China's Cyber Cafes to Reopen
More than 100 cyber cafes in the capital of China are scheduled to reopen soon after being closed for safety and security checks. A fire in a cyber cafe about a month ago killed 25 people in Beijing.
An anonymous source with the Beijing Culture Bureau told the China Daily on July 19 that the cafes must guarantee people's safety before they reopen.
"Internet cafes are allowed to reopen provided that they have been granted full licenses from the local bureau of culture, bureau of public security, bureau of telecommunications as well as the administrative bureau for industry and commerce," the source said.
Thirty of the cafes reopened this Wednesday after publicly promising to only admit people older than 18, not permit smoking and close between midnight and 8 a.m.
Gambling is not allowed in the cyber cafes.
Later, Gator
A federal judge in the United States recently placed a temporary restraining order against Gator to get it to stop putting pop-up advertisements some Web sites without the sites' consent.
The judge granted the restraining order on July 12 in response to a lawsuit filed by 10 publishing companies, including The New York Times and Dow Jones.
The companies said Gator infringed on their copyrights by selling pop-up ads that appeared after consumers visited their sites. Gator is a software and marketing company that remembers users' password information to fill out Web application forms and also keeps track of consumers' Web behaviors to target pop-up ad placement.
El Salvador Bans Gambling
In mid-July the legislative body of El Salvador voted to make gambling illegal in the country.
Apparently the country has had a law on the books since 1882 that outlaws wagering, and the congress decided recently to enforce the law.
Casinos will be allowed to remain open but won't be able to offer any type of gambling except the lottery.
IGT Payment to Victoria Gaming Office Refunded
A payment that IGT made to the Victorian Office of Gaming Regulation in Australia that caused the office to come under investigation has been refunded.
The Las Vegas Sun reported recently that the Victoria gaming office accepted the $200,000 payment from IGT after embarking on an investigation of alleged fraud on the part of IGT's European section. The investigation is now closed; it did not result in any fines against IGT.
The payment was originally made because IGT was asked to partly fund the investigation, said Ed Rogich, IGT's vice president of marketing. The government of Victoria is looking into ending the practice of having gaming companies fund investigations into their business.
Gaming Tax Increase Sparks Controversy in Poland
The sporting community in Poland is protesting a bill that would increase taxes on the country's national lottery, Totalizator Sportowy, 5 percent.
The sports community, which is the main beneficiary of the lottery, is saying that increasing the tax will cause fewer people to play the lottery and the overall revenue to fall.
Culture Minister Andrzej Celinski, who is outgoing, proposed the plan a few months ago when a new gaming act was published.