Websites
Media Man Casino
Media Man Games
Media Man Poker
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Manager
Media Manager International
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Monday, July 5, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Australian And New Zealand Casino News, by Greg Tingle - 4th July 2010
The Australian casino and gambling sector continues to make the news, some good, some bad. Not to be outdone, New Zealand, the Kiwi's south of Australia, also have some newsy happenings. Readers, gamblers and sports nuts, time to swing into the Asia Pacific region... Media Man and Gambling911 with your voyage of discovery...
Australia's Cairns In Northern Queensland To Become Aussie Las Vegas?...
Cairns would become Australia's equivalent to Las Vegas under a somewhat controversial scheme to transform it into the national centre for poker machines. Aussie Casino King, James Packer, his prize casino being in Melbourne, Australia, isn't speaking on the matter as yet. Packer also has his Burswood Entertainment Complex in Perth, Western Australia, so don't expect Packer to support the proposal. It's not a Crown Limited venture either, but maybe we would buy them out one day. The current proposal is to be heard within 24 hours in Brisbane, north of Sydney, and south of Cairns, at one of the tourism industry's key annual conventions, Tourism Futures, to be attended by international tourism heavyweights and politicians, including Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. It is being championed - sphere headed by breakaway Liberal National Party MP Aidan McLindon, who has previously had campaigned against the spread of pokies. But Mr McLindon, who quit the party in May to form the Queensland Party, is now pushing for debate on a scheme that would create a Las Vegas style gambling strip in gorgeous Cairns by relocating poker machines from existing pubs and clubs across Queensland to a new "Aus Vegas" to be built in the region. Punters may recal Aus Vegas was an online casino name owned and operated by Lasseters, but they closed shop roughly 3 years ago, unable to compete with competitors which snatched online casino tuna, dolphins and whales. Aussie punters turned off Aus Vegas (online), finding the likes of PartyCasino.com, Captain Cooks Casino and Virgin Casino.
The Beaudesert MP first tabled his vision for a Vegas-style pokies hub to reduce gambling in April last year in his virgin speech to State Parliament. It somewhat replicates the US model, where Nevada is the only state to have no significant restrictions against gaming machines. Under the "Aus Vegas" proposal, clubs would have to sell their poker machine licences back to the Government or relocate their pokies to Cairns and become "shareholders" in the new venture. The state's existing 4 major casinos would be exempt.
The plan would be supported by a shake-up of the current distribution of gambling funds collected by the State Government, with pokies revenue instead being poured into recreational sports through a scheme that would hand sports clubs a cash grant for each child they put on the sports field! (a suitable connection between pokies and kids). "The location is ideal given the Cairns region is suffering some of the highest unemployment levels and the tourism industry is plummeting," Mr McLindon said. "It already has the international airport there, which is under-utilised. Ideally, you want them (gaming machines) all in one place so people can go away, have a holiday, blow their money and come home." But welfare groups fear the plan could turn Cairns into another "Sin City", following Vegas, Sydney and Melbourne to a certain extent...making residents the sacrificial lambs of the nation's gambling problems.
Media Man Profiles
Northern Queensland
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/northern_queensland.html
Aus Vegas
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/ausvegas.html
Sky City New Zealand Crunch The Numbers...
The regulatory cloud which has overhung Australia's casino sector since late 2009 looks to have been removed by the government endorsing voluntary pre-commitment as the preferred way of targeting problem gambling, says Rob Bode at First NZ Capital. That's even though the more draconian recommendations seemed very unlikely with the more severe measures unlikely to pass a cost/benefit test, Bode says. "For Sky City Entertainment Group, not only does this remove risk of substantial erosion of gaming revenues for its Australian properties ... but it also avoids an unhelpful precedent being imported to New Zealand," he says. The Adelaide and Darwin casinos contribute about 30% of Sky's group earnings before interest and tax (EBIT). "Following the introduction of the Gambling Act 2003, New Zealand has been ahead of Australia in terms of introduction of harm minimisation measures and this has undoubtedly been a factor contributing to lacklustre performance of gaming machines over the past six years," Bode says. "If Australia had leapfrogged New Zealand in implementation of harm minimisation measures, it would have probably only been a matter of time before New Zealand followed suit." Bode says it looks like the Australian changes will be relatively drawn out and manageable for the industry.
Sky City Shares - 2nd July...
Casino operator Sky City closed up 1.8% at NZ$2.88. Macquarie earlier upgraded it to neutral from under perform following recent weakness in its share price and a benign government response to a Productivity Commission Report on Australian gambling industry.
New Zealand profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/new_zealand.html
Australian Politics - Kate Lundy VS Sen Stephen Conroy ("Censorship Minister")...
Julia Gillard's takeover of the Labor Party leadership has sparked calls for the communications portfolio to change hands also. Gillard became the country's first female Prime Minister after Kevin Rudd decided not to contest a leadership challenge. In her acceptance speech, Ms Gillard said she would make "consequential" changes to cabinet positions at "an appropriate time". However some bloggers and technology pundits have already decided on the two politicians they would like to see trade places. The minister they would like to see out is Stephen Conroy, currently in charge of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (BCDE), and the figurehead of the Government's controversial internet filtering policy. The favourite to replace him is Kate Lundy, a former shadow IT minister who has retained an interest in the area and the respect of industry figures. Technology wire service Delimiter speculated on whether Senator Lundy would replace Senator Conroy in a reshuffle, airing claims from critics of the current minister that Senator Lundy better understood the sector. Gizmodo Australia went one step further and launched a campaign titled "Kate Lundy For IT: The Change We Really Need" that was linked to by hundreds of users on Twitter. "If it's time for a change in Labor, there’s no better change than replacing Conroy with a forward thinking minister for BCDE like Senator Lundy," it said. Editor Nick Broughall said the campaign wasn't just a kneejerk reaction to the leadership change and had so far received encouraging support. "We're going to run with this until the new front bench has been named and we know whether or not the Government is going to change its approach to the BCDE portfolio, in particular its proposed internet filter," he told News Limited's news.com.au. Web filtering Much of the backlash against Senator Conroy is linked to the Government's controversial internet filtering plan. Under the scheme, internet providers like Telstra and Optus would be forced to block access to a secret list of banned webpages. One of the key differences between the two senators is the degree of their support for the plan. Senator Lundy has been one of the only Labor voices to publicly question the policy and earlier this month said she would propose an alternative to the Labor Caucus. "I am working to change the internet filtering policy to better achieve the policy goals of protecting children through empowering and educating parents," she wrote on her blog at the time. Senator Lundy's concerns lay with the mandatory nature of the filtering plan. She believes Australians should be given the option to choose whether their internet connections are censored. However Internet Industry Association chief executive Peter Coroneos said a change of minister wasn't necessary for the filtering plan to be dropped, if the Government chose to do so. "I wouldn't necessarily conclude from (Gillard's) comments that we're going to see a major rearrangement of the deckchairs," he told news.com.au. "To speculate on who will be the communications minister really is jumping ahead." Mr Coroneos said the association supported two of the Government's three main communications policies — the national broadband network (NBN) and its e-security agenda — but not its internet filtering plan. If the communications portfolio was up for grabs, Mr Coroneos said it would be a "difficult question to answer" which senator would suit it best. "Kate Lundy is someone we’ve worked with for a long time and we have a great deal of respect for both her commitment to our industry and also her understanding of the issues," he said. "But there's no doubting Stephen Conroy's commitment to the NBN either." Senator Lundy was one of the first Labor MPs to declare her support for Ms Gillard last night. Fittingly, she made the statement on Twitter. "I will be voting for Julia Gillard in the l'ship ballot. She will be an inspiring PM!," she wrote, from the @katelundy account. And speaking on ABC Radio this morning before the leadership decision was revealed, she seemed confident with what the outcome would be. When asked if Australia would have a new prime minister by lunch, Senator Lundy replied: "I believe so." She also took the opportunity to describe IT policy as one of "those areas I'm passionate about". Senator Lundy was Labor's shadow IT minister from 2001 until 2004 when the portfolio was handed to Senator Conroy under then opposition leader Mark Latham. Since that time Senator Lundy has maintained an active interest in communications and technology, speaking publicly about the NBN and initiatives such as Gov 2.0, and regularly updating her blog. Senator Conroy is also understood to have supported Ms Gillard, according to The Australian. His media advisor did not immediately return a request for comment about the reshuffle.
