The GGB Committee – Gauteng Gambling Board – who has been struggling to ban online casinos for some time, was finally successful.

Besides, the Committee also said that any poker room or online casino offering its services in the country would be indictable.

The General Counsel of the GGB took charge of warning the operators: “If they carry on their activities, we will arrest and convict them”.

As a further deterrent to illegal gambling, authorities have insisted that any company violating the court order, would be excluded to apply for a licence in case the government decides to regulate the market.

The online gaming operators and players in South-Africa are now punishable by fines up to 10 million rands (1.36 million dollars), 10 years’ imprisonment or both.

The gambling actors who operate in the country are determined to appeal the decision.

Realdealpoker.com, as you may already know, is the only website that uses real cards. Its brand new technology offers the players the possibility to play online while at the same time respecting the randomness of real life cards.

Unlike other websites that use a computer with a randomizing algorithm, Realdealpoker.com uses real decks of cards that get shuffled and dealt by a machine exactly in the same way as a dealer would do in reality.

We can find more details about the dealing system on their website:

“No pseudo random number generators (PRNGs) are used in the card shuffling and dealing system. Physical decks of cards are shuffled multiple times for each deal. Audit trails are maintained for all aspects of the card shuffling and dealing system.”

Tests have been carried out by iTech Labs to see if this system resembles reality and it seems to be a perfect substitute of a real life dealer.

“The deals generated by the system have passed tests for statistical randomness, and for the occurrence of standard poker hands. iTech Labs has found that the card sequences are unpredictable, non-repeatable and uniformly distributed. “

You can find more about this technology yourself on their website. In my opinion, it’s the fairest poker system for online players at present. Why? Because it’s real! The other websites, with an algorithm based system, may not respect so well the real-life cards randomness. A prove of this can be found on forums where discontented players blame the algorithm for dealing repeatedly the same cards in a short amount of time.

In case you were wondering, the game is not slowed down by its dealing system.

Bwin CEOs, Norbert Teufelberger and Manfred Bodner , have declared in an interview for EGRMagazine.com that PokerStars and Full Tilt are operating “illegally” on the US online gambling market.

Bwin is currently the world’s third strongest poker services provider after PokerStars and Full Tilt and they believe that if they hadn’t withdrawn from the US market in 2006 they would have held the pole position right now.

Teufelberger is of the opinion that those two websites obtained their world-wide power due to their monopoly over the American market. It’s not that they have “premier marketing skills or premier technology”; it is their illegal activity in a very profitable context that renders them so strong against the competition. Otherwise, they will have no other competitive advantage to set them apart from the other online gambling operators.

“It’s not because they have premier marketing skills or premier technology, what they have is hundreds of millions of dollars from what we see as an illegal market. We would expect that once the US regulates, these two companies will not have access to the market, and once that happens we’ll then see who the leader will be. They say they’re not operating illegally but I think they are.”

Teufelberger is almost certain that once the US online gambling market will become deregulated, PokerStars and Full Tilt will no longer be offered a license to operate in the new market. He claims that US licensing authorities are aware of these two sites’ illegal activity and so the question is whether or not they will be prosecuted, let alone withdrawing their licenses.

“I used to be personally licensed and operated in the land-based environment in the US so I know how stringent the US authorities are in their licensing process and I cannot imagine that a company which in the view of the DoJ (Department of Justice) and several state licensing authorities in the US, that acts illegally, will be able or qualify to get a licence. In my view this will be absolutely impossible. What does that mean in the end? I don’t know. They may be prosecuted, they may not be prosecuted”.

The Bwin CEOs are however cautious as there is a probability that PokerStars and Full Tilt will be granted a license in the newly deregulated US market. If this will happen, then pulling out in 2006 will have been their “biggest mistake”.

While PartyPoker hired the young Spaniard F1 driver Jaime Alguersuari as an ambassador for its poker room, Full Tilt Poker went further by signing a sponsorship deal with Virgin Racing Team, on the eve of a new Formula 1 season in Europe.

The news was made public at the Barcelona Grand Prix and it finalized discussions initiated last November between Full Tilt Poker and Virgin Racing, an all-new racing team registered for its first Formula 1 world championship.

