Happy Easter punters, gamblers, journos, politicians, entertainment news junkies...one and all. We have an full Easter basket of news for you today. Media Man and Gambling911 with your Eggs Lent news report...
Perth Taxi Driver Robs Fare From Burswood Punter Passenger...
A Perth taxi driver has been charged with robbing a passenger he was driving home from the popular Burswood Casino. Western Australian police said the 29-year-old taxi driver from Mirrabooka had attacked his passenger, a 25-year-old Tuart Hill man.
At the passenger's request, the driver had stopped at an ATM to get cash for his fare home from the casino. When his transaction was declined, the man offered the taxi driver his driver's licence as security until he paid him next day. The driver refused, snatching the man's wallet before he was able to retrieve it and run away.
Police said in a statement it would be alleged the taxi driver then followed the man to a car park where he assaulted him, punching him numerous times to his head and face. During the assault, the victim fell to the ground and the driver then stole his mobile phone. The victim sustained minor injuries during the incident. The driver has been charged with robbery and will appear in Perth Magistrates Court on May 5. Unfortunately the punters night ended on an unhappy and unlucky note. Burswood Casino did not comment.
Australian Model Media Personality Sophie Monk Keen on Star City And Jupiters Casinos...
Soph is in Sin City Sydney and hosted the Cleo Bachelor of the Year a few nights ago at an event attended by Media Man and his photographer very good friend Eva Rinaldi. Monk was staying at Star City when photographed with her former man. She is single again after her parting of the ways with millionaire fella Jimmy Esebag just two months after the couple got engaged. Monk have also been spotted in Sydney with ex fiancee Benji Madden. Popular music group Good Charlotte were in Sydney on Monday evening to open Star City Casino's new live music venue and Benji will be on the Gold Coast this Sunday at Jupiters Casino DJing for 450 fans in The PA Bar. Monk is tipped by insiders to appear as has a bit of a soft spot for Australian land based casinos.
Man Put In Can For Stabbing Wife During Gambling Tiff...
A Melbournite (Melbourne)e man who fatally stabbed his wife during an argument about his gambling linking has been sentenced to nine years in jail. A jury found former butcher Peter Lubic, 42, of Noble Park, guilty of manslaughter last year for stabbing his wife Barbara in the neck. The blow severed her carotid artery. The Victorian Supreme Court heard Mrs Lubic had challenged her husband's gambling habit. The court was told he called the TAB and called a taxi to take him to the Crown Casino in the hours after he killed her. In sentencing, Justice Ross Robson told Lubic that although it was only a single stab wound, it did not lower the degree of savagery on someone who trusted and honoured him and who should have been safe in her own home. Lubic will be eligible for parole in six-and-a-half years. The public is encouraged not to let their gambling get out of hand.
Gold Coast's Jupiters Hotel And Casino Gets New Boss...
The French native Frederic Luvisutto has been given the role as new boss of Jupiters Hotel and Casino on the Gold Coast. Tabcorp owns the casino and its senior executive, Larry Mullins, announced the appointment this week, stating Luvisutto would start on May 18. "Frederic comes to Jupiters with more than ten years experience as a senior executive in casino hotel operations and project development in the United States," Mullins said. Luvisutto most recently was engaged my MGM Resorts where he held the position of executive vice president hotel operations at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Luvisutto has been involved in several new developments during his time in casinos and Mullins said he was the perfect person to oversee the revamp of Jupiters. Jupiters has a two-stage $350 million development in the works and the first part, worth $175 million, involves eight new restaurants and bars, a new nightclub, new spa facilities as well as expanded and refurbished gaming facilities. Stage 2, coming up soon, is also going to cost about $175 million, is going to likely get the green light should the Gold Coast winning the 2018 Commonwealth Games bid. "Frederic understands what it takes to create world-class facilities and he has an impressive record for improving customer service across several hotel casino properties," he said. "I'm confident he will take the experience at Jupiters to a whole new level". A Media Man spokesperson said "If anyone can add a new dynamic in the Australian land based casinos wars that looks to be Frederic Luvisutto at the moment. The odds are appearing to even out in Crown Casino VS Tabcorp land based casinos, and we wish Jupiters new boss well in his role. We're sure he will be busy striving to become #1 down under in Australia.
Bob Geldof To Play Charity Performance At Sydney's Star City May 1...
The legendary Bob Geldof from do a special one performance charity concert in Sin Sydney to help victims of the recent disasters in Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The pop star will headline the Rock and Rebuild fundraiser at Sydney's Star City's Lyric Theatre on May 1, with generous support from local acts Jon Stevens and Danielle Spencer. Geldof advised the devastating scenes from the disaster areas have been heart wrenching and long after the cameras shift, their focus people will still be rebuilding their lives. Geldof was the mastermind behind the Live Aid and Live 8 concerts while raising awareness (and funds) for poverty and famine in Africa. Comon, get yourself to the casino, if you're feeling lucky spin to win, and enjoy the musical genius of Geldof and friends.
Punters, er readers, stay glued to Media Man reports via Gambling911 for more "can't miss" information on Australian pokies and gaming wars.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.
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Media Man International Blog. Media Man International is part of the Media Man Group of companies.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Australia To Crack Down On Internet Betting, by Greg Tingle - 23rd April 2011
Australian internet gamers - gamblers, and was as many sectors of the media are going to welcome the news that greater consumer protection measures are coming up in the near future. More regulation may also be in order as a result of information Australian Daniel Tzvetkoff has been passing to the FBI and other authorities in relation to gaming and the financial services sector. Media Man and Gambling911 continues to deliver news you need to know...
Aussie Internet Gamblers To Get More Protection...
Australian gamblers who lose money, rather that make a quid, playing internet poker or online casino games like slots, would be able to void unsuccessful credit card wagers under legislation to be tabled in Parliament next month. It's part of the plan to crack down on illegal internet betting. Independent senator Nick Xenophon will also put forward proposals re advertising controls on companies with gaming products and their affiliated websites. It's understood laws prohibit gambling houses from allowing Aussies to play poker and casino games for money across the web, however no company has been prosecuted for breaching these regulations. Roughly $1 billion is bet by Aussies over these websites annually.
"With voided credit card bets, I have to say there's something appealing to me about online casinos losing their shirts rather than the punters," Xenophon said. "It would certainly make online casinos think twice about accepting Australian cards." The Australian government is in a wrestling match to introduce pokies reform under which the maximum individual bet would be reduced from $10 to $1. That change is part of a deal the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, struck with the independent MP Andrew Wilkie to help snatch his support after the election last year. Some dramas hit betting sites became worldwide news last weekend after America's Federal Bureau of Investigation laid charges against the major players in the global online poker industry - PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker - alleging bank fraud, money laundering and breaches of US gambling laws. It boosted the popularity of some gambling brands not in trouble such as bwin.party digital entertainment and PKR. The FBI also sought to recover more than $US3 billion ($2.8 billion) as the proceeds of crime. Although the "Big Three' being probed by the FBI cannot advertise in Australia, some use affiliated websites...like "play for fun" (not money)...sponsorship of sports teams also happen such as with NRL clubs Cronulla and the Sydney Roosters, and then already one brand has a stadium named after them. Brands offering prohibited poker and casino betting can also operate from within Australia. It's understand a company called GP Information Services, which has an office in 'Sin City' Sydney, is a subsidiary of PokerStars, running a 200-strong office in downtown Chatswood, just 15 minutes from the heart of Sydney's CBD. Firms that breach the law can be fined up to $1.1 million a day, but none has been prosecuted, but a spokesman for the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy advised "a number of instances … have been referred to the AFP".
Daniel Tzvetkoff Gets Witness Protection For Gaming Information...
Ex Australian internet whiz kid Daniel Tzvetkoff is likely to have entered the FBI's witness protection program and could be put up in a jail facility on the US east coast, a former FBI special agent believes. Tzvetkoff's last known location was a prison in New York where US government prosecutors fought at bail hearings to keep him but, on August 23 last year, he was moved under a veil of secrecy. It is believed the 28-year-old Gold Coast entrepreneur, once worth about $82 million, has become a star witness for the FBI and prosecutors. Last week, the FBI charged 11 people - including the founders of the giant PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker internet poker companies - with bank fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling offences. "He's in a lock-up somewhere," said James Wedick, a decorated former FBI special agent who worked with the crime-fighting agency for 34 years and specialised in handling confidential informants and co-operating witnesses. Tzvetkoff was arrested a year ago in Vegas and faces 75 years in US federal prison for allegedly creating a scheme to illegally process more than $US500 million in transactions between US gamblers and internet gaming websites. Wedick said if Tzvetkoff had agreed to become a government witness, it would not guarantee his release from custody.