Aussie Pokie Palaces Use Games To Train Up Kids?...
Pokies venues across the state of Victoria are "grooming" kids to gamble by installing arcade games that mimic poker machines, electronic gaming experts and anti-gambling advocates tell anyone willing to listen. The so called "redemption games", many of which offer children prizes worth hundreds of dollars such as digital cameras or televisions, look similar to poker machines on the premises' adults-only gaming floors, usually located just a few steps away from the kids' areas. Last month Media Man and Gambling911 pointed out the interesting 'Insert Coin' feature on the Google Pac-Man game. Conditioning or not?
A gaming expert at Monash University, Charles Livingstone, says the arcade games served two purposes...to "indoctrinate kids to gambling, to make them think this is a normal part of life"; and to lure children, and with them their parents, into pokie venues. The good doctor said Australia had "one of the world's most liberal gambling regulatory regimes", which had led to more pubs and gaming venues offering children's activities. A state government spokeswoman said there was no "research or evidence linking children playing redemption games … with problem gambling in adulthood", but an Adelaide University study released last year contradicts that assertion! The study, involving more than 2500 teenagers, found that those who were already pathological gamblers were significantly more likely to have a history of playing video and arcade games. Independent Senator Nick Xenophon said state legislation was clearly failing children. "While mum and dad are playing pokies inside, the kids are getting trained up on redemption (arcade) games just a few metres away. The connection is insidious and it is totally cynical," he said. Senator Xenophon said games with gambling features that offered real prizes should be reclassified as gaming machines under the law and children should be banned from using them. If state governments were not willing to act, federal intervention was needed, he said. At the Westside Hotel in Melbourne's west, a group of children's games stands a few paces from the pokies floor. The prizes on offer are attractive...digital camera, 43-centimetre TV, iPod, Nintendo game console. "Win'n'Grin", one game greets us with. But not everyone is grinning.
The manual of one of Westside's games shows operators how to fix the number of games played before a prize is given. Anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello told Fairfax Media he was "very worried about blurring the boundaries of children's play and what is a highly addictive adult entertainment". The Productivity Commission's report on gambling released late last month reaffirmed its view that "minors should not … be exposed to gambling areas within venues". In 2001, arcade games offering cash prizes were banned in Victoria. But games are allowed to dispense redeemable tickets or actual prizes. And while children are not allowed on a gaming floor, venues are allowed to provide children's games nearby. Redemption games - whose primary focus is about winning prizes...have been fixtures in games arcades for years, but the push to install them in pokie venues has accelerated recently. The owner of the largest distributor of coin-operated amusement equipment in Australia, Zak Athanasiadis of Zax Amusements, said dozens of gaming venues around Melbourne now had kids' arcade games. But he said he refused to stock games with prizes worth more than $15. "I don't think it's ethical to have machines where there is a chance people might need to put in $100 to get their prize," he said. "It's not good for the children, it's not good for the parents, it's not good for the venue." The owner of Legends pub in Epping, Bruce McPhee, said redemption games were becoming more popular as children looked for thrills they could not get at home. McPhee said kids could now play race-car games or hunting games in their lounge room or bedroom, but they could not win prizes from their game consoles (but don't tell Richard Branson's Virgin Gaming that, as they may want to argue the point). PokieAct.org founder Paul Bendat said all children's games should be banned from pokies venues. "I stand for children not being in pokies venues at all because gambling is an adult form of harmful entertainment," Mr Bendat advised. He highlighted the issue in a submission to the Productivity Commission, and has raised it with the state government. Bendat said "They've done absolutely - in Victoria - nothing. Zero." Government spokeswoman Rebecca Harrison said redemption games were not covered by the state's gaming regulator, the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation, as they "are not gaming machines because you can't place a bet on the outcome of the game". She said redemption games were "typically games of skill", while pokies were "games of chance". A spokesman for Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group, which owns Westside Hotel, David Curry, said he did not believe the games trained children to gamble and regulators had never raised any concerns about the venue's provision of children's activities. "We operate family venues with a variety of entertainment opportunities for children included within that" he advised.
UFC: Aussies Want Brock Lesnar To Win But Money Goes On Shane Carwin...
Australian UFC and sporting nuts love Lesnar, but the majority think Carwin will... er Win. MMA junkies down under predict Carwin by submission, knockout or stoppage in the 1st or 2nd round. Carwin's positive momentum along with his size and agility, along with not being dwarfed by monster Lesnar are key reasons for the 60% or so backing on Carwin.
Aussie Casino Shares...
Crown $7.730
Tabcorp $6.38
Centrbet $1.130
Tatts $2.230
Reef Casino Trust $1.900
Aristocrat Leisure Limited $3.610
Lasseters Corporation $0.010
SkyCity $2.88
Media Man Financial News profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/financial_news.html
Punters, as always, bet with your head, not over it, know the odds and have fun.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Casino
Media Man Poker
Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
Australia's Cairns In Northern Queensland To Become Aussie Las Vegas?...
