• U.S. defends ban on 'Net gambling before WTO

GENEVA -- The Caribbean nation of Antigua on Tuesday asked the World Trade Organization to condemn the United States for breaching the rules of global commerce through its ban on Internet gambling. Restrictions that bar U.S. residents from betting at offshore Internet casinos are unfair and harm Antigua's attempts to diversify its economy, said Ronald Sanders, a senior foreign ministry official. Antiguan authorities have promoted electronic commerce as a way to end the twin-island nation's reliance on tourism, a sector that was battered by six hurricanes in the late 1990s, he said. But Linnet Deily, the U.S. ambassador to the WTO, said "the United States has grave concerns over the financial and social risks posed by such activities to its citizens, particularly but not exclusively children." Despite Antigua's claims, Internet gaming does not fall under WTO rules that say countries should open up trade in services, and the United States is free to ban it, she added. [...] US RESIDENTS / US ONLINE PLAYERS : ACT NOW FOR THE FREEDOM ! WWW.PROFREEDOM.COM | WWW.PROTECTONLINEGAMBLING.COM

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• eCOGRA Offers Player Protections

MONTREAL -- eCOGRA (e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) today announced the adoption of eCOGRA Generally Accepted Practices, also known as “eGAP,” for the online gaming industry. The eGAP requirements stipulate a comprehensive list of minimum requirements and suggested practices addressing player protection, fair gaming and responsible operator conduct. According to Andrew Beveridge, chief executive of eCOGRA, the organization’s intention is that the eGAP will form the minimum requirements for regulated online gaming and potentially open a dialogue with gaming regulators and policy makers with regard to global regulation of online gaming. “While various online gaming jurisdictions have done a good job of drafting rules and regulations for online gaming, in many cases the implementation of these rules has been flawed as few regulators recognize the fundamental differences between land-based and online gaming, an important consideration when implementing regulations in an online environment,” said Beveridge. [...]

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• MGM Mirage to Sell Golden Nugget Casinos

LAS VEGAS - Gambling giant MGM Mirage said Thursday it plans to sell its Golden Nugget Las Vegas and Golden Nugget Laughlin hotel-casinos for $215 million to a Las Vegas-based private investment firm. The agreement with Poster Financial Group, Inc. is subject to conditions including regulatory and governmental approvals, according to a statement. Poster Financial Group is owned by Timothy Poster and Thomas Breitling, founders of the travel Web site Travelscape, which they later sold to Expedia. Terry Lanni, chief executive at Las Vegas-based MGM Mirage, said the sale is expected to be completed before the end of the year. [...]

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• Survey: Americans Highly Accept Casinos

The acceptability of casino gaming as a form of entertainment among adults is at its highest level in years – especially among young adults – according to the State of the states survey of casino entertainment released yesterday by the American Gaming Association. The survey finds that 85 percent of Americans view casino gaming as an acceptable activity for themselves or others, an increase from 79 percent in the previous year. The increased acceptance levels are seen across all demographic levels, but the results show an even stronger acceptance of casinos among younger adults: 91 percent of adults ages 21 to 39 say casino gaming is acceptable, compared with 81 percent of Americans over age 50. "This public opinion data serves to quantify our long-held assumption that the more familiar people are with the casino industry, the more likely they are to embrace and support it," comments AGA President and CEO Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. The survey also reveals that 54 percent of Americans would favor the introduction of casino gaming into their area because of its economic benefits.

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