietly to the later stages, Whilst Tim Henman will have to be on better form than his recent Olympic excursion to have any say in the tournament

Anyway, my tickets booked and I'm off to be there for the men's final a week on Sunday!

Latest Odds from Bet 365

Roger Federer 11/8
Andy Roddick 5/2
Lleyton Hewitt 6/1
Andre Agassi 8/1
Marat Safin 18/1
Carlos Moya 25/1
David Nalbandian 33/1
Tim Henman 40/1

Double Gold for Kelly. Shock Gold for Men's Relay

MENS RELAY GOLD

Another unbelieveable day for Team GB in the athletics - after going into the games thinking the Brits are likely to win very little in the athletics, we've left with 3 golds.

The awesome Kelly Holmes shows again what athletes should be made of (move over Paula Radcliffe) and runs out an easy winner of the 1500m after winning the 800m only a few days ago.

Holmes becomes the first ever British woman to achieve the middle distance double.

And then, to top off a great evening, the British 4*100m relay surprisingly beats the US team by 1/100th of a second, putting behind their awful performance in the individual event (Darren Campbell, how's your injury?)

Of course, the arrogant US 'Dream Team' basketball team being knocked out in the semis just as sweet to watch :-)

All in all - with Amir Khan already a new boxing hero in the making - regardless of whether he wins gold sunday night, its been a lot better than I thought it was going to be..

Khan is 7/4 to beat Kindelan in Sunday's Lightweight Bout - with Kindelan at 2/5 with Bet 365

Kelly Holmes is currently untouchable to become the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year - if your pockets are in need of emptying, she's currently about 1.18 to win the award on betfair.com and 1/8 with William Hill. Matthew Pinsent is 11/2 and Khan closing in at 14/1 third favourite

Previous Blogs:
- Kelly Holmes Wins 800m Gold
- Amir Kahn Odds Cut to 6/5
- 5 Golds for the Olympic Brits in One Day

Las Vegas - Bet on Anything except the President

Bets are off in Las Vegas

In yet another great tale of the absurdities of US gambling and politics - Cnn.com points out that apparantly you're not allowed to bet on the outcome of the upcoming US Presidential Election in Las Vegas.

It is, quite simply, against the law in Vegas to offer this bet - and of course, no-one really knows why - despite the knowledge that, if available, millions would be bet.

So what's a punter to do?

Bet in the UK I guess..

Both William Hill and Bet 365 are predicting a close-run race and currently have Kerry and Bush both at 5/6

Champions League Draw - Latest Odds

Chelsea face Porto

The first stage of the Champions League was announced today with Chelsea's new manage, Morinho, set to face his old club, Porto in the group stages.

Man Utd have a fairly straightforward group, meeting Lyon, Sparta Prague and Fenerbahce. Arsenal have drawn Panathanaikos, PSV Eindhoven and Rosenborg whilst Liverpool will face Deportivo, Monaco and Olympiakos

Bet 365 have already put Real Madrid as favourites - their groups consists of AS Roma, Bayer Leverkusen and Dynamo Kiev

Outrights for the Champions League:

Real Madrid 11/2
AC Milan 6/1
Arsenal 6/1
Chelsea 7/1
Barcelona 9/1
Man Utd 9/1
Juventus 11/1
Valencia 12/1
Bayern Munich 16/1
Roma 20/1
Inter Milan 20/1
D Coruna 25/1
FC Porto 25/1
Liverpool 25/1
Celtic 80/1

All odds taken from Bet 365

Head of Betfair Australia Gets a Visit by Aussie Federal Cops

Internet gambling operator hits hurdle

The ongoing saga of Betfair's attempt to enter the Australian market continues with a bizarre story as the Australian Federal Police made a visit to the home of Betfair's Australian MD, Mark Davies. Their reason for visiting? A tip-off that Davies was running an illegal online gambling operation from his home.

When the feds realised there was nothing untoward going on, they left the slightly bemused Davies refusing to get too ruffled over the latest twist.

Quite simply, the issue in Australia is this:
Betfair want to enter the Australian market. The Australian government decided it had no reason to disallow this and as soon as they heard this, Betfair went head first into a partnership with gambling big boy and media giant, Kerry Packer.