Cairns would become Australia's equivalent to Las Vegas under a somewhat controversial scheme to transform it into the national centre for poker machines. Aussie Casino King, James Packer, his prize casino being in Melbourne, Australia, isn't speaking on the matter as yet. Packer also has his Burswood Entertainment Complex in Perth, Western Australia, so don't expect Packer to support the proposal. It's not a Crown Limited venture either, but maybe we would buy them out one day. The current proposal is to be heard within 24 hours in Brisbane, north of Sydney, and south of Cairns, at one of the tourism industry's key annual conventions, Tourism Futures, to be attended by international tourism heavyweights and politicians, including Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. It is being championed - sphere headed by breakaway Liberal National Party MP Aidan McLindon, who has previously had campaigned against the spread of pokies. But Mr McLindon, who quit the party in May to form the Queensland Party, is now pushing for debate on a scheme that would create a Las Vegas style gambling strip in gorgeous Cairns by relocating poker machines from existing pubs and clubs across Queensland to a new "Aus Vegas" to be built in the region. Punters may recal Aus Vegas was an online casino name owned and operated by Lasseters, but they closed shop roughly 3 years ago, unable to compete with competitors which snatched online casino tuna, dolphins and whales. Aussie punters turned off Aus Vegas (online), finding the likes of PartyCasino.com, Captain Cooks Casino and Virgin Casino.
The Beaudesert MP first tabled his vision for a Vegas-style pokies hub to reduce gambling in April last year in his virgin speech to State Parliament. It somewhat replicates the US model, where Nevada is the only state to have no significant restrictions against gaming machines. Under the "Aus Vegas" proposal, clubs would have to sell their poker machine licences back to the Government or relocate their pokies to Cairns and become "shareholders" in the new venture. The state's existing 4 major casinos would be exempt.
The plan would be supported by a shake-up of the current distribution of gambling funds collected by the State Government, with pokies revenue instead being poured into recreational sports through a scheme that would hand sports clubs a cash grant for each child they put on the sports field! (a suitable connection between pokies and kids). "The location is ideal given the Cairns region is suffering some of the highest unemployment levels and the tourism industry is plummeting," Mr McLindon said. "It already has the international airport there, which is under-utilised. Ideally, you want them (gaming machines) all in one place so people can go away, have a holiday, blow their money and come home." But welfare groups fear the plan could turn Cairns into another "Sin City", following Vegas, Sydney and Melbourne to a certain extent...making residents the sacrificial lambs of the nation's gambling problems.
Media Man Profiles
Northern Queensland
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/northern_queensland.html
Aus Vegas
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/ausvegas.html
Sky City New Zealand Crunch The Numbers...
The regulatory cloud which has overhung Australia's casino sector since late 2009 looks to have been removed by the government endorsing voluntary pre-commitment as the preferred way of targeting problem gambling, says Rob Bode at First NZ Capital. That's even though the more draconian recommendations seemed very unlikely with the more severe measures unlikely to pass a cost/benefit test, Bode says. "For Sky City Entertainment Group, not only does this remove risk of substantial erosion of gaming revenues for its Australian properties ... but it also avoids an unhelpful precedent being imported to New Zealand," he says. The Adelaide and Darwin casinos contribute about 30% of Sky's group earnings before interest and tax (EBIT). "Following the introduction of the Gambling Act 2003, New Zealand has been ahead of Australia in terms of introduction of harm minimisation measures and this has undoubtedly been a factor contributing to lacklustre performance of gaming machines over the past six years," Bode says. "If Australia had leapfrogged New Zealand in implementation of harm minimisation measures, it would have probably only been a matter of time before New Zealand followed suit." Bode says it looks like the Australian changes will be relatively drawn out and manageable for the industry.
Sky City Shares - 2nd July...
Casino operator Sky City closed up 1.8% at NZ$2.88. Macquarie earlier upgraded it to neutral from under perform following recent weakness in its share price and a benign government response to a Productivity Commission Report on Australian gambling industry.
New Zealand profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/new_zealand.html
Australian Politics - Kate Lundy VS Sen Stephen Conroy ("Censorship Minister")...
Julia Gillard's takeover of the Labor Party leadership has sparked calls for the communications portfolio to change hands also. Gillard became the country's first female Prime Minister after Kevin Rudd decided not to contest a leadership challenge. In her acceptance speech, Ms Gillard said she would make "consequential" changes to cabinet positions at "an appropriate time". However some bloggers and technology pundits have already decided on the two politicians they would like to see trade places. The minister they would like to see out is Stephen Conroy, currently in charge of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (BCDE), and the figurehead of the Government's controversial internet filtering policy. The favourite to replace him is Kate Lundy, a former shadow IT minister who has retained an interest in the area and the respect of industry figures. Technology wire service Delimiter speculated on whether Senator Lundy would replace Senator Conroy in a reshuffle, airing claims from critics of the current minister that Senator Lundy better understood the sector. Gizmodo Australia went one step further and launched a campaign titled "Kate Lundy For IT: The Change We Really Need" that was linked to by hundreds of users on Twitter. "If it's time for a change in Labor, there’s no better change than replacing Conroy with a forward thinking minister for BCDE like Senator Lundy," it said. Editor Nick Broughall said the campaign wasn't just a kneejerk reaction to the leadership change and had so far received encouraging support. "We're going to run with this until the new front bench has been named and we know whether or not the Government is going to change its approach to the BCDE portfolio, in particular its proposed internet filter," he told News Limited's news.com.au. Web filtering Much of the backlash against Senator Conroy is linked to the Government's controversial internet filtering plan. Under the scheme, internet providers like Telstra and Optus would be forced to block access to a secret list of banned webpages. One of the key differences between the two senators is the degree of their support for the plan. Senator Lundy has been one of the only Labor voices to publicly question the policy and earlier this month said she would propose an alternative to the Labor Caucus. "I am working to change the internet filtering policy to better achieve the policy goals of protecting children through empowering and educating parents," she wrote on her blog at the time. Senator Lundy's concerns lay with the mandatory nature of the filtering plan. She believes Australians should be given the option to choose whether their internet connections are censored. However Internet Industry Association chief executive Peter Coroneos said a change of minister wasn't necessary for the filtering plan to be dropped, if the Government chose to do so. "I wouldn't necessarily conclude from (Gillard's) comments that we're going to see a major rearrangement of the deckchairs," he told news.com.au. "To speculate on who will be the communications minister really is jumping ahead." Mr Coroneos said the association supported two of the Government's three main communications policies — the national broadband network (NBN) and its e-security agenda — but not its internet filtering plan. If the communications portfolio was up for grabs, Mr Coroneos said it would be a "difficult question to answer" which senator would suit it best. "Kate Lundy is someone we’ve worked with for a long time and we have a great deal of respect for both her commitment to our industry and also her understanding of the issues," he said. "But there's no doubting Stephen Conroy's commitment to the NBN either." Senator Lundy was one of the first Labor MPs to declare her support for Ms Gillard last night. Fittingly, she made the statement on Twitter. "I will be voting for Julia Gillard in the l'ship ballot. She will be an inspiring PM!," she wrote, from the @katelundy account. And speaking on ABC Radio this morning before the leadership decision was revealed, she seemed confident with what the outcome would be. When asked if Australia would have a new prime minister by lunch, Senator Lundy replied: "I believe so." She also took the opportunity to describe IT policy as one of "those areas I'm passionate about". Senator Lundy was Labor's shadow IT minister from 2001 until 2004 when the portfolio was handed to Senator Conroy under then opposition leader Mark Latham. Since that time Senator Lundy has maintained an active interest in communications and technology, speaking publicly about the NBN and initiatives such as Gov 2.0, and regularly updating her blog. Senator Conroy is also understood to have supported Ms Gillard, according to The Australian. His media advisor did not immediately return a request for comment about the reshuffle.
