We’re now slightly less than a year away from the London Olympics, the stadia are in place, the tickets have all been sold and everything is on course.  The police however, are taking measures to ensure that the possibility of corruption is minimised as much as possible.

We normally associate match-fixing with sports such as tennis, snooker and occasionally soccer, but International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge is in no doubt that the London Olympics can just as easily be targeted.  Interviewed last month by an English newspaper, he said:

“The danger is that from illegal betting comes match-fixing and you see more and more attempts to manipulate matches. It is as dangerous as doping for the credibility of sport. It’s only the beginning of a huge battle.”

With the proliferation of broadband internet access to the farthest reaches of most countries, opportunities for illegal gambling become more and more available.  With illegal gambling of course come attempts to sway the participants involved in the sport one way or another. In fact the Olympic Games may be particularly susceptible to this – thousands of competitors, dozens of different sports and most of the participants are not highly paid sports stars.  That’s not to say they are all morally bankrupt of course, but it only takes a few bad eggs to taint the whole show.

So how can the police combat these attempts to influence events?  The British authorities already have some of the most effective anti-corruption laws in place and new changes in legislation will allow the UK’s Gambling Commission substantive access to police information.

Essentially it’s all about information sharing and the legislation will add several international sporting bodies to the list of those able to share and access data.  These include UEFA, the IOC itself, the International Tennis Federation, the International Cricket Council, the International Rugby Board and FIFA (no stranger to corruption issues itself), among others.

The Gambling Commission will also be requiring online casinos and sportsbooks located offshore to be licensed if they are offering services to UK customers.  This will mean they will also be included in the data sharing agreement.

It’s an interesting little news story this and one which should be followed closely by industry watchers.  The main thrust of the story concerns whether a tiny Pacific Island nation can turn around its ailing economy through regulated casino gaming.

The island nation we are talking about here is Saipan.  If you don’t know where that is you’re almost certainly not alone.  It’s the largest island in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, some distance to the West of the Philippines and an equal distance to the South of Korea.  The island has a population of around 48,000.

Saipan

It’s a actually a federal United States territory, acquired during and after the second world war from the Japanese following ferocious battles.  Recent decades have ensured a relatively lucrative garment manufacturing industry but with the emergence of cheap competition from other regional countries, the garment industry has all but expired.  Tourism represents one bright spot but it too has been dwindling in recent years.

Hence the call for the development of a casino industry on the island.  To the North, Saipan is aware of Macau which has been hugely successful in attracting Chinese tourists to it’s glitzy casino.  Singapore to the West has also showed it can be done.  Even less developed nations such as Cambodia and Vietnam have fledgling casino industries which add to tourist revenue.

Saipan must be careful though, says Ben Lee of Macau-based IGamiX Management & Consulting Ltd, a senior partner asked to take a look at Saipan.  His message is to start slowly, don’t try and tempt the likes of China Sands or Wynn Resorts with the promise of vast revenues – they won’t be interested.  Rather, open the bidding to smaller companies and make the minimum investment amounts realistic.

Saipan’s first hurdle to clear though is the local population, who have twice rejected plans for casino development.  As the economy further weakens, those who voted against it previously may well change their minds in the future.

As ever more states look seriously at the possibility of legalising some form of online gaming within their borders, the pressure steadily mounts on federal lawmakers to take action before the number of states passing their own laws reached a critical mass.

The main advocate of poker player’s rights since 2005 has been the Poker Players Alliance, under the leadership of John Pappas.  Several weeks ago, a new group was formed – Fair Play USA – a non-profit organisation set up purely to advance the cause of online gaming  in the United States.

Fair Play USA’s main concern currently is that online poker players are forced to play in an insecure environment due to lack of any consumer protection.  They also raise the scenario of illegal online poker sites run by criminal organisations.  Playing poker online for money is not technically illegal in the Unites States so why don’t these citizens have adequate protection?  There’s also the question of huge losses of tax revenue, something which the USA could well do with right now.

