Poker Pro Convicted of Killing Parents

Professional Poker Pro – Ernest Scherer III was convicted for killing his parents, Ernest Scherer Jr., 60 and Charlene Abendroth, 57, two days after killing his parents in their Castlewood Country Club Home in Pleasanton, California, USA three years ago on March, 2008.

    After debating for a couple of days, jurors also declared Scherer guilty of the three special circumstances charge: two counts of murder for financial gain and one count of committing multiple murders.

    The motive behind the murder is said to be the $1 million plus the inheritance that Scherer III hoped to gain in order to pay off his mounting gambling debts in Las Vegas and from purchasing his $880,000 home in Brea, California, USA. The prosecutor, Michael Nieto said Scherer also spent huge amount of money on different girlfriends that he had around the country. Nieto also said that Scherer needed a $616,000 loan from his parents, as well as a smaller loan from the home’s former owners, to be able to own the house.

    Ernest Scherer (Sherer's father) is a sixty years of age man at the time of his death. He is a real state investor while Charlene Abendroth is fifty – seven and an accounting lecturer at California State University, East Bay. Their decayed body were found at their home on March 14, 2008. According to their bio – autopsy, they had been savagely beaten and stabbed. Prosecutor Michael Nieto told the members of the jury that he believes that they were murdered a week earlier than March 7, 2008.      

    Evidence relay heavily on a vehicle that was seen on the surveillance video the night of the  murder that closely matched the description of Scherer's car. Moreover, they convicted him of a use of deadly weapon clause for using a sharp instrument to murder his parent.

    However, Scherer's lawyer, Richard Foxall appealed to the jurors saying that they should see Scherer not guilty due tot the fact that he doesn't think the proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Schere murdered his parents. He also added that jurors shouldn't be swinged by prejudgment against Scherer even though “you may not like his occupation or his social relationships.”

    Robyn Scherer - Scherer’s ex-wife, Catherine Scherer - his sister, and Ernest Scherer Sr. - his grandfather, all testified against him during the trial. The jury arrived in this decision last Monday in a Courthouse outside San Jose, California. Scherer is now facing a term of life imprisonment without the possibility of having a parole when he's sentenced by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Horner on May 20.

     Ernest Scherer Jr. and Charlene Abendroth's family members released a statement sending their gratefulness to the jurors “for all their time and effort in arriving at the correct verdict” at the end of trial, which ended for about three months. They also thanked Nieto for “working day and night to put together a case involving more than 80 witnesses from eight states.”

    * This article is summarized and some phrases are excerpted from the articles featuring the professional poker pro, Ernest Scherer III's conviction for killing his parents that can be found at the official website of gambling911.com and sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

Viktor “Isildur1” Blom Beats Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu in a SuperStar Showdown

Before, it was just rumors but now it comes in reality – SuperStar Showdown at PokerStars was played between Viktor “Isildur1” Blom and Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu. Isildur1 and Kid Poker faced off last March 20, 15:00 ET. Therefore, at this moment the contest is spread over for weeks.

Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu might be the face of PokerStars, but seemingly makes no sense for him in the latest installment of the SuperStar Showdown series. In recent memory, it was the most awaited Isildur1 match, but unluckily turned out the other way that everyone thought it would be.

Over the weekend, Viktor “Isildur1” Blom, the Swedish online high stakes poker ace drew first blood and $150,000 in the first two heads up challenges against Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu in just 1,439 hands

Some people might be thinking if it is just a result of a bad play or bad cards? Well, maybe it  has not been the best of days for poker pro Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu. The Canadian Poker pro posted on his blog that he had been booted from Los Angeles Crown Plaza Hotel behind pre – booking his room to attend a poker tournament.

Kid Poker posted his comment with disappointment on twitter saying that, “This has been pretty disgusting so far. Can't imagine running any worse. Lost the match in 1439 hands. In 20k + pots he beat me 12-2 and I ran 44k under par in all in pots again.”

With a magnificent win, Isildur1 has managed to eat away at some of his $400K plus losses he's obtained since participating in the world's largest online poker room, PokerStars last year.

The showdown will resume on March 27 from the situation where it ended on March 20 and they will play another 2,500 hands more. Kid Poker has already prepared for the showdown, and he's been four tabling $5/$10 NLHE against different good players like Randy “Nanoko” Lew, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo etc. with some good outcome.

Actually, there was a speculation earlier that a depressed Negreanu had been cleaned out and may not be able to attend the second clash. Even so, he afterward split this saying in his tweet that, “OK, officially shook off the loss. Back to the grind this week and a rematch with a fresh 150k next week.” .

* This article is summarized and excerpted from the different articles featuring Viktor “Isildur1” Blom and Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu's  SuperStars showdown at PokerStars and of which can be found in the following websites / URL.

• http://www.recentpoker.com/news/isildur-vs-negreanu-0713.html
• http://www.gambling911.com/poker/viktor-%E2%80%9Cisildur1%E2%80%9D-blom-beats-already-beaten-daniel-negreanu-032011.html
• http://www.highstakesdb.com/2076-superstar-showdown-daniel-negreanu-will-face-viktor-isildur1-blom.aspx
• http://www.pokertableratings.com/blog/2011/03/isildur1-overwhelms-negreanu-in-just-1439-hands/

Poker Community Joining Disaster Relief in Japan

In the past few days, the news about the epic earthquake and tsunami that shook Japan was followed by many people. The devastation is being described like a Hollywood movie with pictures only million dollars special effects can copy. The images will cost more for millions in reality. The damage is so serious that initial numbers are not even on anyone's minds. May lives has been lost.


When the earth quake and tsunami hit, some poker community and pros make their way to join the disaster relief in Japan.


PokerNews have been affected personally by the situation in Japan according to them. Upon the criticism that poker seems to get about the “degen lifestyle”, poker community wanted to turn the center of attraction to the hearts of the players and community they referred as home.


Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles' main event of “The Big Event” was on it's way came to stop to watch the developments of the disaster on TV.


Joe Hachem and Victor Ramdin who were playing heads up at the time, ceased their tournament and think about pausing for the night upon being aware of the events. They ended up finishing the game, however it was really a kind of gesture.


Chino Rheem, Shane Schleger and many poker players, shortly after the devastation started posting on twitter the Red Cross text number, 90999 to raise awareness on how people can get engaged. The red cross 90999 text is an emergency service which makes it easy for people to ship their donation – it adds. With each text sent, it adds a $10 donation to your next phone bill.


Justin “BoostedJ” Smith gave out a challenge not just for the poker community but also to everyone that he would donate $1 for every retweet of the redcross text of 90999.


