According to reports from Associated Press, the governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland says he believes gambling is bad for the state, but he’s willing to entertain proposals to expand the pastime to bring in more revenue.

Strickland said Thursday that expansion would not be his preferred course of action but that he wouldn’t close his mind to ideas.

The governor’s anti-gambling stance has been one of his core philosophies. Ohio voters have repeatedly voted against putting slot machines at race tracks and allowing casinos, most recently turning down a proposed casino in western Ohio.

The state faces a projected $7 billion budget deficit in the next two-year budget.

Free Bingo Network players who enjoy the Interactive Playnet powered 90 and 75 ball action can look forward to some enhancements in the near future. The company has announced that final testing is in progress prior to the imminent release of new Flash technology features that include extra Video Poker and Keno games, along with multi-currency capability for Euros, British Pounds and Swedish Kroners.

The additions will be launched to the company’s existing 7 software users by the end of January 2009.

Interactive Playnet launched its new platform in November last year and says it is pleased with the player response and is preparing multilingual versions of its platform which will be offered in Greek, Spanish, Swedish in addition to English. The company claims it was one of the first to offer software running on Macromedia Flash Player and one of the first networks to offer 24/7 online chat support.

Comedy Bingo, Blind Date Bingo, Rainbow Bingo, Happy Days Bingo, Emerald Bingo and Exotic Bingo are among those using the software.

The story of the Canadian steelworker who thought he had won $135 000 on four $3 scratchcards, but lost out due to misprints (see previous Online-Casinos.com/InfoPowa report) had a happier ending later in the week as Ontario lottery officials relented and paid him an undisclosed settlement.

The National Post reported that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation had reached a financial settlement with Thomas Noftall, following a media storm over the misprinted scratchcards, which the OLG only realised were faulty when “winners” started claiming their prizes.

After meeting with OLG representatives at their North York headquarters this afternoon, Noftall expressed satisfaction with the result.

?I feel a lot better than when I came in,? he told a large crowd of reporters and cameras. ?I can already feel my blood pressure is going down.?

Under the terms of the agreement, the amount involved will not be disclosed - and Noftall had to acknowledge that his ticket was not a winner.

Misprints on the latex film that players scratch off led Noftall to believe he had won a total of $135 000 from four ?Fruit Smash? tickets. A printing error meant the image on the latex did not match the cardboard below. The barcode on the card, which OLG rules state is definitive, indicated it had not won.

However, when he called the OLG after buying the ticket, to ask if they would honour his ticket despite the error, an employee told Noftall he would be paid.

An embarrassed Kelly McDoughald, the OLG?s CEO, explained that miscommunication prompted the payout. ?We have a record of misinforming him,? she said. ?In recognition of the grief that that caused him over the last few days, we have now reached a settlement.?

The National Post reports that since Noftall?s case came to light this week in media reports, 15 more people have contacted the OLG with similar stories. Ms. McDoughald urged anybody with concerns to come forward, but suggested they will not receive similar settlements.

?This is a unique situation … a review of all the other calls that have come in have suggested there has been no other miscommunication,? she said. ?It?s always very difficult to tell somebody who believes they are a winner that they haven?t got a winning ticket, but I don?t think the public wants us to pay for non-winning tickets.?

The printing error, which affected between 50 and 150 tickets, has prompted the OLG to recall all unsold tickets.

With the UK government’s threats to make responsible gambling contributions to the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RIGT) compulsory making the headlines this week, the political blog at The Guardian made some pointed and valid comments on the slow voluntary payments of the past.

Blogger Andrew Sparrow noted that the government had left the door open for British gambling groups to make up this year’s GBP1.2 million shortfall before it made the donations mandatory by law, but also pointed out that gaming firms already spend some money on anti-addiction initiatives on a voluntary basis.

Unfortunately, the voluntary contributions are not always made in a prompt manner, something which Sparrow reports has caught the attention of the Liberal Democrats’ culture spokesman, Don Foster.

