This is a great year for the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. As one of began when capitals of the world, the Las Vegas strip has many things to offer large convention audiences. Different theme casinos, restaurants and entertainment venues all add to the allure that is the Las Vegas strip. That is why when it comes to gambling is one of the top choices for conferences that deal with in this industry. Now it has recently been released that the international Association of gaming advisers (IAGA) will be holding its 2011 conference at the Sands convention Center located at the Venetian.

The convention will be held at the casino hotel from September 30 through October 2, 2011 in which many of the industry leaders will be attending to check out the newest in technology and land-based as well as online casino gambling. That is why they chose one of the largest convention centers in order to hold that a gambling event. The Sands convention center has the ability to cover nearly 10,000 ft.² inside in order to accommodate both small and large conventions. On the whole there is 1,200,000 ft.² of meeting space.

This gambling convention will take place just before the Global Gaming Expo G2E which will be the next large event for this industry. Is the precursor to all follow afterwards and it will begin to start a buzz about some of the newest innovations in technology advances for the casino gambling industry. Included in these events will be top executives, attorneys, financial advisors and regulators around the world. They will then engage in June after days of meetings in networking gatherings to discuss better ways to run the industry. This year they are trying something different in offering a free registration to any other regulators who wish to register for the conference. In over 31 years of holding these conferences this has never been done. They have a lot to do to top last year’s convention held in Washington, DC. However, that being said they are holding it in place that is used to accommodating this type of crowd and one in which the city holds enough excitement to keep everybody entertained.

This year will be even more exciting is the event will be hosted between the Venetian and palazzo hotels and casinos which is now under new presidency. These hotels and casinos have been around for many years but now with a new leader at the helm, this will be a proving ground to the gambling industry that John Caparella will continue to make huge strides in the business world and create the best gambling and networking conference in 2011. Rooms are guarded and blocked off at the Venetian and the Palazzo hotels in order to receive these guests and Las Vegas will be crawling with thousands of attendees to this year’s conference. Each year it appears as though these weekends grow in popularity as key speakers, events and parties bring about the most intense weekend of networking throughout the gaming industry.

By far, the biggest live poker tournament in the world is the World Series of Poker. The most famous poker tournament has been around for over forty years. It has grown from a small event held between professional gamblers to a world wide event, that feature some of the biggest names in the industry as well as hundreds of hopefuls. The World Series of Poker is now a major force. The popularity explosion poker has seen over the last decade has thrust the World Series of Poker on to the world stage. The events held throughout the year now have millions of dollars in prize money as well as television, print, and internet coverage seen by the entire globe. Summer is the biggest time of year for the World Series of Poker. June and July mark the World Series of Poker Main Event. Every year, at the beginning of the summer, Las Vegas heats up as the biggest live poker event in the world comes to town for a month and a half of live poker action. The current organizers and owners of the World Series of Poker brand, Caesars Entertainment Corporation have select the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino as their venue for the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event. Hey, did anyone notice that June has begun and its busting out all over?

On May 31 the World Series of Poker kicked off in Las Vegas. This is expected to be a record breaking year for the live poker and gambling event on so many levels. For starters, the World Series of Poker will be receiving unprecedented coverage. For the past few years the World Series of Poker has been covered by sports broadcasting giant, cable televisions ESPN. At one point in time ESPN broadcast poker and gambling tournaments to fill airtime in off peak hours. Now events like the World Series of Poker are major ratings grabbers. EPSN announced that they are upping the coverage of the 2011 World Series of Poker. It will be carried on its prime station as well as its other stations like ESPN2. There will also be plenty of coverage online from the cable sports network and the World Series of Poker site. World Series of Poker organizers are boasting that poker lovers will be able to watch every hand with almost non-stop coverage. This type of mammoth coverage is sure to bring poker into the living rooms of poker players on every corner of the globe.

The coverage and exposure isn’t the only aspect of the World Series of Poker that is expanding. This year’s gambling event will feature more bracelet events than ever before. The 2011 World Series of Poker will have fifty-eight championship events. Even though there are more events than ever, the organizers of the World Series of Poker have addressed the players comfort. They have limited the amount of per day rounds to a maximum of ten levels. The 2011 World Series of Poker is underway at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino. This is will be a record breaking year!