Aussie Pokie Palaces Use Games To Train Up Kids?...
Pokies venues across the state of Victoria are "grooming" kids to gamble by installing arcade games that mimic poker machines, electronic gaming experts and anti-gambling advocates tell anyone willing to listen. The so called "redemption games", many of which offer children prizes worth hundreds of dollars such as digital cameras or televisions, look similar to poker machines on the premises' adults-only gaming floors, usually located just a few steps away from the kids' areas. Last month Media Man and Gambling911 pointed out the interesting 'Insert Coin' feature on the Google Pac-Man game. Conditioning or not?
A gaming expert at Monash University, Charles Livingstone, says the arcade games served two purposes...to "indoctrinate kids to gambling, to make them think this is a normal part of life"; and to lure children, and with them their parents, into pokie venues. The good doctor said Australia had "one of the world's most liberal gambling regulatory regimes", which had led to more pubs and gaming venues offering children's activities. A state government spokeswoman said there was no "research or evidence linking children playing redemption games … with problem gambling in adulthood", but an Adelaide University study released last year contradicts that assertion! The study, involving more than 2500 teenagers, found that those who were already pathological gamblers were significantly more likely to have a history of playing video and arcade games. Independent Senator Nick Xenophon said state legislation was clearly failing children. "While mum and dad are playing pokies inside, the kids are getting trained up on redemption (arcade) games just a few metres away. The connection is insidious and it is totally cynical," he said. Senator Xenophon said games with gambling features that offered real prizes should be reclassified as gaming machines under the law and children should be banned from using them. If state governments were not willing to act, federal intervention was needed, he said. At the Westside Hotel in Melbourne's west, a group of children's games stands a few paces from the pokies floor. The prizes on offer are attractive...digital camera, 43-centimetre TV, iPod, Nintendo game console. "Win'n'Grin", one game greets us with. But not everyone is grinning.
The manual of one of Westside's games shows operators how to fix the number of games played before a prize is given. Anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello told Fairfax Media he was "very worried about blurring the boundaries of children's play and what is a highly addictive adult entertainment". The Productivity Commission's report on gambling released late last month reaffirmed its view that "minors should not … be exposed to gambling areas within venues". In 2001, arcade games offering cash prizes were banned in Victoria. But games are allowed to dispense redeemable tickets or actual prizes. And while children are not allowed on a gaming floor, venues are allowed to provide children's games nearby. Redemption games - whose primary focus is about winning prizes...have been fixtures in games arcades for years, but the push to install them in pokie venues has accelerated recently. The owner of the largest distributor of coin-operated amusement equipment in Australia, Zak Athanasiadis of Zax Amusements, said dozens of gaming venues around Melbourne now had kids' arcade games. But he said he refused to stock games with prizes worth more than $15. "I don't think it's ethical to have machines where there is a chance people might need to put in $100 to get their prize," he said. "It's not good for the children, it's not good for the parents, it's not good for the venue." The owner of Legends pub in Epping, Bruce McPhee, said redemption games were becoming more popular as children looked for thrills they could not get at home. McPhee said kids could now play race-car games or hunting games in their lounge room or bedroom, but they could not win prizes from their game consoles (but don't tell Richard Branson's Virgin Gaming that, as they may want to argue the point). PokieAct.org founder Paul Bendat said all children's games should be banned from pokies venues. "I stand for children not being in pokies venues at all because gambling is an adult form of harmful entertainment," Mr Bendat advised. He highlighted the issue in a submission to the Productivity Commission, and has raised it with the state government. Bendat said "They've done absolutely - in Victoria - nothing. Zero." Government spokeswoman Rebecca Harrison said redemption games were not covered by the state's gaming regulator, the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation, as they "are not gaming machines because you can't place a bet on the outcome of the game". She said redemption games were "typically games of skill", while pokies were "games of chance". A spokesman for Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group, which owns Westside Hotel, David Curry, said he did not believe the games trained children to gamble and regulators had never raised any concerns about the venue's provision of children's activities. "We operate family venues with a variety of entertainment opportunities for children included within that" he advised.
UFC: Aussies Want Brock Lesnar To Win But Money Goes On Shane Carwin...
Australian UFC and sporting nuts love Lesnar, but the majority think Carwin will... er Win. MMA junkies down under predict Carwin by submission, knockout or stoppage in the 1st or 2nd round. Carwin's positive momentum along with his size and agility, along with not being dwarfed by monster Lesnar are key reasons for the 60% or so backing on Carwin.
Aussie Casino Shares...
Crown $7.730
Tabcorp $6.38
Centrbet $1.130
Tatts $2.230
Reef Casino Trust $1.900
Aristocrat Leisure Limited $3.610
Lasseters Corporation $0.010
SkyCity $2.88
Media Man Financial News profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/financial_news.html
Punters, as always, bet with your head, not over it, know the odds and have fun.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Casino
Media Man Poker
Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Virgin Casino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award; Breaks PartyCasino Hold
Virgin Casino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award (Finally), Breaks Party Hold...
The PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino online casino wars have been going on for a few years now, much of that time PartyCasino having a lock on the coverted Media Man award. In a shocker, Richard Branson's Virgin Casino toppled Party for June. The new games, excellent affiliate offerings, gameplay, global expansion, addition of the Virgin Gaming arm and outstanding customer experiences were key reasons for the win. PartyGaming's casino got 2nd place, and Captain Cooks Casino in 3rd (comon' Aussie's)! Virgin doesn't accept Aussie or American players, but is big in Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa and much of Europe. PartyGaming remains ultra popular in Australia and New Zealand. Read about the PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino war here...
