Internet Gambling News #4

Planet Poker declares April "Tournament Month," Jackpot Madness reaches the maddening mark of $26 million in jackpots pay-outs, Intertops gets the XFL death pool rolling and Casino Player magazine's loosest slots of the year award goes to. . .

A Poker Bit

Planet Poker, one of the Internet's first real-money online poker rooms, has declared April "Tournament Month." Those who scamper over to www.planetpoker.com this month will find an assortment of tournaments for the taking, including three "FREEROLL" tournaments in which participants enter for free and can win as much as $150. This month's tournaments also mark the debut of Planet Poker's Omaha Hi-Lo tournament software. The tournament schedule through the rest of April is as such:

April 15, 1 p.m. EST: Hold'em, $20 Buy-In, 300 Entrants
April 18, 1 p.m. EST: Hold'em, $20 Buy-In, Entrants TBA
April 21, 4 p.m. EST: Omaha Hi-Lo, FREEROLL, Entrants TBA
April 25, 3 p.m. EST: Hold'em, $30 Buy-In, Entrants TBA
April 27, 12 p.m. EST: Hold'em, FREEROLL, Entrants TBA
April 30, 4 p.m. EST: Hold'em, $30 Buy-In, Entrants TBA

Registration for all tournaments opens two hours prior to the start of the tournament. Buy-ins include a 10 percent entry fee.

Miscellaneous Online Betting Bits

Are you ready for some football? Americans apparently weren't ready for the XFL, the new football league started by WWF owner Vince McMahon. Gimmicks such as helmet cams and catchy slogans on jerseys were enough to get curious football fans to tune in to the first few games in record numbers. The newness soon wore off though and fans were disappointed in the poor football performances. Now NBC is considering pulling the plug on the XLF. And naturally, you can bet online on whether the new league will survive, thanks to the latest off-the-wall proposition available at Intertops.com.

Zetters Ltd, a British pools and financial trading company, has launched an online trading platform that enables users to bet on equity prices through its IFX trading arm. The new service marks the company's first move toward establishing itself as an Internet financial betting entity. IFX has also announced intentions of launching an online spread betting service. Zetters is accessible online at www.zetters.co.uk.

With a whopping $26 million in total jackpot pay-outs, Jackpot Madness has declared itself once and for all the world's No. 1 online progressive jackpot destination. And you don't see very many competitors disputing the claim. Pushing Jackpot Madness over the $26 million mark was a jackpot of $98,363.59 by William H. on April 2. The impressive jackpot was won on the portal's oldest and most popular game, Cash Splash. With thousands of people playing at the same time around the world, the progressive jackpots grow at an impressive rate and at least one major jackpot is won per day. You can find Jackpot Madness at www.jackpotmadness.com.

A Slotty Bit

The loosest slots, for the second year in a row according to Casino Player magazine, can be found at the Argosy casino & Hotel in Indiana. In the year 2000, Argosy paid back 94.27 percent to players. "Nothing makes the casino experience more enjoyable than winning," said a prophetic Arnold Block, the casino's general manager.

A Bit of Competition for Nevada

The Pala Band of Mission Indians opened its newly legalized casino Tuesday, marking the first casino opening in California since voters passed Proposition 1A, legalizing slot machines in tribal casinos. The Pala Indian's casino, located in northern San Diego County, cost $115 million to build and includes six restaurants and a 2,000-seat theater alongside the gaming floor. Other tribes are opening or expanding their own casinos under the new policy.

A Horseracing Bit

Magna Entertainment Corp. of Canada is interested in investing at least $25 million dollars in building a racetrack in Missouri. It's been 16 years since Missouri voters authorized horse racing. However, no one has been interested in building a track because Missouri law prohibits simulcasting, which typically contributes about 80 percent of a track's income. Supporters of building a track claim that it would boost Missouri's horse-breeding industry and would employ about 160 people. Critics are worried that the 1percent tax revenue wouldn't cover the state's cost of regulating such an industry, leaving tax payers to cover the costs. Magna Entertainment Corp. is only interesting in building a track if the ban on simulcasting is lifted.

A Smoking Bit

If you've ever entered a casino, then you know what it's like to walk in smelling like Polo and to walk out smelling like Marlboro. Around half of all casino customers smoke while gambling. The gambling industry, not about to alienate half of its clientele, it trying to head off any efforts to curtail smoking inside casinos. One such attempt is being made now by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). The group is reviewing requirements for ventilation systems in casinos in the U.S. The standard, if enforced, could set the casino industry back about $2.4 billion over five years. Lawyers hired by the American Gaming Association claim that the standards being set are unreasonable and that casinos should operate under a different set of standards than other businesses.

A Scientific Bit