IMEGA Files Papers to Stop Hearing Dismissal

The legal team for iMEGA, a professional association made up of members of the online gambling industry, filed its brief with the U.S. District Court in New Jersey (Trenton division) in response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s motion to dismiss its complaint against the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).

According to an iMEGA press release, lawyers from the defendants (U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and Federal Reserve) “contend that iMEGA does not have requisite standing to bring a complaint versus the UIGEA, and, given that the rules and regulations for the new law have not yet been created, that the law is ‘unripe’ for this kind of challenge.”

Lawyers for iMEGA, disagree, and in their filing say they gave the judge “ample precedent for both our standing as a trade association acting on the behalf of our members and for the potential jeopardy of prosecution the new law puts some of our members in.” The lawyers also contend that it is not necessary to wait for one of their members to be prosecuted before the law may be scrutinized by the courts.

Lawyers for the federal government agencies that are being sued in this case have until Sept. 21 to respond to iMEGA’s request of the court for a temporary restraining order, which was filed this summer.

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Bingo Entertainment N.V. announce the 2007 Cruise Miles Competition Winners!

Bingo Entertainment N.V. one of the biggest online bingo operators is the proud official Platinum Sponsor of the 19th  Annual World Championship Bingo Tournament and Gaming Cruise which is to take place from 10th – 18th November 2007.

The Cruise Miles Competition started on the 1st May and ran until the 31st August, giving 2 players the opportunity to win cabins on board the Carnival Liberty cruise ship.  One cabin is won courtesy of Bingo Gala and the other through Bingo Entertainment’s Network.

After a very close run competition, the results are now in and we have our 2 lucky Winners…

Bingo Gala Cruise Miles Competition Winner

They say that lightning doesn’t strike twice, but when it come to online bingo this saying does not apply, for the winner of the 2007 Cruise Miles Competition, was also the winner of the 2006 Cruise Miles Competition!!

Here’s what the twice lucky winner sugarnet had to say shortly after being told she had won this years competition:-

“omgggggggg, I cant believe this, this is incredible, I’m overwhelmed!

I was extremely excited over the first cruise but…to win it again this year is just truly amazing. I am truly grateful to all at Bingo Gala  ,and Bingo Entertainment…THANK YOU SO MUCH.

I just wish all my roomies could go with me. I love this site so much and I appreciate all my friends in there…wonderful people.

I hope to see CM Chelle, and some of the others from sister sites that I made friends with. I’m so looking forward to this journey once again…….thank you soooooooooo much…hubby say thank you too, he is very excited once again..”.

Love you all, very much… 
Sincerely sugarnet

Bingo Entertainment Network Cruise Miles Competition Winner

Iforget_mq was notified by email that she was the lucky winner of the Bingo Cruise Miles Competition on the Bingo Entertainment Network. Here is her reaction to that very special email….
 
“I about fell out of my chair when I opened the email. It was the first email of my day!
I started yelling to my son that I won a cruise then called my brother. I have always wanted to go on one.
I just could not believe it. I have never won anything like this.
I have not told my husband yet. If he doesn’t want to go then I will see if my mom wants to go. I am just so excited and thank everyone at Bingo Entertainment.
I just love to play here”.

The 2 winners now have to get ready for a cruise they will never forget. Onboard ship they will have the chance to meet fellow online bingo players from around the world!
With a full itinerary of games, plus many more surprises on board, as well as Championship Bingo with guaranteed cash and prizes worth $80,000.00 including a final blackout game that will pay $10,000.00!
They will also have some fantastic ports to visit. The Carnival Liberty stops at five ports along the way, first stop is San Juan, the vibrant capital of Puerto Rico. Then it is on to St Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Isles after St Thomas you have some time to relax in Antigua and recharge. Tortola, our 4th port-of-call, is a part of the British Virgin Islands and with your final stop being Nassau, the heart and soul of the Bahamas.

As the Bingo Entertainment N.V. winners, they will be treated to a unique and fun-packed experience, which will create memories and friends to last a lifetime.

Bakery Shop Managers Wins £100,000 Bingo JP

The latest winner of a £100,000 Bingo Jackpot is a lucky bakery shop manager from St Helens who won on Sunday, 19th August.

Due to her shock at winning the Bingo Jackpot she was a bit slow to celebrate her win, the lucky winner said..

“I barely reacted when I was told I had won, probably because I couldn’t believe it.”

“That kind of thing just doesn’t happen to me,” the 48-year-old added.

In addition to the £100,000 online bingo jackpot, she also claimed the house prize of £425!