Maria Ho of UB gone so far as top give away a seat to her weekly $300 buy – in $50,000 guarantee tournament to the first person to send her a twit pic of their #10 Red Cross text.


Shannon Elizabeth, a noted celebrity and poker pro also urged to text red cross to 90999 to donate $10 to Japan


Christian Harder who had a 33 cash out over his career in poker playing wishin everyone in Japan the best of luck.


The poker community is possibly to be one of the first to set up a charity poker tournaments. This is a terrible crisis.


* This article is and excerpt and a summarized form of the articles about the different poker communities and poker personalities getting involved in the disaster relief in Japan which can be found in these URLs.


    *      http://www.pokernews.com/news/2011/03/poker-community-getting-involved-in-japan-disaster-relief-10008.htm


    *      http://www.gambling911.com/poker/poker-community-reacts-devastating-earthquake-japan-031111.html

Another Online Gambling Firm to Move Off British Shore

The world's largest betting exchange, Betfair have already declared that it would go after their rivals Ladbrokes and William Hill as the two moved its business to Gibraltar to lessen its tax burden.

Betfair was has been up for more than a decade and was founded by a one – time professional gambler Andrew Black and former JP Morgan. Derivatives trader Ed Wray stated that they're looking forward to save 20 million pounds per year as a result of which will see its wagering exchange operate under Gibraltar license beginning Wednesday.

Betfair is presently paying 15 percent tax on gross profit from wagering, but this will drop to 1 percent after they move in Gibraltar as the tax rate for betting exchange operations there is 1% turnover with the gaming tax capped at GPB425,000 annually. For online casino sites, the gaming tax is at 1% of the gross product with similar maximum cap as fixed – odds betting.

CEO David Yu said in a conference call with reporters that Betfair was also finding for ways to avoid the so – called “double taxation” which it is presently facing under UK tax regulations. He also commented that “As a global, technology-led betting operator, our new operational base in Ireland and the change to our licensing structure provides us with increased flexibility. It allocates to be more efficient by providing first class technical equipments on their locations, to serve our customers better and to compete on the same basis as the majority of operators in the UK online betting market.”

The company intends to go on employing on nearly 1200 people at its offices in the UK but declared to move of key technical equipment and 120 staff to new offices in Dublin and Gibraltar as part of a broader reorganizing. New offices will operate in parallel to the existing ones but will be combined in 2012.

The third quarter results of Betfair showed a 20.5 % drop in poker revenues summing to GBP5.2 million, sports betting revenues up by 8.6% amounting to GBP56.6 millions, games up to 8.2 percent to GBP14.3 million and a total revenue results of GBP77.0 million portraying an increase of 6.2 percent last year on the same period.

Giving his comment on the third quarter performance and present trading, Betfair's CEO David Yu said that “We are pleased with the growth we achieved in the third quarter, especially from football and Games. Lower cost per acquisition resulted from its marketing efficiency for this quarter whilst also showing strong growth in active customer numbers.. We have made a good start to Q4. Improvements followed by a succesful migration of new technology infrastructure to their new data center in Ireland, we are rolling out a planned series of major improvements to our Sports betting product which will help to drive revenue growth in Q4 and into FY12. We remain confident that we will deliver an outcome for the current financial year within the range of market expectations.”

    * This article is summarized from the articles featuring the said move of BetFair to Gibraltar which can be found at the official website of realbusiness.co.uk, calvinayre.com and onlinecasinosuite.com

Celebrate Women's Day in an Online Casino

On the very fist day of March, 2011, Intercasino launched a new promotion. It is a slot tournament which is appropriately called Maximum Resolutions. However, this promotion has been used by Intercasino to celebrate the International Women's Day. The first International Women's Day was celebrated way back 1911 in Germany. Today it is being celebrated in more than 70 countries as a sign of appreciation for the contribution of women in the society as well as to acknowledge their achievements.

Maximum Revolutions promotions will take fourteen days beginning from March 1 to March 14. Players will earn points for deposits that make into their Intercasino accounts and for the amounts they bet on the featured online slots games during the said period.

Rankings on a leader board of players will be based on the points they gathered. A prize poll worth $11,500 will be shared by the top 50 players on the leader board. $3,000, $2,000 and 1,000 will be won be the top 3 players. At the bottom of the prize pool, players that ranked from 41 to 50 will receive $30 each.

Intercasino players have to choose to the Maximum Revolutions promotion be inscribing the code WOMAN before making their initial deposit. For their every $25 deposit during the promotional period, they will earn 500 points. In addition, the sum of the amount wagered on the featured games will be added to their total points. In this promotion, the prizes that will be won will be treated as casino credits and credited into the accounts of players. In order to withdraw the casino credits and any winnings, the top three winners will need to bet their credits one time and the players ranked 4th to 50th will need to bet their credit 16 times.

Most games designated for wagering in the Maximum Revolutions promotion suit in the women's day theme. Cleo Queen of Egypt is the first of the slot games. Intercasino has something to say about the slot game, "Think feminism is a 20th century invention? Ancient Egypt's first lady Cleopatra seduced Caesar. Will her Ptolemaic charms work on you in our 9 line Crazy Jackpots Slot?".

Taking up women's chores and letting them go out and enjoy themselves is the best way to celebrate Women's day. This is precisely what the next features slot game seems to be saying. The online slot is Dad's day In and the symbols comprise a hassled Dad, baby crying, milk bottle and saucepan boiling over. High Fashion is not an online slot, it is a scratch card game. It has been included as a featured game due to the fact that it gives an extraordinary online shopping experience for women.

    * This article is an excerpt and was based from the article featuring the Women's Day promotion launched by the InterCasino which can be found at www.casinoadvisor.com (http://www.casinoadvisor.com/intercasino-womens-day-promo-news-item.html).

Atlantic Lottery Corp Prepare for Online Casino Gambling

* This article is an excerpt from the article about the Atlantic lottery Corp. which is posted at http://www.recentpoker.com/news/Atlantic-Lottery-Corporation-0518.html
New Brunswick considers joining BC and Quebec in the online gambling sector. Although, some of the small Canadian Maritime provinces using the Atlantic Lottery Corporation are not in favor of getting into online casino gambling,apparently, New Brunswick is taking a more considered approach.

A manager of the ALC told a committee on Crown Corporation this week that if the New Brunswick government approves the expansion of online casino operations, the Atlantic City Lottery Corporation is ready anytime.

The vital regulatory changes have already been drafted that would permit the company to expand further into online gambling, participating provinces like British Columbia and Quebec that have already gone online with gambling offerings, the manager revealed.

