Gambling Firms Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, Ladbrokes, Sportingbet Et Al Jockey For Top Ten, by Greg Tingle - 24th June 2011

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyPoker.com PartyCasino.com Porsche Sin City



Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyPoker.com PartyCasino.com Porsche Sin City

Websites

PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com

The ultra competitive online gambling and gaming industry shows little sign of slowing down, despite many countries being in a recession.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment continues to be largely recognised as the world's largest and most successful online gambling firm, with their PartyCasino.com online casino remaining their flagship brand.

In other news, Sportingbet has emerged as an apparent bid target for Ladbrokes...just weeks after the UK betting powerhouse failed it's attempt b2b Wink bingo owner, 888. Insiders often say that 888 attempt to copy much of Bwin.Party's strategic moves, but this has not been the case as of late.

The online firm, which nets about £2 billion a year in wagers, confirmed a highly preliminary approach from Ladbrokes but did not give further details.

Industry speculation has hinted that Ladbrokes could be looking to offer around 70p a share, equivalent to more than £450 million.

The spike in interest comes two months after a move for 888 Holdings worth around £240 million fell through because the two sides couldn't agree on a price.

The betting market is seen as ready for more takeovers, with some analysts stating that that Betfair and Sportingbet could merge, which also suggesting Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment may swallow up more igaming operators, as well as invest into some website portals and media companies.

Channel Islands-based Sportingbet offers wagers on sports and online casino games and poker. It has benefited from the growing popularity of 'in play' gaming...live betting during a sports match.

It recently paid out a £22.8 million settlement with the US Department of Justice, meaning it will now avoid being prosecuted for accepting online bets made by American players between 1998 and 2006.

Analysts said the deal cleared the path for potential mergers or takeovers. Last year, it held unsuccessful talks with Swedish online gaming firm Unibet as well as other parties. Rivals Bwin and PartyGaming, who merged earlier this year, have also been tipped as a possible buyer for the business.

Ladbrokes chief executive Richard Glynn, who has overseen a strategic review of the business since taking the helm last year, is keen to drive forward the company's online growth amid fears it is lagging behind rivals.

The group, which enjoys history back to 1886, has roughly 2,100 outlets in the UK and is also a market leader in Ireland, Belgium, Italy and Spain.

Bwin.Party continues full speed ahead with new slot game Sin City being released, and rumours that Knight Rider, Hulk Hogan's Hulk-A-Mania and Andre The Giant will also soon hit their premier online casino brand, PartyCasino.com Bwin's PartyPoker.com is also offering a chance to win a Porsche playing online poker.

Website portal operators such as Media Man are gearing up for an increase in online gaming traffic as many more games and very controversial news stories are tipped to be just around the corner.

Responsible publishers and igaming firms remind visitors and players to bet responsibly and never bet more than you can afford to use. Many games are offering both "play for free" and "play for money" options to help offer a customer friendly user experience, all aiming to get their share of eyeballs and the entertainment dollar.

Australia, New Zealand, United States and Canada are all seen as markets where igaming is likely to further build in popularity.

Profiles

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyPoker.com PartyCasino.com Porsche Sin City

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Spider-Man Tobey Maguire Star Caught In Web Of Gambling Ring; Leonardo DiCaprio Rounders Up, by Greg Tingle - 23rd June 2011

Profiles

The Amazing Spider-Man Spider-Man Marvel Entertainment Marvel Comics Marvel Studios Movies Media Man Poker Casinos Casino Movies



Profiles

The Amazing Spider-Man Spider-Man Marvel Entertainment Marvel Comics Marvel Studios Movies Media Man Poker Casinos Casino Movies

Spider-Man star... Mr Spider-Man himself, Tobey Maguire, is one of a dozen or Hollywood stars being sued in connection with an illegal gambling ring that allegedly ran multi-million dollar underground poker games.

And you wonder why Hollywood so embraced the popular poker themed game 'Rounders'.

According to the suit, Maguire took more than $US300,000 worth of illegal funds embezzled from hedge fund investor Bradley Ruderman, who is currently in jail for a ponzi scheme.

