Irish online casino and sports betting site Paddy Power has donated £10,000 towards refurbishment work at Newmarket's Catholic Church in Suffolk of the UK as part of a deal where their name will be put above the confession box. Paddy Power is paying Our Lady and St. Etheldreda Church over $15,000 to place the Paddy Power brand on the confessional box.

The sponsorship, which is valued at £10,000, was the brainchild of Paddy Power and Newmarket Parish Priest Father Michael Griffin with the sponsorship money helping to finance the reordering of the church. The reordering has been planned for a number of years with finance proving a major a hurdle. Church members are surprisingly united in their acceptance of and gratitude for the online casino sponsorship. The church priest mentions that he and the church leaders are delighted to have the generous donation, and says he has included Paddy Power by name in sermons.

Father Michael Griffin, the parish priest, told local press: "An enterprising member of our fund raising committee was ringing anyone with vaguely Catholic or Irish connections and spoke to Paddy Power who agreed to make this generous donation. I’ve been asked whether the proceeds of gambling are suitable to fund churches, but all churches built around the time this one was, in the 1960s, were funded by football pools, bingo evenings and raffles".

Mark Hackeson, spokesman for the Catholic diocese, said, "There is nothing morally wrong with gambling unless it deprives people of what is necessary to provide for their needs and that of their dependants".

Paddy Power said, "From our point of view it’s a great fit to sponsor a confession box in a church nestled in the galloping heart of British horse racing. We hope that over time confessing your sins in the Paddy Power confession box will become a tradition for Newmarket race goers!"

Paddy Power is targeted to the UK and European markets and at present supports accounts in just two currencies: GBP Sterling (£) Euro (€). German and Spanish language sites are also available. Paddy Power is also renowned for "Justice" payouts where they pay out based on what they think should have happened, as well as the actual result. A great deal for online gamblers!

Australia - As our beloved internet and technology becomes more advanced, increasing questions are being asked about such matters in Australia such as when is a gambling device not a gambling device, but just a computer, and vice versa... you get the idea punters.

Australian authorities confiscate a rental computer because it could be used to access online casinos, making it a potential gambling device in their eyes. A service providing computers with Internet access in Australian pubs and hotels is charged with operating an illegal gambling device. VenueNet is a marketing company whose computer kiosks are facing charges by Tabcorp that they violate exclusive gaming licenses and are real online casino.

Tabcorp pays for licensing in locations in the Australian province of Victoria, but customers using VenueNet's computer Internet connections can access online casino and sports betting sites and other competitors shopping their bets and gambling while avoiding Tabcorp. After hearing complaints, officials from the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation impounded the computer located at the Rising Sun Hotel in Melbourne.

VenueNet executives are demanding the return of their computer. They say the device is the same as those installed at airports, malls, and other locations, and is no more a gambling device than computers in the courtroom or anywhere else.

While the machines do permit users to access sports betting site including Sportsbet and online casino, it does not emphasize that connection any more than the millions of other possible websites. The computer does not accept or register bets.

VenueNet says it has damages coming from the state for impeding its business. It plans to install 200 more computer kiosks in Victoria, and says it will expand to other provinces once the Victoria case is settled.

The Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation lodged an appeal with the Victorian Supreme Court to stop Sportsbet being heard in the magistrates court, as a third party in the case, on legal issues relating to the seizure warrant. The wagering licence, including exclusive retail rights in pubs, is held by Aussie gaming giant Tabcorp, which complained about the machine in question to authorities last year. The new wagering licence is expected to come into play in 2012.

A new study by UK gaming analysts shows as many as 32,000 jobs could be created by US regulation of online casino. A pair of high-profile reports were revealed in recent days that urge governments to legalize and regulate online casino in order to stimulate the economy.

In the U.S. Political website The Hill reports that “legalizing online gambling could create tens of thousands of new jobs over five years,” writes Kevin Bogardus, citing a new research report from H2 Gambling Capital, U.K.- based market analysis firm. In addition to the 32,000 new jobs the report cites, legalized online gambling would also yield “$57.5 billion in new tax revenue over five years. It could also lead to $94 billion in new economic activity, the firm estimates.”

“This study should provide further incentive for the Obama administration and Congress to act quickly to regulate Internet gambling,” Simon Holliday, a director at H2, said in a statement published in The Hill article.

