New York has a large Chinese population. That we all know. What you may not know is that it is so large and has such an overwhelming need to serve their people that the state of New York has found a way to tackle this problem and send busses to bring the gambling to the Chinese people. Chinatown is one of the most popular areas in all of New York. Many big cities have a Chinatown, but none are held to the standard of that in New York. Due to this chinese trade and cultural block, many of the Chinese people that make their way to the United States will settle at some point in the heart of Chinatown New York.

Now we have also seen some great results regarding casinos in the Chinese and Asian markets. Places such as Singapore and Macau have had a huge boost in popularity since the creation of casino complexes in those areas. What are now billions and billions of dollars businesses, these casinos have made an impact on not only the Asian population, but the population throughout the world. Already Macau has seen $3billion just in the month of May for it’s monthly revenues. This exceeds even the predictions that the casions had when they first opened their doors approximately a year ago.
Now the New York casinos owners and operators are bussing out the Chinese people in droves so that they can make their way to the new Pennsylvania hotels and Casinos so that they may continue their gambling. This has been an important part of their subculture, so it has been a welcomed experience.

The Las Vegas Sands hotels and Casinos corporation has been one of the top in its industry for many years. This large corporation has casinos throughout the world including all the major gambling markets. This includes, New York, Pennsylvania, Las Vegas, Singapore and Macau. With the spread of the Asian market they have now noticed the need to hit the advertising more in these areas to keep drawing in customers. It seems as though this plan is paying off.

Now the Sands Bethlehem Casino in Pennsylvania will see a larger part of the Chinese culture in their hotels and Casinos as they will be shuttled to and from Chinatown in New York. At this point there are nearly 50 busses that are bringing patrons to this casino in order to enjoy their time there. The casino is located nearly an hour and a half from Chinatown New York and houses up to 300 hotel rooms. They also have plans to put in an outlet mall when the venue is completed. This casino takes the places of the Bethlehem Steel Mill that once stood on the property until it was sold off to the Sand hotel and Casino Corporation. The casino is predicted to do so well that some analysts are calling it a “mini Macau.” If the Chinese Americans cling to this casino as they are doing in Macau this will be a huge boost in revenues for the corporation and help their overall productivity.

Branding is a key point in online casino gambling. It can be a make or break piece for a company. If a company is branded correctly they will be able to ride out their name and reputation for many years to come. Unfortunately, if it is branded poorly, it can have the reverse effect and can keep a company down even without them knowing it. By the same token if a company continues to change its brand then the public never gets a chance to latch on to their name and make it something memorable. We have seen this happen many times. McDonalds is now a household name everywhere throughout the world. The reason being is that they picked a brand, colors, symbols ( The Golden Arches) and many other things that support their brand. Disney was also a king of branding as he knew that in order to make his name memorable it had to have flare. Once it had that it then needed to be constantly imprinted on everyone’s minds.

One online casino gambling platform is now taking a stand and trying to make its name stand out from the rest. PartnerLogic has held a strong name brand for quite some time now, but they are making the change over to something different. So far they have launched many brands through teir platform such as InterCasino which has been one of the most popular throughout the world, InterPoker, Parbet, and VIP casino. With all these brands they have decided to change their name and get with the top online affiliate marketing program, Income Access.

With this new system, affiliates will be able to profit even more from adding this new online partner. Income Acess is one of the top affiliate programs throughout the world and by now adding it to its arsenal, Partnerlogic will head out under the new title, InterPartners. The reason for the name change is that they are increasing their brand by adding this new affiliate program and they thought that by changing the name it would better depict the scope of their services that they offer to the online casino gambling community. Now using the best technology, the best platform and all the newest innovations, this company will relaunch itself as a newly reinvented form of its former self, but with more features to offer the customers.

The good news for those online gambling players and affiliates who have already signed in as members of the site, they will get to keep all their original information and usernames to sign in to the newly developed site. This is to ensure that they don’t lose any of their existing online gambling customers while making their improvements. In a press release they have also made clear that they will remain a part of both Casino Affiliate Programs (CAP) and Gambling Portal Webmasters Association (GPWA). This will maintin their high level of integrity for both themselves and the market that they are after. New members are encouraged to go to the online sign up page and try out this new experience.