"There's no way they'd let him walk out," he told the press after examining details of the cases. It was also unlikely Tzvetkoff would be held in a safe house. Jails had special wings or floors for prisoners in the witness protection program and these were separate from the general prison population, he said. "If he's gone into the witness protection program, he is merely in one of the protection wings of the prison," Wedick said. The FBI and prosecutors from the US Attorney's Southern District of New York office have declined to comment on Tzvetkoff's whereabouts.
Court proceedings in Tzvetkoff's case are held behind closed doors and filings sealed from the public. "You are going to have to call the US Attorney's office on this," said a FBI spokesman, declining to comment on the Tzvetkoff case. A call to the US Attorney's office came with the same info. "It's our policy to not comment on ongoing cases and investigations," the spokeswoman said. A couple of years back, Tzvetkoff was pushed as one of Australia's smartest and most successful young businessmen after creating Brisbane-based internet payment processing company Intabill. Tzvetkoff drove Lamborghinis, Ferraris, showed off his wealth, and now its come back to haunt him. Other companies with some links to the gaming industry are understood to be doing house keeping and getting more legal advise to make sure their business won't suffer a similar fate to Tzvetkoff's.
A Media Man spokesperson said "We will continue to cover the gaming sector, just as we cover a dozen industry vertical markets. Online property, celebrity and entertainment news, travel, politics and overall expansion of website portals remains a focus point for us. We're not a casino, but we will certainly continue to cover the casino, online casino and poker sector. We've been offering alternative news and online media for a decade, and we are not about to stop covering it just because some questionable gambling websites based in the US closed down. We will also continue to rank a online casino and online poker website of the month also. It's pretty much business as usual across our international network".
Punters, er readers, stay glued to Media Man reports via Gambling911 for more "can't miss" information on Australian pokies and gaming wars.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man News
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Casino News Media
Poker News Media
Global Gaming Directory
Aussie Internet Gamblers To Get More Protection...
Australian gamblers who lose money, rather that make a quid, playing internet poker or online casino games like slots, would be able to void unsuccessful credit card wagers under legislation to be tabled in Parliament next month. It's part of the plan to crack down on illegal internet betting. Independent senator Nick Xenophon will also put forward proposals re advertising controls on companies with gaming products and their affiliated websites. It's understood laws prohibit gambling houses from allowing Aussies to play poker and casino games for money across the web, however no company has been prosecuted for breaching these regulations. Roughly $1 billion is bet by Aussies over these websites annually.
"With voided credit card bets, I have to say there's something appealing to me about online casinos losing their shirts rather than the punters," Xenophon said. "It would certainly make online casinos think twice about accepting Australian cards." The Australian government is in a wrestling match to introduce pokies reform under which the maximum individual bet would be reduced from $10 to $1. That change is part of a deal the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, struck with the independent MP Andrew Wilkie to help snatch his support after the election last year. Some dramas hit betting sites became worldwide news last weekend after America's Federal Bureau of Investigation laid charges against the major players in the global online poker industry - PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker - alleging bank fraud, money laundering and breaches of US gambling laws. It boosted the popularity of some gambling brands not in trouble such as bwin.party digital entertainment and PKR. The FBI also sought to recover more than $US3 billion ($2.8 billion) as the proceeds of crime. Although the "Big Three' being probed by the FBI cannot advertise in Australia, some use affiliated websites...like "play for fun" (not money)...sponsorship of sports teams also happen such as with NRL clubs Cronulla and the Sydney Roosters, and then already one brand has a stadium named after them. Brands offering prohibited poker and casino betting can also operate from within Australia. It's understand a company called GP Information Services, which has an office in 'Sin City' Sydney, is a subsidiary of PokerStars, running a 200-strong office in downtown Chatswood, just 15 minutes from the heart of Sydney's CBD. Firms that breach the law can be fined up to $1.1 million a day, but none has been prosecuted, but a spokesman for the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy advised "a number of instances … have been referred to the AFP".
Daniel Tzvetkoff Gets Witness Protection For Gaming Information...
Ex Australian internet whiz kid Daniel Tzvetkoff is likely to have entered the FBI's witness protection program and could be put up in a jail facility on the US east coast, a former FBI special agent believes. Tzvetkoff's last known location was a prison in New York where US government prosecutors fought at bail hearings to keep him but, on August 23 last year, he was moved under a veil of secrecy. It is believed the 28-year-old Gold Coast entrepreneur, once worth about $82 million, has become a star witness for the FBI and prosecutors. Last week, the FBI charged 11 people - including the founders of the giant PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker internet poker companies - with bank fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling offences. "He's in a lock-up somewhere," said James Wedick, a decorated former FBI special agent who worked with the crime-fighting agency for 34 years and specialised in handling confidential informants and co-operating witnesses. Tzvetkoff was arrested a year ago in Vegas and faces 75 years in US federal prison for allegedly creating a scheme to illegally process more than $US500 million in transactions between US gamblers and internet gaming websites. Wedick said if Tzvetkoff had agreed to become a government witness, it would not guarantee his release from custody.
"There's no way they'd let him walk out," he told the press after examining details of the cases. It was also unlikely Tzvetkoff would be held in a safe house. Jails had special wings or floors for prisoners in the witness protection program and these were separate from the general prison population, he said. "If he's gone into the witness protection program, he is merely in one of the protection wings of the prison," Wedick said. The FBI and prosecutors from the US Attorney's Southern District of New York office have declined to comment on Tzvetkoff's whereabouts.
Court proceedings in Tzvetkoff's case are held behind closed doors and filings sealed from the public. "You are going to have to call the US Attorney's office on this," said a FBI spokesman, declining to comment on the Tzvetkoff case. A call to the US Attorney's office came with the same info. "It's our policy to not comment on ongoing cases and investigations," the spokeswoman said. A couple of years back, Tzvetkoff was pushed as one of Australia's smartest and most successful young businessmen after creating Brisbane-based internet payment processing company Intabill. Tzvetkoff drove Lamborghinis, Ferraris, showed off his wealth, and now its come back to haunt him. Other companies with some links to the gaming industry are understood to be doing house keeping and getting more legal advise to make sure their business won't suffer a similar fate to Tzvetkoff's.
A Media Man spokesperson said "We will continue to cover the gaming sector, just as we cover a dozen industry vertical markets. Online property, celebrity and entertainment news, travel, politics and overall expansion of website portals remains a focus point for us. We're not a casino, but we will certainly continue to cover the casino, online casino and poker sector. We've been offering alternative news and online media for a decade, and we are not about to stop covering it just because some questionable gambling websites based in the US closed down. We will also continue to rank a online casino and online poker website of the month also. It's pretty much business as usual across our international network".
Punters, er readers, stay glued to Media Man reports via Gambling911 for more "can't miss" information on Australian pokies and gaming wars.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man News
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Casino News Media
Poker News Media
Global Gaming Directory
Friday, April 22, 2011
Network Nine Beats ABC To Paper Giants; Packer And Ita, by Greg Tingle - 21st April 2011
Famous Australians, the late Kerry Packer, and living media icon Ita Buttrose, will be portrayed in an new Aussie telemovie coming to the box later this month: 'Paper Giants - The Birth Of Cleo'. Cleo the magazine, not the slot folks. In the latest development, Network Nine powers that be, close to the Packers', have snatched the series away from the ABC. Media Man and Gambling911 cut to the chase on what may or may not have happened between the late gambling king KP and former magazine queen, Ita, plus offer a few candid comments with this special probing report...
Nine Snatches Kerry Packer - Ita Buttrose Sequel From ABC; Nine Plays On Packer History...
