Although US players will still not be able to make use of the feature, payment processor Paypal is once again processing online gambling transactions.

The turnaround in Paypal’s policy towards online gambling transactions has begun in the UK market with a move to allowing online bingo, poker and casino sites to once again make use of its nearly instantaneous money transfer service.

Industry insiders speculate that the move comes after major players in thye search ads market opted to allow gambling advertising in the UK and that Paypal may be preparing itself to enter the US gambling market should UIGEA be repealed. According to a recent study, the US gambling market could be worth 12 Billion Dollars annually if opened.

For now only a handful of UK casino and bingo operators will be offering Paypal as a payment option, but Paypal assured players of secure transactions without the need to reveal sensitive finacial data to operators in the form of bank account or credit card numbers.

According to a report by Online Casino Advisory, Paypal still seems to be operating cautiously to avoid legal entanglements with US authorities and the move is seen by observers as the beginning of a reversal of the online gambling ban.

Week in Gambling Ep. 4 is all about casino affiliates, online casino game previews and the World Series of Poker 2009.

This Week:

• US Gambling Law – Illinois in the money.
• Game Previews – Casino game previews.
• Intl. Networking – Affilicon highlights.
• WSOP 2009 – Package give-aways.

Week in Gambling Ep. 3 is all about Online Casinos to look for and others to look out for. In this weeks episode Online Casino Reports advises players to stay away from casinos operated by Grand Prive, and suggests some amazing offers to track down instead.

This Week:

• Caution – watch out for these casinos
• Outstanding Offers – slots and poker players are in for a treat.
• Affilicon – a quick recap.

Poker rooms are hungrier than ever to keep players happy. If you’re an online poker player you should definitely think about maximizing the bonuses you receive from playing. Most advanced players settle on rakeback. A rakeback provider is a poker affiliate who will deal with the poker rooms for you and pay back a percentage of the rake you pay at the tables. Obviously this scales up the more you play and is a bonus which keeps on giving – unlike one time signup or reload bonuses.

There are several providers online and it’s worth choosing a reputable site as once you sign up through an affiliate you are usually stuck with them for as long as you play at a particular poker room. Nobody wants to give up their Full Tilt account because they’ve dealt with a bad affiliate. We can recommend rakeiteasy.com as they pay out on time, have great support and offer a large variety of poker rooms.

What is rake?

You might be wondering exactly what rake is. It varies a little from room to room but essentially rake is how the online poker rooms make money. They take a small percentage (usually around 5%) of each pot. It’s capped at a few dollars per pot. Although each piece of rake is small this soon adds up. A regular player can rake 100’s or 1000’s of dollars each month.

What is rakeback?

A major source of players for poker rooms is affiliate marketing. Whenever you see a site offering poker room reviews or bonus codes they are receiving a cut of the profit from every player they send on to a poker room. Rakeback affiliates share this cut with the players they refer. A standard rakeback deal will give the player back about 30% of the rake they pay. The affiliate keeps a small amount and the poker rooms see this as a good way to offer a loyalty bonus to players.

How much can I make?

It will vary greatly player to player. The more you play, and the higher the stakes, the more rake you will pay and thus the more rakeback you can receive. It will also depend on the site you play at. Generally the bigger the room the smaller the payout. Popular poker rooms offer around 30% rakeback while new poker rooms will offer up to 50%. Trying out a new room can pay out some really nice bonuses.

A big misconception is that rakeback is only worthwhile to high stakes players. In fact because the amount of rake is capped small stakes players suffer more from rake. If you’re trying to build up your bankroll then rakeback will definitely help. If you want to see how much you could be receiving then have a look at this rakeback calculator.

How do I get started?

To get rakeback you will often need to sign up for a new poker room account. It can sometimes be added to an existing account but that will depend on the policy of the poker room and whether you originally signed up through an affiliate. If you did then you’re usually out of luck. Contact your rakeback provider with your poker room account details and they’ll see what they can do.

Our friends at rakeiteasy have over 25 poker rooms on offer including the big names like Full Tilt, PKR, Cake Poker, Ultimate Bet and Carbon Poker. Go check out their offers and see if you could be benefiting.

In this episiode, dramatic figures from the US might affect the future of online gambling in North America, plus:

• new multiplayer slots from JackpotCity Bingo
• qualifying for ECOOP IV through William Hill Poker Club
• CAC Amsterdam 2009

The latest innovation from the leading online poker room gives players multiple chances to win cash prizes, a 2009 WSOP package, and a Peugeot 207cc luxury car.

Online poker players making their first deposit during the month of May at Titan Poker, the largest poker room on the iPoker Network, will receive free entry to a series of freeroll tournaments awarding a grand total of $63,000 in guaranteed prizes.

New depositors get tournament entries to a series of satellites awarding seats to the poker room’s monthly $20,000 New Depositors Freeroll, where a guaranteed prize pool of $20,000 is distributed among the most skillful poker players.