Foster claims that the government has been issuing warnings of this kind for more than five years. In November 2003, when the Gambling Act was still a draft bill, Tessa Jowell, the then-culture secretary, said she would rather not use the power to make donations mandatory, “but I won’t flinch from doing so if I must”.

Sparrow writes that Foster has found 12 instances of ministers issuing such threats to the gaming industry, including one in February last year when Sports Minister Andy Burnham said: “Unless the industry delivers a substantial increase in contributions by the end of this year and makes contributions in a timely fashion, I will seek the approval of the House for a statutory levy.”

Sparrow advocates legislation, writing: “What is it with Labour and the gambling industry? Yesterday, Sam Coates in the Times reported that the Department for Culture is going to let gamblers bet more, partly because the industry is finding “trading conditions very difficult in the present economic climate”, yet today the industry has been given a final warning on addiction funding ? arguably for the 13th time. Foster brands the way ministers are dragging their feet a “disgrace”.

“There’s been very extensive lobbying from the industry to prevent this happening … You may say that GBP 5 million is peanuts. But, remember, there has only been one year, 2006-07, when the industry has coughed up the target that was set them. They are just not willing to do so.

“I’ve put a call in to the culture department asking them why they don’t just commit themselves to legislation now, given all the warnings the gambling industry has already had. When I get a response, I’ll put it up.”

True to his word, Sparrow did exactly that with the following response he received from the Department of Culture and Sports:

“A voluntary agreement remains the Government’s preferred option for the funding of problem gambling treatment. However, the industry’s failure to agree on satisfactory voluntary arrangements, and the fact that payments from some smaller operators have not been forthcoming, has made the introduction of a statutory levy an even more likely prospect.

“The gambling industry is large with over 4 000 operators licensed by the Gambling Commission - the majority of which are small operators. It is obviously proving difficult for the industry to get agreement from such a widely diverse group and it may be unrealistic in the current economic climate to expect the large organisations to continue to carry other smaller operators.

“Securing the future of funding for problem gambling treatment by whatever means is our priority and we want to see this issue sorted as soon as possible. A levy would provide a cost effective and equitable way of obtaining contributions if the industry cannot agree improved voluntary arrangements in the meantime.”

It looks as if the UK government is losing patience with the slow responses and could “sort” this by introducing legislation at the end of the consultation period in March anyway.

Ukash is a cash payment method launched in the U.K. Europe, and South Africa for those who wish to shop online but either do not have a bank account or credit card and are distrusting of other internet banking options. Ukash is a safe way of playing and paying online without having to submit private bank details.

The secure and unique 19-digit number on the Ukash voucher assures payment when it is presented on the Internet. The vouchers can be spent on any website that accepts Ukash. Frequent customers of Ukash are using their vouchers on online gambling and bingo sites.
Ukash services are available around the world in countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The collection of internet payment solution providers is steadily growing and there is lots of competition for increasing market Ukash, seems to be getting a lot of attention these days. A recent deal with MasterCard for UkashOut and another with US based PayByCash. With over 70 payment options that are accepted by over 200 online merchants that include online gambling websites PayByCash will add even more support. Although PayByCash is based in the U.S.A. it is an important player in the European online gaming market.

Chief Executive Officer of Ukash, Mark Chirnside, was delighted to be partnering with a global payment service like PayByCash. Mr.Chirnside said, “This agreement gives our customers in Europe the choice to use Ukash at a great range of merchants, including some of the most popular online games and communities.” “Ukash has registered a 140% growth in sales in the last year, which is a stupendous achievement given the troubled economic situation. Its prepaid vouchers can be purchased at 275,000 retail locations across Europe and South Africa, via mobile phones in the United Kingdom and also online in most countries.”

Ladbrokes, a long established, since 1886, British gambling company, has continued to out perform expectations by market watchers throughout the world.

