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DENIAL OF SERVICE ATTACKS NO JOKE
Brazilian, Eastern
European crooks involved
Denial of service attacks aimed at blackmailing sites into paying
"protection money" have started impacting the online casino and poker room
sectors, but the industry is fighting back.
This week a number of top poker rooms and online casinos that wish to remain
anonymous for security reasons reported that they had successfully fought
off determined attacks which had from time to time disrupted operations for
short periods.
From a player perspective, an attack can mean a temporary interruption of
operations, but in general it appears that little player prejudice has
resulted. Because the attacks are widespread and unpredictable, players can
expect to run in to them just about anywhere, although hopefully not too
frequently.
It is important for players to realise that such attacks do not compromise
private information on clients, as secure casino systems are not hacked
into or accessed in any way. Rather, the attacks are designed to swamp
the target with vast amounts of information in small packages, thus
rendering the site incapable of operation. In order to do this, the
criminals behind the operation use illegal technical means to get
thousands of disparate computers to pump information at the target.
According to reports, the attack is usually preceded by a demand for money
in order to prevent it taking place. Our information is that the majority
of assaults come from Eastern Europe and Brazil.
Whilst the many operations that have experienced this criminal activity
recently are reluctant to give full details, it is clear that the attacks,
which have been plaguing the sportsbook industry for the past year have now
spread to all online gambling sectors, with demands for "protection money"
of amounts up to $50 000 being reported.
In general the best way to halt the depredations of these hi-tech, modern
day gangsters is to resist demands for payment and fight off the attacks
with skilled staff and new technologies that are evolving in line with the
threat. A number of highly competent technical companies are now
providing various products which online sites can add to their armoury of
anti-DDoS weapons, and the major gambling software providers are all
taking active but confidential steps to combat the menace.
In addition, the hi-tech units of national and international law
enforcement agencies are putting major budgets and determined effort into
tackling the problem at source, making the practice of this criminal
activity increasingly hazardous.
For gambling operations the word is:
Consult with your technical and gambling software consultants for the
latest counter activity recommendations and screening.
Do not give in to demands for payment - it is at best a short term
solution, and sets you up as an easy mark for the future.
Let your clients know what's going on - in many cases they may think their
system is having hassles.
Report demands and attacks to the authorities - this is not only important
in tracking down the crooks, but helps to establish any patterns and
similarities.
Beef up your IT teams - this scourge is likely to continue for awhile.
MAINSTREAM MEDIA PICK UP THE HAMPTON STORY
MSNBC and ABC
journos on the trail as Delanos negotiates
The attempt to disqualify a player's winnings of $1.3 million dollars by
Hampton Casino.com's manager Rich Katz
alias Ron Lewin entered a new phase this week as mainstream
US media started taking an interest in the story.
Respected writers from MSNBC and ABC have approached a number of industry
people and have clearly been investigating, with a good grasp of the events
surrounding the complicated case.
Startling and detailed new information has emerged this week from a well
informed person with inside knowledge on the Hampton attempts to extract an
admission of robot use by the player. InfoPowa and other industry
observers have examined this unsolicited statement which indicates who was
at fault in a scandal that has enveloped casinos and the Atlanta, GA-based Real
Time Gaming software provider alike. We understand that this
information has also been sent to at least one investigating journalist. For
safety reasons, the informant has elected to remain anonymous.
In a peripheral issue, the Gambling 911 portal was accused
of publishing an unsourced and incomplete one paragraph report allegedly
calculated to cast the player in an unfavourable light, igniting speculation
of a deliberate smear campaign and some intense exchanges on the site's
message board. Owner Chris Costigan defended his decision
to publish, saying that his undisclosed informant was reliable and
unconnected with either party, it was a legitimate issue of public interest
and that there was no direct accusation in the material.
As we went to press, unconfirmed reports were reaching us of a resumption of
negotiations involving the player and Delanos Casino.com.