The committee was told that, "Technically, it is a very easy decision.. We have some quality control testing.. so our due diligence would take a few months, so it is up to the shareholder on the timing because all of the other pieces are in place." The Crown committee has been told by a Department of Finance official from New Brunswick that the provincial government has been "...consistent in that we have had ongoing discussions with ALC but there is no decision made either way on the matter."

The ALC has built a nice relationship with its equal organization in BC and Quebec – then British Columbia Lottery Corporation and Loto – Quebec. Among the provinces making up the shareholder in the ALC, so far Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have not showed any plans to enter the online gambling sector. With those that are for the idea of receiving the essential technical support from the ALC, Individually, provinces are free to make decisions.

New Jersey Residents Say Yes to Sports Betting and No to Online Casino Gambling

As it finally ends up, New Jersey's governor, Chris Christie may have more on the flow of their people than the law makers who passed the online gambling legislation, which is now just waiting for Christie's signature to go into effect.


A majority of the residents of New Jersey are willing to allow sports betting like football and basketball games in all states. 62% of New Jersey residents say they favor it whether at Atlantic City casino or horse tracks, while 32 % are against it. Men favor it by a wide range of 72% and women by 36% while it is favored by equal range of democrats, republicans and independents.


However, just this week, Christie signed off on two other gambling bills which passed through the state legislature in the same general time frame – an act allowing wagering exchanges to operate in the state of New Jersey for horse racing, and a new way of combining pari – mutuel wagers. But until present, online casino legalization is seems to be left behind.


“People suspect that that internet makes the barrier for participation in gambling too low, maybe a little like having a liquor store right at everyone's door.” The poll director explained in a statement.


Most of those people who are in favor or sports betting in their state are the opinion that as residents wager on it illegally anyway then the government should really allow and tax it.


For those people hoping that the internet gambling will soon be granted a green card in state New Jersey, this poll won't be a good news.


Although, the New Jersey residents may come round to the idea of not having to get on the feared toll road to place a bet it sports betting is legalized and shown to produce huge amount of money for the state's economy.


If this issue has an impact to Christie's decision if He's going to sign the bill into law or reject it, there is no final word up to present. The New York Post says that rejection is about to happen, but iMega's chairman Joe Brennan doesn't buy it and told PokerNewsDaily that “Our people just met with the Governor’s office yesterday and they didn’t indicate anything like this.. I don’t know why anyone would be going to the press with this story when I think it’s not indicative of anything going on. As far as we can tell, the Governor doesn’t feel like he’s under pressure. He wants to make sure they’re satisfied on all fronts.”


Quoting from bill's author and chief supporter, Senator Raymond Lesniak said that the he anticipates that the online gambling bill will be signed, but he wouldn't be surprised by a limited veto that remove the online gambling portion of the law that might include online casino gambling.

Paddy Power Pissed Off Canadians from Online Casino Gambling

Online gamblers in Canada are reporting revival of last year's “no Canadian punters” emails from a top online gambling company this week, although detail on the real legality of such rejection has not been disclosed.


Paddy Power online casino group sent an email to a number of Canadians saying that: “It has come to our attention that you are using a Canadian bank card. In accordance with Canadian law we will now be unable to take bets from Canada. Instances happened when your credit card company blocked your card and closes it; Your account still can withdraw funds for seven days and immediately contact the support team for assistance.


Since 12 pm of February 14, 2011, Paddy Power was no longer accepting payments from Canadian sources. Paddy Power was still taking bets from Canadians earlier last February 14, and the new conditions obviously came with no warning and the email is absolutely not specific on which “Canadian Law” the shutting out is based upon.


There is no particular law in Canada to ban online gambling, including play at online casino or surely on online gambling transactions like the case in the USA.


Based from the incidents above, it has been reported for Paddy Power's in British Columbia and Quebec (and soon Ontario) have practiced their right to regulate online gambling by province and have started their own gambling sites, run by the respective provincial lottery companies.


During those times in 2010, online gambling companies warn their players that they may be moving out of the Canadian market, apparently expecting new laws.


The list include some Boss Media, which is working with at least one provincial authority. But in some cases, players were assured that they could still play no down load games. Boss Media did not respond to investigation at the time.


In the case of Casino Club group, Canadian players were told that, “We regret to inform you that due to the new regulations of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Loto-Québec and the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, online gaming products in Canada are prohibited. Added Canada to be excluded countries and players from Canada will no longer be permitted to play at Casino Club starting September 24, 2011."


No such laws have come to light, but and the matter remains mixed up uncertainty. Paddy Power's ban on Canadians has been included in its terms and conditions, which signal Canada as a “prohibited jurisdiction”.


Paddy Power casino is one of the number of licensee of IGT games and it is possible that this directive has been transmitted by the software company themselves.

The Rapid Growth of Online Gambling Industry

One of the greatest forces for growth in the gambling industry nowadays is technology. This is neither perceptive nor visionary. Anyone who follows current events knows the role of technology in the record growth of North America n economies. But it is necessary to realize that the same internet technological advancements responsible for the growth of the online gambling industry are driving growth in many industries all over the world.


By all assessment, the internet has become a very important communication tool and the online gambling industry has become dependent on the internet for business. What matters most to the gambling industry as well as governments through out the world is that increasingly more individuals have safe access to gambling through internet.


While it's hard to put an exact figure on the overall size of the online gambling industry, different estimate ranges from about $20 billion to $50 billion per year in revenue, with about 20,000 to 30,000 active sites serving costumers. The online gambling industry comprises a wide range of sites, including online casino, sportsbooks, poker rooms, bingo parlors, lotteries, horse racing sites and more.


With online gambling companies located and assembled in countries with friendly licensing regulations like Canada, Gibraltar, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize and Panama, the industry can be a major source of jobs specially for a not a big country. Online gambling operators not only hire executives, marketing staff and software programmers but they also commonly maintain a very huge number of support staffs to be available 24 hours a day to handle costumer service.


Online gambling only begun to boom and see real growth on the late 1990s that' why it is still considered a growth industry. However, it has experienced growing pains in the pass years, mostly because of the anti – gambling legislation in countries such as the US. Experts says that online gambling industry will continue to grow in the future and that the industry is a strong one. With many countries continuing to execute laws to regulate the industry more growth should be expected in the future.


Major global land based gambling companies are looking to move for large sections of their business online because their industry is experiencing competition from rapidly expanding online gambling and increasing level of public endorsements. A report points out that online casino gambling currently constitutes a very small percentage of overall global gambling. However, it is growing at a very fast pace and is likely to boom.


Resolution of issues involving regulation of online gambling will continue to progress world wide as government will try to bank on tax revenues from them while seeking to ensure safety and satisfy demand. It is believed that the need for increased profit and liquidity, along with a society that will be more open and accepting to online gambling, will eventually drive the legal acceptance of this industry in the next several years. Though this evolution may not be felt overnight in terms of revenue, it will have a big impact on the global gaming industry in the decade.

