It was a bit of a case of crawl, walk and run today at Fox Studios - The Entertainment Quarter, Sydney, for the Hall Pass red carpet event.
An insider growing inpatient with Owen Wilson's arrival joked when he finally arrived "He's doing the quarter mile sprint", he being not particularly keen to stop and speak with photographers.
A number of other celebs did the red carpet also including Nicky Whelan, the Farrelly Brothers, and my old friend Salvatore Coco from 'Heartbreak High' and 'Underbelly' fame.
Ok, I hear you want to know about the movie too...
Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) are best mates with lots of common ground, including both having been married for many years. Both men decide they want to "sex up" things and it isn't long before both of their respective wives (Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate) get dragged into the action and their fantasies. Each guys gets a "hall pass," which is in essence 1 week of freedom to do whatever they want...fantasies, including sex, with absolutely no questions asked. Rick and Fred lap and lick up the wonderful opportunity, but as things develop the fantasy and titillation starts to turn into a nightmare.
The film has received mix reviews, but maybe it might be just the thing to add a bit of spice and / of fantasy into your love life. No, I'm not endorsing it, but there is some entertainment value to be found here. Guys, not sure you would want to take your female friend on a first date to this flick, but if you want to test the emotions and open mind factor soon into your new liaison, maybe this is just the medicine. I'm in a generous mood so I'm going to give it 5 out of 10, and sorry, before you ask, thank you but I'm taken and not up for a 'Hall Pass'.
Websites
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Eva Rinaldi Photography
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Media Man International Blog. Media Man International is part of the Media Man Group of companies.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Catherine Zeta Jones And Michael Douglas Involved In Paparazzi Scuffle - 26th February 2011
Catherine Zeta Jones and her husband Michael Douglas were recently involved in a scuffle with paparazzi while in London.
The couple were in London as guests of the Royal Family and had visited Buckingham Palace earlier in the evening.
When they came back from the event and they were about to enter the hotel that they were staying in, the paparazzi were taking pictures when all of a sudden it was said that Jones yelled that she had been punched and that she wanted the assistance of the police.
Douglas had already entered the hotel lobby but eye witnesses said he came back outside where he confronted the photographer and was ready to fight. The scuffle quickly ended and the parties carried on.
Catherine Zeta-Jones in Paparazzi Swarm: He Punched Me!...
A hushed crowd, poised to strike, waited as a sleek vehicle pulled up to a London hotel Thursday.
As the rear door cracked, camera shutters chattered and lights flashed, capturing Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas emerging.
Exclusive video from ET shows the pair slipping past the swarm to their hotel just feet away. Suddenly, angry shouts paint the picture of a paparazzi scuffle.
"He punched me!" Zeta-Jones exclaims from somewhere beyond the crowd.
ET's video continues with Douglas storming back at the photographers, demanding an explanation.
Watch below to see how it all pans out...
Credit: Fox 8 http://www.fox8.com/entertainment/wjw-catherine-zeta-jones-paparazzi-scuffle-txt,0,4485687.story
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The couple were in London as guests of the Royal Family and had visited Buckingham Palace earlier in the evening.
When they came back from the event and they were about to enter the hotel that they were staying in, the paparazzi were taking pictures when all of a sudden it was said that Jones yelled that she had been punched and that she wanted the assistance of the police.
Douglas had already entered the hotel lobby but eye witnesses said he came back outside where he confronted the photographer and was ready to fight. The scuffle quickly ended and the parties carried on.
Catherine Zeta-Jones in Paparazzi Swarm: He Punched Me!...
A hushed crowd, poised to strike, waited as a sleek vehicle pulled up to a London hotel Thursday.
As the rear door cracked, camera shutters chattered and lights flashed, capturing Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas emerging.
Exclusive video from ET shows the pair slipping past the swarm to their hotel just feet away. Suddenly, angry shouts paint the picture of a paparazzi scuffle.
"He punched me!" Zeta-Jones exclaims from somewhere beyond the crowd.
ET's video continues with Douglas storming back at the photographers, demanding an explanation.
Watch below to see how it all pans out...
Credit: Fox 8 http://www.fox8.com/entertainment/wjw-catherine-zeta-jones-paparazzi-scuffle-txt,0,4485687.story
Profiles
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Australia And New Zealand Gaming Stocks; Beancounter Special, by Greg Tingle - 27th February 2011
G'day punters, gaming and casino millionaires, billionaires, beancounters and everyone else. Today we look at whose numbers are up, down and steady Media Man and Gambling911 with your beancounter special for the weekend...
Crown Limited Profit Up 33%...
James Packer’s Crown Ltd (ASX:CWN) has reported a 33% lift in its first half net profit. The casino, hotel and gaming operator says net profit increased to $153 million while revenue lifted just 0.8% to $1.2 billion in the 6 months to 31 December, 2010. Crown says growth in non-gaming and main floor gaming revenues at its casinos in Perth and Melbourne offset a weaker performance from VIPs. An interim dividend of 18 cents per share has been declared. Shares in Crown fell 1.79 per cent to close at $8.23.
SkyCity Entertainment: New Zealand Based Media Darling Attracting High Rollers; Boosting Profits...
High rolling VIP's greatly assisted a lift to NZ based casino operator SkyCity Entertainment Group’s revenue since New Year but its traditional gaming machine revenue is also growing strongly. SkyCity advised revenue in the first 6 weeks of the calendar year was up more than 9%. Chief exec Nigel 'Money Man' Morrison told the press stripping out its international, or VIP, business, revenue was up 6% or 7%. "International adds a bit of cream to that. Auckland, Hamilton, Darwin have all been good for us – Adelaide’s been flat." The Auckland casino, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of first-half operating earnings, had a rotten first quarter. Its first-half revenue was down slightly and operating earnings fell 3.6% to $96.9 million. The company said Auckland’s second-quarter gaming revenue was up 5% and that momentum has continued since. Operating earnings from its next biggest asset, its Darwin land based casino, fell 13.4% in Australian dollar terms, understood to reflect the impact of the smoking ban introduced in January last year. Morrison said historically it's taken between 18 months to 2 years for casinos to recover from the imposition of smoking bans. "If we can do it with 18 months we would be pretty pleased," he said. The modest Auckland and Darwin results contributed to a 5.5% fall in overall net profit to $67.1 million in the six months ended Dec. 31. The October increase in GST added nearly $3 million in costs while the year-on-year comparison was also damaged by earnings from the cinemas business, sold in February last year, being included in the year-earlier result. On a normalised basis, profit was up 2% while revenue rose 2.6% to $447.7 million. The latest results were more or less in line with analysts’ expectations and the company reiterated previous guidance that "we would be disappointed if we did not achieve normalised NPAT (net profit after tax) of $127.4 million for the 2011 financial year." Consensus forecasts are currently about $130 million for the full-year. Experts and industry analysts advise more time is needed to get the full picture of what's in store. In addition, the Chinese New Year period x factor and Oriental high roller whales and larger dolphins are in the mix of Sky City patrons. While the share market reacted negatively to begin with, marking down the shares 8 cents to $3.25, they gradually recovered and are currently 2 cents higher at $3.35. The shares have traded between $2.79 and $3.45 during the last 12 months. One of the firms smaller casinos, the Adelaide land based found its revenue up just 0.7% but its operating earnings were up 5.9%, boosted by strong 12% bar and restaurant sales growth which offset a 2.9% in revenue generated from gambling - gaming machines. Morrison advised the retail environment in Australia has softened and is especially weak in Adelaide. "It’s going to be pretty tough for the next six months at least." SkyCity’s Hamilton casino jumped earnings 3.1% while the contribution from its Queenstown and Christchurch operations was flat. The outfit is well advanced on a number of projects which will be completed in time for the expected flow of 85,000 plus visitors for the Rugby World Cup, Morrison said. SkyCity will pay a first-half dividend of 8 cents per share, unchanged from last year, at the upper spectrum of the company’s policy to distribute between 60% and 70% of net profit. The company has introduced a dividend reinvestment plan allowing shareholders to take shares at either the market price or a discount up to 5% at the company’s discretion.
Sportingbet: Aussie - British Connection Serving Bottom Line Well...
We are not big fans of them, but you have to give the devil's their due. They are performing well, both in the UK and down under. Pommie online gambling co Sportingbet (SBT.L) reported an increase in second-quarter earnings on Thursday and said strong growth in Australia, Turkey and its emerging markets had offset weakness in Europe. The company said EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) rose to 14.5 million pounds ($23.5 million) in the three months to end January from 13.6 million the year before. "Strong growth in Australia, Emerging Markets and Turkey more than offset the recessionary weakness of Europe, particularly notable in our larger markets of Greece and Spain. This demonstrates the attractiveness of a geographically diverse operation," said chief executive Andy McIver. Sportingbet is paying an interim dividend of 0.6 pence, up from 0.5 pence the year before. Shares in Sportingbet closed on Thursday at 45 pence, valuing the business at 228 million pounds.
Aristocrat Leisure: Gaming Company Comeback Of The Decade?...
Go Aussie Go, who they have so quickly recovered from being down in the dumps (share price and image) over the past year or so is anyones guess (unless you might be too close for your own good), but you have to hand it to these guys. They even got the IGT (International Game Technology) legal case sorted (or stopped the leaks). Aristocrat Leisure has announced profits of $54.6 million for the 2010 full year and says its turnaround program is on-track to deliver growth in 2011. The operating profit was down from the $116.4 recorded for 2009 but in-line with its November guidance to the market. Aristocrat revealed that 2010 had been a challenging year for the group but added that the business was only 18 months into a 5-year turnaround program to deliver a much sustained improvement in performance. Significant headwinds, including the generally weak market conditions and ongoing strength of the Australian dollar, dampened reported results for 2010. CEO and managing director Jamie Odell said he was encouraged by the progress the company had seen in these markets where it has delivered new generation games and more competitive products with state of the art technology. "Our impressive widescreen innovation in North America helped the group achieve value and share growth in the outright sale segment in 2010, despite a double-digit fall in overall demand," he said. "The fee per day performance of our new gaming operations products is also very encouraging, and significantly ahead of the average fee per day performance of our legacy products. "Portfolio quality is key to performance improvement. As a result, we expect to continue to see faster progress in those markets such as North America where our turnaround program is more advanced, than Australia and Japan." Shares in Aristocrat have rallied since the announcement and were trading at $3.26 at 1pm today (Feb 25), up from $3.04 a full week days ago. The firm is looking good.
Other International Stocks (17th Feb): Credit Google News, Wires / Agencies...
MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) slid 0.40% to $15. The stock has a 52-week range of $8.92-$16.94. The stock has average daily volume of 26.20 million shares. At current market price, the market capitalization of the company stands at $7.33 billion.
Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd
Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd (NASDAQ:MPEL) is down 0.48% to $7.30. Melco Crown Entertainment Limited is a developer, owner and, through its subsidiary Melco Crown Gaming, operator of casino gaming and entertainment resort facilities focused on the Macau market. The stock opened at $7.26 and is trading within the range of $7.25-$7.33.
Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) added 0.19% to $48.36. The stock has a 52-week range of $15.50-$55.47. The stock has average daily volume of 26.80 million shares. At current market price, the market capitalization of the company stands at $33.11 billion.
Boyd Gaming Corporation
Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD) is up 0.69% to $11.70. The stock opened at $11.61 and is trading within the range of $11.55-$11.74.
Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...
Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...
PartyCasino.com
Captain Cooks Casino
Betfair (sports betting only)
PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)
PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)
Profiles
Australian Casinos
World Casino Directory
Global Gaming Directory
Casino Travel
Casinos
Australia
Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
Media Man International
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Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Brand
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Casino News Media
Poker News Media
Global Gaming Directory
Crown Limited Profit Up 33%...
James Packer’s Crown Ltd (ASX:CWN) has reported a 33% lift in its first half net profit. The casino, hotel and gaming operator says net profit increased to $153 million while revenue lifted just 0.8% to $1.2 billion in the 6 months to 31 December, 2010. Crown says growth in non-gaming and main floor gaming revenues at its casinos in Perth and Melbourne offset a weaker performance from VIPs. An interim dividend of 18 cents per share has been declared. Shares in Crown fell 1.79 per cent to close at $8.23.
SkyCity Entertainment: New Zealand Based Media Darling Attracting High Rollers; Boosting Profits...
