The time has come for online casino gamblers as the Jackpot Factory group has announced AllSlotsOnlineCasino.com’s $500,000 World Series of Slots. The championship slots battle will consist of numerous tournaments scheduled from September 1st to November 10th and a record-breaking cash prize pool. For online slots players, this could be the jackpot of all jackpots; And it doesn’t cost a thing.
AllSlots is attempting to stray from the previous structure of the tournaments, with cash to be had throughout the entire Series. This year, the online casino is hosting daily free feeder tournaments and major weekend tournaments that promise major cash payouts. Each free feeder offers AllSlots’ users a seat in the main tournament event. The Weekly Finals tourney pays out $25,000, the Semi-Final (scheduled for early October) $100,000 and a $200,000 Grand Final (scheduled in November) that will award a $100,000 grand prize.
Vice President of the Jackpot Factory’s Player Affairs, David Brickman reports in a joint statement with AllSlots, “The Jackpot Factory is making history here – this is the world’s largest online slots tournament to date and we’re really setting a new standard in the live slots tournaments.”
The $500,000 World Series of Slots is the third free slots tourney with AllSlots, however the first of its magnitude. These tournaments provide both novice and high stakes players with a stab at some of the biggest prize pools without paying a dime. Upon signing with AllSlots, new member deposits will be matched 100% up to 200 credits, and up to 450 bonus credits per month.
With the online casino market always increasing, it is more crucial than ever that organizations like eCOGRA be used to monitor internet gambling websites. eCOGRA has broadened its oversight, as it will now be available to affiliate programs.
eCOGRA’s goal is to ensure online casino gamblers fair gaming, player protection and responsible operator conduct. Upon joining the list of eCOGRA’s approved websites, internet casinos and now their affiliates will be subject to monthly inspection. If a gambling venue meets the operators’ standards of “Generally Accepted Practices,” they will be award a seal of approval. Gamers will recognize the Safe and Fair Seal that many internet casinos proudly display. Affiliate programs can now obtain the new eCOGRA Affiliate Trust seal which identifies said website as one that maintains the same standards of fairness and efficiency.
In order to display the new Seal, affiliate programs must show that their program “establishes, enforces and monitors best practice standards.” More specifically, they must be able to demonstrate that they accurately calculate affiliate revenue, pay their affiliates on time, and accurately link players to affiliates.
Fortune Affiliates of the Fortune Lounge group is the first to tout the Seal after an in-depth inspection of the website. “We are extremely honored to receive the very first Affiliate Trust Seal,” a spokesperson said. “The process was a tough one, but as our Affiliates have always known, we have always held ourselves to high standards.”
The spokesperson continued, “Although there are others monitoring affiliate programs, eCOGRA provides the most public, structured and formal on-site approach, ensuring compliance with consistent standards through regular monitoring and full annual reviews carried out by highly qualified inspection and auditing teams.”
Louis Fabiano, founder and president of CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com was not at all surprised by Fortune Affiliates recent accreditation. He commented, “One of CAP’s premier certified partners, Fortune Affiliates is one of the largest, oldest and most respected groups in the Microgaming family, and fully deserving of being the first affiliate program awarded with the prestigious eCOGRA seal.”
The accreditation process is a painstaking one, as the company has set the highest standards in the industry. eCOGRA Ceo, Andrew Beveridge stated that the organization goes so far as to visit the physical locations of the affiliate programs in order to collect accurate player and affiliate data and ensure that everyone is properly taken care of and paid as they should be.
“The eCOGRA Affiliate Trust Initiative is all about actually going and visiting the management and operations of affiliate programs, gaining direct access to check relevant player and affiliate data to ensure that affiliate members are being treated fairly.”
In addition to the constant regulation of the online casinos, poker rooms and affiliate programs that display a Seal, a player dispute mediation service and an advocate are always readily available for arbitration to internet gamers, where it is legal. Accreditation is open to all online gambling operators and affiliates. More information about the Affiliate Trust program and their accepted practices may be found at www.ecogra.org/affiliates.
SonicWarp.com, an online casino company based out of the UK has made a pretty big claim to their website, announcing that players don’t lose when participating in the game Treasure Chest. According to the internet casino, “the prize fund is added to daily, and a cash prize is up for grabs each and every month.
