Australia would be barred from sites thought dangerous to adults, which may contain, online casinos and other forms of online betting as well as x-rated material featuring consenting adults with a government member saying the program will begin next year.

The Australian government is set to impose Internet censorship by enforcing a universal national filter that will block websites deemed “controversial,” as part of a wider agenda to regulate the Internet according to free speech advocates. A provision whereby Internet users could opt out of the filter by contacting their ISP has been stripped from the legislation, meaning the filter will be universal and mandatory.

The Australian government will no doubt insist that their filter is in our best interests and is only designed to block child pornography, snuff films and other horrors, yet the system is completely pointless because it will not affect file sharing networks, which is the medium through which the vast majority of such material is distributed.

However, Personal freedom issues are raised by censorship opponents, who point out only Egypt, Iran, and China attempt such mandatory control of the Internet. An Electronic Frontiers On Australia said, "We’re yet to hear a sensible explanation of what this policy is for, who it will help, and why it is worth spending so much taxpayers' money on,".

Governments are furious that their ceaseless lies are being exposed in real time on the World Wide Web and have resolved to stifle, regulate and control what truly is the last outpost of real free speech in the world. Internet censorship is perhaps the most pertinent issue that freedom advocates should rally to combat over the course of the next few years, lest we allow a cyber-gag to be placed over our mouths and say goodbye to our last medium of free and open communication.

Internet censorship is the first step but its not the last. restricting and limiting the free speech and the free communications are form of mind-control. And the objectives are clear enough that are to stopping the truth to be known and the criminal practices to be exposed. The real question is that, will the free people give up their basic liberty?

The cash-strapped state that has shown willingness in the past to be a trendsetter when it comes to legislative action is ready to hold a hearing on the merits of regulating online poker. California State Sen. Roderick Wright that the state legislature is planning on holding a hearing on the issue in February.

Moreover, top casinos Commerce Casino and Morongo Tribe are amongst entities supporting the regulation. Both the Morongo tribe and Commerce hope to operate online casino poker if the legislation became law. Patrick Dorinson, Morongo Tribe's spokesperson said, “About one million Californians are playing poker offshore right now,” referencing the popularity of current online poker sites that serve US players.

Lawmakers are hesitant to predict how much intrastate online poker could bring in to the state in terms of revenue, but the state operated poker like it does its Indian-run slot machines, more than $250 million could be raised per year. If ever, California would become the first state to explicitly legalize and regulate intrastate online poker if this proposal becomes law.

On the contrary, not all groups support the proposal. Robert Smith, the chairman of the California Tribal Business Alliance said, “Card game gambling on the Internet would take business away from brick-and-mortar casinos,” . Jim Butler, executive director of an advocacy group against gambling expansion said, “If someone can come home from work and give their credit-card number to an Internet site and lose thousands of dollars, that is going to exacerbate a bad situation”.

However, The Department of Justice has long claimed that all forms of gambling on the Internet are illegal, but there is no applicable law that states such a position, and most lawyers agree that the law that the Department of Justice refers to, the Wire Act, only applies to sports betting.

A recent ruling by the U.S. third circuit court of appeals clarified that the UIGEA, which was passed in 2006, did not criminalize any forms of online gambling. That law just affects the payment processors and how money can be transferred onto sites.

While California legislators don’t appear to be intimidated by the Department  Of Justice's position on online poker, U.S. law is much less vague when it comes to the operation of online gambling. State and federal laws prohibit companies from operating Web-based gambling games in the country.

After months of waiting, state universities may finally be able to start drawing from expected state revenue from table game gambling in Pennsylvania. The state House approved on a preliminary 98-94 vote a proposal to authorize table games such as blackjack, craps and roulette at all Pennsylvania casinos.

The table games bill, the final piece of the 2009-10 budget package, could get final consideration on the House floor Tuesday, after which it would go to the Senate. With that step taken, the House also voted last night to approve delayed appropriations to Penn State, Pitt, Temple and Lincoln universities.

The Democrats' plan would permit the state’s racetrack and free-standing casino operators, including Penn National in East Hanover Township, to pay a $16.5 million fee to obtain the expanded licenses. Profits on the new casino games would taxed at 14% through May 2011, plus another 2 percent for payments to host communities. The tax rate would fall back to 12 % in June 2011.

The measure, unveiled by House Democratic leaders in recent days, would raise the state's number of casino licenses from 14 to 15 and legalize table games such as poker, blackjack and craps at the state's slot-machine casinos. It is supposed to raise $320 million for the state over the first two fiscal years by setting a tax rate on gambling revenue from table games at 14 percent and requiring the casinos to pay millions of dollars in license fees.