The Las Vegas strip is looking to change its skyline as one of the gambling companies must invest its money in a Ferris wheel that would tower over other buildings. This project has been in consideration from a number of months now, but they are waiting for the approval in order to begin its development. The idea is the brainchild of Howard Bulloch of Skyvue as he continues to try to pitch the idea to anyone who’ll listen. Recently to further exploit this Ferris wheel, he unveiled a 23,000 pound bearing to the public but allow the Ferris wheel to circulate. He did so at a time where he thought he could get the most people interested which was an international Council of shopping centers convention happening at the same time. His goal was to start building some excitement and momentum for the project and get all onlookers to be interested.

This time financing has not been put forward on the project but the current plans include a 500 foot Ferris wheel with 200,000 ft.² of retail and entertainment space located at the bottom. This Ferris will be the centerpiece of the area which is located right across the street from Mandalay Bay Casino and resort. Currently the predicted is $175 million but no funds have been put forward yet towards the venture. If Howard has anything to do with it this Ferris wheel we’ll be unveiled to the public in 2012.

As the Las Vegas strip continues to fill up with more casinos, this company is being required to utilize a large portion of the land they purchased years ago. Currently in his possession is 38.7 acres of undeveloped property which Bulloch plans to dedicate 11 acres specifically to this entertainment venue and Ferris wheel. Since it is Las Vegas the city where themed ideas run rampant, is necessary for Howard to get on the ball and generate money to finalize its development. Already the stiff competition has begun to knock on his door as Caesars entertainment; one of the top gambling casino entertainment companies in the business is already making plans for similar venture. Now the game comes down to whoever raises the money the fastest to put in place their latest creation. At this time seizes entertainment Corp. has developed the plans to put their heirs will adjacent to the flamingo Las Vegas hotel and casino in the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino. This center will cost them nearly $450 million and will include finishing off the Octavius Tower located at Caesars Palace. Caesars is also planning to have a 500 foot tall wheel but has not released much more information beyond that.

In a world that thrives on casinos, this is not the first time that someone has pitched the idea of a Ferris wheel on the Las Vegas strip. The carnival like atmosphere that they create with all their bright lights and exciting themes could support one of these wheels, but not both. Therefore whoever creates there is first will have the upper hand in having a long-lasting relationship with the public as the first Ferris wheel on the Las Vegas strip.

The competition has always been very stiff among land-based casinos. In order to compete you not only need to have the newest in technology, but you also have to have great rewards and promotions offered to guests. This is the best way that casinos can compete with each other all while offering the same type of gambling experience to their guests. Large jackpots, huge incentives, Penny slots these are all types of promotions and ideas that allow gambling patrons the ability to enter the casino for an entire night of gaming.

When the great things about land-based casinos are that they draw in enough revenue that they can offer large cash prizes to lucky winners. Much like the system that the state lotteries, they had the ability to offer millions of dollars as prices due to the fact that it is a billion-dollar industry. Lately the economy has caused many of the casinos to slim back on some of their promotions and find new ways to draw in more customers. This is not the case at the Pala Casino in California. They decided to stir up a new promotion at their resort and spa Casino in order to bring in more guests. This time they’re offering up a 2011 Toyota Camry hybrid the one lucky winner. Of course there are a couple pieces of paper to sign into promotions to apply for in order to win, however this still a great price anyone can take it home.

In order to participate you must go to the casino and sign up for their rewards card program known as Pala Privileges. This gives you the ability to sign up for free and reap the benefit of rewards every time you play. You can swipe their cards at a variety of kiosks throughout the casino and each day that you swipe you will receive one entry for the day into the 2011 Toyota Camry hybrid giveaway sweepstakes. As with many casino promotions there are benefits to joining their VIP clubs in order to receive more rewards. As a regular old words card number will receive one daily entry towards the grand prize. Those who signed up for the gold member cards will receive two entries per day, the platinum card will receive three and finally their last stage of VIP status, the elite card carrying member will receive five entries each day toward winning the hybrid.

This casino promotion begins on June 6 at nine in the morning and will carry on through the rest of Chelan in July and ending on August 19 at 4 PM. Other ways to gain entrance into this car giveaway are by participating at the local slot machines within the casino. Each time the players use their privileges card slot chains or table games they will receive 10 bonus entries into the grand prize drawing. The final winner will be chosen at 6 PM Friday, August 19 for some of the cash prizes in increments of $1000. The Toyota Camry hybrid will be drawn at 11 PM and all winners must be present to win.