High rolling VIP's greatly assisted a lift to NZ based casino operator SkyCity Entertainment Group’s revenue since New Year but its traditional gaming machine revenue is also growing strongly. SkyCity advised revenue in the first 6 weeks of the calendar year was up more than 9%. Chief exec Nigel 'Money Man' Morrison told the press stripping out its international, or VIP, business, revenue was up 6% or 7%. "International adds a bit of cream to that. Auckland, Hamilton, Darwin have all been good for us – Adelaide’s been flat." The Auckland casino, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of first-half operating earnings, had a rotten first quarter. Its first-half revenue was down slightly and operating earnings fell 3.6% to $96.9 million. The company said Auckland’s second-quarter gaming revenue was up 5% and that momentum has continued since. Operating earnings from its next biggest asset, its Darwin land based casino, fell 13.4% in Australian dollar terms, understood to reflect the impact of the smoking ban introduced in January last year. Morrison said historically it's taken between 18 months to 2 years for casinos to recover from the imposition of smoking bans. "If we can do it with 18 months we would be pretty pleased," he said. The modest Auckland and Darwin results contributed to a 5.5% fall in overall net profit to $67.1 million in the six months ended Dec. 31. The October increase in GST added nearly $3 million in costs while the year-on-year comparison was also damaged by earnings from the cinemas business, sold in February last year, being included in the year-earlier result. On a normalised basis, profit was up 2% while revenue rose 2.6% to $447.7 million. The latest results were more or less in line with analysts’ expectations and the company reiterated previous guidance that "we would be disappointed if we did not achieve normalised NPAT (net profit after tax) of $127.4 million for the 2011 financial year." Consensus forecasts are currently about $130 million for the full-year. Experts and industry analysts advise more time is needed to get the full picture of what's in store. In addition, the Chinese New Year period x factor and Oriental high roller whales and larger dolphins are in the mix of Sky City patrons. While the share market reacted negatively to begin with, marking down the shares 8 cents to $3.25, they gradually recovered and are currently 2 cents higher at $3.35. The shares have traded between $2.79 and $3.45 during the last 12 months. One of the firms smaller casinos, the Adelaide land based found its revenue up just 0.7% but its operating earnings were up 5.9%, boosted by strong 12% bar and restaurant sales growth which offset a 2.9% in revenue generated from gambling - gaming machines. Morrison advised the retail environment in Australia has softened and is especially weak in Adelaide. "It’s going to be pretty tough for the next six months at least." SkyCity’s Hamilton casino jumped earnings 3.1% while the contribution from its Queenstown and Christchurch operations was flat. The outfit is well advanced on a number of projects which will be completed in time for the expected flow of 85,000 plus visitors for the Rugby World Cup, Morrison said. SkyCity will pay a first-half dividend of 8 cents per share, unchanged from last year, at the upper spectrum of the company’s policy to distribute between 60% and 70% of net profit. The company has introduced a dividend reinvestment plan allowing shareholders to take shares at either the market price or a discount up to 5% at the company’s discretion.
Sportingbet: Aussie - British Connection Serving Bottom Line Well...
We are not big fans of them, but you have to give the devil's their due. They are performing well, both in the UK and down under. Pommie online gambling co Sportingbet (SBT.L) reported an increase in second-quarter earnings on Thursday and said strong growth in Australia, Turkey and its emerging markets had offset weakness in Europe. The company said EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) rose to 14.5 million pounds ($23.5 million) in the three months to end January from 13.6 million the year before. "Strong growth in Australia, Emerging Markets and Turkey more than offset the recessionary weakness of Europe, particularly notable in our larger markets of Greece and Spain. This demonstrates the attractiveness of a geographically diverse operation," said chief executive Andy McIver. Sportingbet is paying an interim dividend of 0.6 pence, up from 0.5 pence the year before. Shares in Sportingbet closed on Thursday at 45 pence, valuing the business at 228 million pounds.
Aristocrat Leisure: Gaming Company Comeback Of The Decade?...
Go Aussie Go, who they have so quickly recovered from being down in the dumps (share price and image) over the past year or so is anyones guess (unless you might be too close for your own good), but you have to hand it to these guys. They even got the IGT (International Game Technology) legal case sorted (or stopped the leaks). Aristocrat Leisure has announced profits of $54.6 million for the 2010 full year and says its turnaround program is on-track to deliver growth in 2011. The operating profit was down from the $116.4 recorded for 2009 but in-line with its November guidance to the market. Aristocrat revealed that 2010 had been a challenging year for the group but added that the business was only 18 months into a 5-year turnaround program to deliver a much sustained improvement in performance. Significant headwinds, including the generally weak market conditions and ongoing strength of the Australian dollar, dampened reported results for 2010. CEO and managing director Jamie Odell said he was encouraged by the progress the company had seen in these markets where it has delivered new generation games and more competitive products with state of the art technology. "Our impressive widescreen innovation in North America helped the group achieve value and share growth in the outright sale segment in 2010, despite a double-digit fall in overall demand," he said. "The fee per day performance of our new gaming operations products is also very encouraging, and significantly ahead of the average fee per day performance of our legacy products. "Portfolio quality is key to performance improvement. As a result, we expect to continue to see faster progress in those markets such as North America where our turnaround program is more advanced, than Australia and Japan." Shares in Aristocrat have rallied since the announcement and were trading at $3.26 at 1pm today (Feb 25), up from $3.04 a full week days ago. The firm is looking good.
Other International Stocks (17th Feb): Credit Google News, Wires / Agencies...
MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) slid 0.40% to $15. The stock has a 52-week range of $8.92-$16.94. The stock has average daily volume of 26.20 million shares. At current market price, the market capitalization of the company stands at $7.33 billion.
Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd
Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd (NASDAQ:MPEL) is down 0.48% to $7.30. Melco Crown Entertainment Limited is a developer, owner and, through its subsidiary Melco Crown Gaming, operator of casino gaming and entertainment resort facilities focused on the Macau market. The stock opened at $7.26 and is trading within the range of $7.25-$7.33.
Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) added 0.19% to $48.36. The stock has a 52-week range of $15.50-$55.47. The stock has average daily volume of 26.80 million shares. At current market price, the market capitalization of the company stands at $33.11 billion.
Boyd Gaming Corporation
Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD) is up 0.69% to $11.70. The stock opened at $11.61 and is trading within the range of $11.55-$11.74.
Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...
Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...
PartyCasino.com
Captain Cooks Casino
Betfair (sports betting only)
PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)
PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)
Profiles
Australian Casinos
World Casino Directory
Global Gaming Directory
Casino Travel
Casinos
Australia
Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
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Media Man Asia
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Media Man Games
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Saturday, February 26, 2011
Aussie Media Wars: Murdoch Jr Heads Ten; Nine On Guard, by Greg Tingle - 26th February 2011
G'day everyone. It's the Australian media wars, that ugly cousin to the Australian gambling wars, largely dominated by Crown Limited top top brass James Packer, who also happens to be a major stake holder in Network Nine, and good mates with Nine Entertainment Co chief, David Gyngell. Media Man and Gambling911 with your news media fix for the weekend...
Network Ten New Boss Lachlan Murdoch Looking To Fill His Shoes; Bean Counting...
The new acting chief exec of Ten Network Holdings, Lachlan Murdoch... yep, that one, no the old guard, is looking for a new and steady CEO, so he can focus on what he is supposed be doing. Murdoch Jr has been a Ten director since December and took over the posy last Wednesday after Ten's board lost confidence in CEO Grant Blackley. It is believed Murdoch has lined up an appointment with at least one suitable person into the new week. Profit is the name of the game, while they also look to cuts costs where possible, and maintain some quality. Can't let the image slip too much hey. There's not a lot of suitable folks around to run Ten, but rest assured they will find their man (or woman). Funny enough ten's largest shareholder, WIN Corporation owner Bruce Gordon, went on record with News Limited back in December with "If Ten tomorrow wanted a new program director instead of Blackley, we couldn't find one. It's a private club." Seven Media Group's chief sales and digital officer James Warburton is considered a chance since his contract is up for renewal. Channel Seven's CEO David Leckie's contract runs out in June 2012, but Seven leaks state he will remain at the channel beyond that. SMG is the subject of a $4.1 billion takeover offer from West Australian Newspapers. Murdoch sits on the board of News Corporation which has interests in pay-television group Foxtel, and also chairs DMG Radio Australia. His private investment company Illyria also has an interest in Prime Media Group. He gained television experience working for News in the US, but has made it known he does not want to be Ten's CEO for long. The power four shareholders Murdoch, Gordon, James Packer and Gina Rinehart - currently hold 42% of Ten between them. Not all the board is happy with the full on digital strategy which sees Ten also having a Channel 11. Ten chairman Brian Long announced a strategic review run by Murdoch and said no concrete decisions had been made. Analysts and sources close to the board believe it is only a matter of time. "We believe some of the options include giving the existing strategy more time, scrapping the news programming and returning the primary channel to the low-cost network it has historically been or changing the format of One HD away from a niche sports channel, given its ratings share has remained around 1-1.5 per cent," said Deutsche Bank analyst Andrew Anagnostellis. Citigroup's Justin Diddams went on record with "The return to a youth audience strategy appears sensible but the additional programming costs make it difficult to execute. The cost of running a TV network has increased, and it's impacted Ten's earnings."
Aussie News Media, Fun And Games, And Power Relationships...
The Aussie news media rumour mill has been running hot with email leaks and phones, if not phone taps, being the order of the day. Ok, we might be thinking of The News Of The World scandal, but the hot news might be reason to try to tap phones for some. Lachlan Murdoch and James Packer are both in the think of the action as far as taking action to get people talking. Grant Blackley is no longer on the team at Ten. What a difference a few weeks makes. Packer mate David Gyngell is understood to have got a call from Ten, plus a face to fact joke about watching his back re media shuffles close to home. Could 'Gyng' join Ten so soon? Not likely, but in this business it can be a never say never. The cleaning house at Ten is understood to have got the green light from shareholders Bruce Gordon and Gina Rinehart. Now get this, Kerry Stokes was even welcomed on a tour of Foxtel's headquarters late last year at the invitation of Packer. He had a large legal case going on with Telstra Telstra, News Limited and Packer's Consolidated Media, but its history now. Packer and Stokes even spent some time at Xmas at Stokes's ski resort in Colorado, US of A. Foxtel's CEO Kim Williams and Austar's John Porter even caught a flight together to Colorado where they touched the flesh with US cable hot shot John Malone. Maybe a merger between Foxtel and Austar could be in the works? What to become of Australia's National Broadband Network? Well, big media companies want it to work for them. Telstra and Foxtel reached agreement last month for the latter to start providing content to Telstra's T-Box digital recorder. Fairfax seems to be a bit of a white elephant in the room at the moment. Yes, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and thei 30 or 40 new media websites, but the direction does not look totally clear, and little presence in mainstream TV. Mind you, Media Man only had YouTube TV, and that didn't stop profitability and maintaining a strong brand. Folks, you know the drum, don't change your dial. You might just miss something, in a business that often moves faster than the speed of sound!
Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...
Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...
PartyCasino.com
Captain Cooks Casino
Betfair (sports betting only)
PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)
PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)
Profiles
Australian Casinos
World Casino Directory
Global Gaming Directory
Casino Travel
Casinos
Australia
Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
*The writer owns shares in Network Ten, Crown Limited and Virgin
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
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Casino News Media
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Global Gaming Directory
Network Ten New Boss Lachlan Murdoch Looking To Fill His Shoes; Bean Counting...
The new acting chief exec of Ten Network Holdings, Lachlan Murdoch... yep, that one, no the old guard, is looking for a new and steady CEO, so he can focus on what he is supposed be doing. Murdoch Jr has been a Ten director since December and took over the posy last Wednesday after Ten's board lost confidence in CEO Grant Blackley. It is believed Murdoch has lined up an appointment with at least one suitable person into the new week. Profit is the name of the game, while they also look to cuts costs where possible, and maintain some quality. Can't let the image slip too much hey. There's not a lot of suitable folks around to run Ten, but rest assured they will find their man (or woman). Funny enough ten's largest shareholder, WIN Corporation owner Bruce Gordon, went on record with News Limited back in December with "If Ten tomorrow wanted a new program director instead of Blackley, we couldn't find one. It's a private club." Seven Media Group's chief sales and digital officer James Warburton is considered a chance since his contract is up for renewal. Channel Seven's CEO David Leckie's contract runs out in June 2012, but Seven leaks state he will remain at the channel beyond that. SMG is the subject of a $4.1 billion takeover offer from West Australian Newspapers. Murdoch sits on the board of News Corporation which has interests in pay-television group Foxtel, and also chairs DMG Radio Australia. His private investment company Illyria also has an interest in Prime Media Group. He gained television experience working for News in the US, but has made it known he does not want to be Ten's CEO for long. The power four shareholders Murdoch, Gordon, James Packer and Gina Rinehart - currently hold 42% of Ten between them. Not all the board is happy with the full on digital strategy which sees Ten also having a Channel 11. Ten chairman Brian Long announced a strategic review run by Murdoch and said no concrete decisions had been made. Analysts and sources close to the board believe it is only a matter of time. "We believe some of the options include giving the existing strategy more time, scrapping the news programming and returning the primary channel to the low-cost network it has historically been or changing the format of One HD away from a niche sports channel, given its ratings share has remained around 1-1.5 per cent," said Deutsche Bank analyst Andrew Anagnostellis. Citigroup's Justin Diddams went on record with "The return to a youth audience strategy appears sensible but the additional programming costs make it difficult to execute. The cost of running a TV network has increased, and it's impacted Ten's earnings."
Aussie News Media, Fun And Games, And Power Relationships...