The underground games, allegedly led by Ruderman, CEO of Ruderman Capital Partners, were unlicenced and thus illegal under California law.

According to the investigation, Ruderman lost $US25 million of investor money in the games, which were held bi-weekly in luxurious suites at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Viper Room and Four Seasons Hotel.

With Ruderman's company now in bankruptcy, trustees are attempting to seize some of Maguire's winnings to pay off creditors.

Nick Cassavetes, who directed The Notebook, and Welcome Back, Kotter star Gabe Kaplan are among the names facing hefty lawsuits for their participation in the high stakes Texas Hold'em games, according to leaks and a range of online and traditional media outlets.

Other stars who allegedly took part in the gatherings, which had a buy-in of $US100,000, included 'Catch Me If You Can' megastar Leonardo DiCaprio, Good Will Hunting actor Ben Affleck and Bourne star Matt Damon. Damon was also in the poker themed movie 'Rounders'.

Tens of millions of dollars is understood to have changed hands in the illegal games.

Marvel Entertainment does not offer marvel themed poker games but does offer Marvel Entertainment themed online slot games, available in website portals such as Media Man Int and via online gaming brands such as Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment and Richard Branson's Virgin Casino. PartyCasino.com, the online casino leading brand by Bwin.Party is understood to be in negotiation with both the United States, Canadian and Australian governments regarding b2 gaming. Party came to a settlement with the United States Department Of Justice two years ago to the tune of approximately $100 million, and are looking to expand gaming in the U.S beyond their World Poker Tour brand.

Who are you betting on? Spider-Man or the 'Catch Me If You Can' man? Maybe you would prefer not to say and just place a silent bet!

Tobey Maguire sued over illegal poker winnings...

Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire and other celebrities have been caught in a web of lawsuits seeking to reclaim more than $US4 million ($3.8 million) won during unlicensed poker matches at upscale Beverly Hills hotels, court records show.

The lawsuits were filed by a bankruptcy trustee attempting to recoup money for investors who were duped in a Ponzi scheme.

The legal actions claim the clandestine Texas Hold 'em matches were played between 2006 and 2009, with some of the money taken in the Ponzi scheme used to pay off debts incurred by its architect, Bradley Ruderman.

Maguire is being sued for $US311,000 plus interest that the lawsuit says was won from Ruderman. In all, 22 people have been individually sued to try to recoup money.

Among them was Nick Cassavettes, director of The Notebook. The trustee is attempting to recover nearly $US73,000 plus interest from the actor-director.

Maguire's attorney, Robert Barta, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment but was expected to file a response to the suit later this week.

Cassavettes's agent Jeff Berg also did not immediately respond to a phone message.
Also being sued is billionaire businessman Alec Gores, who along with his brother attempted to buy Miramax Films last year.

Gores is being sued for $US445,500. Phone message left for Frank Stefanik, a spokesman at The Gores Group, and his attorney, Patricia Glaser, were not immediately returned.

Ruderman was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison earlier this year after pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud, two counts of investment adviser fraud and willful failure to file taxes.

Bankruptcy trustee Howard Ehrenberg filed the lawsuits in late March, attempting to recoup money on behalf of people who invested in what the legal action called a Ponzi scheme organised by Ruderman.

The suits contend the defendants have no right to keep money won from Ruderman, since the games did not have the appropriate government licenses.

Tournaments were held in luxury hotels in Beverly Hills and organised by a woman identified as Molly Bloom, who is being sued for nearly $US475,000 paid to her by Ruderman, the lawsuits said.

The claims were first reported Wednesday by RadarOnline and Star Magazine. (Credit: AP)

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Playtech making its return to US gambling - 21st June 2011

Profiles

Playtech Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Gaming iGaming Media Man



Playtech earlier today became the virgin British firm in the online gambling - gaming sector to return to the United States, five years after President George Bush outlawed the industry.

The strategic move also comes weeks after "Black Friday" when the federal authorities indicted three of the world's largest online poker sites, PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker, on charges of money laundering, bank fraud and violating anti-gambling statutes. Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, the world's leading igaming firm, is not facing the same dramas, having come to terms with the United States Department Of Justice a few years ago to the tune of over a $100 million.