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/partycasino_vs.html
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Casino
Media Man Poker
Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
The PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino online casino wars have been going on for a few years now, much of that time PartyCasino having a lock on the coverted Media Man award. In a shocker, Richard Branson's Virgin Casino toppled Party for June. The new games, excellent affiliate offerings, gameplay, global expansion, addition of the Virgin Gaming arm and outstanding customer experiences were key reasons for the win. PartyGaming's casino got 2nd place, and Captain Cooks Casino in 3rd (comon' Aussie's)! Virgin doesn't accept Aussie or American players, but is big in Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa and much of Europe. PartyGaming remains ultra popular in Australia and New Zealand. Read about the PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino war here...
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/partycasino_vs.html
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Casino
Media Man Poker
Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Tomb Raider and Thunderstruck online slot games arrive at Virgin Casino
Tomb Raider and Thunderstruck online slot games arrive at Virgin Casino
Play for free or play for money.
Tomb Raider is one of the most popular videogames and online slot games of all time. Join Lara Croft on an epic journey..
*Sorry, no U.S or Australian players. See World Casino Directory
Website
VirginCasino.com
Profiles
Tomb Raider
Thunderstruck
Hitman
Microgaming
Virgin Microgaming
Virgin Casino
Virgin Games
Virgin Slots
Virgin Jackpots
Virgin New Games
V*Points
Richard Branson
Angelina Jolie
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Canada
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Casino News Media
Casino News Media.net
Global Gaming Directory
Play for free or play for money.
Tomb Raider is one of the most popular videogames and online slot games of all time. Join Lara Croft on an epic journey..
*Sorry, no U.S or Australian players. See World Casino Directory
Website
VirginCasino.com
Profiles
Tomb Raider
Thunderstruck
Hitman
Microgaming
Virgin Microgaming
Virgin Casino
Virgin Games
Virgin Slots
Virgin Jackpots
Virgin New Games
V*Points
Richard Branson
Angelina Jolie
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Canada
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Casino News Media
Casino News Media.net
Global Gaming Directory
Monday, June 21, 2010
Virgin Games Partners With Microgaming - 21st June 2010
Virgin Games (www.virgingames.com), the leading online gaming company, today announced that it has partnered with Microgaming, the world's largest online gaming software provider. The partnership will allow Virgin Games to further enhance its offering by providing Microgaming's market leading flash casino games to its customers, through Microgaming's pioneering Quickfire software.
Virgin Games has established a direct integration with Microgaming, giving its customers access to a large variety of games that will be launched over the coming months. The first game to be launched is Thunderstruck, a five reel, nine payline video slot game, with a Wild and a Scatter symbol, a Free Spin Bonus Feature and a Gamble feature.
Microgaming is the world's largest gaming software provider and powers over 120 online Casinos, 40 Poker rooms and a number of market leading Bingo sites, worldwide. This integration, using Microgaming's Quickfire software, reinforces Virgin Games strategy to bring its customer a wider choice of game content and follows integrations with top tier content providers such as Wagerworks, Cryptologic, Freemantle and Ash Gaming.
Simon Burridge, CEO of Virgin Games, commented:
"Our customers have told us that they want a wider range of games and specifically they would love to play Microgaming games as a part of the Virgin Games offering. Since the launch of our custom built platform back in 2008, we have been introducing a range of new gaming content to our sites and Virgin Games now has one of the widest ranges of casino and slot games available in the UK. The addition of Microgaming, the world leader in its field, is a big step forward for Virgin Games customers and we look forward to launching its games with a range of promotions over the coming months."
Founded in 2004, Virgin Games has over 1,000,000 players and more than 200 games on its site. A growing selection of games can be found at Virgin Games from a number of games producers including WagerWorks, Cryptologic, Freemantle, Endemol, Ash Gaming and now Microgaming.
To visit Virgin Games go to: www.virgingames.com
Notes to editors
About Virgin Games:
Virgin Games (www.virgingames.com) launched in June 2004 and has quickly established itself as one of the leading gaming websites in the UK. Virgin Games comprises three distinct offerings:
• Virgin Casino, offers content from a range of games suppliers including WagerWorks, Cryptologic, Freemantle and Ash Gaming, bringing consumers classic casino games like Blackjack and Roulette, as well as great feature slots like Monopoly, Rubik's, X-Factor and the highly popular MegaJackpots progressive games, with a current jackpot value of over £2,500,000
• Virgin Poker, part of the Boss Media network, offers a huge array of games and content for beginners through to experienced pros – as well as the most generous loyalty scheme in the industry
• Virgin Bingo, part of the Virtue Fusion network, offers cash prizes worth thousands of pounds in the progressive jackpots, as well as Virgin prize bingo and a range of unique Virgin Games bingo games.
About Microgaming:
Since the company developed the first true online Casino software over a decade ago, it has led the industry in providing innovative, reliable gaming solutions. Thanks to an unrivalled R&D programme, that averages 60 games per year and a unique 'partnership' approach to working with operators; Microgaming software powers over 160 market leading online gaming sites.
The company's front and back-end software supports multi-player, multi-language games - over 450 of them, all uniquely branded and provides platforms for land-based and wireless gaming. Microgaming powers the world's largest Progressive Jackpot Network and has paid out over €265million. In May 2009 it created the biggest ever online jackpot winner with a single payment win of €6.37m.
As a founding member of eCOGRA, Microgaming is at the forefront of an initiative focused on setting the highest standards in the gaming industry, and leads in the areas of fair gaming, responsible operator conduct and player protection. Microgaming has been awarded eCOGRA's Certified Software Seal following a rigorous onsite assessment to ensure that the development, implementation and maintenance of the software is representative of industry best practice standards Microgaming licensees are therefore eligible to apply for the eCOGRA Safe & Fair Seal
*Virgin Casino does not currently accept U.S or Australian players. See World Casino Directory.
Profiles
Thunderstruck
Microgaming
Virgin Games
Virgin Casino
Virgin New Games
Richard Branson
News
Virgin Casino News
Virgin Games News
Microgaming News
Casino News
Online Casino News
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Casino
Media Man Poker
Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
Virgin Games has established a direct integration with Microgaming, giving its customers access to a large variety of games that will be launched over the coming months. The first game to be launched is Thunderstruck, a five reel, nine payline video slot game, with a Wild and a Scatter symbol, a Free Spin Bonus Feature and a Gamble feature.
