If you’re a fan of Egypt and mummies, you better gamble quickly.  Inter Casino recently began a short-term promotion with some exciting payouts.  The name of the promotion is “Sound of Money.”  You can enter just by visiting the online casino and playing a few rounds. That shouldn’t be hard, because Inter Casino is run by Cryptologic, an outstanding software developer that is known for ease of game play, dynamic visuals and crisp and clear graphics.  The website itself has gained much notoriety in the world of online gambling and is one of the best online casinos out there.  With promotions like “Sound of Money” as an added bonus, they are a sure-fire hit with the online gambling community.

To play “Sound of Money” you just have to create an account and log in.  Throughout the summer the website is giving away $1.5 million in cash prizes. If you end up as a top ten player at the end of the summer, you have the chance to get an all-expense paid trip to Egypt.  The trip includes private felucca trip down the Nile, tour of the pyramids and a desert safari.  How’s that for innovation?

Egypt has long been a place of mystery. With its history of pyramids and pharaohs to mummies and sarcophagi, it’s a place that almost everyone would chose as one of their most exotic locales for a vacation.  It is expensive though.  Inter Casino saw that problem and specifically tailored this promotion to overcome. It gives people with longstanding interests in Egyptology the opportunity to visit for free.

If you’re thinking of joining remember to read all the rules. Basically, for every $300 you wager, you get three points. All you have to do to play on the Inter Casino website is log-in to the software, click “my InterCasino” on the menu bar and then open “Sound of Money Jukebox.”  There’s where you’ll find instructions on how to win big at the casino.  At the end, the person with the most points at the end of the promotion, wins.   Remember that the closing date is coming quickly, though. August 30^th to be exact. It’s y our last chance to get onto the website and create your opportunity to go to Egypt for free!

American Idol gets ratings. Whether or not you call in or participate in the show, it’s no doubt that millions of weekly viewers call into the show to vote for their favorite singers.  The popularity of the show has grown tremendously throughout the past 9 seasons and it’s proven to be a true determinant of real sell-ability by its talent.  It’s hosted on the Fox Network and Fox is making a name for itself by involving the viewing public in outcomes.  They want an emotional investment by viewers that not only spurs them to watch the show, but also spurs them to get involved with judging. A new show has been developed for TV and will be debuting this fall.

FOX TV  announced its new show beginning October 11^th.  It will be airing “The Poker Stars Million Dollar Challenge.”  FOX, like many other media outlets sees the growing popularity of online gambling and online poker.  Though the recession has caused many businesses to close or file bankruptcy, online casinos have seen a surge in activity.  Sans a few online casinos, most are doing well in the difficult financial times.  Because of the steady growth the Fox Network is looking to capitalize on the popularity and build an entire show around it.  They are getting a panel of celebrity players to join in, and waving a huge million-dollar payout to anyone who walks away with the prize at the end.

PokerStars.com online casino is opening the door for US and Canadian players to participate in the show’s casting.  There is an intense qualification round, but once players pass that, they can then play against celebrity players on national TV.  The grand prize of course is $1 million.  To qualify players should participate in PokerStars.com online free rolls daily.  They are at 8pm and 11pm ET.  If a player finishes at the end in the top ten online slots, they will be auditioned by PokerStars.com to be an online player.  The people who make it past the online games and then pass the audition, will play against celebrities and Professional PokerStars players.  If you’re a fan of online poker, be sure to tune into Fox and watch the tournament begin.

As is common these days, another state is pushing hard for increasing the chances of bringing in gambling revenues. New York is the latest state to show its financial woes by exploring other options.  For some time now the recession has brought huge budgetary deficits for almost every US state.  The unemployment rate, foreclosures and dropping house values have all worked together to bring the US as a whole to a huge monetary problem. Almost every state has a huge expense list and a much smaller income counter.  The deficits states are under, are huge.   This is not to mention the federal government that is also looking for alternative ways of bringing in funding.

New York’s Governor David Paterson is revisiting the topic of allowing Indian-owned casinos to set up in the Catskills.  The issue was brought up before, but fell to the wayside with many other important issues to debate.  Now that the deficit has to be addressed, it is once again a hot topic of debate.  Paterson stated, “There will be a renewed effort to rally stakeholders and make the case publicly that this is in the best interest of the state’s economy and specifically for economic development efforts in the region.” 