In the latest twist to the debate, Democratic leaders Monday proposed in their bill to create a Category III, or "resort," license after ruling out authorizing additional casinos last week. The issue is relevant in the midstate because of Gettysburg businessman David Levan’s interest in developing a casino at the Eisenhower Hotel & Conference Center in Cumberland Township, south of the borough.

But the new license is far from a sure bet. Erik Arneson, a top aide to Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware County, said Monday it is doubtful there is enough support in the state Senate to approve a gaming bill that creates any new casino licenses. He did not rule out, however, the chance that pro-gambling senators could approve a different provision to allow a new round of applications for the state’s lone, unawarded resort license.

Proponents say the measure will help state government raise additional revenue to shore up its recession-ravaged tax collections and provide jobs at a time when many people are out of work.

According to various reports, renowned online casinos PartyGaming- a parent company of Party Poker and Bwin are currently in merger talks that could create a multi-billion pound "gambling giant". Finally, after following the US government’s decision to delay implementing the UIGEA for 6 months, the possibility of the online gaming ban in the US being overturned has become increasingly more likely, and mergers are now becoming seen as an important way that companies could consolidate their positions in the internet gaming market.

Earlier this year, PartyGaming settled with the US Department of Justice for $105 million dollars. Many people believed that this settlement would lead to increased acquisition activity by PartyGaming, and this certainly appears to be the case.

“Speculation about consolidation in the online gaming sector has been rife in recent months, A tie-up between PartyGaming and Bwin would be logical given the former’s ambition to grow its presence in sports betting, an area where the Austrian group has particular strength. PartyGaming, based in Gibraltar, is best known for offering poker and casino games. It seems likely that if the two businesses can agree a tie-up, the deal would be structured as a merger of equals.” Said by a Sundat Times newspaper reporter.

A merger between the two online gambling sites, if it were to take place, would create an online gambling giant. PartyGaming trades on the London Stock Exchange and is valued at around 1 billion pounds, while Bwin trades on the Vienna stock exchange and is valued at around 1.2 billion pounds. Any new operation would have an estimated value in excess of £2 billion, could offer the whole range of gambling activities to its customers, and would be well placed to exert considerable control over the currently scattered state of the online gaming market.

About Bwin online casino: Bwin has one of the largest online sportsbook operations in the world, while PartyGaming has the fourth largest online poker room.

About PatryGaming online casino: PartyGaming wants to expand its sports betting business, while Bwin is eager to increase their online poker numbers. A merger between the two companies would seem to make a great deal of sense.

To a greater extent, senior citizens are getting past their technophobia and coming up with the internet for the first time to play online casino games. Lots of them don't realize that by getting conventional with computer technology they are promoting better health.

Online casinos and sports betting sites make gambling accessible to the extreme and have become a popular outlet for casino enthusiasts. While younger generations have quickly adapted to the online gambling sphere and the resources it offers, the older population is still going through the learning process of how to maneuver computers. Senior citizens who are now being unveiled to the internet as a result of online gambling are proving that it is never too late to do well out of by learning something new.

Lots of senior citizens engage in online casino world for leisure activity. A factual research conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and Penn State University proves this in a study. A recent survey of almost 1,000 elderly people showed that 70% had participated in an online gambling activity in the past year. The connection between this demographic and gambling has naturally developed to new relationships with computers and the elderly community.

There are positives being discussed in academic institutions such as the Pennsylvania universities. Older people are getting over the intimidating and nervous emotions that come with learning something new and they are embracing it as a new educational experience.

Being taught or teaching yourself new things is vital to the brain’s health. Associate Professor Stephen Robinson from Melbourne Monash University’s School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine asserts that learning new information produces mental stimuli that can promote better health. Activating parts of your brain is important for the elderly because it can stage off Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

All neuroscientists will agree that conducting new tasks is a healthy formula to help train the connections between brain cells. Senior citizens who are curious about the online world of gaming are in fact being proactive by teaching their brains to learn new tricks. On top of this, playing certain games of strategy like blackjack, poker and baccarat provide additional mental exercise.

In the past, senior centers would plan group trips where people would spend hours of thoughtless time pulling on slot arms. Times are changing now because the alternative of playing at online casinos is more convenient. An older generation is catching up to the times and finding out how stimulating the internet can be.

