Australian Sport: AFL Blood Gate Aussie Style, by Greg Tingle - 25th August 2010

The Australian professional sports world is keeping a close tab on worldwide sporting scandals... sports betting, gambling corruption and now... wait for it, fake injuries on the sporting field backed up by corrupt doctors mutilating players to help them fake and down right cheat. Media Man and Gambling911 continue to deliver sports no holds barred, blood capsules, doctors scalpel and doctors overcoat undercover... a hunting we will go...Tiny Kangaroo Down Sport, Tiny Kangaroo Down...

No, its not pro wrestling "Dr Death" David Schultz, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair or ECW Originals style...enter Manchester footy, where BS doctors have cut up players for an on field unfair advantage.

This practice and some other unsavory manners not welcome by the king, queen or Australian Prime Minister in the waiting, have come under the watchful eye of Australian broadcasting and media living legend, Eddie McGuire aka "Eddie Everywhere".

The strongly opinionated, and super connected McGuire (James Packer, David Gyngell, AFL, Triple M, SEN, even Media Man) shares his thoughts...

AFL rule changes should stop, says Collingwood Prez McGuire, who has referred to the latest revelations in British rugby union's "Blood Gate" scandal to put forward his crafty case.

The sports media master believes further manipulating with the laws of the game could actually encourage cheating!

Referring to the "disciplinary hearing" in Manchester, England, this week in which a suspended club (spin type) doctor admitted she actually cut the lip (mutilation) of a player to basically justify a mid-match substitution, McGuire said comparable malpractice could take place in the glorious AFL.

"Once upon a time everyone looked at Hansie Cronje with an earpiece in his ear and thought it was a coaching aid. I'm long past not believing the most extraordinary tales, and I'm a big believer that if you don't want something to be tampered with don't tamper with it," he advised Fairfax Media, with leaks to Media Man.

"The irony of the rules the AFL bring in is that they lead to unexpected consequences and then they have to have another rule. This Bloodgate development overnight just shows you what can happen when you put in another rule. And the whole idea of sport and competition is to push the rules as much as you can in your favour to get the best possible result … and I brought the same thing up with Adrian Anderson myself not that long ago."

While 'Eddie Everywhere' tipped Collingwood was yet to take an official line on the rule changes proposed by the AFL earlier this month, the prez has some concerns and a lot on his mind.

"I love our game because it used to be the game that had no rules. Now it's a game that's got so many rules and people still know less about how it's supposed to work than what they did when they had no rules. I don't know why we're rushing into changing these rules."

It was in fact union's injured-player substitution rule, something the AFL is considering as part of its revamp of interchange use, that led to Harlequins player Tom Williams demanding that his club doctor slit his lip! The London club had already gone to extremes in the closing minutes of a European Cup quarter-final in April last season to surge Williams from the field and replace him with a specialist kicker.

It gets better folks....Williams was first given a blood capsule to fake an injury, then when suspicion came up about his complaint he requested the team doctor to cut his mouth. The doc, who used a scalpel cloak and dagger style in the change rooms to create the real injury, has been suspended from practice and her career could be over forever, which is a pretty long time. The coach of the Harlequins was boned over the incident, the club chairman resigned and Williams was suspended. How's that for collateral damage, fallout worthy of a Hollywood war flick.

Introducing substitutes to AFL threatened to open a "can of worms", McGuire said, particularly when "like-for-like" players could not be interchanged like musical chairs and you get the idea.

"Let's say you've got a ruckman or a centre half-forward on the bench and the bloke who breaks his hand is a tagger, and he's the only one you can swap for. It starts to make it a bit hard doesn't it? You'll probably keep the bloke on with the broken hand."

Capping rotations...a limit of 80 has been proposed by the AFL...could also be problematic to say the least.

"I don't know who's going to count them, what if there's a dispute and that sort of stuff. But here is the very rule that the AFL has got very excited about, for whatever reasons I still don't know." McGuire went on record with.

"Apparently it's to stop players getting injured on the team that doesn't interchange (as much). Well, they can interchange as much as they like. If they don't, their blokes get injured. Interchange more. I just don't understand it."

The AFL has points to medical research linking increased rotation numbers to the increased incidence of collision injury.

Collingwood, disputes those findings. The club says its high rotations has actually led to a vast drop in its injury count.