However, this operation remained silent on all developments and was still
witholding both the player's logs and tens of thousands of dollars in
winnings despite the assurance of RTG that the Caribbean 21 game is clean
and that there was no evidence of robot play.
Delanos froze payouts to the player some weeks back when the game was first
taken out of service for intensive examination.
Over $1.3 million is at stake in the disputes which started when the
player came to notice at several casinos (many of which paid him) due
to significant losses and wins playing the Caribbean 21 game. Hampton was
particularly hard hit after it permitted the player to increase his
wagering limits per hand to the $10 000 range.
The game was withdrawn from service by RTG and subjected to rigorous
inspections, which RTG head technical executive Mike McMain
says it passed with no evidence of irregularities.
After unsuccessfully attempting to introduce a retroactive wager through
requirement of some $25 million a month, Hampton eventually started making
payments of $4 000 a week to the player.
These stopped when a controversial telephone call was made by a Hampton
manager using the alias Ron Lewin in which, inspired by
the TV program Law and Order he attempted to extract an admission from the
player of using an autoplay robot in contravention of the casino T&Cs.
The call was taped, although the player was not warned.
The telephone call served to heighten the controversy surrounding this
issue due to Lewin's hectoring tone, and his attempt to lure the player
into an admission by offering large sums of money and discussing the use
of the alleged 'bot on other online casinos for mutual gain. The player
claims that he, too was trying to lead the other party on to get
information or to get paid, and that his alleged admission was merely a
responding ploy.
Hampton then used the tape, and the player's *admission* to invoke a "no
robots" rule from their days as a Unified Gaming powered casino. This
rule has been criticised by conventional views that an autoplay robot
playing perfect basic strategy does not erode the house edge in a negative
expectation game but merely speeds up play and leaves the player free to
do something else. Cutting edge software like Microgaming's Viper suite,
has an autoplay feature built in.
Further confusion and acrimony was caused by Hampton claims in public
postings that it was not relying solely on its contentious
telephone admission to deny payment to the player. Casino spokesmen said
that they had technical proof in the form of mouse movement evidence, but
this was debunked by the RTG technical executive who said no such facility
was available in RTG software.
STOP PRESS: The popular Casinomeister Newsletter
came out with one of the strongest condemnations yet of a casino
after studying a detailed statement by an individual with behind the
scenes knowledge on Hampton Casino activity in this dispute. The
informant has disclosed this information to MSNBC writers working on the
story . In the newsletter the player advocate summarises the points
indicating dishonesty by the casino, culminating in confirmation by the
informant.
SETTLEMENT: On Saturday evening The Pirate announced
that, aided by Bruce Holway and his legal team a settlement had been
reached with Real Time Gaming. The terms are not disclosed but are to the
satisfaction of both parties. What is to happen to Rich Katz is currently
the object of inten se speculation, with usually reliable sources
informing us that Hampton is to be taken over by Connect To Casino
and Katz is to hit the road. This was to some extent confirmed
by "nudge-nudge, wink-wink" style posts on message boards by John
Spears of CTC PR.
ALL ABOUT ROBOT PLAY
It's topical and it's interesting...
After weeks of message board debate on the merits and demerits of autoplay
robots, and why online casinos should welcome their use there is renewed
interest in this gambling aid.
Ted Loh, the webmaster at Got2Bet.com
has written an easy-to-follow feature on the subject which is well worth
reading in the wake of the Hampton and Delanos affair - especially for
inexperienced casino managers. Customisable autoplay robots are integral
parts of cutting edge gambling software like Microgaming's Viper and do
not constitute a threat to the casino edge. It is likely that the
industry will see more of these ingenious time-savers as other providers
develop their own versions.
CARIB SPORTS THAWS OUT
US inspired ban on Belize funds lifted
The owners of offshore sportsbook Carib Sports have been
having more trouble than most recently, with the US authorities freezing
their American bank accounts in connection with alleged money laundering
activities.