A security breach has left an online player with a bad taste in his mouth for CakePro.com. While gambling there, the player was able to rake in quite a large sum of money before it was all taken away due to some online issues they were having. The player only known as Tony Guoga was gambling at the Cake Poker online casino when he went up on another player and raked in nearly $60,000. This was a huge score for him, but then shortly afterwards he received an email from Cake Poker online security saying that they would have to confiscate the money due to an issue in security that allowed fraudulent funds to be deposited into different accounts.

The online gambler was playing 10/20, 25/50, and 50/100 over a period of four days where he ended up taking home the prize of nearly sixty grand. His tournaments were with a player online known as MaxStreak. CakePoker also included in the letter that they wrote to him that they are sure that he would understand the mishap as if to suggest that he would happily walk away from his wins and end up with much less. According to the letter from Cake Poker to Tony Guoga, he won money from one of the fraudulent accounts, and therefore his winnings were sacrificed. The sad part is that after four days of gambling he had already amassed $60, 614.10. They also went on to make the patron feel as though he had some part to play in it all by stating, “We are sure you recognized and understood that the manner in which these accounts were playing against you was not rational poker.” They also told Tony that since the funds were acquired with money that was not legal, they are going to have to remove this account.

To help expose his case and gain more publicity for this matter, the online player posted about this incident in a forum hosted by cake poker. Many other online gambling patrons have begun to post their concerns on this site. The most talked about is the idea of chip dumping in which illegal chips can be dropped into others account. This type of fraud seems to fall in line with the current situation in which fraudulent chips were being dropped into accounts in offshore circumstances that did not leave there online gambling patrons any room to complain about it. .
Many of the online players in the forums are mad at Cake Poker stating that it is not the responsibility of the player to know where his chips came from. Since this is a breach in their security system, they should be held responsible and do what they have to do to make it right. Some of the online patrons were also stating that even though they don’t believe the player will get the money back that they should fight, and it also builds a strong case for regulating poker. In this situation there should be a higher power that the player can confide in to plead his case.

GigaMedia has been one of the top providers of online entertainment for quite some time. Their online games are known throughout the world as is the vastness of their library. Now they are releasing their first quarter results and seem to be very happy about the way they have turned out. The first quarter was rather slow for some of the other businesses in the online casino gambling industry, but the economy and the wavering public did not slow down GigaMedia. In fact, they were able to best themselves by walking away with their 2011 revenue of $10.4 million.

The online entertainment company has been dominating the Asian market by hitting the majority of the market in both China and Southeast Asia. They first opened their online doors in 1998 and continued to grow throughout the past few years. In 2010 they were able to finish the year by being up $2.7 million for the final quarter. On the whole the finished up $64.7 million, and were able to put more products out on the casino gambling market. One of their biggest successes to end the year included a web based MahJong game, and released a new online game for FIFA Online 2.

In a press release regarding this quarter’s results they mentioned that they are turning around their performance and going to focus on the day to day operations of the online entertainment company. They claim that these results are showing that they are moving in the right direction that they wanted to and are happy with the results. It also helped that these results were the best that they have seen in the past two years. Now they are going to continue on this path and are planning to launch even more games in the upcoming quarters.

One of their biggest accomplishments has been finding a way to streamline their company and cut back on some of their outlying costs. Along with that they will also be cutting back even more by getting rid of investments in certain areas. So far their strategy is working as they have been able to make a 52 percent reduction on their operating expenses, and recently they have pushed forward with a new initiative resulting in an $11 million buyback program of its common shares.

The second quarter will be the toughest for them and will prove once and for all if this plan is actually working. Within this quarter they are expecting to take a bit of a hit in revenues as well as a decrease in operating expenses. The potential of this company will lie in its online gamblers showing their loyalty and sticking through with them through the hard times. If they can survive this quarter and continue to work as a well-oiled and streamlined machine, they will actually see a larger increase in profits and push themselves further into the Asian market. SO far the online players are holding strong and the idea that they will constantly be plied with new games helps keep them loyal to the company.