If a SonicWarp member deposits 100 GBP, he or she will be given a token which is placed in the Treasure Chest given a certain condition. After making the deposit, which is completely refundable, the user is prompted with five multiple choice questions. The user must provide the correct answer to each question to have their token entered. Once a month, a token is selected from the Treasure Chest at random, and the person that the token belongs to takes the prize fund.
Because the players can have their money refunded at any time, the site has said there can be no losers. If the user chooses to play the game, he or she will be entered into each monthly drawing until either the token is selected, or the user decides to leave the game. Additionally, players who refer friends to the game are awarded bonus tokens that will be added to the Treasure Chest. Should a player misplace their token, a new one can be issued for 10 GBP.
To ensure users that these tokens are being drawn fairly, an individual involved in the game is invited each month to witness the drawing at SonicWarp’s head office, located in Shropshire.
The Poker Players Alliance, one million members strong, urged online gambling enthusiasts over the past few days to address their concerns toward current internet gaming legislation to the Republican Party Platform Committee. The Committee is designed to report the party’s proposals, and manages a website hosting a virtual suggestion box of sorts.
With so many expressing their distaste for the two sentence item on the platform which states the GOP’s stance against Internet Gambling, the draft for the most recent platform appeared without the offending sentences. “This is a small victory in our determined effort to educate both sides of the aisle that there is a true constituency in America that values its Internet freedoms,” said PPA Executive Director, John Pappas.
According to Senator Richard Burr, co-chairman of the 112 member Committee, the move was made to attract more voters to the Republican Party.
But it was too good to be true, as the clause returned soon thereafter. Conservatives of the party had fought for its reinstitution. The clause reads, “Millions of Americans suffer from problem or pathological gambling that can destroy families. We support legislation prohibiting gambling over the Internet or in student athletics by student athletics who are participating in competitive sports.” These are strong words from the party with the highest divorce rates, teen pregnancy and sex scandals.
With the upcoming Republican National Convention, the platform has seen a 50 percent alteration. The committee will meet again next week to produce the final draft for the platform, and will most likely include the internet gambling clause.
After allegations that Bodog will have tough time finding sufficient payment processors, the online wagering website has tried to assure its users that recent cutbacks involved its support companies rather than Bodog itself. However, according to some former staff, things aren’t as peachy as they seem.
Following the recent management change, many long term employees have expressed their frustrations with the organization. Gambling911.com reports that in job-related posting forums, employees “paint quite a grim picture of the company, different than what we observed in the last six years.”
The first indications of an internal conflict at Bodog were seen after one branch of the internet gambling site was terminated overnight. Bodog Fight, which was the organizations Mixed Martial Arts enterprise, was apparently unable to pay some of its workers and uphold a contract agreement, leading to its eventual demise.
Matt Lindlad, a Greco-Roman wrestling Olympic silver-medalist reports that he signed on with Bodog Fight, in a one year contract that included three fights. Since then, Lindland claims that Bodog never allotted him two of the three fights in the agreement, and that he is still owed money.
“I lived up to my end of the bargain,” says Lindland. “I haven’t fought since April, anticipating two more fights with Bodog.
“My contract was with Sixth Row Productions. Bodog and Sixth Row intermingled funds. I mean, I could go after Bodog Fight, but they have no assets. They set up these shell companies and they’re not paying their fighters. They don’t honor their contracts. It was very disappointing.”
The reports don’t stop there, however. Many have said that Calvin Ayre got out of the game at the most opportune time, freeing him from U.S. Department of Justice laws and the internal issues with the company’s management. According to a former staff member for Bodog Music’s “Battle of the Bands” program, employees were given a divided share of nearly one million dollars to deposit in several Bank of America accounts so that the money could be easily transferred from the U.S. without attracting unwanted attention from the IRS.
“I know that outside of the gambling industry no one respects this brand and no one gives them any credit for their success as large as they might be. Business is business and Bodog had to do what they had to do to protect themselves but people have a right to know they are putting themselves at risk when working for an online gambling company,” the former employee reports.
More layoffs are expected to ensue in the near future, leaving more angry employees with comments on the site’s integrity. Sources say that Bodog will remain open to the U.S. internet wagering market via NFL and College Football season, but that the chance of Bodog leaving the states is very good.
“It’s really bad at Bodog,” opined a source for Gambling911, “They want to pay people (customers). That’s not the issue. The problem is they can’t find processing. The processors are out there but none of them want to deal with Bodog right now because they are considered such a high profile target.”