Confused? Yeah, us to. Don't shoot the messenger. With the blood gate elements you can understand why we had to share this with our loyal audience. Next week Gallic Football - last man standing - fight to the death... just kidding.

Punters, er readers, stay glued to Media Man reports via Gambling911 for more "can't miss" information on the Australian media, gaming, casino and political wars.

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Wrap Up...

Readers... er, punters, what's your view on the cheating in sports? Know some tricks we don't? Does sport have too many rules, or not enough? Keep checking daily for updates, Yes Minister, and have another cup of Full Strength Coffee (no caffeine or web filter thanks). Players, check with coaches and your friendly doctor before dosing up on too much caffeine. That means you son!

Congratulations to Betfair, who have won the Media Man Sports Betting Website Of The Month award; Runner up is Centrebet, and Gamebookers in 3rd place.

If your going to have a bet, please bet your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis.
They also publish Australian Sports Entertainment http://www.australiansportsentertainment.com

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Poker News Media: PKR Live Five Hits London This November, by Greg Tingle - 22nd August 2010

PKR.com will play host to PKR Live Five at the prestigious Fox Poker Club, London from November 12 - 14.

Qualification for the 150 runner, $500 buy-in main event is now underway at PKR.com a most affordable just $4.95.

The main event will have an prize pool of approximately $75,000 and on the Sunday of the festival sees an exciting $150 Terminator Bounty event with $50 on each player’s head and $100 going to the standard prize pool mix.

PKR marketing manager Erika Schwartz said, “The countdown for PKR Live V begins! It’s great that for our fifth outing we have a brand new venue and some fantastic new events in store for the players. It’s a weekend we all look forward to, players and staff alike, and we’re planning to make this the best one yet.”

A number of media and gaming analysts are giving this event the thumbs up.

PKR was recently nominated again for Media Man 'Online Poker Room Of The Month' and has previously won awards and commendations from the likes of Bluff, eGaming Review and Poker News Daily.

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PartyGaming News: Live Satellites Underway For WPT London Poker Classic Presented By PartyPoker

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17th August 2010

The World Poker Tour is pleased to announce that live satellites for the inaugural televised World Poker Tour® London Poker Classic Main Event, presented by PartyPoker.com, which takes place at The Palm Beach Casino, Mayfair between the 30th August – 4th September 2010, are now up and running.

Every night at 7pm The Palm Beach Casino, Berkeley Street, London, hosts £300 +£30 WPT Shootout Satellites for Main Event seats. The tables are six handed with a cap of 36 players. The prize pool pays out five places with first place winning a seat into the WPT London Poker Classic Main Event.

Genting Casinos London Poker Manager Simon Tomsett said: “Our first WPT Shootout at The Palm Beach Casino was an instant sell out and rewarded one seat into the Main Event. There are plenty of good value chances to qualify for the Main Event between now and the 30th August. From the 27th August there is also additional satellites taking place at the Kingsway Hall and May Fair Hotels.”

The latest top pros to confirm their participation include Erik Seidel, Joe Beevers and Nicholas Levi. They join the likes of Phil Ivey, Tony G, Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott, Alexander Kravchenko, Annette Obrestad, Sorel Mizzi, Dragan Galic, Tyron Krost, Barry Shulman and James Akenhead. Jack McClelland is Tournament Director, while Doug Dalton is on hand to run the lively cash games expected at Crockfords.

LIVE SATELLITE SCHEDULE

£300 + £30 - 16th – 26th August – WPT Shootout Satellites (Nightly at 7pm), The Palm Beach Casino, 30 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8EH

£250 + £25 (rebuy) - 27th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX

£500 + £50 - 28th August – Main Event Satellite, 12pm, Kingsway Hall, 66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX

£1,000 + £80 – 29th August – Super Satellite, 3pm, The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London, W1J 8LT

The £5,000 + £300 Main Event starts on 30th August with the first of two day 1A’s. The eight handed televised final table takes place on the 4th September. The £15,000 televised high rollers tournament runs from 3rd – 5th September. Coverage of the event will be presented by Kara Scott, with the influential commentary team of Mike Sexton and Jesse May combined for the very first time.

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PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com customers can also benefit from rewards and bonuses via PartyPoints and the Palladium Lounge. Be certain to check out the PartyCasino exclusive "Cash Machine" that is being championed as one of the greatest online casino promos ever.

Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with PartyGaming, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.

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Virgin Casino Launches Two New Games‎

Virgin Casino Launches Two New Games‎

Virgin Casino, part of the leading online gaming company – Virgin Games, has today launched two new slots, Pharaoh's Treasure, by online games producer, Ash Gaming, and Spring Break, by Microgaming. Pharaoh's Treasure, which has an ancient Egyptian theme, has a progressive jackpot that can only be won at Virgin Casino.

Pharaoh's Treasure is a five-reel 20-line Vegas-style slot. The game features a progressive jackpot in the Tutankhamun's Tomb bonus round, as well as a wild symbol, scatter symbol with win multipliers, and free spins.

Spring Break features five reels and nine paylines and has symbols made in the style of spring vacation, with barbeques, beer and bikini clad girls! Features include a free spin bonus and a wild symbol.

Warren Eloff, Head of Products at Virgin Games, commented:

"I anticipate that Pharaoh's Treasure will be a very tempting game for our players, as when the progressive jackpot is won it's guaranteed that it will go to a Virgin Casino customer! We are committed to offering our customers the best quality and variety of games on the market and these new additions fit the criteria.

Founded in 2004, Virgin Games has over 1,000,000 players and over 200 games on its site. Through the introduction of a custom built Virgin Games platform in 2008, Virgin Games seeks to provide its players with the widest possible choice of casino games. A growing selection of games can be found at Virgin Games from a number of producers including Microgaming, WagerWorks, Cryptologic, Freemantle and Ash Gaming.

Notes to editors:

About Virgin Games:

Virgin Games (www.virgingames.com) launched in June 2004 and has quickly established itself as one of the leading gaming websites in the UK. Virgin Games comprises three distinct offerings:

Virgin Casino, offers content from a range of games suppliers including WagerWorks, Microgaming, Cryptologic, Freemantle and Ash Gaming, bringing consumers classic casino games like Blackjack and Roulette, as well as great feature slots like Monopoly, Rubik's, X-Factor and the highly popular MegaJackpots progressive games, with a current jackpot value of over £2,500,000

Virgin Poker, part of the Boss Media network, offers a huge array of games and content for beginners through to experienced pros – as well as the most generous loyalty scheme in the industry

Virgin Bingo, part of the Virtue Fusion network, offers cash prizes worth thousands of pounds in the progressive jackpots, as well as Virgin prize bingo and a range of unique Virgin Games bingo games.

*Sorry, no U.S or Australian players. See World Casino Directory

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Virgin Casino Launches Expert Roulette! by WagerWorks

Virgin Casino Launches Expert Roulette! by WagerWorks

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - Aug. 2, 2010 - Virgin Casino, part of the leading online gaming company – Virgin Games, has today launched Expert Roulette!, a new game from the online casino games supplier, WagerWorks.

Built upon the original version of the extremely popular Player's Suite® game, Expert Roulette! is the next generation of gaming excellence. The game has hyper-realistic outcomes players can trust, a clear layout for first-time players and advanced bet options for hard-core players.

Warren Eloff, Product Manager at Virgin Games, commented:

"Roulette games are always very popular with our players and I'm sure this new game will go down well with both roulette fans and new players alike. WagerWorks has listened to customer feedback about what they wanted to see in online roulette and produced this fantastic game with advanced bet options."

Founded in 2004, Virgin Games has over 1,000,000 players and over 200 games on its site. Through the introduction of a custom built Virgin Games platform in 2008, Virgin Games seeks to provide its players with the widest possible choice of casino games. A growing selection of games can be found at Virgin Games from a number of producers including Microgaming, WagerWorks, Cryptologic, Freemantle and Ash Gaming.

Notes to editors:

About Virgin Games:

Virgin Games (www.virgingames.com) launched in June 2004 and has quickly established itself as one of the leading gaming websites in the UK. Virgin Games comprises three distinct offerings:

Virgin Casino, offers content from a range of games suppliers including WagerWorks, Microgaming, Cryptologic, Freemantle and Ash Gaming, bringing consumers classic casino games like Blackjack and Roulette, as well as great feature slots like Monopoly, Rubik's, X-Factor and the highly popular MegaJackpots progressive games, with a current jackpot value of over £2,500,000

Virgin Poker, part of the Boss Media network, offers a huge array of games and content for beginners through to experienced pros – as well as the most generous loyalty scheme in the industry

Virgin Bingo, part of the Virtue Fusion network, offers cash prizes worth thousands of pounds in the progressive jackpots, as well as Virgin prize bingo and a range of unique Virgin Games bingo games.