Gambling 911 reports that this week the US action expanded to take in
several million dollars in Belize banking funds, which local officials
froze at the request of the US investigators. Swift legal action had
the freeze temporarily held in abeyance pending a Supreme Court hearing
midweek, where the issue took a positive turn for Carib Sports.
Demonstrating employees of the sportsbook added to the atmosphere at the
courthouse, but though entertaining, those chants aren't what made the
judiciary or the government bend, according to reports from 7 News
Belize.
In fact it was the work of Senior Counsel Dean Barrow who
extended his winning streak in the courts. The matter was argued before
the Chief Justice in his chambers for hours - and at the end the judge
threw out the Financial Intelligence Unit's freeze order
- which means that the company can return to full, legal and normal
operation in the Data Pro EPZ village.
On leaving the hearing, Barrow said that the opposing case fell apart
because the US's request to freeze the accounts was in fact premature.
"The accounts are unlocked and as of now my clients are free to continue
business," he said.
"While Belize signed a treaty with the US, the legislature here has not
introduced that treaty into domestic laws so the courts cannot consider
it. And under the money-laundering act, before a court can seize assets,
the applicants - in this case the FIU must show that a prosecution, a
criminal prosecution, against whose asset you want to freeze, is either
ongoing or imminent.
"The affidavit they filed (yesterday) from the United States said that
while it is their intention to charge these people they gave no timeline
so they couldn't tell the court and on that narrow basis the chief justice
said the pre-conditions of the act were never satisfied and he threw it
out."
The ruling will now have government looking at incorporating the money
laundering agreement into domestic law to ensure that the next time it is
invoked it is more successful.
COOL CASINOS
NRG Grand Casino.com adds yet more World Poker satellite
tournament opportunites for the pokerheads, with a reported promotions
budget of over a million dollars. Using the now well-proved Las Vegas From
Home download software, operated through subsidiary Action Poker
Gaming, the clean and professional site offers up over eight good
quality games including Texas Hold Em, 7 Card Stud and Hi/Lo, "Survivor
Monte Carlo" Guts Poker, Chinese Poker, Big 2 Poker, Pan and Blackjack.
There's a comp program, no rake on smaller bets, round-the-clock Support
and Neteller and Firepay finance options. Licensing is held in both
Kahnawake and Antigua.
Fortune Lounge comes right
We have to hand it to the Fortune Lounge group - when
they screw up they're big enough to admit it and apologise...and take
steps to avoid a recurrence. That's what's been happening over the past
couple of weeks as complaints over badly communicated wager through
requirement changes have appeared on the message boards. The casino
group has advised players that to redress the problem, "We will be
implementing a process within this week that will send an e-mail to any
player that receives a bonus, informing them what the bonus was for, and
what the terms and conditions are attached to that bonus. This should
clear up any confusion there might be going forward."
CASINO CAUTIONS
Time is running out
Our cautions on Hampton Casino.com and Delanos
Casino.com stand this week as the Caribbean 21 game scandal moves
inexorably on with no settlement, and no evidence, and no game logs for
the player. Read (and maybe even weep) the full sad saga elsewhere in
this bulletin. And treat these two names with as much caution as you can
muster.
This king is not noble
A Swedish newbie player has been through a baptism of fire over the past
few weeks thanks to the actions of manager, and possible owner Max
Fisher of Playtech-powered Casino King.com.
