Gambling News for Australia, Asia Pacific (July 30, 2010)
Readers er punters, another huge news week for gambling in the Australian - Asia Pacific including New Zealand region. Aussie's and Kiwi's rejoice at the PartyGaming - bwin deal, Australia's most dangerous casino named, Kiwi in Hong Kong poker sting, Star City Casino gunman awaiting sentencing, under age gambling probe on cards and more. heat. Media Man and Gambling911 play Pink Panther and Cluedo with this exciting and newsy Asia Pacific news round up...
Jupiters Hotel and Casino Gold Coast: Australia's Most Dangerous? World Dangerous List...
Australia's Jupiters Hotel and Casino on the Gold Coast is now considered one of the world's most dangerous according to numerous Media Man informers who don't wish to be named (funny that). This news follows the trial of the Star City Casino gunman as reported in Gambling911 just two days ago. Some commentators say Monte Carlo may be home to the world's most dangerous casino, with a couple of casinos on the U.S Las Vegas Strip giving them a run for their money. High profile incidents like a celebrity committing a crime at a casino, like the O.J Simpson matter in Vegas and Van der Sloot might raise the profile of a casino, but it doesn't mean that they are the most dangerous, as there are a number of criteria to judge... bashings and assaults, deaths and injuries, theft, guns and / or knives and so it goes on. iGaming insiders sometimes joked that Grand Prive, Lucky Ace, Platinum Partners were the most dangerous online casino brands! Last year Casino Tropez was an online casino hangout for a players who went on to commit murder, but that shouldn't mean that that casino was dangerous - just not good luck for the player or casino on that matter. More about these cases in the Media Man online casino reviews and of course Gambling911 has an extensive Gambling News and Casino Crime section on their website portal.
Gambling 911 Star City Casino Gunman news
'Casino Model Holly Graham revelled'
http://www.mediamanint.com/articles/casino_model.html
Jupiters Hotel and Casino on the Gold Coast - Broadbeach to be precise, is the most dangerous casino in Queensland, and one of the world's most dangerous casinos occurring to numerous sources to afraid to provide names. Jupiter's recorded more than double the number of assaults as the Treasury Casino in Queensland's biggest city, Brisbane, last year. Queensland Police numbers released under a Right To Information application have disclosed more than 1 offence was committed on average per day at the casino in 2009 including serious assaults, rape, extortion, stalking, fraud, car stealing, theft and a huge number of liquor and drunkenness offences. Get that, 1 offence per day folks!
Punters, er readers, stay glued to Media Man reports via Gambling911 for more "can't miss" information on Australian and global casino wars, land based and online.
Crown Casino Restaurant Lift Traps Firefighter; Lucky To Be Alive...
A Melbourne firefighter got covered fat, dehydrated and totally exhausted due to spending a night...11 bloody hours in a shaft above a Crown Casino restaurant... speculation and bad jokes circulating is it was Maze (get it) or an attempt to audition for Ramsey's 'Hell's Kitchen'... if the glove fits, put it on hey. Escaping with his life the 25-year-old firey couldn't remember how he got there! The sequence of misadventures went something like this... 11pm Wednesday night, gaining access to the exhaust duct from a Crown stairwell, travelling 30 metres like a rat, 2 vertical drops, through duct maze until stuck in a 1 metre X 50 centimetre space apparently above the Automatic Cafe. Staffers heard him banging on the duct area at roughly 9.30am. Ramsey is not suspected of fowl play, nor was he spotted on sight with his Hell's Kitchen props. A Crown Casino restaurant is tipped to be the site of a Ramsey reality TV show next year. Guess the audience is warmed up unless the goose is already cooked? The victim is expected to have gone off eating at Crown and visiting cafes. Needless to say he lost his bet with the Crown elevators! He's resting in the Alfred hospital where his condition is returning to normal, and police are awaiting to interview he about the situation that led to him becoming hot under the collar.
New Zealand National Banker Arrested In Hong Kong Poker Game...
Michael Tan Boon Suan, a 42-year-old Kiwi national employed as a licensed securities trader and corporate finance adviser with the Wall Street mob in downtown Hong Kong, was arrested along with unlucky 7 others this past March and has now only now been formally charged with gambling in a gaming establishment. An underground game of Texas hold'em run by two women from Hong Kong and their partners from Nepal is what got the Kiwi unstuck. Other defendants arrested include another banker, 2 investment consultants, 2 company directors, a businessman, a bank teller and a partridge in a pear tree (just kidding, but it adds humour to a serious matter). None of them entered pleas when they appeared in court yesterday. Posting bail of only HK $1,000 (US $130) each their cases were adjourned for the next 3 months. When cops raided the Texas game there was some HK $3,000,000 (US $390,000) on the table. Folks, gambling in Hong Kong is illegal, unless its numbers lottery, soccer games and horse races run by the state-sanctioned Hong Kong Jockey Club. Punters, to play legal in those neck of the woods you need to travel to Macau, where poker, slots and other games are legalized and available in casinos such as James Packer's City Of Dreams. Don't make your gambling a nightmare, visit City of Dreams...and check out the Dancing With Water show. Thank us later James. "Twiggy" and the panel did a fine job at GenerationOne on Thursday at Fox if you missed the broadcast on the cruiser internet connection.