*Sorry, no U.S or Australian players. See World Casino Directory

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PartyGaming News: Half year report for the six months ended 30 June 2010

PartyGaming News: Half year report for the six months ended 30 June 2010

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Total revenue up 30% to €181.2m (2009: €139.9m) driven by acquisitions and strong growth in casino and sports betting

Continuing Clean EBITDA* up 14% to €48.1m (2009: €42.3m)

Continuing Basic Clean EPS* of 6.0 € cents (2009: 6.7 € cents); Total Basic Clean EPS of 6.0 € cents (2009: 6.6 € cents)

Transformational Proposed Merger with bwin expected to complete in first quarter 2011
Solid progress in newly regulated markets (France and Italy); Denmark is on-track to open early in 2011

Net cashflow from Continuing operations up 65% to €55.3m (2009: €33.5m) with net cash at 30 June 2010 of €146.8m (2009: €166.7m)

* EBITDA/EPS before the provision for costs associated with the Group’s Non-Prosecution Agreement, reorganisation costs, and before non-cash charges relating to share-based payments (see reconciliation of Clean EBITDA to operating profit (loss) below).

# Operations located physically outside of the US but which relate to US customers that were no longer accepted following the enactment of the UIGEA.
Commenting on today’s results announcement, Jim Ryan, PartyGaming Chief Executive Officer, said:

“We delivered another robust financial performance in the first half and also made great progress in executing our strategy. While poker was impacted by the football World Cup and remained difficult from a competitive perspective, our other verticals continued to perform strongly. Total revenue was up 30% and Clean EBITDA from Continuing Operations was up 14% versus the prior year. As previously announced, Clean EBITDA margins in the first half were slightly lower than expected due to the delayed launch of cash game poker in Italy but we retain our previous full year guidance of approximately 28%, subject to the returns achieved on planned marketing spend in both France and Italy where we are continuing to expand the share of our respective poker networks.

‘‘Our proposed merger with bwin is a transformational opportunity for the Group and we expect that it will provide significant strategic, operational and financial benefits for the shareholders of both companies. Whilst there is much work to do ahead of completion in early 2011, we are excited about the prospects for what will then be the clear market leader in online gaming with strong positions in all key product verticals and territories.”

On current trading and outlook Jim Ryan added:

“Since 30 June 2010, the Group has continued to perform in-line with the Board’s expectations. Seizing a strong position in newly regulated markets is a key focus for us. Our strategy of combining a strong B2C franchise with significant local brands is already proving to be a powerful force as evidenced by our network’s position in French poker. As other markets follow Italy and France, we expect that a limited number of large networks and brands will emerge to become market leaders – we are determined that together PartyGaming/bwin will be one of them. This natural consolidation of the marketplace will accelerate through corporate mergers and acquisitions and as one of the largest players in the sector we remain committed to continue playing an active role. Whilst the macroeconomic and competitive environments remain challenging, we remain confident about the Group’s prospects for the rest of the year and beyond.”

Contacts:
PartyGaming Plc +44 (0) 207 337 0100
Peter Reynolds, Director of Corporate Affairs
John Shepherd, Director of Corporate Communications

Interview with Jim Ryan and Martin Weigold
An interview with Jim Ryan, Chief Executive Officer, and Martin Weigold, Group Finance Director, in video/audio and text will be available from 7.00am BST on 6 August 2010 on: http://www.partygaming.com and on http://www.cantos.com.

Analyst meeting, webcast, dial-in and conference call details: 6 August 2010
There will be an analyst meeting for invited UK-based analysts at Numis Securities, The London Stock Exchange Building, 10 Paternoster Square, London, EC4M 7LT starting at 9.30am BST. There will be a simultaneous webcast and dial-in broadcast of the meeting. To register for the live webcast, please pre-register for access by visiting the Group website (www.partygaming.com). Details for the dial-in facility are given below. A copy of the webcast and slide presentation given at the meeting will be available on the Group’s website later today.