Anti-gambling crusader and a professor in university of Illinois, John Kindt continued to repeat falsehoods about online gambling on a radical religious website, hoping the readers would accept his declarations without fact-checking. John Kindt Friday as reasserting his statements about the mischief of online gambling. He supposedly versed in scientific objectivity and proper research methods, continued his personal criticism against gambling in general and online casinos in particular, despite evidence that he is obviously wrong.

"Online gambling is the crack cocaine of creating new addicted gamblers," says Kindt, a statement he repeats around the country on speaking tours, ignoring the accumulated data and researchers' conclusions that he is dead wrong.

According to R&D magazine has published an article in which John Kindt claims online gambling regulation could cause an economic crisis as bad as the sub-prime mortgage fall down. Professor John Kindt criticizes Barney Frank for attempting to tighten controls on Wall Street while laughing out of court him for trying to wipe off the restriction on the free market that constitutes the online gambling ban. In addition, John Kindt said that regulating online casinos would cause an enormous hazardous that burst on online gambling operators that would overflow, causing an even bad economic downturn.

However, Sociologist Joel Best has said an incorrect statistic is "harder to kill than a vampire." Armed with that knowledge, Kindt seems determined to continue uttering falsehoods in the belief that hearing them repeated will convince the general public of their truth.

But objective studies, confirmed by peer review, have found that online gambling is actually much less addicthive than land-based casino gambling. As Dr. Howard Shaffer admitted his two-year study at Harvard Medical School expected to find a high level of problem gambling among online players, but the actual evidence confirmed the opposite: online gambling is safer than other forms of betting.

But Professor John Kindt state under oath that his supposedly factual purpose is that online gambling is as bad as crack. John Kindt was one a few speakers trotted forth by the far right church group as a supposed scholar, is equally biased. He notes conclusions drawn by the National Gambling Impact Study Commission of 1999, a body composed of political rather than scientific appointees whose conclusions have been debunked by thousands of peer-reviewed studies in the decade since.

European online casino operators are telling lawmakers that online gambling prevents cheating on sports bets because would-be fixers are unable to generate wagers large enough to profit from their schemes. According to industry representatives, technology at online casinos and sports betting sites significantly reduces the effectiveness of match corruption.

The European Sports Security Association, created by online gambling operators in Europe to detect and report unusual betting patterns and suspicious gaming, says online wagering helps remove much of the danger of corruption by its very nature. Michael Summer, public relations manager at sports betting site Interwetten, that scandals sweeping soccer did not earn profits online, because systems in place would identify suspicious betting patterns.

"We have suffered in the past due to manipulated results, but we haven't been hurt at all by the current scandal, that's because we have a risk management system that can block attempts at cheating at an early stages." Micheal Summer said.

"All of our customers are identifiable and can't get away with using pseudonyms and false identities more than once or twice, that makes Internet gaming operators far more secure than traditional betting shops." Summer added.

On the other hand, Declan Hill, a British investigative journalist says the hundreds of corrupt soccer results being uncovered in Europe and Asia aren't caused by regulated online casinos and sportsbooks across Europe, but the massive underground gambling market in Asia and Eastern Europe.

"In Asia, the gambling market is enormous - bigger than Las Vegas and the European bookmakers combined, It's huge and most of it is illegal. It's easier to hide a fraud inside a covert, criminal industry." Declan Hill said.

Also he mentioned that legal and reliable online casino and sports betting sites are the most difficult to scam with corrupted results. The online records of identities and transactions bring a level of distinctness that scammers need to avoid, and technology allows the detection of unusual betting amounts and patterns, especially on more unheard-of contests that tend to be the prey of corruptive influences.

As many as 200 matches may have trade-off results across international borders and involving a host of players and referees. However, legal online sports betting services say they were not targeted by the cheaters, as they would be able to spot the fixed matches and identify participants.

The European Gaming and Betting Associatio (EGBA) is the industry body representing the leading online casino and sports betting operators established, licensed and regulated within the European Union. EGBA promotes the implementation of a fair, competitive and regulated market for online gambling operators throughout Europe in line with EU law.

The EGBA presumes that this regulated market should be based on a valid public order and consumer protection concerns and be adapted to the cross-border nature of the online market. A successful regulated market would be based on effective European and international collaboration and cooperation. EGBA is composed of Europe’s top online casino games and sports betting operators, some of which are listed on the stock exchanges of London, Vienna and Stockholm.

The target of the organization are definitely in vulnerablity in Belgium as that country has decided to ignore recommendations from the European Commission and approve in principle. The Secretary General of EGBA, Sigrid Ligne, issued a statement, commenting on Belgium's disregard for E.U. treaty laws, “It is baffling that Belgium does not take into account the opinion of the European Commission that crucial elements of the law are in conflict with EC law requirements. And even more so with a view to the upcoming Belgian presidency of the EU; how can Belgium show leadership in the EU, if it blatantly chooses to ignore the EC Treaty?”.