Microgaming is the world's largest gaming software provider and powers over 120 online Casinos, 40 Poker rooms and a number of market leading Bingo sites, worldwide. This integration, using Microgaming's Quickfire software, reinforces Virgin Games strategy to bring its customer a wider choice of game content and follows integrations with top tier content providers such as Wagerworks, Cryptologic, Freemantle and Ash Gaming.
Simon Burridge, CEO of Virgin Games, commented:
"Our customers have told us that they want a wider range of games and specifically they would love to play Microgaming games as a part of the Virgin Games offering. Since the launch of our custom built platform back in 2008, we have been introducing a range of new gaming content to our sites and Virgin Games now has one of the widest ranges of casino and slot games available in the UK. The addition of Microgaming, the world leader in its field, is a big step forward for Virgin Games customers and we look forward to launching its games with a range of promotions over the coming months."
Founded in 2004, Virgin Games has over 1,000,000 players and more than 200 games on its site. A growing selection of games can be found at Virgin Games from a number of games producers including WagerWorks, Cryptologic, Freemantle, Endemol, Ash Gaming and now Microgaming.
To visit Virgin Games go to: www.virgingames.com
Notes to editors
About Virgin Games:
Virgin Games (www.virgingames.com) launched in June 2004 and has quickly established itself as one of the leading gaming websites in the UK. Virgin Games comprises three distinct offerings:
• Virgin Casino, offers content from a range of games suppliers including WagerWorks, Cryptologic, Freemantle and Ash Gaming, bringing consumers classic casino games like Blackjack and Roulette, as well as great feature slots like Monopoly, Rubik's, X-Factor and the highly popular MegaJackpots progressive games, with a current jackpot value of over £2,500,000
• Virgin Poker, part of the Boss Media network, offers a huge array of games and content for beginners through to experienced pros – as well as the most generous loyalty scheme in the industry
• Virgin Bingo, part of the Virtue Fusion network, offers cash prizes worth thousands of pounds in the progressive jackpots, as well as Virgin prize bingo and a range of unique Virgin Games bingo games.
About Microgaming:
Since the company developed the first true online Casino software over a decade ago, it has led the industry in providing innovative, reliable gaming solutions. Thanks to an unrivalled R&D programme, that averages 60 games per year and a unique 'partnership' approach to working with operators; Microgaming software powers over 160 market leading online gaming sites.
The company's front and back-end software supports multi-player, multi-language games - over 450 of them, all uniquely branded and provides platforms for land-based and wireless gaming. Microgaming powers the world's largest Progressive Jackpot Network and has paid out over €265million. In May 2009 it created the biggest ever online jackpot winner with a single payment win of €6.37m.
As a founding member of eCOGRA, Microgaming is at the forefront of an initiative focused on setting the highest standards in the gaming industry, and leads in the areas of fair gaming, responsible operator conduct and player protection. Microgaming has been awarded eCOGRA's Certified Software Seal following a rigorous onsite assessment to ensure that the development, implementation and maintenance of the software is representative of industry best practice standards Microgaming licensees are therefore eligible to apply for the eCOGRA Safe & Fair Seal
*Virgin Casino does not currently accept U.S or Australian players. See World Casino Directory.
Profiles
Thunderstruck
Microgaming
Virgin Games
Virgin Casino
Virgin New Games
Richard Branson
News
Virgin Casino News
Virgin Games News
Microgaming News
Casino News
Online Casino News
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Casino
Media Man Poker
Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
Saturday, June 19, 2010
PartyGaming News: PartyGaming’s Corporate Responsibility Credentials Receive Four Endorsements
PartyGaming News
Websites
PartyCasino.com
PartyPoker.com
PartyGaming, the world’s leading listed online gaming company, is proud to announce that its corporate and social responsibility (CSR) credentials have been endorsed by four leading corporate, charitable and gaming industry bodies.
FTSE4Good Index:
PartyGaming has retained its membership of the FTSE4Good Index series which measures the performance of companies against globally recognised corporate responsibility standards. Membership is based on transparent criteria including environmental sustainability, upholding and supporting universal human rights, ensuring good supply chain labour standards and countering bribery. All of these criteria are independently assessed by the Experts in Responsible Investment Solutions.
GREaT Foundation:
PartyGaming has won a ‘Gold Award’ from the Gambling Research, Education and Treatment Foundation in recognition of its financial and professional contributions towards tackling problem gambling. Formerly known as the Responsibility in Gambling Trust, the GREaT Foundation was established as a charity in 2002 and is Britain’s largest funding body responsible for tackling problem gambling through financing research, education and treatment from voluntary donations.
Geoffrey Godbold, Director of GREaT, said:
“We are extremely grateful to PartyGaming as one of the industry’s leading companies that has made an extra effort in supporting our fundraising campaign.”
eCOGRA:
PartyPartners, which is PartyGaming’s affiliate marketing programme, has been awarded the eCOGRA Affiliate Trust Seal. The award certifies that PartyPartners observes best practice for fairness and efficiency in dealing with affiliate marketers. eGOGRA is the independent standards authority for the online gaming industry, overseeing fair gaming, player protection and responsible operator conduct.
Commenting on the award, eCOGRA chief executive Andrew Beveridge said:
“We were impressed by the competency of both PartyPartners’ staff and their systems, which we thoroughly tested at full capacity to determine efficiency and consistency levels. In our opinion it is among the most professionally managed businesses we have encountered in hundreds of eCOGRA reviews and audits at major Internet companies.”
GamCare:
For the sixth year in succession, PartyGaming has been certificated as a responsible operator by GamCare, a registered charity which is a leading authority on the provision of counselling, advice and practical help in addressing the social impact of gambling in the UK.
Andy McLellan, Chief Executive of GamCare, said:
“I am delighted to be able to renew PartyGaming’s GamCare Certification in public recognition of their longstanding commitment to player protection. Players who choose PartyGaming have the assurance from GamCare Certification that there are appropriate measures in place to help them gamble responsibly and that the right advice is there for anyone who wants to know more about staying in control.”
Martin Weigold, Group Finance Director who has executive responsibility for PartyGaming’s CSR matters, said:
“These corporate responsibility endorsements are welcome recognition of our commitment to act responsibly, which remains one of the four pillars of our business strategy. Being recognised in this way is a source of genuine pride for all of PartyGaming’s 1,300 employees whose commitment to undertaking pro bono community projects in 2009 was also recognised as ‘placing the Company well ahead of its peers’ by the GoodCorporation that undertakes CSR reviews for a number of public companies around the world.”
