Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Australian And New Zealand Casino And Gambling News, by Greg Tingle - 28th July 2010

Media Man Network

The Aussie and Kiwi casino, gambling and sports betting scene shows little sign of slowing down, pending Australian election or not (you can bet on it too). Aussie gaming fans rejoice as PartyGaming release more branded games, and the industry awaits return fire from the land based casino sector as the battle for the gambling and entertainment dollar continues. Media Man and Gambling911, no virgin's to the region, once again do the Asia Pacific... News, PR or shades of grey... readers, er punters...you be the judge...

Australian And Kiwi Casino Fans Rejoice With PartyGaming's Sly Rocky Classic...

Aussie's and New Zealanders had reason to cheer last night with a range of PartyGaming casinos releasing the long rumoured Rocky online slot game. It's the original 1976 classic and it must be said that Sylvester Stallone and the Party powers that be have delivered a world class result. The rumour mill says that Party will soon be following up with the Pink Panther themed slot. The 1963 film classic directed by Blake Edwards and co-written by Edwards and Maurice Richlin, is a comedy film, starring David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Capucine and Claudia Cardinale. Insiders say PartyGaming has done a fine job with it, and be watching Media Man, Noble Casino and Casino Las Vegas for more clues! The tag line..."A Madcap Frolic Of Crime and Fun".

SkyCity Alpine Adventure tournament: New Zealand Poker Tour (NZPT): Student Wins $75k...

With Aussie poker players making up 8 of the 9 places at the final table of this past weekend's poker tournament in Queenstown, it was no surprise to see the winner's cheque going to an Aussie. Julian Cohen, a recent uni grad from Melbourne snatched $75,000 first place prize in the SkyCity Alpine Adventure tournament, part of the New Zealand Poker Tour (NZPT). The only Kiwi to make the final, Emerson Riwi of Rotorua, finished in 6th place, earning over $15k. Rewi is a 35 year old Department of Justice employee. He finished 4th at the 2008 Auckland championships, but this was his biggest payday to date. An original starting field of 119 players battled for a total prize pool of $267,750. 13 countries were represented, including Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Singapore, United States, Germany, Korea, Macau, Russian Federation, Spain, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. The big names in the main event didn't last through to the finals. Australian's Tony Hachem and Chris Levick, Singapore's Bryan Huang and New Zealand's Lee Nelson were all out in the early rounds. Simon Watt, who became New Zealand's most famous poker face overnight with his bracelet win in the World Series of Poker, couldn't get past past day 2.

Final Standings And Money:

1. Julian Cohen (Australia) $73,630.00
2. Andrew Watson (Australia) $46,860.00
3. Vesko Zmukic (Australia) $27,440.00
4. Michael Spilkin (Australia) $22,760.00
5. Tim Clarke (Australia) $18,740.00
6. Emerson Rewi (New Zealand) $15,400.00
7. Jason Gray (Australia) $12,720.00
8. John Maklouf (Australia) $10,040.00
9. Bryan Huang (Australia) $8,030.00


GenerationOne Ideas Forum In Sydney; Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest Flys Flag This Week, Mate James Packer Casino King Still Cruising Globe...

Media Man Rounds Up Sydney Community Entrepreneurs To Chip In... In an effort close to our hearts, GenerationOne is to hold their Ideas Forum at Fox. Aussie casino king might be cruising the high sees but the Bondi Beach entrepreneurs connection will be represented well with a Media Man army of social and community entrepreneurs set to hit Fox. The forum will be broadcast live at approx 1pm. Where: Fox Studios, Moore Park, Sydney, Australia - Thursday 29th July...


Sydney: Star City Casino Gunman Pleads Guilty To Attempted Murder...

A male mongrel has pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of his former girlfriend at Sydney's Star City Casino. Todd Devaney was charged with a range of offences after the shooting of fitness babe and instructor Holly Graham aka "Casino Model" as she was teaching yoga at the casinos gym in May of 2008. The legal eagle courthouse had previously been advised that the model instructor was shot twice...below the ribs and in the hip region. Devaney fled the scene on foot but was arrested a short time later. Star City sports multiple hundreds of videocameras, a powerful "eye in the sky" or two, and dozens of security officers. In Sydney's Downing Centre District Court early today, the gunman pleaded guilty to 4 charges including shooting (with intention to murder) and the possession of 3 firearms, which he was banned from carrying on his person. He is set to be sentenced on 15th September. Ms Graham was in court to witness Devaney plead guilty. Afterwards she told the press she was pleased with the outcome. "I'm really, really lucky that I've recovered and I just hope that he gets put away for a long time," Ms Graham said. Media Man friends and associates wish Holly well with her ongoing journey.

Crown Casino To Get Celebrity Chef TV Show...

Network Nine has signed last year's MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin for her own show, Home Cooked. Nine is also set to produce Celebrity Chef Live from Melbourne's Crown Casino. Ten is responding with Junior MasterChef, which will screen from mid-October, and MasterChef USA, hosted by Gordon Ramsay. Auditions for the third series of MasterChef Australia are to take place around the country from October. Ten's program manager, Peter Andrews, is confident MasterChef can weather the storm. "We're actually quite flattered that Seven and Nine are jumping on the bandwagon," he said.
"I think the audience can smell a copycat program from a mile away so if any of these cooking shows aren't entertaining, the audience will desert them in a flash." Media analyst Steve Allen said Nine and Seven were playing a spoiling game. "Everyone is crowding into the same space and it will be counterproductive in the end," he said. "Nine and Seven want to overcook the cooking genre so that it lowers the ratings for MasterChef in 2011.". Australian casinos are home to some of the world's finest chefs, and Crown Casino and Star City have a foodie casino war on their hands. What network and casino is to get egg on their face remains to be seen.


Shane 888 Warnie Does The Races With Babe Elizabeth Hurley...

The cricket - celeb poker icon just off comparing the Australia VS Pakistan games, accompanied the British babe socialite to the Glorious Goodwood race meet on Tuesday. Warnie filled the void for Hurley's husband and friend, Arun Nayar who was missing in action from the sexy sporting Sussex. The rumour mill reckon Warnie and his filly for the day might be at least slightly addicted to Twitter (and poker). We understand Warnie made time to place a wager with bookies on the horses. Elizabeth Hurley Twittered "Glorious Goodwood tomorrow...just got some tips from my racing mad shepherd whilst trying on hats." The very friendly couple have been friends for years and occasionally share friendly chats Twitter. Also among Hurley’s Australian Twitter mates are Russell Crowe and Media Man mate Max Markson aka Mr Fame, seems to swap the odd wise crack online, often about food or coffee. Crowe doesn't bet, but Warne more than makes up for the shortfall. The ex spinner is also chummy with Packer and they get spotted together from time to time at casinos and sports fields.

Australian TV Broadcasters To Ramp Up Poker And Gambling Coverage...

Network Ten - One HD, Foxtel and friends have only just scratched the surface of Australian poker and gambling programs such as The Poker Star and World Series of Poker highlights. The Media Man bush telegraph says to perhaps even expect a casino king type program or two, that will cover both only and offline activity. Broadcasters and sponsors are keen to see plain language warnings on the broadcasts advising punters not to overdo it and "bet with your head, not over it, and set limits". The shows are tipped to cut into air time formally occupied by traditional gambling programming like horse racing. Sky Sports was not commenting. Ten's The 7PM Project mentions poker and casinos from time to time and let's not forget Packer pal David Gyngell, CEO of Nine, a smart cookie by all accounts, is aware of Crown's total entertainment experience, which includes gambling and poker tournaments, including the famed Aussie Millions coming up in January.


Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group To See Kids Skill Games Removed From Pokie Palaces...

He king of poker machines in Victoria has voted to remove children's arcade games that offer prizes such as iPods from its venues nationwide. Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group, a JV between supermarket tsar Woolworths and billionaire poker machine operator Mr Bruce Mathieson, has now confirmed that games offering prizes more valuable than "stuffed toys or chocolate" would be removed for good from all its venues over the next year, or as soon as the games' contracts permit. The decision was made at a board meeting on Friday. A Woolworths spokeswoman, Clare Buchanan, said "We've made a decision that we are going to be removing what's known as tile machines from our venues - the (games with) more high-value prizes but less chance of winning the prize." The games are in roughly 280 of the group's 286 palaces, including the "vast majority" of the 96 or so venues in Victoria. She said it was appropriate to remove them. "We did a bit of research among patrons and these weren't games that we felt were adding any value to the venues," Buchanan said. The move follows Fairfax Media reports that experts believed arcade games with prizes were "grooming" children to gamble.