Full Tilt logo will visibly appear on two drivers’ cars – German Timo Glock and Brazilian Lucas di Grassi. The replacing pilots and other team members will also brand the logo.

“We are really delighted to welcome Full Tilt Poker.net to Virgin Racing. We are proud to add an industry-leading brand to our healthy partnership portfolio and I am particularly pleased that we have worked hard together with a partner who has seen the team develop from its birth through to our first competitive steps”, said Virgin Racing’s Chief Executive Officer Graeme Lowdon.

Chris Ferguson, one of the leading figures of Full Tilt Poker, confirmed these statements: “The partnership between Full Tilt and Virgin Racing is the brilliant result of many efforts of mindful consideration by both brands. With two leaders in their respective fields coming together, this is sure to be a groundbreaking partnership on the global canvas, providing yet another level of excitement for all fans.”

Taking into account this agreement, it is now clear that in the online poker rooms’ war, Full Tilt will benefit from a beautiful cover, for the event is worldwide broadcast and many European countries are about to officially open theirs online gaming markets.

Let’s first talk about the “Safe Gaming System” (SGS). This is a new service designed to protect players against excessive gaming. It is based on the principle of external control corroborated with player’s will power. In fact, SGS is conceived on a dual approach. It assists players on gaming sites, establishing affordable spending limits. These are established in advance and “away from the atmosphere of a gambling venue”, which will allow players to think rationally.

In the second stage, SGS also provides a mechanism for financing accounts at online casinos. Players charge their SGS account in the limit of their budget and on a pre-established period. Then, they will deposit money at online casinos using a debit card issued by SGS. Once players run out their “affordable limits,” SGS will not accept any more money from them during the “current budget period”.

The other service was created by ImpulsePay and its role is to verify the player’s age. That’s how it works: once an online casino uses this service, it displays a “Buy Now” button on its website. The player has to click on the image and enter his mobile number. He then receives a secure PIN by SMS and after introducing the code on the site, the casino is informed if the phone number is assigned to an adult user. If it results that the player is minor, he will be redirected to a help page. Otherwise, the process is completed and the casino allows player to register.

Both services have just been advertised and are not yet integrated into the online casino industry.

“This agreement will come into effect once the PMU and PartyGaming have each received a license allowing them to offer online poker in France”, says a statement from PMU.

Both parts hope this agreement will bring them mutual benefits. PartyGaming, which runs the largest online poker room – PartyPoker – is the first online gambling company listed on London Stock Exchange. The agreement provides that “the PMU will benefit from the PartyGaming poker platform services and will ensure the commercialization of its poker offering and the management of its customers”. However, PartyGaming retains the possibility of getting a French license under its own name.

The main objective of the arrangement, as put forward by the PartyGaming’s Chief Executive Jim Ryan, is “to have the largest poker liquidity pool in France”. Similar B2B agreements have been signed in Italy and Denmark.

“Today’s agreement with PMU is consistent with our stated strategy of securing a small number of high value partners in regulated markets”, said Jim Ryan. “PMU is widely recognized as one of Europe’s leading betting businesses and we look forward to providing them with a world class poker service”, concluded Ryan.

The news on the PartyGaming-PMU partnership was nevertheless quite surprising. Firstly, because the partner chosen by the PMU was PartyGaming while Paddy Power seemed better placed. Indeed, the Irish operator has an online poker platform which could have been added to the existing agreement between the two companies. Secondly, because, as we remarked, this new agreement with PartyGaming is not exclusive, meaning that PartyGaming will have the right to enter the French market with a concurrent offer.

As a result of its recent agreements, PartyGaming is expected to improve its fiscal performances. The takeover of the WPT brand gives more reason to believe in a brilliant future for the company.

The youngest world champion since the tournament was created 40 years ago, won the deciding hand with a pair of nine, face to Darvin Moon, 25 years old, who had a jack to oppose it.

“I want to thank all my fans and my friends”, said Cada, overwhelmed, in a room of the Rio hotel-casino. The young man who abandoned his studies to become professional poker player, won thanks to a spectacular return in the game through bluffs.