While Europe has been the center of the online casino and gambling industry it has not been without its problems. Some of the biggest nations in Europe and members of the European Union have not latched on to the cross border, international online casino and gaming community. They have either not allowed foreign online gaming companies to offer games to their residents or banned online gambling all together. They have done so in the name of protecting their citizens and/or their domestic companies. This has caused some anger from online gamblers, online gambling companies, and online gambling rights groups. The past couple of years have seen some major strides taken to open up these markets. Some of the biggest markets that have been targeted by the online gaming industry and its followers have been Spain, France, and Italy. France was the first to to open its borders. It was an exciting time. However, the new online gambling laws drew criticism from most of the online gaming world. They called the French laws one sided. They felt the French tax laws and regulations were too high for foreign online gambling companies. The bigger companies have been able to afford it, but even they admit that they are hoping to wait it out until the laws are more balanced. Spain just announced that they have awarded their first online gambling license to Madrid’s Casino Gran Madrid, even though their laws don’t take affect for a couple of months.

Italy is the third of the major three online gaming markets ready to open. The Italian market has slowly been letting foreign online gambling companies into the country. Italians have been elated and the market is gaming some serious steam. The latest online gaming company to enter Italy is a very well known one. Anyone who has done any research on the online casino and gambling industry is very familiar with 888. This company has been considered one of the best in almost all forms of online gambling and gaming. They have the best in online casino games, poker, bingo, sports gambling, and live online casinos. Now they will be able to offer their great product in Italy.

888 is proud to say that they have earned their certification from the Italian online gaming authority, the Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato. This certification will allow 888 and its independent B2B division, Dragonfish, to bring its games and gaming solutions into the nation. “This successful certification of our products by AAMS further reaffirms our focus and commitment to the growing Italian eGaming market,” commented 888 Chief Operation Officer, Itai Frieberger. He went on to say that the 888 team have been very active in the Italian online gaming market. They are all looking forward to the expansion into Italy and bringing their brand of fun to a whole new audience.

888 is known for having a world class product. They feel that their brand of online gambling will fit perfectly in the new market. They do have a leg up. Dragonfish has been working with Italian partners such as Microgame and Gioco Digitale. This will help shorten the learning curve.

When it comes to online gaming, gambling, and casino action there are hundreds of choices out there. Most all offer great and exciting action. Most of them are very reputable, safe, and secure. However, and like any other industry, there are a few names that stand above all the rest. They have been able to offer the best in gaming, the best in customer support, the best is security, jackpots, tournaments, bonuses etc. When one thinks of the big names in online gambling Bodog is typically near or at the top of that list. Bodog is one of the few online gambling companies to be set up in North America. It is licensed and operated by the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group. This group runs out of Canada and has become one of the premier operators of online gambling. They are one of the few companies licensed to operate in the Americas and have take their leadership role seriously. They have taken the Bodog brand of online gambling from small company to world wide leader in just about every type of online gaming.

Bodog has one of the best online casinos in the industry today. There are well over seventy games tied to some of the most exciting tournaments and jackpots. There are slots, table games, blackjack and more. Bodog also has some of the most extensive online sports gambling. They cover every sport on almost every continent from football (both kinds) to basketball, baseball, boxing, hockey mixed martial arts and on and on. With this kind of yea round variety online sports gambling fans always have some kind of action. Bodog has lots of old school horse racing and pari-mutuels. Then there is online poker. Online poker has become one of the most popular activities on the internet. Millions of people are playing online poker each day. Not only does Bodog offer online poker it offers some of the best online poker. There is non-stop gaming as well as tournaments. The online poker site has a $100,000 guaranteed tournament every week on Sundays. Then there are the other progressive jackpots to consider. The online poker site has generous welcome bonuses and free play money tables. Bodog also offers online qualifiers for live, land based tournaments. These qualifiers often come with a low buy-in price tag.

For the regular online casino goer the fact that Bodog is one of the best online casino, poker rooms, and gambling sites in the world is not news. However, Bodog and the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group does have some news. It is big news and it is important news. Bodog is changing its name! Okay, there not really changing their name, just their domain. Bodog.com is not Bodog.eu. While other online gambling sites are changing their name to try to wiggle out of some possible legal troubles, Bodog is changing its domain in the name of expansion. Chief Executive Officer for the Morris Mohawk Group, Alyn Morris stated, that the team has never been one to let opportunity pass them by. They feel this is the right time to take all the necessary towards building towards the future.

One of the more popular if not one of the least well known of the Atlantic City casino resorts is the Trump Marina Hotel Casino. Of course, this casino resort is not as flashy as the Trump Taj Mahal, but it is not supposed to be. This casino resort was built in the Marina District. It sits on the water, and while it does offer all of the exciting and fast paced gambling and casino action, it has a more laid back feel where patrons can enjoy their time relaxing. In light of worsening economy in Atlantic City, Trump decided it was time to unload the Trump Marina Hotel Casino. The property was put up for sale. It was recently announced that the sale has gone through, and the Trump Marina Hotel Casino has a new owner and a new name.

