Der heutige 1. April könnte ein historischer Tag für alle Online-Spieler in den Niederlanden werden: Soeben hat der holländische Senat mit 37 zu 35 Stimmen gegen das geplante Anti-Online-Gambling-Gesetz entschieden. Damit scheint in unserem Nachbarland der Weg zu einer vernünftigen legalen Lösung in Sachen Online-Poker frei zu sein. Das Monopol der staatlichen Spielbanken ist durch das Votum definitiv durchbrochen.

Swedish prosecutors have been advised to halt cases against media organizations accepting ads from foreign online gambling companies. Many online poker operators may now decide to begin advertising in Sweden, competing openly with state-supoprted Svenska Spel. The order came from UC Malmo, a department of Sweden’s Prosecution Authority, according to reports by Gaming Intelligence Group.

The present political turmoil in Turkey will not stop three huge major gambling events which are planned for this year. Of course there is the European championship football, for which the national Turkish squad has been qualified. And this event will create very good times for the bookies, worldwide and in particular for the Turkish Iddaa sports football betting. Above that the privatization of the National Lottery will happen and the tender for operating the Turkish sports betting for a period of 10 years will take place.

The US Government is urging Britain to amend the new gambling laws as part of a drive to crack down on money-laundering. The recommendation comes in a report presented to the US Congress which also calls for Britain to draw up new rules to monitor bank customers with links to foreign regimes. The US call for changes to the Gambling Act 2005 emerged as bookmakers opened on Good Friday for the first time, as a result of the same legislation.

Vladivostok is likely to lose gambling areas in Russkiy Island. The Head of Russian Union of Manufactures and Businessmen (RSPP) Alexander Shokhin offered to put off construction of gambling areas in Russia for 5 years, no less. "Time fixed by law is very strict and the law can't come into force on July 1, 2009," he said, as "Gazette" reports. "It's impossible to build casinos and hotels, in particular, preparation for Olympic Games in Sochi and APEC Summit needs a lot of time for infrastructure construction."

According to Russian Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Union, a law forcing gambling out of Moscow and St Petersburg from July next year will deter investment in the industry and should be relaxed. The Moscow-based Union stated that plans to restrict gambling to four remote regions of the country are prompting local operators to expand abroad and could also lead to the growth of illegal casinos.

Die südafrikanische Regierung steht kurz vor der Realisierung eines Gesetzes, das Onlinespiele legalisieren wird. Momentan sind derartige Internetangebote am Kap noch strikt untersagt, und zwar vor allem deshalb - so die offizielle Begründung - weil noch kein System existiert, das es der Industrie erlaubt, den Kunden optimal zu schützen.

Istanbul, Turkey (March 17, 2008), GamblingAnalysts.eu, the gambling research and analyst group, working from Istanbul and Amsterdam, launched two new reports on the Turkish gambling industry. This year two major gambling events will take place in Turkey: the privatization of the Turkish National lottery and the 10 year-long tender for sports betting. Professionals in this industry know how difficult it is in Turkey to get all the information needed for a proper decision.

Despite objections from religious conservatives, Florida’s Senate voted to allow slot machines at ever race track and jai-alai fronton across the state. The bill permits “electronic gaming machines” similar to bingo-like slot machines. The measure would generate up to USD 500 million, all of which would go to public schools. The bill (SB 1380) would allow dog and horse track operators as well as jai- alai frontons to offer video slot machines...

For the second time in the last six months, a popular online poker site has been charged with allegations of unfair play. According to a press release issued by UltimateBet, one of the 10 largest online poker rooms, the site was alerted to suspicions of a player exhibiting "abnormally high winnings statistics" and "having an unfair advantage during play."

London (Reuters) - A compulsive gambler on Wednesday failed in his bid to force British bookmaker William Hill to repay losses of more than two million pounds. Graham Calvert, a greyhound trainer, was suing for negligence and compensation for personal injuries at the High Court in London. The 28-year-old, described by his lawyers as a "pathological gambler," claimed he had lost more than two million pounds...

The Far East of Asia has now entrenched itself as the world’s biggest legal gambling destination for tourists due to the announcement by Samak Sundaravej, incoming Thai prime minister, who is planning to legalize gambling and build five casinos in Thailand. Sundaravej is planning to legalize gambling and build five casinos for domestic and foreign holidaymakers in the country’s tourist belts of Phuket, Pattaya, Khon Kaen, Hat Yai and Chiang Mai.