A majority in the Belgian Parliament voted in favour of the law, Regardless of the objections were raised by some elected officials who brought to point the European Commission concerns including:

    * The requirement for online operators to be established in Belgium
    *The unjustified limitation of the number of available licenses
    *The requirement to have a server located in Belgium
    *Criminal sanctions on consumers wishing to play with EU licensed operators

Secretary General Sigrid Ligne went on to comment, "The law is not only highly questionable from a legal point of view," adding, "In the digital age, limiting the provision of online services only to those exploiting a betting shop or casino in Belgium doesn’t fit with reality. A high level of consumer protection can be achieved by specific and targeted legislation, not by protecting the operators with a vested interest in the current situation."

The new European Commissioner for internal markets, Michel Barnier, from France may have a difficult challenge ahead as he takes on the position from diligent predecessor, Charlie McCreevy. Legal action could be brought against the Belgium State by the E.C. when the law comes into effect.

During the time that the lawmakers in the US work on overturning the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, Harrah's Entertainment has quietly launched their new online casino. Harrah's Entertainment has been getting ready for introducing their latest online casino, and now it’s time for their Caesars Casino Online debut.

Caesars is one of the world’s most recognized gambling entertainment brands as many of you already know. Known for its style, ambiance and luxury, you can now enjoy those same aspects of this world renowned online casino. From the motto itself, “Harrah's Getting Set To Take Gambling Online”, and signed a long-term settlement deal with one of the most pre-eminent online gaming group, 888 Holding (Dragonfish) to provide Harrah's with online gambling services.

Caesars Casino Online is powered by Dragonfish and appears to offer a variety of games, including roulette, craps, Caribbean Poker, three-card poker, video poker, video slots and blackjack and offering a 100% welcome bonus for up to £500. As of now, it is not accepting players from the U.S. or Germany. Players from the United States are redirected to a page that lists Caesars' land-based gaming properties.

It is also offering comp points based on how much players bet. It is not clear if the comp points system will be tied into Harrah's Total Rewards. Since the original Caesars Palace hotel and casino was constructed in Las Vegas. It has been associated with the best and the brightest with having a forged ties with Hollywood stars like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr.m Dean Martin, Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Evel Knievel, and David Copperfield. Caesars Brand is now synonymous with indulgence, boldness, and prestige.

The superior quality that Caesars is recognized in online gambling as Caesars Casino Online establishes itself as a beacon to the industry as its sets the standards in providing an exceptional customer service and offering to its online clients generous online casino bonuses and promotions.

It has been a widespread opinion within the online gambling industry that Harrah's wanted to have their online casino up and running in preparation of law changes in the US. The company, based in Las Vegas, would most likely be one of the first licensed for online gaming should the US regulate online casino.

Some top banking official told Congress that Barney Frank's regulatory plan for online casinos and online sport betting sites would solve the difficulties posed the financial industry by the UIGEA ban.

Samuel Vallandingham, a Vice,-President of the First State Bank of Barboursville, West Virginia, and is also vice-chairman of the Payments and Technology Committee of the Independent Community Bankers of America said, “The added burden of monitoring all payment transactions for the taint of unlawful Internet gambling would drain finite resources currently engaged in complying with anti-terrorism, anti-money laundering regulations, the plethora of new regulations emerging from the financial crisis and the daily operation of community banks to meet the financial needs of their customers”.

Samuel Vallandingham also discussed the scarcity of exposition of illegal online gambling provided in the UIGEA. Because no overriding law exists, he said, banks would have the problematic task of determining each customer's legality with regard to hundreds of state, federal, and local laws. Moreover, also mentioned that the card companies have the advantage of merchant coding to more easily classify casino and gambling transactions, but also pointed out that coding depends on full disclosure by merchants, asking Internet gaming operators to essentially give themselves up.

On the brighter side, some online gambling providers supports the online casino regulations to prevent online gambling and online sports betting scams and other falacies. Like Youbet Chairman Mike Brodsky was amomng the staunchest supporters of regulation, even though the online casino ban supposedly gives the horse race betting his site allows an exemption from blocking of payments. Mike Brodsky said, “Illegal internet gambling in the U.S. is happening right now and is growing, The only way to put any controls is to legalize and regulate it ”.