Boxing: Green VS Brigg's Does Hurricane Type Damage To Boxing Betting In Australia...

The match has done great damage to both Australian boxing and the sports betting elect of such. The day of the "fight" there was a rush across betting agencies for Briggs to be knocked out in the 1st or 2nd round. One agency shortened its odds from $7 early in the day to even money. Others closed the market! Multiple bookies said the activity was odd, with a spokesman for Centrebet going on record..."We've never in the history of boxing seen so much go on a specific decision outcome." Line-betting is enjoying mega popularity with punters and fans. Sport remains the fastest growing sector of the Aussie gambling industry, increasing by 12% last financial year, compared with 1.2% for pokies and 0.5% for horse-racing. In response to the Briggs-Green bout, some betting agencies have advised they will no longer take line bets on boxing fights down under. Boxing can no longer be trusted says Media Man informers. Boxing is more high risk to betting corruption than most other sports. A 1:1 "contest" is easier to rig, as their are less people involved! Word leaked to MM from an Aussie legal eagle report carried by some wires including Fairfax...Team sports are not immune to the ills of line-betting. The common thread in many recent international betting scandals in basketball, soccer and cricket is that they involved large-scale betting on immaterial outcomes, such as the winning margin in a lopsided contest. A classic example is "point shaving" in US basketball; where players or referees influence the winning margin, or "point spread", of a game without affecting the result. Independent Senator Nick Xenophon has called for a ban on sport betting until the federal government establishes regulations. Given the recent Aussie sports scandals "Mr X" has a leg up on the sports gamblers on this matter, even if some of X's proposals relating to gaming and gambling are in "fantasy land", whispered a Media Man staffer.

Australian Music Groups Do U.S Hotel Casinos...

Fresh off U.S performances, The Australian Bee Gees and Air Supply, are both understood to be keen to clock up a few more gigs at American hotels and casinos. Folks, let's be honest... a number of land based casinos are in a better position than many venues to be able to pay good bucks to top notch Australian groups. Music helps get customers into the premises, and some will of course "feel lucky". Some will be lucky, and some won't... that's the nature of a casino. Punters generally have "more luck" playing games of skill, be it poker or other table games, while slots aka pokies, are basically pure luck, but remain popular with casino punters the world over.

Media Man Profiles

Australian Casinos
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/australian_casios.html

PartyGaming

Rocky

Pink Panther

Boxing

War Of The Worlds

New Zealand

GenerationOne
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/generationone.html

As always, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Good luck.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming. Media Man also publish Australian Sports Entertainment
http://www.australiansportsentertainment.com and Casino News Media
http://www.casinonewsmedia.com

Website Network

Media Man International

Media Man

Media Man Australia

Media Man Asia

Media Man Canada

Media Man Games

Media Man Brand

Media Man Network

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Media Man Network

Website

Media Man Network

Media Man Network: Rocky Slot Game Hits PartyGaming - Noble Casino

Rocky Slot Game Hits PartyGaming - Noble Casino

The new Rocky slot game has become Playtech’s most sought after title as online gaming fans flock to box as Rocky Balboa.

The great features of Playtech’s video slot have made the game one of the most popular of all time. Rocky Slots sets the pace for PartyGaming and Playtech, with Pink Panther soon to follow.

Rocky Slots traces the fortunes of the kind hearted south paw Rocky Balboa from the 1976 film starring Sylvester Stallone. The game has fast and well designed features and game play as well as a pounding soundtrack to match...this really gets the excitement and adrenaline flowing! Bonus features include a special Knockout Bonus round where players can pick Rocky’s opponents, watch a ten round boxing match and win big money.

Playtech have upped the ante with Rocky Slots as the game features more advanced graphics, better sound and more sophisticated detail than other similar games. This makes Rocky Slots an absolute knock out to play.

The spinning reels sound like a punch bag to make players feel that they are hearing Rocky train in his favourite Philadelphia gym. Players need to spell out ROCKY on the 5 reels in order to receive an instant 5x total bet payout. And if you manage to achieve this in the free spin rounds you will receive a massive 10x total bet payout!

Perhaps the more impressive feature of the Rocky Slots game from Playtech is the Knockout Bonus Round. This is where players choose from three prize fights to spar against Rocky in a ten round match – including the famous film world champion Apollo Creed. The player watches the stunning fight from a front line seat, featuring real footage from the fight scenes in the film.

During the Knockout Bonus Round players have the chance of winning up to a 30x total bet payout if Rocky manages to knock his opponent out in a fast enough time. Go Rocky!

PartyGaming also offer PartyCasino.com which offers dozens more movie and TV themed slot games, as well as other online casino games that can be played for free or played for money.

PartyGaming was established in 1997 and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Websites

Noble Casino

Rocky slot website

Profiles

Rocky

Rambo

Sylvester Stallone

Playtech

PartyCasino.com

PartyGaming

Monday, July 26, 2010

Comic-Con News: 'Thor' And 'Amaterasu' Tapped For 'Marvel Vs. Capcom 3'?

'Thor' And 'Amaterasu' Tapped For 'Marvel Vs. Capcom 3'?

Profiles

Thor Marvel Entertainment Marvel Slots Marvel Comics Capcom Games Gaming Videogames Virtual Worlds Movies Hollywood Stan Lee Richard Branson Media Man

Capcom seems to have neglected to mention a couple of gods when it announced Doctor Doom, Super-Skrull, Trish from "Devil May Cry" and Chun-Li as fighters in "Marvel vs. Capcom 3" Tuesday. New purported shots from the game bearing the Marvel.com watermark do not currently appear on the site's "Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds" images page, but a message board poster claims to have acquired them via a leak.

Screenshots clearly showing Marvel's God of Thunder and Amaterasu, the Shinto sun goddess incarnation from Capcom's "Ōkami," did appear on a NeoGAF thread, and if they're fakes, they are darn good ones.

With Marvel's "Thor" movie and Capcom's "Ōkamiden" for the Nintendo DS both getting released in the coming year, it would actually be quite a shocker if neither of these characters appeared in "MvC3." Furthermore, Thor's hammer those Three Wolf God Sun shirts are already hanging around the San Diego Convention Center this week, so getting the news out now makes perfect sense.

Given Amaterasu's height (or lack thereof) it's going to be fun to see how the wolf shape fits in with the gameplay. I don't know if squat-kicks and leg sweeps are going to be necessary for getting a blow to connect, but surely a trailer will reveal all soon. (Credit: MTV)

Profiles

Thor Marvel Entertainment Marvel Slots Marvel Comics Capcom Games Gaming Videogames Virtual Worlds Movies Hollywood Stan Lee Richard Branson Media Man

Website Network

Media Man International

Media Man

Media Man Games

Media Man Casino

Marvel Slots Online

Marvel Heroes Casino

Virtual Worlds Media

Media Man Brand

Media Man Network

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Australian Sports Entertainment

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Media Man Network Website Updated

Website

Media Man Network

F1 News: Cheating Ferrari Fined $110,000; Team Orders?, by Greg Tingle - 26th July 2010

The latest in a series of scandals has rocked the Grand Prix world, this time Ferrari being named as the "Turkey", a tag formally held by Australia's Mark Webber, but the Webber tag was more tongue in cheek and was a play on words, while the Turkey tag seems more at home with Team Ferrari, albeit with the actually incident occurring in Germany. Media Man and Gambling911 put you in the drivers seat with this special report...

Ferrari were fined a cool $US100,000 ($110,000), relative chicken feed aka turkey feed, this past Sunday for breaching sporting rules and regulations at the German Grand Prix where their victory was tarnished allegations of using the good old fashioned "team orders."

The sports powers that be, let's say the governing body, FIA said the result, which saw Fernando Alonso snatch victory after "team mate" Felipe Massa allowed him to pass, would stick, despite the mud accompany the matter.

However, the team will be summoned to appear before the FIA's world council at a date in the near future.

The Italian's denied ordering Massa, who was leading the charge on the track, to slow down and allow Alonso to overtake on lap 49.

"Team" orders were banned by the FIA eight years ago after the infamous incident at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix when Ferrari commanded race leader Rubens Barrichello to "pull over" and allow Michael Schumacher to pass and win the race.

