Anticipating a delay in the processing of Barney Frank’s the internet gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act of 2009, nineteen members of the Congress have called on the authorities to put on hold the implementation of the regulations of the UIGEA. These regulations were passed last year in the dying moments of the Bush administration and go into effect from December 1, 2009.

These Congressmen and women are largely Democrats though they include three Republicans, namely Ron Paul of Texas, Judy Biggert of Illinois and Peter King of New York. They have written to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stating, “We are writing to strongly urge you to extend the date of compliance for the final regulations implementing the Unlawful internet gambling Enforcement Act by one year.”

They have given their reasons for the need to defer the implementation of the UIGEA. In the first instance they point out that the economic crisis is far from over. The UIGEA rules will place an additional burden not only on the financial services industry but also on the regulatory mechanism and neither are in a position to take on this burden at this time. An example has been cited of certain financial services organizations stopping the processing of online payments to state lotteries because it is not clear whether state lotteries are covered under the UIGEA or not.

These legislators also point out that there are several bills in the House and in the Senate that are aimed at repealing the UIGEA. These bills have considerable support. For example Barney Frank’s proposed bill, HR 2267, has already 61 sponsors and the numbers are growing by the week. The only reason that these bills have not been debated is because the economic issues need to be given priority. Therefore it is only fitting that the UIGEA be delayed by a year so that these bills are able to generate the required debate in the Congress. The legislators have also added that the UIGEA regulations are essentially flawed and that they were passed in abnormal hurry by an administration on its way out.

Finally, the passing of the UIGEA has led to the exit of major European online gambling operators from the American market. This not only caused losses that have been estimated at billions of dollars to the American economy but have also put the United States in the dock for violating World Trade Organization norms.

Though the U.S. Treasury confirmed receipt of the letter it has not yet responded to it. Despite widespread condemnation the Department of Justice is going ahead with its seizure of funds related to online gambling. Meanwhile, the US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals held that the UIGEA is not bad in law but is not applicable across the United States. It is valid only in those states where online gambling is explicitly illegal.

From October 14 to October 20 InterCasino will be hosting an online slots tournament. At first appearance this is like any other online slot tournament. However, the difference is that it is being played on a custom made slot game called Casinomeister.

All online players know Casinomeister as the watchdog portal that has done yeoman service to the online gambling industry. There are countless players who have been able to recover their due funds from errant casinos only because of Casinomeister. Last year Cryptologic honored this web portal by releasing an online slot game dedicated to it. The symbols on the reels will be instantly recognized by all online players. There are Caricature and Vortran who labor relentlessly against rogue casinos. Rogue is also among the symbols and on occasion he appears behind bars. The symbols also include Casinomeister’s favorite drink, a tankard of beer. The highlight of the slot game is a 10,000 coin payout when five Caricature symbols are lined up in a payline.

This week InterCasino is honoring Casinomeister by holding its Bonus Bonanza Weekly Tournament featuring this custom slot game. The online tournament has an entry fee of $10. Players will be given a tournament chip balance of $500 and 30 minutes of wagering time. At the end of the promotion the top six players on the leader board will share the prize pool of $250. The prize pool will be distributed as follows. The player in the first place will win $100. The player in the second place will win $50. The next four players will receive $25 each. InterCasino has other exciting games lined up for the Bonus Bonanza Weekly Tournaments in the coming weeks. From October 21 to October 27 the designated game is Pontoon. This is a blackjack variant played with eight standard decks. From October 26 to October 31 the featured game is the popular Marvel slot, The Hulk.

October 18 is not far away. This date is important for players at InterCasino because it is payday. If players manage to accumulate 5,000 or more Cashback Points from September 18 to October 17 day can redeem these Points. Therefore players who have already reached the total of 5,000 Points can expect extra wagering money on October 18. However for those players who are just short of the magic number there are only a few days left to catch up. InterCasino has recently released two exciting slot games. These are based on DC Comics superheroes Batman and Wonder Woman. The two games are ideal for those who want to accumulate Cashback Points in a short period of time.

The finance minister for Malta, Tonio Fenech, recently revealed some interesting financial statistics on his nation’s tax benefit as an Internet gambling regulator and host.

Addressing an top online casinos seminar on the Mediterranean island, Fenech said that over a five year period, the island government’s regulator - the Lotteries and Gaming Authority - had processed over 500 applications for remote gaming licenses. The industry employs over 2 500 people on the island and generated Euro 15.6 million in tax revenue last year, a 35 percent increase over the previous year.

“The government considers this as an increase in economic activity that generates a multiplier effect in the economy,” the minister said. “The government has invested thoroughly in this field, nurturing and moulding its growth in the past 15 years. This has been the main driving force for Malta’s success in remote gaming.”

If you haven’t yet heard of Absolute Casino you probably will soon, according to the Alderney-based owners Advanced Games Lab, which powers the new casino gambling operation with its proprietary software. AGL is itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of Guernsey firm HC Capital Limited.

AGL claims to be “a newly established and unique, community enabled online casino operator”, which has developed an innovative business model centred on social groups, networks and communities, all embedded in the gambling portal experience.

“Our model harnesses the infinite scalability necessary to exploit the real synergies generated by combining the power of social networking (such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other national and regional brands) with a state-of-the-art online casino experience,” the operator claims.

“Our proprietary core game server is built and designed to take advantage of cloud and grid-based computing networks to facilitate the number of communities and their members that Absolute Casino can host at any one time.”

Absolute Casino boasts “massively multiplayer” capacity and will be running tournaments and leader boards that can be tailored specifically for any online community….and it’s all accredited by the Alderney Gambling Commission on an unrestricted online gaming licence. from the Government of Alderney in the Channel Islands.