Mobile Casinos: The Future of Online Gambling?

As more and more smart phones are paving its way on our world of technology today, many online casino establishments are releasing their own mobile version of casino games that has the ability to satisfy the entertainment needs and gambling impulses of most players from different parts of the globe. This fact also gave the mobile casino operators the perfect opportunity to take advantage of mobile gaming growth to extend their reach into more conservative environment.


Actually, mobile gambling is nothing new to us, but it still an underdeveloped form of gambling. Mobile gaming uses the modern day technology to make casino games available on your mobile phone or other hand-held device such as a PDA and iPhones. The software platform used for mobile gaming is JavaScript, a fully compatible tool for most devices that were developed in the last 5 years. Javascript is also versatile since it has the ability to expand or shrink to fit in the screen of your mobile phone.


Unlike online casino gaming, mobile casinos offer some good benefits to the players. First in line is that it allows you to have an access to many casino games anytime and anywhere as long as you have your mobile phone with you. Mobile casinos, like any other casinos offers, fair share of winnings once you hit the jackpot – the same rules that you apply on online casino games and real time casinos.


Mobile gaming also provide advantages that are quite similar to those offered in online casinos. Both gaming industry do have the capability to offer incredible and large jackpots with their top casino games. Mobile casino jackpots can be just as good, if not better than online casino jackpots, and players can put themselves in life to win literally millions of dollars in cash by playing their favorite games.


For most players, they still prefer to gamble with big computer screens in front of them. Perhaps they find the screens of their mobile phones too small, thus making them hard to see the graphics. But with today’s graphics and the incredible advancements that have been made in the world of mobile technology, a big difference can be felt.


So what does the mobile gaming industry have in store for the next couple of years? Well basically, with people having their mobile devices, players will demand more entertainment features for their phones and mobile casinos will definitely be high on the players’ list of popularity options. Analysts predict that mobile casino customers total around 135 million and this number will only keep growing.

Red Dog: An Easy Way of Earning Money in Online Casino

Red dog is also known as red dog poker, yablon. It is also a game of pure luck. This game is a variation of acey – deucey or in – between. Red dog is not a very old game by casino standards. It has only been around for more or less 150 years ago. The game's popularity in land based casinos is falling, however, many online casino today is featuring the game. Though red dog is often called as red dog poker, it is not actually a poker game at all that's why its name is a bit misleading. Red dog is more like baccarat or even pai gow.


The game uses the standard 52 card deck. The game may be played anywhere from one to eight decks and with the number of decks increasing, the house edge is decreasing. The house advantage in this game begins at 3.15 % with one deck but falls to 2.75 % when eight decks are used. This is an opposite of some other online casino card games like blackjack wherein the higher the number of decks used, the higher the house edge increases.


Red dog is a very unique game that is built within the concept of spread – the “distance” of values between the two dealt cards. 2 – 10 cards have their own face value, jack has a value of 11, queen for 12, king for 13 and ace for 14. Spread is the distance between two cards. For an instance, the distance between 6 and 8 is 1 and the distance between 7 and queen is 4.


Red dog doesn't have any complicated elements and can be easily learned by anyone. It is a very easy way to earn big winnings in online casino as it is a very simple game to understand and play.


The game begins by placing an initial bets of each players. All players put in equal bet and once all bets have been made, each players is dealt two cards faced up. If the two cards are consecutive then the hand is a push. If the two cards are equal, a third card is dealt, a matching third card pays 11:1, otherwise the hand is a push. If the two cards are neither consecutive nor equal, the dealer announces the spread, or the number of card values in between cards. The player is then given a chance to increase the bet up to the amount of the original bet. The the third is dealt, if it is between the first two cards, the player wins according to the online casino's pay out table.


Playing red dog either for fun or for real money winning is a great way to have fun. No skills required in this game, just bring a bag full of luck in your online casino gaming.

A Woman Hits the Million Jackpot at the City of Las Vegas

A slot machine is one of the most popular casino game in both land based and online casino. Slot machines are also the most popular gambling method in every casinos and comprises 70 percent of the average income of a casino and the other 30 percent of profits from gambling machines come from problem gamblers.


A person playing a slot machine obtain the right to play by inserting coins or cash. The machine is then activated by means of a lever or button or on newer machines, by pressing a touchscreen on its monitor. The game itself doesn't require any skill on the player's part – as it is a game of pure chance.


Upon knowing the fact that slot machine is a game of pure luck, many people are still enjoying the game and some still manage to win over the house. As a matter of fact, the latest big winner in slot machine is a woman who won not only a million but millions jackpot in Las Vegas, Nevada.


Las Vegas is also known as the Sin City as it became very popular for being the world's gambling capital. When you got in Las Vegas, you'll be overwhelmed by the casino gambling resorts, hotels, nightlife, shopping and world class tourism that is lined on the streets. Therefore, no wonder, a lot of gamblers who got rich through winning from a casino got their luck from one of the casinos in Las Vegas.


A woman gambler turned her $6 into more than $12 million dollars when she hit the megabucks jackpot at a strip casino only recently.


The woman told that she and her husband visited Las Vegas only to attend on her niece's birthday party. “I was on my way to my room when I saw this machine and decided to play” said the woman. To her surprise, she hit the jackpot and after she hit the winning symbols, she thought that the machine was malfunctioning until her niece started yelling that she had won.


The winner who wished to remain anonymous went on to say that she was so excited to share the news of her husband and was looking forward to pay off her indebtedness. The exact amount of jackpot that she had won is $12,769,933.


The winner had played in a Megabucks slot machine at Aria. The slot machine is linked to similar slot machines in casinos all through out Nevada which make up the Megabucks network. Megabucks system is operated by International Game Technology (IGT).


According to a report from International Game Technology (IGT), the largest slot jackpot was won from a Megabucks machine way back March, 2003 having an amount of $39 million dollars at Excalibur Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Famous Celebrity Gamblers

Gambling has been a part of our society in our entire lives. Admit it, a lot of us gamble whether there is money involved or none. Gambling whether in actual or online casino has had a bad reputation over the past few years and all its positive aspects have been totally set aside.


Even famous personalities and celebrities are engaging in both actual and online casino gambling. Because gambling is never boring, they mainly do it for the thrill. They are often spread all over Las vegas but are obviously given the special treatment and separate private rooms so that they can not be caught up, being peeped or disturbed by other people and paparazzi. Some of the famous celebrity gamblers had developed a strong interest in gambling and play at special tournaments that raise money for various causes such as for charity works and some are just for fun.Big celebrities will always gamble to unwind;


George Clooney – has taken an active role in the gambling business when he invested an unknown sum of money in a $3 billion resort in Las Vegas.