We're presuming this is his real name, although these days when it comes
to some casino folks you can never know with certainty. The player made a
few small mistakes on wagering as a newbie, but "Harvey", presumably also
a person in some authority at the casino was reasonable about it and the
player stayed on to give them more action. Long story short, he did well
and ended up with a large amount of winnings - over $30 000. This did not
seem to go down well, and Harvey's emailed agreements on payout were
suddenly superceded and dismissed as non-binding by Mr Fisher, who
suddenly appeared through the miracle of telephony, apparently reading
from a script and suggesting to the player that he was only prepared to
settle for $5 000. How's that for reducing your obligation in one fell
swoop if the player is daft enough to agree? As we went to press things
were happening, with pressure being applied by Casinomeister
who is laudably prepared to dump Casino King as an advertiser,
and on the message boards. But the not-so-noble Mr Fisher was still
trying to chisel the player down to a measly $10 000, or less than half of
the amount owed! This behaviour speaks for itself in our view - even a
casino with cash flow problems can pay a fair amount in acceptable
instalments. Sister casinos are Royal Dice, Swiss (Scasino), Casino Las
Vegas, Magic Box and Miss Bingo.
STOP PRESS: The player in this case announced as we were
going to press that Fisher had upped the offer and that a settlement had
been reached that he could live with.
SKY VEGAS LIVE
New interactive TV gaming channel from
Sky
A range of gaming programs on a dedicated gambling channel went live this
week and will be broadcast daily from 6pm and 2am on Sky
Digital in the UK.
The new channel features a range of gaming programmes such as an
interactive Super Keno draw and virtual horse racing, including commentary
- on which viewers can bet through their remotes. More options, such
'virtual dog racing are scheduled to launch later in the year.
Sky has lined up a team of 10 presenters for the channel and will take
bets through its Sky Bet system, which already offers iTV
betting on sports content. Revenue from Sky Bet almost doubled in the six
months to December to £91m, up from £48m in the comparable period in 2002.
WILL HILL DOES WELL
Interactive division makes $37 mill in
operating profit
The Times business section was lauding the latest William Hill
annual results as we went to press this week. The bookmaker reported a
good performance of fixed odds betting terminals in its high street
outlets as profits raced ahead 43 per cent.
The gross win from the 3,239 terminals, including slot machines, more
than doubled last year to £100.5 million after gaming groups overcame a
legal challenge from regulators.
The London-based group said trading in 2004 was also encouraging with
double-digit growth in the gross win at its 1,586 branches in the UK,
and telephone gambling and interactive divisions.
Pre-tax profits rose to £201.7 million during the year to December 30
from £141.4 million a year ago, with the gross win rising 24 per cent to
£654.3 million in 2003. Turnover leapt by 77 per cent to £5.95 billion,
helped by 7.4 per cent growth in traditional over-the-counter business
and the first improvement in the gross win from horse racing in four
years.
The decision to extend trading hours to include opening on Sunday and
offer more betting opportunities contributed to a 10 per cent hike in
costs at its high street estate.
The interactive division managed to grow operating profits by 81 per
cent to £37.1 million despite a series of setbacks in Far Eastern
markets. The outlawing of internet betting in Hong Kong and subsequent
banning of gambling transactions by many credit card issuers led to a
rapid slowdown in revenues in Asia.
William Hill added it was strongly lobbying the European Commission to
ensure enforcement of unrestricted cross-border trading.
Virtual horse racing has captured the imagination of UK punters and now
formed 36 per cent of gross win in this division.
Telephone gambling saw an 11 per cent increase in the gross win to £56.5
million, helped by higher returns from football following the decision
to allow bets once a match was in progress.
William Hill also announced today that it was seeking approval from
shareholders to buy back 10 per cent of its shares. Total dividend for
the year was 12.5p, up 44 per cent on a year ago.
MORE POKER
Olympic launches Poker World
More poker competition arrived on the scene this week as
Olympic Sports Data Services, the online gaming company
launched a new online poker room, branded Pokerworld.com.
Two years were spent on the project to deliver "one of the most
comprehensive poker rooms on the internet" the press release
claims. The time seems to have been well spent, because the
attractive site features online chat, fun and real money games,
single and multi-table tournaments, and games like Texas Hold'em,
Seven Card Stud and Omaha Hi-Lo.
To promote the site, PokerWorld is offering players a chance to win
one of ten seats to the annual World Series of Poker
event.