The Aussie news media rumour mill has been running hot with email leaks and phones, if not phone taps, being the order of the day. Ok, we might be thinking of The News Of The World scandal, but the hot news might be reason to try to tap phones for some. Lachlan Murdoch and James Packer are both in the think of the action as far as taking action to get people talking. Grant Blackley is no longer on the team at Ten. What a difference a few weeks makes. Packer mate David Gyngell is understood to have got a call from Ten, plus a face to fact joke about watching his back re media shuffles close to home. Could 'Gyng' join Ten so soon? Not likely, but in this business it can be a never say never. The cleaning house at Ten is understood to have got the green light from shareholders Bruce Gordon and Gina Rinehart. Now get this, Kerry Stokes was even welcomed on a tour of Foxtel's headquarters late last year at the invitation of Packer. He had a large legal case going on with Telstra Telstra, News Limited and Packer's Consolidated Media, but its history now. Packer and Stokes even spent some time at Xmas at Stokes's ski resort in Colorado, US of A. Foxtel's CEO Kim Williams and Austar's John Porter even caught a flight together to Colorado where they touched the flesh with US cable hot shot John Malone. Maybe a merger between Foxtel and Austar could be in the works? What to become of Australia's National Broadband Network? Well, big media companies want it to work for them. Telstra and Foxtel reached agreement last month for the latter to start providing content to Telstra's T-Box digital recorder. Fairfax seems to be a bit of a white elephant in the room at the moment. Yes, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and thei 30 or 40 new media websites, but the direction does not look totally clear, and little presence in mainstream TV. Mind you, Media Man only had YouTube TV, and that didn't stop profitability and maintaining a strong brand. Folks, you know the drum, don't change your dial. You might just miss something, in a business that often moves faster than the speed of sound!
Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...
Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...
PartyCasino.com
Captain Cooks Casino
Betfair (sports betting only)
PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)
PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)
Profiles
Australian Casinos
World Casino Directory
Global Gaming Directory
Casino Travel
Casinos
Australia
Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
*The writer owns shares in Network Ten, Crown Limited and Virgin
Website Network
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Roxy Rocks Sydney Entertainment Centre, by Eva Rinaldi - 25th February 2011
Roxy Music rocked the house tonight - the house being the iconic Sydney Entertainment Centre, confirmed for demolition in about a year occurring to various Australian media reports.
Who could have missed the sharp dressing and handsome one - Bryan Ferry, who has being doing the media rounds in Australia over the past few days.
Yes, Australia certainly seems to be hooked on the Ferry 'love drug', and judging by tonight, we seem to have caught 'Roxy Fever' in a big way too.
Roxy Music showed Sydney just why they are seen as one of the most influential art rock bands of all time. Ferry is essentially an artist, plus performer and musician, and since 2001 has reunited with the band - Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone and oboe) and Paul Thompson (drums and percussion). This arty and unique blend is yet another classic example of the ongoing resurgence of 80's popular music.
My favorite performances tonight were Avalon and Let's Stick Together.
Oh, the rumour mill has been buzzing that Elle Macpherson aka 'The Body', was spotted backstage, and later seen jumping into a limo with Ferry, but its only a rumour and not confirmed. In days prior the two had been publicly spotted together, albeit at Ferry's CD and book signing at Myer Sydney, but only a fool would have thought it was all business - it was most definitely business with pleasure, pleasure being something Mr Ferry knows a thing or two about, judging by one or two of his hits.
For the record, the Sydney Entertainment Centre appeared to be close to capacity, and many of the paying public took up the 2 for the price of 1 offering, and in Sydney on a hot, sexy Friday night, that's not particularly surprising.
Ferry did perform some numbers from his new release, 'Olympia', but for my money you can't beat the classics.
Ferry and the band engaged with the audience and genuinely looked like they were really enjoying performing for Sydney. If they keep up the standard, the rest of their Australian tour will be a success.
Thank you Roxy Music for giving it your all, and I dare say that for many folks in Sydney you have set the scene for a Roxy, loving Friday night and weekend.
We shall look forward to you doing Sydney again, but the question has to be asked... next tour, will it be Elle, Olympia (Kate Moss), or another lucky lady clutching onto Ferry.
'Let's stick together' you say. I say "Australia will stick by you for as long as you continue to brilliantly entertain us." Long live your music, Roxy style.
Websites
Roxy Music
Bryan Ferry
Sydney Entertainment Centre
Andrew McManus Presents
Eva Rinaldi Photography
Who could have missed the sharp dressing and handsome one - Bryan Ferry, who has being doing the media rounds in Australia over the past few days.
Yes, Australia certainly seems to be hooked on the Ferry 'love drug', and judging by tonight, we seem to have caught 'Roxy Fever' in a big way too.
Roxy Music showed Sydney just why they are seen as one of the most influential art rock bands of all time. Ferry is essentially an artist, plus performer and musician, and since 2001 has reunited with the band - Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone and oboe) and Paul Thompson (drums and percussion). This arty and unique blend is yet another classic example of the ongoing resurgence of 80's popular music.
My favorite performances tonight were Avalon and Let's Stick Together.
Oh, the rumour mill has been buzzing that Elle Macpherson aka 'The Body', was spotted backstage, and later seen jumping into a limo with Ferry, but its only a rumour and not confirmed. In days prior the two had been publicly spotted together, albeit at Ferry's CD and book signing at Myer Sydney, but only a fool would have thought it was all business - it was most definitely business with pleasure, pleasure being something Mr Ferry knows a thing or two about, judging by one or two of his hits.
For the record, the Sydney Entertainment Centre appeared to be close to capacity, and many of the paying public took up the 2 for the price of 1 offering, and in Sydney on a hot, sexy Friday night, that's not particularly surprising.
Ferry did perform some numbers from his new release, 'Olympia', but for my money you can't beat the classics.
Ferry and the band engaged with the audience and genuinely looked like they were really enjoying performing for Sydney. If they keep up the standard, the rest of their Australian tour will be a success.
Thank you Roxy Music for giving it your all, and I dare say that for many folks in Sydney you have set the scene for a Roxy, loving Friday night and weekend.
We shall look forward to you doing Sydney again, but the question has to be asked... next tour, will it be Elle, Olympia (Kate Moss), or another lucky lady clutching onto Ferry.
'Let's stick together' you say. I say "Australia will stick by you for as long as you continue to brilliantly entertain us." Long live your music, Roxy style.
Websites
Roxy Music
Bryan Ferry
Sydney Entertainment Centre
Andrew McManus Presents
Eva Rinaldi Photography
Friday, February 25, 2011
Asia Pacific Casino Wars: Burswood Casino Targets High Roller VIPs, by Greg Tingle - 25th February 2011
G'day everyone. It's yet another episode of the Australian casino wars, with a dash of the Australians VS the Singaporeans, with a dash of Aussie political wars to boot. Media Man and Gambling911 with your special report from the war zone...
James Packer's Burswood Casino is continuing to feel a bit of pressure from from a couple of resorts in Singapore, as its high roller takings drops about 14%, but it would be worse, and most experts expect Crown Limited casinos in Australia to close the gap within 6 months.
Crown, owner of Burswood Entertainment Complex, Melbourne’s Crown Casino and a range of entities in the Asia Pacific just released its first-half financial report.
We learned of a 32.9% lift in first half net profit to $153.14 million on a "solid" performance from its Australian non-VIP businesses and non-gaming operations.
Normalised net profit, which takes into account variations via "theoretical win rate" against VIP gamblers and pre-opening costs in respect of the jointly owned City of Dreams casino-resort in Macau, thanks to the Ho family connection, was 13.9% higher at $165.8 million.
VIP revenue dropped 8% to $290.8 million, a result of the opening of 2, yes 2, new casino "integrated resorts" in downtown Singapore.
At Burswood, VIP revenue dropped 14.3% to $78.3 million on turnover of $5.8 billion.
Normalised earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation was $107.3 million, down 4.4%, while normalised revenue was pretty steady at $376.8 million.
Crown chief exec Rowen Craigie told the press that the VIP market was growing strongly, evidenced by the uplift of the VIP market in Macau.
"The Singapore casinos are going gang-busters - they're probably the two most profitable casinos in the world at the moment," Craigie said.
"So, the market is there. The challenge for us is to replace the business we've lost to Singapore with new business out of China but also new business out of South East Asia.
"What Macau has proved and what Singapore will also prove is that additions to the supply of quality-integrated resorts triggers the demand."
Craigie said facility upgrades in progress at Crown and Burswood would help boost Crown's share of VIP numbers.
The casinos owned and operated by Crown Limited also had to focus on providing quality service, and Crown had to ensure that it had the right sales force in key markets to persuade well to do gamblers (whales and good size dolphins) to come down under to Australia.
Craigie advised many VIP gamblers from South East Asia were now choosing to play their games of choice locally, and some of Crown's key VIP customers were back and forward between Australia, Macau, Las Vegas, and Singapore.
The boss said an upgrade of facilities by Australian rival casino operator Tabcorp would also make a visit to Australia by VIP gamblers a more attractive proposition.
"We know they property hop," Craigie said.
Crown also announced today that it had received regulatory approval in Nevada and Pennsylvania in the U.S to convert a "preferred instrument" held in Cannery Casino Resorts into equity. Upon conversion, Crown will hold a 24.5% share in Cannery. Craigie said that once the conversion took place, Crown would be entitled to share in any profit distribution and a seat on Cannery's management committee. This marks a return to American gaming and casino action for Crown, which successfully got out of a few deals over the past few years, preferring to cut their losses and run. One such well documented deal was March 2009 - Crown abandoned a $US1.8 billion deal to acquire Cannery. Crown chief financial officer Ken Barton said the Cannery investment was valued in Crown's books at $US60 million ($A59.54 million).
Craigie said Crown "still needs to see what happens" with the Cannery investment. "In terms of future plans for Cannery, we're only a 25% shareholder. That's a wait-and-see," Craigie said.
Crown said trading in the new calendar year had so far been good, however the first 7 weeks of 2011 was not comparable to the same period in 2010 due to the difference in the timing of Chinese New Year. Chinese people are very suspicious, and the calender effects their gambling habits. Craigie said Crown Melbourne was benefiting from capital refurbishments.
However, Burswood had been affected by complex-wide renovations during the half year. Crown's revenue for the 6 months to December 31, 2010 grew 0.8% to $1.2 billion. Crown declared an interim dividend of 18cc per share, with 10.8 cents franked, steady on the dividend in the prior corresponding period. Shares in Crown were down 18 cents at $8.20.
Numerous media and gaming insiders have told Media Man that both Crown's Burswood Casino in Perth and Crown Casino in Melbourne are fully expected to close the gap on Singapore casino resorts in the coming months, as Crown and competitor, Tabcorp (Star City in 'Sin City' Sydney) continue to lobby the Australian government for enhanced facilities at major Australian airports to ensure high rollers VIP's are looked after like gold, easing restrictions on paperwork ala immigration and other entry requirements. Ah, let the Australian casino wars and Aussie political fun and games wars continue. Incoming!
Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...
Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...
PartyCasino.com
Captain Cooks Casino
Betfair (sports betting only)
PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)
PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)
Profiles
Australian Casinos
World Casino Directory
Global Gaming Directory
Casino Travel
Casinos
Australia
Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
*the writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Casino News Media
Poker News Media
Global Gaming Directory
James Packer's Burswood Casino is continuing to feel a bit of pressure from from a couple of resorts in Singapore, as its high roller takings drops about 14%, but it would be worse, and most experts expect Crown Limited casinos in Australia to close the gap within 6 months.
Crown, owner of Burswood Entertainment Complex, Melbourne’s Crown Casino and a range of entities in the Asia Pacific just released its first-half financial report.
We learned of a 32.9% lift in first half net profit to $153.14 million on a "solid" performance from its Australian non-VIP businesses and non-gaming operations.
Normalised net profit, which takes into account variations via "theoretical win rate" against VIP gamblers and pre-opening costs in respect of the jointly owned City of Dreams casino-resort in Macau, thanks to the Ho family connection, was 13.9% higher at $165.8 million.
VIP revenue dropped 8% to $290.8 million, a result of the opening of 2, yes 2, new casino "integrated resorts" in downtown Singapore.
At Burswood, VIP revenue dropped 14.3% to $78.3 million on turnover of $5.8 billion.
Normalised earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation was $107.3 million, down 4.4%, while normalised revenue was pretty steady at $376.8 million.
Crown chief exec Rowen Craigie told the press that the VIP market was growing strongly, evidenced by the uplift of the VIP market in Macau.
"The Singapore casinos are going gang-busters - they're probably the two most profitable casinos in the world at the moment," Craigie said.
"So, the market is there. The challenge for us is to replace the business we've lost to Singapore with new business out of China but also new business out of South East Asia.
"What Macau has proved and what Singapore will also prove is that additions to the supply of quality-integrated resorts triggers the demand."
Craigie said facility upgrades in progress at Crown and Burswood would help boost Crown's share of VIP numbers.
The casinos owned and operated by Crown Limited also had to focus on providing quality service, and Crown had to ensure that it had the right sales force in key markets to persuade well to do gamblers (whales and good size dolphins) to come down under to Australia.
Craigie advised many VIP gamblers from South East Asia were now choosing to play their games of choice locally, and some of Crown's key VIP customers were back and forward between Australia, Macau, Las Vegas, and Singapore.
The boss said an upgrade of facilities by Australian rival casino operator Tabcorp would also make a visit to Australia by VIP gamblers a more attractive proposition.
"We know they property hop," Craigie said.
Crown also announced today that it had received regulatory approval in Nevada and Pennsylvania in the U.S to convert a "preferred instrument" held in Cannery Casino Resorts into equity. Upon conversion, Crown will hold a 24.5% share in Cannery. Craigie said that once the conversion took place, Crown would be entitled to share in any profit distribution and a seat on Cannery's management committee. This marks a return to American gaming and casino action for Crown, which successfully got out of a few deals over the past few years, preferring to cut their losses and run. One such well documented deal was March 2009 - Crown abandoned a $US1.8 billion deal to acquire Cannery. Crown chief financial officer Ken Barton said the Cannery investment was valued in Crown's books at $US60 million ($A59.54 million).
