Reports in the US mainstream media are taking definite shift towards a more positive online gambling view if the latest editorial in Newsday is anything to go by.  The article lionizes the little country of Antigua in its bid to challenge the US’ introduction of the infamous Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).

This is good news for all those online bingo operators and online bingo halls stung by lose of the US market last year when the tough anti-foreign UIGEA laws went into action over there.

Also, developments within the EU show a steady march towards a more liberalized online gaming environment in Europe with the EU’s Commission continuing to pursue France, Sweden and Greece over their domestic online gambling monopolies.

Couple this with news that major online gaming entities like PartyGaming are predicting a better year ahead for themselves, and you can start to appreciate why free online bingo industry observers are feeling we’ve all turned a corner.

while I don’t think we will see the return of the US market any time soon, it’s encouraging to note that those hurt most badly by its lose last year are strting to show signs of a rebound – just in time for more liberal laws making business throughout the EU all the more attractive.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

Reports from internet gaming mainstay PartyGaming show the company is confident it can come out on top despite the adverse affects losing the US market has had on the industry.  The company, which offers the PartyBingo online bingo product, says its earnings for the first half of the year show it is on track to do well through to the end of 2007.

Like many companies trying to make a go of it in the online gaming and free online bingo markets, PartyGaming has had to endure a concerted effort by US authorities to limit any profits available to such enterprises.  If PartyGaming are in fact on track for a better year, then most of us in the online bingo community can start to believe things are really getting better for the industry as a whole.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read celebrity gossip.

A recent article published on the KL Gates website makes for an informative look at US enforcement policies regards online gambling – it’s an article that any self-respecting online bingo hall operator here in the UK should take a look at.

Most noteworthy in the article’s focus is the US’ take on anti-online gambling and the use of extradition of non-US citizens in their prosecution of online gaming infractions. The criteria for making such arrests makes for sobering reading for any international online bingo operator looking to get in on the US market.

In making their conclusion, the authors have this to say:

“The DOJ’s interpretation of the Wire Act and the arrests of foreign nationals at U.S. airports have not discouraged all foreign Internet-gaming entities from offering Internet wagering opportunities to individuals located in the U.S. They are presumably motivated by the money that U.S.-based bettors spend.”

“Prior to June 2006, many may never have thought that a U.S. federal court could assert subject matter jurisdiction over a criminal action against them, or be able to obtain personal jurisdiction over them or their owners, officers, or directors. That mode of thinking has been modified with the indictment of BetonSports and its now-former CEO.”

“The DOJ has also demonstrated that it is willing to arrest non-U.S. citizens who are owners, officers, or directors of Internet-gaming entities if they travel to or through the U.S. The law with respect to jurisdiction in these situations is not settled, and there are arguments that can be made in specific situations as to why subject matter or personal jurisdiction does not exist. But, at this time, the risk of arrest and detention is real.”

For us in the online bingo industry with a vested interest in building an online bingo business, the message is clear: keep well away from the US when making trips abroad.

The article can be accessed here: http://www.klgates.com/newsstand/Detail.aspx?publication=4008

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

September 1st is almost upon us and still I see no evidence of a gambling advertising blitz ready to engulf UK television.  Maybe we’re all too busy playing online bingo to really notice, but I would have expected at least some ‘buzz’ from the market place regarding this relaxing of gambling laws in the UK.

However, online bingo halls are bound to sooner or later take advantage of this break in the Gambling Act 2005.  The key here is to target the market traditional land-based bingo attracts and continue the market’s trend towards free online bingo gaming.

Land-based bingo is under threat as more and more people find their way to the joys and convenience offered by their online competitors.  They will continue to blame anti-smoking legislation, government VAT and anything else they can think of, but in the end they will have to compete or close down.  That online bingo is in a far better position to employ the medium of TV leads me to believe land-based bingo’s days are numbered (pun intended).

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

if there is one gambling jurisdiction that is benefiting from the loss of the US market and more liberalized online gambling attitudes in the EU it’s the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta – at least that’s what a Malta Times report has to say.

Many in the online bingo industry will already now that Malta offers an attractive base for operations targeting the EU online gambling market.  This is particularly the case for non-EU online bingo hall operators hoping to make the UK’s white list of acceptable gambling advertisers.

A quote from the Maltese Times report puts this into perspective: “Malta’s becoming the natural hub of online gaming,” said Mario Galea, chief executive of Maltá’s Lotteries Gaming Authority.

Add to this that the Maltese government is set to gain in revenue in taxation and license fees and you can see why the Maltese are feeling so good about themselves.

Are we likely to see a move to Malta by some of our favourite bingo online operators?

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

As the European online gaming and gambling industry continues to come to terms with the loss of the US market, it’s encouraging to see that some of the bigger names are successfully negotiating the necessary restructuring times such as these demand.