Packer and Ita fans - you'll love this...the sequel to Paper Giants is going back to Network Nine, after ABC got first pickings. The ABC's hit drama about the media and gambling king, Ita Buttrose and Cleo mag, will not be on the national broadcaster, but on Kerry Packer's former network, Nine. It wasn't long after the first episode of Paper Giants, a two-part mini-series, hit on Sunday night, the chief executive of Nine, David Gyngell, made a play to get the second part. The late Packer and Gyngell were mates and rather like family we understand. He remains good friends with Packer's son and Ten shareholder, James Packer. The sequel will cover Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket, which changed the game forever, including giving sweet paydays for players. Network Nine broadcast the competitions and owns the footage and associated programs and promotional material. It has a long association with some of the key players, including the present-day commentators Richie Benaud, Tony Greig and Ian Chappell. Securing the special comes at a most important time for Nine heads, which is in a ratings battle against Channel Seven and is also preparing to float on the sharemarket to return some of the $5 billion its private equity owners spent buying Nine and ACP Magazines. The ABC had first thought Paper Giants was the first stage in a three-part story of Packer's and Ita's life. It was interested in the entire collection, but would commit to only one stage at a time. The ABC director of television, Kim Dalton, expressed his disappointment at losing the series: "We were very enthusiastic about the opportunity, and it would've worked very well on ABC TV. But them's the breaks." The first instalment of Paper Giants on Sunday night captured 1.2 million viewers in the five main cities for the ABC. A further 150,000 tuned in for the second half on Monday night. The ABC called the production company behind the series, Southern Star, to confirm it wanted another lot, but Channel Nine also made contact. Gyngell was not available for comment, but Channel Nine secured the rights for roughly $2.5 million. The Southern Star chief executive, Rory Callaghan, said the ABC was given the chance to secure the rights in October. Asked if he was happy for the sequel to go to Nine, he said: "We're a production company, we're just trying to do our best."
Australian's Kerry Packer and Ita Buttrose In New Cleo TV Show...
Gambling and media fans. You won't have to wait much longer. The late Kerry Packer (played by actor Rob Carlton) will be returning to Australian TV screens (and internet). Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo, promises to be a quality production that will also show some of the more intimate details of the relationship between the late Packer and Ita, as well as show us a bit of our mate, Jack Thompson (in a Cleo spread no less). Jack is understood to be pleased with the choice of model just quietly. Yeah, we're going to get some nudity boys and girls. The telemovie stars Asher Keddie as Ita Buttrose and will tell the story of the magazines' rise in the Australian media circa 1970s. The viewer will also get some solid insight into the lives of Packer and Buttrose. What do our friends at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation have to say about it? "In early 1972, 30 year old journalist and editor, Ita Buttrose (Asher Keddie) and 35 year old Kerry Packer (Rob Carlton), heir to what was then Australia's most ruthlessly powerful and influential publishing family, got together to create a magazine that became one of the most dramatic sensations in Australian publishing history. CLEO went on to help define women, Australia and the relationship between the two." Buttrose, who first cemented her place as the magazine's editor, was a consultant on the production. "If there was a supposed affair it didn't happen in this timeframe. I have no idea if there was, we didn't raise it with her," said producer John Edwards. A 2007 feature article by The Sydney Morning Herald revealed on Packer - Buttrose: "He soon proposed marriage and, despite rumours to the contrary, she accepted him. But she was less committed to the idea of marriage than he was. She already had one failed marriage behind her," we were told. That marriage to Alasdair Macdonald produced Buttrose's two children, Ben and Kate. "After Ita accepted Kerry's proposal, Kerry told his wife Ros, who knew about the affair anyway. She threatened to take half his wealth and deny him custody of his children, Gretel and James. Kerry found himself weighing up the loss of half of his riches and the loss of his children and finally had a change of heart. He didn't want to lose either." Actor Carlton says he approached the role of Packer with "an equal dose of terror and exhilaration. Like most encounters with Kerry Packer, I'm told". The two-part telemovie will go to air at 8.30pm, Sunday 17 April (and) the same time on Monday, 18 April, on ABC1. News media is speculating is the son of the late KP, James Packer, may get any positive spin offs or PR's from the telemovie which is being touted to be the talk of 'Sin City' Sydney, and perhaps even across Australia, such is the interest in Packer and Buttrose. Buttrose is managed by the Harry M. Miller Group, and Packer is well... not easy to get in touch with, but the right approach to Crown Casino directly can sometimes work wonders. No, please don't ask us for more information on how to, and no, we don't manage them either, but offer online profiles on the two for folks who are interested. From the leaks we've got on Paper-Cuts so far; 4 out of 5 stars. "It's 1972. Skirts are up, pants are down". Spin to win with Cleo, the telemovie, not the slot!
Profiles
Kerry Packer
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/packer1.html
Ita Buttrose
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/buttrose.html
Jack Thompson
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/thompson.html
Cleo (the slot, not the mag)!
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/cleo.html
As always, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Good luck.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Media Man News
Casino News Media
Poker News Media
Global Gaming Directory
Nine Snatches Kerry Packer - Ita Buttrose Sequel From ABC; Nine Plays On Packer History...
Packer and Ita fans - you'll love this...the sequel to Paper Giants is going back to Network Nine, after ABC got first pickings. The ABC's hit drama about the media and gambling king, Ita Buttrose and Cleo mag, will not be on the national broadcaster, but on Kerry Packer's former network, Nine. It wasn't long after the first episode of Paper Giants, a two-part mini-series, hit on Sunday night, the chief executive of Nine, David Gyngell, made a play to get the second part. The late Packer and Gyngell were mates and rather like family we understand. He remains good friends with Packer's son and Ten shareholder, James Packer. The sequel will cover Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket, which changed the game forever, including giving sweet paydays for players. Network Nine broadcast the competitions and owns the footage and associated programs and promotional material. It has a long association with some of the key players, including the present-day commentators Richie Benaud, Tony Greig and Ian Chappell. Securing the special comes at a most important time for Nine heads, which is in a ratings battle against Channel Seven and is also preparing to float on the sharemarket to return some of the $5 billion its private equity owners spent buying Nine and ACP Magazines. The ABC had first thought Paper Giants was the first stage in a three-part story of Packer's and Ita's life. It was interested in the entire collection, but would commit to only one stage at a time. The ABC director of television, Kim Dalton, expressed his disappointment at losing the series: "We were very enthusiastic about the opportunity, and it would've worked very well on ABC TV. But them's the breaks." The first instalment of Paper Giants on Sunday night captured 1.2 million viewers in the five main cities for the ABC. A further 150,000 tuned in for the second half on Monday night. The ABC called the production company behind the series, Southern Star, to confirm it wanted another lot, but Channel Nine also made contact. Gyngell was not available for comment, but Channel Nine secured the rights for roughly $2.5 million. The Southern Star chief executive, Rory Callaghan, said the ABC was given the chance to secure the rights in October. Asked if he was happy for the sequel to go to Nine, he said: "We're a production company, we're just trying to do our best."
Australian's Kerry Packer and Ita Buttrose In New Cleo TV Show...
Gambling and media fans. You won't have to wait much longer. The late Kerry Packer (played by actor Rob Carlton) will be returning to Australian TV screens (and internet). Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo, promises to be a quality production that will also show some of the more intimate details of the relationship between the late Packer and Ita, as well as show us a bit of our mate, Jack Thompson (in a Cleo spread no less). Jack is understood to be pleased with the choice of model just quietly. Yeah, we're going to get some nudity boys and girls. The telemovie stars Asher Keddie as Ita Buttrose and will tell the story of the magazines' rise in the Australian media circa 1970s. The viewer will also get some solid insight into the lives of Packer and Buttrose. What do our friends at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation have to say about it? "In early 1972, 30 year old journalist and editor, Ita Buttrose (Asher Keddie) and 35 year old Kerry Packer (Rob Carlton), heir to what was then Australia's most ruthlessly powerful and influential publishing family, got together to create a magazine that became one of the most dramatic sensations in Australian publishing history. CLEO went on to help define women, Australia and the relationship between the two." Buttrose, who first cemented her place as the magazine's editor, was a consultant on the production. "If there was a supposed affair it didn't happen in this timeframe. I have no idea if there was, we didn't raise it with her," said producer John Edwards. A 2007 feature article by The Sydney Morning Herald revealed on Packer - Buttrose: "He soon proposed marriage and, despite rumours to the contrary, she accepted him. But she was less committed to the idea of marriage than he was. She already had one failed marriage behind her," we were told. That marriage to Alasdair Macdonald produced Buttrose's two children, Ben and Kate. "After Ita accepted Kerry's proposal, Kerry told his wife Ros, who knew about the affair anyway. She threatened to take half his wealth and deny him custody of his children, Gretel and James. Kerry found himself weighing up the loss of half of his riches and the loss of his children and finally had a change of heart. He didn't want to lose either." Actor Carlton says he approached the role of Packer with "an equal dose of terror and exhilaration. Like most encounters with Kerry Packer, I'm told". The two-part telemovie will go to air at 8.30pm, Sunday 17 April (and) the same time on Monday, 18 April, on ABC1. News media is speculating is the son of the late KP, James Packer, may get any positive spin offs or PR's from the telemovie which is being touted to be the talk of 'Sin City' Sydney, and perhaps even across Australia, such is the interest in Packer and Buttrose. Buttrose is managed by the Harry M. Miller Group, and Packer is well... not easy to get in touch with, but the right approach to Crown Casino directly can sometimes work wonders. No, please don't ask us for more information on how to, and no, we don't manage them either, but offer online profiles on the two for folks who are interested. From the leaks we've got on Paper-Cuts so far; 4 out of 5 stars. "It's 1972. Skirts are up, pants are down". Spin to win with Cleo, the telemovie, not the slot!