In the United States casinos and gambling are regulated at the state level. This enables the states to have almost complete control on how or if the allow gambling and what kind of gambling will be permissible. Each state has their own view on gambling. Nevada has made gambling and tourism in casino resorts their number one industry. Other states allow for some commercial casinos on riverboats or in certain jurisdictions. Others only have a casino here and there, while still others only allow state run lotteries. (Utah and Hawaii have no forms of gambling.) Then there is the added level of casinos run by Native American nations on reservation land. The past few years have seen some sweeping changes. The current economic condition in the United States has forced many state government to reexamine their casino and gambling laws in hopes of raising additional revenue to help fill widening budget gaps. Pennsylvania has been a shining example of casino and gambling expansion. The past couple of years have seen the Key Stone State not only expand the number of casinos in the state (giving Philadelphia its first ever casino with another on the way) but the type of gambling it allows. Table games are keeping Pennsylvanians in their home state casinos instead of heading out to Atlantic City or Ohio Riverboats.

Now another state in the mid-west is looking at gambling expansion. Illinois has always been an important state in the United States. It is home to current-President Barack Obama as well as President Abraham Lincoln. Chicago is one of the nation’s biggest and busiest cities. Now, the state of Illinois is making headlines in another way. You guessed it, casinos and gambling. The state is looking at an expansion of their gambling and casino laws much in the same way that Pennsylvania did. The Illinois state legislature narrowly passed a bill that would see a casino license for the city of Chicago as well as approve for slots in the state’s racetracks and even airports. It is a controversial bill that now sits on the governor’s desk.

Governor Pay Quinn has not come out one way or the other on the casino and gambling bill. However, most feel he is unhappy with the bill. While there has been no commitment on whether he will sign or veto the casino and gambling expansion bill, he has called it “excessive.” He has gone on to state that the bill will be under “microscopic review.” The governor only has about forty-five days from the bill’s reaching his desk to sign or veto the bill.

Governor Pay Quinn has several options. He can outright veto the bill. If he does the state legislature will need a three-fifths vote to override the veto. Illinois is one of the few states that allow the governor to use an amendatory veto. If he should use this option he can recommend changes to the bill that would only need a majority vote to approve the bill. Then again, he could just sign the whole thing into law. Illinois is on the hot seat. It could be the next state to employ gambling expansion.

Soccer (or football depending on where you live) is the most popular sport in the world. Everyone plays it. The game is centuries old and is one of the easiest to offer. All one needs is a ball and a goal. The object is simple get the ball in the other teams goal without letting it touch the players’ hands. For most of the world soccer is followed with fanatical enthusiasm. The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world next to the Olympic Games. Soccer is especially popular in Europe. Almost every nation in Europe has their own soccer league, leagues, or, at least their own national team. The entire football club competes to work its way through the different levels and leagues of play. Events like the Euro Cup are the most anticipated events on the continent. Then there is the gambling. Europeans are very excited to gamble on soccer matches and seasons. The bets are made online, in gambling shops, and even stadiums. Many of the soccer teams and leagues are even being sponsored by online gambling companies. Soccer creates international superstars out of teams, managers, and players.

Soccer, however, does not have quite the following in North America. The United States dominant sports are American football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. Still, there is a growing fan base for soccer. North American countries are doing their best to educate their citizens on the joys of soccer, and soccer leagues are popping up. There are even some starts being made out of soccer leagues. Soccer does have a strong base in Mexico and Central America. It may not quite have the prestige of the Euro Cup, but North America has its own international championship. It is the Gold Cup and it is organized by the Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Association Football. The primary function of the CONCACAF is to rule over soccer in North and Central America and preside over World Cup qualifying. In any case, it is time to the Gold Cup. It is currently underway and the teams are gearing up for group play. Online casinos and gambling sites are gearing up for great gambling.

The United States is the host nation this year. The CONCACAF Gold Cup will take the teams north, south, east, and west. THey will see play in almost every region of the nation. From Detroit, Michigan to Tampa, Florida, to New York, and Los Angels, and Washington DC, the national teams of North and Central America will meet. This has soccer fans in the hemisphere (and even the United States) excited about the play and, of course, the gambling.

Online sports gambling sites are already offering odds. It seems that the host team may be leading the odds in group play. The United States is in Group C. Their first contest will come at Ford Field in Detroit where they will meet their neighbors to the north, Canada. Online sports gambling sites such as Paddy Power are offering the Americans odds of 3/10 that they will take the Gold Cup. Other such as San James and Sporting Bet are giving 4/11 odds.