The Company was founded by Messrs Schwind and Pendleton in 1886 as commission agents for horses trained at Ladbroke Hall in Worcestershire U.K. The name Ladbrokes was adopted in 1902. In 1956 the Company was acquired by Cyril Stein and Max Parker. In 1961 the government in the U.K. legalised betting shops under the Betting and Gaming Act. Stein used profits from the traditional areas of the business to establish a chain of betting shops being the first to introduce fixed odds football betting.

In 1967 Cyril Stein became chairman of Ladbrokes and floated the company on the London Stock Exchange.

The success of Ladbrokes recently could have to do with their seeking licensing in Australia. Stock holders have taken aim at Ladbrokes as a company that is getting more stable in a time when many in the industry are having trouble coping in a difficult time for gambling houses. Ladbrokes has recently gone into partnership with the Chinese government to offer the first betting shops in China betting on the state lottery. An estimated 15,607 (2007) people work for the venerable organization.

Overall the largest betting company in the UK and largest retail bookmaker in the world, Ladbrokes owns over 2,200 retail betting shops divided between the UK, Italy, Ireland, and Belgium. It also operates several online gambling operations offering sportsbook, poker, bingo, backgammon and all sorts of casino games. Ladbrokes uses the OpenBet system from Orbis Technology.

The company came under fire in January 2009 from the Advertising Standards Authority due to complaints received relating to a recent advertising campaign. The campaign was subsequently cleared to air and the stock for Ladbrokes rose to well above previous levels. Ladbrokes is sure to use all of it’s resources to keep on growing. Watching the stock has become almost as interesting as the company history. It will be a Platinum Sponsor at the upcoming Casino Affiliates Conference in Amsterdam this March, offering knowledge to those who want to follow the road to success.

Matchmaker.com is an online dating website that is powered by Date.com, and the connection is obvious right away. They practically use the same website template, and once you sign up you will see that the two websites share the same profiles. It?s basically like signing up for two different poker websites that both take you to the same tables. You only need to sign up to one of the two matchmaking services for you to be able to use both of them.

The latest annual National Annenburg Survey of Youth shows that the incidence of youthful Internet gamblers remains at the low levels experienced following last year’s “precipitous decline.” First conducted in 2002, the annual study is frequently used as a reference by US politicians attacking online gambling, such as Republican Representative Spencer Bachus.
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The current report, released at the end of November 2008, reports that after last year?s precipitous decline, card playing for money on the Internet has remained at the same low level among both high school and college-age males.
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Card playing for money at least once a month on the Internet among male youth remained at almost the same level in 2008 (3.3 percent) as in 2007 (2.4 percent). Weekly rates of gambling also showed little change, going from 1.1 percent to 1.7 percent. Card playing in general remained at about the same levels for both monthly (26.0 percent to 25.6 percent) and weekly (5.0 percent to 4.2 percent) play.
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?The card playing fad that we saw earlier in the decade appears to have lost its steam among young people ages 14 to 22,? said Dan Romer, director of the Annenberg Adolescent Risk Communication Institute that conducts the annual survey. “In addition, the strong drop in weekly use of Internet sites following passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 appears to remain in place,” he added.
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Despite the leveling off of card playing, the researcher claims that access to Internet gambling sites remains open to those youth who are able to bypass the law by using third-party payment systems.? Projected on a national (United States) basis, more than 300 000 youth in the study age range (14 to 22 years old) gamble for money at least once a week on the Internet, and over 700 000 do so at least once a month.
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The study does not distinguish between the 14 to 18-year-olds, and 18 to 22-years-olds, however.
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Romer notes that the impact of the new UIGEA regulations recently published by the U.S. Treasury Department is not reflected in the latest study, and could influence the ability of young people to access Internet poker sites.
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The researcher calls for continued efforts to educate young people on “the hazards of Internet gambling.?
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The relative stability of card playing did not extend to other forms of gambling, especially sports betting reports Romer
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There was increased betting on sports by male youths, going from 20.7 percent on a monthly basis in 2007 to 26.4 percent in 2008. Betting on sports also increased on a weekly basis, going from 5.0 percent to 9.7 percent. In total, other forms of gambling (sports, slots, lotteries, and horse racing) increased from 31.4 percent to 38.9 percent on a monthly basis in male youth.
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Nevertheless, the overall long-term trend in weekly gambling since the survey started has been downward, going from 20.3 percent in 2002 to this year?s 14.6 percent in males and from 9.2 percent to 4.4 percent in females.
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Romer reports that symptoms of problem gambling tend to parallel card-playing trends. Among male youth, those who reported some type of gambling on a weekly basis and who reported at least one symptom of problem gambling stayed about the same as last year (6.1 percent in 2007 vs. 7.8 percent in 2008).? The rates do not flag confirmed problem gamblers, but those who declared at least one possible problem gambling symptom.
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Gambling of all kinds in young women tends to lag behind men, the researcher reported. About 25 percent of young women report any gambling on a monthly basis compared to about 48 percent of young men. Although about 8 percent of young women report playing cards for money on a monthly basis, Internet use tends to be small, with less than 1 percent declaring they played online. Consequently, the rate of declared problem gambling symptoms is lower, at around 1 percent overall.