Setting up Indian-run casinos in the Catskills have been a long standing option for the state.  Many see it as a sure-fire way to revive tourism. While the Catskills were once a highly visited area for tourists, the years have reduced patrons, and revenues, substantially.  Bringing in a casino would hopefully revive the tourist area.  The Catskills are about 90 miles, or just an hour and a half, north of New York City, making them an easily accessible area for tourists.  Projections are estimating that a casino would bring in $150 million a year in new revenues and it also would create jobs.  The government is working hard to spin the casino idea to the people, citing that with added revenues a casino could bring, taxes would remain lower.  Gambling taxes would fund public programs and education. 

Of course there are some hurdles still to overcome.  Since the beginning of 2008 the debate has been in full-throttle.  Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne decried the proposal by tribes to take off-reservation land into trust.  Paterson states, however that there is a legal and safe way to maneuver the law. He also maintains that, in light of the economy, the income potential is hard to pass up.

Technology is reaching the industry of online gambling. This is evident because at the US Open, players are being put on notice to watch what they Twitter.  The signs posted say: “Important. Player Notice. Twitter Warning.”  The fear is that a tennis player Twitters some “inside information” that would help gamblers by tipping them off.  The US Open is the first major sporting event to post signs of this nature, or be concerned about security breaches for the purpose of sports betting.

Twitter is a micro-blogging technology that allows users to communicate. They answer the phrase: “What are you doing?” and have to provide an update in 140 characters or less. The website has become increasingly more popular over the years and boasts millions of online participants. People use it as a way of communicating their feelings, promoting themselves, their businesses and social networking in general.  It began in 2006, but three short years have been enough for it to gain worldwide notoriety.  Twitter is ranked as one of the 50 most popular websites worldwide.

Gambling gets involved in the Twitter machine when people at live sporting events are able to post to Twitter, or tweet, via their cell phones.  Companies are worried that inside information of any type can be tweeted to the nation and tip off gamblers as to which teams are winning.  This will help sway their bets and give them a better shot of cashing in. Although predictions are hard to rely on, if a team has a clear edge, chances are they will be the winning team at the end.

Gail Dorsey, community activist for fair gaming, stated, “We want to make sure that everyone is equal when it comes to betting and that no one has the advantage. With today’s technology, it’s easy to get one simple Tweet out there that spills the beans.”  Dorsey is among many activists trying to get a handle on the relationship between gambling and technology.  Especially since both are growing at exponential rates within our society.  The internet has brought a global interest in every communication and gambling needs to protect itself from ill-conceived messages that could harm the betting outcome.  

The recession has made every state desperate for added cash. Huge deficits and high expenses are causing states to look to gambling taxes as a way of making ends meet.  One state that is currently toying with their lottery is Oregon.  Oregon, like most states, has had a long time success rate with lotteries.  Lotteries are when numbers are called. Each day people bet on what numbers are being called and wager. If they match all numbers, or a set amount of numbers, they win cash prizes. 

Unfortunately due to the economy, Oregon is seeing a lull in lottery participants. As a response they have installed 400 slot machines in various bars across the state. The hope is that readily accessible slots will not only spur people to play them, but also extend their wagering to the lottery once again. Director of the Lottery Dale Penn stated that the long-term plan is to install an additional 2,100 games, many of which will replace outdated machines.  He added, “We’re real hopeful that we can bring some players back and encourage others to play more.”

The main goal of the move to expand slots is to bring in much needed revenue.  The state is projecting a $40 million decrease in revenue from lotteries, as a result of people not spending.  Much of the world is in the same position.  Businesses need people to start spending again to turn around, but people are still tight-fisted with their money. Many are still recovering from lay-offs, unemployment, foreclosure, and debt.  Discretionary spending has been slowly dwindling as the recession has made its way through the economy.  And now, though the recession is thought to be mostly over, people are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards returning to their normal spending habits. Spokeswoman for Oregon’s lottery Mary Loftin confirmed this by stating, “The gambling industry as a whole for years was thought to be recession proof, but this recession has changed that view. Across the country, lottery sales are down.