In addition, new depositing players get entries to satellite tournaments awarding seats to Titan Poker’s exclusive Peugeot 207cc Freeroll, which will be staged on June 5. The winner of that tournament will drive away in a Peugeot 207cc Coupe Cabriolet convertible sports car, valued at $30,000.

And finally, Titan Poker’s is giving its newest depositing members chances to win a 2009 World Series of Poker package, valued at $13,000. The package includes the $10,000 buy-in to the WSOP Main Event, travel to Las Vegas, 7 nights of luxury accommodation and spending money.

With $63,000 in prizes available to players, more and more poker enthusiasts are seeing the advantages of making their first deposit at Titan Poker during May 2009.

This week in gambling features information about the New William Hill Casino Club and College Poker Concept as well as:

• OCR Live!
• Winners @ Heart
• Bonus of the Week
• Free Poker Action

In an update to an ealier news item regarding Barney Frank’s plans to appeal the UIGEA ruling this morning’s edition of the eGaming Review snapshot revealed some further information regarding the Bill as well as its relase date which is now slated for as early as next month.

Barney Frank’s bill to repeal the UIGEA could be reintroduced as early as March, a congressional aide for the chair of the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee told Reuters.

Sources familiar with the EU’s formal investigation into whether Washington was singling out EU companies for enforcement actions while allowing US online firms to operate freely also told the news organisation they expect the report to recommend action at the World Trade Organization when it is released next month.

However, rather than move immediately to litigation, it’s thought EU officials will use the report as leverage to seek a negotiated solution with the US.

Hundreds of bingo professionals have already registered for BingoWorld, representing a broad spectrum of industry participants, including charitable, commercial, online and tribal bingo hall operators, gaming regulators, suppliers and other interested groups. They are coming from more than 35 U.S. states, several Canadian provinces and from as far away as Australia, Norway and the Philippines.

“Our early registration numbers prove that BingoWorld couldn’t come at a better time, as our program will focus on how to succeed in today’s challenging environment,” said Charles Anderer, Group Publisher, Gaming, for BNP Media, the show’s producer. “The opportunities to network and learn from peers are invaluable, and perhaps defying the odds we are truly attracting an excellent international crowd this year.”

While the conference program is exceptional, with more educational opportunities than ever in a new two-day value-packed format, there should also be plenty of excitement in the exhibit hall. Several of the bingo industry’s largest suppliers will be on hand, and a number of new exhibitors this year add great variety to the mix. Keeping everyone entertained will be Stephen Kaplan, The Tradeshow Emcee. He will make sure everyone knows what each exhibitor has to offer and contribute to a very active show floor.

BingoWorld opens on March 3 with a full day of intensive conference sessions with something for everyone, including commercial, tribal and charitable bingo operators. The morning of March 3 also includes an all-new edition of Sellin’ Paper and Callin’ Balls, the customer service workshop presented by Raving Consulting’s Steve Browne.

The conference schedule continues on March 4 with two concurrent programs. One is the popular Bingo University, a hands-on workshop focusing on marketing that has drawn rave reviews each of its first two years. The other is Bingo and the Internet, a new three-session program which will explore the popularity of bingo as both a money game and a free-play game on the Internet. The emphasis will be on how all bingo halls can benefit from this exposure, and it will include a detailed look at how they can maximize the marketing potential of their own Web sites.

For more information on exhibiting at BingoWorld or to learn about sponsorships, contact Lesley Grashow at grashowl@bnpmedia.com or (203) 938-2782.

BingoWorld is produced by BNP Media Gaming Group, the leading producer of trade magazines, e-newsletters and trade shows serving the gaming industry around the world.

Media contact: Charles Anderer, Group Publisher, Gaming, BNP Media, andererc@bnpmedia.com or (718) 432-8529.

The PPA has an estimated 130000 player residents in Kentucky. The Poker Players Alliance was a big part of bringing in a positive decision. The other groups included online gambling interests such as sportsbook.com, sportsinteraction.com, mysportsbook.com, sbglobal.com, carmenmedia.com and hundreds of others collectively.

John Pappas adds, "We are pleased that the appeals court has forcefully reversed Judge Wingate’s earlier ruling and confirmed many of the arguments that have been raised in opposition to the seizure effort. The Court of Appeals has agreed with the PPA’s position that Judge Wingate did not have jurisdiction to issue the order that he entered against these domains and that Secretary Brown has no legitimate right to deprive the citizens of Kentucky of the legal right to play poker online."

Rich Muny, Kentucky State Director for the PPA, said, "This common-sense approach would benefit Kentucky’s poker enthusiasts and the revenue will benefit the state as a whole. Rather than spending hard to find dollars on this case, the Governor could actually turn this into a much needed new revenue stream for the Commonwealth."

This is a massive decision for the world of online poker. Domain names are not a ‘gambling device’ the court has ruled and therefore are not subject to seizure or forfeiture. Internet freedom was in question in this case, so this outcome was an important one.

Source: swiss-press.com