Brad Pitt – also invested $3 billion in a Las Vegas Casino Complex. And while filming Ocean's 12 in Rome, Bradley along with Clooney and other co – big stars and some guests were engaged in a late night poker sessions and some of them were as good as a professional players.


Ben Affleck – is said to be the most serious gambler in Hollywood. He is a trained poker player and his former trainer is none other than Annie Duke. He has become well known for his keen instincts in poker. He won $356,000 at the California State Poker Championship in 2004 and cashed in a over $300,000 in the WPT Championship in 2005 and only recently he won a charity poker tournament sponsored by the Poker Player's Alliance.


Matt Damon – is also very passionate about gambling. He is considered an excellent poker player and was rumored a $1 million endorsement from Online Gaming Giant Nine.com. He admitted that his famous line in one of his movie touches his view in actual poker - “Why do you think the same six guys end up at the final table at a world series of poker every year? Are they the luckiest guys in Las Vegas? No, it's because they've got skills.”


Annie Duke – may have seen in the show “The Apprentice” but the show didn't make her a famous celebrity maybe it's because she is the most famous woman poker player in the world. She was seen on the World Series of Poker 2004. She had already won her first WSOP bracelet and on the same year she won that WSOP bracelet, she also won the ESPN invitational WSOP Tournament of Champions. In fact, it is recorded that the $2 million was the highest ever paid to a woman poker player as of that time.


They are just few of the many big celebrity gamblers who loves to gamble for big fun and for real big money. Don't be surprised if you happen to have a chat with one or some of them who may find time to gamble in the same online casino site.

Understanding Omaha Poker in Online Casino

Omaha poker or sometimes also called as Omaha hold 'em poker is an exciting community card game derived from Texas Hold 'em. The e exact origin of the game is unknown, but it is believed that the casino executive Robert Turner first brought the game into a land based casino setting when he introduced the game Bill Boyd, who offered it as a game at the Las Vegas Golden Nugget Casino (calling it “Nugget Hold 'em”).


One of the major reason why Omaha poker is being so popular is that the game has different variations. Limit Omaha Poker, No Limit Omaha Poker and Pot Limit Omaha Poker are the three types of Omaha. Its differences varies on the betting limits that you can make in each variations.


Since then, Omaha poker is gaining extreme popularity among gamblers up to these days of online casino. As compared to the Texas hold 'em poker, the Omaha poker is more fascinating as it gives a player more odds of winning. But in able to win great amount of money, you need to be very mush familiar with its rules to play.


Omaha poker uses one standard 52 card deck. To start off the game, each players are dealt four cards which is called the “hole cards” and five community cards dealt faced up. All players use exactly three of the five community cards together with exactly two of their hole cards to make the best five card poker hand. Remember in Omaha, you must use exactly two hole cards and exactly three community cards. No more, no less.


Regarding with its rules, Omaha poker has structured betting. $2/$4 are about the lowest limit you find, some maybe 5/10, 10/20 or higher. For an instance, let's have a 2/4 which means the minimum bet is $2 for the first two rounds of wagering and the minimum bet is $4 for the last two betting rounds. The same limit is also applied to raising. Another rule is that as every casino supplies a dealer, one player is designated as a “dealer”. The dealer is the one who acts last during each betting rounds. A button (signifying marker” is used to identify the dealer. The button is rotated to the left after each hand. This same rules are also applied in online casino.


One common Omaha poker myth is that the game is very complicated. Omaha poker takes a lot of practice to perfect. It is fast paced game where pots tends to be more profitable than hold 'em poker. The trick here is that after you get familiarized with the rules and strategies of the games, you are able to handle the complexities of the game.


Playing Omaha poker is a fun and easy way of earning big amount of winnings. There are many online casino sites that offer a free game play of Omaha where you can practice to fully understand and master the game.

The Modern Way of Playing Mahjong is in Online Casino

Mahjong is a traditional Chinese game which is usually played by four players. In Chinese, it is called “pinyin”, but literally it means “the game of a hundred intelligences. Mahjong is a game of skill, strategy and calculation and involved a certain degree of chance.


There are different version of mahjong today – there is the Chinese, Japanese and the American. It has been traditionally a gambling game is still played in clubs and special mahjong houses. There are also some international mahjong tournaments held all over the world.


Today, mahjong is one of the very popular online casino game. The first electronic version was created in 1981 by Brodie Lockard but was officially released in 1983 by Control Data Corporation as a paid online casino game. The 1986 version released by Activision by the name of Shanghai made the game very popular which was later converted into many platforms.


The online casino version of mahjong have several kinds with attractive options that can surely hook a player for hours. The different game varieties contain hundreds of challenging tile lay outs, game types and tile sets. They also have attractive choice of backgrounds and background music. The best part about the online casino mahjong are the undo, shuffle and hint features which ensure you not to get stuck.


The game is played using 152 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols, although some regional variations use a different number of tiles. In most variations, each player begins by receiving thirteen tiles. In each turn, players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the fourteen drawn tile to form four groups (melds) and a pair (head). There are fairly standard rules about how a piece is drawn, it could be got from another player (melded), the use of basic (numbered tiles) and honors (winds and dragons), the kind of melds, and could be the order of dealing and play. However, there are many regional variations in the rules, in addition, the scoring system, the minimum hand necessary to win varies significantly based on the local rules being used.


However, there is something many people do not know about mahjong, it's the game's other face which involves lot of money, many sites and millions of people. Is is one of the best gambling platforms liked by most people. When it is played for money, the players have to register first with the site to access the game and start making money out of it. The bid amount in online mahjong games remains lower in the beginning and gradually increases in value as the game progresses.


Try playing mahjong even for once and you'll understand why this game is so addictive. Pretty sure you will want to play it endlessly. But always remember, whether you're playing mahjong for money or for fun, playing it needs planned strategy.

Online Casino's Mini Baccarat, The Baccarat Game at Low Stakes

Baccarat belongs to the family of card game. It was introduced from Italy to France during the reigning of Charles VIII of France who ruled from 1483 to 1498. It has always been highly popular in European and Latin American Casinos. It is comparing game of cards played between two hands, between the player and the banker.


Each baccarat coup has three possible outcomes, the “player”, “banker” and “tie”. The term player does not refer to the gambling costumer, banker does not refer to the house, it's simply an option on which gamblers can bet.