Olympic is based at Montego Bay in sunny Jamaica, and says that it
allows customers to transfer funds from their sports account
directly into their new Pokerworld.com account.
BIG BET, SMALL RETURN
But it's a profit for this Kiwi...
New Zealand gamblers were out in force at the
weekend to bet on whether home-grown movie Lord Of The Rings
would carry off the Oscars in Hollywood, and Centrebet.com
was there to help them do it.
One punter laid out over A$105 000 that
Peter Jackson would pick up the Best Director statuette
and was reportedly the biggest bettor. Unfortunately the odds were not
that good as Jackson was widely favoured for the honour, and the return on
the wager was the original amount, plus a mere A$5 250 profit when the big
night came and Jackson received the accolade. Centrebet paid out A$1.00
for every A$20 wagered on the New Zealand born director.
Centrebet said the gambler first placed a bet
of A$50,000 with Centrebet on February 22 for Jackson to win, and then
raised it by another $55,000 the day before the Oscars.
NEW GAMES FROM CHIMERA
All the faves in new
suite
Chimera Technology debuted a
new casino gambling suite this week to complement its existing sports book
wagering platform. Scheduled to launch in May, the new games will include
blackjack, roulette, craps, pai gow and slots, among others.
The Nevada-based company believes that with
the passing of Britain's new Gambling Bill later this year operators will
be able to run online casinos from the UK, and this will
help boost international industry revenues six fold in the years
ahead from the current $US7.4 billion spent in 2003 across the US and
UK, according to Computer Almanac Industry.
‘We have worked hard to deliver our upcoming
casino games platform. Staging, testing and debugging is a crucial process
for any software company planning to launch new products and Chimera is no
different,’ says Chimera President Ken Chua.
TOP TEN SEARCHWORDS
Online gambling marketers and webmasters will
find the latest key word popularity research from Espotting interesting.
The most popular gaming and gambling searches
across the Espotting network for the week 24 February to 1 March 2004 were:
1. Casino
2. Gambling
3. Sport betting
4. Poker
5. Blackjack
6. Betting
7. Bingo
8. Horseracing
9. Roulette
10. Lottery
SLICK WIN FOR OIL MONEY
This should
lubricate a few throats...
Intercasino was in the big win news again this
week with another major Rags to Riches progressive win, taking total
payouts this year alone to $503,256.
OilMoney4 is a three year
veteran player at InterCasino.com. The forty three year
old likes to cruise in several times a week and play for entertainment,
and is happy if he signs off with more bankroll than when he signed in.
Whilst not in the high roller category, he gets regular bonus offers from
the casino and is a valued and fairly typical player.
Well, fairly-typical was
an accurate description for OilMoney4, until last Friday evening at 5:59 PM
when he lined up three Rags to Riches symbols for a chance in the bonus
round. By 6:00 PM that evening OilMoney4 had joined the growing list of
extraordinary MEGA-Jackpot winners with his progressive win worth $144,078.
WTG, Slick!
SUPERIOR LAND CASINOS
Forbes Magazine pick of the bunch
For online gamblers who have expensive tastes and a yen for some
international land casino action, we present the world's top ten land
casinos according to Forbes Magazine:
St. James Club, Antigua
Atlantis Resort, Bahamas
The Clermont Club, London
Casino Baden-Baden, Germany
Mandarin Oriental, Macau
The Casino de Monte Carlo, Monaco
The Borgata Hotel, Casino and Spa, Atlantic City
Bellagio, Las Vegas
Casino Metropol, Moscow
Sun City, South Africa
SMART MOVE BY GAMESYS
Instant games on London site
Interesting (and demographically astute) moves by gaming software
developer Gamesys in partnership with Thisislondon.co.uk
took place this week with the launch of a new instant win games area in
its Games Channel.
