UK Online Casino & Online Casinos

Fears of a rise in problem gambling have been voiced as the biggest overhaul of regulations for decades has come into force. Casinos, online betting sites, bookmakers and other gambling operators can now advertise on television for the first time.

The changes open the door to the first £1 million bingo prize and lift restrictions on casinos, such the requirement for customers to be members. The Government hopes the Gambling Act 2005, which overhauls pieces of legislation dating back as far as 1845, will protect children and vulnerable people, cut crime and ensure games are fair. But the Salvation Army said the new laws allowed for a general increase in the number of gambling premises, particularly betting shops.

“Gambling is not a normal leisure activity,” the organisation said. “Whilst some people enjoy a flutter or bet from time to time, gambling can become addictive and cause many problems. The results can be devastating on the individual, their friends, family, and on society.”

The charity GamCare called on the Government to make changes to the new regulations to force bookmakers, casinos and some online operators to include its helpline number in advertisements. GamCare staff are gearing up for a rise in the volume of calls in the wake of the changes. “An increase in gambling equates to an increase in whatever small proportion of individuals who gamble who get into difficulty,” spokeswoman Nicola Crewe-Read said.

Peter Dean, chairman of the Gambling Commission, insisted there were “strict measures” in place to prevent problems emerging. “I don’t know what the increase is going to be, but what I do know is that there are very strict measures which we have introduced which will certainly help to reduce problem gambling,” he said.

PartyPoker.com has announced an upgrade that includes the opportunity to earn PartyPoints faster; a new level of service and a series of features extending the customer service experience. The upgraded PartyPoints program gives players the chance to earn points at up to 400 percent of the standard rate, and there is potential to hit a private level beyond that. Points can be earned on any of the PartyGaming brands including PartyPoker, PartyCasino, PartyBets, Gamebookers.com, PartyBingo and PartyGammon and exchanged for cash, tournament entries and soon a series of other products and services.

In addition, every VIP is now allocated an experienced host to provide personal service and be the single point of contact for any and all issues on PartyPoker or any other PartyGaming products around the clock. The firm claims that this new offering is the first of its kind in the online gaming industry. “It means someone who knows gaming and knows you will be there for you whatever your gaming needs.” said a PartyPoker.com spokesman.

Three improvements to make players’ experience easier and better are part of the upgrade. The first is to allow for the expansion of the poker table for the larger 1024×768 screen resolution commonly found on today’s monitors. It’s accomplished simply by clicking the maximisation button or dragging the corner of the window. “Players have long been able to shrink our tables to allow many to fit simultaneously on the screen, now single-table players can fill the screen with their gaming experience,” the spokesman said. Easy replays and rematches have also been tweaked. Now when players bust out or win a tournament, they’ll be immediately asked if they would like to play in another one of the same type. One click and the registration for the next event is available. There are also new rematch facilities against the same player with just a click. When the heads-up tournament is finished, each participant will be asked whether they would like to play again. If both click ‘yes’, another heads up will immediately begin. “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up”

U.S. Representative Barney Frank may introduce legislation that would repeal a ban on Internet gambling, sending shares of online-gambling stocks higher.

 Heather Wong, a spokeswoman for Mr. Frank, said the legislator is in the “thinking stage” of drafting a bill to reverse Congress’s decision last year to prohibit the collection of credit card payments from gambling websites.