The organisation mandates a range of well-thought out policies which would include provision for taxing online gaming, removing illegal sites and player protection.  The whole list is below:

It’s worth mentioning also that this is not just a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs with no campaigning experience, it’s advisors include the following three hard hitters:

Tom Ridge – former first Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security following the post’s creation after 9/11.  A man who now runs his own risk management company and an organisational expert.

Parry Aftab – a lawyer and consumer safety expert, particularly in the field of internet safety. She wrote ‘A Parents Guide to the Internet’, one of the first such publications and is a sought after keynote speaker at internet safety and security conferences.

Greg Raymer – poker pro, former WSOP Main Event bracelet winner and outstanding tournament player who now also teached poker theory at the WSOP Academy.

One could argue that if these big hitters can’t get the government moving on some sensible legislation, then who can.

After almost seven weeks and fifty eight different events, the 2011 World Series of Poker has finally reached a nadir.  The big competition, Event #58 – the $10,000 No Limit Texas Hold’em tournament has been whittled down from 6,865 entrants to what has become known as the November Nine.  The tournament will now take a break and those nine players will return in November to continue the battle.  The chip counts will remain as they were and the players will even sit in the same positions at the table. The final nine finished stage one as follows and an international bunch they certainly are:

• Martin Staszko (Russia)          - 40,175,000 chips
• Eoghan O’Dea (Ireland)         – 33,925,000 chips
• Matt Giannetti (USA)              - 24,750,000 chips
• Phil Collins (USA)                   – 23,875,000 chips
• Ben Lamb (USA)                     – 20,875,000 chips
• Badih Bou-Nahra (Belize)      - 19,700,000 chips
• Pius Heinz (Germany)            - 16,425,000 chips
• Anton Makiievskyi (Ukraine) – 13,825,000 chips
• Sam Holden (UK)                   – 12,375,000 chips

One of these players will walk away with the enormous top prize of around $8,000,000 and of course the coveted WSOP bracelet.  It doesn’t look too promising for Holden and Makiievskyi, but they have enough chips for quite a number of rounds of blinds so it should be an interesting end to the competition, as always.

‘Hitting The Nuts’  Approaching General Release

It’s been the winner of more than one film festival award and many poker fans will be hoping that this poker themed movie will get the general release it deserves.  Partly about poker, it’s a comedy about a diverse group of characters in Indiana and the events surrounding the annual illegal poker championship.  The DVD has been available through the website for some time but the reactions from the various film festivals have meant that a digital distribution through channels such as iTunes and Netflix is now on the cards.  A general release at theatres would also be appreciated.  Check out the trailer below:

We’re now in the last few days of the annual gaming marathon that is the World Series of Poker at the Rio All Suite in Las Vegas.  Despite some dire warnings about attendance, related to the state of online poker in the U.S, numbers attending and playing have been pretty healthy.

We’ll report in a bit more detail when it’s all over but Event #53 is worth a mention as a

Epstein at the final table

news story in itself.  It was the Ladies Only No-Limit Hold’em championship, a competition that always draws a healthy number of entrants – many more ladies then would normally enter a mixed competition.  That fact in itself should be enough to respect the format.  However there are one or two male players who, over the years, have felt that it’s not fair to discriminate.  In fact there’s no discrimination at work here, sexual equality laws mean that anyone can enter the competition.  Normally though, everyone respects the very good reasons why this is a single sex event.

So this year then, step forward Jonathan Epstein, the young American poker pro, who for reasons best known to himself decided to enter Event #53.  Perhaps he thought it was an easy win (it wasn’t) or perhaps he thought he was making some sort of juvenile political point – whatever, the large crowd booed him every time he was in action.  In the end he was unceremoniously booted out in ninth place and hopefully he won’t try anything like that again.

Washington Adds Detail To Online Proposal

Washington D.C. has already outlined a brief vision of its plan to introduce state-wide online gaming.  It will be known as I-gaming and will only be accessible within the state boundaries.  Lawyers who have studied the proposals say that it is is legal under federal law.

Safeguards are being included with the proposal and these include a $250 per week limit on losses and the use of debit cards only – no credit cards.  It seems like a sensible, low-key start to what could become a model for other states to follow.