The report also argues that the UIGEA and other anti-online gambling laws are throwing away billions of dollars "and leaving tens of thousands of U.S. players without any onshore regulatory protection" - the kind of protection that may prevent certain money launderers from manipulating an online gambling industry that's short in legal payment solutions.

In Australia, a similar study states that the online casino is experiencing an incredible popularity surge, and what is now a $790 million industry will likely double by 2012. Which accumulating $790 may seem like a somewhat paltry number compared to the billions cited above for the American market, but it seems less so when one considers that Australia’s population is about 1/12th of the U.S.

Simon Holliday remarked that this and past studies have shown that by trying to ban online casino rather than regulate it,US lawmakers are spending billions rather than collecting billions, all while failing to protect US consumers from unsavory elements in the gambling industry. Barney Frank is promising to soon push to advance his proposal to regulate online casino. A deadline of June 1st looms, as that is the implementation date for UIGEA rules against online gambling payment transactions (See VISA Blocks Online Casino Transactions In Canada).

Regulation of online casino seems to be a growing cause in Congress, as bipartisan legislators have called for the suspension of the UIGEA as well as submitted bills using funding from online casino taxes to pay for tax reform and foster care, among other causes.

One of the most popular new series of online slots to hit the online casino world is the Marvel Superhero slots game created by Cryptologic. The Marvel Superhero slots that have recently been released at Cryptologic-powered online casino have become some of the most popular games to ever hit the online gambling scene. The relationship between Marvel and Cryptologic was seemingly successful, but the software designer has just announced that a legal dispute is now taking place with the comic book company.

According to a press release issued by Crypotologic’s subsidiary WagerLogic Ltd, Marvel has committed material breaches of certain provisions of its agreement with the designer. The company has tried to come to an agreement outside of court, but they have been left with no choice but to undergo the arbitration process.

There are no concrete reasons have been cited as the cause of the disagreement, although industry onlookers are speculating. It is believed that Cryptologic is not pleased with Marvel’s subsequent partnership with PlayTech. Cryptologic signed its licensing deal with Marvel in 2005, granting the online gambling developer sole rights to the depiction of the superheroes in the online casino realm. By 2008, almost 20 games were produced as a result of the partnership, but one year later Marvel signed a very similar deal with PlayTech.

Playtech signed a licensing agreement with Marvel to create a range of Marvel slots based on popular superhero characters and went on to launch a series of online slot games including X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, Blade, Daredevil, Elektra, Iron Man and Fantastic Four. These games very soon captured the imagination of slots players world wide as did the superior graphics, sound and animation. Plus there's no doubt some very interesting comic characters that you may just be discovering now for the first time such as the Thor and Silver Surfer.

If Cryptologic was, in fact, granted sole rights, Marvel has certainly breached their contract. However, it is now up to the courts to decide. Hopefully, they can come to an amicable solution, so that we will be able to see new Marvel-themed slots in the future.

Cryptologic is a global developer of online slots, casino games and software has announced in a press release that they have started arbitration proceedings against Marvel Enterprises Inc. and Marvel Enterprises B.V. through their wholly owned subsidiary, WagerLogic Ltd.

Daredevil Online Slots Image from: http://www.onlineslotsfinder.com/slots/daredevil.htm

It wasn't long ago since MasterCard announced that they are going to block Americans from making transactions to online casino sites (See MasterCard Cuts Off Online Casino Payments In US). Now, MasterCards biggest opponent VISA follows and block their Canadian customers as well. That both the credit card giants VISA and MasterCard have decided to block Canadians from making transactions to online casino is a clear sign that UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) will soon come into effect in June 1, 2010.

Canada seemed to be untouched by the block, but it has recently come to our attention that similar hindrances are taking place here. When you are going to enter your VISA account number into online casino, the error message indicated that the financial institution by which the card was issued would not allow the transaction to take place. We are uncertain whether the block was caused by VISA or the bank, but one thing was clear: we were unable to fund our online casino account. Considering the fact that Canadian Visa is usually governed by US regulations so it is very probable that most of us are blocked with that payment option as well.

Most people have pointed to the fact that both companies are probably getting prepared for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) to come into effect. If this legislation and that getting fully enforced, activity at online casino will be considered illegal within the United States and Canada and these credit card companies want to distance themselves from any illegal activity.

If you encounter this situation, it may be frustrating but there are very simple solutions to this problem. It may seems as though the next available option would be an e-wallet, however these systems take quite some time to authenticate. So, the quickest option is to register for an online credit/debit card.