Adelaide, SA: Flinders University Brains Call To Ban Computers From Kids Bedrooms...
Electronic media like computers and gaming devices have no place in childrens’ bedrooms because of their adverse effects on sleep and behavioural development, experts in Adelaide say. Sleep researchers from Flinders University reviewed 36 studies of relationship between sleep and electronic media in school-aged kids and adolescents, and found evidence for an overall negative effect on sleep from television viewing, use of computers, electronic gaming, using the web and mobiles. Publishing their findings in 'Sleep Medicine' they state adverse effects on sleep is largely due to delayed bedtime and shorter total sleep time associated with excessive media use. They note that recent studies show 55% of U.S adolescents access the web and 24% play computer games after 9pm, while 1 in 3 adolescents reported text messaging and 44% reported talking on the phone after 9 pm. Shock, Horror hey. They say their findings should be used to develop guidelines on electronic media use by children, given that sleep is important for learning and memory, as well as having implications for emotional regulation and behaviour. Insufficient sleep and poor sleep quality have also been linked to impairments in memory and concentration, which may translate into poor academic performance. Professional and semi pro poker players have come under the spotlight for alleged legal and illegal drug and stimulant use to assist in late night poker games, be it legal or illegal games. "Considering the evidence to date it appears that watching television and using other media devices at bedtime should generally be discouraged. Parents should also be informed that simply having electronic media devices in the bedroom can negatively affect their children’s sleep. Parents may also consider not having a TV in the bedroom, unless it improves the sensual and sexual experience, rather than hinder it. Adult partners are also known to get curious as to whom their partner may be texting in dark hours, so often switching off mobile and other electronic devices helps improve relationships with your most loved ones.
AFL Legend David Schwarz Comes Clean...
Thanks to our friends at News Limited we have learned the following which is something to keep in mind for gamblers or potential gamblers, no matter the size of the punts. As a kid he witnessed his father's murder, he gambled away $4 million, had 3 knee reconstructions, spent most of the years between retirement and becoming a father being, in his own words, a "prick". Next week Schwarz will release his biography, All Bets Are Off, which he describes as uplifting and confronting. "I'm at a point in my life where I can say, this is where I've come from and this is where I am and where I was 10 years ago and to where I am today, well, people just wouldn't believe it," says the legend. 'The Day I Won $500,000 At The Track'..."The drinking I don't think was critical, but it was certainly not conducive to gambling. Every time I abused both of them it was a bad result". His gambling, including binges at casinos including Las Vegas, and his favourite vice - the horses. The evening Schwarz let The Footy Show cameras film his retirement speech to his footy teammates, Schwarz spoke, cried and then drove to the Mahogany Room at Crown, where he gambled for 3 days, living off toasted sandwiches and energy/alcohol drinks. Another time he took $2000 to the races and left with almost $500,000. One of the worst times, he said, was explaining to Karen's father, Brian, why he needed money. He said he had blown everything, he loved his daughter and could Brian help him. Schwarz met Karen in 2003, and was married in 2008. Asked where he would be without her, he was frank... "Dead or in jail.". As Gambling911 and the Media man say, for god's sake keep it fun.
Boxer's Sister Wanted For Illegal Gambling...
Philippine cops said on Friday sis of boxing legend Manny Pacquiao was involved in running an illegal gambling racket, after detaining 25 people in a raid on her home aka den. A police vice squad detained the suspects and seized evidence, including gambling materials and cash, in Thursday's raid on the digs of Pacquiao's elder sister, Isidra Paglinawan, said Chief Inspector Leo Sua. Pacquiao, the 7-time world champion who was elected to a seat in the Philippine parliament this year, personally watched as police searched the house, but vowed not to interfere. A lower court in the southern port of General Santos ordered the raid as part of a police crackdown against an illegal numbers game, locally called "masiao", but the 34-year-old sister was not at home, Sua told the press. He said the detained people were bet collectors for the illegal numbers racket, in which bettors place wagers on the last 2 digits of the winning ticket of the Philippine lottery! Cops seized 33,000 pesos (about $A800) in suspected bets, advised Sua, who headed the raid. He said police would ask state prosecutors to file illegal gambling charges in court against Paglinawan and the 25 other suspects. Sua said police were still searching for Paglinawan. Pacquiao told reporters on Friday he was attending his father's birthday party when police raided his sibling's house next door. He said he would ask the police to investigate whether his sister was indeed a "masiao" operator. "I will not interfere. Let the law take its course,". Betting in an illegal numbers game, or allowing one's property to be used in its operation, is punishable by up to 6 years in the slammer. Working for an illegal gambling operation, or actually running it, carries penalties of between 8 and 20 years in prison. The sister sought by police and her husband have no known permanent jobs. More lessons learned hey folks.
