Costa Rican Taxes -- A fiscal tax reform bill that has reached the floor of the legislative assembly in Costa Rica would create a permanent tax structure for casinos and online gambling operations. Despite the progress, however, the bill has a long while to go before it is passed into law.
Margarita Island -- The Venezuelan government has awarded Senticore, Inc.--a Florida-based company that deals in real estate, land development, timber plantations and professional sports--a license to operate both a land-based and an Internet casino on Margarita Island, a resort island located 25 miles off the coast of Venezuela. The company plans to operate online slots, casino table games, poker, sports betting and more. The company already has a significant presence in Venezuela through its subsidiary, Westar South America, which owns and operates a large Caribbean pine timber plantation that includes two sawmills.
Club XTreme -- Mellon Research, Inc., a Scottsdale, Arizona-based company that provides boutique investment banking consulting services, plans to launch a physical club called Club XTreme, Ltd. in Costa Rica. The company also wants to launch an entertainment portal called Club XTrmeme that will broadcast interactive feeds from the club via the Internet and television so that people around the world can interact with club goers. Club XTreme will also operate online gaming, sports betting and advertising through the portal. Club XTreme intends to book popular DJs, VJs and other music stars and celebrities to host events through the portal.
Global Report -- "Double or Quits?", a new report by U.K.-based Global Betting and Gaming Consultants, examines the expansion of the international gambling market during a time when the overall economy is lagging. "It is the global slowdown which has acted as the primary catalyst for expansion," explained Warwick Bartlett, GBGC's lead partner. "We are seeing governments deregulate gambling in order to raise what are essentially voluntary taxes, a process we predicted two years ago and one that is now well underway." The report also provides an assessment of the size of each sector and the overall market for land-based and online gambling for the years 2001 through 2003, as well as projections for 2004 through 2012.
Fresh Poker Faces -- The Women's Poker Club will launch "Fresh Poker Faces," a program for women with zero to six months experience playing poker. Fresh Poker Faces will offer bi-weekly tournaments and give players the opportunity to ask experienced players questions about strategy. Each month's tournament leaders will receive prizes and hopefully advance to the mainstream tournaments of the Women's Poker Club. The Club also features online classes in Hold'em, Omaha, 7-Card Stud and Pai Gow.