However, the Australian betting operators are fuming and have waged war against Betfairs plans - arguing that Betfair's betting exchange model has the potential to ruin the local racing industry. And they're not afraid to show their displeasure, likening Betfair to the 'Great Train Robbery' and calling its business "the greatest con job in the world"

Quite simply, the Aussie racing industry are running scared - like the Brits did for a while. But in reality, Betfair has genuinely made the racing industry more competitive and more interesting, opening it up to a whole new generation of horse-racing punters. The Aussies are making themselves look foolish and setting themselves up for a fall as Betfair go quietly and cleverly on their way into the Australian market

Links:
betfair.com

Arsenal Make Football History - Unbeaten for 43 Matches

Arsenal 3-0 Blackburn

Arsenal put 3 past Blackburn to beat Nottingham Forest's 26 year old record of 42 games unbeaten - and I was there to see it :-)

To be fair, Blackburn put up a fairly good fight in the first half as Arsenal were pegged back for most of the first 45 minutes. But it wasn't too long for Arsenal to break the Blackburn defence soon after the second half began as Henry guided in Bergkamp's cross.

Gilberto (actually it was Fabrigaz) made it 2 whilst Henry unselfishly passed to Reyes to make it 3.

To be honest, in the second half it could have been 6 or 7 quite easily if Henry wasn't being quite so altrusitic to his team mates instead of finishing off a series of great moves himself

Divine, sublime, its good to be an Arsenal fan right now

More Links:
- Arsenal FC
- Arsenal Blog
- The Football Blog

Amir Kahn Odds Cut to 6/5

Teenage British Olympic Boxing newcomer, Amir Khan is just 6/5 to get gold if he reaches the final for a fight against Cuban favourite, Kindlan.

Khan has been cut from an initial 12/1 as he is guaranteed a bronze and has taken the Olympic boxing event by storm

And just for good measure, Khan is now 33/1 with William Hill to become the BBC TV's Sports Personality of the year!

Latest Odds:

Kindelan M ( Cuba ) 4/6
Amir Khan ( Gbr ) 6/5
Yeleuov S ( Kaz ) 20/1
Khratchev M ( Rus ) 25/1

All odds taken from William Hill

More Links:
Amir Khan - A Boy Amongst Men

Red Button Gambling - Will Interactive TV Work for Gambling

Raising the red button stakes

If you run through Sky's programme guide recently, you'll find a plethora of TV channels dedicated to 'gambling games' - often backed by Interactive TV gambling pioneers, DITG (operators of TV Bingo channel, Avago)

Most of these channels are quite frankly, dull. Virtual horse-racing with zero atmosphere, stupid darts games and roulette rip-offs populate the channels on an endless loop.

However, the stakes are about to be raised as the high street bookies, William Hill, finally make their way towards the dreaded Sky Interactive Red Button, to offer interactive TV gambling

The Guardian Online reports - as banks such as HSBC remove themselves from Interactive TV after deeming it a failure, the gambling boys are moving in and taking over.

In the next 2 or 3 months, William Hill will brand a new channel dedicated to virtual interactive gambling - set up, as ever, by the aforementioned DITG

As the red button listed handicap lines up for the start, the broadcasting fight as to who can show the most poker shows will also start again in earnest, as Challenge TV plan to show the UK's first 24hr celebrity poker tournament.

Challenge is also about to launch 'Casino Casino' which will deal viewers a virtual hand for fun, rather than money - quite simply because its currently illegal for players to play for money on TV

Read the rest of the article here

- I'll probably reserve judgement on all these new interactive TV gambling initiatives until I see them. The current ones are nothing to write home about - the medium is clunky and tedious and the set-top box isn't geared up for the speed required for good games. Avago is about the only channel that has 'kind of' got it right with its broadcast games. There's always going to be a market for good gambling games on TV - and until Sky gets rid of the junk that currently resides on its programme guide, I won't be pressing the button to play

Kelly Holmes Wins 800m Gold

Finally an athletic event we Brits can be proud of.

I don't care about why Paula Radcliffe suffered in the marathon. I'm sick of seeing the pictures in the papers and the story on TV.
Call me mean. I don't care. Lets see Paula go for the 10,000m and get gold. Then i'll care. Until then, lets move on.

But Kelly Holmes has got her gold quietly and brilliantly.

