Archive for March, 2009

Gaming Jurisdictions

Thursday, March 12th, 2009
So just where do online gamblig games get played out on a person’s screen clearly but where is the screen information sent from.  Well the majority of online gambling sites are hosted offhsore for tax reasons.  We have done a quick rundown of the main locations or perhaps we should call them the most reputable locations.
Aldreney is the most accpetable and widely used of the gaming jurisdictions around.  They have a variety of bandwidth suppliers and severe rules and regulations as regards software testing.  There are no restrictions on where Alderney operators can take bets from. Costa Rica is regarded as being slighlty questionable, there are no software testing requirements for example.  As regards bandwidth operators have to deal with a state monopoly. Gibraltar is on the Uk white list as per Alderney, its another ginat in terms of the amount of market share it has gathered. Isle of Man is on the UK white list - respectable perhaps too severe in its application of a regulated approach meant that it was prohibative to work from this territory when they legalised online gaming some years ago. Kahnawake is an Indian reservation in Canada - due to the rights in the states for Indian tribes to use gaming to ensure the continuation of their traditions etc this is how the Mohawkes operate a massive server centre.  They are not part of the UK white list and suffered some loss of business as a result. Malta as its in the EU has been growing dramatically. This could become the biggest of the lot in time. Netherland Antilles despuite the name quite a stand up location with some good regulations. Panama sketchy details on this location only but regulations appear to be very light weight. Tasmania as one would expect is heavily regulated. United Kingdom the death knell for the UK was the decsion to charge heavily on taxes. Making the comparison between this location and Gibraltar and Alderney worthless.  Most major high street brands have lept their web sites off shore as a result.

Circus Casino from Genting Stanley

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
When we first heard about Circus Casino from Stanley’s we thought Circus Circus Hotel Casino And Theme Park Las Vegas.  Not sure if the two are associated I suspect they are not.
A quick look at their web site reveals CircusCasino.com is operated by Genting Stanley Alderney Limited and complies with the stringent licensing codes operated by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission.
CircusCasino.com is member of a group of companies whose ultimate owner is Genting Berhad which is listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (Bursa Malaysia). Incorporated in 1968 Genting Berhad is one of the largest companies in Malaysia with a market capitalization of US $17bn. The Genting Group is a leading resorts specialist with over 20 years of international gaming expertise and global experience in developing, operating and marketing resorts and casinos in different parts of the world, including Australia, the Americas, Malaysia, the Philippines and the United Kingdom. Genting operates the Genting Highlands resort in Malaysia which offers 6 hotels with 10,000 rooms, 60 fun rides and 170 dining and shopping outlets, mega shows and convention centers. Genting International PLC is currently constructing a resort at Sentosa Island in Singapore at an estimated cost of S$ 6bn including a Universal Studios theme park, water rides, casino and 6 hotels. In 2007 Genting International PLC paid £613 million to acquire Stanley Leisure and now trades as Stanley Casinos. The Group owns three of the UK’s most popular land-based casino chains - Circus Casino, Mint casino and Maxims Casino - and has a total of 46 casino spots in the UK. Stanley Casino is the UK’s number one casino operator including Star City Casino the UKs largest casino in Birmingham. Genting Stanley is also the name behind five of London’s most prestigious gaming venues including Crockfords Casino the world’s oldest private gaming club. The other venues are Maxims Casino Club, The Colony Club Casino, The Palm Beach casino and The Mint Casino. Now to follow up the above offline domination CircusCasino.com has launched it is the online casino from Genting Stanley, to set things off they are giving casino players two chances to enter its upcoming landbased Poker Classic comp featuring a guaranteed poker prize pool of US $200,000. Alderney licensed CircusCasino revealed that the format for its Second Chance poker promotion is a first of its kind for the UK it allows poker players from over 40 land based casino locations in the UK operating under the CircusCasino, MintCasino and MaximsCasino brands a chance to qualify online. The SecondChance promo sees poker players who did not qualify through the land-based arm of the tournaments automatically receive another shot to make it to the Classic through an online qualifier. Online players who buy into a $200,000 Second Chance Monday night tournament will receive another go at a virtual competition if they do not get through. The no-limit Texas Hold’em qualifiers will run from October 30 to November 2 at the Circus Casino at Star City in Birmingham. Land-based players that did not qualify will get a free, second chance token worth $55 that can be used for a future online qualifier. ‘We have created a unique tournament, which allows us to offer both offline and online players a free, second chance to reach the $200,000 final,” said Peter Nolan, Managing Director for Circus Casino.com ‘We don’t believe this format has been tried before and it is a great way of showcasing both sides of our business by allowing players a free opportunity to play on our new Circus Poker platform. ‘Although we only launched Circus Poker.co.uk less than a month ago, as the UK’s biggest casino operator, we have tremendous heritage and, therefore, we are able to offer a substantial guaranteed prize pool for our inaugural CircusPoker.com tournament.’