In 1950's baccarat, is exclusively played by millionaires and the stakes are really high and players are dressed min formal attires like tuxedo. In more recent years, many online casino sites are offering “mini baccarat” with lower stakes and played on a standard blackjack shaped table and without the need of following the dress code. All mini baccarat rules are pretty close to original baccarat but bet are much lower.


Mini baccarat rules in general are just similar to the original baccarat rules with several exceptions. According to mini baccarat rules more gamblers can participate in the game. The advantage of the online casino mini baccarat player is not in the mini baccarat rules – this version of the game allows much lower minimum table bets. This is the mere fact that makes mini baccarat extra popular with online players who do not want to spend too much money on the game or doesn't have enough money to risk on the original baccarat.


Now, let's talk about the difference between a normal variation of baccarat and mini baccarat. Their first difference is due to the role that is mainly played by the banker. In baccarat participant in the game take the long run in being the banker and the shoe is also passed around, while in mini baccarat, the banker has the sole duty of handling the cards and the players never handle the cards.


Their second difference is that mini baccarat basically given out from a shoe that uses six decks of cards while the original baccarat are dealt out of the shoe that uses eight deck of cards. For their third difference is using a minimal amount of card decks changes the odds in favor of the casino regarding tie wagers.


As for their fifth difference, in mini baccarat the dealer alone manages the whole game including giving cards while on the original baccarat, there will be several dealers running the game. Their sixth difference is while the standard baccarat is known for its big wagers, the wagers in mini baccarat is usually smaller.


For its eight difference, mini baccarat is played in a more loose format while the standard baccarat is played in a more solemn environment and for their final difference on the list is in the number of participants. The standard baccarat has a large tables and numerous number of participants, mini baccarat version is like a blackjack game with seven to nine players.

Phil Hellmuth's Exit from UB.com

Poker Pro Phil Hellmuth have officially announced his exit from UB.com. He is one the last of the remaining inaugural pros and after almost a decade representing the site, it was a bittersweet announcement for him. He has been endorsing UB.com which was formally known as Ultimate Bet for a long period of time.


UB.com has announced that they would be filling the veteran vacancies with younger, newbie professionals. UB.com has had a difficult few years. In 2007, a cheating scandal broke. One player had been caught cheating high stakes in No Limit Hold 'em Games, viewing his opponent's cards in big money matches. UB.com was forced to pay back more or less $15 million to players who had lost money in the scam.


Ever since Phil Hellmuth put on UB.com patch, he has been the face of the UB.com brand. Having won many World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets than any other player in the world, and also being one of the most outspoken and dramatic player to ever sit at a poker table has helped push UB.com's acknowledgment with the poker community. Now that the eleven time world champion has left, there maybe a major emptiness in UB.com's line up.


Hellmuth's exit should not have come as a surprise to anyone. Rumors swirl wild after Hellmuth was seen not wearing UB.com logos on some poker events but instead was seen on ESPN sporting logos for the Aria Casino and WSOP Academy. That was where all speculations that he was on the outs with UB.com begun. This appears to have been correct. UB said during the announcement, “UB.com and Phil Hellmuth have mutually parted ways.. While Hellmuth is no doubt an instantly recognizable poker personality, team UB will continue to be stacked with young aggressive poker professionals who today's passionate online poker player can really identify with”. Hellmuth will no doubt be picked up by another site in the near future as he will continue to compete on the live tournament circuit.


Hellmuth released its statement just a few hours after his co – poker pro, Annie Duke officially left the poker room saying that he and UB.com have “mutually parted ways”. This statement does sound scanned, but the statement is supported by current UB.com pro Joe Sebok in an interview he had with PokerNews. It was stressed by both Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth that their parting ways with UB.com is 100% amicable.


At this time, it's still inclear what Hellmuth plans to do or if there is another sponsorship deal in the works, but having poker's biggest ego Helmuth will most likely not gel with the two largest poker room in the world, Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker, as Hellmuth would have to be the center of attention as he was at UB.com and Full Tilt Poker on the other side stress the focus on team and everyone is important.

Poker: A game of Skill or a game of Chance?

Poker is believed to be one of the gambling games that is hitting the limelight at times in online casino and gambling industry these days. However, since it's introduction, many people have been debating of whether poker is a game of skill or a game of chance. Perhaps this skill or luck issue has been asked for decades. And if ever an answer was put upon, it will be a major factor in laws changing in favor of legalized online poker – but that is a different issue.


The focus of this article is to pinpoint the ideas which made people assume that poker is a game of skill and a game that is purely based on chance. If we'll observe closely, there is no game where luck doesn't comes into it. For some reasons, gambling needs a liitle touch of chance too – this are the speculations of some individuals. According to these people, 90 per cent of a player's winning chance is based on his skills and strategies in playing. While the other 10 per cent is luck.


On contrary, poker is said to be a game of skill and not by chance. Take for example the gamblers participating in the World Series of Poker. Perhaps these people who are continually cashing out their money is not lucky every season. They will never have the chance to win if they'll depend on luck alone. So what do they do? Of course, they use their knowledge and experience when it comes to playing poker. The old saying goes something like this: "It's not the cards your dealt, it's how you you play your cards".


Based on a study made by Michael DeDonno, a student from Case Western Reserve University, the game of poker becomes skill when the players make their choices of when to fold their hands. The point at which players fold their hands is the part of the game that exemplifies skill. DeDonno came up with this idea through conducting two poker related studies. The participants he used for his study had a little knowledge into the game of poker, but were guided through charts and hints. Most of the participants felt the game was 50 percent luck when they started playing.


"If it had been pure luck in winning, then the strategies would not have made a difference for the two groups," DeDonno concluded. His findings was that the players that were given hints and strategies did better than those who did not.


In poker there is no good luck or bad luck, just random luck. A person's good luck depends on the other person's bad luck. This is what make poker a true game of skill and not of chance. If you did have the best hand when the game started, then consider yourself a skillful poker player. But if you didn't have the best hand to begin with, you might be needing an extensive gaming guides on poker.

Online Gambling Bill approved in New Jersey

The residents of New Jersey won't have to wait any longer for online casino gambling has already been legalized in their state. Last January 10, 2011 - the state's Senate Budget Committee approved the online gambling bill which paved the way for New Jersey to become the first U.S state to signed such bill.


The online gambling bill A-2570 and the sports betting bill S-490 were both proposed last year. However, only the sports betting bill was approved. According to the Assembly, certain amendments required ratification which is why the vote was held back and scheduled for January 6. On that day also a vote could not take place and a fresh date of January 10 was given. Now New Jersey online gamblers will not mind the minor issues because a major landmark has been achieved.