Good for her

Links:
Holmes takes brilliant gold

5 Golds for the Olympic Brits in One Day

Britain's golden day

I think we need to freeze today for posterity as the Great Britain team won 5 gold medals as well as 3 silvers and 4 bronzes on Saturday alone - and were actually in the top ten in the medals board for a while (jumping up from nowhere)

Today's medals includes:
1 gold in rowing (coxless 4's) as well a 1 silver (womens pairs) and 1 bronze (scull)
2 golds in sailing (finn and yngling) and 1 silver (470)
1 gold in cycling (4km pursuit)
1 gold in 3-day eventing (after being promoted) as well as a silver and bronze
1 bronze in swimming (1500m freestyle)
1 bronze in athletics (womens heptathlon)

The highlight was clearly Pinsent winning his 4th gold in the rowing - with the potential of emulating Steve Redgrave's 5 if he decides to continue to the Beijing games in 2008 - and David Davies' bronze in the 1500m freestyle swimming in a time that slashed 12 seconds off the British record and really pushing Aussie winner Grant Hackett throughout the race showed some great potential

We have a few real chances for more medals including Paula Radcliffe in the Marathon, bright young thing, Amir Khan, in the boxing and even Kelly Holmes finding good form in the 800m.

All in all, after the pretty dull start, the Olympics is really starting to take off for us eternally optimistic Brits

Bet on the Olympics at Bet 365

Fixed Odds Betting Terminals earn £15bn

The virtual wheel of fortune

The Guardian reports on the phenomenon that is virtual roulette that are available in the UK's betting shops (known as Fixed Odds Betting Terminals or FOBTs). The terminals were introduced in the UK less than 3 years ago to a storm of controversy as the Gaming Board and the bookies fought it out to prove what is and what isn't a Fixed Odds Game.

Ultimately, the UK player didn't care what anybody thought and the game has attracted a dedicated following, with a return that offers a maximum prize of £500 on each game - 20 times a traditional fruit machine and the amount the gaming board and bookies finally agreed too.

The Guardianestimates that more than £290m a week is gambled on about 15,000 machines - 3 times as much as the National Lottery and has become the UK's most popular gaming product - literally from out of nowhere. They also reckon that punters are losing more than £8m a week to the big 5 bookies - Ladbrokes, William Hills, Coral, Stanley Bet and the Tote

But official information on these terminals are scarce - with smaller bookies probably operating about 2500 machines whilst Customs and Excise figures show a fourfold leap in betting turnover to £29.4bn since 2001.

The article continues:
What is more clear, however, is that the roulette terminals are becoming an increasingly lucrative source of profits. Britain's two largest betting shop chains, Ladbrokes and William Hill, are due to post interim figures in the next three weeks that are expected to suggest profits from machines have outstripped those made from traditional over the counter bets on horse racing, greyhounds and football. They will have to answer claims that their primary business has essentially switched from sports bookmaking into an amusement arcade operation

These kind of claims are being made to the annoyance of amusement arcade operators - who can only offer the £25 jackpot on their machines - which, when sitting next to a £500 FOBT is not the most attractive box for the player - and to the government who are worried about the proliferation of these machines and have effectively put the terminals "on probation". They are also being blamed for the Government's surprise about-turn on allowing a full-blown industry rollout US-style big-jackpot slots

Ultimately, what the success of these terminals has shown is the huge appetite the UK market has for casino-style games and the latent demand for easier access to them

Bored of Poker? Try Scrabble

Bingo! The deal with Scrabble

If you're always looking for the next 'big thing' - try Scrabble. The wordgame has been puzzling players since it was invented during the Depression by an out of work architect - and its now the subject of a documentary "Word Wars"

Following 4 top-ranked players, the film follows the eccentric adventures of four 'tile shufflers' as they progress from preliminary rounds of a National competition

And how is scrabble compared to poker? Well, according to one of the players, Joel Sherman:

"Poker has one small advantage over us in that it doesn't really require the amount of study, yet Scrabble is still very accessible...Chess and poker are kind of artificial ... but Scrabble is put together out of things that we absolutely use everyday - language and math skills."

What's most amazing is that the top prize for a National scrabble game was a massive $100,000 - and televised on US TV last year.

Time to get my head in a dictionary...

More Links:
- Internet Scrabble Club
- Official Scrabble Homepage
- National Scrabble Association

Chris Moneymaker Online Chat on ESPN

ESPN.com: SPORTS NATION - Chat with Chris Moneymaker

US Sports Network, ESPN who broadcast the World Series of Poker show are currently doing a few online chat events with their poker stars.