Sweden’s Jadestone Networks has made another major partnership deal for its DiceArena multiplayer games network, signing up the Vienna listed online gambling giant Bwin Interactive barely two weeks after clinching a deal with Gala Coral (see previous Online-Casinos.com/InfoPowa report). Bwin will join the network early in the New Year, a spokesman said this week.
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At launch, the DiceArena Network features two new dice games: Dice Hold?em, inspired by the popular poker game, and Shoot the Moons, an easy to learn alternative for more casual players. In early 2009, two perennial dice favorites will be added to the range of DiceArena games: Liar?s Dice is the hardcore bluffer?s game and Backgammon is the undisputable classic among dice board games.
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?We?ve always felt that Jadestone provides a fresh take on familiar concepts,? said Norbert Teufelberger, Co-CEO of Bwin. “The current Jadestone games have been among our fastest growing product categories lately. We have great expectations that the new Backgammon will be a real winner. As for the DiceArena table games, the market is clearly ready for something new and exciting.?
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Tobias Nissen, Business Development Director at Jadestone said: ?There?s no doubt that Bwin has played a major role in getting Jadestone to where it is today. They?ve been a solid and competent partner in the true sense of the word. It?s with great satisfaction we see Bwin expand their business with us to include our new DiceArena product.?
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The DiceArena suite of games has been in development at Jadestone for almost two years. With a number of high profile network partners lined up and games available across Europe in 23 languages, it?s one of the biggest new product introductions in Jadestone?s history.

Isle of Man based online gambling software provider Microgaming has released what it claims is the industry’s first ever customisable online slot game, demonstrating groundbreaking technology and innovation with its brand new product “My Slot.”
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Software innovation on the game allows players to create their own truly unique slot machine, importing their own personal pictures, colour and music. MySlot uses the popular 5 reel, 9 pay-line slot game template and empowers the player to design his or her own slot using totally unique components from his or her hard drive. Whether its personal snaps of the family, friends or pets, players can utilise their own personal picture gallery, as well as favourite colours, sounds and music via MP3 download.
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A Microgaming spokesman said that MySlot is simple to use, allowing free rein for players to be imaginative and inventive, and offering an endless variety of ways to play. The technology offers a completely unique user experience in any Microgaming-powered casino of choice.
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Microgaming CEO Roger Raatgever says:? ?We are excited to be launching MySlot to the market and feel proud to once again be leading the industry with innovative gaming.? MySlot will offer players a completely different gaming experience which has never before been available - allowing them to sit in the designer driving seat and be the creator of their own slot destiny.?