Spanish Online Casino Launched -- Apuestas.com Casino is being billed as the first online casino dedicated exclusively to the Spanish-speaking player. Mil Treinta y Dos S.A. in Costa Rica announced the new site, which is powered by Net Entertainment software, on Friday. Pontus Lindwall, CEO of Net Entertainment said the site has a clear objective. "Our goal is that Apuestas shall become the casino of choice amongst players from Spain, Latin America and Spanish speakers in North America and the rest of the world," he said.
Costa Rican Future Unclear -- Rumors are swirling that one of the original offshore jurisdictions for the online gaming industry might be distancing itself from Internet casinos and sports books. The loosely regulated industry in Costa Rica, which allows operators to be licensed through commerce laws and has no established gambling control board or casino commission, could be coming to an end. High-ranking government officials have reportedly informed operators that they shouldn't renew their commerce licenses. The belief is that this is the government's initial effort to push the industry to other locations in the Caribbean and Central America.
Harrah's Starts WSOP Publicity -- The name is the same, but the World Series of Poker has a new owner in Harrah's and the Vegas-based operator is already pumping up publicity for the event. Harrah's issued a press release Friday about the WSOP, 33 events scheduled between April 22 and the finale of the World Championship event on May 28, in which it is predicting record number of entrants and prize money. Based on the expected number of participants, the total prize money in 2004 World Series of Poker could be more than $20 million and could easily exceed $25 million. The World Championship event (May 22-28), alone, could award more than $10 million in prize money, with 100 or more players expected to win cash.
Place Your Idol Bets -- A new season of American Idol doesn't just mean that FOX returns at a major competitor for primetime ratings, it also means online sports books start to offer odds on who will be the eventual winner. Intertops.com has installed Fantasia, the 19-year-old from North Carolina, as the early odds-on favorite at 5/2. Hot on her tail is LaToya London at 7/2.
No Luck for Addicts – While the State of Washington inches closer to enacting laws that would create an advanced deposit wagering system in the state for the horseracing industry, Gov. Gary Locke's plan to revive the state's defunct treatment and prevention program for gambling addicts failed. A tentative deal to help addicted gamblers collapsed amid finger-pointing Thursday in the final hours of the legislative session. Though all sides said they were closing in on a deal this week, negotiations bogged down in an ongoing debate over whether the state's tribal casinos, which aren't taxed by the state, have an unfair advantage over non-tribal gambling businesses.