Bots and Collusion -- CasinoRobots.com, a company that provides software applications to help consumers improve their online poker and blackjack strategies, is now selling a product called "Poker Robot Collusion Edition." The company says its software can use just one computer to play up to nine seats at an online poker game by spoofing IP addresses. The player can either play each hand himself or let the bot make the decisions automatically. According to CasinoRobots.com, "Collusion is the only way you can cheat at online Poker."
e-Cockfighting -- The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) has appointed Internet technology provider Philweb Corp as its technical and marketing consultant for an Internet-based cockfighting betting project. Pagcor first contracted Philweb as a consultant in November 2002 for an Internet sports betting project, and in March 2004 the first Pagcor-operated betting sites, BasketballJackpot.net and VIP Sports Betting (www.asbcsports.com). Philweb supplied the software and hardware for the betting sites, promoted the sites and distributed prepaid betting cards. Philweb announced in June 2004 that it would like to launch an online betting site for cockfighting, but Pagcor stated at the time that it was not yet committed to launching such a site.
Ref Suspension -- British Premiere League soccer referee Mike Dean was been suspended indefinitely after it was discovered that he managed Arbitros Racing Partnership, a horseracing syndicate whose Web site enables surfers to purchase ownership in the syndicate. There is no indication that Dean ever had anything do with betting or match fixing in soccer, but the terms of his contract with the league required him to get permission for such an activity, which he did not do. He likely would not have obtained permission if he had gone ideas through the proper channels.
Pyramid -- Tax officials in Norway have begun investigating local officials in World Games Inc. The company, whose primary business is offering Internet gaming, is often called a pyramid scheme because members enter the WGI network by joining at one of three levels, each of which has a different fee and benefits. A member earns a commission every time he recruits a new person to join the network and every time one of his recruits brings in a new member. Norwegian investigator Jostein Lien said that some members of the company face criminal charges because they failed to claim money transfers from Australian and Hong Kong banks as income. Meanwhile, a group of 18 disgruntled members of the WGI network are filing a civil suit against the company's five "world leaders" and have also reported the company to Økokrim, Norway's white-collar crime unit. Representatives of World Games Inc. are also under legal pressure in Canada and Australia.
Quoteworthy -- "It's so much an American thing. The idea that it's illegal is offensive to me."
- Weld Professor of Law Charles R. Nesson of Harvard University. Last Thursday Nesson moderated an event at Harvard Law School called "Going All In: Poker and the Law," which featured a discussion on Internet poker and the law. Speakers at the event included Dan Walsh, an I-gaming lobbyist in Washington, Shaun Clark, an attorney for the World Poker Tour, and professional poker player Andy Bloch.
China -- The latest Chinese government attack against gambling comes from the General Administration of Industry and Commerce (GAIC), which has ordered its local branches to forbid overseas gambling from opening offices in China. The GAIC's local branches have been urged to especially monitor online activities to eradicate online gambling.
Keno.com -- Gaming Transactions Inc., a company that manages gaming portals and has also developed online games and services, has launched numbers gaming site Keno.com. Soon the site will also offer casino games and sports betting.
Checkers -- Oddschecker.com, a British odds comparison Web site owned by ukbetting.com, has launched two new comparison sites for the online casino and poker markets. The sites will monitor the latest jackpots, tournaments and bonuses to provide players with real time information. Ukbetting says the two sites have already run successfully on a soft scale and will be deployed in March with affiliate deals in place with some of Europe's top online casinos and poker rooms. The sites are online at Online-casino-checker.com and Online-poker-checker.com.