Profiles
Kerry Packer
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/packer1.html
Ita Buttrose
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/buttrose.html
Jack Thompson
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/thompson.html
Cleo (the slot, not the mag)!
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/cleo.html
As always, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Good luck.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.
Website Network
Media Man International
Media Man
Media Man Australia
Media Man Canada
Media Man Games
Media Man Brand
Media Man Network
Media Man News
Casino News Media
Poker News Media
Global Gaming Directory
Thursday, April 21, 2011
PartyCasino Gets New Games And Promos: The Sting
The Sting has arrived at PartyCasino
PartyCasino.com has recently introduced a new Gold Jackpot slot game ‘The Sting.’ This hexagon based game features buzzing busy bees and has a pleasant sting in its tail with an expanding honeystick wild and free spins! PartyCasino.com has the most frequent game launches in the industry and offers over 160 games, including over 100 slots. PartyCasino.com pays out easily over $10 million EVERY DAY to players.
Game objective:
Sting is a hexagons based game that consists of a draw area of fixed 24 hexagons which will rotate and then stop, producing a random symbol. This game has no pay lines. The player receives a payout for connecting and matching symbol groups anywhere on the hexagons draw area. The player gets wins when there are 4 or more matching connecting symbol groups (anywhere on the draw area) and the game pays up to 12 or more symbol combinations. This creates a large variety of wins (over 100,000 possible ways to win!). The game features an expanding Honey stick wild symbol. Wherever this symbol appears on the reel, it will turn all the symbols straight below it to wild. This game also features a Show Me The Honey feature which awards the users with free spins and multipliers. It is possible to win quarter of a Million in one spin on this game by playing the maximum stake and getting a group of 12 or more symbols of a few selected types.
Game Information:
The minimum bet amount is $1 USD and the maximum bet amount is $500USD.
Gold jackpot:
'Gold Jackpot' consists of four jackpots at different levels; the levels are - from the lowest to the highest - Gold Blitz Jackpot, Gold Quick Jackpot, Gold Super Jackpot and Gold Mega Jackpot. All four jackpots grow progressively as bets are made. For each spin, the house adds a small credit to the four running jackpots. All four levels in Gold Jackpot can be won irrespective of hitting any winning combination, while betting any amount. Each jackpot level is reset to its individual seed value after any player hits that particular jackpot. The seed value will be the value that is set by Party Gaming.
How to play:
The amount you are staking will be shown at the bottom of the screen between the "-" and "+" buttons.
Use these two buttons to choose a stake between MIN and MAX limits specified above.
Setting 'STAKE': When you enter the game, a default bet of $X USD is selected. The stake is displayed at the bottom of the screen below the reels. You can choose to increase or decrease the bet by using the "-" and "+" buttons available between MAX BET and AUTO SPIN. If your game balance drops below total bet placed, the system will automatically present the buy-in window
'PAYTABLE': Pay table can be viewed by clicking on the 'PAYTABLE'' button at middle left of the game screen. You can go back to the game by clicking on the 'GAME button available on 'PAYTABLE' screen. The second page of the pay table can be viewed by clicking on the 'NEXT' button available on the bottom center of the 'PAYTABLE' screen. To calculate the payout amount, multiply the respective prize with the stake placed. Clicking on the 'RULES' button in the pay table screen takes you to the Game Rules page.
'RULES': The Game Rules can be viewed by clicking on the 'RULES' button on the left hand side of the game screen. Player can go back to the game by clicking on the 'GAME' button available on 'RULES' screens. Clicking on the 'JACKPOT RULES' button in the RULES screen takes you to the JACKPOT RULES page.
The Jackpot Rules can be viewed by clicking on the 'JACKPOT RULES'' button at the top right of the game screen below the Jackpot meter.
PLAY: Press 'Spin' to start the game. The hexagons rotate and after they stop the rotation, winnings are paid; the winning combinations are obtained by having 4 or more of the matching connecting symbol groups anywhere on the hexagons draw area. Amount won will be paid according to the pay table. Symbols that form the winning combination will be highlighted and the win details shown at the bottom of the hexagons.
Result: All winning symbols will be highlighted and animated. The total win amount is shown in the Ticker messages displayed at the bottom centre the reels. The symbols participating in a winning combination will be highlighted and animated.
Repeat Bet/Change Bet: If you have already bet, the settings selected will be automatically carried over to the subsequent spin if there is sufficient amount. The default stake is $25 which is fixed for all 24 hexagons and a player can choose to increase or decrease the bet per line by using the "-" and "+" buttons between MAX BET and AUTO SPIN buttons.
Balance: Your remaining game balance, after you have placed the desired bet, is shown in 'CREDITS' meter.
BET: The amount that is going to be bet in a particular game is shown in the 'TOTAL BET' field.
Your current game balance is the sum of the amounts displayed in the 'CREDITS' and 'TOTAL BET' fields.
'AUTOPLAY': You can make use of this feature to choose the available number of spins options for 'hands free' game play. Options available under this feature are:
Number of spins: The game will automatically spin for the number of spins selected from the drop-down menu.
Spin till win is equal to or exceeds: The game will automatically spin until the win amount is equal to or exceeds the amount selected from the drop down menu.
Spin till any win: The game will automatically spin until the next win.
Spin till feature trigger: The game will automatically spin until the next feature is triggered.
Spin till my balance exceeds or equals to: The game will automatically spin until the game balance is greater than or equal to the amount entered. Note that 'game balance' implies the sum of the amounts given under 'CREDITS' meter and 'TOTAL BET' meter.
Spin till my balance falls below or equals to: The game will automatically spin until the game balance is less than or equal to the amount entered. Note that 'game balance' implies the sum of amounts given under 'CREDITS' meter and 'TOTAL BET' meter.
Play faster: This option lets you play faster than usual by reducing the break time. You must choose at least one of the other available Auto spin options to play with this option.
To make use of the auto spin feature, click on the 'AUTO SPIN' button at the bottom of the game screen. When the auto spin window opens, check the boxes next to the option(s) you'd like to play with. Select from the drop-down menu where applicable. Click on 'START' to activate the selected options and start the spins. Click on 'CANCEL' to return to the game screen.
Click on 'STOPSPIN' button to deactivate AUTOSPIN. While if spin is in progress, AUTOSPIN will be stopped after completing the current spin, otherwise AUTOSPIN is stopped immediately and normal game is restored.
When playing with multiple 'AUTO SPIN' options, the condition that is satisfied first will take precedence over the others, and the remaining selected conditions will be ignored. You can then choose to either select the same set of options again, or choose new option(s), and proceed with the 'AUTO SPIN'.
Please note: The 'AUTOSPIN' option is not available in play money mode.
Click on 'GAME LOGS' to view the logs of the games you've played.
Click on 'GAME RULES' to view the detailed rules of the game as web page.
Click on 'REBUY' to buy more credits into the game from your Account.
Click on 'EXIT GAME' to leave the game and return to the Lobby.
Click on 'QUICK DEPOSIT' button to deposit money into your Account.
The game rules are identical in both real money and play money modes.
Malfunctions Voids all Pays and Plays.
Expanding Wild
Honey Stick symbol is the wild symbol. It will let honey drip downwards, turning all symbols straight below the Wild into wilds.
Wild symbols may substitute only one matching connecting symbol group to form a winning combination. Any 4 or more connecting matching symbols including substituting Wild symbol may pay as per the pay table.
Honey stick symbol can substitute for any symbol except the Sting logo.
Honey stick can only substitute for one type of symbol and can be used for only one matching symbol groups' win.
When there is more than one type of symbol that the wild could substitute to make matching symbol group wins, then it will be used only for the win that makes the highest payout. If different symbol groups can make the same payout, then it will be used for the symbol that is higher up in the pay table.
Show Me The Honey Feature
Show Me the Honey feature is triggered when 3 The Sting Logo symbols appear anywhere on reels 2, 4, and 6.
