The current method of rake calculation, which the network describes as the ‘contributed method’, allocates rake between operators in proportion to the number of players they had in the hand, regardless of the relative contributions to the pot.

“This approach had a tendency to confer greater benefit for operators with a higher proportion of rakeback players and consequently did little to discourage the negative consequences associated with that practice,” a MPN spokesman explained this week.

“The new Weighted Contribution method is similar to the contributed method, except that the rake is allocated proportionally based on the amount contributed to the raked pot, enabling a fairer rake distribution and encouraging operators to bring in players at a lower skill level, typically referred to as ‘fish’, whilst simultaneously discouraging the practice of rakeback.

Andrew Clucas of the Microgaming Poker Network said: “The introduction of the new Weighted Contribution will reward operators with a greater proportion of looser, ‘fishy’ type players, encouraging them to target these players proactively whilst making rakeback as a practice less attractive within the Network.

“It is believed this initiative will encourage the right sort of contributing players into the Network whilst discouraging the grinding type of behaviours which can be so negative to the health of the Network.”

Whilst the timing and details of new regulations to be introduced in Italy and France in 2010 have yet to be clarified, the company believes these markets represent significant potential revenue opportunities for the group in the medium to long term, and Management says it plans to take full advantage of these opportunities through the launch of B2B services with strong local brands and through existing brands.

Chief executive officer Jim Ryan said: “As indicated at the time of our third quarter key performance indicators, our business has continued to perform well across the board during the fourth quarter with a return to net revenue growth across all four of our key product verticals.

“Returning poker to growth has been a key focus for us. We are pleased to see that the initiatives introduced throughout the year are now feeding through into both operational and financial performance, with increased player numbers and average net daily revenues versus the previous quarter, despite continued competition from illegal US-facing sites and the difficult macroeconomic climate.

“Our casino business has also continued to perform well on the back of new games launched on PartyCasino as well as higher jackpots, with the most recent Mega Gold jackpot paying out close to $5.0 million to the lucky winner earlier this month.

“Bingo continues to show substantial growth on the back of the Cashcade acquisition in July 2009. In sports betting, our gross win margin has benefited from a good run of sporting results and the introduction of improved risk management tools.

“Despite the challenges presented by the prevailing macroeconomic environment, we have not been distracted from the execution of our strategic plan. With the prospect of a number of new and large regulated markets in front of us, an expanding portfolio of B2B customers and a return to growth in our core business, we remain confident about the Group’s prospects.”

The update includes an advisory that Party Gaming has entered into a GBP 35 million three year term loan through its UK subsidiary. The loan will be used for general corporate purposes including mergers and acquisitions. The all-in cost of the loan is anticipated to be approximately 6 percent per annum based on current interest rates.

Eurofootball thinks that the Bulgarian government is going down the totally wrong lines right now in terms of new taxes on state gambling companies. Eurofootball is facing 5 percent higher taxes this coming year as a way to even out Bulgarian gaming laws and to additionally push some new revenue into the nation’s budget. But the potential for online casinos is endless, and Eurofootball is pressing for the Bulgarian government to consider the huge boost in revenue that regulated gambling would bring rather than the smaller revenue that hiking state betting taxes offers.

The hike in taxes is a very strong burden for Eurofootball and will affect the company’s ability to stay competitive not only in the market, but with foreign online casinos. One of the big issues right now still lies in the interpretation of EU rules and policies. The strongest theory holding that internet gambling is legal within any EU member-state that is offering its own forms of gambling.

The first event is titled Slot Play. For each spin on any of the online slot games offered at Omni Casino players will earn 1 point. The condition is that at least 0.75 credits must be wagered on that spin. The more points the players earn the higher they will be on the leader board. The top 10 places on the leader board will share the prize pool of $1,000. The 1st place will win $300; the 2nd place will win $200; the 3rd place will win $150; the 4th place will win $100, the 5th place will win $75; the 6th and the 7th places will win $50 each and the remaining three places will win $25 each.

The next promotion is for blackjack players at Omni Casino. It is called Blackjack Play. The structure of the event is identical to that of Slot Play. Only the method of awarding the points is different. The players will earn 1 point for wagering at least $5 on single hand and multi-hand blackjack games at Omni Casino. Omni Casino offers an interesting blackjack variant called Blackjack Switch in which players start with two hands and can switch their second cards if it gives them an advantage.

The third promotion at Omni Casino is the Most Comps Earned promotion. The top three players to earn the most comp points during the promotion period will be eligible for the prizes. The top winner will earn $500, the second place winner will earn $300 and the third place winner will earn $200.

The last promotion is the most challenging. It is called the 15-Day Challenge $Unlimited. Every player can win a prize in this promotion because the prize pool is unlimited. All players who qualify for at least 10 days played between December 2 and December 16 win $100 each. All players who qualify for 15 days played win $500 each. In order to qualify for a day played players have to wager at least $1,000 on that day.

