Speculation Regarding the US Online Gambling Legislation

Whilst we mainly bring you UK based Casino news, casino and poker players will not have helped but notice reports in the press over the last week regarding the legalisation of online poker and online gambling in several US states. The first state to officially allow online poker was Nevada, home to the glitzy Las Vegas, and following hot on its heels was New Jersey (home to its East Coast rival Atlantic City), who have gone a step further and legalised the online play of all casino games which can be played in a bricks and mortar casino.

But what does this mean for UK casino players? Will we eventually see a return of US players to our favourite online poker rooms and also to our online casinos? Or will these bills still restrict players to the US, and not affect European and UK casinos?

It is my guess that this is the start of the re-introduction of US players to the global online gambling community; albeit a gradual one. Although bills in both Nevada and New Jersey have been passed, they are not thought to actually be operational until later on this year. The same goes with Delaware who also recently announced their own legalisation of online gambling, and who are seeking a casino operator to integrate with their powerful State Lottery. However, due to the smaller size of Delaware – which houses 917,000 residents, compared to New Jersey’s 9 million – it is thought that they will form either an interstate agreement, which will allow residents of other states to play across state borders, or even an international agreement, specifically with Europe.

Vernon Clark, director the Delaware Lottery Office, has confirmed there have been “discussions” with both Nevada and “Europe” (although the specifics of where in Europe are not known), so there is a chance this could see the first step to US players re-joining the international gaming market. Plus, despite intentions for Delaware to have their online gambling up and ready by 30th September 2013, they are still awaiting an operator. Could one of the UK based companies already in the US market show an interest? 888 Holdings, William Hill and bwin.party all currently have interests in the Las Vegas or Atlantic City markets, either through sports betting or partnerships with US based resorts, so it is not too big a leap to imagine there will be interest from UK based companies.

If this happens, we could see the start of online poker games between UK and US players by the end of 2013. The potential size of the US gambling market runs into billions, and if more states follow in the footsteps of Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware (such as Massachusetts, California and Iowa, who have similar bills in the pipeline), who knows what impact this could have on the rest of the world? Time will tell.

Read More

If you’d like to read more about the New Jersey Legislation, click here.
If you would like to read more about the Nevada bill, click here.

Super Casino Work Starts in Birmingham

Work on the latest Super Casino has started at the NEC in Birmingham, despite concerns from local residents. The £150 million, seven storey super casino will also house a 170 bed hotel, a 45 unit designer shopping centre, an 11 screen cinema, restaurants and a conference centre, and will be jointly operated by the NEC and Genting Casino UK, part of the Malaysian Genting Group.

However, despite estimates that the new complex will create 1,100 hospitality jobs and 1,700 temporary construction jobs, residents in the Birmingham area are concerned about the impact such a gambling mecca will have on its local neighbourhoods. Claims that it will create more gambling problems in the local area are rife amongst residents, despite counter arguments from the company, who claim the “island nature” of the site will minimalize such risks.

Instead, Genting Casino and the company behind this super casino, which is due to open in 2015, are focusing on the economics. They claim the development – of which the casino makes up just 11% - will bring £58 million into the region during building, then £25 million annually, which will go directly into the Solihull area. Plus of course, there is the matter of the creation of 1,100 new jobs to an area actively seeking economic investment via regeneration (highlighted by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership).

The Super Casinos, which were specifically recommended for construction in certain areas around the UK by the Casino Advisory Panel (including Leeds, Great Yarmouth, Kingston Upon Hull, Middlesborough, Milton Keynes and Southampton), share several main purposes, with their main aim being to attract visitors to these areas which struggle to bring in tourists, which in turn will help stimulate the economic growth of each area. As for the second purpose, Paul Thandi, chief executive of the NEC, has summed it up perfectly – “Gambling brings tax.”

Electronic Gambling Machines – How Much Is Too Much?

Electronic gambling machines or Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) have been in the news a lot recently, amid calls from senior ministers and the Fairer Gambling Commission to restrict the amount people can bet on these machines. The terminals, featuring games like Roulette and bingo, are usually found in high street bookies, and can accept bets of up to £100 per minute. Campaigners for the newly founded Stop the FOBTs want to see the amount reduced from £100 per minute to £2.00 per minute, to attempt to slow down the rate that people gamble.