Games on the site include many old favourites such as slot machines,
lotto, bingo, number and card games. Additionally there are topical
games such as Rugby Hero, where players have to predict whether a player
will score a conversion or not, and Beat The Keeper, a
game where football fans to try to score penalty kicks. Other sports
games will be added shortly, and the list of games will be refreshed
regularly, to maintain a high level of interest for players.
The games can be played for free to accrue prize points, or on a
pay-to-play basis to win cash prizes.
Associated New Media (ANM), the digital publishing
division of Associated Newspapers and owner of
thisislondon.co.uk will also be launching a Gamesys-powered Instant Win
channel on sister site, femail.co.uk, which will go
live later this month.
'Gaming has captured the public's imagination in a big way', explains
ANM's Managing Director, Andrew Hart. 'Adding it to the
site therefore fits well with our ambition to be the definitive site for
Londoners when it comes to working and playing in the capital.'
Gamesys will manage and update the site on behalf of ANM. The company
has also provided Instant Win gaming sites for Littlewoods, FHM
and TalkSport.
PRESIDENTIAL SALARY
Frank gets more than Dubya
Top lobbyists in the USA can demand large pay packages it appears from a
new survey reported by the Las Vegas Gaming Wire.
Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American
Gaming Association, is paid a salary of $974,926 a year, making
him the 18th-highest paid trade executive in Washington, the study
reveals. Fahrenkopf's total compensation package, including salary,
benefits and allowances, comes to $1,047,109 million a year. That ranks
29th among executives of trade associations and other groups.
By comparison, the president of the United States receives a yearly
salary of $400,000 and the five members of Nevada's congressional
delegation are paid about $158,000 each per year.
"My board of directors sets my salary, I don't," Fahrenkopf said. "I
represent the industry to the best of my ability. That is all I can
say."
The survey appeared in the Feb. 21 issue of National Journal.
The magazine said it was based on reports filed with the Internal
Revenue Service in 2002 or 2001. Fahrenkopf's salary has jumped almost
30 percent from $752,500 since National Journal last conducted its
survey in 2002, and his total compensation package increased 28 percent
from $817,797 in the past two years.
The Washington lobbyist receiving the highest compensation package is
Robert Glauber of the National Associations of
Securities Dealers. He received $9.43 million in salary,
benefits and allowances.
The highest salaried lobbyist is Gene Upshaw of the
National Football League Players Association, who
received annual pay of $2.73 million.
I-GAMING GOOD FOR RANK
Cool interactive profit
The Rank organisation has not exactly enjoyed a stellar year
with disappointing results from the Hard Rock restaurant and cafe
division, but the internet gaming unit, boosted by the acquisition of
Blue Square, posted maiden profits of £1.9 million which brightened the
picture.
VIPER A GOOD SIGN FOR ZODIAC
A new look and more games
The well established Zodiac Casino.com in the Casino
Rewards group is sporting a new look and spanking new state-of-the-art
Viper software from Microgaming following an extensive revamp.
The smart new website has been designed to give the casino a strong
market edge, and is informative and easy to navigate with a clean, sharp
look that complements the new games and the versatile Viper platform.
In addition to a host of player assists and optional facilities,
Viper carries an impressive selection of table games, video poker, slots
and progressive jackpots, with the promise of a constant roll out of new
games throughout the year. Zodiac Casino will now offer a total of 79
impressive games with new options available to players of all genres.
CHARTWELL GETS A NEW CE
Highly experienced Scot hired
Calgary, Canada based turnkey provider Chartwell Technology
has hired a highly experienced gambling executive as Chief Executive,
reporting to President Harold Parken.
Lee Richardson will oversee the European operations
of Chartwell Games Corp. including sales, marketing, and business
development. He will also be responsible for enhancing the
group's corporate presence and expansion in this strategic market.