On Sunday, Massa was effectively ordered by race engineer Rob Smedley to let Alonso through as the Spaniard was the quicker driver. Just what the power man "engineered" is being heavily discussed.

"OK, Fernando is faster than you," said Smedley.

"Can you confirm you have understood this message?"

Massa went on to react by letting Alonso pass him on the exit of turn six with only 18 laps remaining.

Following the controversial move and trigger point, Smedley was again on the radio apologising to Massa.

"Good lad - just stick with it now, sorry," he said.

Ferrari went on to secure the 1 - 2 victory.

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali insisted that there were no "team orders" and that it was Massa's decision to let 2-time world champion Alonso past.

"We gave information to the driver and it was his decision to decide how to react," he said. Well, react he did. Well trained money or free thinker?

Domenicali added that Smedley's apology was simply due to the fact that Massa's car was "not as fast" as Alonso's.

"You have to consider that fact that he gave the information to Felipe to help him, and was sorry that his car was not as fast."

Massa clearly upset by the incident, bit his tongue and claimed that it was his decision.

"I didn't have a good pace on the hard tyres and Fernando was quicker," he said.

"It was my decision. You always need to know that we are working for the team and there were no team orders in the race.

"I made the decision because Fernando was faster than me."

Alonso reckons he thought Massa slowed down due to a gear problem.

"There are no team orders," pleaded Alonso.

"I was surprised when I saw Felipe having a problem - I thought it was a gear problem but after hearing Felipe, he was struggling with the hard tyres."

Australia's Mark Webber driving Red Bull scored unlucky 6th place. Some believe 6 is the devil's number!

Media Man Profiles

Ferrari
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/ferrari.html

Formula 1
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/formula1.html

Gambling911 Sport
http://www.gambling911.com/sports.html

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Australian Casino, Gaming And Politics News, by Greg Tingle - 24th July 2010

Readers er punters, the Australian connection between casinos, gaming and politics had never been so hot. Aussie politicians and campaigners continue to battle for your mind (and vote), headlines and the whole box and dice. Media Man and Gambling911 deliver the uncensored news (full strength caffeine in Google speak) you need to know, not always what you want to hear. Here's your weekend fix my friends...

James Packer Family Spotted In Barcelona...

The Packer holiday continues with his luxury boat, the Arctic P, sighted this week off Barcelona, the biggest city on Europe's Mediterranean coastline. Spy's reckon the casino and lifestyle king and family, wife Erica, Indigo and Jackson, are voyaging east. Ah, Captain Cook would be proud, as is perhaps Packer dare devil, billionaire adventurer, Richard Branson, who is to embark on a kite surfing expedition soon. Packer plans to catch up with Tom Cruise from Top Gun and Mission: Impossible Fame. Rumours circulating Party may release more games featuring Cruise, and more on that in upcoming editions.


Australia MP Wants Political Betting Online Banned...

The "Jungle Girl" Julia Gillard VS Tony "The Bruiser" Abbott war must be heating up. Now some are calling for the banning of betting on Australian politics. Oh, our nicknames for Julia and Tony are done in a tongue and cheek and affectionate fashion, so no offence Julies and Anthony okies? We know your legal eagles an spinners read our column, as well they should! With Australia’s 2010 elections underway, federal MP Michael Johnson has called for a ban election betting. While Johnson is not opposed to casual betting between friends in the local pub, he feels betting on Australian elections should be outlawed. Johnson is calling for a change to be made to Australian gambling laws forbidding high street bookies and online sportsbooks from offering odds on national elections. "It's entirely inappropriate for Australians to bet on the result of an election," said Johnson. "Just like the next guy I enjoy betting on two flies (going) up a wall. I just think something like the result of an election, money shouldn't be put on it, given the seriousness of it. There's just something undignified about it. Betting and gambling is already a huge problem in our country." In addition to feeling that elections are too serious to be wagered on, it seems Johnson is also concerned with the possibility that heavy betting on state and national elections at online sportsbooks in Australia could affect the outcome of elections. "It might allow some political parties to engage in some sort of rorting," he thinks. Matie, ok, you got your worldwide headlines, thanks in part to Media Man and Gambling911, now get back to business son.


Australia's Air Supply Perform Their Hits The Orleans Hotel And Casino...

Australian music groups have been hitting American hotels and casinos of late. Air Supply follows in the footsteps of the the Australian Bee Gees who yesterday appeared at the Paragon Casino Resort, Marksville. The Aussie soft-rock group Air Supply quickly became a star of early ‘80s radio after their first smash hit, "Lost in Love." Performing together for more than 30 years, Air Supply returns to The Orleans Showroom for three shows Labor Day weekend, September 3, 4 and 5, each evening at 8 p.m. Englishman Graham Russell and Aussie Russell Hitchcock met in 1975 while performing in the Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Later that year, the duo formed Air Supply and released their first smash hit and self-titled debut album, reaching gold in Australia. After opening for Rod Stewart's tour in the United States in the late ‘70s, Air Supply had an international breakthrough and signed a distribution deal with Artista Records in 1980. Their album, Lost in Love, featured three U.S. top five singles, including the title track, which was the fastest-selling single in the world; "Every Woman in the World"; and "All Out of Love," which hit No. 11 in the United Kingdom's Top 40 charts. Throughout the next three years, Air Supply produced hit after hit, including "Just Another Woman," "The One That You Love," "Here I Am," "Sweet Dreams," "Even The Nights Are Better" and "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All," which reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts in 1983. Producing 30 albums and more than 15 hit singles, Air Supply has become a worldwide sensation, touring in Australia, Asia, India, the United States and the Caribbean. In 2008, as the only Australian band on the list, Air Supply was named No. 83 on Billboard's top 100 musical acts of all time. Showtime is 8 p.m folks. Tickets start from $29.95, plus extras. Visit the Orleans Casino website for more details.


NSW Opposition To Block Cartoon Gambling Legislation Re Randwick Et Al?...

The NSW Opposition has hit out on the Government's plan to fund a major upgrade to Sydney's Randwick racecourse with revenue from a computerised gambling game. The State Government says it will loan the racing industry $150 million for the Randwick upgrade, if the Australian Jockey Club and the Sydney Turf Club official merge. As part of the deal the racing industry will get dollars from an animated horseracing game called Trackside so it can repay the loan. That means the animated game will soon be in pubs, clubs and TABs. The changes require new legislation but the Government does not have a majority in the Upper House at this time. The Opposition's racing spokesman George Souris has concerns about the plan and says the Coalition could join forces with crossbench MPs to block it for good. "The Government is acting somewhat in a vacuum and almost dictatorially if it takes as assumed that the Opposition will support legislation which will be necessary. I think it sends a very poor message that the government now is addicted to gambling revenues. It now can't think of anything more innovative than to increase the level of gambling in our community so as to fund vital upgrades on racecourses." The Greens have pledged to vote against the changes. The NSW horse racing sector continues to bleed, hence is looking to adapt to the times, something Aussie media legend and horse racing expert Alan Jones said they needed to do. Jonesy and John Singo, might be time to hit the phones again and bring this politicians into line. Jones and Singo... mate I wish you guys were running the country. John, you said it right with out last PM... "couldn't or wouldn't sell him". Labor... you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. The AJC wants to drink but some polies don't want them to. Without water one can die... is that the goal? Time will tell.


Online Casino Wars...

The Aussie casino wars continues, both offline and online. This week Richard Branson's Virgin Casino released the War Of The Worlds slot game. This may be a counter measure, at least in part to PartyGaming's PartyCasino Palladium Slot, and Party's strong branded line up. Virgin are closing the gap on Party by all accounts, while Captain Cooks powered by Microgaming seriously needs some new branded slots if they are to compete on even ground. Aussie's and Kiwi's still can't play at Branson's Virgin, so thank god for Party and the captain, with the PKR 3D casino and poker room also in the mix for good measure.

Media Man commentary: "The Australian online casino wars have never been hotter. The political headlines in mainstream media are a strong indicator of this. Knockers reckon gaming is a training ground and "practice" for gambling machines. We can confirm first hand that the gaming (and igaming) sector is recession resistant (but not recession proof). One of the great aspects of gaming brands like PartyGaming and Virgin is that most games can be played for free or played for money. Responsible gaming websites also offer betting limits. Always remember to keep your gaming fun and don't let it become a problem. Gaming is not intended to take over your every day activities, be it Sex, Drugs and Rock N Roll... Mind, Body and Spirit, or other!"