Bodoglife.com, the subject of recent controversy, has remained in the headlines this week after reports that the online gambling empire “continues to crumble.” It has been said that the internet wagering website has cut hundreds of jobs in Canada, and that payment processing will be an issue in the future.
According to an article by David Baines in the Vancouver Sun, Bodog is headed down a slippery slope. The article was based on a number of recent events such as the recent seizure of millions of dollars from one Bodog payment processor, the cutbacks, Calvin Ayre’s recent retirement, more crackdowns on UIGEA violations, and an array of reports on the internet that players have had a hard time receiving payment.
Despite what the media says, Bodog CEO Alwyn Morris has urged the public to take it cum grano salis. “The layoffs in question have actually taken place with a firm that provides Bodog some software and marketing support, but we are confident their service levels to us have not been, and will not be affected,” said Morris. "Bodog has not and is not planning to close its doors to any market. In fact, Bodog is researching new potential markets and will continue to accept new players from all existing markets.”
The software company being referred to is Fiver Media, formerly Riptown Media. Baines tried to contact Fiver Media boss Jim Phillips, but was turned away with no given reason. “Phillips prefers to work in the background, Wizard of Oz style. But make no mistake: He has played an instrumental role in the development of Bodog’s online gambling activities,” Baines reported. “I would not be surprised if the U.S. Justice Department doesn’t have him, as well as Ayre, in its crosshairs.”
A new form of payment just opened up to online casino gamblers, as the Mansion group has announced its new online bank under the oversight of the UK Financial Services Authority. Ivobank, owned by the Sampoerna family, is the first independent bank to launch since the “dotcom boom” in 2001. It is also the first financial institution to be authorized and regulated by the UK FSA.
Ivobank offers a fast and secure method of online payment and money transfer, particularly for internet gamblers. Its customers will now be able to instantly transfer money from an online account to friends and families overseas, making it the ideal form of payment to online casinos. The Sampoerna family expects to see over one million customers within the next five years. Ivobank Managing Director, Timothy Sawyer, says that the bank, while available to anyone, was created with internet gamblers in mind.
“The online gaming industry has developed rapidly in recent years, but the financial services supporting it have not kept pace,” said Sawyer, “Many online businesses and customers have been ill-served to date, resulting in relatively high costs and relatively low levels of service. Ivobank aims to plug the gap by offering instant and highly secure online payment services, combined with competitive interest rates.”
Competitive rates, indeed. The bank is offering interests rates of up to 4.25% AER on deposits, and all monies moved by customers will be insured and transferred immediately as part of a 24/7 operation. Foreign exchange will also be available with a lower transaction fee.
Anyone may apply for an online account at Ivobank’s website, free of charge with no required deposit. Account holders will then be given access to a digital debit card, or Ivobank Virtual Card, used to make online purchases. The card can be securely used online wherever MasterCard is accepted. Ivobank also has around-the-clock customer service available by means of telephone, e-mail or Live Chat.
According to the Pittsburg Tribune, a bill was proposed that will limit the number of lawyers allotted to any casino who had previously worked under the state Gaming Control Board in Pennsylvania.
The newspaper reports, “Senate Majority Whip Jane Orie, a McCandless Republican, introduced the bill in response to a Tribune Review report last week that the board’s former director of gambling operations registered as a lobbyist for Philadelphia Park and Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs three days after leaving the board.”
It would appear as though U.S. officials, in addition to their opposition to online casino gambling, are doing everything in their power to prevent even live gaming to continue without a fight. It is apparent now that any former board will be forced away from representing a casino to prevent casinos from having experienced representation.
The article continues, “’The need for this legislation has become clear given reports in the media concerning the fact that the former chairman (is) now working for law firms where they represent casinos,’ Orie said in a memo to senators. Orie would make it a condition of employment for lawyers joining the gambling board.”
The proposal, if passed, will not apply to lawyers outside of the board, and will allow the state Supreme Court to regulate any lawyer assigned to a casino. Orie’s introduced the bill Monday, the results of which remain to be seen by the casino industry, after news quickly spread of the former chairman having joined with the casinos.
A new alternative has opened up to online casinos players in the U.S. The name says it all with Casinostakingusaplayer.com, whose mission statement is to provide U.S. player with all the necessary information needed to decide on an internet casino. In addition to software reviews, they inform potential users of the best online casinos remaining in the American market, although this information can be difficult to access when visiting the site.