Companies like VISA Electron allow players to make payments online through a web-based card. Because the card has no attachment to a financial institution, banks are not able to intercept payments to online casino. Transfers are instant and secure, as players are never required to give out their own personal bank account or credit card information.

The registration process is quick and easy. The VISA Electron took less than 10 minutes. Within 15 minutes, your online casino account was funded and we were ready to play!

The online gambling world has been waiting for Barney Frank’s online casino bill to take the next step forward in the legal process. Although many had expected that the House Financial Services Committee would have already heard the bill, there have been long delays due to other pressing legal issues, such as the health bill. It seems, however, that Congress is finally ready to move forward with the Barney Frank online casino bill.

Finally, after about a year of delays, the House Financial Services Committee will hear Barney Frank’s online caisno bill, which proposes to legalize and regulate online casino in the United States. The date set for the hearing is for the end of this week, on Friday, April 16th 2010. however, it was postponed and according to a press release by the committee, Barney Frank, committee chairman, has a conflict forcing an adjustment of the hearing time. No announcement has been made as to when the hearing will be rescheduled.

Along with the main online casino bill, Barney Frank has a side bill, which proposes to delay the implementation of the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) by one more year. This one year delay would be so that there is time for the Frank online gambling bill to work its way through official channels without the implementation of the UIGEA occurring simultaneously, since this could cause confusion should the online casino bill become law. Should Barney Frank’s main online casino bill be adopted as a new law, the UIGEA would be virtually moot.

At this time, the UIGEA is currently suspended. In response to various requests in November, the Treasury chose to suspend the starting date for the implementation of the UIGEA. Although the request had been for one year, the Treasury suspended the UIGEA implementation by six months. The suspended starting date is nearly here, which makes it that much more important that Barney Frank’s companion bill be passed, in order to give his main bill the time it needs to be considered, and move through the legal channels.

At this time, there is no indication of when markup of the bills can be expected. It does not seem to be that markup will take place at the hearing scheduled for later this week.

Michael Waxman, from the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, noted: "This hearing will provide further evidence that the UIGEA is a poorly crafted law that simply does not work.We expect this hearing to provide further impetus for the House Financial Services Committee and Congress to address this issue and move forward Chairman Frank’s regulatory bill."

There are also other online casino bills that will need to be considered, such as the Jim McDermott bill which suggests that a large part of the income raised from online casino taxes should go toward various forms of funding for those children that are currently in foster care, as well as those that were in foster care.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky filed suit against Pocket Kings - the owners of Full Tilt Poker- and "Unknown Defendants" seeking to recoup losses by state residents in online poker games. Now, the industry has had a chance to speculate on the case’s future. Kentucky, which has been attempting to gain control of 141 Internet gambling and poker sites to shut them down for illegally doing business in its jurisdiction, is now trying to recover money lost by Kentucky residents wagered at Full Tilt Poker.

Pocket Kings, the Irish-based owner of the Full Tilt online poker sites, is being sued by the state of Kentucky in an effort to force online casino sites to return gaming losses. The latest filing by the commonwealth from late March is actually a new case, and lists Pocket Kings, Ltd., the parent company of Full Tilt Poker. It says: "the Commonwealth is entitled to sue and recover triple the value of the money lost during the statutory period between March 25, 2005 and September 25, 2009 (the five year period preceding this Complaint but excluding the most recent six months) by persons located within the borders of Kentucky." In addition, the Commonwealth is seeking pre-judgment and post-judgment interest, attorney fees, and "such further relief as the Court deems just and proper." No dollar amount is given and the case is numbered 10-CI-505.

The Full Tilt Poker collective is accused of accepting business with 13,000 residents of Kentucky, which the document refers to as a personal jurisdiction, for financial gain, and the details of those transactions are referred to as "tortuous acts." The Commonwealth claims that Full Tilt Poker has its chance to leave the Kentucky market when the above-mentioned domain case was filed but failed to do so, thus leaving itself open to this lawsuit. Full Tilt Poker is now accused of being in violation of Kentucky statute 372.010, which essentially states that any contract entered into for a game or bet of money or property is void.