Landry’s Inc., is one of the most popular restaurant chain companies in the United States. The restaurants include Bubba Gump, The Flying Dutchman, Brenner’s Steakhouse, Harlow’s Food and Fun, Simms Steakhouse, Vic and Anthony’s Steakhouse, RED Sushi, Rainforest Cafe, Landry’s Seafood, and many others. However, they are more than just a large restaurant company. They are also in the hospitality industry. The company operates several hotels including the Hilton Galveston, Holiday Inn Galveston, The San Luis Hotel and Resort, the Boardwalk Inn, and The Inn at the Ballpark located across the street from Minute Maid Park where the Major League Baseball Team the Houston Astros play. Restaurants and hotels are nice, but lets talk about casinos. Landry’s Inc., operates two casinos with one of the most famous names in American casino history, The Golden Nugget. These two casino hotels are located in Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada. The Golden Nugget Las Vegas has been a AAA Four Diamond Hotel for over three decades.

Now the two Nevada Golden Nugget Hotel and Casinos have a new sister. You guessed it, the Trump Marina Hotel Casino is now The Golden Nugget Atlantic City. Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Landry’s Inc., Tilman J. Fertitta stated that he and the rest of the Landry’s corporation want to take a hands on approach to revitalizing the Atlantic City Marina District. He commented, “We hope to revitalize the Marina District area with our transformation to the Golden Nugget, much as we have helped rejuvenate downtown Las Vegas with our Golden Nugget concept.” They are hoping the famous Golden Nugget casino hotel brand, and some extensive renovations and updates will kick start the rebirth of the area.

Landry’s Inc., has hit the ground running. They have already begun plans for some renovations to their new Atlantic City casino than can only be described as transformational. The outside of the new Golden Nugget Atlantic City is getting a much needed update. Hopefully, this will be the first step to attracting new customers. Once inside the new casino hotel will have four new styles of rooms for guests to enjoy. There will be new lounges and bars offering live entertainment as well as a pool area that will include hot tubs and fire pits. There will still be plenty of deck space overlooking the marina. Let the rebirth begin.

For a long time France was one of those European nations that had a stranglehold on online gambling. Even though they are a member of the European Union, the French government found it necessary to ban foreign online casino and gaming companies from offering their products to French residents. At one point in time they were supporting a government run monopoly. This angered many in the European online casino and gaming community. Many voters’ rights groups came out and spoke against the French government. After a small battle in the European courts, the French government decided it would be wise to open up their borders and allow foreign online casino and gaming companies into the country. Since then, the French government has done everything they can to protect their own interests. Many in the online casino and gambling industry feel that the structure and the laws enacted by the French do little to promote foreign companies from entering the French market. In fact, they feel that the French are doing everything they can to dissuade foreign online gaming companies from offering their products to the French. Many thought that France would be the next big online casino and gaming market. It has not really turned out that way.

When the French government and its gaming regulating body, Association Française du Jeu en Ligne, created the tax structure for online gambling they did so with protectionism in mind. They made the taxes for foreign online gambling companies so high that many companies could not find it feasible to enter the market. Many smaller online gambling and gaming companies who tried to enter the French market quickly left citing that they just couldn’t afford it. Of course some of the bigger companies wanted to stick it out. They know how big the market is. If it could be tapped, a lot of money could be made. These larger online gaming companies decided they had the resources to stick it out. It may not be extremely profitable at first, but they wanted to establish their presence in France.

These same online casino and gambling companies also believe they can wait it out. They are hoping that the French government and the Association Française du Jeu en Ligne will realize that the tax structure they have imposed is not helping anyone. The high taxes mean fewer companies can afford to enter the market. The fewer companies the less competition. Less competition means the French online gambling public might not be getting as good a product or as fair a price as they could.

Some of the foreign online gaming companies have come together in hopes of pressuring the French government to look at and change their online gaming tax laws. However, their pleas may be falling upon deaf ears. François Baroin is the French Minister Responsible for the Budget. He has stated time and time again, that the government has no intentions of changing its online gambling tax structure. However, this contradicts statements by the Association Française du Jeu en Ligne’s president, Jean-François Vilotte, who has stated that modifications are being discussed.