The free welcome bonus of $7,777 actually consists of 10 coupons. Each coupon offers 100% match bonus of up to $777. These coupons can be used only on the first 10 deposits made at Cherry Red online casino. Each coupon can be used only once. The coupons have to be redeemed before any deposit is made. Players at Cherry Red must keep in mind that the bonus amount of $7,777 is only a play amount. This means that the players can ultimately withdraw only the winnings from the bonus. The bonus amount will be deducted from the balance at the time of the cashout.

There are a number of conditions that are associated with this welcome bonus. Though these are the usual conditions it is essential for players to be aware of them. A minimum deposit of $25 is required to be eligible for each of the 10 bonuses. The wagering requirements are 25 times the bonus and the deposit. These have to be met before any withdrawal is made. Even the deposit cannot be withdrawn until the wagering requirements are completed. There are limits on which games the wagering requirements can be met. Bets placed on Blackjack and Video Poker variants will contribute only one quarter of their original value towards wagering requirements. Roulette, Craps, Baccarat and Pai Gow Poker do not count towards wagering requirements. Violations of any of the terms, like attempting withdrawals before meeting wagering requirements or wagering on prohibited games will void the bonus and the winnings.

This acquisition is of immense strategic importance to Playtech. GTS is one of the fastest growing names in the gaming software business. Its advantage lies in that it is one of the largest casino game aggregators in the industry. The proprietary Enhanced Gaming Engine (EdGE) open casino gambling platform of GTS provides the licensees access to products from different online gaming software developers. The EdGE platform has demonstrated its cutting edge functionality and flexible connectivity. EdGE enables an operator to allow its players to use a single account across all online gaming products. EdGE also enables rapid delivery of new games across multiple languages, currencies and domains.

GTS services 15 licensees and 30 separate Internet gaming brands. These include well known and large European sports books, bingo hall and online casino operators. Most of these are not Playtech licensees. Hence with this agreement Playtech will considerably extend its reach. To its licensees GTS offers gaming content from 19 gaming software providers. The content includes over 200 integrated fixed odds games, virtual sports, table games and slots.

The GTS platform and range of games will complement Playtech’s own in-house products. Together it will create a substantial games library. It will also be possible to integrate the EdGE platform with Playtech’s Integrated Managed Solution player management system. The existing clients of GTS will have access to Playtech games and Playtech’s clients will have access to the games GTS brings to the table. Playtech’s CEO, Mor Weizer, pointed out that this deal will give Playtech greater exposure to sports books, which is the fastest growing segment of the online gambling industry. Weizer said that this deal will enhance Playtech’s competitive advantage as “an independent software provider of choice with market leading integrated technology and a complete portfolio of best of breed gaming products.”

Steven Matsell, GTS’s Business Development Director said, “GTS’s strategy is very much in line with Playtech’s - to be the recognized market leader as a dedicated B2B software provider. This deal will underpin the growth of the platform and we very much look forward to the future as part of the Playtech team.” For the 12 month period ended June 2009, GTS recorded revenue of £2.6 million and profit before tax of £0.3 million.

“Despite late objections online casinos from the British Government’s architectural advisory body, the Commission for Architecture and Built Environment (CABE), the proposals were passed at the thirds attempt after

“… One architect likened the building design in best online casino to ‘a pig that has arrived from space.’…”

State legislators and governors, facing the daunting reality of fixing multibillion-dollar budget shortfalls, view legalized online gambling revenues as a means to shore up their deteriorating tax bases.

Nearly a dozen states are considering proposals to add online casinos or expand their current online gambling structures. The situation is fluid in many statehouses where legislation, amendments and support change quickly. There is often a long lag time between approval and the first spin of a slot machine reel.

“Sometimes, the easiest part of the process is passage of the legislation,” WMS Industries President Orrin Edidin said. “The infrastructure needs to be in place and regulations need to be written before the machines can go live. The process may take (as long as) two years.”

But with the economy in a free fall, unemployment rising and tax dollars shrinking, even states that have traditionally shunned gaming expansion in the past are now in play.

State proposals include expanding or building regional casinos, adding slot machines to racetracks and other locations, and adding table games to markets once limited by law to offer only slot machines. The gaming initiatives range from ballot referendums to governor-enacted legislation.

“In tough economic times governors and legislators have hard decisions to make,” said Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., chief executive officer of the Washington, D.C.-based American Gaming Association and the industry’s top federal lobbyist. “When there is not a lot of money in the state treasury, do you cut spending on social services or raise taxes across the board? It’s not an appetizing decision either way.”

Which is why gaming expansion becomes a bit more palatable.

For Fahrenkopf, 2009 is turning into a case of déjá vu. Gaming expansion coinciding with the sour economy isn’t new.

The recession of the 1990s gave birth to the nation’s riverboat gaming industry, which expanded at supersonic rates in the Midwest and South when states saw gaming taxes as a fix for budget concerns. Since the American Gaming Association began keeping statistics in the late 1990s, 10 states joined Nevada and New Jersey by adding commercial or riverboat casinos. Twelve others added casinos at racetracks.

American Indian casinos, another offshoot of recessionary times, are in 29 states.

Commercial casinos accounted for $32.54 billion in gaming revenues in 2008, which returned $5.7 billion in taxes to state and local governments. As a comparison, commercial casinos brought in gaming revenues of $19.7 billion in 1998, which translated into $2.5 billion in gaming taxes.