Their first chat was with Chris Moneymaker, who won the 2003 World Series of Poker Championship after qualifying for the event by winning an online poker tournament.

Here's some of the highlights from the chat:

- Tips on how to keep a straight face:
CM: I always pretend like I'm nervous no matter what. I try to fall asleep.

- Who he considers the best player in the world:
CM: Stu Unger, Doyle Brunson

- If luck is an underrated part of the game:
CM: Luck is definitly part of the game. The faster the blind structure, the more luck is involved.

- On his call on opposing player, Dutch, with a 3-3
CM: I just had a read on him throughout the tournament. (the way he played his hands)

- How you deal with knowing you're up against more experienced players
CM: You balance the fear by playing super aggressively...frustrating a more experienced player

- Which pro is the most unnerving to play with
CM: Phil Ivey or Eric Sidel

- The differences between world class players and good players
CM: World Class players can lay down the toughest hands and play any two cards at any time without fear. Their reads are impeccable.

- Is it more fun to play aggressively or have the chip lead and play conservatively
CM: More fun to have the chip lead and play aggressively (!)

- The most common 'tell' of a beginner
CM:if your opponent acts weak he is strong and if he acts strong he is weak.

- Prefer pocket Q's or A,K
CM: Pocket Q's

- Best female poker player
CM: Jennifer Harmon

You can read the rest of the chat transcript here

Links:
online poker guide

National Lottery on the Decline? Camelot says No

Camelot furious over Mintel claims of National Lottery decline

Research Agency, Mintel has just released a report that claims the National Lottery is on the decline in the UK.

As Mintel's leisure analyst, Mark Brechin, claims; "The situation for Camelot does look pretty precarious..The introduction of new games have failed to sustain long-term interest...The biggest problem seems to be way the lottery is run. People are bored with the main Lotto draw and want more prizes with lower jackpots. They also want to see the money they spend go back to their local communities"

According to the Independent Online

- The report found that the percentage of Britons playing the main Saturday night draw has fallen to 63 per cent in 2004 from 76 per cent in 1999. It argues that the introduction of new games has led to a cannibalisation of sales, and the number of people playing its Thunderball draw has halved over the past five years to just 8 per cent. These figures compare with a 1 per cent drop in betting on sports events, such as horses and greyhounds, over the same period and a 2 per cent drop in fruit and quiz machine use.

Naturally, Camelot, the organisers of the Lottery, are not amused or impressed. They claim the research is just 'spin' and the lottery is in fact enjoying an increase in sales recently. They've also challenged the alleged proportion of players - saying they have maintained their 70% of the UK population buying tickets.

Personally, i'm not a big fan of the lottery - its odds are ridiculous and the games are pointless. I fully agree that cannibalisation is hurting the main Lotto game. The one thing that is clear - Camelot do not seem to fully understand 'gambling' that well - or the mindset of a player - in that, they should stick to what they do know - and just offer a lottery and perhaps some scratchcards. The rest are just superfluous.

However, its all for a good cause (allegedly) - and plays on the dreams of everyone - so lets not knock it too much methinks

Man in tutu crashes Olympics diving event

Leap of faith

The idiots at G**denPalace.com once again go all out to get their URL in front of the world. Usually, I don't mind the streakers and the stunts that they seem intent on imposing on the public - but this idiot single-handedly ruined an Olympic event for divers that have been training for 4 years to get their chance for Gold - both the favourites for gold, the Chinese and the Russian team divers were so shaken up at this guy's intrusion they failed or messed up their following dives and ruined their chances for medals - allowing a shock win for the Greek divers.

Move on G**denpalace - I'm bored now

100-1 outsider backed down to 8-1 and wins

Swing in betting shocks punters

Now this is the type of gamble i love to see come off for horse-racing punters.

Stuart Williams trained Exponential landed a huge gamble in the Wright Brothers Maiden Stakes at Nottingham when it was backed down from 100-1 to 8-1.

Although he had previously come last of 13 in his last time out, apparantly it wasn't wholly unexpected for his connections and justified the unlikely gamble.

