Mega Jackpots Winners at Bingo Mega!

Bingo Mega, which is owned and operated by Bingo Entertainment Ltd, had some great bingo jackpot wins this week. Last month saw 2 progressive bingo jackpot winners, in the amounts of $1,700.81 to a player (bingobabe217) from New York on 5th January, then $3,332.65 went to a online bingo player (deegigi) from Cloverdale on 7th January, and now Bingo Entertainment announces even more big bingo progressive jackpot winners!

On 3rd February, the player known as kritterlover, from Port Moody, BC – Canada won the progressive bingo jackpot of $2,675.75.

At Bingo Mega, the progressive jackpot always starts at an amazing $1000. The jackpot dreamers amongst you will love this next Bingo Mega winner’s story;

On 4th February, at 21.15 EST, the player known as Angelofdreams, from Thunder Bay, ON Canada, won the progressive bingo jackpot of $1,037.49. As always, the progressive jackpot was re-set to $1000. Some 2 hours later, at 23.16 EST, the very same player hit the progressive bingo jackpot again! This time for the amount of $1,002.68. Some might say ‘impossible’ but I say anything is possible at Bingo Mega, where the prizes are high, the games are fun, and the people are so friendly. Get yourself over to Bingo Mega now and try your luck. Don’t forget the February special bonus offer – deposit over $50, and get 100% bonus, with no conditions attached!

EU calls US betting law 'protectionist'

US legislation on online betting was described as “protectionist” by the European Union’s top financial regulator on Tuesday and may trigger legal action before the World Trade Organisation.

The legislation makes it illegal for banks and credit card companies to process online bets placed by American citizens with foreign gambling sites.

Charlie McCreevy, the EU internal market commissioner, said: “In my view it is probably a restrictive practice and we might take it up in another forum.” He added that the case could go to the WTO, and also suggested he would pursue the matter with his American counterparts on a visit to the US in March.

Though it is not clear whether the Union will follow through on Mr McCreevy’s threat of WTO action, his remarks highlight the deep divide between Brussels and Washington over gambling restrictions. The Commission has long argued that gambling and sports betting operations should enjoy the same rights as other service providers, and has repeatedly attacked European countries that impose undue restrictions on the industry.

The US, by contrast, has launched a broad regulatory crackdown on foreign gambling and sports betting operators, culminating in the arrest last year of two senior British industry executives for alleged violations of US anti-gambling provisions. The country’s tough stance has already sparked one legal defeat for the US at the WTO in a case brought by Antigua and Barbuda, two Caribbean island states with big offshore internet gambling operations.

The Geneva-based body ruled that the US had violated international trade agreements by allowing online horse-betting by US sites but not from abroad. However, that case, in which the EU supported many of the complainants’ arguments, is not directed specifically at the October 2006 law that targets banks and credit card companies. Commission officials said they would in any case wait for a final compliance ruling in the Antigua case before making any further legal moves.

Both EU and US trade officials are currently engaged in a last-ditch attempt to restart talks on a sweeping global trade deal – known as the Doha round – a factor that could severely limit Brussels’ appetite for fresh bilateral trade spats. While Mr McCreevy’s advisers believe the October 2006 law includes several “WTO incompatibilities”, the extreme sensitivity surrounding gambling policy may reduce the chances of the Commission bringing a case.

Mr McCreevy stressed that there was no “major momentum” behind a new WTO complaint, and his officials pointed out that a final decision on such a move would in any case rest with Peter Mandelson, the EU trade commissioner.

However, Mr McCreevy’s intervention still marks a notable escalation in the Commission’s approach towards the US gambling crackdown. It also stands in contrast to the Brussels body’s silence on the arrests of the UK gambling executives in the US in July and September last year.

Manchester's Super-Casino Win

Manchester has been chosen as the surprise location of Britain’s first Las Vegas-style super-casino. The decision was a big blow for Blackpool and London’s former Millennium Dome, which were the bookmakers’ favourites. Manchester was a 16-1 outsider. The licence will allow Manchester to build a venue for up to 1,250 unlimited-jackpot gaming machines.

The Casino Advisory Panel also granted licences for 8 new “large” casinos in Great Yarmouth, Hull, Newham, Middlesbrough, Solihull, Milton Keynes, Leeds and Southampton, as well as for 8 “small” casinos in Bath, North East Somerset, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lindsey, Luton, Scarborough, Swansea, Torbay and Wolverhampton.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said MPs would be given the final say, via a Commons vote on the proposals.

There has been speculation that more super-casino licences might be awarded but Ms. Jowell told MPs that there would definitely be no more granted during this Parliament.
Any further casinos would have to be approved by parliament and would not be considered until there had been a “proper evaluation over time” of the social and economic effects of the 17 new casinos.

She said: “Las Vegas is not coming to Great Britain… British casinos will be subject to new controls, which will be the strictest in the world.”

Stephen Crow, chairman of the independent Casino Advisory Panel, said Manchester had been chosen because of its “very thorough consultation” with the local community and “the way it dealt with questions of problem gambling”.

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UK – Gambling advertisements and the impact on responsible gaming

The UK Gambling Commission this week released its consultation document on gambling advertisements and the impact on responsible gaming.

With effect from 1 September 2007 the Gambling Act 2005 reforms virtually all of the existing statutory restrictions on the advertising of lawful gambling conducted in Great Britain.

There will be a statutory bar on the advertising of gambling which is located or regulated in jurisdictions outside of Britain, the EEA1 and Gibraltar. However, the Secretary of State has the power to make regulations, to be approved by Parliament, to allow advertising of foreign gambling operations in jurisdictions which demonstrate that a satisfactory regulatory regime is in place. The process of identifying these jurisdictions is known informally as ‘whitelisting’. The criteria for determining whitelist jurisdictions are being developed by DCMS and are to be published in the coming month.

The new initiative will mean that gambling jurisdictions outside Europe will have to apply to the UK if its companies wish to advertise their gambling services Culture secretary Tessa Jowell called the initiative a ‘key part’ of the Gambling Act, which was designed to strictly regulate gambling and to protect children and vulnerable people.

“The action we are taking on adverts will help protect online gamblers from crime and exploitation,” she said. “It will stop companies operating from poorly regulated countries attracting new customers in the UK. This is a global issue, which is why we have led an international debate on this. Securing international cooperation will lead to sites operating more responsibly and increase protection.”

Countries outside the EU and Gibraltar hoping to get on the new ‘white list’ must pass a number of criteria, which includes acting to protect children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited, keep out crime and ensuring that gambling is conducted fairly.

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Bingo Entertainment Ltd withdraws from US

Bingo Entertainment Ltd, the provider of several popular online bingo sites, has announced that as of 23rd January 2007, it will no longer accept bets from players resident in the US.

A Bingo Entertainment Ltd spokesman said “This decision was made due the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which was passed by US congress in October 2006, and the delays relating to the drafting and implementing of these regulations. We very much regret that due to these circumstances that are beyond our control, we can no longer offer our popular bingo games to our players in the US, many of whom have been loyal players with us since our inception.

Of course all players who had funds in their accounts with us will be re-imbursed in full”. He added “This will have no effect on our sponsorship of the ‘Bingo World Championship’ event, scheduled for 7th March 2007, and any US resident players who qualified for this event from any of our sites will still be able to take their place”.

Bingo Entertainment will continue to expand its brands in countries such as Canada, UK, and throughout Europe.

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