Profiles
PartyCasino.com
PartyPoker.com
PartyBets.com
News
PartyCasino.com News
PartyPoker.com News
PartyGaming News
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Casino
Media Man Poker
Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
Party Casino News
Party Gaming Media
Websites
PartyCasino.com
PartyPoker.com
PartyGaming, the world’s leading listed online gaming company, is proud to announce that its corporate and social responsibility (CSR) credentials have been endorsed by four leading corporate, charitable and gaming industry bodies.
FTSE4Good Index:
PartyGaming has retained its membership of the FTSE4Good Index series which measures the performance of companies against globally recognised corporate responsibility standards. Membership is based on transparent criteria including environmental sustainability, upholding and supporting universal human rights, ensuring good supply chain labour standards and countering bribery. All of these criteria are independently assessed by the Experts in Responsible Investment Solutions.
GREaT Foundation:
PartyGaming has won a ‘Gold Award’ from the Gambling Research, Education and Treatment Foundation in recognition of its financial and professional contributions towards tackling problem gambling. Formerly known as the Responsibility in Gambling Trust, the GREaT Foundation was established as a charity in 2002 and is Britain’s largest funding body responsible for tackling problem gambling through financing research, education and treatment from voluntary donations.
Geoffrey Godbold, Director of GREaT, said:
“We are extremely grateful to PartyGaming as one of the industry’s leading companies that has made an extra effort in supporting our fundraising campaign.”
eCOGRA:
PartyPartners, which is PartyGaming’s affiliate marketing programme, has been awarded the eCOGRA Affiliate Trust Seal. The award certifies that PartyPartners observes best practice for fairness and efficiency in dealing with affiliate marketers. eGOGRA is the independent standards authority for the online gaming industry, overseeing fair gaming, player protection and responsible operator conduct.
Commenting on the award, eCOGRA chief executive Andrew Beveridge said:
“We were impressed by the competency of both PartyPartners’ staff and their systems, which we thoroughly tested at full capacity to determine efficiency and consistency levels. In our opinion it is among the most professionally managed businesses we have encountered in hundreds of eCOGRA reviews and audits at major Internet companies.”
GamCare:
For the sixth year in succession, PartyGaming has been certificated as a responsible operator by GamCare, a registered charity which is a leading authority on the provision of counselling, advice and practical help in addressing the social impact of gambling in the UK.
Andy McLellan, Chief Executive of GamCare, said:
“I am delighted to be able to renew PartyGaming’s GamCare Certification in public recognition of their longstanding commitment to player protection. Players who choose PartyGaming have the assurance from GamCare Certification that there are appropriate measures in place to help them gamble responsibly and that the right advice is there for anyone who wants to know more about staying in control.”
Martin Weigold, Group Finance Director who has executive responsibility for PartyGaming’s CSR matters, said:
“These corporate responsibility endorsements are welcome recognition of our commitment to act responsibly, which remains one of the four pillars of our business strategy. Being recognised in this way is a source of genuine pride for all of PartyGaming’s 1,300 employees whose commitment to undertaking pro bono community projects in 2009 was also recognised as ‘placing the Company well ahead of its peers’ by the GoodCorporation that undertakes CSR reviews for a number of public companies around the world.”
Profiles
PartyCasino.com
PartyPoker.com
PartyBets.com
News
PartyCasino.com News
PartyPoker.com News
PartyGaming News
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Casino
Media Man Poker
Casino News Media
Casino Travel Media
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Sports Entertainment
Party Casino News
Party Gaming Media
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Super Heroes Casino: Crown Casino Client Ferrari Stolen With Virgin Valet, by Greg Tingle - 14th May 2010
Down under in Melbourne, Australia, one casino punter was feeling extremely lucky, pouncing on an opportunity to steal (not win) a Ferrari F430, when a casino valet handed him the keys. Media Man and Gambling911 follow the story in high speed pursuit...
Melbourne Police have now arrested the formally lucky punter after a Crown Casino valet mistakenly handed over the keys to a Ferrari F430 Spider and he took off for a joyride lasting half a day to Coolaroo of all places.
The 32-year cheeky fella was reportedly wearing a tracksuit when a casino valet gave him the keys to the bright red, V8 supercar about 12.30am today.
Police advise the punter drove north up the Tullamarine Freeway but was pinched by police about 6.30am as he fuelled up at a servo in Coolaroo, on Melbourne's outer northern region.
"He is currently assisting police with their inquiries," she said.
Forensic police will today examine the car, which has been towed to a holding yard in Campbellfield.
The attendant at the servo advised the man filled the beast up with petrol before police nabbed the bandit.
"He just filled up with petrol, came in here, paid for it and the cops were outside and just got him," he said.
"The cops I think were already after him."
The happening starting to generate a serious of state, national and international news stories, with Melbourne 3AW radio enjoying banter with a witness "Mark".
"Someone walked out of the casino past me and the security guard, got in and drove off,". The security guard said to me - because he only had an old tracksuit on - and he said 'you can't pick 'em can you'."
Crown Casino spokesman, top brass, Gary O’Neill said the incident was a first for the casino. He explained customers using valet parking were provided with a ticket to be returned to the casino parking attendant when time to collect your car.
"It has happened in the past from time to time that people lose their tickets, and in these circumstances we ask for proof of identification and a valid driver’s licence. Those procedures were followed on this occasion," he said.
"The procedures that we have followed in the past have not resulted in this particular incident, but that’s not to say our system is perfect," he said.
"We’re cooperating fully with the police investigation."
Mr O’Neill said the incident had been caught on film by their CCTV cameras and the footage would be handed over to police. Crown Casino is known for its world class security, as is it's Sydney competitor Star City. The Australian land casino industry was forced to upgrade security in recent years following a succession of undesirable incidents. Industry insiders sometimes joke about the plastic handcuffs initiative and footy and cricket stars getting pissed at casino events but this matter was very serious in nature. The casino wants its VIPs, high-rollers, whales and the like to know that their transport is in safe hands at Crown Casino.
Melbourne's Police 'Highway Patrol' is known to be world class and its understood that at least 99% of police corruption as featured on Network Nine 'Underbelly' has been cleaned up.
Crown tag lines include 'World Of Entertainment' and 'Wear The Crown'.
Mr James Packer, Australian and Asia Pacific casino and gaming king, remains the owner of Crown Limited. He also owns Burswood Casino aka Burswood Entertainment Complex in Western Australia, and has a number of interests in Macau and Britain, as well as new media - internet entities. Packer remains passionate for sport, meeting Virgin king Richard Branson last year at the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix and enjoys polo, as did his late father Kerry Packer.
Ok you want more on the sports car...we hear you...