Dial-in details to listen to the analyst presentation: 6 August 2010
9.20 am Please call +44 (0) 20 3003 2666
Title PartyGaming Interim Results
9.30 am Meeting starts
A recording of the meeting will be available for a period of seven days from 6 August 2010. To access the recording please dial the following replay telephone number:
Replay telephone number +44 (0) 208 196 1988
Replay passcode: 9050397#

About PartyGaming Plc

The Group is a constituent of the FTSE 250 share index with its shares listed on The London Stock Exchange under the ticker: PRTY. In the year ended 31 December 2009, PartyGaming’s Continuing operations generated revenue of €310.1m and Clean EBITDA of €93.8m.

PartyGaming is regulated and licensed by the Governments of Gibraltar, Italy and France and by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission. The Group is also certified as a responsible gaming operator by GamCare, the leading UK authority on the provision of advice, practical help, support and counselling in addressing the social impact of gambling. PartyGaming’s shares are also a constituent member of the FTSE4Good Index Series, which enables investors to identify companies that meet globally recognised corporate responsibility standards.

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F1 News: Webber Hungry For Victory Satisfied, by Greg Tingle - 2nd August 2010

Australian F1 ace Mark Webber has proved the knockers wrong again and snatched victory in Hungry. Webber's Aussie Grit was fueled by passion and massive fan and news media support, after his incident with team mate and crew in Germany. He's also lost the "Turkey" moniker, affectionately tagged by Media Man after the Turkey rear end smash. Media Man and Gambling911 dish up a bon appetite serving to satisfy the most deprived motorsport enthusiasts...2, 4, 6, 8, dig in, don't wait...

Red flag to a bull, and the Aussie Grit bull responded with flying colours.

Red Bull's 'Number 2' driver has snatched another victory to power ahead in Drivers' Championship but team "mate" Vettel still leads in the betting category, a hot button with the loyal readership.

Sebastien Vettel is the 2.94 favourite to win the individual crown with Webber currently available to back at 3.9.

Webber's impressive and ultra colourful (even for Red Bull) season continued with an unlikely victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix less than 24 hours ago.

The Aussie driving ace was trailing team-mate and title rival Sebastien Vettel when the young German was penalised for breaking safety car regulations. Karma hey mate?

That unexpected turn of events rewarded daring punters willing to back Webber at a high of 50.0 in-running on agency Betfair, Vettel was matched at a low of 1.13.

Red Bull's Australian driver, whose team notoriously appeared to favour his younger team "mate" at last month's British GP, now leads the Drivers' Championship however is still behind Vettel in the betting category. The gunning German is the 2.94 favourite to win the individual crown with Webber currently available to back at 3.9.

Former Championship leader, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, did not finish in Hungary and is now trading at 7.4. Fernando Alonso, finishing second at the Hungaroring, can be backed at 4.3.

Readers, still hungry for more? Check out the Gambling911 sports betting portfolio...

http://www.gambling911.com/sports.html

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Stay hungry as Rocky would say, but bet with your head, not over it, as to only stay hungry in a mental state, not to upset your diet. Go Aussie Go.

*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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Hugh Hefner planning London casino - 31st July 2010

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner wants to expand his business empire further and open casinos in London, England, and Macao, China.

Hugh Hefner wants to open a casino in London.

The 84-year-old Playboy founder wants to further expand his business empire as he is planning to move away from "adult programming" because he doesn't feel it is the right direction to go in anymore.

He said: "We will be announcing casinos in both Macao, China, and London. As far as media goes, I think we'll be involved in more mainstream ventures.

"We already have spin-offs of 'The Girls Next Door' on the E! Channel with both Holly Madison and Kendra Wilkinson, as well as a pilot with Bridget Marquardt on A&E. We're going to be doing more of that.

"That's the direction we're moving in; we're moving away from the adult programming because it's not the future. I think it gets in the way of who we are, and who we want to be."

The media mogul believes that as time goes by, his other ventures will become more famous and even more successful than the iconic men's magazine he founded.

He explained in an interview with website The Daily Beast: "Frankly, early on, as a single title company, the strength of the brand led us into other directions. The first Playboy products - cuff links, T-shirts, and things of that kind - began in the late '50s and the first Playboy club opened in 1960.

"In their early years, the Playboy clubs were so hugely popular that the company's ability as a 'branding' vehicle became obvious.

"In the early years the magazine carried the brand while I think that, in the future, the brand will increasingly help to carry the magazine."

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