Ladbrokes estimated their losses at £160,000 for the race - a huge amount for a small maiden race at Nottingham

Thorpe Vs Phelps - Latest Odds

Its the biggest swim event of the Olympics and all has not quite gone to plan for the US's Michael Phelps - thwarted in his quest for 7 gold's last night when the South Africans caused a shock by taking the 400m relay

But its the 200m freestlye that has the world buzzing right now - and whilst its been called the match-up of the games there's still a couple of swimmers that could cause an even bigger shock.

In fact, the bookies don't even have Phelps as second favourite, since Dutch reigning champion Pieter van den Hoogenband showed he's still a threat - finishing his semi's in a faster time than Phelps, as did Australian Grant Hackett

Thorpe however, remains favourite for the Gold

Thorpe I ( Aus ) 8/11
Van Den Hoogenband P ( Hol ) 13/8
Phelps M ( Usa ) 4/1
Hackett G ( Aus ) 25/1
Keller K ( Usa ) 50/1

All odds taken from William Hill

Play Blackjack Whilst you Swim

Gadget Blog, Engadget has kindly pointed out the last refuge for gamblers everywhere - The waterproof Blackjack table

Swimupblackjack.com the manufacturers of this must-have swimming pool accessory (for those of you lucky enough to have pools) have also patented playing cards that won't stick together or be destroyed by water.

Maybe when the new gambling regs come in place in the UK, someone will open an underwater casino

Anyway, I want one. Now!

Gambling on Bugs - the Insect Type

115 Accused of Gambling on Insect Fights

115 men were arrested for allegedly gambling on insects. The Hong Kong police seized about 300 crickets during the bust, whilst the bug gamblers remained in custody.

You think there's a heavyweight division for crickets? Or is it all flyweight?

Athens Olympics 2004 Medals Table

I've added an olympics medal table to the site courtesy of the excellent Athens Olympics Blog - or go straight to the UK summary of medals here

There's also an excellent UK-focused fans-eye Olympics blog - Athens 2004 Blog - an Olympics blog which gives a great rundown of how our UK competitors are faring

More Links
- I would link to the official Olympics Site, but unfortunately, their terms for linking seem way too archaic for me (thanks to Stuart Homfray's weblog for pointing this out)
- LIVE and FREE Olympics coverage (video/audio) from BBC Online - best for Broadband users

Getting a BA Honours in Gambling

Colleges add gambling courses

Looks like the latest fad for US colleges is to offer Majors or certificate programs in gambling and casinos.

A 4-yr bachelor's degree course is currently being developed in NY, whilst hand-on study includes lab testing of the felt used on card tables and the roulette wheels.

But its the field trips to Vegas and Atlantic City that would really attract the students - and me.

Where do I sign up?

More Links:
- Salford University in Manchester currently offers BSc Business Economics with Gambling Studies

Olympic Bits and Pieces

Google have once again outdone themselves with their cute graphics - Love their Athens 2004 homepage image

If you want an insight into this year's swimming - the Australian press is a good place to look for hints about their team - and whilst the biggest swim event of the games is always going to be Phelps v Thorpe in the 200m men's freestyle, the Ozzie team reckon Hackett is in the form of his life and you can get some great value on him overturning the Thorpe domination of the freestyle events

Bet 365 have Hackett at a tempting 7/2 for the 200m freestyle, whilst Thorpe is unbackable at 1/6

The Olympics has sadly got off to a scandalous start already with the news that Greek 200m hero Kostas Kenteris missed a drugs test yesterday - shades of the Rio Ferdinand fiasco last year.

Kenteris was expected to have lit the Olympic cauldron at the Opening Ceremony as well as being Greece's flagbearer but that honour has gone to a team member.
And just to pile on the misery for the Greeks, Kenteris was then involved in a road accident

The Men's 100m has finally turned into an interesting race as Asafa Powell has shocked the USA's Maurice Greene twice in recent European events.
Powell is the current favourite to take the Gold at 11/10 with Bet 365 - but no stranger to the Olympics, at 2/1, Greene can definitely pull out the stops to overturn recent results.

Matthew Pinsent is on course for his fourth Olympic Gold Medal - this time without Steve Redgrave. He's in the coxless fours - and whilst Canada are current favourites to take this race at 2/1, Pinsent's fairytale ending can be backed at 3/1 with Bet 365

Bet 365 has a host of odds available on all the top Olympic events

The Good and the Bad of Online Gambling

'Hidden cost' of online gambling

Despite the negativity in the title, BBC Online have reported a reasonably balanced view of online gambling - although it does peter into an 'addiction' report by the end

The Ladbrokes E-Gaming MD comments on the huge growth of the industry in the past 5 to 6 years, claiming:
"In poker, we're turning over £10m in pots every day. That's money that customers are staking one against the other. It's a significant business."