Online Casino Wars: PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino VS Captain Cooks Casino...

PartyCasino remains the online casino of choice for Aussies. Their Palladium Slot, named after the Palladium Lounge has been a bit hit with VIP's and "whales". But PartyPoker isn't benefiting, falling in the PokerScout ratings. Richard Branson's Virgin Casino has just released an awesome online slot entitled 'Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of War Of The Worlds', based on the classic H.G. Wells 'War Of The Worlds'. PartyGaming is strong rumoured to be releasing a 'Rocky' and 'Pink Panther' slot game in less than 2 weeks! Meantime, Captain Cooks Casino in the way of Hollywood themes has Lara Croft Tomb Raider, but its been well over a year since they added Hollywood branded slots. Now Microgaming has done a deal with Branson's Virgin seeing Hitman, Tomb Raider and Thunderstruck no longer stand out slots for the Captain, but its good they have them for Australians and New Zealanders, as some had trouble signing up with Virgin (a sign of things to come with the Aussie internet filter perhaps?)


Crikey Media Founder Based In Victoria - Melbourne Plays Anti Pokie Card Running For Politics...

Publicity stunt by Mr Mayne or genuine concern? You be the judge, jury and executioner... so to speak... no malice intended Stevie my son. Guess I'm not just a TAFE student not worthy of your time anymore you arrogant "Sir"...Shareholder activist, serial pest of sorts, and former Liberal staffer Stephen Mayne is running for the Senate in Victoria as an anti-gambling candidate. He was an innovator in the Australian media and new media landscape, so give the devil his due but numerous Media Man sources say its an elaborate publicity stunt from Mr Crikey Mate, perhaps following in the footsteps of Media Man comedian friend and sometime associate, Austen Tayshus, now representing The Sex Party (or is it the Green or both)... in Manly... home turf to Tony "The Bruiser" Abbott. Tayshus has been seen wearing a Mankini ala Sasha Cohen (Borat, Ali G and Bruno).

More politics...

Media Man Politics
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/politics.html

Gambling911 Politics
http://www.gambling911.com/politics.html

Gambling911 Australian News
http://www.gambling911.com/regional-news/australia.html


Burswood Bouncers Casino Guards Dodge Assault...

Packer's Burswood Entertainment Complex over Perth way in WA is back in the news.

The daily double Burswood Bouncers aka Casino Security will not be formally charged even though a magistrate found they assaulted a punter who was attending a wedding no less. A police spokesman advised there was insufficient evidence to charge the bouncers, named as Uhmet "Guns" Gungor and Peter "Puncher" Ross, even though Magistrate Robert Lawrence encouraged coppers to investigate them when Gregory Haig was acquitted in November last year of assaulting punter Gungor. A Corruption and Crime Commission spokesman said there was no evidence the police decision not to pursue charges against the two men was unreasonable, improper, oppressive or unjust. As the late, great, Big Tim Bristow would say, "Be Told"! Haig, who was attending a wedding function, was apprehended by the two security officers on 23rd November 2008 after receptionist Casinda May Buckley-Stanton alerted security to a punter being abusive towards her. However, during the trial it emerged Ms Buckley-Stanton had advised police the verbally abusive man had sandy blond hair, when Mr Haig has dark brown hair. Sounds like the iconic Aussie flick 'Black & White', featuring a young Rupert Murdoch, now media 'king of the world'. Mr Ross, who Mr Haig claims pushed him from behind, refused to give police a statement or testify. According to the court transcripts, his reason for not doing so was that at the time he faced a charge of assault occasioning bodily harm. The investigating officer, Constable Alan Edward Ball, admitted under cross-examination that he had not viewed the security footage, of which there was 32 minutes missing by accident (or something). Insiders ask 'Does Underbelly stuff still exist in Perth?' Handing down his verdict, Mr Lawrence said "I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the incident occurred as described in detail by the accused." He went on about there had been no lawful justification for Mr Ross grabbing Mr Haig from behind and forcing him to the ground with the assistance of Mr Gungor. "They assaulted him unlawfully and then the two of them physically threw him to the ground outside the door," Mr Lawrence stated. "I would have thought that there should be further inquiries as to the conduct of those security officers." A Burswood spokeswoman said the matter had been investigated more than once and Burswood considered the matter closed. Got that everyone, Case Closed.


Victorians Spent $2.6bn On Pokies Last Financial Year...

Numbers released by the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation (VCGR) show gamblers put out the big bucks despite the pressures of rising interest rates and living expenses. But the VCGR said the spending was 4.1% less than the $2.7 billion spent in the previous financial year, and the biggest decline since 2002/03, when smoking bans began. It said spending per adult dropped by 5.8% to $611. The number of gambling venues and machines in the state fell to their lowest levels since the mid-1990s, it said. There are now 514 venues with 26,682 licensed poker machines in Victoria.


Aussie Tatts Hit On UK Pokies...

Tatts has become the latest Aussie firm to reveal it is suffering in Britain, finally conceding a huge write-down of its Talarius pokies. Tatts announced it was writing down the value of Talarius by $140 million to $180 million. It attributed the write-down to an emergency budget from the new government that will increase the rate of value added tax, which is expected to affect consumer spending. Talarius, which now runs 8000 machines in some 170 venues, has been disappointing the market and investors for too many years to list. Chief executive of Tatts, Dick McIlwain, was upbeat about the future of Talarius and revealed he had refused 3 private equity offers to buy it in the past six months. Tatts is spending £10 million ($17 million) restructuring the business and has closed 45 venues. Industy analysts advised the write-down was no surprise, given Talarius's piss poor performance.


Business Talk: Bring In Skills Or Pay To Piper...

Australia's economy will stagnate and inflation increase if the intake of skilled migrants is not kept at least as high as it is now, say many of Australia's most influential businessmen. But the business community is in furious agreement that Australia's infrastructure and training programs must be better planned to accommodate economic growth. One of the country's richest businessmen, Len Ainsworth, founder of pokies group Aristocrat Leisure, has warned that Australia needs to be careful to match population growth with infrastructure availability. Packer mate 'Twiggy' Forrest said "If you stop Australia growing then you stop the economy growing and you stop the aspirations of every single Australian growing. The Aristocrat pokie mob bottom line has been much better days, while Packer's Crown share rates continue to struggle, but are making a slow upward recovery.

Australian Share Price Wrap Up...

Crown Limited 8.000

Aristocrat 3.580

Tabcorp 6.720

Centrebet 1.390

Tatts Group Limited 2.380


Aussie Boxing Sports Scandal - Not Ready Or Fix?...

Footage posted on YouTube of an out-of-condition Briggs sparring is believed to have sparked the betting rush on Wednesday night's fight with Danny Green. The video of Briggs sparring middleweight Peter Mitrevski jnr, shows "The Hurricane" getting a bit of a hiding, with action at one minute and 14 seconds showing Briggs getting punched while his hands are by his side. Mitrevski jnr is going half-paced and finding holes in Briggs's defence.

"I got a million calls after that video went up," Hussein told the Fairfax Media."Jeff (Fenech) told me two weeks before the fight to pull him out. I spoke to Paul and he said there was no way he would pull out, he wanted to knock out Danny Green and he believed he could do it. Regardless of if I had pulled out of camp, he would have fought. He would have found another trainer. I wanted to be there for him as a mate. I wanted to make sure he was going to be OK in there. If he didn't go down to that shot, if he had taken a bigger punch, I would have thrown in the towel. I was there to protect a guy who was adamant he was going to fight." Briggs, who has separated from his partner and has two children, was so desperate for cash he had earlier approached Anthony Mundine but was told they would rather give him money if he needed it. Briggs stronly claims he did not throw the fight and was "not the man he once was". The Australian boxing community says it will take a long time, if not ever, to recover, with insiders saying it will help the UFC and MMA in general, at least in the short term, while make the boxing business even harder. A sad week for Austrailan boxing to say the least.

YouTube Secret Briggs Training Footage!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWd2OGS4Wmw


Briggs VS Green Press Conferce (Star City Casino)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GDqwxOooH8&NR=1

Media Man Profiles

Boxing
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/boxing.html

Danny Green
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/green.html


90% Of Australian Web Snoop Document Censored To Stop 'Premature Unnecessary Debate'...

