Archive for November, 2007.
November 22, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
HARRISBURG — An Indianapolis company that recently received Pennsylvania’s last harness racing license has now applied for the state’s last racetrack casino license.
Centaur Inc. was the only applicant to seek the racetrack casino license from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board by Monday’s deadline, said board spokesman Richard McGarvey. To seek a slot machine license, an applicant had to first receive a harness racing license from the state Harness Racing Commission.
Centaur has proposed building a $428 million racetrack casino along Route 422, west of New Castle and near the Ohio line. It is now trying to line up financing for the project it is calling Valley View Downs.
Now the gaming board will begin a process, which could take up to a year, to investigate the backgrounds of Centaur officials, who run a racetrack in Indianapolis and a casino in Colorado.
“We look forward to continuing this process and bringing a world-class harness racing and entertainment venue to Western Pennsylvania,” said Centaur spokesman Rick Kelly.
He said construction of the racetrack and casino would take about 12 months after Centaur gets its gaming license. The track will be one-mile in length, the first of that size in the state — most harness tracks are 5/8 mile in length. Centaur estimates the project will create 1,000 full- and part-time jobs at the track, casino, restaurants and shops as well as 1,500 construction jobs.
Centaur waged a four-year battle against Bedford Downs, a Lawrence County-based group, for the last harness license. It is especially valuable because it likely will lead to a slots license for Centaur, which estimates annual attendance at the racetrack casino of more than 4 million people.
The gaming board will hold a hearing on Centaur’s slots license bid in Lawrence County, where the new venue would be located, Mr. McGarvey said. He didn’t have a timetable for the hearing, but said it likely will be in the spring.
Then the board will hold “suitability” hearings in Harrisburg, aimed at making sure there is nothing in the backgrounds of Centaur officials that would make them ineligible to get a slots license and they have the financial wherewithal to complete the project.
So far, licenses have been issued to six racetrack casinos and five of them have opened: The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington County; Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie; Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs near Wilkes-Barre; Harrah’s Chester Casino & Racetrack, south of Philadelphia; and Philadelphia Park Casino and Racetrack in Bucks County. One more will open in February, Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course near Harrisburg.
November 03, 2007
Everest Poker are once again pushing boundaries of excellent customer service this week as they announce their new Live the Dream promotion. Reminiscent of Pop Idol, Everest Poker are looking to turn ten players into overnight superstars and become sponsored pros for all of 2008.
The ten lucky winners receive a year long sponsorship package which will see them travel the globe and play in the biggest tournaments for free. Unlike other poker rooms which only sponsor the rich champions that could probably already afford the lifestyle.
The package is worth $100,000 and includes the following:
• European Poker Tour Season 4 Grand Final ($13,000 buy-in)
• World Series of Poker Main Event ($10,000 buy-in)
• Two World Series of Poker Side Events (2 x $2,500 buy-in)
• Two World Poker Tour Season 7 events (2 x $15,000 buy-in)
• Two European Poker Tour Season 5 events (2 x $10,500 buy-in)
• Plus $21,000 in cash for expenses
Qualification is unlike any other promotion seen before. First you must make it into the top 200 finalists. There are two ways to do this, you can either qualify through a number of online satellites or the top rakers on the Summit Leader board will automatically get a place.
Once you have made it into the finals, this is where the real test of your poker personality comes into place. The next stage is called the Casting Call and you must audition your way to the top ten places. This means demonstrating your online poker skill, live poker skill, personality, Everest Poker brand knowledge, blogging skills and speaking skills. You get your own webpage to do this and people will vote on their favourite future superstars.
So if you think you’re the next Mouth of poker or you think that you could have the looks to knock Antonius off his pedestal, sign up to Everest Poker and maybe next year we will be writing about you here at Pokernews.
November 03, 2007
Gambling Of all sorts is available online in the UK. Sports gambling makes up a significant portion of the gambling that goes on in the UK and it comes in many forms. You can gamble on any of the various aspects of the game and its players. It takes a little practice, but after doing some light reading and getting a fairly decent understanding of how odds are determined, you can begin making bets on your favorite sport.
Betting on Sports Teams
Betting on sports teams involves a great number of variables and can be a difficult way to win money. Things considered in determining odds on sports teams include how the team has played against its opponent in the past, the playing field, internal team conflict and individual team members’ personal issues and injuries.
In gambling on UK sports teams, the point spread can be incredibly broad so it can be harder to make a truly substantial win. That is not to say that it is impossible, you can simply bet on which team will win. Betting large can win large, but betting the correct spread can make your win exponential.
Individuals and online gambling
Signing up with an online gambling club is usually as easy as filling out a form. This will likely include personal and banking information. If the club requires some fee it is usually stated up front, but some clubs like to entice you with membership benefits before hitting you with the cost of becoming a member.
November 03, 2007
Online gambling can be a lot of fun when you know where to go for the best games. When you find a website that you like, there is usually the option of becoming a member of that gaming club. These clubs offer various benefits with membership as well as the facility of being able to gamble online with a trusted company.
Finding a Gambling Club
There are a multitude of online gambling clubs available. It is a good idea to surf the websites of a few clubs that offer games you like. Take a look at the rules for gaming and the contract before selecting a club to start membership. There is no limit to the number of clubs you can join and many of them offer free memberships. There are casino clubs, international clubs that accept different currencies for gaming and also local network clubs when you want to play with members in your area.
Sign up
Signing up with an online gambling club is usually as easy as filling out a form. This will likely include personal and banking information. If the club requires some fee it is usually stated up front, but some clubs like to entice you with membership benefits before hitting you with the cost of becoming a member.
Benefits of online gambling clubs
Different online gambling clubs offer a variety of benefits to their members. Some of the benefits include access to games that are not available to non-members, bonuses for signing up, bonus and jackpot matching and members’ only gaming events.
Contract Details for online gambling
Before signing on with an online gambling club it is a good idea to read the details of the contract before making any sort of commitment. There are often annual or monthly fees that will be taken from your account or credit card. There may also be a fee for closing the account or breaking the contract prior to a set amount of time. These details are usually spelled out in the contract, but few people actually read them.
November 03, 2007
Gambling in the UK can be a lot of fun, especially online. There are so many games to choose from and variations of those games to boot. Gambling online in the UK is a business that is ever expanding. So many people love the idea of having all the enjoyment that comes with gambling action right from the comfort of their own computer desks. It is a good idea to know how to get started, place bets and gain memberships when you want to gamble in the UK.
Finding a Casino
A simple search string online will reveal the thousands of online casinos functioning in the UK. Gambling at any of these casinos can be great fun, but you want to choose a casino that best suits your tastes. You may prefer standard games like Poker, Roulette and Blackjack or you may want to try some less common favorites like Sic Bo, Mah Jongg and Bingo. If you do have a favorite game or one that you want to learn, you can enter that information into your search and come up with more narrow results. This will add to the enjoyment of your experience.
Downloading Software
Each online UK casino has its own gambling software that you will need to download to your PC to play. Sometimes the prompt to download comes as soon as you enter the website. Even if it does not give you an instant prompt, you can find the link that allows you to download the software at your leisure. You need not have the newest software to play these games. Typically, it will load on any computer that is equipped with at least Windows 95 and enough memory space.
Playing the Games
Playing online games is very much like gambling on any casino floor in the UK. The games are set up to be as close to the in-house experience as possible. The rules are the same and the gambling goes at the same speed as if you were in a land based casino. All you have to do is deposit money into your member account and gamble to your heart’s desire. Online gambling is often more fun than going to a casino because you can try out more games sitting and relaxing at home than you ever could reach on a casino floor.