Most people find going to the casino or visiting an online casino to be action enough. Sitting down at a favorite slot or table game brings enough action and excitement to fill a few hours of entertainment. However, there is even more excitement to be had. Casino goers, especially online casino goers, love tournaments. Casino tournaments can come in every shape and size for every type of game. Clearly, in this day and age, poker reigns as the popularity king. A live and/or online poker tournament can be found almost twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. However, there is another form of gambling tournament that is just as popular, online slots tournaments. These tournaments can be held in a variety of different ways. They can be short term or long term. They can focus on one particular slot game or be include a number of slots. They can be played at one online casino or through a network of online casinos. They can have modest jackpots or super, life changing payouts. It doesn’t matter. Those who participate in online slots tournaments always find a way to have fun. Online slot tournaments take slot games to the next level. Instead of playing for a little while and seeing how much one can win, the player is able to rack up points over a period of time. This makes the online slot play a little more competitive, and gives players a goal to shoot for.

One of the biggest, if not the biggest, online slot tournaments is being held right now. The Grand Slam of Slots II has been taking place for a few weeks, and it is now ready to enter its final stages. The original Grand Slam of Slots saw near record numbers of players participate. At stake was a record jackpot. The winning player was the first online slot tournament participant to take home a one million euro first prize. This instantly made a mark, and the online casino and gambling industry knew they had the makings of a popular online slot tournament.

The Grand Slam of Slots II is being hosted by the Fortune Lounge Group of online casinos and gambling sites. The Fortune Lounge Group is responsible for some of the most popular names in online casinos, bingo sites, and poker rooms such as Platinum Play, Royal Vegas, 7Sultans, Desert Dollar, Vegas Palms, Vegas Tower, Poker Time, Giggle Bingo and more. The Fortune Lounge Group boasts that they have the most winners. They have also been winners taking home the 2005 award for Top Casino Group.

The Fortune Lounge Group have taken the second edition of the Grand Slam of Slots to a whole new level. There was an impressive initial guaranteed jackpot that steadily grew. Besides offering a mountain of cash to its winners the Grand Slam of Slots II also has a $2.43 million gold bullion prize. This jackpot has a specific requirement, but with the number of players participating most think it will be hit. The finals for the Grand Slam of Slots II started on May 27 and was scheduled to end on June 6. Stay tuned for the winners.

Maybe the most famous name in poker history maybe Doyle Brunson. He is known as the ‘god-father of poker.’ He plays and looks the part well. With his sideways grin and cowboy hat he looks like someone who has made his living gambling. As of late the seventy-seven year old has been most famous for endorsing the online poker site that bears his name. DoylesRoom has become one of the most popular and respected online poker sites in the industry. Mr. Brunson has also used the online poker site to expand poker and train new professionals. Doyle Brunson has always been one of the good guys of the game. This has become especially heartbreaking over the past few weeks. After PokerStars, Absolute Poker, and Full Tilt Poker were indicted for money laundering, bank fraud, and conspiracy on April 15, Doyle Brunson saw the writing on the wall, and it was clear as a neon sign. He decided to terminate his relationship with the online poker site. In a statement he said, “Reluctantly, I have decided to terminate my endorsement contract with Doylesroom.com.” He asked the operators of DoylesRoom to stop using his name and likeness for a period of time. They declined. So Mr. Brunson left. The online poker room stated it was fully legal to keep the DoylesRoom name.

Well, it didn’t take long for more indictments to be handed down by the United States Department of Justice. This time the indictments were handed to the online poker and gambling industry by a United States Attorney’s Office in Maryland. As you might have guessed DoylesRoom was one of the online poker sites indicted and its domain was seized by the United States federal government. Even though he left the online poker site before the indictments were handed out, many in the industry thought that he might be included in the indictments and face charges.

Reports are starting to surface that would suggest that Doyle Brunson may have steered clear of any legal wrongdoings. The poker legend was not mentioned in the indictments that affected his online poker site as well as those of its owners ThrillX Systems and the K23 Group. Mr. Brunson’s legal representation stated that Brunson thought the online poker was legal in the United States. (It is, but gambling for real money on online poker is not.) It looks good that Mr. Brunson bowed out once he “realized that the site that carries his name was participating in illegal online gambling. He got good news from United States officials when they determined that his role was only used for promotional purposes, and that he was not involved in setting up or gambling online. Most believe that Mr. Brunson will be clear of any future problems from the investigators who are working on the case against the DoylesRoom online poker site. This news comes at the perfect time as Mr. Brunson is trying to stay focused on making a good showing at the 2011 World Series of Poker taking place right now. Mr. Brunson has been a supporter of online poker. He has stated that he will return once the United States passes laws that make it legal.