The federal government has censored approximately 90 per cent of a secret document outlining its controversial plans to snoop on Australians' web surfing, obtained under freedom of information (FoI) laws, out of fear the document could cause "premature unnecessary debate". The government has been consulting with the internet industry over the proposal, which would require ISPs to store certain internet activities of all Australians - regardless of whether they have been suspected of wrongdoing - for law-enforcement agencies to access. All parties to the consultations have been sworn to secrecy. *full report: The Sydney Morning Herald website
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/smh.html


Key Websites In The Aussie Casino War...

PartyCasino

Captain Cooks Casino

Virgin Casino

PKR

Media Man and Gambling911 have a casino reviews section, so check it out to find out more. Bet with your head, not over it, and have fun".

Media Man Profiles

Australian Casinos
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/australian_casinos.html

Casino Reviews
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/casino_reviews.html

New Games
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/new_games.html

What did you like or hate most about this editions news? Tell us in the forum. Aussie's, vote early and vote often... just kidding brothers and sisters. Know the odds, Keep it legal and have fun maties.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover. They also offer political analysis and commentary

*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited and Virgin and has conducted b2b with Crown Limited, PartyGaming, Virgin and others mentioned in this report

Website Network

Media Man International

Media Man

Media Man Australia

Media Man Asia

Media Man Canada

Media Man Games

Media Man Casino

Media Man Poker

Casino News Media

Casino Travel Media

Global Gaming Directory

Australian Sports Entertainment

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Virgin Casino Gets The War Of The Worlds Slot Game; Virgin Bingo Gets Three More Games - 21st July 2010

Media Man Network

Virgin Casino Gets The War Of The Worlds Slot Game; Virgin Bingo Gets Three More Games

Profiles

Virgin Casino Virgin Games Virgin Bingo Virgin New Games Richard Branson

H.G. Wells Steven Spielberg Jeff Wayne

*Sorry, no U.S or Australian players. See World Casino Directory

The invasion has begun! Spin now to save Mankind and win a x700 bonus!

Introduction

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The Worlds is a 5-reel 100-line slot machine, with each reel being 4 symbols tall. In addition to a bonus round (where winnings are awarded for damaging and killing the Fighting Machines), the game features special Wild symbols which react together to fill a reel with wilds.

Step 1: Getting Started
When you load the game you will be given the option to load the Full high quality version of the game (which has all the animations and sounds) or the Reduced quality version which has fewer sounds and animations and lower quality graphics so the overall file size is smaller and quicker to download. The game functionality and payouts are exactly the same for both versions. After the version you have selected has all been loaded you will see the main screen:

Press the 'STAKE UP' and 'STAKE DOWN' buttons to choose a stake per line.

Your selected stake per line will be multiplied by 100 lines. You cannot change the number of lines in this game.

The total amount you have staked will be shown in the TOTAL STAKE box at the bottom right of the screen.

Click on the 'Paytable' button to view the paytable, which shows the potential winnings for each reel combination,

Step 2: How To Play
Press 'PLAY' to start the game (Alternatively you can press the Spacebar on your keyboard to spin).

The reels will spin and eventually stop at random.

If the combination of symbols appearing on the reels form a line (starting from the left reel) of 3, 4 or 5 matching symbols on one of the 100 win lines then you win.

Any symbols that were part of a win will be highlighted and your winnings will be credited to your account balance.

The total winnings are shown in the top right and the total number of lines that had a win are shown in the bottom left of the screen.

Fighting Machine Bonus
The Fighting Machine bonus game is a special bonus win, triggered by getting 3 BONUS symbols anywhere on the reels (this is a scatter win, so the BONUS symbols do not have to be on the same winline).

There is no line win attached to the BONUS scatter win - only entry to the bonus game, which itself guarantees a win.

When the game enters the bonus round, you will see the introduction screen showing details of the bonus game. The idea of this bonus is to shoot as many of the Fighting Machines as you can before they shoot all 3 of your cannons.

You have 3 cannons and there are 3 Fighting Machines to shoot, each of your cannons can only shoot forwards at the machine in front of it (you cannot aim left or right, you can only adjust the power by pressing the Fire button at a different time).

When the power meter is on the amount you want then press the Fire button to fire that cannon. The cannon will then be disabled for a moment while it reloads.

If you kill all 3 of the machines then you will get onto the next stage. There are 3 stages in total and you get a bonus of 500 times your total stake if you complete them all by killing all 9 Fighting Machines.

The game ends when you have no more cannons left or when you have killed all 9 machines. You will then be awarded your winnings and taken back to the main game.

Wild Symbols
The WILD symbol substitutes all other symbols except for the BONUS symbol to enhance your chances of getting a winning line.

If 2 WILD symbols are revealed on the same reel - one at the top and one at the bottom - then they will expand to change the two symbols in-between them to WILD symbols as well, and so increasing your chance of getting several wins. This expanding wild event occurs even if there are no wins created.

A row of WILD symbols on an active win line does not have any associated payout - the WILD pays only when used as a substitute for another symbol.

Auto Play
By selecting 'AUTO PLAY' you can choose to place up to 25 bets automatically, one after the other. Click 'AUTO PLAY' and select the number of automatic bets you want before clicking the 'PLAY' button to start those bets.

You can stop Auto Play from continuing onto the next spin by clicking 'STOP AUTO' (which replaces the 'AUTO PLAY' button when you are in Auto Play.

Auto Play will turn off if you get into the bonus round.

GENERAL NOTES
This game has a Return to Player of 94.7%. - System malfunction voids all pays and play.

Profile

The War Of The Worlds


Virgin Games Launches Three New Virtue Fusion Games

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - July 21, 2010 - Leading online gaming company, Virgin Games, has today launched three new titles to add to its extensive offering. The games, all developed by the innovative online games producer, Virtue Fusion, are Multi Balls (available on Virgin Bingo), George and the Dragon, and Treasure Time Traveller (available on both Virgin Casino and Virgin Bingo).

Multi Balls
Multi Balls is a multi-player game where the higher up on the leader board you are, the greater the share of the community jackpot you win. Payouts are awarded for achieving groups of 5 or more horizontally or vertically adjacent balls that are the same character – there are 6 different characters to play with.

George and the Dragon
George and the Dragon is a 5 reel, 20 five line slot with a progressive jackpot, a feature game and exploding reels. There is a Bonus Feature that is triggered when a Dragon symbol appears in reels 1, 3 and 5. The Bonus Feature will play out once all winning combinations on the reels have been completed.

Treasure Time Traveller
Treasure Time Traveller is a 9-square scratch card. To qualify for the bonus round players have to scratch and match 3 odometer symbols.
The launch of these new games coincides with an exciting promotional offering at Virgin Bingo. For the first time players will be able to pre buy tickets for specific games incentivised by a range of some of the most fantastic prizes Virgin Bingo have ever offered, such as weekend breaks to New York and 42 inch Flatscreen TVs.

Warren Eloff, Product Manager at Virgin Games, commented:
"With these exciting new games and fantastic promotions Virgin Games truly offers one of the best online gaming experiences available. At the beginning of the year we stated that our priority was to offer great choice to our customers - and we're now doing that in spades. The range of games we have is superb and the promotional offerings have just raised the bar!"

Founded in 2004, Virgin Games has over 1,000,000 players and over 200 games on its site. Through the introduction of a custom built Virgin Games platform in 2008, Virgin Games seeks to provide its players with the widest possible choice of casino games. A growing selection of games can be found at Virgin Games from a number of producers including Microgaming, WagerWorks, Cryptologic, Freemantle and Ash Gaming.

Websites

Virgin Casino.

Virgin Bingo

Notes to editors

About Virgin Games:

Virgin Games launched in June 2004 and has quickly established itself as one of the leading gaming websites in the UK. Virgin Games comprises three distinct offerings:

-- Virgin Casino, offers content from a range of games suppliers including WagerWorks, Microgaming, Cryptologic, Freemantle and Ash Gaming, bringing consumers classic casino games like Blackjack and Roulette, as well as great feature slots like Monopoly, Rubik's, X-Factor and the highly popular MegaJackpots progressive games, with a current jackpot value of over GBP 2,500,000

-- Virgin Poker, part of the Boss Media network, offers a huge array of games and content for beginners through to experienced pros - as well as the most generous loyalty scheme in the industry

-- Virgin Bingo, part of the Virtue Fusion network, offers cash prizes worth thousands of pounds in the progressive jackpots, as well as Virgin prize bingo and a range of unique Virgin Games bingo games.