While companies like IGH continue to descend ever deeper into financial trouble, the efforts expended at online payment company Neteller in bouncing back from their tribulations with US authorities demonstrates that the loss of the US market is not necessarily the end of the world.

Add to this Bwin’s recent report that its own market restructuring efforts have led to better financial results since last year and that Sweden’s Betsson is doing well in its restructuring, and you have the makings of a resurgent online gambling industry.

One must not lose sight of the fact that world markets are, in general, going through very uncertain times and that events will impact on online gaming, and even online bingo.  However, bingo online and other forms of online gaming seem to be in a stronger position to cater for the needs of the gaming sector and I’m sure we will see more and more people turn to this unique form of entertainment as time marches on.

In short, it is a good time to be setting up shop in the online gaming industry, and online bingo hall operators should take heart from the fact that a lost US market has, in some cases, only made us stronger.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read celebrity gossip.

Things can get really scary in the US these days if you’re in any way inclined to try your hand at online bingo entrepreneurship, if events in Seattle are anything to go by.

Betcha.com is not an online bingo hall or an operator of bingo online, but what happened to its owner is pretty scary story for any online gambling businessman contemplating the US market.  Nick Jenkins is a respectable lawyer in the Seattle area who hit upon the idea of setting up a peer-to-peer betting website that facilitated online bets.  A month later he was in jail.

Seems Washington State gambling officials took exception to the operation and decided to crack down hard (midnight armed raids with lots of shouting policemen etc.).  While Jenkins’ story has little to do with online bingo, what I find interesting about his predicament is that he supposedly made a mere 75 cents on one US$35 bet in order to bring down upon him the full wrath of Washington officialdom.

It’s too complicated in this short space to go into the legal details as to why Jenkins was jailed for making 75 cents.  75 cents!  It’s the principle I hear you say?  I guess that’s what they used to say when they hung people for a loaf of bread in the old days.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

An interesting couple of developments in the world of online gambling has taken place involving two major players.  It’s a couple of developments that illustrate both a tale of despair and a tale of hope and represent two heavily intertwined sectors in the online gambling industry.

Online bingo players and, maybe, online bingo hall operators who have been keeping up with online gambling news in the UK recently, may have guessed that I am referring to developments at both Interactive Gaming Holdings (IGH) and online payment company Neteller.

To refresh your memories, IGH has recently confirmed it has suspended trading of its shares, has seen senior board members and executives resign and has been unable to raise working capital finance to continue operations. IGH is a sports book and has had to recently stop taking action on its its Heathorns and Premierbet sites.  It’s all doom and gloom at IGH.

On the other hand, Neteller, which recently underwent a heavyweight tussle with US authorities that saw it come within a hair’s breadth of going under, is now going from strength to strength as it restructures.

Both companies have very little direct contact with the free online bingo industry, but their stories are noteworthy in that they both reflect the current issues being faced by the online gaming industry as a whole.

My point in highlighting these two divergent tales of corporate woe is that not all is as it seems.  Though IGH are facing their toughest test to date, they can take some comfort in the way Neteller seems to have beaten the odds and come out on top.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

Fear stalks Wall Street and the City of London these days as traders and financial types come to terms with a stock market that looks like its on crack cocain.  The gambles a lot of people made in entering the markets seem to be a bust with quite a few individual investors facing ruin.  It’s a sad tale, but one often repeated.

I’ve noticed that traders in the world’s stock markets tend to vacillate between bouts of greed and fear during times such as these, yet wisdom dictates that if you’re going to get involved in the markets, take the long-term view.  My advice (for what it’s worth) is hold for the long term, let things blow over, and play some bingo online in the mean time!

People who play free online bingo know that success is about patience and focus – attributes it seems almost entirely lacking in today’s world of high finance and stock market madness.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

In the week that was we saw the biggest ever lotto win in UK history, one of the biggest slides in what is the country’s biggest gambling den, the FTSE, and the announcement that the UK is going to ban gambling advertising by operators not on its ‘white list’.

The UK’s white list is a list of non-EU gambling jurisdictions that are allowed to market their wares in the UK.

For online bingo operators and people who play online bingo in general, the news that a substantial number of gambling sites currently offering online gaming in the UK will no longer be available may not be that big of a deal – given that they already enjoy a well regulated and diverse online bingo industry.

However, one licensing jurisdiction, the tiny Caribbean nation of Antigua, has said it will lobby to make sure its registered gaming sites make the UK’s white list.  Antigua should not be underestimated as it is already causing the US a whole bunch of headaches by taking that country to the WTO over its restrictive online gaming policies.

While the UK is no where near the US’ position on the issue of restricting online gambling by foreign enterprises, my bet is that Antigua will make good on its promise to qualify for inclusion on the white list.  The country is dependant on its gaming revenues and has already shown it’s commitment to pursuing its own interests.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.