Craigie said Crown "still needs to see what happens" with the Cannery investment. "In terms of future plans for Cannery, we're only a 25% shareholder. That's a wait-and-see," Craigie said.
Crown said trading in the new calendar year had so far been good, however the first 7 weeks of 2011 was not comparable to the same period in 2010 due to the difference in the timing of Chinese New Year. Chinese people are very suspicious, and the calender effects their gambling habits. Craigie said Crown Melbourne was benefiting from capital refurbishments.
However, Burswood had been affected by complex-wide renovations during the half year. Crown's revenue for the 6 months to December 31, 2010 grew 0.8% to $1.2 billion. Crown declared an interim dividend of 18cc per share, with 10.8 cents franked, steady on the dividend in the prior corresponding period. Shares in Crown were down 18 cents at $8.20.
Numerous media and gaming insiders have told Media Man that both Crown's Burswood Casino in Perth and Crown Casino in Melbourne are fully expected to close the gap on Singapore casino resorts in the coming months, as Crown and competitor, Tabcorp (Star City in 'Sin City' Sydney) continue to lobby the Australian government for enhanced facilities at major Australian airports to ensure high rollers VIP's are looked after like gold, easing restrictions on paperwork ala immigration and other entry requirements. Ah, let the Australian casino wars and Aussie political fun and games wars continue. Incoming!
Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...
Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...
PartyCasino.com
Captain Cooks Casino
Betfair (sports betting only)
PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)
PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)
Profiles
Australian Casinos
World Casino Directory
Global Gaming Directory
Casino Travel
Casinos
Australia
Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
*the writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Website Network
Media Man International
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Global Gaming Directory
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tabcorp And Crown Want Aussie Gvt To Lift Game On High Rollers, by Greg Tingle - 24th February 2011
G'day punters, casino millionaires and billionaires, politicians, legal eagles, one and all. Australia's leading gaming companies, namely Tabcorp (Star City etc) and Crown Limited (Crown Casino and Burswood Casino etc) are demanding the the Australian government lift its game to help down under become more high roller whale friendly, especially at our international airports in Sydney and Melbourne. We probe and examine if the fact that the Gillard government not officially being a big fan of gambling is a factor, or if its a smoke screen hiding something more sinister. Media Man and Gambling911 hit the runway as we play plans, trains, automobiles (and politics)...
Tabcorp And Crown Limited To Aussie Government: Life You're Game For High Rollers In Airports...
Tabcorp casinos big wig Larry Mullin has joined the pack of not happy Aussie casino and gambling tycoons and top brass telling the federal government to lift their game - streamline customs and immigration paperwork and checks for Oriental high-rollers flying down under into Australia, backing up his Crown Casino equal Rowen Craigie. Mullin advised making visas easier to obtain and installing "VIP customs lounges" at major airports to allow high-roller customers to avoid unsatisfactory queues should be seriously considered, and pronto. He said Australia needed to consider a similar model to Singapore, which has created a private lounge to fast-track customs and immigration processing for high-rolling whales. It's understood revenue from Singapore's two land based casinos opened last year is already close to $US5 billion a year. "The customers and the customer experience is everything. That first and last impression is so helpful, especially after long flights. "You go into Singapore, they pick you up in a golf cart and drive you to a private area and there's a government official in the receiving area. You almost feel as if you are going into a hotel experience, that was the seamlessness of it. I understand why you need the processes that are there, but I think we need to explore and get as fast as we can similar type of conveniences here." Mullin said Crown Casino chief exec Rowen Craigie was heading up the discussions with the federal government in his role as the president of the Australasian Casino Association. Craigie last month said the improvements were necessary in order for Australia to plug into the lucrative middle and upper-class Chinese tourism market and compete with Singapore. Tabcorp, which will launch its first personalised jet service for high-roller customers tomorrow, generates less than 10% of its casino revenues from high-rollers. But it is the fastest-growing arm of its business, with revenues from VIP customers up 36% to $32.9 million in the December half. Tabcorp is understood to have spent about $40m leasing the 14-seater jet which came on high recommendation by rock star Bon Jovi, a friend of Mullin. It will start transiting in punters from Asia tomorrow. The firm, which is spending a massive $960m on renovating its flagship Star City casino in Sydney, is now also throwing in $160m on its domestic and international VIP businesses to upgrade digs, improve and expand private gambling facilities and lease two private jets. Originally the jets were going to be purchased, but the bean counters thought better to lease. Mullin also advised Tabcorp, which plans to demerge its casino division by mid-year, was planning to work with the New South Wales government on tourism campaigns targeting potential casino customers. "As our project gets more mature we would like to get better placed in that," he said. Various gambling experts have leaked to Media Man that they expect Crown and Tabcorp to have a better year than last, as well as improved government dealings.
Tatts Gets Profit; Good News Finally...
Tatts Group Ltd has reported a 3.4% lift in first half net profit as the gambling and gaming company sees signs of growth reemerging after set backs due to recent natural disasters such as floods and cyclones. Net profit rose to $149.91 million for the 6 months to December 31 from $144.96 million a year earlier, Melbourne based Tatts said in a statement on Thursday. Revenue jumped 17.4% to $1.62 billion. The firm declared a interim dividend of 10.5 cents per share, fully franked. Chief executive Dick McIlwain said the growth rates of the first half were showing signs of re-emerging after the disruption from the floods in Queensland and Victoria and Cyclone Yasi in Northern Queensland. Tatts said investors and other observers had enquired about the effect on the business from the natural disasters. The company said there was very little damage to company facilities while a significant number of agents and hosts suffered short term damage to electricity supply. Shares in Tatts declined 3.5 cents, or 1.4 per cent, to $2.435.
Aristocrat Leisure Shares Up; Back To Profit!
Airistocrat shares surged to a 3-month high today after the gaming machine supplier returned to the profit zone for 2010. Its stock rose 14 cents, or 4.4%, to $3.30 by 1029 AEDT, the best since November 25, 2010. Aristocrat Leisure today booked a net profit of $77.19 million for the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to a loss of $157.8m in 2009. Revenue fell 25.1% to $680.5m. Aristocrat declared a dividend of 1.5 cents per share, nil franked, compared to no final dividend in the prior year.
Melco Crown Makes US$16 Million Profit; Crown's James Packer Pleased; Could Have Been Much Worse...
Melco Crown Entertainment announced yesterday it recorded net income for the fourth quarter of 2010 of US$16.3 million (MOP130 million), compared with a net loss of US$89.7 million a year earlier. It was the company’s second concecutive quarterly profit. The gain in bottom-line results was driven by the year-over-year improvement in the operating performance at City of Dreams and Altira Macau, the company said. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was US$133.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2010, as compared to adjusted EBITDA of US$2.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. Lawrence Ho, co-chairman and chief executive officer of Melco Crown Entertainment, said "our fourth quarter results demonstrate our success in driving operating leverage and in improving the profitability of our portfolio of assets. Our mass market table games business continues to grow and our rolling chip segment remains strong," he said. James Packer, who teamed up on the project via Melco Crown, is understood to have been pleased with the result. The Packer family remains on good terms with the Ho's. It's one happy family again (or at least mainly), which is what we like to hear.
Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...
Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...
PartyCasino.com
Captain Cooks Casino
Betfair (sports betting only)
PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)
PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)
Profiles
Australian Casinos
World Casino Directory
Global Gaming Directory
Casino Travel
Casinos
Australia
Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered.
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited and Virgin
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Casino News Media
Poker News Media
Global Gaming Directory
Tabcorp And Crown Limited To Aussie Government: Life You're Game For High Rollers In Airports...
Tabcorp casinos big wig Larry Mullin has joined the pack of not happy Aussie casino and gambling tycoons and top brass telling the federal government to lift their game - streamline customs and immigration paperwork and checks for Oriental high-rollers flying down under into Australia, backing up his Crown Casino equal Rowen Craigie. Mullin advised making visas easier to obtain and installing "VIP customs lounges" at major airports to allow high-roller customers to avoid unsatisfactory queues should be seriously considered, and pronto. He said Australia needed to consider a similar model to Singapore, which has created a private lounge to fast-track customs and immigration processing for high-rolling whales. It's understood revenue from Singapore's two land based casinos opened last year is already close to $US5 billion a year. "The customers and the customer experience is everything. That first and last impression is so helpful, especially after long flights. "You go into Singapore, they pick you up in a golf cart and drive you to a private area and there's a government official in the receiving area. You almost feel as if you are going into a hotel experience, that was the seamlessness of it. I understand why you need the processes that are there, but I think we need to explore and get as fast as we can similar type of conveniences here." Mullin said Crown Casino chief exec Rowen Craigie was heading up the discussions with the federal government in his role as the president of the Australasian Casino Association. Craigie last month said the improvements were necessary in order for Australia to plug into the lucrative middle and upper-class Chinese tourism market and compete with Singapore. Tabcorp, which will launch its first personalised jet service for high-roller customers tomorrow, generates less than 10% of its casino revenues from high-rollers. But it is the fastest-growing arm of its business, with revenues from VIP customers up 36% to $32.9 million in the December half. Tabcorp is understood to have spent about $40m leasing the 14-seater jet which came on high recommendation by rock star Bon Jovi, a friend of Mullin. It will start transiting in punters from Asia tomorrow. The firm, which is spending a massive $960m on renovating its flagship Star City casino in Sydney, is now also throwing in $160m on its domestic and international VIP businesses to upgrade digs, improve and expand private gambling facilities and lease two private jets. Originally the jets were going to be purchased, but the bean counters thought better to lease. Mullin also advised Tabcorp, which plans to demerge its casino division by mid-year, was planning to work with the New South Wales government on tourism campaigns targeting potential casino customers. "As our project gets more mature we would like to get better placed in that," he said. Various gambling experts have leaked to Media Man that they expect Crown and Tabcorp to have a better year than last, as well as improved government dealings.
Tatts Gets Profit; Good News Finally...
Tatts Group Ltd has reported a 3.4% lift in first half net profit as the gambling and gaming company sees signs of growth reemerging after set backs due to recent natural disasters such as floods and cyclones. Net profit rose to $149.91 million for the 6 months to December 31 from $144.96 million a year earlier, Melbourne based Tatts said in a statement on Thursday. Revenue jumped 17.4% to $1.62 billion. The firm declared a interim dividend of 10.5 cents per share, fully franked. Chief executive Dick McIlwain said the growth rates of the first half were showing signs of re-emerging after the disruption from the floods in Queensland and Victoria and Cyclone Yasi in Northern Queensland. Tatts said investors and other observers had enquired about the effect on the business from the natural disasters. The company said there was very little damage to company facilities while a significant number of agents and hosts suffered short term damage to electricity supply. Shares in Tatts declined 3.5 cents, or 1.4 per cent, to $2.435.
Aristocrat Leisure Shares Up; Back To Profit!
Airistocrat shares surged to a 3-month high today after the gaming machine supplier returned to the profit zone for 2010. Its stock rose 14 cents, or 4.4%, to $3.30 by 1029 AEDT, the best since November 25, 2010. Aristocrat Leisure today booked a net profit of $77.19 million for the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to a loss of $157.8m in 2009. Revenue fell 25.1% to $680.5m. Aristocrat declared a dividend of 1.5 cents per share, nil franked, compared to no final dividend in the prior year.
Melco Crown Makes US$16 Million Profit; Crown's James Packer Pleased; Could Have Been Much Worse...
Melco Crown Entertainment announced yesterday it recorded net income for the fourth quarter of 2010 of US$16.3 million (MOP130 million), compared with a net loss of US$89.7 million a year earlier. It was the company’s second concecutive quarterly profit. The gain in bottom-line results was driven by the year-over-year improvement in the operating performance at City of Dreams and Altira Macau, the company said. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was US$133.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2010, as compared to adjusted EBITDA of US$2.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. Lawrence Ho, co-chairman and chief executive officer of Melco Crown Entertainment, said "our fourth quarter results demonstrate our success in driving operating leverage and in improving the profitability of our portfolio of assets. Our mass market table games business continues to grow and our rolling chip segment remains strong," he said. James Packer, who teamed up on the project via Melco Crown, is understood to have been pleased with the result. The Packer family remains on good terms with the Ho's. It's one happy family again (or at least mainly), which is what we like to hear.
Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...
Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...
PartyCasino.com
Captain Cooks Casino
Betfair (sports betting only)
PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)
PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)
Profiles
Australian Casinos
World Casino Directory
Global Gaming Directory
Casino Travel
Casinos
Australia
Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered.
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited and Virgin
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Virgin Airlines and Elle Macpherson: We love women in uniform, by Eva Rinaldi - 23rd February 2011
Who doesn't love a woman in uniform?
Australian Supermodel Elle Macpherson aka 'The Body' has just slipped into something more comfortable, or at least that's the wish of Virgin king of the world, Richard Branson and his media savvy team.
The 40 year plus bombshell has just flown in from a Crown Casino, Melbourne stop over, and is strutting her stuff on the catwalk with Virgin hostesses in Sydney sporting a red hot number that is bound to keep passengers and others up all night (and other reaching for the chequebooks and credit cards).
Macpherson has been busy hosting Britain's Next Top Model, but made time to show off the latest Virgin Airline number, designed by season one Project Runway winner Juli Grbac.