The famous Sahara Casino finally closed its doors on May 16th 2011 as you’ll have read elsewhere on this site.  A combination of giant mega-casino resorts opening at the other end of the strip, a lack of investment in recent years and some bad luck which left the Sahara surrounded by vacant lots and deserted building sites finally led to the closure of this iconic venue.

However this has given Las Vegas residents and those from further afield the opportunity to take their pick from around 600,000 items which have been put up for sale by liquidation specialist NCL.  In fact everything has been for sale, including the contents of 1700 hotel rooms and suites, commercial equipment from the extensive kitchens, theatre equipment and props, the contents of the gaming pits and everything that is not nailed down (and some stuff that is).

The organisers of the sell off have been letting around fifty people into the casino at a time and this has meant hundreds have been queuing for hours outside in the Nevada sunshine to await their turn to spend a few dollars on a lampshade or the best part of a thousand dollars on a chandelier.  The sale started on the 16th June but if you’re in the area there may still be a few items remaining to remind you of the time when the Sahara was the place to go and a favoured hangout for Rat Pack characters such as Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra.

Republicans Push For Online Poker Legislation

One Republican senator from Texas, Joe Barton, will shortly introduce a bill that will attempt to once again legalise online poker in the United States.  In an unconnected move two more Republicans, Jim McDermott and Barney Frank, will also push forward their legislation.  They have two bills, one to overhaul tax legislation and one to legalise online poker.

One could argue that a joint effort between all three may be more beneficial but at least there seems to be a bit of momentum and thought behind these moves.  We will let you know the outcome as soon as we hear anything.

There seems to be no stopping the Chinese territory of Macau as it marches towards global dominance of the bricks and mortar casino industry.  For the first time in its history it passed the $3 billion per month revenue figure, helped in part by the opening of the massive Galaxy Cotai casino reosrt.  The Cotai points the way forward to a future in which mega-casinos offer more than just gambling, shopping and restaurants – it’s a fully fledged family resort, perhaps ideal for the Chinese market which dominates this territory.

However there are clouds on the horizon and as the metaphorical weather depends on the Chinese government, it’s a little difficult to predict.

Firstly, following the abolition of the casino monopoly, the new entrants into the market from 2001 onwards were required to sign contracts with expiration dates.  The first start to expire in 2020 – SJM Holdings and MGM China – and in 2022 Wynn Resorts, Melco Crown Entertainment and Galaxy Entertainment Group.

What happens then?  Ideally the licences will be extended on the same terms but this is the beat case scenario.  The worst case is that the licences will not be extended and the government will exercise its right to take over the assets and premises unlicensed companies.  The most likely outcome, because of the huge amount of tax revenue that the mainland government derives from Macau, is that the licences will be extended on less favourable terms – perhaps large renewal fees, increased taxes, that sort of thing.  The uncertainty which surrounds this issue will also make investors and financial institutions less willing to commit to new developments as the expiry dates draw closer.

Secondly, there has been concern for some time that the Chinese government likes to tweak the visa requirements for Chinese nationals visiting Macau.  Chinese gamblers account for the vast majority of footfall and money spent at the various casinos and visa issues will always cause uncertainty.

In the final analysis though, it would seem self-defeating for China to try to rein in this cash cow with restrictive licensing terms or visa requirements and the mega-casinos and gamblers should be able to look forward to decades of gaming in Macau.

Several months ago we brought you the news of what one day could well be be Ireland’s first super casino.  The plans indicate a casino, golf course, a replica of the White House and a greyhound track, among other facilities.  It may well still go ahead but progress on the planning side appears to be proceeding at a snail’s pace.

Last year the local North Tipperary County Council actually gave the development the go-ahead but the project appears to be opposed by as many as those who favour it.  If An Bord Pleanal (the planning appeals body) rejects the appeals against the development, the scheme is still conditional on a change in Irish legislation to allow this type of development.

As we’ve commented before, Ireland needs all the income it can get at the moment, not too mention the thousands of jobs which would be created by a project of this size.  However Ireland is still a deeply conservative country and this may be a step too far towards modernisation.