Playtech and its joint-venture partner Scientific Games have signed an agreement with the California Online Poker Association. Copa represents 31 card clubs and 29 native tribal governments who own rights to gambling proceeds in the state. Playtech will supply COPA with the technology to launch "free-to-play" online poker sites ahead of widely expected legislation allowing state-by-state online gambling.

With two bills before the Senate, Playtech said the timing of when it would go live depended on the change in regulation but could become a "very substantial revenue source". It's estimated that two million Californians gamble illegally on offshore online poker websites.

Insiders noted that competitor online UK gambling company Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment - formally PartyGaming, paid $105 million (£65 million) to settle with the US authorities. Playtech was never targeted by the US authorities.

Playtech is also understood to be eyeing off a number of other countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

'Casino Royale' Director: 'Quantum of Solace' a 'Mess', by Greg Tingle - 20th June 2011

James Bond Casino Royale Daniel Craig Movies Hollywood



James Bond Casino Royale Daniel Craig Movies Hollywood

James Bond 23 Will Be Better Than Quantum of Solace...

With comic book based movie Green Lantern currently at the box office, its director, Martin Campbell, is taking the opportunity to get some three-year-old gripes off his chest. The director is credited with giving the James Bond franchise the reboot it needed with 2006’s Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig, but he says the movie’s sequel, 2008's Quantum of Solace, didn’t quite keep the momentum going. “Oh, I thought it was lousy,” Campbell tells CraveOnline. “And hopefully this next one will be terrific. Sam Mendes is directing it and I’m sure it’ll be terrific.” We do hope that Mendes (Revolutionary Road) lives up to Martin’s expectations on Bond 23, because it seems he’ll probably hear about it later. “I just thought the story was pretty uninteresting,” Campbell goes on to say about Quantum of Solace. “I didn’t think the action was related to the characters. I just thought overall it was a bit of a mess really.” The currently untitled Bond 23 is slated for release next year, now that MGM has sorted out many of their previous financial challenges, a key reason for the delay of the Bond film.

The New Bond Girl?...

Pirates Of The Caribbean star Naomie Harris has confirmed she is in the running for the role of a sexy and smart Bond girl in the next 007 movie. The British actress, 34, was reported to have been in talks with filmmakers to star in the long-delayed 23rd film. Harris told the press she had no issues with a Bond girl role, despite demanding a body double for sex scenes in Miami Vice and telling Michael Mann, the director of the 2006 film, she would not do nudity. "What makes them (Bond movies) work is that they are responsive to the times," she said. "(Former Bond girl) Eva Green's character in Casino Royale was not scantily clad. She was an intelligent, strong, modern woman. "The older idea of the Bond movie is in the past. Now it appeals to all generations, ages and sexes." She said while "nothing is confirmed", she would "love to be part of the Bond movies". Asked about her views on female nudity in films, the actress added: "It's the objectification that I don't like. I didn't sign up to be a stripper. "I'm very anti the pressure that is put on women to take their clothes off." Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace star Daniel Craig is returning to star in the as-yet untitled Bond adventure, directed by Sam Mendes, which is due for release next year. Media Man is the go-to man for Australian - Fijian actor and pro wrestler, John "Vulcan" Seru, who played 'Gabor' in James Bond flick 'The World Is Not Enough'. Seru also played 'Kiwi Steve' on a number of recent Underbelly episodes, often featured in scenes opposite Australian heartthrob and Cleo Bachelor Of The Year, Firass Dirani. Seru is tipped to attend the action packed upcoming WWE Australian tour with Media Man and friends. Dirani advised the Underbelly connection helped him get into Hollywood where he was cast into The Killer Elite, staring Robert De Niro. Many movie buffs and gambling fans will recall that De Niro played Sam "Ace" Rothstein in Casino, a 1995 acclaimed crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese.

Readers, be it as a director, producer, actor, punter or publisher, bet with your head, not over it. You're throw of the dice.

Profiles

Casino (Movie) John "Vulcan" Seru Firass Dirani Movies Wrestling WWE Australia

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News