Hopefully, this New Jersey bill would provide a larger national implications. The vote in the Assembly was 63 to 11 in favor with three abstentions. The bill now goes to the desk of Governor Chris Christie, whose signature would create the first legal online gambling jurisdiction in the United States. Even if Mr. Christie does not take any action in the statutory 45 day period, his assent will deemed to have been given and the bill would become law. Actually the governor do have the power to reject the bill, but since A-2570 has received bipartisan support in the Assembly, it will be very difficult for Christie not to sign the online gambling bill. The governor would have to come out with some really special reasons to counter the plans that the bill will create 500 high tech jobs and add significantly to the state revenue in these troubled times.


Sponsored by Senator Raymond Lesniak, the online gambling bill A-2570 is believed to serve as a model which allows Americans to gamble within the premises of their own homes. It will also enable licensed operators to offer online poker and online casino games. The said games would include roulette, baccarat, blackjack, craps, big six wheel, slot machines, red dog, pai gow poker and sic bo.


Aside from these, the bill specifies as well that Internet gambling operators have to be licensed Atlantic City casino operators, and that all equipment used to conduct Internet gaming must be located either in Atlantic City casinos or a "secure" location in Atlantic City.

Poker Legend Anne Duke to Marry Joe Reitman

The duchess of poker seems to be lucky this 2011 with her being engaged to long-time partner Joe Reitman. The announcement that was proclaimed last Christmas via Twitter has marked another much-awaited event not only in the industry of land-based casinos but also to the world of online casino gambling.

Actually, this will be the second marriage for both the mother of four and for Reitman. Actor Joe Reitman, like his fiancee, is also involved in poker. The couple first met in 2005 after 42-year old Joe had just divorced his wife of three years Shannon Elizabeth, also a professional poker player. The year before that, Annie Duke was divorced after four children and thirteen years of marriage to university friend Ben Duke. Ironically, she did win $500 from fellow poker pro Steve Zolotow who lost a bet that her marriage would be over within five years.

The Poker Legend was completely head over heels in-love after being proposed to by the man nicknamed Joe Ugly, and posted multiple tweets on her Twitter page: “I said yes! I am still shaky. Total surprise from Joe Ugly. I am the luckiest woman ever. Best man on earth. I am so in love. Sigh. So Joe Ugly put the ring in the bottom of my stocking instead of the traditional chocolate orange. Sneaky! But now I’m pissed that I didn’t get a chocolate orange this year! Freaking Joe Ugly!” Twitter congrats were sent to Duke from friends including Liv Boeree, Samantha Ryan, Prahlad, Joe Sebok, Tiffany Michelle and Andy Bloch as well as from many, many others.

There are high hopes for the couple and hopefully no one will bet against them. Annie Duke was known as one of the legends of Poker. Some of her recent successes include a 3rd place in the WSOP $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo event in 2007 and a 5th place in 2008 in the $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo Championship. On the female All-Time Money List she is currently in 2nd place behind Kathy Liebert. According to many of her colleagues, she is the best female poker player of all times.

Having that being said, it can be presumed that these two were a great couple. Her partner, Joe Reitman, is mostly noted as an actor, who has starred in such TV shows as Monk, CSI: Miami, Charmed, Married with Children and ER, and films such as The Perfect Storm, American Pie II, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Clueless.

The Biggest Progressive Jackpots of year 2010

Year 2010 has finally ended, but the promotions and offerings of most online casino sites are still in its highest peak. Some casinos have already unleashed their plans for this new year, thus, making the online gambling world more lively. Well perhaps it is undeniable that 2010 is one of the most unforgettable year for the industry. An array of must-see events, tournaments, and new games were launched. And due to this fact, it is quite worthy to take a good look at the biggest progressive jackpots of 2010.

Last year was a boom for Microgaming. With the introduction of the Mega Moolah Slot, this online casino site became one of the biggest and most spectacular casino site in the history of online gambling. Mega Moolah is a four-tier progressive jackpot slot game designed by Microgaming, the most accomplished company in the online casino software business. This is a five-reel game with 25 paylines where the maximum wager is 125 coins. The game enables you to explore the heart of Africa as your safari takes you into the midst of the wild and the dangerous- all for your very own pot of gold. It also features a wild (which also serves as a multiplier) as well as a scatter, which kicks off the Free Spins Bonus Game. Therefore, making Mega Moolah the perfect game if you want to win the big money.

Aside from Mega Moolah, Microgaming also launched another slot game which became a highlight of year 2010. The King Cashalot Progressive Jackpot is a five-reel game with nine paylines where the maximum wager is 75 coins. With a minimum jackpot of $100,000, this game is indeed Microgaming's second highest paying jackpot slot, falling just slightly behind Major Millions in the million dollar payout stakes. King Cashalot is extremely popular due to its relatively low cost per spin – just $2.25 for a max bet on all lines, making it very affordable, and allowing the jackpot which is networked across all Microgaming casinos to build extremely quickly. Surprisingly, the game has already created 3 instant millionaires, with the slots biggest payout to date going to an English player who won a life changing $1,427,369.74 on her 61^st spin.

Following the steps of Microgaming is the renowned online casino software, Playtech. They have featured a number of online slots games which are truly superb. The previous biggest win on Beach Life, Playtech youngest progressive game having been launched in 2007, was in $480 000 July last year. Beach Life is a 5-reel, 20-payline slot with a tropical holiday theme. The jackpot is won by betting on all 20 lines at max bet and landing three "Sun" symbols on the last pay line. While Playtech's Gold Rally surpassed €1 million in August. Other notable winners were on Lotto Madness, Gladiator and Cherry Love.

Slotastic Casino also contributed to the industry's biggest progressive jackpots. They offered the Jackpot Pinatas which later became the online casino's slot-of-the-month. Jackpot Pinatas was reported to provide over $1.6 million dollars, making it the richest slots jackpot open to American online casino players.

2010 was really an exciting year for the online gambling world. We can only wait and see what next year holds.

Ashley Revell and his Riskiest Roulette Bet Ever

Skill is never a requirement when it comes to playing roulette – whether in land-based or in online casino site. The game of Roulette is purely based on luck, therefore, one cannot presume the outcome of each spin. In fact some people believes that there were strategies that can make them beat the roulette wheel and make lots of money. But the bottom line is, roulette is based on elements of chance and the game is played accordingly.

Surprisingly, one man had underestimated this roulette fact and almost forgot that there is no assurance of winning in this type of game. Ashley Revell, a 32 year old Londoner, had sold everything he had, including his clothes - and was going to risk the entire bankroll ($135,300) on one spin of the Roulette wheel in Plaza Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, Nevada. It was back in 2004 when Revell hit the fame and became a legend in the gambling world.