WSOP – Novice Watches Youtube, Wins Lowball Bracelet

The 2011 World Series of Poker is well under way now and one of the more entertaining

Matt Perrins

stories to emerge from this years competition is that of Matt Perrin – winner and current bracelet holder of the 2-7 no-limit Lowball tournament.

This is not a poker variant that many of us grinders would be comfortable playing for money, even less so when the buy-in is $1500 but how many of us would enter never having played the game before.

Step forward Rochdale, U.K. resident Matt who, for reasons that appear unclear, decided to stump up the buy-in and enter the tournament.  At the end of the first day he admitted that “during day one and the first three or four hours, I was not sure what was going on.” Making it to the end of the day was important however because it gave him the chance to spend 30 minutes on Youtube familiarising himself with the rules and basic strategy.

The strategies obviously worked for him because he made it to the final table and then won the whole tournament, collecting just over $100,000 in the process.

In a rather tentative step towards opening up the field for the provision of online gaming,

Terry Branstad

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad signed into law several new measures that could eventually pave the way for (whisper it quietly) online poker.

In the same week in which a Danville, Iowa bar has been prosecuted for mouse racing, the new laws have been devised with respect to the horse racing industry and allow punters to make bets by telephone or at a computer.  To bring it in line with other states with a horse racing industry, a levy of 2% willbe applied on the purse money of certain races to contribute to the well-being of the Iowa stud industry.

For eager online poker players the results of this new bill will not be quite so instant – it allows for the Iowa Racing and Gambling Commission to start a study looking at the possibility of introducing online poker and its impact on all aspects of Iowa society.

What is interesting about this bill is that Iowa, along with several other states, are continuing to press ahead with legislation despite mismanaged federal attempts to stop American citizens having a flutter.  Perhaps we could yet see battle lines drawn between federal law and state law?

Vietnam’s Casino Development Moves Forward

Eighty miles south of Ho Chi Minh city in the south of Vietnam an enormous resort is being developed.  Several big U.S. companies are involved such as MGM and Pinnacle Resorts but the major developer is a Canadian company called Asian Coast Development.

The development is known as the Ho Tram Strip and as well as being a mix of luxury tourist resorts and beach-front properties, it will also feature two casinos for non-Vietnamese.  Vietnam’s proximity to China makes it an ideal spot to tempt Chinese gamblers away from the traditional destination of Macau and the more recent temptations of Singapore.  Westerners and other wealthy South East Asian tourists will also be expected.

Following Black Friday and the United States lead in cracking down on online casinos recently, it looks as though Australia may be following its big brother down the same route.

Firstly we should have a look at the legal aspects of wagering online in Australia.  The applicable piece of legislation is the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act (IGA).  For players it is not illegal to play poker online, or any game which you wish to play.  It is also not illegal to deposit money, to withdraw money or to gamble at an internet site as long as that site is not based in Australia.

However this only applies to the player and not the companies involved.  It is illegal for any company, whether inside or outside Australia to advertise and accept players for wagering.  This is easy enough to enforce domestically but so far there has been absolutely no appetite to stop players using offshore sites.  Some of those even operate subsidiaries inside Australia but are careful not to fall foul of domestic laws.  One of those companies is Pokerstars and it is thought that an information request from the federal authorities in the United States may have prompted the Australian government to look more closely at the efficiency of the IGA.

So why does the Australian government not want it’s citizens to gamble online – they don’t seem to mind them playing at the giant casinos of Sydney and Melbourne, or along the Gold Coast?  Pokies are almost part of everyday life in some states here.  There may be some protectionism involved – keep the online play to a minimum and rake in the tax from the bricks and mortar casinos – but then why not regulate domestic online gambling?  Other countries can manage it with no problems.

Possibly it’s a cultural thing – Australia seems to have a history of being a nanny state and the IGA was passed under the auspices of “protecting” the public from the evils of internet gambling – one might refer to it as “think of the children” syndrome.

The Australian government have also been trying recently to censor various parts of the internet – apparently its citizens need to be helped to decide what they want to look at online.  This poorly thought out action looks to be headed for the dunny though.