iGaming News all over the world 19.06.2010

19.06.2010, Greece Moving Faster to Regulate Online Casino Gambling / Austrian gambling laws passed / U.K.Online Casino Hacker Sentenced To Prison / Bets are on for new casino in UK

Greece Moving Faster to Regulate Online Casino Gambling
The gambling market in Greece is estimated to be worth about €5 billion or $6.13 billion in taxable revenue representing just a portion of Greece's huge and mounting national debt. The country’s finance ministry stated recently that changes to Greece's gambling laws are forthcoming soon. Reuters news agency reported regarding internet gambling laws in Greece, "The regulative framework will soon be presented for public consultation," Greece has refused so far to modify it's stance on monopolistic gambling with the current draft law, OPAP would maintain its monopoly status on sports betting and lottery ticket sales through 2019, whereas licenses to operate internet casinos and poker rooms in Greece would be made available by the government.

The national debt in Greece remains at approximately €310 billion, and a fine of €31,500 per day was levied on the Greek government by the European Commission in 2003 due to the violation of E.U. free movement of services principles.

The revenue from licenses and taxation of the online casinos would go to paying down debt incurred by the recent International Monetary Fund, European Union funded bailout of Greece, during it's financial meltdown.

Ioannis Spanoudakis, CEO of OPAP announced that OPAP would be in the best position to take advantage of new gambling laws in Greece because it already owns over 5000 sales agents in the country. The government which owns 34% of OPAP, saw an 11% decrease in income for the first quarter of 2010. The original plan called for €1.3 billion in revenue to be generated from new gaming licenses, royalties and taxation by 2012 that is if the Greek government does something soon to change the current scene. The longer the laws makers take the more it will cost the nation in accumulated debt. In this case time is money and timing is everything.

==========

Austrian gambling laws passed
Austrian new gambling laws were passed by the Austrian parliament on June 16 and the expected outcome was confirmed - restrictions which will put many independent street operators out of business, according to the trade association. It had been widely expected that the regulation would open up the entire country to the possibility of running AWP-style machines, rather than the current four provinces only.

However, that would be accompanied by strict rules governing the number of licences issued and other clamp-downs on where machines would be operated and how many would be permitted. The net effect, says the association, Automatenverband, will be a disaster for the independent operators and a free-for-all for the big companies.

Under the new law, which also increased the number of casino licences from 12 to 15, the street market will have stakes and prizes limited to a maximum 10 euros input and a top prize level of 10,000 euros. It may spell the end of the monopoly enjoyed by Casinos Austria. The three new licences will be opened for tenders from anywhere within the European Community.

The extra casino licences are part of a much larger package of revisions to the Austrian law on gambling, which also takes in the street market in the country's separate provinces. Player protection figures strongly in the provisions agreed for the new regulations.

But at the same time, the number of amusement arcades would depend upon the local population. One arcade licence for every 200 residents - in Vienna it will be one for every 600 residents.

There must be a minimum distance between arcades and local casinos of 15 km, and in the case of Vienna 2km. No automatic start buttons will be permitted on machines, which must all be directly connected to the Ministry of Finance.

Although the ability to adopt a principle of machines in public places is now there for all of Austria - instead of just Vienna, Styria, Carinthia and Lower Austria - it is widely expected that the market will decrease because of the limitations on the population ratio and proximity of casinos.

After many years of campaigning to be permitted to operate casinos within its home country, industry giant Novomatic may now join in the tendering process. Director Franz Wohlfahrt said that the new law was "a significant improvement of legal conditions" and "a great challenge" for operators.

Yogonet.com / Intergame Online

==============

U.K.Online Casino Hacker Sentenced To Prison
Alistair Peckover was finally sentenced recently to two years for the crime of computer hacking. The young 21 year old hacker from the United Kingdom committed sophisticated online frauds that proved to be very lucrative for a time until the law caught up with him. Peckover defrauded online businesses and ordinary members of the public using computer skills he taught himself. He got rich quickly, spending his ill gotten gains on fast sports cars, fancy jewellery and gold bullion.

Peckover used technical computer programs, breaching internet security barriers, and accessing individual's information for illegal gain. The young Peckover targeted online betting sites and individual email accounts.

The "obsessive loner" Peckover's victims were from every corner of the world, with over 500 hacked personal accounts. Passports in three names he used were found along with the stolen identities of unsuspecting people he used to open gambling accounts with a few large online casinos.

This young man was a constant threat on the internet, police say. Warned by the courts just last year to stop hacking and defrauding he got lucky and received a suspended prison sentence only to be caught again two months later. Police said he later admitted to all the offences and cheating on several other web gambling sites.

This mastermind of "filters" could and did steal a lot of personal information and pretended to be those people and use their money to buy things or play at a casino. This kind of theft is cruel and menacing to the entire online community. The fraud squad spokesperson said, "This is a classic example of a self-taught, obsessive loner with real computer skills but no concern for his impact on other people. “Peckover used his skills to systematically defraud legitimate online businesses and unsuspecting members of the public. Computer-based crime is not victimless."

============

Bets are on for new casino in UK
Newham council received six bids for a Las Vegas-style super casino. The bidders were revealed after the first stage of the competition process for a casino licence closed at the end of last month.

A council spokesman said: "We want to see the casino as part of a wider major leisure and entertainment destination which contributes to regeneration and creates jobs for local people."

Newham is one of eight councils in England to be authorized to issue a large casino licence under the Gambling Act 2005. The new casinos will have up to 150 slot machines with a maximum jackpot of us$ 5,919. Plans for the gambling centres have already met with strong opposition from some quarters, however.

Former Newham Cllr Alan Craig, leader of the Christian People's Alliance, said: "Evidence from around the world proves that the worst places to have a casino have a high incidence of social deprivation."

The six bidders for Newham's super casino and their proposed sites are: Aspers, Westfield Stratford City; Apollo Resorts & Leisure, Silvertown Quays, Royal Victoria Dock; Genting Casinos, between Great Eastern Street and Broadway to the south of the Stratford Centre; Grosvenor Casinos, The Royals Business Park, Dockside Road; Great Eastern Quays Casino, Great Eastern Quays off Armada Way, Gallions Reach; and Churchill Lincoln & Mr Roberts, location to be confirmed.

A winning bid is expected to be announced by December 23.

Yogonet.com / Newham Recorder

Über iGaming News:

Casinos.ch ist die Gaming & Entertainment-Plattform der Schweiz und mit über 20 Informationsportalen und rund 100 Internetnamen (Domains) das grosse News- und Pressenetzwerk der Casino- und Glücksspielszene in Europa.

Aktuelle News, Interviews, Fotos und spannende Stories - direkt und live aus den Schweizer Casinos, der Spielbankenszene Deutschlands, über das monegassische Casino von Monte Carlo, weitere Casinos aus ganz Europa und der ganzen Welt finden Sie auf www.casinos.ch. Und last but not least natürlich auch aus der Sin City 'Las Vegas'.

Die Informationen sind unterteilt in die Bereiche Casino-Informationen, aktuelle News, Events, Jackpot und Tournament-Informationen, Fotogalerien, Live-Berichte und Interviews.

--- Ende Artikel / Pressemitteilung iGaming News all over the world 19.06.2010 ---


Weitere Informationen und Links:

Weitere Nachrichten der Gaming-Branche