Online gambling on the rise but not in online poker
Official figures show that some forms of online gambling are on the rise, but there's been a shift in the numbers and type of players involved in online poker over the past year.
With the economic downturn, there is less money around generally. There seems to be fewer people with credit cards and the standards of the players are higher.
More people are looking to online casinos then ever before. The land based casinos are feeling the effect. Alot of the land based casinos are losing millions.
The comfort of playing at home, saving gas, smaller limits, etc. are driving this craze. Many of the online casinos offer deposit bonus money that land based casinos wouldn't dream of giving. Some even offer free money to its players to "try" out their casino software. Onlinevegas.com is holding a $5,000 freeroll slot tournament on April 1st. It doesn't cost anything to play. All you have to do is create a real account. You'll need this account if you win! This is also a great oppurtunity to try out there software and fun games.
The poker boom looks to be on the decline. This could be due to the financial problems the US is facing. You would'nt notice it with the online casino numbers though.
Even some online poker rooms are taking a hit.
"Dear Bugsy Club Player,
Firstly, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of the Bugsy's Club Poker Room. Since Bugsy's Club was formed, our mission statement has always been that we will offer you 'The Best Poker Games in Town' and that 'We will take care of you personally'. We are proud to say that these are goals we feel we have consistently exceeded, providing you with a great place to enjoy poker.
Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control with regards to banking facilities, it is with regret that we have to announce it is no longer viable for the Bugsy's Club Poker Room to continue our business operations.
Once again, we would like to thank you for supporting the Bugsy's Club Poker Room."
March 26th
Texas casino may stay closed for not allowing women to vote
Then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn successfully sued the tribe in 2001 alleging they violated antigambling laws.
The 1,500 member tribe said it would be insulted if the women were allowed to vote because they never have voted in tribal elections.
Members are urging the state Legislature to consider re-opening the casino because of the somewhat 800 jobs it would create.
March 26th
Appeals Court says casino can't keep winnings from banned man
The Iowa Appeals Court has overturned a district court ruling that kept a man banned from a casino from collecting thousands of dollars in winnings. Tory Blackford won just over $9,700 in May of 2006 while gambling at the Prairie Meadows Casino in Altoona.
Prairie Meadows however refused to pay Blackford, as the casino records showed he had been involuntarily and permanently banned from the casino. Blackford claimed the ban had been lifted, but casino administrators said their records showed the ban had not changed and they confiscated his winnings and donated them to charity.
Blackford sued to get the money back. The district court upheld the confiscation of Blackford's winnings, saying that was the intent of the law -- even though the law does not mention confiscating winnings of someone who was involuntarily banned.
The Iowa Court of Appeals ruled the district court was wrong in ruling that Prairie Meadows would not be required to pay winnings to a person involuntarily banned based the right to do so for someone who was voluntarily banned themselves from a casino.
The Appeals Court also said while the casino has the right to eject someone from the premises, there is no prevision for what happens to that person's winnings if they return to the casino after being kicked out.