Thats a significant rake for Ladbrokes and they're definitely not the biggest online poker room

The story continues to relate 2 stories of online gamblers - one who plays online because 'its a bit of fun' and prefers the anonymity that the internet offers.

Whilst the second story provides a slightly more negative image of a female gambler that lost £45,000 in 4 weeks playing online poker.

Interestingly, both stories were about women gamblers - the media's current obsession.

However, it is worrying when the player compares the lack of self-control she experienced from her gambling as:
"...it's just not real, it's like playing a GameBoy or a PlayStation. It's just like a video game."

Thats a dubious comparison at best and whilst its important to highlight the potential dangers of gambling addiction, when online casinos and poker are being compared to kids games, its precariously balanced image once again tips heavily towards the anti-gambling brigade

Teenage Gamblers Sought for TV Documentary

YOUNG PEOPLE NEEDED FOR GAMBLING PROGRAMME

It had to happen sooner or later. An Independent TV Company, IWC Media, has jumped on the 'underage gambling' bandwagon and has gone to Hull to look for teenagers that gamble for a new documentary. Why Hull has been singled out, i'm not too sure.

This follows the recent study that was released about underage gambling on the internet, as Jamie Balment, a spokesman for IWC Media states:
"Teenage gambling is a growing problem in the UK and a very prescient issue after the recent National Children's Home online gambling inquiry. The proposed relaxation of the current gambling laws by the Government later this year is also causing concern."

The documentary is hoping to to find kids that gamble online, use fruit machines or play the National Lottery. Once again sensationalist TV will do nothing for the image of gambling - especially as the industry is waiting for the new regulations.

Previous Blogs:
- That nasty evil internet makes kids gamble

£7 million Lotto Jackpot won by Convicted Rapist

RAPIST WINS £7M ON LOTTO

In a story thats hit most front pages today, Iorworth Hoare, a 52 yr old convicted serial rapist, currently serving life, won £7 million on the Lotto after buying a ticket whilst on weekend leave.

Naturally, most of the UK's tabloid press have taken the high ground and demands a change of the law immediately. To quote The Sun:
The Sun demands a change in the law to stop this madness ever happening again.

Gamblog comments on the typical kneejerk reaction from the politicians and the press. As Gamblog rightly concludes:
- While I deplore the guy and hope his money is taken from him and given to his victims as compensation (every penny) , what has made me laugh is nonsense talk from apparently well educated people , ie poiticians. Ridiculous.

Hoare himself seemed to realise the potential public outcry and immediately hired top London lawyers to try to stop the press from printing the story, but they went ahead anyway

Ultimately, I doubt much can be done to stop prisoners on temporary release from buying lotto tickets. But it would be a justifiable result if the victims can gain compensation from the win

More:
- Rapist's £7m 'should aid victims'

Public Response:
- Your view: Should convicted criminals be allowed to play the Lotto?
- Lottery - Your Views
- Should lottery rules for prisoners be changed?

Gambling on a Natural Disaster

Betting on the gee-gees

Ever wondered about the odds of a natural global disaster?
Well, The Guardian has put together a nice summary of the chances of a 'global geophysical event' - known more simply as the 'gee-gees'

There's a 0.7% chance of a mega-tsunami - caused by asteroids or comets crashing into the sea or islands and forces enormous waves

Super-Eruptions are just as rare. There's a 0.14% chance of one happening in your lifetime - the last one happened a mere 73,500 years ago in Sumatra. The ash would blacken the sky and cause a 'volcanic winter' that could last for 5 years

Comets and Asteroid Strikes are currently becoming less of a threat as new technology and better telescopes can calculate any potential collision course with Earth. These cataclysmic events are thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs and in 1994 a comet collided with Jupiter - a similar impact on Earth would have wiped us all out

I'm not too sure its worth a flutter on the next global disaster though. It would be quote a challenge to go and collect your winnings the next day

We've had Poker - now its Blackjack on TV

After all the commotion about poker on TV, it had to happen sooner or later.
There's now a show in the US called Celebrity Blackjack where a group of 'celebs' play a version of blackjack for charity. All prize money is donated to the charity of choice by the celeb. US stand-up comedian Caroline Rhea has just won the first series, but a second series is already in the pipeline.