The software has been developed in-house over a 12 month period, with AGL boasting that it creates multiplayer game content that no other platform provider can facilitate at this time without fundamental systems rebuilding. The Strata engine is based on the latest cloud and grid computing technology, allowing scaling on-demand to meet constantly changing business volumes. The software can be configured for a variety of languages, currencies and regulatory requirements.

The Vegas Technology-powered veteran online casino group English Harbour has added four new online slots to its gambling portal suite.

Reel Deal is a five reel, twenty pay-line slot game with several bonus features, scatters and free spins wrapped in a business theme, whilst Safari takes players on a trip to the wild in a five reel, twenty line slot format. Big game sightings can deliver serious bonuses, and there are scatters and wilds to build winning combinations.

Super Market has the same five reel, twenty pay-line platform, but a vastly different theme as the branding suggests. Coupons count as scatter symbols, and three or more will grant ten free spins in which all winnings are doubled. There is also a bonus round triggered by three shopping cart symbols, and a wide range of wagering options.

Winter Wonderland takes another direction with a totally different theme to celebrate the coming festive holiday seasons with a higher than standard pay rate and outsanding snowy graphics. Bonus rounds and jackpots make for both excitement and entertainment.

Itai Pazner, chief operations officer at online gambling group 888 has launched a new GBP 8.8 million jackpot game - an internet gambling record - with a free GBP 24 chance of winning it for online casinos players.

Pazner is confident the game, dubbed Pirate Millions, will help introduce the company to a slew of new players, and claims: “This is the biggest ever online slots jackpot and everyone who visits the site will be allowed three free spins the first time they play the game, without having to deposit any money or enter card details.

“This will offer the unique opportunity for someone to become a millionaire without paying a penny, and we believe it will really appeal to everyone from on-line casino regulars to those who play the lottery or buy the odd Scratchcard.”

The marketing drive is supported in the UK by a television commercial showing a diver surrounded by a sea of money.

For most online gamblers, hitting a progressive jackpot just once is the experience of a lifetime, but there are on record numerous instances of particularly fortunate punters who have achieved multiple wins.

The latest of these is ChontelB, an australian gambler on the Microgaming-powered Royal Vegas Casino website who recently took home A$26 813 for a slots win on the Major Millions game…only two months after her A$33 000 hit in the Grand Slam of Slots tournament.

The Grand Slam of Slots tournament is still being played out, with a worthwhile Euro 1 000 000 grand prize jackpot still up for grabs.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sheldon Adelson is suing a house-building contractor, claiming mold has been growing in one of his luxury online casinos homes because of construction defects.

Adelson filed a lawsuit this internet casinos month in federal court in California against Linden & Associates Inc. of Los Angeles over a 12-year-old, $1.6 million casino games construction contract for the home in Malibu, Calif.

Phone and e-mail messages seeking comment on the lawsuits were left Friday with Linden.

The suit says exterior surfaces of the home have failed, allowing water to enter and damage walls, floors and carpets.

“Excessive moisture has led to a wide range of damage throughout the home such as excessive humidity, excessive condensation, water damage, mold growth, mold infestation and contamination, dryrot, deterioration, staining, cracking, corroding and other water- and moisture-related damage,” the suit charges.

The lawsuit alleges Adelson has spent funds assessing and correcting the alleged defects, but that Linden has failed to indemnify Adelson for those costs. The suit alleges breach of warranty, breach of contract and negligence.

The suit was filed on behalf of Adelson by San Francisco attorney Clark Thiel of the firm Howrey LLP. Thiel, practicing in California and Nevada, focuses on construction cases including construction defect claims.

A 1997 contract filed in the case shows the construction manager for the home-building project was Bovis Construction Corp. — a sister company to Lehrer McGovern Bovis Inc.

Lehrer McGovern Bovis was building Las Vegas Sands’ Venetian hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip at that time.

The Party Casino Gold Mega Jackpot recently climbed to over a staggering $3,535,000 and is casino bonuses still waiting to be hit! This jackpot is currently the biggest in online gaming!

A PartyCasino spokesman said: “The record Gold Mega Jackpot continues to grow and grow – it is currently the industry’s biggest jackpot waiting to be won! PartyCasino continues to rapidly expand its number of casino games. Newly licensed games have been added recently, more details of which will be released in the near future.”

Gold Mega Jackpot games at PartyCasino.com are: The Godfather, Mega Fortune Wheel, Super Joker, Super Mystic, Super Fortune Wheel and Super Star.

Party Casino now offers over 130 games, including 91 slots, and pays out well over $10 million EVERY DAY to players. The world’s largest online casino continues to expand - in fact the number of games on PartyCasino.com has more than DOUBLED in just seven months and there are a lot more games to come! Recent popular additions include old school classics such as King Kong and Wheel of Fortune while the swinging musical interactive slot Sinatra has proved to be popular.

MGM Mirage on Friday announced that online gambling California physician Joseph H. Sugerman is joining its board of directors.

Sugerman is a Beverly Hills-based otolaryngologist with 32 years online casinos experience. He is an attending physician at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and past casino gambling clinical chief of his department. He is a clinical instructor at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and the University of California at Los Angeles Department of Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery Division.

“I am delighted to announce that Dr. Sugerman has been elected to join our Board of Directors,” James Murren, MGM Mirage chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “As the largest provider of health care benefits in Nevada, our company will benefit immensely from his expertise, particularly as we, along with the entire nation, navigate through the challenges that we face related to health care coverage.”