Macau Guide -- Analysts predict that by 2009, Macau is going to overtake Las Vegas in gambling revenue and as a tourist destination, and the creators of MacauPokerOnline.com are hoping to capitalize on those predictions. The new Web site provides information on Macau poker and gambling, with tips and strategies for tourists visiting Macau. It also features assistance with travel arrangements, including links to travel planning services like Travelocity and Expedia.
Canadian Views -- A poll conducted by PMG Consulting of Waterloo, Ontario found that an overwhelming majority of Canadians view gambling as a fun and acceptable form of entertainment and that the majority of those who partake play responsibly and stick to a fixed budget. The results of the poll were released this week at the plenary session of the 2006 Canadian Gaming Summit in Vancouver. The researchers also discovered that a significant number of Canadians are unaware of the work being done by the Canadian Gaming Association ensure responsible gaming. "As an industry, we need to do more to educate the public about the extensive efforts being undertaken by our members, to help Canadians to better understand the full scope of our efforts," CGA President Bill Rutsey said. The Canadian gaming industry generates US$12.4 billion in revenues a year and directly supports more than 50,000 jobs in Canada, including 8,500 jobs in British Columbia.
Poll Bashing -- Ruy Teixeira, a Senior Fellow at The Century Foundation and the Center for American Progress, has criticized a recent poll by Zogby International revealing that almost 80 percent of Americans oppose a ban on Internet gambling. In addition to disapproving of what he considers a biased method of questioning, Teixeira pointed out that the poll was drawn from Zogby's volunteer Internet panel. "Therefore," he said, "the poll's sample is representative only of the type of individuals who have volunteered to join Zogby's online panel, not the general public, which means it is neither scientific nor possessed of a meaningful margin of error." The poll was criticized in April by the Wall Street Journal for the same reasons.
Quoteworthy -- "PayPal supports any legislation that ensures online companies and financial institutions act in compliance with the law when it comes to online gambling."
Sara Bettencourt, a PayPal spokesperson, responding to IGN's inquiry about eBay's and PayPal's support of Rep. Bob Goodlatte's, R-Va., Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, despite the fact that PayPal has recently made deals with Internet gambling companies Betfair and Ladbrokes.
NanoGaming -- LiveHive Systems announced today that it will be showcasing its NanoGaming Solution, which enables online sports books to offer real-time wagering on sporting events and pop-culture competitions from any Internet-equipped device, at the Global Interactive Gaming Summit & Expo May 16-18 in Montreal. The company is inviting senior executives from online sports books to compete head-to-head predicting the upcoming plays in an action-packed football game in LiveHive's 2006 NanoGaming Invitational during the expo.
In the Rough -- Professional golfer John Daly has opened up about his gambling addiction in his forthcoming autobiography, "John Daly: My Life In and Out of the Rough." In the final chapter of the book, Daly describes what happened after he earned $750,000 losing to Tiger Woods in a playoff at a World Golf Championship. He said instead of going home, he drove to Las Vegas and lost $1.65 million in five hours playing mostly $5,000 slot machines. He also said he spent the last 10 years paying off gambling debts with his sponsorship income. Daly went through rehab for alcoholism in 1993 and has been divorced three times. He said he has gained more control over his life in the last six years.
Hendon's Home -- The Hendon Mob, which ended a one-year, $1 million sponsorship deal with Prima Poker in January, has found a new home at FullTiltPoker.com, joining Full Tilt's world-renowned poker pros and Team Full Tilt. Otherwise known as Barny Boatman, Joe "The Elegance" Beevers, Ram "Crazy Horse" Vaswani and "Rocky" Ross Boatman, the Hendon Mob are well known in the European poker circuit and helped fuel the worldwide poker craze. The four men have earned a combined 37 tournament titles.