Fertitta Interactive announced that it submitted an application to the Nevada Gaming Control Board to expand its gaming licenses to include online poker in Nevada, they are one of many on the list of companies that have filed applications with the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Jointly owned by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, Fertitta Interactive, are also owners of the popular Station Casinos as well as the Ultimate Fighting Championship brand.

In October 2011, Fertitta Interactive purchased online gaming provider CyberArts Licensing LLC, which specializes in online poker. The acquisition of CyberArts came on the heels of a strategic partnership with Full Tilt Poker that had fallen through after Black Friday.

In a recent statement Fertita Interactive said, “We support the regulation of online poker” “Our industry leading software has a track record of complying with the strictest regulations in jurisdictions around the world. Nevada has always been the leader in gaming regulation and we’re pleased to file our application here. In conclusion, Fertitta said his company’s goal was to provide poker players with the “best online experience” in a safe and well-regulated environment.”

Reported by Maggie B.

Microgaming announced the launch of the state of the art ‘Diamond Edition’ of its existing Live Dealer games with RoyalVegas.eu as one of the first to go live with the new facility.

Microgaming stats that the Diamond Edition will offer gamers ‘a new and improved casino experience’ via the use of ‘redefined graphics that give the player a heightened sense of being in a casino while providing more statistics than ever before to aid their chances of winning big money’.

With innovation and the integration of the HD video streaming offered by the Live Dealer games facility, where players can place bets in “real-time”, the new Diamond Edition also comes complete with multi-player roulette due to ‘a surge’ in the number of gamers enjoying its multi-player offerings.

“The Diamond Edition was partly conceived because of the trend we have noticed towards playing multi-player games and we were keen to ensure that players have even greater opportunity to take advantage of this function, this time through roulette,” read a statement from Microgaming.

“Already, 16 Microgaming customers are using the Live Games product after just one year in the market, meaning that our first-rate technology and comprehensive live experience is being used by thousands of gamers worldwide.”

Microgaming’s existing Live Dealer service offers stand-alone multi-window games along with a multi-language facility for the localisation of casinos and sees cards shuffled and dealt in real-time.

“We are excited to launch Microgaming’s new multi-player Roulette, which gives our players a unique and social gaming experience,” read a statement from RoyalVegas.eu.

“The bet on table functionality is innovative and we know that the Live Dealer Diamond Edition will be a huge hit with our players.”

Reported by Maggie B.

It’s an exciting time to play tournament poker with bet365’s amazing $50,000 Freeroll Frenzy.

There’s $50,000 on offer in cash and guaranteed tournament prize-pools which is sure to set your pulse racing. You can qualify for three $10,000 guaranteed tournaments through Heads-up Qualifiers, direct buy-ins or, best of all, 360 freerolls, meaning you could even book a spot at the table for free!

The three $10,000 guaranteed events run on 13th February, 24th February and 6th March and you have 10 days before each tournament in which to qualify.

But that’s not all, because bet365 is increasing the amount of merit points you can earn in the process, with 20 merit points, up from 15, for every $1 you pay in tournament fees. So this is also a great chance to boost your merit points at an increased rate.

With big money poker events, a whole host of ways to qualify and increased merit points, bet365’s $50,000 Freeroll Frenzy is the poker event of the year so far and one you won’t want to miss!

Login or visit bet365 today because qualifiers for the first event on Feb. 13th starts today!

Reported by Maggie B.

Owners of Full Tilt Poker agreed to the final terms of their forfeiture agreement with the US Department of Justice (DoJ) on Tuesday January 24th. The shutdown date, April 15, 2011, came to be known in the online gambling world as “Black Friday.” With this new deal, Groupe Bernard Tapie can now purchase the $80m buy from the DoJ.

US District Judge Leonard B. Sand on Monday dismissed a civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) suit alleging that Full Tilt Poker and 10 individual defendants conspired to defraud company account holders of US$150m by freezing their accounts, U.S. District Judge Leonard B. Sand said in his ruling yesterday rejecting the players’ racketeering claims as “too attenuated” to proceed.

“It remains unclear whether the direct cause of the plaintiffs’ injuries was the decision by the U.S. Attorney’s office to temporarily shut down the Full Tilt poker website and seize the company’s assets,” Sand said, “or was instead as plaintiffs’ conversion allegations suggest, the subsequent decision by one or more of the defendants to halt player withdrawals.”