It wasn't surprising, the Virgin King insisted that of his real life hosties also got the media rub off from 'The Body', and the powers that be are expecting Virgin Airlines to experience a lift in numbers (plus more mainly positive news media coverage), but just quietly, they expect a couple of knockers also.
Elle was passionate and extremely emotive, appearing to hold back tears, as she spoke on missing her family in Australia and a sick family member. She still looked a million bucks was pure class.
Virgin Blue PR Danielle Keighery spoke on the new uniform making fresh happenings both in the air and on the ground, but assured us that the staff wouldn't change and would continue to be known for their friendliness and fun.
Sex still sells when done right, and few know how to do it better than Elle and RB (who didn't attend due to a ski accident). Just how much business may have been mixed with pleasure is anyone's guess, but we know that Branson (and Packer friend and associate), Damian Aspinall, the UK gaming and nature entrepreneur, did a series of dates with Elle about a year ago, and Elle is very particular in her brands and men.
I think the matching of Elle and Virgin Airines might just be quite a match up in heaven. Now all we need is a bit of Michael Buble and wedding bells might sing out in the sky.
Branson and Elle - Virgin's, we don't think so...but the hot red uniform sure lends itself to new beginnings and radiates class, sex, power and style, with just a dash of romance.
What airline will you and yours be travelling on for your next overseas honeymoon. No need to tell us, we will take an educated guess darlings. Virgin continues to add to their world class 'body of work', remaining at the top of their game, despite the sometimes turbulent sector. Oh, did we mention, RB is also a member of the 'Mile High Club', but we are not endorsing you join it via his airline, unless you get a special invitation.
Profiles
Elle Macpherson
Richard Branson
Virgin Blue
Virgin Enterprises Limited
Australian Supermodel Elle Macpherson aka 'The Body' has just slipped into something more comfortable, or at least that's the wish of Virgin king of the world, Richard Branson and his media savvy team.
The 40 year plus bombshell has just flown in from a Crown Casino, Melbourne stop over, and is strutting her stuff on the catwalk with Virgin hostesses in Sydney sporting a red hot number that is bound to keep passengers and others up all night (and other reaching for the chequebooks and credit cards).
Macpherson has been busy hosting Britain's Next Top Model, but made time to show off the latest Virgin Airline number, designed by season one Project Runway winner Juli Grbac.
It wasn't surprising, the Virgin King insisted that of his real life hosties also got the media rub off from 'The Body', and the powers that be are expecting Virgin Airlines to experience a lift in numbers (plus more mainly positive news media coverage), but just quietly, they expect a couple of knockers also.
Elle was passionate and extremely emotive, appearing to hold back tears, as she spoke on missing her family in Australia and a sick family member. She still looked a million bucks was pure class.
Virgin Blue PR Danielle Keighery spoke on the new uniform making fresh happenings both in the air and on the ground, but assured us that the staff wouldn't change and would continue to be known for their friendliness and fun.
Sex still sells when done right, and few know how to do it better than Elle and RB (who didn't attend due to a ski accident). Just how much business may have been mixed with pleasure is anyone's guess, but we know that Branson (and Packer friend and associate), Damian Aspinall, the UK gaming and nature entrepreneur, did a series of dates with Elle about a year ago, and Elle is very particular in her brands and men.
I think the matching of Elle and Virgin Airines might just be quite a match up in heaven. Now all we need is a bit of Michael Buble and wedding bells might sing out in the sky.
Branson and Elle - Virgin's, we don't think so...but the hot red uniform sure lends itself to new beginnings and radiates class, sex, power and style, with just a dash of romance.
What airline will you and yours be travelling on for your next overseas honeymoon. No need to tell us, we will take an educated guess darlings. Virgin continues to add to their world class 'body of work', remaining at the top of their game, despite the sometimes turbulent sector. Oh, did we mention, RB is also a member of the 'Mile High Club', but we are not endorsing you join it via his airline, unless you get a special invitation.
Profiles
Elle Macpherson
Richard Branson
Virgin Blue
Virgin Enterprises Limited
Aussie Pokie Reforms To Cost Australian Clubs 100M Plus, by Greg Tingle - 23rd February 2011
G'day casino and gambling millionaires, billionaires, punters, legal eagles, politicians...one and all. What's news in the Australian gambling and casino industry of late? A hell of a lots you're about to find out. Media Man and Gambling911 roam far and wide down under to bring you the news that matters...
New South Wales: Western Sydney Clubs: Westie Land To Lose Millions If Pokies Reforms Float; Thousands To Loose Jobs...
Westie land clubs will have to fork out $40 million for so for tech to be installed on poker machines that is supposed to stopping problem gambling. Many experts say problem gambling can't be stopped, as some people just have problems, and playing the pokies too much might be just one of their issues. The 'mandatory pre-commitment' technology requires every person who uses a pokie to have a licence to gamble and they will be restricted by betting limits. Reps from local clubs met in western outpost Orange on the weekend to discuss how they will be affected by the compulsory roll-out. The Clubs New South Wales Chairman, Peter Newell, says the technology has not worked in Norway and local clubs will lose around 40% of their yearly gaming revenue. "Forty-two million is the Central West figure, it runs to billions of dollars for the rest of New South Wales and Australia," he said. "Quite clearly they couldn't afford that just as the rest of the industry couldn't afford it. "The tragedy of it is, it will do nothing to assist problem gamblers." Clubs New South Wales says local sporting groups and community organisations will feel the impact of the lost revenue. Newell says there will be flow-on effects in towns where local clubs sponsor sporting groups and charities. "In many towns the local club is the town hall. "It's the meeting place, it's where people gather, it's where they socialise. "The local club puts in heaps of money and in kind support to local sport, the junior sport. "It will certainly be felt largely right across the state, but particularly in the regional areas." The Tasmanian Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has demanded it be rolled out across Australia, in return for supporting Julia Gillard in the election deadlock.
Canberra; Having A Punt On Pokies Like Having A McDonald's Happy Meal; Just Don't Eat Too Much Too Often; Anything In Moderation; Pokies, Sex Et Al...
Head honcho at Woolworths' ('The Fast Cash People' - satire) gambling subsidiary, ALH has compared pokies to hamburgers, telling a parliamentary inquiry that both were safe unless in the hands of addicts. The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, promised to introduce a national system to limit problem gambling in return for the support of the independent MP Andrew Wilkie to form minority government. The Woolworths subsidiary ALH told a parliamentary inquiry headed by r Wilkie that its poker machine division had "one of the highest gross profit margins" in the company, and its gambling revenue was likely to drop 20% if mandatory technology to control poker machine play was introduced. This would have an impact on jobs across its hospitality business, the ALH general manager, David Curry, said. "I think the product is safe. Some people have addictions, be it to fast food or drugs … are we asking, 'Is a hamburger safe?'," Curry said. He also said Woolworths would cut its $36.3 million spending on community programs if its poker machine revenue fell. "We don't think mandatory pre-commitment is sound policy … we do see that it will significantly impact recreational gamblers," he said. The industry body for poker machine suppliers estimated it would cost $1.5 billion to implement the national, mandatory scheme to limit problem gambling that the federal government has promised. Introducing a national system would be ''difficult, but technically feasible", the chief executive of the Gaming Technologies Association, Ross Ferrar, said. He said recreational gamblers would find it too intrusive and it would put at risk the financial viability of the industry. Ferrar said setting daily limits for gamblers was "an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff", and more immediate intervention with the compulsive gambler - sending dynamic messages that display on the pokie screen between presses of the button and disrupt the cycle of play - would work better. The federal government is considering a smart card or biometric system to identify individual players, but gaming company E-Bet said half of gamblers in NSW refuse to use card loyalty systems because of privacy concerns.
Aussie Banks Might Join Pokie War...
Australian banks would be able to stop pokie addicts getting cash from joint bank accounts under proposed rules. The Department of Families and Housing is putting forward the proposal as part of Federal Government reforms to the state administration of poker machines. Research by the SA Centre for Economic Studies is being considered by a panel of experts. The Government has promised tough action on the industry to help it retain the support of independents Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie and SA Senator Nick Xenophon. The proposal, which hinges on across the board co-operation from banks, would involve them monitoring customer spending habits. Initial concerns could be raised with the customer and ongoing concerns could be raised with the department. Ultimately, banks would have the power to stop large withdrawals from home loans or joint bank accounts, or refuse applications for further credit. An FaHCSIA spokesman said the policy proposal had not yet been released publicly. The State Government's Responsible Gambling Working Party has offered to assist with a trial of the project if financial institutions can be convinced it is viable. UnitingCare Wesley spokesman and member of the working party, Mark Henley, welcomed the idea of encouraging financial institutions to help in the fight against gambling addiction. He was critical of the failure of the banking industry to help regulators in the past. "I have had a bank debtors manager tell me that he could identify a problem gambler from one look at a customer's statement but officially, the banks deny this, of course," Henley said. "It would be great to put a bit of heat on the banks in terms of their customer responsibilities re gambling. "The SA Parliament decided years ago to set a withdrawal limit on ATMs in gaming rooms - I understand that this was taken to the Ministerial Council on Gambling and a working party established, because the banks said that they couldn't possibly do anything in one jurisdiction, but still, they have resisted acting at a national level." Banks yesterday would not commit to the proposal, but one spokesman for a bank that did not wish to express a public view told The Advertiser pokie addicts were often well known to bank branches and their withdrawal and lending practices could be at least questioned by staff. In hearings for an inquiry by Wilkie and Senator Xenophon, witnesses described how pokies addicts lost possessions, including their homes, through addiction. Family breakdown caused by the loss of shared assets such as shared bank accounts and shared homes, has been a common theme.
Victoria: Club Italia Club Wants Pokies Please...
Club Italia Sporting club has appealed decisions by Brimbank Council and the Victorian Commission for Gaming Regulation not to grant permission for an additional 22 poker machines. VCAT decided last week that the club’s two applications for review...one of the council’s decision and the other of the commission’s decision - could be heard at the same time over four days, beginning on May 23. Club Italia won entitlements for an extra 22 machines on top of the 38 they already have at last year’s State Government auction. But despite the results of the auction - which are to apply from 2012 - any venue wishing to operate additional machines must obtain approval from the VCGR and their local council. Brimbank Council knocked back Club Italia’s application last year and the commission did the same in December. In its December decision, the commission noted the municipality’s above-average spend on poker machines. "Average expenditure by adults on machines in the municipality is $1002, 54% above the state average and 46% above the metropolitan average," the commission said. Presenting the case for Club Italia, general manager at the time Charles D’Abico argued that profits from extra machines were needed to fund upgrade works and that the club existed solely for the purpose of providing community services and benefits."
Melbourne Black Saturday Fire Victims Don't Like Pokies Luck...
A regional community town victimised by the Black Saturday fires is fighting a bid by Tattersalls to put a pokies venue in their new housing estate. Residents of the Laurimar estate on the city's northern fringe claim pokies will lift crime rates in the area and have a financial impact on families. Whittlesea Council has gone to the VCAT in a bid to reverse a decision by the state's gambling regulator to grant a licence for the venue. Tattersalls wants to install 40 poker machines at the planned Laurimar hotel, with annual gaming revenue expected to reach up to $4.2 million. The Rev Glynis Dickins, pastor of Plenty Valley Baptist Church in Doreen, told a VCAT hearing that pokies were not welcome and locals were still traumatised by 2009's devastating fires. Ms Dickins said the fires came close to the suburb and some residents had family members and friends who died or who lost their homes. "The bushfires really upset them," she said. "We don't need something else that will upset this balance in their lives." Ms Dickins said developers of the Laurimar estate had indicated there would be no pokies venue on the site and residents had expected "nice little eating places with waterfront views". Told that the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation had described it as a boutique gaming venue, Ms Dickins said: "I don't think any sort of gaming room is appropriate to the area." A video featuring Laurimar residents and business owners who oppose the plan was shown to the hearing. It included claims that a pokie venue will attract crime, lead to financial pain for families and be a bad influence on children. Judge Felicity Hampel said it would be helpful if the parties could provide research on how new housing estates develop a "sense of community". The case continues.
James Packers' Crown Casino To Host TV Week Logies Again...
The Logie Awards will be held at Crown Casino, Melbourne on May 1. Voting for your fav celebs and shows closed on Sunday, February 20. Final nominations will be announced next week! Vote early, and vote often. Just kidding! How about, work hard and play harder!
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
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Media Man International
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Media Man Australia
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Media Man Canada
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New South Wales: Western Sydney Clubs: Westie Land To Lose Millions If Pokies Reforms Float; Thousands To Loose Jobs...
Westie land clubs will have to fork out $40 million for so for tech to be installed on poker machines that is supposed to stopping problem gambling. Many experts say problem gambling can't be stopped, as some people just have problems, and playing the pokies too much might be just one of their issues. The 'mandatory pre-commitment' technology requires every person who uses a pokie to have a licence to gamble and they will be restricted by betting limits. Reps from local clubs met in western outpost Orange on the weekend to discuss how they will be affected by the compulsory roll-out. The Clubs New South Wales Chairman, Peter Newell, says the technology has not worked in Norway and local clubs will lose around 40% of their yearly gaming revenue. "Forty-two million is the Central West figure, it runs to billions of dollars for the rest of New South Wales and Australia," he said. "Quite clearly they couldn't afford that just as the rest of the industry couldn't afford it. "The tragedy of it is, it will do nothing to assist problem gamblers." Clubs New South Wales says local sporting groups and community organisations will feel the impact of the lost revenue. Newell says there will be flow-on effects in towns where local clubs sponsor sporting groups and charities. "In many towns the local club is the town hall. "It's the meeting place, it's where people gather, it's where they socialise. "The local club puts in heaps of money and in kind support to local sport, the junior sport. "It will certainly be felt largely right across the state, but particularly in the regional areas." The Tasmanian Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has demanded it be rolled out across Australia, in return for supporting Julia Gillard in the election deadlock.