Richardson holds an MBA from the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow),
is a Fellow of the UK Chartered Institute of Marketing, and a member
of the UK Academy of Marketing. He brings to Chartwell over 20 years
of senior-level experience in national and international
business-to-business and consumer markets including betting, gaming,
and leisure. This includes extensive industry experience includes as
Chief Operating Officer of Coral Eurobet, Managing
Director of Totalbet.com, Managing Director of
Tote Direct and Marketing Director of the
British Horseracing Board.
“We are extremely pleased to have someone with Lee’s extensive
industry background, solid reputation and broad skill set join the
Chartwell team” stated Darold Parken, President and CEO of Chartwell
Technology Inc. “As we focus on the rollout of our new products and
platforms in the European market, Lee will be a tremendous asset in
building Chartwell’s presence and providing strong strategic guidance
within this and other new market areas for our unique business model
and technology.”
Mr. Richardson's achievements in delivering results in complex
business and regulatory environments include: being the industry’s
first Marketing Director for the British Horseracing Board where he
created an award-winning multi-million-pound sponsorship channel, and
the launch of Sunday Racing with betting; the development of new
products and channels for Coral Eurobet’s on-line sports betting and
gaming operations, achieving record market share, turnover, active
customers, gross win and profits within 12 months; and management
responsibility for Tote Direct, a joint venture between the Tote,
Ladbrokes and Coral Eurobet, operating the largest network of on-line
betting terminals-second in size only to the UK National Lottery.
Richardson says that under his direction Chartwell Games will continue
to expand its base of brand clients and develop new gaming products
and platforms including multiplayer poker and bingo, mobile, kiosk and
Interactive TV (ITV).
Stock options have been granted to Richardson to purchase 200,000
common shares of Chartwell Technology. The options were granted for a
five-year term pursuant to the Company’s Stock Option Plan. The
options were granted for a five-year term pursuant to the Company’s
Stock Option Plan
NO COLLEGE SPORTS BETTING BAN THIS YEAR
Senator McCain acknowledges
proposed Bill will not go through this year
The Las Vegas Gaming Wire's Tony Batt reports that
Sen. John McCain does not plan to push his bill to
prohibit Nevada sports books from taking bets on college games during
this month's NCAA men's basketball tournament.
The tournament, also known as March Madness, trails only the Super
Bowl in Las Vegas gambling interest.
"I don't want to bring up something that we can't win," the Arizona
Republican said.
First introduced in 2000, the proposed ban once seemed almost certain
to become law. But staunch resistance from the American Gaming
Association and Nevada's congressional delegation have bottled up the
bill.
While he said he has not given up, McCain acknowledged the betting
ban legislation is unlikely to advance unless something new happens. "My
assessment is it probably is going to require another scandal," McCain
said.
McCain said he would have to check with the National Collegiate
Athletic Association and with college coaches to see if they believe the
betting ban is still a high priority. Last month, McCain's bill was
hardly mentioned during a meeting between NCAA officials and the Knight
Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.
McCain cited Sens. John Ensign, R-Nev., and Harry Reid, D-Nev., as
the major opposition forces.
"I think I could get it through the (Senate) Commerce Committee,"
said McCain, who is that committee's chairman. "But getting it to the
floor would be, I think, extremely difficult and I have to assess that."
POKER SUCKER
Giving the law some teeth
And now for a little weekend levity - this is a true news story,
something you can really get your teeth into!
A German poker enthusiast had his false teeth pulled as surety for a
gambling debt. The distressed 45-year-old from Dortmund called the
police to help him retrieve the knashers, which had been taken as
security against the Euro 150 that he owed to a fellow player.
His rival admitted snatching the teeth but claimed he’d won them
fair and square, and was merely ensuring a swift repayment of the
debt. The police forced the man to hand back the dentures, saying he
faced theft charges if he held on to them.
Reunited with his pride and joy, the complainant explained that he’d
yelled for help because he ‘didn't want to have to live off fluids’
until he'd raised the money. It is unknown whether he finally paid
the money he owed...
Originally published on February 16, 2004 (8:10 pm
EST)
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