The suit, which targets nine companies, 16 individuals and a number of defendants over the alleged scheme, stems from the federal government’s probe into and subsequent criminal and civil suits over the gambling site’s activities. The government’s case focused on allegations of bank and wire fraud and money laundering at Full Tilt, PokerStars and Absolute Poker.

The case is Segal v. Bitar, 11-cv-4521, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York

Reported by Maggie B.

James Akenhead has had a great start to 2012 after what was an amazing previous couple of years. Not content with live game success he has now taken down the PokerStars Sunday Million at www.pokerstars.co.uk for a huge payday of $213,750. The Stars Sunday Million has become a regular fixture now in the online poker calendar because of the fact that it guarantees $1 million in prize money which possibly makes it one of the biggest tournaments in the world based on how much prize money it generates over the course of a year.

Akenhead bested a field of 7125 players and so he has come first in a field size that is similar to that of the main event at the WSOP. The total prize money was $1,425,000 and as always some of the best online tournament grinders in the world do battle every week in this absolute monster of an event. Although to win any tournament requires luck and Akenhead had his share. He went into the final table battle with a useful but marginal 40bb stack. He ended up all in with K-10 against Q-Q and managed to spike a winning hand.

From that piece of good fortune then Akenhead didn’t really look back and he ended up in the heads up match with a chip lead of around 4/1 or so. That was enough to take him to the title but it wasn’t plain sailing. The two finalists paused to discuss a potential deal as in most tournaments but the two players couldn’t agree on a split and so played on. Akenhead quickly got back into a strong lead after his opponent “pnp23’s” doubled up briefly. However Akenhead soon got all in with K-10 against the pocket eights of his opponent and despite missing the flop and turn, his luck ran true to form and he spiked a king on the river. Something tells me that we haven’t seen the last of James Akenhead in 2012.

The latest Mr. Green game release to burst onto the scene is the wonderfully retro and sleekly, stylish Starburst.

Mr. Greens shining new game has replaced Wilds with Starbursts expanding over the entire reel and remaining in place for up to 3 re-spins; astronomical chances for huge wins!

Players visiting Casino Scam Report, (CSR) will recall that Mr. Green was awarded an honarable mention on our 1st Annual Awards, Our Top Approved Online Casinos of 2011!.

Starburst is the perfect combination of Net Entertainment cutting edge software and 80′s nostalgia. Starburst is simple to play without compromising on suspense and excitement.

One aspect of Starburst that slots fans will love is the fact that it features the win both ways feature which allows players to win on symbol combinations from right to left as well as left to right!

The game also includes an exciting Starburst Wild feature as well as lots of fantastic free spins. This is just one of many new releases at Mr Green as we aim to release at least two new games a month.

About Mr. Green

Mr Green Limited is a company registered in accordance with Maltese Law with registration no C43260, Registered office: Office 103, Suite A, Dolphin Court A, Embassy Way, Ta’ Xbiex XBX1071, Malta; Mr Green Limited is operating under the Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta and holds the following provisional licenses – LGA/CL1/434/2007 issued on the 17 March 2009 and LGA/CL1/521/2008 issued on the 7th April 2009.

About Net Entertainment

Founded in 1996 by one of Scandinavia’s leading off-line casino operators, Net Entertainment was one of the pioneers in online gambling.

Net Entertainment is a fully transparent, publicly traded company listed at Nasdaq OMX Stockholm Mid Cap (NET-B). Net Entertainment is unique in the market, not only in its focus strategy on casino games, but also because of the fact that the company does not have any casino operation of its own, nor any interests in such operations. This means that there are no conflicts of interest between Net Entertainment and its customers.

Reported by Maggie B.

CSR is delighted to announce the release of yet another new game at Mr Green, as promised this is the second new release of the week. Powered by Betsoft, Lost is a 3D Egyptian themed slot featuring the curious and cool Doctor Dakota Bones aka the relic hunter and his faithful sidekick Farooq.

Lost includes multipliers up to 5 x your bet as well as four bonus rounds. If you love free spins this is definitely the game for you as every win earns you a re-spin via the fantastic re-spin multiplier bonus feature. As well as awesome 3D graphics the game play in Lost is action packed with wilds, instant wins and much much more. Get lost in a world of fun and play today!

More About Lost

In a recent news report on wthm.com, Channel 8 reported that the Govenor Malloy of Connecticut feels more money will be spent on repairing the damage online gambling could cause with players that suffer from addictions than the positive outcomes of generated revenue to the state.

Marvin Steinberg is a 30 year advocate against gambling and with recent changes to the Federal Wire Act he is now taking a stance on the possibility of Connecticut approving online gambling.

