I-Gaming in Montana -- The Associated Press reports that the U.S. Justice Department is warning residents of Montana that online gambling is illegal after Curacao-licensed gaming company Sirbet on Friday put an advertisement in The Billings Gazette, stating that it would help interested parties set up their own gaming site for less than $499, after which the parties could expect to make $5,00 to $10,000 per week. Montana's Constitution bars all gambling except what has been authorized by the Legislature. Gambling on credit is also forbidden.
Asian Kiosks -- Fortuna Casino will soon launch CasinoWebcam's live online casino via an Internet kiosk product in an effort to capture the Asian markets where computer ownership is not yet pervasive. Fortuna will deploy 20 kiosks on December 20th and 30 more by December 30th. By the end of March, Fortuna hopes to have 200 kiosks operating. The kiosks will feature real time webcasts of CasinoWebcam's live online baccarat game in Mandarin Chinese.
Quoteworthy -- "To the extent that spammers in one country are targeting consumers in another, we recommend that our respective enforcement agencies form closer working relationships on this issue, so that spammers are not able to hide behind jurisdictional barriers. We strongly recommend that our respective governments engage in bilateral co-operation on enforcement, particularly in the areas of fraud, illegal sales of prescription drugs and obscene child pornography."-- a letter sent on Tuesday to US Commerce Secretary Don Evans and British Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Patricia Hewitt, signed by U.S senators Ron Wyden and Conrad Burns and by British parliament members Brian White, Andrew Miller and Derek Wyatt. On Monday the US's Can-Spam Act unanimously passed the House of Representatives. The bill now awaits President George Bush's signature before it can become law.
LegalPlay Poker -- On December 22nd, Legalplay Entertainment will launch PokerPass.com, a traditional card room for European players. LegalPlay also says it is refining its North American SkillPoker.com system and improving its marketability, in preparation for a marketing initiative that will improve its number of players. The company hopes that the new PokerPass.com site will compliment SkillPoker.com through cross marketing and promotional incentives.