• U.S. Online Gambling Policy Unlawful, WTO Rules

The World Trade Organization, in its first decision on an Internet-related dispute, has ignited a political, cultural and legal tinderbox by ruling that the United States policy prohibiting online gambling violates international trade law. The ruling, issued by a WTO panel on Wednesday, is being hailed by operators of online casinos based overseas as a major victory that could force America to liberalize laws outlawing their business. But the Bush administration vowed to appeal the decision, and several members of Congress said they would rather have an international trade war or withdraw from future rounds of the WTO than have American social policy dictated from abroad. "It's appalling," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. "It cannot be allowed to stand that another nation can impose its values on the U.S. and make it a trade issue." The decision stems from a case brought to the WTO in June 2003 by the tiny island nation of Antigua and Barbuda. The nation, which licenses 19 companies that offer sports betting and casino games like blackjack over the Internet, argued that United States trade policy does not prohibit cross-border gambling operations. [...]

> Read the full story here Source : NYTimes.com

• New Games Set Benchmark For Player Interactivity, Entertainment

Building on the success of their award-winning suite of over 65 casino games, market-leading software developers Playtech announce the release of seven new game concepts, currently available to players in all Playtech-powered casinos. The introduction of these games - which include two original 8-line slots, an interesting twist on classic video poker, a brand-new fixed odds game and revamped versions of three of Playtech’s hit progressives – is part of Playtech’s long-term strategy of providing its licensees with a continuously renewed stock of compelling games with which to acquire and retain a high-value player base. Playtech Marketing Director Dana A. Ziv commented that many of the games being released were developed in direct response to players’ requests, forwarded to the company through its licensees. “We always encourage our licensees to let us know what their players would like to see added to our software, which games they especially like and what features they think would be useful,” remarked Ziv. “If players are not sufficiently entertained, they will not stick around. It’s as simple as that.” “Take for example the new version of our popular progressive slot, Cinerama,” continued Ziv. “We knew that players already loved the glamorous Hollywood theme, so we thought we’d go one step further and actually let them direct their own blockbuster! Two brand-new interactive bonus stages allow players to assemble a winning cast for their movie, bid for an award on Oscar night, compete at the box office, and win bonuses while they’re at it.” Yet while Cinerama is aimed at Playtech’s established player base – online casino, bingo and slots fans - the release of MegaBall, points to the company’s new focus on fixed-odds betting concepts and the lucrative sports entertainment market, which it plans to target in 2004. MegaBall promises to be a sure bet with sportsbook and other fixed-odds fans. The game offers punters a wide variety of fixed-odds bets in an entertaining action format with fun animation, great sounds, and intuitive gameplay. MegaBall can be delivered as a game integrated into the casino or other gaming product or as a stand-alone application. Other exciting gaming products being released by Playtech over the coming year include a groundbreaking multiplayer poker product, horse racing games, new fixed-odds concepts and a bespoke sportsbook-oriented software package.

> Read the full story here Source : PlayTech.com

• If Anything Can Happen, Why Sweat The Details?

Place and buy bets at craps are wagers on one or more of the numbers four, five, six, eight, nine, or 10. The bets win if the dice show the indicated total; they lose if a seven appears. Chances of winning, payoffs, and house advantage differ among the choices. Buying the four or 10 for $29 and paying $1 "vigorish," a total outlay of $30, for instance, should generate results an average of nine out of every 36 tosses. Of these, three should yield profits of $58 and give the house 2.2 percent edge. Placing the five or nine for $30 should produce decisions an average of 10 out of 36 throws. These should include four $42 winners, with an edge of 4.0 percent. Betting $30 on the six or eight, players can anticipate action an average of 11 out of 36 throws. Here, they expect to win $35 five times and face 1.4 percent edge. Of course, such figures aren't the sum and substance of craps, or any casino game. If they were, think what would happen during a 360-throw session, about four hours, in which a solid citizen had a single bet on the layout for every toss. Buying the four or 10, this individual would collect $58 x 30 = $1,740 and lose $30 x 60 = $1,800, finishing $60 in the hole. [...]

> Read the full story here Source : PressOfAtlanticCity.com

• GambleCraft Releases Video Poker Coach 2.0

Like many card games, video poker is based on the rules of statistics. Video Poker Coach 2.0 takes advantage of this fact to teach regular folks how to play video poker correctly, i.e. with the highest probability of beating the machine or online casino. The program features a comprehensive set of learning tools for each video poker variation - Jacks or Better, All American Poker, Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild, Deuces Deluxe, Bonus Deuces Wild, Joker Wild, and others. The program comes with a detailed history feature with the statistics analysis and an error pointer (error list together with the cost of errors) that shows what kind of mistakes a particular player is prone to make. The progress tracker shows improvements made over time. The program shows statistics for all ways to draw cards and displays hints and warnings, which help a player to build the optimal playing strategy. The program features a nice, clean and simple interface with decks created by the famous card artisans from the XVIII century to our days. There are several adjustable training levels available, double down play option, custom pacing settings, and support for both a keyboard and a mouse. Importantly, all payoff tables can be modified. The program has very modest system requirements and runs smoothly even on the old computers. Video Poker Coach 2.0 is distributed electronically over the Internet; free demo version is available at http://www.gamblecraft.com for evaluation.

> Read the full story here Source : GambleCraft.com

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