Canberra; Having A Punt On Pokies Like Having A McDonald's Happy Meal; Just Don't Eat Too Much Too Often; Anything In Moderation; Pokies, Sex Et Al...
Head honcho at Woolworths' ('The Fast Cash People' - satire) gambling subsidiary, ALH has compared pokies to hamburgers, telling a parliamentary inquiry that both were safe unless in the hands of addicts. The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, promised to introduce a national system to limit problem gambling in return for the support of the independent MP Andrew Wilkie to form minority government. The Woolworths subsidiary ALH told a parliamentary inquiry headed by r Wilkie that its poker machine division had "one of the highest gross profit margins" in the company, and its gambling revenue was likely to drop 20% if mandatory technology to control poker machine play was introduced. This would have an impact on jobs across its hospitality business, the ALH general manager, David Curry, said. "I think the product is safe. Some people have addictions, be it to fast food or drugs … are we asking, 'Is a hamburger safe?'," Curry said. He also said Woolworths would cut its $36.3 million spending on community programs if its poker machine revenue fell. "We don't think mandatory pre-commitment is sound policy … we do see that it will significantly impact recreational gamblers," he said. The industry body for poker machine suppliers estimated it would cost $1.5 billion to implement the national, mandatory scheme to limit problem gambling that the federal government has promised. Introducing a national system would be ''difficult, but technically feasible", the chief executive of the Gaming Technologies Association, Ross Ferrar, said. He said recreational gamblers would find it too intrusive and it would put at risk the financial viability of the industry. Ferrar said setting daily limits for gamblers was "an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff", and more immediate intervention with the compulsive gambler - sending dynamic messages that display on the pokie screen between presses of the button and disrupt the cycle of play - would work better. The federal government is considering a smart card or biometric system to identify individual players, but gaming company E-Bet said half of gamblers in NSW refuse to use card loyalty systems because of privacy concerns.
Aussie Banks Might Join Pokie War...
Australian banks would be able to stop pokie addicts getting cash from joint bank accounts under proposed rules. The Department of Families and Housing is putting forward the proposal as part of Federal Government reforms to the state administration of poker machines. Research by the SA Centre for Economic Studies is being considered by a panel of experts. The Government has promised tough action on the industry to help it retain the support of independents Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie and SA Senator Nick Xenophon. The proposal, which hinges on across the board co-operation from banks, would involve them monitoring customer spending habits. Initial concerns could be raised with the customer and ongoing concerns could be raised with the department. Ultimately, banks would have the power to stop large withdrawals from home loans or joint bank accounts, or refuse applications for further credit. An FaHCSIA spokesman said the policy proposal had not yet been released publicly. The State Government's Responsible Gambling Working Party has offered to assist with a trial of the project if financial institutions can be convinced it is viable. UnitingCare Wesley spokesman and member of the working party, Mark Henley, welcomed the idea of encouraging financial institutions to help in the fight against gambling addiction. He was critical of the failure of the banking industry to help regulators in the past. "I have had a bank debtors manager tell me that he could identify a problem gambler from one look at a customer's statement but officially, the banks deny this, of course," Henley said. "It would be great to put a bit of heat on the banks in terms of their customer responsibilities re gambling. "The SA Parliament decided years ago to set a withdrawal limit on ATMs in gaming rooms - I understand that this was taken to the Ministerial Council on Gambling and a working party established, because the banks said that they couldn't possibly do anything in one jurisdiction, but still, they have resisted acting at a national level." Banks yesterday would not commit to the proposal, but one spokesman for a bank that did not wish to express a public view told The Advertiser pokie addicts were often well known to bank branches and their withdrawal and lending practices could be at least questioned by staff. In hearings for an inquiry by Wilkie and Senator Xenophon, witnesses described how pokies addicts lost possessions, including their homes, through addiction. Family breakdown caused by the loss of shared assets such as shared bank accounts and shared homes, has been a common theme.
Victoria: Club Italia Club Wants Pokies Please...
Club Italia Sporting club has appealed decisions by Brimbank Council and the Victorian Commission for Gaming Regulation not to grant permission for an additional 22 poker machines. VCAT decided last week that the club’s two applications for review...one of the council’s decision and the other of the commission’s decision - could be heard at the same time over four days, beginning on May 23. Club Italia won entitlements for an extra 22 machines on top of the 38 they already have at last year’s State Government auction. But despite the results of the auction - which are to apply from 2012 - any venue wishing to operate additional machines must obtain approval from the VCGR and their local council. Brimbank Council knocked back Club Italia’s application last year and the commission did the same in December. In its December decision, the commission noted the municipality’s above-average spend on poker machines. "Average expenditure by adults on machines in the municipality is $1002, 54% above the state average and 46% above the metropolitan average," the commission said. Presenting the case for Club Italia, general manager at the time Charles D’Abico argued that profits from extra machines were needed to fund upgrade works and that the club existed solely for the purpose of providing community services and benefits."
Melbourne Black Saturday Fire Victims Don't Like Pokies Luck...
A regional community town victimised by the Black Saturday fires is fighting a bid by Tattersalls to put a pokies venue in their new housing estate. Residents of the Laurimar estate on the city's northern fringe claim pokies will lift crime rates in the area and have a financial impact on families. Whittlesea Council has gone to the VCAT in a bid to reverse a decision by the state's gambling regulator to grant a licence for the venue. Tattersalls wants to install 40 poker machines at the planned Laurimar hotel, with annual gaming revenue expected to reach up to $4.2 million. The Rev Glynis Dickins, pastor of Plenty Valley Baptist Church in Doreen, told a VCAT hearing that pokies were not welcome and locals were still traumatised by 2009's devastating fires. Ms Dickins said the fires came close to the suburb and some residents had family members and friends who died or who lost their homes. "The bushfires really upset them," she said. "We don't need something else that will upset this balance in their lives." Ms Dickins said developers of the Laurimar estate had indicated there would be no pokies venue on the site and residents had expected "nice little eating places with waterfront views". Told that the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation had described it as a boutique gaming venue, Ms Dickins said: "I don't think any sort of gaming room is appropriate to the area." A video featuring Laurimar residents and business owners who oppose the plan was shown to the hearing. It included claims that a pokie venue will attract crime, lead to financial pain for families and be a bad influence on children. Judge Felicity Hampel said it would be helpful if the parties could provide research on how new housing estates develop a "sense of community". The case continues.
James Packers' Crown Casino To Host TV Week Logies Again...
The Logie Awards will be held at Crown Casino, Melbourne on May 1. Voting for your fav celebs and shows closed on Sunday, February 20. Final nominations will be announced next week! Vote early, and vote often. Just kidding! How about, work hard and play harder!
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
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Casino News Media
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Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Casino News Media: Australasian Casino Association: Pokies Reform To Take Decade!, by Greg Tingle - 20th February 2011
G'day casino and gambling millionaires, billionaires, punters, legal eagles, politicians...one and all. How long did you think it might take the Australian gambling sector to upgrade all of their machines to match up with "the promise" the ALP made to a certain "Mr X"? 3 months, 6 months? Wrong - try 10 years Jack! That's what the Australasian Casino Association reckons Media Man and Gambling911 probe the one armed bandits and count the numbers with this politically top heavy report...
Political fun and games with the lovers VS haters continues down under, and news media is learning that the upgrades may take up to a decade to get in place. No, its not a bad joke, but some detractors are calling the timeframe spin, as you might just imagine.
Pre-commitment technology on the "one armed bandits" will likely take up to a decade...yep, 10 years to implement. That's what Australia's parliamentary inquiry has been advised, so don't shoot the messenger (or thank us). We're just relaying the message ok maties.
The inquiry, chaired by everyone's favourite (just kidding) "independent" MP Andrew Wilkie, is probing the concept of a pre-commitment scheme using so smart cards or other technology to basically force the hand of pokie players to set limits on their gambling, but as news media has discovered in recent weeks, there's plenty of loopholes, with trials in the UK, Britain... showing the the tech has many flaws and some regions thought it was a dismal failure!
In return for Wilkie's support in forming government, Prime Minister Julia Gillard pledged to have national pre-commitment technology in place by 2014. Many Australian media types called the deal little more than a bribe, and one that's doomed to fail, also generating more negative press for the ALP.
Now thanks to a submission to the inquiry, which took place in Hobart on Friday, Australasian Casino Association (ACA) chief executive Chris Downy advised the industry needed much more time to roll out the technology.
"The ACA believes the government's timeline is unachievable and ignores the realities of implementation of any pre-commitment system," Downy said.
"Leading manufacturers have indicated that it will take at least 10 years to implement."
Downy also advised a loss in gambling revenue would negatively impact on down under's tourism industry.
"The casino industry is leading the way in Australia in reinvesting in and building new tourism infrastructure. The $4 billion investment being made by the industry currently will be put at risk at a time when the Australian tourism industry needs investment in tourism infrastructure."
Crown Limited's James Packer is the highest profile casino tycoon whale in Australia who frequently pushes the tourism, lifestyle and total entertainment angle.
Wilkie said he would take Mr Downy's concerns on board.
"I'm satisfied that we've heard enough evidence now that we can design a system to overcome those challenges," he said.
Ah, let the fun and games continue. Lovers VS Haters. All is fair in love and war, and in the Australian gambling and political wars.
10 years, 10 months or to weeks for a changeover. Where's my crystal ball? Incoming!
Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...
Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...
PartyCasino.com
Captain Cooks Casino
Betfair (sports betting only)
PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)
PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)
Profiles
Australian Casinos
World Casino Directory
Global Gaming Directory
Casino Travel
Casinos
Australia
Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Casino News Media
Poker News Media
Global Gaming Directory
Political fun and games with the lovers VS haters continues down under, and news media is learning that the upgrades may take up to a decade to get in place. No, its not a bad joke, but some detractors are calling the timeframe spin, as you might just imagine.
Pre-commitment technology on the "one armed bandits" will likely take up to a decade...yep, 10 years to implement. That's what Australia's parliamentary inquiry has been advised, so don't shoot the messenger (or thank us). We're just relaying the message ok maties.
The inquiry, chaired by everyone's favourite (just kidding) "independent" MP Andrew Wilkie, is probing the concept of a pre-commitment scheme using so smart cards or other technology to basically force the hand of pokie players to set limits on their gambling, but as news media has discovered in recent weeks, there's plenty of loopholes, with trials in the UK, Britain... showing the the tech has many flaws and some regions thought it was a dismal failure!
In return for Wilkie's support in forming government, Prime Minister Julia Gillard pledged to have national pre-commitment technology in place by 2014. Many Australian media types called the deal little more than a bribe, and one that's doomed to fail, also generating more negative press for the ALP.
Now thanks to a submission to the inquiry, which took place in Hobart on Friday, Australasian Casino Association (ACA) chief executive Chris Downy advised the industry needed much more time to roll out the technology.
"The ACA believes the government's timeline is unachievable and ignores the realities of implementation of any pre-commitment system," Downy said.
"Leading manufacturers have indicated that it will take at least 10 years to implement."
Downy also advised a loss in gambling revenue would negatively impact on down under's tourism industry.
"The casino industry is leading the way in Australia in reinvesting in and building new tourism infrastructure. The $4 billion investment being made by the industry currently will be put at risk at a time when the Australian tourism industry needs investment in tourism infrastructure."
Crown Limited's James Packer is the highest profile casino tycoon whale in Australia who frequently pushes the tourism, lifestyle and total entertainment angle.
Wilkie said he would take Mr Downy's concerns on board.
"I'm satisfied that we've heard enough evidence now that we can design a system to overcome those challenges," he said.
Ah, let the fun and games continue. Lovers VS Haters. All is fair in love and war, and in the Australian gambling and political wars.
10 years, 10 months or to weeks for a changeover. Where's my crystal ball? Incoming!
Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...
Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...
PartyCasino.com
Captain Cooks Casino
Betfair (sports betting only)
PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)
PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)
Profiles
Australian Casinos
World Casino Directory
Global Gaming Directory
Casino Travel
Casinos
Australia
Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Casino News Media
Poker News Media
Global Gaming Directory
Media Man - Casino News Media - Global Gaming Directory - News Update
PartyCasino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award
Online gaming companies in for huge 2011
Online Gaming Heating Up in Australia
Australasian Casino Association: Pokies Reform To Take Decade!
AFL Tired Of Gambling On Punter Fevola
Aussie Hotels Want Pokie Limit Trial...
Higher Power At Work In Gambling; Godsend To Bendigo, Victoria...