Other internet gambling sites are targeted in the newest Kentucky case, which also names "unknown individuals and entities [that] have acted in concert in joint ventures to facilitate, host, operate, and profit from online gambling businesses." A variety of domain names are spelled out, including those belonging to Absolute Poker, Bugsy’s Club, Cake Poker, Crazy Poker, DoylesRoom, Golden Palace, Microgaming, MySportsbook, Pitbull Poker, PlayersOnly, PokerHost, PokerStars, PokerTime, Red Star Poker, Reefer Poker, Sportsbook.com, True Poker, and WSEX. UltimateBet.com, not UB.com, is listed. Also misidentified is BodogLife.com, which appears instead of Bodog.com. Several USA-friendly sites including Carbon Poker, Power Poker, and Poker Nordica are not listed.

The ramifications of this case have the potential to be wide and damaging. A response from Full Tilt and other defendants is anxiously awaited, as is word from online poker lobbying organizations like the Poker Players Alliance and the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative.

Massachusett's latest gaming proposal has hidden deep within it a clause that would place online casino players and online poker patrons at risk of prison terms. The new bill to expand gambling in Massachusetts once again contains controversial clauses designed to make playing online poker illegal at online casino. House Speaker Robert DeLeo's attempt to fast-track thec 172-page measure includes glossing over a section which may startle voters intent on asserting rights to gamble freely, as the clause prescribes 2 years in prison for patrons of online casino.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo has released the bill while demanding an almost immediate legislative vote, after years of speculation about the proper route for gambling in the Bay State. Just a few years ago, a proposal by Governor Deval Patrick attempted to license 3 casinos while outlawing online casino play. Governor Deval Patrick is a longtime supporter of slots at the tracks including two in his district, Suffolk Downs and Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere. In October, he said he would also support two or three casino resorts. He also seeks to license two stand-alone casinos, while also licensing race tracks to carry slots gaming. But, buried in the bill lies the section placing a fine of up to $25,000 on top of the potential prison sentence merely for being a customer of an online caisno sites.

On page 123 of the proposal, it states that "any person who knowingly transmits or receives a wager of any type by any telecommunication device, including telephone, cellular phone, Internet, local area network, including wireless local networks, or any other similar device or equipment or other medium of communication, or knowingly installs or maintains said device or equipment for the transmission or receipt of wagering information shall be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 2 years, or by a fine of not more than $25,000, or both such fine or imprisonment. "

Governor Deval Patrick is among many urging that the bill receive proper public hearing and debate, while House Speaker Robert DeLeo insistes that everything has already been said in past arguments and the vote should go forward. Washington is presently the only state that makes participation at online casinos a felony. While laws on operating online casino sites differ, most excuse patrons from jail terms.

Among the U.S. States whom would be interested in legalizing and taxing online casino if the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was overturned and regulatory mandates were passed, i.e, Senator Jim McDermott and Barney Frank’s companion bills – the Internet Gambling Regulation Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act and the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act – it’s a good bet to add New Hampshire to the list.

As the fight for gaming in the Granite State continues Governor John Lynch now says he may consider a plan to allow online gambling in the state. New Hampshire Governor John Lynch may have expressed his opposition to legislation recently introduced that would have seen the legalization of 17,000 slot machines and table games such as poker in the state, he has surprised his opponents with his own idea to close a growing budget deficit - the introduction of online casino and other forms of gambling online.

Moreover, the New Hampshire Governor John Lynch will be unveiling a plan next week to help New Hampshire close a fast-growing budget deficit during trying economic times. Of the many options in this plan, one of them is online casino. However, on the other hand, the Governor Lynch’s critics, or rather, those who oppose online casino for one reason or another, have already spoken out against the prospects of online casino legalization.

“The governor is worried about proliferation of gaming, but it sounds like he’s going to make every computer terminal in every home and every BlackBerry - including those BlackBerrys held by kids in high school - a gambling facility.” Said Senator Bob Clegg, who just so happens to be a lobbyist for a golf club seeking to build a casino resort in the city of Hudson.

But Governor Lynch says he's still working out specific pieces of the plan. "At this point really we're in the conceptual stage. At this point we're discussing with legislative leaders, different ideas in terms of how to close the budget gap," Said New Hampshire Governor John Lynch.

As such, New Hampshire Governor Lynch can expect tough opposition to his alternative plan. It is being argued that online gambling and poker playing would allow for unchecked addictions and that this type of entertainment does not provide for as many jobs as the construction of land casinos. A planned casino in Hudson, for example, would bring in as much as $10 million in tax revenue and create 3,800 jobs.