The show has created its own rules in which 4 "celebrity blackjack jokers' are in play and can be used to steal any card in play

No doubt going to come to a minor UK TV channel sometime soon

Play Blackjack for yourself instead!
- Victor Chandler The Spin Room
- Casino 365
- William Hill Casino
- Harrods Casino

Olympics Betting - will the UK get any medals at the Olympics?

In what looks like one of the poorest UK athletics team we've had in the Olympics in decades, we may even return from the games with no medals at all

Of all the athletic events, only Paula Radcliffe is favourite to win a Track/Field Gold Medal for Great Britain. Radcliffe is quoted at 4/9 to win the Marathon but the shortest priced Brit other then her is Kelly Holmes at 10/1 for the 800 metres.

William Hill are offering just 9/4 for the team returning from the games with no Gold medals with just the one Gold being 4/5 favourite

None 9/4
one Gold 4/5
two 5/1
three or more 13/2.

Latest odds from William Hill

Casino City files uses US First Amendment to Protect Online Gambling Advertising

Casino City Files Suit Against U.S. Department of Justice to Establish its First Amendment Right to Advertise Online Casinos and Sportsbooks

In an interesting twist of events, web portal, Casino City has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Justice claiming that advertising online casinos is protected by free speech under the US First Amendment

This comes a week after a Californian lawsuit was filed against internet portals including google and yahoo - claiming they were illegally advertising online gambling to Californian citzens.

Amusingly, President Bush's lead attorney for his 2000 Florida vote count, Barry Richard, is the attorney challenging the US Justice Department in the Casino City case.

Casino City CEO, Michael Corfman, says "The public has the right to see the wealth of information we provide on casinos and sportsbooks, and we have the First Amendment right to advertise online gaming on the web to support its free publication."

This also comes at a time when the US and Antigua are set to hold talks to settle the recent WTO ruling against the US that its position against offshore gambling had slashed revenue in Antigua, a country that uses gambling to boost a depressed economy

Last year, federal authorities put out a warning threatening US companies to stop accepting ads from offshore online gambling sites and seized $3 million from Discovery Communications

- This is a brave move by Casino City to try and clear up the mess regarding online gambling in the US and obviously was timed to coincide with the WTO rulings and the current lawsuit against google et al. Whether they succeed remains to be seen, but at least the wheels are being put in motion to try and regain an even footing with the anti-online gambling brigade and begin its potentially arduous task that it is - or could one day be - a legitimate industry for the USA

Faria Alam Breaks Down in Tears

'I'M IN LOVE WITH SVEN'

Apparantly Faria is in love with Sven

So she tells Trevor McDonald on ITV's Tonight Show
Just to prove this point, she breaks down in tears and asks the camera's to stop rolling.

I'm getting all tearful just thinking about it all

And David Davies is suffering from memory loss

After reading about Sven and Faria's activities in last Sunday's News of the World, he's probably got the right idea

More Blogs:
- Gamblog reports: Sven Stays, Faria Alam Resigns, Palios and Gibson gone

Recent Blog Post:
Chief Exec Mark Palios resigns from the FA

Playing Blackjack with the Taj Mahal

Gambling the Taj

It seems as if one of the world's great wonders, the Taj Mahal, is not enough to keep tourists in Agra.

Apparantly, ministers in the Utter Pradash part of India is looking at plans to open casinos in Agra - if that would get more tourists to the Taj Mahal. Agra itself is devoid of any other activity to interest tourists - except for its 5-star hotels - and people simply keep away.

A senior minister states there's 2 proposals - one to open the Taj in the night - and secondly to open casinos for more 'excitement'

Express India amusingly comments that the ministry has obviously overlooked the basic concept of marketing and building infrastructure such as airpotys and roads to make it easier to get to the Taj.

Having been to the Taj recently, I'll join in its cynicism. Whilst the Taj under a full moon would be stunning and casinos would make its nightlife slightly more interesting, the government's first steps should really be to improve the surrounding land and buildings (its a mess), re-think its entrance fee requirements (also a mess) - and then worry about its nightlife - casinos would be a nice touch once everything else becomes slightly more inviting

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