The F430 went on sale in 2005 with the Spider convertible going for a cool $444,000 AUD, plus options and on-road costs.
F430 production was ceased earlier this year and will be replaced by the flashy458 Italia, which we understand has a two-year waiting list.
Casinos have long been associated with fast cars (and fast, sexy women). In recent years the online casino and online poker sector has plugged into the demo, with PartyGaming and PKR offering sports car as high level prizes.
A few months ago PartyGaming and PKR Poker had a Porsche up for grabs, but no one qualified to win. Not to be disheartened, Party's casino and poker brands are once again offering dream machine grand prizes...
Last week Richard Branson's Virgin Racing came to sponsorship terms with online poker powerhouse Full Tilt Poker. The massive exposure of Virgin's F1 involvement on a international scale was a key reason the deal went ahead.
A number of weeks before the public Virgin - Full Tilt Poker deal, PartyGaming's PartyPoker signed up F1 superstars Jaime Alguersuari and Giancarlo Fisichella as brand ambassadors. Poker legend and World Poker Tour mainstay Mike Sexton remains the global PartyPoker ambassador. Last month following the sporting theme, PartyPoker also signed up Italian football legend Francesco Totti. The financial terms of the poker sponsorship deals are not currently known, as all parties appear to want to keep the details under wraps. Speaking of big names, rumours are circulating that PartyGaming may be in the midst of doing another deal and announcement with movie legend of Rambo and Rocky fame, Sylvester Stallone. Sly is featured in the Rambo online slot game, exclusive to PartyGaming.
PartyGaming's PartyCasino
and
PartyPoker.com
PartyCasino - Grand Win Auto - Win A Maserati GranTurismo
PartyPoker - Drive The Dream - Win a Aston Martin DB9 Coupe
Crown Casino Share Price - CWN: 8.290
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Casino
Casino News Media
Media Man Poker
Poker News Media
Australian Casinos
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Casino News
Australian Sports Entertainment
Melbourne Police have now arrested the formally lucky punter after a Crown Casino valet mistakenly handed over the keys to a Ferrari F430 Spider and he took off for a joyride lasting half a day to Coolaroo of all places.
The 32-year cheeky fella was reportedly wearing a tracksuit when a casino valet gave him the keys to the bright red, V8 supercar about 12.30am today.
Police advise the punter drove north up the Tullamarine Freeway but was pinched by police about 6.30am as he fuelled up at a servo in Coolaroo, on Melbourne's outer northern region.
"He is currently assisting police with their inquiries," she said.
Forensic police will today examine the car, which has been towed to a holding yard in Campbellfield.
The attendant at the servo advised the man filled the beast up with petrol before police nabbed the bandit.
"He just filled up with petrol, came in here, paid for it and the cops were outside and just got him," he said.
"The cops I think were already after him."
The happening starting to generate a serious of state, national and international news stories, with Melbourne 3AW radio enjoying banter with a witness "Mark".
"Someone walked out of the casino past me and the security guard, got in and drove off,". The security guard said to me - because he only had an old tracksuit on - and he said 'you can't pick 'em can you'."
Crown Casino spokesman, top brass, Gary O’Neill said the incident was a first for the casino. He explained customers using valet parking were provided with a ticket to be returned to the casino parking attendant when time to collect your car.
"It has happened in the past from time to time that people lose their tickets, and in these circumstances we ask for proof of identification and a valid driver’s licence. Those procedures were followed on this occasion," he said.
"The procedures that we have followed in the past have not resulted in this particular incident, but that’s not to say our system is perfect," he said.
"We’re cooperating fully with the police investigation."
Mr O’Neill said the incident had been caught on film by their CCTV cameras and the footage would be handed over to police. Crown Casino is known for its world class security, as is it's Sydney competitor Star City. The Australian land casino industry was forced to upgrade security in recent years following a succession of undesirable incidents. Industry insiders sometimes joke about the plastic handcuffs initiative and footy and cricket stars getting pissed at casino events but this matter was very serious in nature. The casino wants its VIPs, high-rollers, whales and the like to know that their transport is in safe hands at Crown Casino.
Melbourne's Police 'Highway Patrol' is known to be world class and its understood that at least 99% of police corruption as featured on Network Nine 'Underbelly' has been cleaned up.
Crown tag lines include 'World Of Entertainment' and 'Wear The Crown'.
Mr James Packer, Australian and Asia Pacific casino and gaming king, remains the owner of Crown Limited. He also owns Burswood Casino aka Burswood Entertainment Complex in Western Australia, and has a number of interests in Macau and Britain, as well as new media - internet entities. Packer remains passionate for sport, meeting Virgin king Richard Branson last year at the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix and enjoys polo, as did his late father Kerry Packer.
Ok you want more on the sports car...we hear you...
The F430 went on sale in 2005 with the Spider convertible going for a cool $444,000 AUD, plus options and on-road costs.
F430 production was ceased earlier this year and will be replaced by the flashy458 Italia, which we understand has a two-year waiting list.
Casinos have long been associated with fast cars (and fast, sexy women). In recent years the online casino and online poker sector has plugged into the demo, with PartyGaming and PKR offering sports car as high level prizes.
A few months ago PartyGaming and PKR Poker had a Porsche up for grabs, but no one qualified to win. Not to be disheartened, Party's casino and poker brands are once again offering dream machine grand prizes...
Last week Richard Branson's Virgin Racing came to sponsorship terms with online poker powerhouse Full Tilt Poker. The massive exposure of Virgin's F1 involvement on a international scale was a key reason the deal went ahead.
A number of weeks before the public Virgin - Full Tilt Poker deal, PartyGaming's PartyPoker signed up F1 superstars Jaime Alguersuari and Giancarlo Fisichella as brand ambassadors. Poker legend and World Poker Tour mainstay Mike Sexton remains the global PartyPoker ambassador. Last month following the sporting theme, PartyPoker also signed up Italian football legend Francesco Totti. The financial terms of the poker sponsorship deals are not currently known, as all parties appear to want to keep the details under wraps. Speaking of big names, rumours are circulating that PartyGaming may be in the midst of doing another deal and announcement with movie legend of Rambo and Rocky fame, Sylvester Stallone. Sly is featured in the Rambo online slot game, exclusive to PartyGaming.
PartyGaming's PartyCasino
and
PartyPoker.com
PartyCasino - Grand Win Auto - Win A Maserati GranTurismo
PartyPoker - Drive The Dream - Win a Aston Martin DB9 Coupe
Crown Casino Share Price - CWN: 8.290
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Casino
Casino News Media
Media Man Poker
Poker News Media
Australian Casinos
Global Gaming Directory
Australian Casino News
Australian Sports Entertainment
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)