Websites

Virgin Bingo

Virgin Casino.

Join now and get a £100 Casino Welcome Bonus at Virgin Casino.

Virgin Games has won a number of industry awards and commendations including awards from Media Man, Casino News Media and eGaming Review. Virgin Casino won the Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' for June 2010 and is in the running again this month.

At present Virgin Casino is unable to accept money players from the United States, Australia or New Zealand. Please see World Casino Directory.

Websites

Virgin Bingo

VirginCasino.com

Profiles

Virgin Bingo

Virgin Casino

Virgin Games

Neteller

Cleopatra

Cleopatra 2

The War Of The Worlds

Website Network

Media Man International

Media Man

Media Man Australia

Media Man Asia

Media Man Canada

Media Man Games

Media Man Casino

Media Man Poker

Casino News Media

Casino Travel Media

Global Gaming Directory

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Australian And New Zealand Casino And Gambling News, by Greg Tingle - 20th July 2010

Readers er punters, casino billionaires, whales, journalists and everyone else... the last Australian and New Zealand report was so popular we're following it up pronto, without further delay. So, whether you take a liking to Kangaroos, Koalas, Octopus, Sheep or Tasmanian Devils, we've got something to whet you're appetite. Media Man and Gambling911 set the menu and fire up the barbecue for your culinary delight...

Friends, make no mistake, the Australian and New Zealand casino and gambling landscape comprises of more than just the famous casino wars dominated by James Packer's Crown Casino, Burswood Casino and Tabcorp's Star City, and if you like, add in the new potential players Mildura Jewel and Cairns 'Aus Vegas' proposal. Then you have the "pokie palaces" (clubs, pubs and hotels), and perhaps the odd illegal gambling den, but we don't know much about the later despite Underbelly rumours and cafe talk. The Australian horse racing industry used to be a serious player but their numbers and clout is way down from what it was 10, even 5 years ago. Some gambling and gaming related companies have adapted to the times better than most and that's the bottom line. Winners remain grinners and firms out of luck can usually blame themselves. Media Man and Gambling911 likes to back winners, and we applaud the switched on operators from down under that may have been listening to smart folks like Mort Zuckerman, media baron in New York.

Crown Limited's Burswood Entertainment Complex Multi-Million Dollar Expansion...

The Western Australia Government says it will not get in the way of a multi-million dollar expansion of the Burswood Entertainment Complex and casino. The operators of Burswood plan to spend over $350 million over the next 3 years upgrading the resort, building new restaurants and expanding the casino to accommodate 300 new gaming machines and tables, all set to please the powers that be, whales, dolphins and tuna.
If the project is officially approved by the Racing and Wagering Commission, Burswood has agreed to remunerate the government a $20 million up front fee. The Racing Minister, Terry Waldron, says that is a "typical business deal". "Twenty million dollars will be utilised to support problem gambling services also to support the racing industry," Waldron advised. If the expansion is approved, Western Australia will still have the lowest concentration of gaming machines per capita in Australia, so James Packer... comon, let's give the other states a run for their money, and many punters also look forward to Crown's continued online development with punters screaming for an online Cleopatra, Kerry Packer and Ned Kelly online slot. As Packer friend and associate Sir Richard Branson and other inner circle types have pointed out, sometimes its a "crawl, walk, run" situation. PartyGaming last year directed players to the Crown Casino Aussie Million's tournament via a PartyPoker online promotion which was encouraging, whispered a Media Man insider.

Adelaide Casino: All You Can Eat, All You Can Play, Or Both?...

The Independent Gambling Authority is understood to be a tan worried about a $5 "all-you-can-eat" gambling related deal promoted to a pensioner group by the Adelaide Casino. A number of aspects of the scheme are attracting an accusing finger, and then some. Critics say the promo is not a good example of responsible gambling promotion. The vast majority, if not all, of the states pubs and clubs can't do the same sort of promos. The community friendly gambling den is rarely in the bad books, but as is often the trend, a small but vocal minority scream blue murder, many of these organised groups often having strong links to Churches and the clergy. Don't start us up on pedophilia church scandals that have swept the world from Adelaide, to Vegas, the Vatican and beyond. The casino's deal for the more senior patrons is affectionately being referred to as the Pensioner Promotion says industry insiders. The diners are "forced" to stay at the venue for 4 hours in order to collect their "cheap" meals. Is cheap cheap, or can cheap be expensive? That may depend on their luck in the slots. The pensioners are mainly "tuna" with no whales, but may contain the odd "dolphin" to use industry speak in and around Media Man circles. No high rollers here folks. One may argue that there is an element of swapping food for the chance to win big on the pokies. 4 hours game play hey? We're advised their may be a version of peer-group pressure, the sort of thing that goes on in a school yard, but in this can its at the casino! If 1 person leaves the group in the 4 hour limit all of their mates will miss out on the "$5 pensioner promotion" deal.


Auckland's SkyCity Casino Targeted By Scammer...

A senior employee nicked $2.7 million from her company employer over 6 years to spend as a VIP high-roller at Auckland's SkyCity Casino. Herminia Lanuza pleaded guilty in Auckland District Court this week to fraud and theft and her accountant partner Divinia Granados admitted laundering stolen money through bank accounts. The daring couple will be sentenced in August. Lanuza worked as a senior financial controller for an Auckland company, whose name is suppressed. The incidents occurred from 2002 to 2008, systematically nabbing cash to feed her gambling addiction. The missing millions were uncovered after an unpaid tax bill was discovered back in March 2008. Crime doesn't pay.


New Zealand Poker Tour (NZPT) Queenstown 'Alpine Adventure' Tournament...

15 poker nuts are on journey from Auckland to Queenstown this week for a shot at fame and money via the poker green. The swag are qualifiers from a tourney at SkyCity Auckland casino last weekend that offered spots in the New Zealand Poker Tour (NZPT) Queenstown 'Alpine Adventure' tournament, which carries a sweet prize and the expected net prize pool is estimated to go up to $400,000, maybe a tad higher. The Auckland leg commenced on Saturday with a line up of 38 international and domestic players from 9 countries including reps from down under in Australia, Singapore, Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Canada and sheep loving New Zealand. Local poker sharks made up the most of the 15 successful players who fight for glory this weekend. SkyCity will pick up the tab for the travel and accommodation as well they might considering the global coverage they are getting, including Media Man and Gambling911 networks.

Players include

Yannick Frenette - Canada
Tim Macbeth - NZ
Stephen Smith - NZ
Richard Kit - NZ
Jordi Urlings - Netherlands
Lindsay Andrews - NZ
Campbell Melville - NZ
Brian Huang - Singapore
Rewi Emmerson - NZ
Mike Tyler - NZ
Robert Wang - NZ
Kani Edwards - NZ
Ben Price - Australia
Oleg Vitsenko - NZ
Renae Baker - NZ

Land Based Casinos VS Online Casinos And Media Connections...

Australian and New Zealand punters are taking to online casinos and sports betting sites like "ducks to water" says Media Man. A Media Man spokesperson said "Australians are some of the world's most passionate users and early adopters of technology and entertainment, as well as in the top 5 of gambling nations, so you can just imagine how they have fallen in love with online gaming, poker and betting in general. One need look no further than the Australian Productivity Report to see the passion Aussie's have for the punt. New Zealanders are also right up there. Media companies such as Fairfax Media and News Limited have plugged into the action, as has TV stations Foxtel, Network Ten and OneHD in roundabout ways, and Google has Google TV and Google TV coming up also, on the heels of Google Pac-Man, so things look exciting. Rest assured Media Man and Gambling911 will stay in the thick of the action. Readers are encouraged to open various accounts with a number of casinos and bookies, just in case your prime supplier gets banned. PartyCasino, Captain Cooks Casino, PKR, Betfair, Virgin Casino (no Aussies yet) and Centrebet are some of the ones we can recommend. Paul The Octopus isn't commenting on the findings. Media Man and Gambling911 have a casino reviews section, so check it out to find out more. Bet with your head, not over it, and have fun".

Media Man Profiles

Australian Casinos
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/australian_casinos.html

Crown Casino
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/crown_casino.html

New Zealand
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/new_zealand.html

Paul The Octopus
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/paul_the.html

Casino Reviews
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/casino_reviews.html

Tasty morsels hey. No animals or other creatures were hurt in the compiling of this report. That's it for now folks, stick a fork in her, she's done. Woof. Bah for now!