Oregon has also instilled a no-smoking policy for all bars and taverns. This too can eat away at lottery winnings because smokers may be more prone to go to Indian-run casinos, rather than smoke-free environments to gamble.  The new slots and video machines cost $30 million to install. Only time will tell if they will be effective at bringing people back to gambling.

One concern with the prevalence of online gambling is its consistent regulation.  Online casinos are being hard pressed to increase their security policies and gaming structure to make sure that no one underage is allowed to log-on to their system.  This poses a difficult problem because many young people have access to their parents’ personal information and are more attuned to online gaming than anyone else in the culture.  In addition, there are some countries toying with the idea of lowering the online gambling age to 18, rather than 21.  All these legal issues come with a lot of ethical debates. 

In Pennsylvania, one casino operator was fined $97,500 recently as a result of 15 counts of underage gambling that occurred in his casino.  There were two votes on the large fine and both times it was pushed through with relatively no resistance from the Gaming Control Board members.  It was the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs that violated the age limit and ended up paying big. 

The Mohegan Sun agreed to pay a civil fine of $49,500 for the first 11 incidents of underage gambling. These incidents involved slot machines on the gaming floor that were accessed by underage gamblers between the ages of 18 to 21. In the midst of security and video surveillance, the underage people were still able to enter the casino, gain access to slots and gamble.

The second part of the fine was paid out for $48,000. This was for four separate incidents were individuals under 18 were allowed access to the casino floor. This was despite an agreement stating that individuals under 18 are not allowed to enter the gaming floor at all.  

The final part of the ruling was for changes to occur at the Mohegan Sun. The casino agreed to increase staff and security at all entrances to the casino. They had to submit proposals and estimates of the added security to be staffed at all times at the entrances.  The company had to create additional ID scanning locations also.  The major part of the fine was not just the money, but the requirement and regulation of a higher security standard for the casino at all times. 

If you’re looking for some great jackpot options (and what gambler isn’t?), check out Table Mountain Casino.  Earlier this month some very lucky winners walked away with $35,210 in cash just for playing in the random jackpot casino.  The great thing about Table Mountain is that it does these random jackpots all the time the online casino makes it easy for players to not only proactively gamble, but also have the possibility of winning big for just signing-in at the right time.  The combined total of the jackpot winners was a whopping $167,700!  Not bad for a “random” payout.

The online casino’s Mega Mountain Jackpots are great. If you are looking for a way to win “real” cash, rather than just credits, check out Table Mountain Casino. You have to be a member, but the payouts are in cash and guarantee you between $20,000 to $50,000 in prize money.  Another great feature is that once you do become a member, you are privy to these bonuses around the clock.  Jackpots are scheduled for payout on every hour, so regardless of the time you log-in to play, you’re sure to find an added excitement. 

Remember that in these bonuses, you also get free bonus play. So not only are you getting the opportunity to win big, you can also extend your gameplay longer.  If you’re looking for the jackpots, check out any of the online casino’s 2,000 slot machines.  That’s another advantage of Table Mountain Casino. They have a huge and diverse offering. Normally if an online casino is great at one thing, they may lack in others. For example, a casino that has great payouts may not be so great with graphics.  This is not the case with Table Mountain.  Just take a look at the wide variety of slot machines available and you’ll see how much fun you can have regardless of your personal preference in play. Whether you’re looking for a traditional 3-reel slots game or a more challenging 5-reel game, you’ll find it here.

For anyone who wants great online gambling gameplay and the possibility to win big, check out Table Mountain casino.  This is an online casino that definitely has it all.

I wonder if Dr. Sugerman thought he’d be on the Board of Directors of The MGM Mirage when he was doing his internships?  Dr. Sugerman was just announced to be the latest addition to the MGM Mirage’s Board.  James Murren, Chairmand and CEO, stated, “I am delighted to announce that Dr. Sugerman has been elected to join our Board of Directors. 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.”

The MGM Mirage is of course a giant in the world of gaming and entertainment.  It heads sixteen locations in the Nevada, Michigan and Mississippi areas and has numerous investment properties in its portfolio also.  It also heads gaming resorts and recreational resorts’ hospitality areas throughout the world.  Its latest venture will be City Center, which is scheduled for opening late this year. City Center will be on the ever-popular Las Vegas Strip and it will feature a city of gambling, shopping, and entertainment for all Vegas visitors and locals. 