Pokies Limits Likely to Cost Australian Hotels Up To $4B
PartyGaming, PartyCasino, Bwin Do Deal With Las Vegas Land Based Casinos
Australian Sports Want And Need National Gaming - Gambling Regulations
Aussie James Packer Riding Wave Of Success
Australian Gambling and Politics: Cat And Mouse Games
Australian Gambling And Politics: Fun And Games
Real Life Underbelly NRL Style
Queensland Floods Cost Tabcorp Millions In Lost Revenue And More…
Gambling With Australian Federal Police; Legal Eagles Ready
Australian And Asia Pacific Gambling Tycoon News: February 1, 2011
Joe Francis - Indicted Over Alleged $2M Gambling Debt
Gambling, Drugs, Cocaine; Punters With Problems Targeted By Crime Lords
Australia Zoo Viva Crocodile Las Vegas Back On
Crown Casino Demands Aussie Govt Lift Game For Asian High Rollers
Crown Aussie Million's Poker $250,000 - Greg Tingle Australia Report
NRL South Sydney Rabbitohs: Star City Casino Partnership!
The Shane Warne Show At Aussie Millions 2011
Australia Day 2011 Gambling Special
Crown Aussie Millions; James Packer Special
Running out of Internet Addresses: We Were Right
Tingle: 3D Movies And Slot Games Not Dead Yet
Tingle: Australian Underbelly History and the Anti Pokie Song
Aussie Celeb News; James Bond Casino Icon Connection
Real Life Underbelly in Sin City Sydney
Australian Gambling: Deals, Art, Politics And Vice
Australian Gambling On Pre-Commitment Pokies: Lovers vs. Haters
International Gaming Technology vs. Aristocrat Leisure Legal Battle Ensues
Australian Casino Tourism Smoking Hot Report
Gambling On Australia's Anti-Money Laundering Counter Terrorism Hit List
Tingle: Australian Gambling Regulation Won't Wipe Out Problem Gambling
Australia To Get Sports Stadiums Branded By Gambling and Gaming Companies
Australia Pokie and News Media Wars for January 14, 2011
Australia Remains In Top 10 For Gambling
Australian Pokies Saviour Or Villain; Lovers VS Haters
Crown Casino Refuse Jackpot Payment; ClubsNSW VS PokieAct
Lasseter’s Hotel Casino Getting Tough On Violent Drunks
Australian Kids Copy Parents Gambling Habits
Aussie Media Man Talks Domain Names: Gambling.com, Poker.com.au
Australian Casino, Sporting And Gambling Round Up – January 8
Brendan Fevola Released From Jail: Adelaide Clubs Get Tough On Gambling
Costigan Commission Going After Kerry Packer
Australian Land Based Casinos Rank Among The Best In The World?
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Global Gaming Directory
Online gaming companies in for huge 2011
Online Gaming Heating Up in Australia
Australasian Casino Association: Pokies Reform To Take Decade!
AFL Tired Of Gambling On Punter Fevola
Aussie Hotels Want Pokie Limit Trial...
Higher Power At Work In Gambling; Godsend To Bendigo, Victoria...
Pokies Limits Likely to Cost Australian Hotels Up To $4B
PartyGaming, PartyCasino, Bwin Do Deal With Las Vegas Land Based Casinos
Australian Sports Want And Need National Gaming - Gambling Regulations
Aussie James Packer Riding Wave Of Success
Australian Gambling and Politics: Cat And Mouse Games
Australian Gambling And Politics: Fun And Games
Real Life Underbelly NRL Style
Queensland Floods Cost Tabcorp Millions In Lost Revenue And More…
Gambling With Australian Federal Police; Legal Eagles Ready
Australian And Asia Pacific Gambling Tycoon News: February 1, 2011
Joe Francis - Indicted Over Alleged $2M Gambling Debt
Gambling, Drugs, Cocaine; Punters With Problems Targeted By Crime Lords
Australia Zoo Viva Crocodile Las Vegas Back On
Crown Casino Demands Aussie Govt Lift Game For Asian High Rollers
Crown Aussie Million's Poker $250,000 - Greg Tingle Australia Report
NRL South Sydney Rabbitohs: Star City Casino Partnership!
The Shane Warne Show At Aussie Millions 2011
Australia Day 2011 Gambling Special
Crown Aussie Millions; James Packer Special
Running out of Internet Addresses: We Were Right
Tingle: 3D Movies And Slot Games Not Dead Yet
Tingle: Australian Underbelly History and the Anti Pokie Song
Aussie Celeb News; James Bond Casino Icon Connection
Real Life Underbelly in Sin City Sydney
Australian Gambling: Deals, Art, Politics And Vice
Australian Gambling On Pre-Commitment Pokies: Lovers vs. Haters
International Gaming Technology vs. Aristocrat Leisure Legal Battle Ensues
Australian Casino Tourism Smoking Hot Report
Gambling On Australia's Anti-Money Laundering Counter Terrorism Hit List
Tingle: Australian Gambling Regulation Won't Wipe Out Problem Gambling
Australia To Get Sports Stadiums Branded By Gambling and Gaming Companies
Australia Pokie and News Media Wars for January 14, 2011
Australia Remains In Top 10 For Gambling
Australian Pokies Saviour Or Villain; Lovers VS Haters
Crown Casino Refuse Jackpot Payment; ClubsNSW VS PokieAct
Lasseter’s Hotel Casino Getting Tough On Violent Drunks
Australian Kids Copy Parents Gambling Habits
Aussie Media Man Talks Domain Names: Gambling.com, Poker.com.au
Australian Casino, Sporting And Gambling Round Up – January 8
Brendan Fevola Released From Jail: Adelaide Clubs Get Tough On Gambling
Costigan Commission Going After Kerry Packer
Australian Land Based Casinos Rank Among The Best In The World?
Media Man News
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Monday, February 21, 2011
Australasian Casino Association: Pokies Reform To Take Decade!, by Greg Tingle - 20th February 2011
G'day casino and gambling millionaires, billionaires, punters, legal eagles, politicians...one and all. How long did you think it might take the Australian gambling sector to upgrade all of their machines to match up with "the promise" the ALP made to a certain "Mr X"! 3 months, 6 months? Wrong - try 10 years Jack! That's what the Australasian Casino Association reckons. Media Man and Gambling911 probe the "one armed bandits" and count the numbers with this politically top heavy report...
Political fun and games with the lovers VS haters continues down under, and news media is learning that the upgrades may take up to a decade to get in place. No, its not a bad joke, but some detractors are calling the timeframe spin, as you might just imagine.
Pre-commitment technology on the "one armed bandits" will likely take up to a decade...yep, 10 years to implement. That's what Australia's parliamentary inquiry has been advised, so don't shoot the messenger (or thank us). We're just relaying the message ok maties.
The inquiry, chaired by everyone's favourite (just kidding) "independent" MP Andrew Wilkie, is probing the concept of a pre-commitment scheme using so smart cards or other technology to basically force the hand of pokie players to set limits on their gambling, but as news media has discovered in recent weeks, there's plenty of loopholes, with trials in the UK, Britain... showing the the tech has many flaws and some regions thought it was a dismal failure!
In return for Wilkie's support in forming government, Prime Minister Julia Gillard pledged to have national pre-commitment technology in place by 2014. Many Australian media types called the deal little more than a bribe, and one that's doomed to fail, also generating more negative press for the ALP.
Now thanks to a submission to the inquiry, which took place in Hobart on Friday, Australasian Casino Association (ACA) chief executive Chris Downy advised the industry needed much more time to roll out the technology.
"The ACA believes the government's timeline is unachievable and ignores the realities of implementation of any pre-commitment system," Downy said.
"Leading manufacturers have indicated that it will take at least 10 years to implement."
Downy also advised a loss in gambling revenue would negatively impact on down under's tourism industry.
"The casino industry is leading the way in Australia in reinvesting in and building new tourism infrastructure. The $4 billion investment being made by the industry currently will be put at risk at a time when the Australian tourism industry needs investment in tourism infrastructure."
Crown Limited's James Packer is the highest profile casino tycoon - whale in Australia who frequently pushes the tourism, lifestyle and total entertainment angle.
Wilkie said he would take Downy's concerns on board.
"I'm satisfied that we've heard enough evidence now that we can design a system to overcome those challenges," he said.
Ah, let the fun and games continue. Lovers VS Haters. All is fair in love and war, and in the Australian gambling and political wars.
10 years, 10 months or 10 weeks for a changeover. Where's my crystal ball? Incoming!
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Casino News Media
Poker News Media
Global Gaming Directory
Political fun and games with the lovers VS haters continues down under, and news media is learning that the upgrades may take up to a decade to get in place. No, its not a bad joke, but some detractors are calling the timeframe spin, as you might just imagine.
Pre-commitment technology on the "one armed bandits" will likely take up to a decade...yep, 10 years to implement. That's what Australia's parliamentary inquiry has been advised, so don't shoot the messenger (or thank us). We're just relaying the message ok maties.
The inquiry, chaired by everyone's favourite (just kidding) "independent" MP Andrew Wilkie, is probing the concept of a pre-commitment scheme using so smart cards or other technology to basically force the hand of pokie players to set limits on their gambling, but as news media has discovered in recent weeks, there's plenty of loopholes, with trials in the UK, Britain... showing the the tech has many flaws and some regions thought it was a dismal failure!
In return for Wilkie's support in forming government, Prime Minister Julia Gillard pledged to have national pre-commitment technology in place by 2014. Many Australian media types called the deal little more than a bribe, and one that's doomed to fail, also generating more negative press for the ALP.
Now thanks to a submission to the inquiry, which took place in Hobart on Friday, Australasian Casino Association (ACA) chief executive Chris Downy advised the industry needed much more time to roll out the technology.
"The ACA believes the government's timeline is unachievable and ignores the realities of implementation of any pre-commitment system," Downy said.
"Leading manufacturers have indicated that it will take at least 10 years to implement."
Downy also advised a loss in gambling revenue would negatively impact on down under's tourism industry.
"The casino industry is leading the way in Australia in reinvesting in and building new tourism infrastructure. The $4 billion investment being made by the industry currently will be put at risk at a time when the Australian tourism industry needs investment in tourism infrastructure."
Crown Limited's James Packer is the highest profile casino tycoon - whale in Australia who frequently pushes the tourism, lifestyle and total entertainment angle.
Wilkie said he would take Downy's concerns on board.
"I'm satisfied that we've heard enough evidence now that we can design a system to overcome those challenges," he said.
Ah, let the fun and games continue. Lovers VS Haters. All is fair in love and war, and in the Australian gambling and political wars.
10 years, 10 months or 10 weeks for a changeover. Where's my crystal ball? Incoming!
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Casino News Media
Poker News Media
Global Gaming Directory
Bowl-A-Rama Goes Rad At Bondi Beach, by Greg Tingle - 19th February 2011
Bowl-A-Rama. What's that I hear you ask?
Well, if you don't know you're not a mad, rad, skateboard nut.
The main event just happened to be first stop on the World Cup Skateboarding (WCS) leg .
Bondi Beaches' extreme sports fraternity had been looking forward to the big day and the show didn't disappoint. The motley crew has done Bondi Beach for the past 5 years, but insiders tell us that this year was the biggest, baddest and best to date. Yeah man, it was radical, as they say in cool skateboarding speak.
Beach locals would likely be aware of the skatebowl, but what most didn't know is that the bowl is favorite to many of the world's top skateboard pros (and masters aka legends).
Unless you've been sleeping under a rock, you would already know that the world of extreme sports, and certainly pro skateboarding, is big business and attracts million of dollars and some of the biggest media and sponsorship deals on the planet.
So, what's it all about? From a riders perspective the word is that fun is the name of the game, along with a massive adrenaline rush, but a reality check also shows for many its also about the big bucks, Oh, there's the party lifestyle, world travelling, chics and also a few unspeakables, not so suitable for a local newspaper's family orientated readership.
The event kicked off at 10am, but keen media and skate super freaks started showing up as early as 7am.
The promoter claims 100,000 or so folks witnessed the Bondi Beach event (but that includes the thousands of casual fans and others who couldn't fit in the purpose built arena (more on that later), who watched on the grassy knoll.
The thrashers, as they like to be called, were broken down into a few categories. You have the pros, with over a dozen showing Bondi their stuff, then there's the masters (or "legends") says Lee Ralph, and then there's the amateurs, who Bowl-A-Rama powers that be talent scouted.
A few things became obvious earlier in the day, before the event officially got on the way. It was be hot (literary and figuarably), sold out, cool, or rad, and that many of the worlds best skateboarders would be giving it their all, with a field that spanned the globe. Oh, Bondi Beaches's favorite son (of the skateboarding world), Mick Mulhall, continued to get a rock star ovation, but some insiders say he was never going to win.
Every skateboarder has their own story to tell, but the essence is fun, guts, stacks, tricks, parties, and just being the best you can be. Characters a plenty in this extreme sport.
The rider who grabbed our attention, and we suspect that of much of the crowd, was the well traveled Lee Ralph, who looked to be pushing 50, with his larrikin mannerisms, man-beast looks, impressive goatie, and never say die attitude, attempting some tricks that were never going to come off. When Ralph was quizzed on what's its all about he said "It's about fun, being the best you can be, and the rush". The master told us that he liked how many follows saw him and his peers as legends of the sport. "Man, that's cool, I like the sound of that. We just do our best, feed off the crowd, and have a hell of a lot of fun out there."
One of the youngsters of the sport, Pedro Barros (15), having flown in from Brazil, has already opened his own skate park, snatched X Games medals and just last year knocked out Bucky Lasek in the finals to win Bondi’s Bowl-A-Rama competition.
Todays's pro line up included Barros, Steve Caballero, Omar Hassan, Bob Burnquist, Rune Glifberg, Sam Beckett, Tony Trujillo and Corbin Harris.