Click on any one of 3 flowers, which awards free spins and a multiplier. The maximum number of free spins that can get awarded is 40 and the maximum multiplier is 8
You will be awarded with a random number of free spins & multipliers on selecting a flower. All free spins are played with the same stake as the triggering spin.
Wild feature can be triggered during free spins as well.
It is not possible to trigger free spins within free spins.
At the end of the free spins you are shown a summary of your total winnings in free spins in the ticker area and the amount gets added up to your total credits.
Jackpot Feature Game
The jackpot feature game is triggered every time you hit a jackpot.
Play the jackpot feature to find out which level of jackpot you have won.
Any bet is eligible for the jackpot. The larger your wager is on each game, the more chances you have of winning the jackpot.
Bonus feature game and free spin feature cannot trigger jackpot feature game.
Choose six out of the nine available options to reveal the '$' signs.
Only real money bets contribute to the Jackpot
Each '$' sign awards one level of the Gold Jackpot.
One '$' sign awards Gold Blitz Jackpot.
Two '$' signs award Gold Quick Jackpot.
Three '$' signs award Gold Super Jackpot.
Four '$' signs award Gold Mega Jackpot.
Click on the 'COMPLETE' button to restore the main game screen.
If you win multiple jackpots, the jackpot feature for the next jackpot will begin after you click the 'COMPLETE' button.
Pay Table
Click on PAYTABLE button in the main game screen, game will navigate to Payable screen. The NEXT button on the pay table window takes you to the second page of the pay table. (Please refer Fig 1 & 2 shown below)
Game Rules
Click on RULES button in the main game screen, game will navigate to Game Rules screen.
(Please refer Fig 3 shown below)
Jackpot Rules
The Jackpot Rules can be viewed by clicking on the 'JACKPOT RULES' button at the top right of the game screen below the Jackpot meter. Clicking on the 'JACKPOT RULES' button in the RULES screen also takes you to the JACKPOT RULES page.
The theoretical return to player of this game is 96.69%.
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PartyCasino.com has recently introduced a new Gold Jackpot slot game ‘The Sting.’ This hexagon based game features buzzing busy bees and has a pleasant sting in its tail with an expanding honeystick wild and free spins! PartyCasino.com has the most frequent game launches in the industry and offers over 160 games, including over 100 slots. PartyCasino.com pays out easily over $10 million EVERY DAY to players.
Game objective:
Sting is a hexagons based game that consists of a draw area of fixed 24 hexagons which will rotate and then stop, producing a random symbol. This game has no pay lines. The player receives a payout for connecting and matching symbol groups anywhere on the hexagons draw area. The player gets wins when there are 4 or more matching connecting symbol groups (anywhere on the draw area) and the game pays up to 12 or more symbol combinations. This creates a large variety of wins (over 100,000 possible ways to win!). The game features an expanding Honey stick wild symbol. Wherever this symbol appears on the reel, it will turn all the symbols straight below it to wild. This game also features a Show Me The Honey feature which awards the users with free spins and multipliers. It is possible to win quarter of a Million in one spin on this game by playing the maximum stake and getting a group of 12 or more symbols of a few selected types.
Game Information:
The minimum bet amount is $1 USD and the maximum bet amount is $500USD.
Gold jackpot:
'Gold Jackpot' consists of four jackpots at different levels; the levels are - from the lowest to the highest - Gold Blitz Jackpot, Gold Quick Jackpot, Gold Super Jackpot and Gold Mega Jackpot. All four jackpots grow progressively as bets are made. For each spin, the house adds a small credit to the four running jackpots. All four levels in Gold Jackpot can be won irrespective of hitting any winning combination, while betting any amount. Each jackpot level is reset to its individual seed value after any player hits that particular jackpot. The seed value will be the value that is set by Party Gaming.
How to play:
The amount you are staking will be shown at the bottom of the screen between the "-" and "+" buttons.
Use these two buttons to choose a stake between MIN and MAX limits specified above.
Setting 'STAKE': When you enter the game, a default bet of $X USD is selected. The stake is displayed at the bottom of the screen below the reels. You can choose to increase or decrease the bet by using the "-" and "+" buttons available between MAX BET and AUTO SPIN. If your game balance drops below total bet placed, the system will automatically present the buy-in window
'PAYTABLE': Pay table can be viewed by clicking on the 'PAYTABLE'' button at middle left of the game screen. You can go back to the game by clicking on the 'GAME button available on 'PAYTABLE' screen. The second page of the pay table can be viewed by clicking on the 'NEXT' button available on the bottom center of the 'PAYTABLE' screen. To calculate the payout amount, multiply the respective prize with the stake placed. Clicking on the 'RULES' button in the pay table screen takes you to the Game Rules page.
'RULES': The Game Rules can be viewed by clicking on the 'RULES' button on the left hand side of the game screen. Player can go back to the game by clicking on the 'GAME' button available on 'RULES' screens. Clicking on the 'JACKPOT RULES' button in the RULES screen takes you to the JACKPOT RULES page.
The Jackpot Rules can be viewed by clicking on the 'JACKPOT RULES'' button at the top right of the game screen below the Jackpot meter.
PLAY: Press 'Spin' to start the game. The hexagons rotate and after they stop the rotation, winnings are paid; the winning combinations are obtained by having 4 or more of the matching connecting symbol groups anywhere on the hexagons draw area. Amount won will be paid according to the pay table. Symbols that form the winning combination will be highlighted and the win details shown at the bottom of the hexagons.
Result: All winning symbols will be highlighted and animated. The total win amount is shown in the Ticker messages displayed at the bottom centre the reels. The symbols participating in a winning combination will be highlighted and animated.
Repeat Bet/Change Bet: If you have already bet, the settings selected will be automatically carried over to the subsequent spin if there is sufficient amount. The default stake is $25 which is fixed for all 24 hexagons and a player can choose to increase or decrease the bet per line by using the "-" and "+" buttons between MAX BET and AUTO SPIN buttons.
Balance: Your remaining game balance, after you have placed the desired bet, is shown in 'CREDITS' meter.
BET: The amount that is going to be bet in a particular game is shown in the 'TOTAL BET' field.
Your current game balance is the sum of the amounts displayed in the 'CREDITS' and 'TOTAL BET' fields.
'AUTOPLAY': You can make use of this feature to choose the available number of spins options for 'hands free' game play. Options available under this feature are:
Number of spins: The game will automatically spin for the number of spins selected from the drop-down menu.
Spin till win is equal to or exceeds: The game will automatically spin until the win amount is equal to or exceeds the amount selected from the drop down menu.
Spin till any win: The game will automatically spin until the next win.
Spin till feature trigger: The game will automatically spin until the next feature is triggered.
Spin till my balance exceeds or equals to: The game will automatically spin until the game balance is greater than or equal to the amount entered. Note that 'game balance' implies the sum of the amounts given under 'CREDITS' meter and 'TOTAL BET' meter.
Spin till my balance falls below or equals to: The game will automatically spin until the game balance is less than or equal to the amount entered. Note that 'game balance' implies the sum of amounts given under 'CREDITS' meter and 'TOTAL BET' meter.
Play faster: This option lets you play faster than usual by reducing the break time. You must choose at least one of the other available Auto spin options to play with this option.
To make use of the auto spin feature, click on the 'AUTO SPIN' button at the bottom of the game screen. When the auto spin window opens, check the boxes next to the option(s) you'd like to play with. Select from the drop-down menu where applicable. Click on 'START' to activate the selected options and start the spins. Click on 'CANCEL' to return to the game screen.
Click on 'STOPSPIN' button to deactivate AUTOSPIN. While if spin is in progress, AUTOSPIN will be stopped after completing the current spin, otherwise AUTOSPIN is stopped immediately and normal game is restored.
When playing with multiple 'AUTO SPIN' options, the condition that is satisfied first will take precedence over the others, and the remaining selected conditions will be ignored. You can then choose to either select the same set of options again, or choose new option(s), and proceed with the 'AUTO SPIN'.
Please note: The 'AUTOSPIN' option is not available in play money mode.
Click on 'GAME LOGS' to view the logs of the games you've played.
Click on 'GAME RULES' to view the detailed rules of the game as web page.
Click on 'REBUY' to buy more credits into the game from your Account.
Click on 'EXIT GAME' to leave the game and return to the Lobby.
Click on 'QUICK DEPOSIT' button to deposit money into your Account.
The game rules are identical in both real money and play money modes.
Malfunctions Voids all Pays and Plays.
Expanding Wild
Honey Stick symbol is the wild symbol. It will let honey drip downwards, turning all symbols straight below the Wild into wilds.