Dr. Sugerman is now on the board that will effectively make decisions for the huge conglomerate.  The doctor is a honors graduate from UCLA and Chicago Medical School. He currently works in Beverly Hills as an otolaryngologist and has over 30 years of experience in his field of study.  Currently he works at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as attending physician. He also teaches at University of Southern California and the University of California at Los Angeles.  The doctor has spent three decades using his outstanding knowledge and patient concern better the lives of people suffering from head and neck issues and requiring delicate surgeries.  His main focus has been on the upper spine and head studies. 

Surely Dr. Sugerman will bring much decision-making power and forethought to the MGM Mirage Board.  His years of focused experience and discipline will help him to contribute wisely and help the MGM Mirage Corporation grow itself into even more of a gaming, entertainment and hospitality giant than it already is.

As a testament to the ending recession, PartyGaming has issued a taped interview with its CEO Jim Ryansald.  In the tape, Ryansald stated, “We’ve managed the business through a difficult climate and delivered solid results. Revenue was in line with analysts’ consensus.” Although PartyGaming posted a loss for their first two quarters of 2009, they still maintain that this is normal with the state of the economy.  Their revenues were down 20% since last year.

Part of the huge loss in revenue is attributed to negotiations with US regulators who have created difficult rules for the online giant to follow.  PartyGaming wanted to get through the negotiations so they can focus on their aggressive marketing and advertising. Ryansald added, “The nature of the market is so competitive right now that we want to focus on developing our company into the best possible product for consumers…Our goal is to still be in the top three online poker locations.”

Currently PartyGaming is number three in online poker, bingo and casinos. One strategic move the company made was to purchase Cashcade. By acquiring the company, PartyGaming took over yet another market- online bingo. Many believe that online bingo is the key to gaining a true competitive edge in the industry because not only is bingo highly popular, it also is a widely untapped market. For too long online bingo has gone virtually unnoticed by online casino managers.  The number of people playing online bingo is huge and that is a target market that could potentially put PartyGaming beyond its goal of being one of the number three companies in the online gambling industry.

The recession has reeked havoc on many businesses, but online gambling continues to grow. Some online casinos have had a lag in revenue, but they are bouncing back pretty quickly and with the consistently growing number of online gamblers, it’s hard to imagine them not rallying within coming months.  PartyGaming is one casino that is trying to set itself up for success and wanting to grow with the market. If the company can sustain their market share by creating an outstanding gaming experience for all online gamblers who visit the website, they can surely mark their place at the top of the list of online casinos.

Back in 2006 the Philadelphia Gaming Control Board gave owners of Foxwood  Casino the ok to start construction. They were presented with a design and quickly saw it as a step forward in the direction of new revenue. Unfortunately delays have caused the casino’s actual building to be put off.  Owners of Foxwood Casinos in south Philadelphia just requested an extension to 2011 to open their casino.  The casino would feature 1,500 slot machines and bring in potential revenue not only to the state, but also fund many new park programs, educational incentives and rehabilitation projects.

Back in 2006 the Philadelphia Gaming Control Board were sure that the project would work well. The chairman Greg Fajt stated, “We expect this project to move quickly. And we expect the casino to be on Columbus Boulevard and be substantially similar to what we approved in December 2006.” With the added request for an extension, Foxwoods Casino owners are also being threatened by the Gaming Control Board. The Board is now stated they are in danger of losing their licenses altogether if they don’t open their casino by May 2011.

Back in 2006 when the Philadelphia Gaming Control Board gave out the licensing for five casinos in the area, they were hoping a quick opening would set the stage for income from gambling taxes. Of the five casinos however, three are up and running and the other two are still in construction stages. 

One, SugarHouse Casino hopes to be open by spring, but they are coming up against strong opposition from organizations against gambling in the area.  Protestors have made themselves obnoxiously known throughout construction, even threatening to lay in front of bulldozers to halt business. 

The three other casinos are all open for business.  They are a reasonably successful and proving that gambling is a huge pastime with citizens of ever state.  The monies projected to come in for each one are set to increase throughout coming years as casinos are working to make deeper discounts and better payouts.  Marketing officials are working overtime also to bring the best product to the market. Competition is pushing every casino to up their ante in terms of what they offer go the gambling public.