A further bingo winner was in shock recently after scooping £50,000 – and revealed that when she phoned her husband to tell him the good news “he just carried on watching his football”.

New UK Gambling Laws Now in Force

Information on the UK Gambling Commission website gives details of the new laws that are now in full effect: –

New protections to be enforced by more than 1500 inspectors.

New gambling laws to protect children and vulnerable people, cut crime and keep games fair came into force on 1st September.

 The Gambling Act 2005, which replaces legislation dating as far back as 1845, will govern nearly all forms of gambling including: gaming in arcades and adult gaming centres; betting; bingo; casinos; gambling in clubs and pubs; lotteries (except the National Lottery) and remote gambling.

The Act creates the Gambling Commission, one of the most powerful gambling regulators in the world. It will be able to levy unlimited fines, withdraw licences, bring prosecutions, enter premises, sieze goods and suspend and void bets.

The Act also gives a new role to local authorities, empowering more than 1500 licensing officers (alongside 50 specialist Gambling Commission compliance officers) to inspect gambling premises to enforce the new laws.

Key changes to gambling regulation include:

For the first time, betting shops and remote gambling sites based in the UK will be governed by a dedicated regulator, the Gambling Commission.
Local authorities will be able to impose sanctions on operators, including limiting opening hours and reducing numbers of gaming machines.
Local people will be able to object to new gambling licences and seek reviews of existing ones.
New codes governing advertising come into force, requiring ads to be socially responsible and banning the use of models under 25 or linking gambling to sexual success.
Adverts from outside Europe that fail to meet the UK’s strict regulatory requirements will be banned.
TV advertisements will be allowed for the first time, but subject to a voluntary 9pm watershed (with the exemption of betting ads during sports events).
The membership requirement on casinos is lifted.
Bingo clubs will be able to offer rollover jackpots.
Questions on phone-in quizzes on TV and radio must be harder. This is to prevent pay-to-enter phone quizzes that are too easy operating as if they were lotteries and therefore evading limits on stakes and prizes and the legal requirement for licensed lotteries to give 20 per cent of profits to charity.
Gambling operators will be required to display prominently information about responsible gambling and how to get help for problems.  They will also have to work proactively to prevent underage gambling and contribute to problem gambling treatment and research, education and public awareness.
Betting cheats, including sportspeople, will face a two year jail sentence.
UK-based betting operators will be required to pass information to sports bodies to prevent cheating.
Gambling debts will become legally enforceable, helping to ensure those who win get paid.

Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said:
“Many people like to gamble, and for the vast majority it’s harmless fun. This has and always will be the case.  But what has changed is the way people gamble. It used to be that you had to leave the house to place a bet, but advances in technology have changed that – TVs, home computers and mobile phones have become the digital equivalent of a betting slip and casino chip. 

“The Government brought in the Gambling Act because most of our laws were nearly 40 years old and these developments were going unchecked and unregulated. That’s why 1 September is so important. The Gambling Act will give the Gambling Commission and local authorities unprecedented powers to ensure gambling is conducted fairly, children and vulnerable people are protected and crime is kept out.”

The Gambling Act received Royal Assent in April 2005 and on 1 October 2005 the Gambling Commission was established. Since then over 50 pieces of secondary legislation have been laid after due consultation with industry, local authorities and other stakeholders. The Gambling Commission has also published licensing conditions, codes of practice and other guidance.  

The Gambling Act replaces nearly all existing gambling legislation including: the Gaming Act 1845, the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963, the Gaming Act 1968 and the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976.

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Online Casino Companies Flock to Malta

The introduction of the UK Gambling Act on 1st September, has proved to be good news for Malta with no fewer than 27 international gaming companies set to relocate their online operations to the island.
Some of the industry’s biggest names such as Poker Plex, Intercasino, William Hill, Littlewoods, Playboy Casino and Virgin Games are geared up to provide online poker and casino services from Malta within the next week.
Currently there are 84 iGaming firms licensed on the island, while a letter of intent has been distributed to 76 others and a further 36 companies are awaiting the outcome of their license applications.
‘Malta’s becoming the natural hub of online gaming’, Mario Galea, Chief Executive of the Lotteries Gaming Authority, told Malta’s The Times newspaper.

Gaming companies have flocked to Malta ahead of the introduction of the UK Gambling Act 2005 on 1st September, which only permits gambling companies in EEA, and approved ‘white list’ areas such as Alderney, to promote their services on UK TV, radio and other forms of media.

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