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover. They also offer political analysis and commentary

*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited and Virgin and has conducted b2b with Crown Limited, PartyGaming, Virgin, Fairfax Media, News Limited and Betfair

Website Network

Media Man International

Media Man

Media Man Australia

Media Man Asia

Media Man Canada

Media Man Games

Media Man Casino

Media Man Poker

Casino News Media

Casino Travel Media

Global Gaming Directory

Australian Sports Entertainment

Monday, July 19, 2010

Australian Casino Wars: Burswood Casino Takes Aim, by Greg Tingle - 20th July 2010

The world famous Australian casino wars have evolved with James Packer's Crown Limited (Crown Casino and Burswood Entertainment Complex) and Star City (Tabcorp) remaining the main players on the giant casino chess board down under. Jupiters on the Gold Coast remains a relative minor players, but some of Cairns in Northern Queensland still wants to make a major strike into the action. Expect incoming missiles from Perth's Burswood. Media Man and Gambling911 play commando and strap on the bullet proof vests and fire up the rocket launchers with this special report from the war zone down under...

Crown Limited's Burswood Entertainment Complex Expansion...

Not completely satisfied with his casino interests and portfolio down under and in the greater Asia Pacific region, Australian casino and lifestyle king, James Packer, is investing in his "war chest", with Perth based Burswood to get a major boost, in the process become a greater chess piece in the world renown Aussie casino wars.

Crown Ltd advises it now has government support to expand the number of pokie machines aka "One Armed Bandits" at Perth's Burswood casino, also known as Burswood Entertainment Complex, where acts such as Hulk Hogan's Hulk-A-Mania are known to run wild entertaining Western Australians.

Crown had achieved "in-principle" support from the West Australian government to expand the number of gaming machines from about 1,750 to 2,000 and increase gaming tables from approx 170 to 220, it advised.

The gaming giant is currently 40% owned by Packer's Consolidated Press Holdings Ltd, but what may happen in the coming year is open to speculation, as Tabcorp also has the eye of Packer and "Billionaire Inc".

Crown powers that be advised Burswood had agreed to compensate the state government a $20 million "front fee" and to increase the tax rate on additional pokies from 22% to 27% over the next 5 years. Even if the Government leadership changes on state or federal level, the deal would stick.

The Racing Minister, Terry Waldron, says that is a typical business deal.

"Twenty million dollars will be utilised to support problem gambling services also to support the racing industry," he said.

$350 million has been earmarked to invest into Burswood to facilitate developments and VIP gaming and accommodation facilities are at the top of the list for upgrades, expansions and the like. No word on Lear jets at this time, which Crown Casino sports, as does competitor Star City in Sydney. Reef Casino in Cairns operated by
Casinos Austria International and Accor is yet to confirm expansion plans or jet numbers to Media Man.

Cairns is still pitching the idea to have a "Aus Vegas" casino mecca, despite a small but vocal group of detractors, and down south in Mildrua the upcoming development of the Mildura Jewel Hotel and Casino is still a strong possibility.

Perth's Burswood has committed to expanding local gaming capacity, establish new restaurants and bars, and further enhance the Intercontinental Perth Hotel, Crown advised the ASX.

A Crown spokesperson said "The end result will be the creation of a world class, integrated resort that can successfully compete against the other integrated resorts in the Asian region."

The Numbers...

Return On Investment - circa 2013.

450 new jobs in 3 years, some of which earmarked for GenerationOne (an Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest and James "Casino King" Packer and friends initiative).


Mr Barry Felstead, Burswood chief exec advised along with $130 million of capital expenditure already made, Burswood would be investing almost half a billion dollars over a 5-year period.

"The investment will bring significant and sustained benefits to Perth and Western Australia," Mr Felstead told the press.


Mildura Jewel Casino: Victoria Update...

Mildura casino developer, the brains behind the grand plan, John Haddad, has met up with Victoria's political powers that be but says there is no clear direction forward for the $400 million plan. Mr Haddad met with Premier John Brumby, Nationals leader Peter Ryan and Liberal leader Ted Baillieu on the proposed riverfront based casino and entertainment complex. He advised Mr Brumby was happy to receive letters of in-principle support from Mildura Council and tourism and development boards, however he still requires "bipartisan" support. "It is legislation for a casino, which is something that is a bit more sensitive," he said. "It would be foolish for the Government to come out with some sort of direction if they know that issue is not going to have at least any indication of support. I have to step back and just hope the National Party and the Liberal Party ... have no objection to a second casino being issued in Victoria."

The Late News...

Major Australian and Asia Pacific based media and new media companies continue to ramp up their online and offline coverage of the Australian gaming, igaming, casino and sports betting sector. Major media and non casino players include Fairfax Media, News Limited, NineMSN, Yahoo! and Google (Search, AdWords and other) and of course Media Man, now sporting Media Man Games and Media Man Poker, adding to Global Gaming Directory and Casino News Media.

A Media Man spokesperson said "Many major Australian and Asia Pacific based media companies, agencies and internet giants are continuing to increase their coverage and sometimes involvement in the casino, igaming, poker and sports betting world. From Google (search engine results), NineMSN (articles and multimedia) to News Limited and Fairfax, both carrying in-house sports betting brands, to us who cover the sector in a holistic fashion with news, pr, campaigns, articles, content, multimedia and portal development, its all happening. Many of these companies like us target the world and have a global strategy, marketing and media plan, but the Australian region remains on the radar and is an important part of the master plan. Of course, the internet is a global medium and not restricted to any one part of the world, so it ideally covers coverage of the casino and gaming sector, be it content, journalism, publicity of other. Different brands are also handing out casino and gaming awards and commendations following in the eGaming Review path, like Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award which PartyGaming's PartyCasino and Richard Branson's Virgin Casino have both won over the years. It's an extremely exciting time to be covering the casino and gaming sector, something our friends at Gambling911, CAP, GPWA and eGaming Review can vouch for. Expect Crown Limited, Tabcorp, Centrebet, PartyGaming and Virgin to make waves, and Media Man and Gambling911 to remain in the thick of the action."

Media Man Profiles

Australian Casinos
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/australian_casinos.html

Crown Casino
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/crown_casino.html

Burswood Casino
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/burswood.html

Star City Casino
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/star_city.html

Jupiter's Hotel and Casino, Gold Coast
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/jupiters_hotel.html

Aus Vegas
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/aus_vegas.html

Mildura Jewel
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/mildura_jewel.html

Gaming
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/gaming.html

Portals
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/portals.html

Google
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/google.html

Media Companies
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/media_companies.html

Folks, we hope you enjoyed this special 'Australian Casino Wars' edition. Know something we don't? Tell us in the forum which has been red hot of late. Stay tuned and in the coming days and weeks we will also expand on the coverage with New Zealand and Asia Pacific - Macau components of the war, along with special online casino and gaming reports which remain important chess pieces in the war zone. Check or cheque mate?

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover. They also offer political analysis and commentary

*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited and Virgin and has conducted b2b with Crown, PartyGaming, Virgin, Fairfax Media, News Limited and Betfair

Website Network

Media Man International

Media Man

Media Man Australia

Media Man Asia

Media Man Canada

Media Man Games

Media Man Casino

Media Man Poker

Casino News Media

Casino Travel Media

Global Gaming Directory

Australian Sports Entertainment

PartyCasino: The World's Leading Online Casino; A PartyGaming Company

PartyCasino: The World's Leading Online Casino

New Players get up to $500 sign up bonus at PartyCasino.com

PartyGaming also operates casinos, online poker rooms and bingo through various websites, including PartyCasino.com, PartyPoker.com, PartyBingo.com, WPTCasino.com and WPTPoker.com

PartyCasino is the Group’s most popular casino brand by far although other brands include CasinoKing and CasinoLasVegas.com The Group's casinos offer a huge variety of over 150 games including slots, blackjack, roulette, and video poker. As well as these traditional online casino games, the Group also offers virtual horse and virtual dog racing as well as multi-player blackjack.

Except for casino tournaments, all players place bets against the house, and the outcome is determined by randomly generated results. Wager limits vary from $0.01 to $1,000, depending on the game. Casino revenue represents the net win, being the amount wagered less player winnings and any change in liability of progressive prize pools. Bingo revenue represents player buy-in less prize payouts.