The findings of a report regarding the amount gambled on these machines in Wales was released by the Fairer Gambling Commission this week, which claimed that each adult who bets regularly on a FOBT will spend £650 per year on average – whilst the figure per head for England is estimated to be £863. It is believed that players from Cardiff and Wrexham bet the most, with their annual spend per head being up to £1000.

However, initial calls for the crackdown were rejected by the Government and the Association of British Bookmakers, who denied there was evidence that the machines caused problem gambling. Betting Expert Mark Davies, who is a non-executive director of games provider Probability and was a key founder of Betfair – claims that the machines are no more dangerous or addictive than any other form of gambling, whilst Dirk Vennix from the ABB confirmed that the majority of users bet “safety and responsibly.”

Although these newly released figures do seem immediately high and shocking, at no point does the survey take into account the financial or socio-economic background of those gambling. All such reports will declare is that gambling will “take advantage of the poorest parts of society”, yet there are plenty of “wealthy” people who also enjoy gambling, bet sensibly and can afford it.

Figures such as these, which involve taking averages, can also be skewed by rogue data – for example, if an individual spends £50,000 in one sitting on such a machine. Whether they can afford the amount they are betting or not, this will mean the data is affected, and then the average spend per individual appears higher.

Mark Davies’ blog does touch on these points too, and is worth reading if you want to balance out your views on the FOBTs and indeed, the gambling industry generally. He brings up some excellent points regarding the emotive language used by the press across this thorny debate – starting with calling the machines the “crack cocaine” of betting, and he also questions the motivations behind the Fairer Gambling Commission.

This is clearly a highly emotive issue, not to mention being extremely attractive to the media because of the issues involved, so we think it’s crucial for all UK casino players, the government and even the journalists writing on the subject to gain a balanced and informed view when making their mind up about this contentious issue.

We’d love to hear your opinions on this, whatever they are, so please leave comments for us below.

Are Women The Future For The Online Gaming Industry?

There has been much in the news recently regarding the increasing presence of female players at online gaming sites, with various reports coming out stating that the proportion of women gamblers is on the rise. According to a report by Britain’s National Centre for Social Research, the number of women gambling has increased by a third to one half of all players in the last year, and it seems online casinos are sitting up and taking notice of their female players, who had previously been seen as a market minority.

Female Friendly Casinos?

Whereas gearing up games for female players used to be an afterthought for online casinos, today we are seeing complete casinos being aimed specifically at women. The best example is Maria Casino, a Scandinavian based online bingo and casino portal run by Unibet, who have specifically targeted a female audience with their minimalist yet modern colour scheme and combination of sharp games provided by Net Ent and Cryptologic. You can check out a review of Maria Casino over at Gamble.co.uk.

The recent buy out of Virgin Games by Gamesys also suggests that Virgin may now be targeting the fairer sex, as the combination of IGT games (including Wonderland, Pixies in the Forest and Monopoly) alongside the prestigious JackpotJoy-style bingo offering is certainly more female friendly than their previous site.

But the influx of women to gaming doesn’t stop at online casinos. PokerStars, the largest online poker table in the world, has a completely separate site dedicated to their female poker players, with a host of exclusive promotions, events and even tournaments strictly for women only. Plus, with female poker stars like Victoria Coren and Vanessa Selbst dominating poker headlines regardless of whether the news is aimed at men or women, it would seem that women are starting to become major players on the tables.

It would seem therefore that much of the recent growth in the online gaming and mobile market could be attributed to the insurgence of female players, and it is certainly making casino operators sit up and take notice. Women are no longer happy to sit and play online bingo, they want more challenge and more excitement, and it would appear that our favourite online gambing companies are only too happy to oblige. Of course, what we want to know is - will this mean there will be more hunky male live dealers?

See The Difference...

We found this fantastic infographic which neatly points out some of the more surprising comparisons between male and female gambling patterns. However, it is a couple of months old now, so the figures are for fun, rather than fact!

Men vs Women Online Gambling Statistics infographic
 

Are you a female online casino player? We’d love to hear your favourite places to play!