Also the Harvard University Professor, Malcolm Sparrow support and said, “The U.S. incurs all of the social costs related to U.S. residents gambling online, Legalization with regulation would provide U.S. authorities the power to grant or deny licenses. ”

Last May 2009, Chairman Barney Frank introduced legislation to delay the implementation of regulations pursuant to the 2006-passed UIGEA, which are set to go into effect December 1, 2009. The regulations were completed by the Bush Administration at the last minute, and the legislation will stop federal regulators from enforcing the UIGEA until Congress has had a chance to decide national policy.

Chairman Barney Frank has also introduced H.R. 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act of 2009, that would establish a federal regulatory and enforcement framework under which online gambling operators could obtain licenses authorizing them to accept bets and wagers from individuals in the United States.

Bulgarian parliament voted at first reading last Wednesday in favor of an increase in the tax rate on gambling activities from 10% to 12% as part of amendments to the Corporate Income Tax Act. Bulgaria Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, says he wants a higher gambling tax to make up forth budget for not increasing the excise on alcohol.

Moreover, Bulgaria Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov requested that the gambling tax is raised to 15%, no tax on hard liquor, precisely the traditional Bulgarian brandy known as “rakia". On the contrary, The conservative party “Law, Order, Justice” (RZS) and the members of the Blue Coalition had proposed that the gambling tax be raised from its current 10% to 15%, arguing that this should be calculated on a profit basis.

On the same day, the Council of Ministers confirmed that it has accepted only the proposal to increase the tax to 12%, on the basis of turnover. Some of the other taxation actions passed were a quarterly tax on gambling and sports betting. The Bulgarian parliament voted at first reading on November 4, 2009 in favor of an increase in the tax rate on gambling activities from 10% to 12% as part of amendments to the Corporate Income Tax Act.

The latest taxes come into effect in January 2010 as part of a revised Corporate Income Tax Act.

The Bulgarian Association for Entertainment and Gambling Games, which had previously advised that tax augmentation, could be the ultimate damage to fighting gambling companies repeated its warning that the augmented taxation could lead to the collapse of the business, and possibility of 40,000 jobs to be lost and government incomes.

The Chair of the Parliamentary Budget Commission, Menda Stoyanova, declared her support for an increase in the tax on gambling, while the Blue Coalition and the Party for Order, Justice and Equality (RZS) proposed that this tax be increased to 15%. The members of the parliament additionally adopted the proposal of the Council of Ministers to reverse tax concessions for companies having large investments in agriculture, general production, the processing industry, high technologies and infrastructure.

Concessions in the amount of tax paid would be proportional to any donations made to the following Bulgarian organizations: Fund for Treatment of Children, Fund for Assisted Reproduction and Fund for Transplants. The Corporate Income Tax Act bill will now proceed to the mandatory second reading in Parliament.

Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker has guarantted to pay more than $900,000 to put an end to bad check charges with 3 Las Vegas casinos and inhibit trial on felony criminal charges. The plan calls for Antoine Walker to pay a minimum of almost $13,000 per month over 5 years to settle a complaint containing from casino debts at Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood and the Red Rock Resort. The case contained from $1,000,000 in casino markers, or promises to pay, he racked up between July 2008 and January 2009. In Nevada, unpaid markers are treated as bad checks.

The gambling debts of former NBA star Antoine Walker have been negotiated and today at a court hearing Antoine Walker made his first payment toward resolving $905,050 owed to 3 Las Vegas casinos. Antoine Walker forfeited a $135,000 cash bond toward the debt today in Las Vegas Justice Court. Under a deal negotiated with prosecutors, Walker, who faces 3 felony bad check charges for casino debts at Red Rock Resort, Planet Hollywood and Caesars Palace, will pay a minimum of $12,835 a month to resolve the remaining $770,050 in debt.

A complaint charges Walker with 3 felony counts of passing checks with insufficient funds from July 27, 2008, to Jan. 19 at the 3 casinos (Red Rock Resort, Planet Hollywood and Caesars Palace). The complaint alleges he wrote 10 separate checks for $100,000 each, for gambling markers.

However, Antoine Walker never entered a plea in the case, which was filed last July. Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson agreed Monday not to order him to stand trial in state court on 3 felony bad check charges, each carrying a possible one- to four-year prison term.

The case is remaining in justice court as part of the agreement. If Walker misses a payment, it will be transferred to district court and set for trial. Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson warned against a missed payment, saying if Antoine Walker failed on his end of the bargain, she would send the case to district court “I can tell you at the point he stops making payments, I will bind him up so fast it’ll make your head spin,” She said to Walker.