Wild symbols may substitute only one matching connecting symbol group to form a winning combination. Any 4 or more connecting matching symbols including substituting Wild symbol may pay as per the pay table.
Honey stick symbol can substitute for any symbol except the Sting logo.
Honey stick can only substitute for one type of symbol and can be used for only one matching symbol groups' win.
When there is more than one type of symbol that the wild could substitute to make matching symbol group wins, then it will be used only for the win that makes the highest payout. If different symbol groups can make the same payout, then it will be used for the symbol that is higher up in the pay table.
Show Me The Honey Feature
Show Me the Honey feature is triggered when 3 The Sting Logo symbols appear anywhere on reels 2, 4, and 6.
Click on any one of 3 flowers, which awards free spins and a multiplier. The maximum number of free spins that can get awarded is 40 and the maximum multiplier is 8
You will be awarded with a random number of free spins & multipliers on selecting a flower. All free spins are played with the same stake as the triggering spin.
Wild feature can be triggered during free spins as well.
It is not possible to trigger free spins within free spins.
At the end of the free spins you are shown a summary of your total winnings in free spins in the ticker area and the amount gets added up to your total credits.
Jackpot Feature Game
The jackpot feature game is triggered every time you hit a jackpot.
Play the jackpot feature to find out which level of jackpot you have won.
Any bet is eligible for the jackpot. The larger your wager is on each game, the more chances you have of winning the jackpot.
Bonus feature game and free spin feature cannot trigger jackpot feature game.
Choose six out of the nine available options to reveal the '$' signs.
Only real money bets contribute to the Jackpot
Each '$' sign awards one level of the Gold Jackpot.
One '$' sign awards Gold Blitz Jackpot.
Two '$' signs award Gold Quick Jackpot.
Three '$' signs award Gold Super Jackpot.
Four '$' signs award Gold Mega Jackpot.
Click on the 'COMPLETE' button to restore the main game screen.
If you win multiple jackpots, the jackpot feature for the next jackpot will begin after you click the 'COMPLETE' button.
Pay Table
Click on PAYTABLE button in the main game screen, game will navigate to Payable screen. The NEXT button on the pay table window takes you to the second page of the pay table. (Please refer Fig 1 & 2 shown below)
Game Rules
Click on RULES button in the main game screen, game will navigate to Game Rules screen.
(Please refer Fig 3 shown below)
Jackpot Rules
The Jackpot Rules can be viewed by clicking on the 'JACKPOT RULES' button at the top right of the game screen below the Jackpot meter. Clicking on the 'JACKPOT RULES' button in the RULES screen also takes you to the JACKPOT RULES page.
The theoretical return to player of this game is 96.69%.
Websites
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Marvel Already Planning Thor And Captain America Sequels, by Greg Tingle - 21st April 2011
Marvel entertainment and co powers that be are already planning sequels to both Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger.
Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige stated in a recent interview that the studio is in the process of developing a sequel for each, with the writers working on Captain America 2, with Thor 2 not following too far behind.
Remember when studios waited to see the box office results to start putting money into a sequel, but with these two highly anticipated movies, which are a must for the planned Avengers flick, we're behind Marvel all the way on this.
Marvel Entertainment living legend Stan Lee is understand to be 100% behind the move. Excelsior!
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Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige stated in a recent interview that the studio is in the process of developing a sequel for each, with the writers working on Captain America 2, with Thor 2 not following too far behind.
Remember when studios waited to see the box office results to start putting money into a sequel, but with these two highly anticipated movies, which are a must for the planned Avengers flick, we're behind Marvel all the way on this.
Marvel Entertainment living legend Stan Lee is understand to be 100% behind the move. Excelsior!
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Thor Movie News Media
News
'Thor' movie set for 6th May 2011; Likely to take place of Spider-Man IV, - 7th January 2010
Marvel Entertainment acquisition by Disney approved - 5th January 2010
Thor goes into battle for the NT (ABC News) - 21st April 2011
Party boy Chris Hemsworth puts the hammer down - Herald Sun - 19th April 2011
'Thor': The Early Reviews Are In! - MTV News - 18th April 2011
You Thor, me Jane - Today Online - 21st April 2011
Thor: God of Thunder - Going Green - Marvel.com - 20th April 2011
Big Time Buzz: Thor - Marvel.com - 19th April 2011
Thor mania smashes into Sydney premier - Street Corner - 17th April 2011
Multimedia
Hemsworth beefs up for 'Thor' (The Sydney Morning Herald - Multimedia)
From the Territory to Asgard - ABC Radio 105.7
Thor movie trailer - Marvel official YouTube
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'Thor' movie set for 6th May 2011; Likely to take place of Spider-Man IV, - 7th January 2010
Marvel Entertainment acquisition by Disney approved - 5th January 2010
Thor goes into battle for the NT (ABC News) - 21st April 2011
Party boy Chris Hemsworth puts the hammer down - Herald Sun - 19th April 2011
'Thor': The Early Reviews Are In! - MTV News - 18th April 2011
You Thor, me Jane - Today Online - 21st April 2011
Thor: God of Thunder - Going Green - Marvel.com - 20th April 2011
Big Time Buzz: Thor - Marvel.com - 19th April 2011
Thor mania smashes into Sydney premier - Street Corner - 17th April 2011
Multimedia
Hemsworth beefs up for 'Thor' (The Sydney Morning Herald - Multimedia)
From the Territory to Asgard - ABC Radio 105.7
Thor movie trailer - Marvel official YouTube
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Online Gambling Becomes Legalized in United States Thanks to Washington DC
Washington, D.C., with its under 1 million population, has become the first jurisdiction in the United States to legalize online gambling.
The District of Columbia is looking to raise millions of dollars from a multi-billion dollar industry that, until now, has operated exclusively offshore from the United States. That apparently is about to change.
The Associated Press reported late Tuesday that permitting online gambling was part of a 2011 budget and a 30-day period for Congress to object expired last week, said D.C. Council, member Michael A. Brown, who authored the provision.
"There was really no clear law that said we could not do this," Brown said last week.
The Web gambling business would be operated by Intralot, a Greece-based company. Bets would have to be placed within the District of Columbia. Unlike previous state measures such as those recommended in New Jersey, which failed to pass legislation last month, those betting from Washington, DC would not be required to actually live there. This essentially means that tourists and those who work in DC can likely play poker online. It is generally believed that the population of Washington, DC doubles during the work week to include approximately 1 million people.
The software would not be up and running until it could be shown that those living outside of the District were unable to gain access.
Officials estimate between $13 million to $14 million to come into the District through fiscal year 2014 as a result of the new industry.
"Anytime you're cutting budgets and you want to save some programs, you're looking for different pieces from different pots and you hope that you get to the number that restores those budget shortfalls and that's what we're trying to do with this," Brown said.
Jeff Ifrah, a lawyer who represents online poker firms Full Tilt and PokerStars, told the Associated Press he was dubious about any revenue estimates since he is doubtful current online poker players will be so quick to migrate from sites like those he represents.
"Players are really loyal in this industry," Ifrah said. "You really have to ask yourself what is the incentive a player is going to have to leave a trusted site with global competition to play in a site that's untested and kind of unknown and doesn't offer you the same level of play."
Both Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars have announced alliances with Las Vegas casino properties in recent weeks. PokerStars is backing a measure to legalize online poker in the state of Nevada.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Justice Department would not comment on the Washington DC measure when pressed by the Associated Press Tuesday evening.
Mayor Vincent Gray noted that he was not certain when the website would be operational.
"Assuming it's implemented it would become a part of our lottery program and could generate additional resources for the District of Columbia as we continue to support ourselves,” he told the AP.
In addition to online poker, Washington, DC could also offer other forms of Web gambling including casino games and sports betting.
- Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
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The District of Columbia is looking to raise millions of dollars from a multi-billion dollar industry that, until now, has operated exclusively offshore from the United States. That apparently is about to change.
The Associated Press reported late Tuesday that permitting online gambling was part of a 2011 budget and a 30-day period for Congress to object expired last week, said D.C. Council, member Michael A. Brown, who authored the provision.
"There was really no clear law that said we could not do this," Brown said last week.
The Web gambling business would be operated by Intralot, a Greece-based company. Bets would have to be placed within the District of Columbia. Unlike previous state measures such as those recommended in New Jersey, which failed to pass legislation last month, those betting from Washington, DC would not be required to actually live there. This essentially means that tourists and those who work in DC can likely play poker online. It is generally believed that the population of Washington, DC doubles during the work week to include approximately 1 million people.