Under-Age Pokie Win Investigation...
Queensland's gaming watchdog is probing the Upper Ross Hotel aka pokie palace, after an alleged minor won an $18,790 poker machine jackpot. The Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation move follows the win at the Rasmussen hotel on Wednesday by a punter believed to be 17. The hotel managers face a fine of up to $25,000 if found guilty of allowing a minor to play a gaming machine. The winner did not receive his payout, and faces a maximum fine of $2500. Gaming whistleblowers have claimed the youth was "a regular" and that a woman would sign on his behalf to claim his winnings of more than $100. But one Upper Ross patron, who gave his name only as Kenneth, said the winner was 18 but without photographic ID. "I know the dude, I know his father," he said. "He's 18, he just hasn't got his 18-plus card or photo ID and that's the reason they couldn't pay him out." The hotel did not comment. The probe comes as State Government figures show more than $35 million was lost on Townsville pokies in the first 6 months of this year. Cairns punters lost $31 million. Social service and family groups yesterday expressed their concern amid the allegations. "We do not condone a 17-year-old (being) in a gaming premises of a licensed hotel, the authorities need to look into that and the appropriate penalties applied if found true," Herbert Family First candidate Michael Punshon said. "The fact patrons know him, security staff should have known who he was and removed him from the premises if he did not have the appropriate identification." The Salvos Major Bruce Harmer said the incident was "very concerning". "It may appear this young gentleman had a win but I bet London to a brick he's put many more thousands of dollars in than he's won," he said. Maj Harmer said it was important publicans and licensees were mindful of minors attempting to enter gaming areas. "Clubs do what they can do to uphold the law, but it is incumbent on any person operating a licensed or gaming premises to ensure the people frequenting their establishment are over 18 years of age and have the appropriate identification," he said. "If it is found that this alleged minor is a minor, then certainly more resources need to be allocated to make sure only appropriate patrons are in these areas."
Victoria's Wagering Licence Up For Grabs; 3 Outfits In Race...
British betting powerhouse Ladbrokes is still in the running for Victoria's wagering licence from 2012 after being named as 1 of 3 companies shortlisted by the state government. Ladbrokes joins the incumbent Tabcorp Holdings and competitor Tatts Group for the 12-year wagering and betting licence. It will also allow the successful applicant to run the first Victorian-based betting exchange which is a huge bonus for future proofing the operation. The decision to shortlist Ladbrokes offers stiff competition for the licence as the British outfit brings 120 years experience as a bookie and high tech for wagering on racing, sports et al. In reaching the decision to shortlist just three companies to apply for the licence, a number of interesting bidders were ignored. It is understood the Hong Kong Jockey Club as well as Irish Paddy Power, Greek firm, the embattled Intralot and betting exchange company Betfair, were overlooked. Jesus, James Packer, I guess we can't win them all. The licence will grant the successful applicant the sole authority to conduct wagering and betting via "off-course agencies". The winner of the licence can also offer pari-mutuel and fixed-odds betting on racing, sports and other events such as political elections. The licence will provide the right to establish and operate the sole betting exchange based in Victoria, and the opportunity to offer simulated racing games, similar to 'Trackside' (TAB). The only betting exchange based in Australia is UK's Betfair, which is out of Tassie. It is understood that the ability to provide a competitive betting exchange model is paramount on the decision to be made over the next couple of months. Tabcorp is looking strong and tipped to regain the licence, being the incumbent, but Tatts Group is expected to forward forward an impressive proposal for the license. The contract won't be up for grabs again until 2024, which is like a lifetime in the gaming and racing sector. The government will name the winner by the conclusion of the year.
Media Man Profiles
Australian Casinos
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/australian_casinos.html
Jupiters Hotel and Casino
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/jupiters_hotel.html
Australia
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/australia.html
Asia
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/asia.html
New Zealand
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/new_zealand.html
So, whether you prefer land based casinos or online, slots, poker, boxing, racing or other, please take precautions. As always, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Good luck.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