Many people play poker online. They go in and sit in a few games and play for a little while. This is fun. It is a nice way to relax during the day. It isn’t a bad way to develop some skills or just have fun. However, the real action online takes place during the poker tournaments. There as many online poker tournaments and types of online poker tournaments as there are online poker players. There is something for everyone at anytime. That is the beauty of online poker. It doesn’t matter where an online poker player is located, what he or she wants to play or what they want to put a stake, there is something for them. One of the most popular online poker sites in the industry has recently started what they think will be one of their most popular online poker tournaments.

Titan Poker is known for being one of the greats in the online poker industry. They have everything. Sure there is great online poker, but Titan Poker also has the best in online casino games and sports gambling. Titan Poker is also known for their great promotions. Before an online poker player even plays his or her first hand they are awarded with bonus playing money upon making their first deposit. There are plenty of reload bonuses and other promotions by the online poker site.

However, it is the online poker tournaments that bring the great online poker players to the great online poker sites, and Titan Poker has great online poker tournaments. As mentioned above they have just begun what will be the online poker event of the month. On June 1, Titan Poker launched their Sit “n” Go Heat promotion. This is a tournament that is sure to heat up the summer. The Sit “n” Go Heat promotion is leaderboard, month long tournament, that is just right for online poker players for every style, skill level, and ban roll. “Online poker novices and veteran poker players alike are invited to try out the free poker download and win their share of the prize money in TitanPoker.com’s Sit ‘N’ Go Heat promotion,” stated the online poker site.

Online poker players who play in the Sit “n” Go Heat tournament will be ranked based on a formula that will take into consideration the buy-in amount and the number of players in the tournament. This means that the more online poker tournaments they play in the more points they will be able to accumulate. Points will be tallied and players will be able to check their status regularly. The Sit ‘n’ Go Heat tournaments will be held bi-weekly throughout the entire month of June. Let’s talk about prizes. What is the point of playing in a hot online poker tournament if there is nothing to win. Titan Poker has announced that there will be $105,000 up for grabs during the June tournament. Players will also be able to take part in more than one tournament during this time which will increase the amount of prize money they can take home. Summer is here, and it is heating up at Titan Poker.

Even though the American casino and gambling hub is located in Las Vegas and the rest of Nevada, there is a thriving regional casino industry. Areas such as the Gulf of Mexico region, Pennsylvania, St. Louis, and others have wonderful casinos and casino resorts. There are riverboat casinos, local casinos, and many more. There is also a very relevant Native American gaming casino industry. Some of these casino resorts are just as nice as the ones in Las Vegas. They offer great amenities, guest rooms, entertainment, dining, golf, spas, pools and more. One of the leading regional casino operators is Penn National Gaming. The Wyomissing, Pennsylvania based casino and casino resort company owns and/or operates casinos throughout the country. Some of their more notable brands include the Argosy, Boomtown, Hollywood and more. They also operate several racetrack gambling venues. Their success in the regional market finally inspired Penn National Gaming to look into operating a casino in Las Vegas. Even though most of the casino and casino resort industry new that Penn National Gaming wanted to break into the Las Vegas market, this was not a rush decision. They started small acquiring a small percentage of a casino provider company’s ownership. This gave them an in to getting a license. One thing led to another. Now, Penn National Gaming is, officially, the owner and operator of one of the newest casino resorts in Las Vegas, the M Resort Spa Casino, Las Vegas.

The M Resort Spa Casino is just now celebrating its second anniversary. The road has seen its share of bumps, but now the M is the newest jewel of the desert. The casino spa and resort features plenty of gaming associated with all of the big casino resorts. It also brings an element of class to the Las Vegas Strip. The sleek building is filled with 390 luxury guest rooms, beautiful pools, fine dining, bars, lounges, entertainment, shopping, and more. This was clearly a good get for Penn National Gaming.

Penn National Gaming spent well over $230 million to acquire the M Resort Spa Casino. By doing so they also acquired the casino resorts $860 million in Debt. They did so last October. Penn National Gaming waited for approvals from boards and commission. This month they were granted approval from their last body, they Nevada gaming regulators. Now, it is official. The M Resort Spa Casino is a Penn National Gaming casino resort, and the regional casino company has entered the Las Vegas market in a major way.

Penn National Gaming Chief Executive Officer, Peter Carlino, said of the acquisition, “Through this transaction, M Resort has emerged as a financially sound, debt-free, upscale locals and destination-oriented casino resort with extensive high-quality amenities.” Not only is this a good move for Penn National Gaming, but it will be welcome news to their loyal patrons. They will now be able to work towards having a “home” in Las Vegas. This means they will be able to use and acquire points in the most exciting casino towns in the world. Penn National Gaming has spent years acquiring the customer base, so they enter Las Vegas on solid ground.