“We have communities with 10 or 15 years of experience with gaming expansion, so there are case studies out there on how to make this work,” Fahrenkopf said. “We’re an environmentally clean industry. We’re not a smokestack industry. We provide jobs and a steady tax base. We’re also an industry that’s a privileged industry. There is no right to conduct business. That must be granted by the states, which lawmakers like.”

A beneficiary from these opportunities is the Nevada slot machine industry, which has been hampered by several years of reduced cash flows and profits from declining sales. Casinos have been hesitant to upgrade their slot machine floors while the recession played havoc with consumer spending.

In addition to reports that casino operators may finally be willing to fund capital expenditure budgets, new markets may be opening.

“The economy increased the (slot machine) replacement cycle in North America to something like 20 or 25 years,” Jamie Odell, chief executive officer of Australia-based Aristocrat Leisure Ltd., which operates Las Vegas-based Aristocrat Technologies. “Would you own a car 25 years? We see things changing and that’s good for all the slot makers.”

A map of the United States in the office of Bally Technologies Chief Operating Officer Gavin Isaacs shows projected opportunities for slot machine developers.

States that have traditionally balked at gaming expansion are now viewed as potential growth opportunities by casino operators and slot machine manufacturers.

Ohio, where voters have failed to pass four different gaming referendums in the past 10 years, has two gaming initiatives. Voters are being asked on Nov. 3 to authorize Las Vegas-style casinos in Columbus, Toledo, Cleveland and Cincinnati. Gaming analysts give the measure a better-than-50 percent chance of passing.

In a second matter, Ohio’s Supreme Court last month said a move by Gov. Ted Strickland to allow the state’s seven racetrack casinos to operate 17,500 video lottery terminals must be approved by voters next year.

Pennsylvania lawmakers may allow casinos to add table games. In 2005, the state approved seven slot machine-only casinos with 61,000 games.

Massachusetts legislative leaders and Gov. Deval Patrick, in response to Connecticut Indian gambling halls, may push to legalize two regional casinos and allow racetracks to add slot machines to help keep tax dollars within the state.

Lately, the challenge is not passing the legislation, but finding casino operators with the capital needed to make a serious investment.

The credit-market crisis caused several of the top gaming operators to pull out of bids for casino expansion opportunities in Kansas. The credit crunch, along with a high tax rate, caused many potential bidders to shun chances to operate slot machine casinos in Maryland.

Penn National Gaming President Tim Wilmott said 2009 is starting to remind him of the 1990s because of the varying opportunities. The company is linked with potential casinos in Ohio, New York, Maryland and Kansas.

“We’re kicking the tires in a lot of places,” Wilmott said. “Each state has a different financial situation that needs to be addressed.”

Some gaming companies employ lobbyists to help push matters through statehouses or advise the pro-gaming referendum campaigns. Other companies try and educate lawmakers on the pros and cons of gaming expansion.

Slot machine makers have their trade organization, the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, take on the lead lobbying role.

“We like to take on the role of Switzerland and let people make their own choices,” Shuffle Master CEO Tim Parrott said. “When you start seeing all the different opportunities for gaming, it’s kind of a silver lining in this terrible recession. States will focus on sin taxes as a way of rebuilding budgets.”

A 22-year-old Russian pro showed this week that it is possible to move those poker hands along at a better than fair clip when he racked up 40 088 hands in a single internet gambling session….over just 18-some hours!

The Pokerstars.com blog reported on the record-breaking feat in which player ‘innerpsy’ set a new benchmark for speed and endurance in a challenge hosted on the giant online poker site by the Russian forum Card Game Masters.

With a virtual audience estimated at around 10 000 railbirds following his every move via two video streams and a live radio broadcast, innerpsy burned his way through the record number of hands, getting through more in just 18 hours and 33 minutes than many players manage in a lifetime.

“Before this challenge I never actually played more than 20 000 hands in a day before but the idea came up and I just figured I could do it,” he told the PokerStars blog. “It was one of the toughest things I have ever accomplished, but I am proud I managed it.”

Card Player magazine took a stab at illustrating the magnitude of the task faced by innerpsy, opining: “Give the dealer 30 hands per hour. We’ll be generous again and figure you can sit still for ten hours. That means you saw around 300 hands between the time you started playing and the time you got up for the night. With that total, you’d be a little short of the new world record.”

The increase in the proposed offer accounts for a cool $28.5 million in cash that will go to the WPT and then an additional $5 million worth of Mandalay Media stocks. The Mandalay Media gambling and media group are really vying for WPT because of the brands value not only in the land poker gambling industry but the growing presence at online casinos and international poker sites.

One of Mandalay’s strongest points is the company’s currently growing offering of mobile 3G gaming content. The content war has begun all over the world and Mandalay already has a start on the gaming content for mobile devices – the WPT brand will only enhance Mandalay’s position in the growing international land, mobile, and online casino poker gaming industries. And it’s not just Mandalay benefiting from the proposed acquisition, Mandalay has the resources, technology, and existing partnerships to really and truly launch the WPT brand to whole new levels of international connectivity.