"Winning doesn’t say you’re better than anyone, that was just a moment and Bucky didn’t have the luck of landing the tricks when I did. Being happy for me isn’t knocking out nobody, it’s just being around everybody and skateboarding. That’s what it’s about." Baros said.
He entered his first comp at three years of age and was fortunate enough to having a have a supportive dad who enjoyed the sport, plus avoiding serious injury didn't go astray either.
"I only broke my arm two or three times and I blew my elbow out of place not too long ago - nothing really serious. "It’s never good to hurt yourself, but whatever happens is supposed to. You can’t choose anything."
Bowl-A-Rama's pinnacle was on Saturday, but in line with the lifestyle, brought more than just a full day of rad thrashing to Bondi Beach. An impressive four days of parties, music and events were also part of the package. Even popular musos Infusion and Philadelphia Grand Jury joined in the fun and then there was the skateboarding inspired "Love and Guts Art Show".
Bondi Bowl-A-Rama was mainly bankrolled by Vans and Oakley. It was also Australia’s first-ever live webcast event for a skateboarding event, Barros won the pros, with an impressive portfolio of heavy lines, bio airs and a rad mix of stunts to win the Pro division.
The Masters was taken out by Steve Caballero - the third year in a row.
Bondi Beach, Waverley Council and Tourism NSW also won, with many shops and tourist attractions in the area reporting a record weekend trade.
Oh, that's right. You want to know who won and placed also.
Results:
Pros
1. Pedro Barros
2. Rune Glifberg
3. Bucky Lasek
4. Bob Burnquist
5. Renton Millar
6. Narthan Beck
7. RJ Barbaro
8. Nolan Monroe
Masters
1. Steve Caballero
2. Mik Mulhall
3. Lester Kasai
4. Nicky Guerrero
5. Sergie Ventura
6. Pat Ngoho
7. Sasha Steinhorst
8. Steve Alba
Best Trick: Bob Burnquist – Switch frontside heelflip frontside air
The verdict - Bondi Bowl-A-Rama was a world class sporting and pop culture event and Bondi Beach was truly blessed to have hosted it. Fun, dangerous, radical, totally entertaining and more. For $50 a ticket the main event day represented fantastic value for money, wowing the crowd for over 5 hours. Australia is already buzzing about their return next year and us locals can't wait to have you back.
Website
Bowl-A-Rama
http://www.bowlarama.com.au
*Photos by Eva Rinaldi Photography
Well, if you don't know you're not a mad, rad, skateboard nut.
The main event just happened to be first stop on the World Cup Skateboarding (WCS) leg .
Bondi Beaches' extreme sports fraternity had been looking forward to the big day and the show didn't disappoint. The motley crew has done Bondi Beach for the past 5 years, but insiders tell us that this year was the biggest, baddest and best to date. Yeah man, it was radical, as they say in cool skateboarding speak.
Beach locals would likely be aware of the skatebowl, but what most didn't know is that the bowl is favorite to many of the world's top skateboard pros (and masters aka legends).
Unless you've been sleeping under a rock, you would already know that the world of extreme sports, and certainly pro skateboarding, is big business and attracts million of dollars and some of the biggest media and sponsorship deals on the planet.
So, what's it all about? From a riders perspective the word is that fun is the name of the game, along with a massive adrenaline rush, but a reality check also shows for many its also about the big bucks, Oh, there's the party lifestyle, world travelling, chics and also a few unspeakables, not so suitable for a local newspaper's family orientated readership.
The event kicked off at 10am, but keen media and skate super freaks started showing up as early as 7am.
The promoter claims 100,000 or so folks witnessed the Bondi Beach event (but that includes the thousands of casual fans and others who couldn't fit in the purpose built arena (more on that later), who watched on the grassy knoll.
The thrashers, as they like to be called, were broken down into a few categories. You have the pros, with over a dozen showing Bondi their stuff, then there's the masters (or "legends") says Lee Ralph, and then there's the amateurs, who Bowl-A-Rama powers that be talent scouted.
A few things became obvious earlier in the day, before the event officially got on the way. It was be hot (literary and figuarably), sold out, cool, or rad, and that many of the worlds best skateboarders would be giving it their all, with a field that spanned the globe. Oh, Bondi Beaches's favorite son (of the skateboarding world), Mick Mulhall, continued to get a rock star ovation, but some insiders say he was never going to win.
Every skateboarder has their own story to tell, but the essence is fun, guts, stacks, tricks, parties, and just being the best you can be. Characters a plenty in this extreme sport.
The rider who grabbed our attention, and we suspect that of much of the crowd, was the well traveled Lee Ralph, who looked to be pushing 50, with his larrikin mannerisms, man-beast looks, impressive goatie, and never say die attitude, attempting some tricks that were never going to come off. When Ralph was quizzed on what's its all about he said "It's about fun, being the best you can be, and the rush". The master told us that he liked how many follows saw him and his peers as legends of the sport. "Man, that's cool, I like the sound of that. We just do our best, feed off the crowd, and have a hell of a lot of fun out there."
One of the youngsters of the sport, Pedro Barros (15), having flown in from Brazil, has already opened his own skate park, snatched X Games medals and just last year knocked out Bucky Lasek in the finals to win Bondi’s Bowl-A-Rama competition.
Todays's pro line up included Barros, Steve Caballero, Omar Hassan, Bob Burnquist, Rune Glifberg, Sam Beckett, Tony Trujillo and Corbin Harris.
"Winning doesn’t say you’re better than anyone, that was just a moment and Bucky didn’t have the luck of landing the tricks when I did. Being happy for me isn’t knocking out nobody, it’s just being around everybody and skateboarding. That’s what it’s about." Baros said.
He entered his first comp at three years of age and was fortunate enough to having a have a supportive dad who enjoyed the sport, plus avoiding serious injury didn't go astray either.
"I only broke my arm two or three times and I blew my elbow out of place not too long ago - nothing really serious. "It’s never good to hurt yourself, but whatever happens is supposed to. You can’t choose anything."
Bowl-A-Rama's pinnacle was on Saturday, but in line with the lifestyle, brought more than just a full day of rad thrashing to Bondi Beach. An impressive four days of parties, music and events were also part of the package. Even popular musos Infusion and Philadelphia Grand Jury joined in the fun and then there was the skateboarding inspired "Love and Guts Art Show".
Bondi Bowl-A-Rama was mainly bankrolled by Vans and Oakley. It was also Australia’s first-ever live webcast event for a skateboarding event, Barros won the pros, with an impressive portfolio of heavy lines, bio airs and a rad mix of stunts to win the Pro division.
The Masters was taken out by Steve Caballero - the third year in a row.
Bondi Beach, Waverley Council and Tourism NSW also won, with many shops and tourist attractions in the area reporting a record weekend trade.
Oh, that's right. You want to know who won and placed also.
Results:
Pros
1. Pedro Barros
2. Rune Glifberg
3. Bucky Lasek
4. Bob Burnquist
5. Renton Millar
6. Narthan Beck
7. RJ Barbaro
8. Nolan Monroe
Masters
1. Steve Caballero
2. Mik Mulhall
3. Lester Kasai
4. Nicky Guerrero
5. Sergie Ventura
6. Pat Ngoho
7. Sasha Steinhorst
8. Steve Alba
Best Trick: Bob Burnquist – Switch frontside heelflip frontside air
The verdict - Bondi Bowl-A-Rama was a world class sporting and pop culture event and Bondi Beach was truly blessed to have hosted it. Fun, dangerous, radical, totally entertaining and more. For $50 a ticket the main event day represented fantastic value for money, wowing the crowd for over 5 hours. Australia is already buzzing about their return next year and us locals can't wait to have you back.
Website
Bowl-A-Rama
http://www.bowlarama.com.au
*Photos by Eva Rinaldi Photography
Sunday, February 20, 2011
PartyGaming News: PartyPoker Launches Win Tonight Promotion
Profiles
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Samsung 3D televisions, Apple iPads, and Monster Beats headphones are just a few of the prizes up for grabs as part of PartyPoker’s Win Tonight promotion, which runs until March 28th. The series of daily freerolls is open to new players only.
The PartyPoker Win Tonight promotion began back on February 15th and gives players an extra incentive to sign up for the longstanding room fronted by Mike Sexton, Kara Scott, and the always boisterous Tony G. There are 42 freerolls that will be held in total – one each day until March 28th.
Between Monday and Saturday, the prizes that will be given away include a 16 GB iPad and cover, Canon EOS 1000D with tripod and bag, PSP Go and Monster Beats headphones, 320 GB PS3 Slim, PS3 Move Pack and charging kit, FIFA 11 and Call of Duty Black Ops games, 64 GB iPod Touch and docking speakers, and a Sony Vaio VPC that comes complete with a 16 GB flash drive. Swank.
On Sundays, PartyPoker is kicking the prize package up to a brand new 40-inch Samsung 3D television. To boot, you’ll also get a Blu-ray player and a set of 3D glasses for your viewing pleasure. If you’ve never seen a 3D television before, you should. Video games, movies, and more pop out of the screen at you like never before and, with 40 inches of screen space, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of Pandora.
The freerolls are held at 20:00 CET nightly and are only open to new players. To qualify, just make your first deposit between February 15th and the end of the day on March 27th. Then, enter as many freerolls as you can stomach. If you want to play every single day of the week, go for it. If you’d rather just enter on Sundays when the 3D television is up for grabs, do that instead.
If you make the final table of a Win Tonight freeroll, but don’t capture the top prize, you’ll still walk away with cash in tow. The top 10 players will finish in the money, with second place banking $30, third place scoring $20, fourth place earning $13, and fifth place earning $11. The sixth through tenth place finishers will collect between $3 and $8. The winners can also opt for a cash alternative, although the amount is up to PartyPoker to decide.
By the way, if you head to Best Buy’s website and search for a 40-inch Samsung 3D television, the asking price is $1,600, so there is plenty of value for players in the site’s Win Tonight promotion.
While you’re busy winning the hottest electronic items on PartyPoker, mark your calendar for March 6th, which will mark next month’s running of the Monthly Million. The $640 buy-in contest runs on the first Sunday of every month and features a solid mix of regulars and satellite qualifiers.
Speaking of satellites, there are plenty to choose from for the Monthly Million, including a $1 Million Mega Friday Satellite that sends at least 20 players to the big dance and costs $55. On Saturdays, look for $35 qualifiers that send at least 15 lucky PartyPoker players to the Monthly Million. Real money satellites start as low as a buck. Daily points qualifiers and country-specific freerolls also exist, so check out PartyPoker for full details. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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PartyGaming PartyPoker.com PartyCasino.com World Poker Tour Casino Poker Slots Games Media Man
Samsung 3D televisions, Apple iPads, and Monster Beats headphones are just a few of the prizes up for grabs as part of PartyPoker’s Win Tonight promotion, which runs until March 28th. The series of daily freerolls is open to new players only.
The PartyPoker Win Tonight promotion began back on February 15th and gives players an extra incentive to sign up for the longstanding room fronted by Mike Sexton, Kara Scott, and the always boisterous Tony G. There are 42 freerolls that will be held in total – one each day until March 28th.
Between Monday and Saturday, the prizes that will be given away include a 16 GB iPad and cover, Canon EOS 1000D with tripod and bag, PSP Go and Monster Beats headphones, 320 GB PS3 Slim, PS3 Move Pack and charging kit, FIFA 11 and Call of Duty Black Ops games, 64 GB iPod Touch and docking speakers, and a Sony Vaio VPC that comes complete with a 16 GB flash drive. Swank.
On Sundays, PartyPoker is kicking the prize package up to a brand new 40-inch Samsung 3D television. To boot, you’ll also get a Blu-ray player and a set of 3D glasses for your viewing pleasure. If you’ve never seen a 3D television before, you should. Video games, movies, and more pop out of the screen at you like never before and, with 40 inches of screen space, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of Pandora.
The freerolls are held at 20:00 CET nightly and are only open to new players. To qualify, just make your first deposit between February 15th and the end of the day on March 27th. Then, enter as many freerolls as you can stomach. If you want to play every single day of the week, go for it. If you’d rather just enter on Sundays when the 3D television is up for grabs, do that instead.
If you make the final table of a Win Tonight freeroll, but don’t capture the top prize, you’ll still walk away with cash in tow. The top 10 players will finish in the money, with second place banking $30, third place scoring $20, fourth place earning $13, and fifth place earning $11. The sixth through tenth place finishers will collect between $3 and $8. The winners can also opt for a cash alternative, although the amount is up to PartyPoker to decide.
By the way, if you head to Best Buy’s website and search for a 40-inch Samsung 3D television, the asking price is $1,600, so there is plenty of value for players in the site’s Win Tonight promotion.
While you’re busy winning the hottest electronic items on PartyPoker, mark your calendar for March 6th, which will mark next month’s running of the Monthly Million. The $640 buy-in contest runs on the first Sunday of every month and features a solid mix of regulars and satellite qualifiers.
Speaking of satellites, there are plenty to choose from for the Monthly Million, including a $1 Million Mega Friday Satellite that sends at least 20 players to the big dance and costs $55. On Saturdays, look for $35 qualifiers that send at least 15 lucky PartyPoker players to the Monthly Million. Real money satellites start as low as a buck. Daily points qualifiers and country-specific freerolls also exist, so check out PartyPoker for full details. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Asia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Casino News Media
Poker News Media
Global Gaming Directory
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