What we are now calling ‘Black Friday, was only the beginning. Of course, it was starting the game with a grand slam. On April 15, 2011 the United States Department of Justice indicted the three most popular and well known online poker rooms and gambling sites in the world, Absolute Poker, Full Tilt Poker, and PokerStars. The United States Attorney in New York charged the sites and other executives with money laundering, bank fraud, and conspiracy. It only took a few days for what is now known as “Blue Monday.” This time it was a US Attorney from Maryland. The Department of Justice went after more banks, more executives, and more online poker sites, including the wildly popular DoylesRoom. The body count of online poker rooms under siege by the United States government is starting to rise. The precedent has been set, and now it seems that there is no safe hiding spot for online poker sites and their operators to hide. It is even worse for those who have set up the dummy companies the make the monetary transactions between the offshore online poker rooms and gambling sites and the online poker players and gamblers in the United States.

Details are starting to emerge about the crack down on online poker in Maryland. It was not simply a reaction to the events in New York. There was no copy catting here. It was also not an attempt to capitalize on the wave of shutting down illegal online poker. The indictments handed down to online poker rooms and gambling sites, as well as a few banks was the result of a sting operation and investigation that took over a year. The investigation even had a code name, Operation Texas Hold’em. (Maybe not the most original name, but it worked.)

As it turned out the United States Department of Homeland Security was working together with the Anne Arundel County police department. The two law enforcement agencies set up a detailed sting. A shell company was set up to process transactions between online gamblers in the United States and offshore online gambling companies. Over the investigation period the shell company was able to process over $33 million used specifically for online gambling, The result is well known. Not only were online gambling domains seized, eleven bank accounts were seized in five different countries.

In an ironic twist the Anne Arundel County police department may gave hit the jackpot busting illegal online gambling and poker. For their help and cooperation in Operation Texas Hold’em the Anne Arundel County police department received almost a half a million dollars. One Anne Arundel County executive called it the “single largest asset distribution in county history.” Anne Arundel County executives and police officials are already saying that they will be able to use the money to help beef up their undercover operations. Not many knew how extensive the recent online gambling crackdowns have been. One thing is for sure, this is only the tip of the iceberg. The feds would not be making a case if they did not feel they had a strong case.

When the United States Department of Justice went after illegal online gambling they first targeted the biggest names in the industry. One of the sites that found itself in the middle of the crosshairs was Full Tilt Poker. This online poker site is one of the most well know, reputable, and represented online poker sites in the world. Their list of sponsored professional players can only be matched by fellow indicted online poker site, PokerStars. Every year, the major live tournaments are filled by those who have sponsorship deals with Full Tilt Poker or those who have won and/or earned their seats by playing at the online poker site. Full Tilt Poker’s biggest name is Phil Ivey. Ivey is an eight time World Series of Poker championship bracelet winner. He is not only considered to be one of the best poker players in the world, he is also considered to be one of the classiest. He demonstrated that level of class early this month when he made an announcement to stand by online poker players in the United States that have been affected by Black Friday. In a bombshell announcement, Phil Ivey announced he will not be playing in this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event at the Rio All Suites Hotel Spa and Casino. He also mentioned that he is suing Full Tilt Poker for over $150 million.

Phil Ivey has expressed that he is very disappointed in how his online poker home site seems to be dragging its feet repaying American online poker players after their site was shut down on April 15. In a statement he even went as far as to say that he was “embarrassed.” He went on to say, “I am equally embarrassed that, as a result, many players cannot compete in tournaments and have suffered economic harm.” The statement continued to say that Mr. Ivey did not feel it was fair for him to compete in the World Series of Poker when other players were not able to.

All of the sites that have been affected by the actions of the United States federal government have run into snags trying to payout such a high volume of accounts. However, Mr. Ivey feels that Full Tilt Poker could be taking better action. Mr. Ivey knows that he has gained a lot of support from other online poker players over the past few years. He feels this is the best way to return that support. He can not sit idly by, while millions of dollars are owed to players in the United States.

To go along with his World Series of Poker boycott, Phil Ivey is also suing the online poker site’s software marketing company, Tiltware. While Mr. Ivey has been very happy with his online poker home, the last few weeks have been quite the opposite. In a statement posted on his Facebook page he mentioned that he thought his name and reputation had been “dragged through the mud.” More than just a professional poker player, Mr. Ivey feels he is a part of the online poker playing community in the United States. This is his way of standing by that group.