Steinberg, the man most credited with bringing the dangers of problem gambling to the attention of state policymakers, is resigning as executive director of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling later this month. Mary Drexler, CT Council on Problem Gambling, will take over Steinberg’s position soon, believes the biggest threat is to underage players who have grown up playing games online. She stated that the ease and convenience of using mobile phones and your home computer will make it more accessible and tempting to underage players.

Their fears are that the risk of problem gambling will become greater with online gambling, even more greater than state lotteries and casinos.

Steinberg hopes that a small percentage of revenue generated from online gambling will go to the treatment of problem and underage gambling. The consensus is that the $1.9million annual funds for problem gambling is just not enough. Steinberg continued with this statement, “The tribes have basically kept our agency afloat  because four fifths of our money is from the tribes and one-fifth is from the state.

Governor Daniel Malloy believes if gambling expands the spending on problem gambling will as well, sharing the opinion that if they were to go ahead with any gaming that a 1% increase would be enough for the state.

Marvin Steinberg is the co-founder and current Executive Director of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling. He has also served as Vice President and Secretary for the National Council on Problem Gambling and continues to serve on the Board of the National Council. He is a clinical psychologist and received a Masters and Ph.D. at the University of Texas.

Reported by Maggie B.

The California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA), founded in 1988 is dedicated to the purpose of protecting the sovereign right of Indian tribes to have gaming on federally-recognized Indian lands.

So when International Game Technology IGT announced earlier this week, that the Company will sponsor the 2012 Western Indian Gaming Conference hosted by the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) is was not a big surprise since IGT has been a strong proponent of CNIGA for more than 10 years with contributions to their association to maintain Tribal Sovereignty and promote Indian Gaming.

“IGT is proud of our history of support for the California Nations Indian Gaming Association,” said Knute Knudson, IGT’s vice president of global business development. “We deeply value our relationship with CNIGA and our long-term commitment to CNIGA’s member tribes as well as our continued support for the 2012 Western Indian Gaming Conference.”

Most recently, IGT entered into an agreement with CNIGA called the IGT/CNIGA Wide Area Progressive (WAP). This mutually beneficial initiative included financial support for CNIGA while increasing MegaJackpots® WAP games on the floors of their members’ properties.

“Revenues raised from the WIGC go directly to fund CNIGA’s work to preserve and protect tribal government gaming rights,” said Chairman Daniel J. Tucker, “Through this sponsorship, IGT continues their long standing support of the association. We are thankful to IGT for their ongoing dedication to the tribal government gaming industry.”

The conference runs from Jan. 31 through Feb. 2 at the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa in Cabazon, Calif.

Reported by Maggie B.

International Game Technology announced today it took top honors at the International Gaming Awards (IGA), winning Best Slot Manufacturer of the Year.

“IGT is excited to be named Best Slot Manufacturer of the Year at the International Gaming Awards,” said Craig Churchill, IGT senior vice president International. “We are deeply honored to be acknowledged with this award and take great pride in the entire IGT team.”

IGT also showcased its sleek new lineup of slots,  The Dark Knight, Elvis The King®, Sex and The City™ Fabulous, Ghostbusters™ Who Ya Gonna Call? and The Twilight Zone® in 3D.

“We are raising the bar to a thrilling new level, combining IGT’s success as a world leader in gaming with the power of popular culture’s most resonating properties,” said Craig Churchill, IGT senior vice president of international sales. “From leading-edge technologies to the latest in slot innovation, IGT is committed to providing our customers with top-notch products and solutions that deliver an unmatched wow-factor for both operators and players.”

Celebrating the 55th anniversary of the hip-shaking King’s first, number-one record, IGT will debut Elvis The King® Multi-Level Progressives in London. This entertaining slot, designed as a classic jukebox, features base games, bonuses and progressives that connect some of Elvis Presley’s most beloved songs to winning.

“The eye-catching Center Stage™ 103-inch and 70-inch platforms, as well as the new Center Stage Duo™ 55-inch screen, will have players at ICE lining up to score the best seat in the house,” said Churchill. “Center Stage games such as The Dark Knight are entertaining players around the globe with fans in South Africa, Monte Carlo and beyond. The battle for Gotham City begins on this new configuration as the title makes its debut on the Center Stage Duo™ at ICE.”

About IGT
International Game Technology is a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of gaming machines and systems products, as well as online and mobile gaming solutions for regulated markets.

Reported by Maggie B.