The software would not be up and running until it could be shown that those living outside of the District were unable to gain access.
Officials estimate between $13 million to $14 million to come into the District through fiscal year 2014 as a result of the new industry.
"Anytime you're cutting budgets and you want to save some programs, you're looking for different pieces from different pots and you hope that you get to the number that restores those budget shortfalls and that's what we're trying to do with this," Brown said.
Jeff Ifrah, a lawyer who represents online poker firms Full Tilt and PokerStars, told the Associated Press he was dubious about any revenue estimates since he is doubtful current online poker players will be so quick to migrate from sites like those he represents.
"Players are really loyal in this industry," Ifrah said. "You really have to ask yourself what is the incentive a player is going to have to leave a trusted site with global competition to play in a site that's untested and kind of unknown and doesn't offer you the same level of play."
Both Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars have announced alliances with Las Vegas casino properties in recent weeks. PokerStars is backing a measure to legalize online poker in the state of Nevada.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Justice Department would not comment on the Washington DC measure when pressed by the Associated Press Tuesday evening.
Mayor Vincent Gray noted that he was not certain when the website would be operational.
"Assuming it's implemented it would become a part of our lottery program and could generate additional resources for the District of Columbia as we continue to support ourselves,” he told the AP.
In addition to online poker, Washington, DC could also offer other forms of Web gambling including casino games and sports betting.
- Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
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Playtech about to acquire Ash Gaming - 20th April 2011
"eGaming Review" reports that Playtech Cyprus Ltd. (AIM:PTEC) is in the final stages of acquiring Ash Gaming Ltd., a developer of casino games, for an undisclosed amount.
London-based Ash Gaming was founded in 2002, "delivering specific custom projects for customers in the early online gaming market," according to its website. Customers include 888 Holding plc (LSE:888), Playtech partner William Hill plc (LSE: WMH), Virgin Games Ltd., Gala Casino Ltd., and Betfred Bingo Ltd.
Ash Gaming uses Playtech's Gaming Technology Solutions (GTS) EdGE platform to provide several clients with its games.
If Teddy Sagi-controlled Playtech acquires Ash Gaming, it will be Playtech's eighth acquisition since it became a public company, and its seventh acquisition within two years. The company's M&A activity demonstrates more than just in-house growth. However, the effectiveness of the strategy is still hard to judge given the short time since the acquisitions.
Playtech's share price was unchanged at ₤3.34 in morning trading on the London Stock Exchange today, giving a market cap of ₤810 million. The share price has fallen 32% in the past year. Trading in the share has been volatile lately following the closing of websites of Pokerstars Ltd. and two other companies.
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London-based Ash Gaming was founded in 2002, "delivering specific custom projects for customers in the early online gaming market," according to its website. Customers include 888 Holding plc (LSE:888), Playtech partner William Hill plc (LSE: WMH), Virgin Games Ltd., Gala Casino Ltd., and Betfred Bingo Ltd.
Ash Gaming uses Playtech's Gaming Technology Solutions (GTS) EdGE platform to provide several clients with its games.
If Teddy Sagi-controlled Playtech acquires Ash Gaming, it will be Playtech's eighth acquisition since it became a public company, and its seventh acquisition within two years. The company's M&A activity demonstrates more than just in-house growth. However, the effectiveness of the strategy is still hard to judge given the short time since the acquisitions.
Playtech's share price was unchanged at ₤3.34 in morning trading on the London Stock Exchange today, giving a market cap of ₤810 million. The share price has fallen 32% in the past year. Trading in the share has been volatile lately following the closing of websites of Pokerstars Ltd. and two other companies.
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Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment, LLC to Release "Thor" in IMAX(R) 3D
LOS ANGELES, April 20, 2011 -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX) (TSX:IMX), Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment, LLC formally announced today that they have finalized an agreement to release the epic superhero adventure Thor in digital IMAX® theatres worldwide day-and-date on May 6, 2011. The release marks the continuation of the partnership between IMAX, Paramount and Marvel. The film, based on the well-known Marvel comic book, is directed by Kenneth Branagh, produced by Kevin Feige, and stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. The screenplay is by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz and Don Payne from a story by J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich.
Tim Connors, Chief Operating Officer, Marvel Studios, stated, "We're excited to continue our relationship with IMAX following the success we shared on Iron Man 2, and we look forward to fans experiencing the thrill of Thor in the immersive IMAX® 3D format."
"Bringing iconic characters to life is something that Marvel Entertainment and Paramount do very well, and we're confident that Thor will also come to life on the IMAX screen," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. "This highly-anticipated summer title is tailor-made for the IMAX audience."
"We're pleased to expand our relationship with Marvel and Paramount with Thor, which is a great addition to our summer tentpole slate," said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "We believe Thor will resonate with the IMAX audience by transporting them directly into the 3D world that Kenneth Branagh and the Marvel team have created for this epic film."
About Thor
Marvel Studios expands its film universe with a new type of superhero: Thor. This epic adventure spans the Marvel Universe; from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth. Kenneth Branagh directs this fantasy epic which stars Australian actor Chris Hemsworth as the god of thunder, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, a young woman who befriends Thor on Earth, Tom Hiddleston as Thor's evil brother Loki, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Thor's father and king of Asgard. Expect to see agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., previously seen in Iron Man to make an appearance, further foreshadowing the coming of Marvel Studios' The Avengers! Thor's screenplay is by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz and Don Payne from a story by J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit www.marvel.com. Super Hero(es) is a co-owned registered trademark.
About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA-B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group and Paramount Television & Digital Distribution.
About IMAX Corporation
IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment and technology companies, specializing in the creation and delivery of premium, awe-inspiring entertainment experiences. With a growing suite of cutting-edge motion picture and sound technologies, and a globally recognized entertainment brand, IMAX is singularly situated at the convergence of the entertainment industry, innovation and the digital media world. The industry's top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and as such, the IMAX network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe. The Company's new digital projection and sound systems - combined with a growing blockbuster film slate - are fueling the rapid expansion of the IMAX network in established markets such as North America, Western Europe, and Japan, as well as emerging markets such as China and Russia. IMAX theaters deliver the world's best cinematic presentations using proprietary IMAX, IMAX 3D, and IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-Mastering) technologies. IMAX DMR enables virtually any motion picture to be transformed into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience.
IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo and Shanghai. As of December 31, 2010, there were 518 IMAX theatres (396 commercial, 122 institutional) operating in 46 countries.
IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience® and The IMAX Experience® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).
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Tim Connors, Chief Operating Officer, Marvel Studios, stated, "We're excited to continue our relationship with IMAX following the success we shared on Iron Man 2, and we look forward to fans experiencing the thrill of Thor in the immersive IMAX® 3D format."
"Bringing iconic characters to life is something that Marvel Entertainment and Paramount do very well, and we're confident that Thor will also come to life on the IMAX screen," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. "This highly-anticipated summer title is tailor-made for the IMAX audience."
"We're pleased to expand our relationship with Marvel and Paramount with Thor, which is a great addition to our summer tentpole slate," said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "We believe Thor will resonate with the IMAX audience by transporting them directly into the 3D world that Kenneth Branagh and the Marvel team have created for this epic film."
About Thor
Marvel Studios expands its film universe with a new type of superhero: Thor. This epic adventure spans the Marvel Universe; from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth. Kenneth Branagh directs this fantasy epic which stars Australian actor Chris Hemsworth as the god of thunder, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, a young woman who befriends Thor on Earth, Tom Hiddleston as Thor's evil brother Loki, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Thor's father and king of Asgard. Expect to see agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., previously seen in Iron Man to make an appearance, further foreshadowing the coming of Marvel Studios' The Avengers! Thor's screenplay is by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz and Don Payne from a story by J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit www.marvel.com. Super Hero(es) is a co-owned registered trademark.
About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA-B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group and Paramount Television & Digital Distribution.
About IMAX Corporation
IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment and technology companies, specializing in the creation and delivery of premium, awe-inspiring entertainment experiences. With a growing suite of cutting-edge motion picture and sound technologies, and a globally recognized entertainment brand, IMAX is singularly situated at the convergence of the entertainment industry, innovation and the digital media world. The industry's top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and as such, the IMAX network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe. The Company's new digital projection and sound systems - combined with a growing blockbuster film slate - are fueling the rapid expansion of the IMAX network in established markets such as North America, Western Europe, and Japan, as well as emerging markets such as China and Russia. IMAX theaters deliver the world's best cinematic presentations using proprietary IMAX, IMAX 3D, and IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-Mastering) technologies. IMAX DMR enables virtually any motion picture to be transformed into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience.
IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo and Shanghai. As of December 31, 2010, there were 518 IMAX theatres (396 commercial, 122 institutional) operating in 46 countries.
IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience® and The IMAX Experience® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).
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Wednesday, April 20, 2011
WWE Gambles On Cigy Angle; WWE Lights Up Debate With Tobacco In Media, by Greg Tingle - 20th April 2011
WWE Lights Up Debate With Tobacco In Media...
Regular readers will know all too well that Media Man and and Gambling911 cover all matter of vice in their news reports. Usually its gambling or casino news, but we also cover crime, technology, odds on events and from time to time, cigarettes.
Cigarettes - tobacco or ciggies if you prefer, are back in the news, especially when it comes to the United States and Australia.
Down under the debate is on the way as to if plain packaging should be used at the point of sale (which may help them loose their appeal)... then again, it may work out the opposite also, as when products and services become more controversial, they also often become more popular!
Now leading American owned and operated media company, WWE (formally World Wrestling Federation - before they decided they we not so much wrestling, but sports entertainment), has been dragged into the tobacco in news media debate with one of their stars lighting up a cigarette as part of a story line.
The WWE superstar - the curiously named R-Truth (Ron Killings)... not Cig Killings, lit her up and has raised the ire of anti tobacco advocates across the global including Patrick Reynolds from Tobacco Free.org, who is calling for an apology on the stunt.
TMZ broke the story earlier today, but news media wires across the globe and running with it hard, including heated debate at Wrestling Observer Newsletter and the Pro Wrestling Torch.
Reynolds said on the wrestling superstar, "If he wants help in quitting, I'll be happy to be his personal coach."
The WWE issued a statement to TMZ defending the cigarette incident -- saying, "The negative effect smoking has on one’s health and physical performance was a part of a storyline on last night’s Monday Night Raw. Negative depictions of tobacco use on television are not unusual and can be seen on other TV-PG shows."
A Media Man spokesperson said "We're going to back up the WWE and Killings all the way on this one. It's a storyline, not unlike the sort of thing you would see on other American sitcoms, TV series and the like. The WWE audience is not stupid and audiences realise it's showbiz. Most of the programming is clearing PG-13, but somethings things get blurred. It's no secret that smoking is not good for you, and that the way WWE and Killings presented it. Last Monday Night may have been more Raw that usual, but we believe that they did not cross the line. It was interesting and entertaining television in our estimation. As is often the case, it was a small but vocal number of people who complained. For the record, none of our staff smoke either, but most enjoy WWE programming.
A few months ago the WWE also attracted mixed press coverage when it was discovered they offered WWE Poker on their website.
Punters may also be interested to know that a decade ago the then World Wrestling Federation, formally also known as Titan Sports and World Wide Wrestling Federation purchase a land based casino in Las Vegas, however they never developed the sites and chose to sell it for a profit. Returned WWE superstar Kevin "Diesel" Nash also once played a smooth talking Vegas character 'Vinnie Vegas' in World Championship Wrestling.
WWE superstars gamble with their life and risk their neck and back every time they step into the squared circle wrestling ring.
We like one of the WWE slogans 'Don't try this at home', but when it comes to gambling as a whole its hard to beat 'Bet with your head, not over it, and have fun'.
WWE will be touring Australia from July 1st.
Australian Government To Try Boring Cig Packaging In Attempt To Reduce Consumption...
Down under in Australia the government in all their wisdom is pushing hard for a new tool in goal to cut smoking rates: extremely boring cigarette packages!
The government has announced legislation that would ban logos, colors, brand imagery, and promotional text, while mandating that all packages be olive green-determined in studies to be the least appealing color. The move would "take away the tobacco industry’s final capacity to promote its product," says a professor of public health.
Australia has long been a leader in war on tobacco, the Christian Science Monitor reports, but this time Aussie land will face a hell of a fight fight from the tobacco industry. A legal challenge has been threatened, alleging that the proposed legislation infringes on international trademark laws.
Should the government's plan comes to pass, brand names will appear on each cigarette package in a standard font, and the rest of the box will be covered in health warnings.
Summary: boring packages, but will that really stop folks from lighting up, or even trying a cigy for the first time. We're not sold, how about you?
Cigy moving for readers interested: 'Coffee and Cigarettes'
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379217
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_and_Cigarettes
WWE profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/wwe.html
Sin City profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/sin_city.html
*The writer is a regular contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They also publish Wrestling News Media http://www.wrestlingnewsmedia.com
Regular readers will know all too well that Media Man and and Gambling911 cover all matter of vice in their news reports. Usually its gambling or casino news, but we also cover crime, technology, odds on events and from time to time, cigarettes.
Cigarettes - tobacco or ciggies if you prefer, are back in the news, especially when it comes to the United States and Australia.
Down under the debate is on the way as to if plain packaging should be used at the point of sale (which may help them loose their appeal)... then again, it may work out the opposite also, as when products and services become more controversial, they also often become more popular!
Now leading American owned and operated media company, WWE (formally World Wrestling Federation - before they decided they we not so much wrestling, but sports entertainment), has been dragged into the tobacco in news media debate with one of their stars lighting up a cigarette as part of a story line.
The WWE superstar - the curiously named R-Truth (Ron Killings)... not Cig Killings, lit her up and has raised the ire of anti tobacco advocates across the global including Patrick Reynolds from Tobacco Free.org, who is calling for an apology on the stunt.
TMZ broke the story earlier today, but news media wires across the globe and running with it hard, including heated debate at Wrestling Observer Newsletter and the Pro Wrestling Torch.
Reynolds said on the wrestling superstar, "If he wants help in quitting, I'll be happy to be his personal coach."
The WWE issued a statement to TMZ defending the cigarette incident -- saying, "The negative effect smoking has on one’s health and physical performance was a part of a storyline on last night’s Monday Night Raw. Negative depictions of tobacco use on television are not unusual and can be seen on other TV-PG shows."
A Media Man spokesperson said "We're going to back up the WWE and Killings all the way on this one. It's a storyline, not unlike the sort of thing you would see on other American sitcoms, TV series and the like. The WWE audience is not stupid and audiences realise it's showbiz. Most of the programming is clearing PG-13, but somethings things get blurred. It's no secret that smoking is not good for you, and that the way WWE and Killings presented it. Last Monday Night may have been more Raw that usual, but we believe that they did not cross the line. It was interesting and entertaining television in our estimation. As is often the case, it was a small but vocal number of people who complained. For the record, none of our staff smoke either, but most enjoy WWE programming.
A few months ago the WWE also attracted mixed press coverage when it was discovered they offered WWE Poker on their website.
Punters may also be interested to know that a decade ago the then World Wrestling Federation, formally also known as Titan Sports and World Wide Wrestling Federation purchase a land based casino in Las Vegas, however they never developed the sites and chose to sell it for a profit. Returned WWE superstar Kevin "Diesel" Nash also once played a smooth talking Vegas character 'Vinnie Vegas' in World Championship Wrestling.
WWE superstars gamble with their life and risk their neck and back every time they step into the squared circle wrestling ring.
We like one of the WWE slogans 'Don't try this at home', but when it comes to gambling as a whole its hard to beat 'Bet with your head, not over it, and have fun'.
WWE will be touring Australia from July 1st.
Australian Government To Try Boring Cig Packaging In Attempt To Reduce Consumption...
Down under in Australia the government in all their wisdom is pushing hard for a new tool in goal to cut smoking rates: extremely boring cigarette packages!
The government has announced legislation that would ban logos, colors, brand imagery, and promotional text, while mandating that all packages be olive green-determined in studies to be the least appealing color. The move would "take away the tobacco industry’s final capacity to promote its product," says a professor of public health.
Australia has long been a leader in war on tobacco, the Christian Science Monitor reports, but this time Aussie land will face a hell of a fight fight from the tobacco industry. A legal challenge has been threatened, alleging that the proposed legislation infringes on international trademark laws.
Should the government's plan comes to pass, brand names will appear on each cigarette package in a standard font, and the rest of the box will be covered in health warnings.
Summary: boring packages, but will that really stop folks from lighting up, or even trying a cigy for the first time. We're not sold, how about you?
Cigy moving for readers interested: 'Coffee and Cigarettes'
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379217
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_and_Cigarettes
WWE profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/wwe.html
Sin City profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/sin_city.html
*The writer is a regular contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They also publish Wrestling News Media http://www.wrestlingnewsmedia.com
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