The site will also show casino players which deposit methods are still available in the slimming options for the U.S. While the website stresses that it wishes to keep all players informed, they put a special emphasis on the U.S. market, where it can be extremely difficult to find a good online gambling venue. Spokesperson Walt Emerson says, “We really felt as though there was a need to inform first time players about some of the ins and outs of the online casino world. We know the roadblocks that American consumers run into when trying to get started. After all, we were new players at one time too!”
CasinosTakingUsaPlayers has made sure to list appropriate gambling platforms for both highrollers and novice players alike. Information is provided for online poker rooms and available sportsbooks as well, where players will find bonus information and site reviews. The site caters to gambling consumers of all kinds. “Players on sportsbooks and poker rooms need to know that they are available for bonuses too!” says Emerson.
CasinosTakingUSAPlayers shows the difference between which sites accept certain forms of payment, such as prepaid cards or eWallets. Perhaps the handiest feature, however, is the USA Players Guide which answers many questions that Americans have about online gambling policies in the U.S.
Emerson went on to explain, “Players are our number one priority. We know they want the most bang for their buck. That is why our USA casino guide makes it easy for them to get all the bonus information they could ever need. Our reviews are second to none, and our visitors will find the lists to be very useful. Our staff has done the work to take the guess work out of choosing a casino.”
The reviews are not as extensive as the site claims. It’s a good stop for U.S. players to explore their options, but it is always advised that an online casino player thoroughly research each casino on their own to ensure to safety and security of the site. It is important to remember that many affiliate sites, no matter how reputable, are guilty of providing biased reviews and information because they’re getting paid to refer online casino players to various sites. The best way to ensure one’s safety is to research what other gamers have to say about a particular site, and share experiences.
The site can be quite difficult to navigate, as guests are redirected to sister sites when clicking on virtually any resource provided, and each site is overcrowded with links. Still, it’s one of the better resources for new players wishing to explore their choices.
Three years after Alaskan officials introduced the idea of establishing an intrastate Gaming Commission that would regulate online casino gambling, the decision has been put in the peoples’ hands. This week voters will decide whether or not they wish to incorporate the Commission into the Alaskan Department of Revenue.
If voters favor the idea of a regulatory body a seven-member commission, appointed by the governor and approved by the legislature, would be given the ability to expand online casino gambling by permitting the use of slot machines, poker rooms, lotteries and other forms of gaming. Five of the seven members would vote on online gambling issues and just three would be required to reach a quorum. In doing so, the U.S. legislators that have prohibited such activity, arguing the immoral and addictive nature of online gaming, would hold no clout in Alaskan casinos.
Those supporting Ballot Measure 1 have stated that regulated gambling establishments would promote more tourism within the state and create more job opportunities, while sharing a portion of the taxed revenue that is now going to Nevada and online casinos.
“There’s a lot of money involved, and it should stay here,” says Ken Jacobus, a lawyer who wrote some of the initiative for Alaskans for Gaming Reform. “I’m voting yes because I think it’s good for the Alaska economy.”
Pub owners, who predominately fund the Gaming Reform group, head the campaign for Ballot Measure 1. Darwin Biwer, owner of the bar Darwin’s Theory in Anchorage and chairman of the reform organization has put all of his efforts into the initiative. According to Biwer, many pub owners are holding huge charity raffle events to raise money for the campaign. “There is no one watching the henhorse,” he observed.
Unfortunately for Alaska, however, not everyone is on board with the idea of legalized gambling. State revenue officials claim that such a commission would not affect the levels of illegal gaming activities as it would only involve licensing issues. The overplayed argument that gambling can cause divorce, child neglect, bunktruptcies and debt-driven crimes has also been made, as officials claim that only lawmakers should have the authority to expand it.
That being said, the Department of Revenue shows that Alaskan state gambling like pull tabs, bingo, raffles and lotteries have contributed $32 million to charities, cities and educational groups annually.
Alaska’s Tax Division, currently regulating gambling activities, feels that this is too much responsibility for just seven members. Johanna Bales, deputy director of the division stated, “This commission is given very broad power under this initiative, so you would have three individuals potentially who could decide what types of gaming can take place in the state up to a full-blown casino. There’s nothing in here that sets any kind of parameters as far as I can tell.”
The initiative gives the stipulation, however, that no more than five gambling machines would be allowed in a single location until after December 31, 2012. Following that time, the limit will increase to 20 gambling machines.