Coming from Detroit (Michigan, North), Joe Cada is the son of an unemployed auto worker and of a casino employee. At first, the latter tried to dissuade his son from abandon his studies and make a living on online poker. But her son’s passion for the game soon convinced her to let Joe follow his own way: “When he started to cope so well, I told him to live his dream. He can always return to school if he wants to, but how many people do what they love?”

Besides the impressive prize, Joe Cada can boast with a gold bracelet that is traditionally a distinction offered to WSOP winners. For his second place, Darvin Moon cash in $ 5 million.

The initiative “Right2Bet” seeks to fight against state monopolies on gambling. Initially funded by Betfair, the campaign brings together “European citizens claiming their right to freedom of choice”.

For the moment, the plan regards Germany, Finland, Sweden and Netherlands and is popularised as a petition. Its subscribers demand “the right to use Internet to bet in any country of the European Union and the right to choose gambling sites run by operators licensed in any member state”. The petition also asks that “further steps should be taken to remove barriers that prevent European consumers from exercising their right to purchase services in other European countries.”

The Right2Bet campaign has its legal basis in the “Citizens Intitaive” section of the Lisbon Treaty. Under this section, if a petition is signed by one million citizens, it will be submitted to the European Parliament. Those wishing to freely play online within EU borders hope to influence in this way the political decisions that affect this area. The petition has so far raised about 10.000 signatures.

The campaign’s promoters followed the example of a similar project in US, initiated by Poker Players Alliance.

In order to counter the slowdown in British industry, the national operators are turning to the closest markets likely to be soon regulated. Party Gaming, William Hill or 888 Holdings could take a breath of fresh air  if they extend their operations in France.

A bill on French market opening will be examined by the nationalParliament on 7 and 8 October. After the law enter into force, local and foreign operators wishing to run poker or sports betting sites will be able to apply for a license to the competent authority.

Jim Ryan, the CEO of PartyGaming manifested big interest for this “great opportunity”. According to the consultancy company H2 Gambling Capital, sales in online gambling will be more than doubled in 2010, the growth being guaranteed by the legal framework. “France is the single largest market on the horizon,” nods Simon Holliday, Head of H2.

France decided to open its market after the authorities had realized that the prohibitory legislation encouraged the illegal offers. This was also a positive response to the pressures made by the European Commission. The EC has several times cautioned UE member states to reform gambling legislation and open their markets. In numerous European countries, the prohibitive legislation is a bar to the free movement of services, a principle set forth in EU Treaties.

The facts are simple: Portugal is among the countries that refuse to open the online gambling market, like Germany, Finland, Sweden or Netherlands. Specifically, the operation of such games is licensed (since 1783) to “Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa”, which holds the monopoly. Advertising gambling or betting activities, others than those offered by Santa Casa, is obviously prohibited and punishable by law.

Perhaps encouraged by the recent jurisprudence of the ECJ, the Portuguese Football League signed a partnership with Bwin, that entitled the latter to post its logo and advertising messages on sports equipment.

Directly regarded by this violation of the law, Santa Casa sued Bwin and the League in criminal court, which preferred to refer a preliminary question to ECJ. This happened on 13 February 2008.

Bwin argued that Article 49 of the EC Treaty (concerning freedom of services) applies to games and online betting. On the other hand, Santa Casa explained the restriction on freedom to provide services by arguing that the main objective of the national legislation is the fight against crime and fraud.

The Court noted that Santa Casa pursuit the public interest and by the tight control of the online gaming it protects consumers of possible fraud by operators. Furthermore (and almost against the spirit of Article 49), the Court recognizes that the physical location of a gaming operator in another EU state could justify the restriction. The foreign checking and monitoring can’t ” be considered a sufficient guarantee for national consumers protection against the risks of fraud and crime”.

The ECJ concludes that in this case, Article 49 is not contrary to the legislation of a Member State which prohibits operators established in other Member States, where they legally provide similar services.

This ruling is surprising especially because the debate in Europe focuses presently on market opening, aiming at the integration of offers such as betting exchange or online casinos services. Even so, this is a case that shouldn’t announce a halt to the EU policy of market liberalization.