In 2007, the Group’s casino product was substantially improved through a series of software upgrades, the addition of a number of new slot machines and the integration of the acquisitions from EOL and IOG. Casino, which includes bingo games, is the Group’s second largest business segment and in 2007 it generated Continuing revenue of $146.7 million (2006: $51.0 million) and Continuing Clean EBITDA of $43.6 million (2006: $15.9 million).

PartyGaming's principle brands include PartyPoker.com, PartyCasino.com and World Poker Tour

Profiles







Website Network















Sunday, July 18, 2010

Australian Casino And Gambling News, by Greg Tingle - 18th July 2010

Australia is the source of some of the world's most interesting and diverse gambling and casino news this week. It's also the week that the federal election was called, and yes, punters are betting on that also... Media Man and Gambling911 report from down under... Kangaroos, Koala's, Tasmanian Devils and more of natures wonders...

James Packer Aussie Casino King "Builds" Tasmanian Devil Ark...

Casino, tourism and lifestyle king James Packer has donated land to establish a breeding facility to help save the Tasmanian devil in the New South Wales Hunter Valley. Packer has quite the thing for nature, having spent time on cattle ranches in his youth, which was an initiative of his late father, Kerry. The press in the day labelled Kerry with a nickname of an Australian marsupial which we won't repeat here this time. Hints are found in The National Times section of The Sydney Morning Herald (which carries quite a few gambling adverts and promos). Back to the devil's... The population in Tasmania has been attacked by a cancerous facial tumour disease and researchers are trying to find a cure. Mr Packer has kindly donated land at the Barrington Tops to build the 'Devil Ark' facility, which would be an important part of a mainland breeding program aimed at ensuring healthy devils can be re-introduced into Tasmania in the future. Devil Ark founder John Weigal says the project is shaping as the devil's best hope of long-term survival. "I'm convinced still that the Tasmanian devil needs to be preserved in captivity if it's going to survive in the long term. The geneticists involved in the overarching program have recommended a minimum of 1,500 devils if we're going to keep the genetic diversity over a 30-year period. So you do the math and you come up with Devil Ark. There is no other solution. Noah and his ark would be proud of Packer's effect. BTW, Noah's Ark just happens to be the title of a new slot games by Virgin Games. Virgin was founded by Packer mate, Richard Branson, and they been spotted together in Australia... just staying. Packer, how about a 'Packer Tassie Devil' slot for the Crown Casino chain to help raise funds and awareness? Nature and animal theme slot games are popular in Australia and include Penguin Pays, Outback Jack, Black Rhino and Goanna Gold.


Betfair To Float On Australian Stock Exchange This Year...

Packer 50% owned Betfair intends to get listed on the ASX before year end. Some background on the team...Ed Wray is a former investment banker, and Andrew Black is a professional gambler and former derivatives expert. They own about 25% of Betfair.
Wray and Black co-founded Betfair as a internet start-up in August 1999. Frustrated at the profits being made by traditional bookmakers that they decided to set up on their own. Their baby takes a commission of between 2 and 5% on all winning bets. Customers have to register, set up an account and deposit funds before they can begin to join in the fun.

Betfair Stats And Info...

Annual revenues of more than ₤300m ($528m) and in excess of 3 million punting customers.

2300 plus staff, with bases in Malta and Tasmania and satellite offices in Spain, Italy, Romania and Germany.

Profits for the year to April 2009: ₤70m plus.

Betfair is close to finalising a listing deal for circa September according to industry sources. The flotation would give paydays to folks who backed Betfair at its inception. The company value is being pitched at ₤1.5 billion. Japanese bank Softbank, owns approx 23% of Betfair. Floating would facilitate shares to be used as acquisition currency so that it could pro actively participate in the consolidation of the online gaming market. More news as it comes to hand.

Aussie War Hero Gets Rolled For Pokie Winnings...

An Aussie mongrel dog has pleaded guilty after knocking over a 96-year-old World War II veteran's motorised scooter and stealing his pokies winnings. Hero Reg Dickinson was trapped under his motor scooter after he was bashed by Aaron "The Mugger" McKellar on 21st, a Melbourne Court has heard. Mugger McKellar, a 29 year old disrespectful punk, nabbed a measly $20 AUD from our vet friend who was scootering home from a till then successful pokie outing at Werribee Plaza Tavern. McKellar also pleaded guilty to nicking two Guide Gog collection tins in a separate matter and has a prior conviction for stealing from a church. Media Man sniffer dogs and blood hounds Bluey and Timmy are not impressed with Muggers' low acts towards man and man's best friend....dogs aka K-9s. The mug had been handed a suspended prison sentence only 6 freaking days before robbing the war hero. McKellar's legal eagle Mr Michael Brugman said his client was now "ashamed" and "sorry" for robbing Mr Dickinson. Mugger, get some serious help before you find yourself a lifer (jail for life). You're almost 30 years of age son. Grow up and stop stealing from the needy. Get a friggen job or something and stay away from pokies, war heroes and charity tins. We can all stuff up, but your off the scale mate. Mugger McKellar pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and theft, but God knows what else this kid has done that he hasn't been busted for. Crims usually have quite trail of bad deeds before being caught. Magistrate Donna Bakos said she needed some time to consider the charges and remanded McKellar in custody to be sentenced on 9th August. Media Man and Gambling911 will delight in keeping you, the loyal reader informed of this mongrel dog situation, as we continue to bring you uncensored news to the comfort of your own home. Oh, veterans and war buffs... since we're talking the World War tie in, you might like to check these out... Rambo slot, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare slot, Bomber Girls slot, Battleship, Top Gun and Mission: Impossible. Yep, great games from comfort of your own 4 walls and you can play for free or play for money. Good eh maties.


Australian Election: 21st August - Gillard VS Abbott: Centrebet News And Odds...

Centrenet's Neil Evans tipped us off that a prominent Australian lawyer had waged $60,000 for Labor to win at $1.22. Centrebet has the ALP at $A1.22 favourite to win, the Age reports, compared to $A4.10 on offer for Tony Abbott's opposition. A new Centrebet client in the past 48 hours put $20,000 on the Coalition at $4.10, although so much money has flowed for Labor since Ms Gillard's ascension that it did not bring in the ALP's starting price. The single largest punt of $100,000 was made on Ms Gillard by a Perth punter last week. Note early and vote often... just kidding.


Media Man Founder Seeking Business And Pleasure; Moving Forward (World Exclusive)...

Media, journalism and internet entrepreneur, Greg Tingle, has decided to use the internet (this regular column in fact) to let ladies of the world know he's now single (and looking). "Moving forward" as Australian prime minister Julia Gillard said famously.

In his own words...39, good looking, smart, funny, sexy, ambitious media, journo and entertainment entrepreneur. Happily single and now looking for the right woman to mix business and pleasure, not necessarily in that order. Lady to be late 20's to 45 range. Dating and getting to know you better mainly in and around Bondi Beach. So, eligible ladies, here's your chance to meet the Media Man himself. Write to Greg with your intro and profile (300 words or less) and include phone number and photo via greg@mediamanint.com cc to greg.tingle@gmail.com

We told you it was a diverse range of news this week. Aren't you glad you read it all.

Media Man Profiles

Australian Casinos
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/australian_casinos.html

Politics
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/politics.html

James Packer
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/packer2.html

Tasmania
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/tasmania.html

Folks, that's it from down under for this week. Please play by the rules. Respect your fellow citizen and natures creatures, and do your darnest to obey laws and regulations in your applicable country or jurisdiction. Have fun, even if it means staying in the safety of your own home, and if your going to play online games, pick a trustworthy casino or gaming site. Some we recommend are PartyCasino, Virgin Casino, Captain Cooks Casino, Centrebet and Betfair, Of course, its even safer to lock yourself in the house and stay off the internet, but hey, its your choice. Aussie war veteran's, from my heart, thank you for fighting in the wars to help keep our nation strong and for the freedoms we enjoy (like writing this article for example). You have to be it to win it. All respect veterans. Peace brothers and sisters. Ladies, looking forward to your fan mail plus.

*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover.

*The writer is a former proud serving member of the Australian Army Reserve and Australian Air Corps.

Website Network

Media Man International

Media Man

Media Man Australia

Media Man Asia

Media Man Canada

Media Man Games

Media Man Casino

Media Man Poker

Casino News Media

Casino Travel Media

Global Gaming Directory

Australian Sports Entertainment