Before actually making his bet, Ashley was questioned about whether he was happy and completely decided on his bet. As the ball spun, he placed his chips onto the red and claims that the decision of which color to choose was made right at that very moment. The ball finally landed in the 7 Red slot, doubling his winnings to $270,600. He gave a $600 tip to the croupier before he left the casino.

'It all happened so fast' Revell uttered - 'It was over before I knew it'. 'It's Really down to my family and friends and my Mum and Dad' Revell told the television. 'I knew if I lost I would always have a home to go to'.

Ashley's parents didn't like the whole idea but they still decided to come along to Vegas and give him their support. His father was still against it even though he won. As he explained: 'I got four kids and the are all going to want to go the same way'.

When asked if he wanted to try his luck again, Revell answered: 'No that's it for me - I think he would like me to do it again, but no that is it' (gesturing to the casino host). 'I don't want to ride my luck' Revell said as the campaign started to flow.

Perhaps everyone is wondering why Ashley made such a bet. Well according to him, he was prepared to start out a fresh, and so the big gamble seemed to be the perfect opportunity to either get a financial boost, or to take the opportunity to start out from scratch with a new start in life.

New Playboy Casino in Cancun, Mexico

Let us take a short break from online casino updates and just for a moment, let's take a look at what is happening in the industry of land-based casinos. Last Saturday (December 4), a new Playboy Club Casino has opened its doors at the Caribbean Beach Resort in Cancun, Mexico that marked the next step in Playboy's expansion into the gambling world.

This newest casino that was named Playboy Club Cancun is a boutique gaming and entertainment venue with a restaurant, nightclub, casino, sports gaming and sports lounge. They conducted a private red carpet event on the same day of the opening which invited many VIPs including the former Playboy Model Carmen Electra.

Playboy Club Cancun was a 12,900 square foot casino which was reported to cost Playboy Enterprises around $7.5 million (£4.79m). Aside from catering various casino games such as roulette, blackjack and poker, this Playboy casino also have a big sports betting parlour that is expected to capture the attention of its visitors, with sports such as soccer, American football, baseball, and basketball being offered.

As proudly stated by Playboy creator Huff Hefner, “I am pleased to bring the Playboy Club to Mexico for the first time and to combine the sexy sophistication of the Playboy brand with the international allure of Cancun. With the opening of Playboy Club Cancun and the arrival of the Playboy Bunnies, nightlife there will never be the same!”

The launching of this newest casino does not only gave opportunities to the casino industry, but also to beautiful and sexy ladies. Playboy has indeed received at least 1,500 applications from hot and busty models to work at the Playboy casino in Mexico. But in the end, only 25 lucky young women were chosen to be the face of Hefner's iconic creation. Those lucky girls or Playboy bunnies will work as hostesses, cocktail servers and dealers, coming to Cancun from locations such as Argentina, Cuba, Canada, Russia and Mexico, joined by an international mix of DJs and musical entertainment.

"With the opening of this striking new venue, both Cancun residents and international visitors alike will now be able to experience the energy and excitement that the Playboy brand generates”, CEO of Playboy Enterprises, Scott Flanders, said. He also uttered that Mexico is far from the end for Playboy's attempts at global domination. "By working with this calibre of strong local partners we have at Playboy Club Cancun, we will continue to grow our successful licensing and location based entertainment businesses around the world. We look forward to bringing the Playboy brand to life at additional Playboy venues in select global markets”, Flanders commented.

The first Playboy Club was opened in Chicago in 1960 by Hefner. Since then, 2.5 million membership keys have been sold. Playboy Clubs, including its hotel, casino and resort facilities, has 40 properties in 25 states and seven countries.

Critics Call For A Lower New Zealand Lotto Pot

If the critics have it their way, New Zealand's lotto draws would be limited in the amount of their prizes. This came after the jackpot for the Big Wednesday draw hit more than $26 million.

Graeme Ramsey, chief executive of the Problem Gaming Foundation, said that larger prizes easily encourage players to gamble more on tickets. Ramsey said that it would be better if the current $30 million upper limit is lowered to only $12.5 million, which he adds is below the limit at which many people get too excited.

“Surely $12.5 million as a prize is already big enough for anybody in the country,” he said.

Ramsey calls the continuously increasing jackpots as a”fuel for a gambling environment in New Zealand, where only a few are winners.” He further adds that it creates problems that cost many people greatly.

According to Foundation analyst Graham Aitken, the jackpots increase by only $2 million a week during the first runs. However, he said, once the pots reach $15 million, the prizes also increases more quickly, growing by at least $5 to $6 million per week.

The jackpot cap has since risen from $15 million in 2004 to its current level.

However, not a few seemed ready to fix the prize cap to a lower limit. New Zealand's Lotteries Commission have expressed that they are even considering to the idea of increasing the pot cap for higher prizes.

The commission said in a paper given to then Internal Affairs minister Richard Worth, that it may be necessary to raise the limits as part of a move to join a proposed “world lottery” to be headed by the British National Lottery. “It is very likely that participation will entail lifting the $30 million prize limit set in our games,” the paper assessed. However, the commission said that the proposal is still being studied and it is not yet final.

Casino Bill To Help Out Kentucky Schools

As the debate over Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear's controversial gaming program rages on, supporters presented a proposal which they hope would sway public opinion to their favor.

Democrats came out of the a close door meeting on Tuesday and presented a new proposal to the public. The new scheme calls for the allocation of more than $700 million worth of casino income to help replace and restore schools in bad condition in the state.

In a list being presented to lawmakers, several Norther Kentucky schools are considered as candidates for the project. The schools proposed include those in communities like Fort Mitchell, Covington and Erlanger.

According to House Speaker Greg Stumbo, while the bill is still on the lines of expanded casino gaming, this one is of a different thrust. “It is about stabilizing and recapturing some of the income Kentucky is losing,” he said in an interview ofter the meeting. “It is about a plan that would perhaps improve our economy, stimulate the economy,” he further adds.

For his part, Representative Dennis Keene said, “There are some opportunities for us to help schools in this bill, fixing buildings.”

Under the list, schools that are in need of help the most are filed under Category 4 or 5. Beechwood Independent is listed as the most in need, being the only Category 5 school in Northern Kentucky. Around 160 schools were included in the list that was circulated to lawmakers.

The expenses that repairs would required will be paid off by the money generated from new casinos if Beshear's proposal pushes through. Projects on higher education and other proposals are also expected to be presented by next week.

Critics however, said that the move was made to present the bill in a more positive light. Beshear's plan was originally intended to assist the state's ailing horse industry.

They also fear that the funds for projects in the various districts would be caught off if their representatives refused to support the bill.