Australian
Gambling And Vice News Update, by Greg Tingle - 28th
April 2011
Australia
continues to be a hotbed for Australian gambling,
casino and vice news, be it political, legal, new
games and innovation, tours, casinos battling it out
for the top entertainment acts, and so it goes on.
Media
Man scours Australia for the hottest and most entertaining
news to be found...
South
Australia Police Officers Investigation Probe Over
Casino Fight...
A
double Australian tag team...4...off-duty police officers
are under investigation over a brawl at Adelaide's
famous SkyCity Casino. Just after midnight yesterday,
a bloke came out of a toilet and complained to a guard
a group of men were harassing him. News outlet Channel
7 reported last night the group emerged from the toilet
and approached the man, who is alleged to have told
them: "Leave me alone, I don't want anything
to do with this."
A fight then erupted, in which casino gaming tables
were knocked for six and seven security guards rushed
to the incident. The men were notified Hindley St
police had been called, to which they allegedly replied:
"We are the police." Police are reviewing
security footage, and Superintendent Graham Goodwin
said an investigation was continuing. We wish the
police good luck with the investigation - both sides
of the police.
Snoop
Dogg Enjoys Time In Australian Casinos; Star City
In Sin City Sydney..
With
hip-hop stars Snoop Dogg and Nelly have been enjoying
their time down under in Australia. At an announced
side-show in Sydney's Star City Casino last weekend,
the two famed hip-hop stars shocked the crowd when
an ensemble of acclaimed Supafest co-stars joined
them on stage. Industry luminaries The Game, T-Pain,
Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe and Spliff Star all joined in
the fun. They wowed fans with an hour of freestyle
rapping. The show is already being described as the
biggest hip-hop show in Australian history. Star City
in Sydney is hoping to look after them again, as is
the Tabcorp owned sister casino on the Gold Coast
- Jupiters Hotel and Casino.
Famous
Australian Gambler And Sportsman Brendan Fevola Will
Pay Kids' Charity...
You
know the name, and you know some of his games. AFL,
poker and casino slots. Fev will make a payment to
well known and respected charity Variety. They will
be the beneficiary of ex AFL star Brendan Fevola's
drunken New Year's Eve. The former Carlton and Brisbane
full forward will pay about $2000 to the charity to
avoid charges of obstructing police and public nuisance.
Fevola was arrested after ignoring police instructions
to get off the road in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley
about 4.30am on New Year's Day. The situation degenerated
when he resisted arrest and threatened police, allegedly
saying: "Come on, take your hat and badge off,
I'll smash you." The dual-Coleman medallist had
pleaded guilty to the charges but entered mediation
talks with police this month to have them dropped.
He also wrote a letter of apology to the police involved.
Fevola's lawyer Jim Coburn told Brisbane Magistrates
Court yesterday mediation had been successful and
a commitment has been signed for Fevola to donate
the money. The charity, Variety Queensland, was chosen
by police. Fevola has two weeks to fulfil the mediation
terms. Fevola, who has struggled with gambling and
alcohol issues throughout his career, lost about $1
million through betting and admitted he attempted
suicide at his lowest point. He spent two months in
rehab to deal with mental health and addiction issues
after the altercation with police. The living legend
was sacked by the Brisbane Lions while he was still
in rehab, a move which drew criticism from some quarters,
including the AFL Players' Association. Fevola moved
back to Melbourne after his release from rehab to
be closer to his family, however he is now estranged
from his wife Alex and three daughters. His battle
with gambling is ongoing. He has been removed from
James Packer owned Crown Casino as well as a suburban
pokies venue in recent months. Fevola has not given
up hope of returning to the AFL, playing for VFL side
Casey Scorpions to help rebuild his career. We wish
Fev well with his ongoing journey.
Crown
Casino Grease Shaft Trap Man Ocean's One Slips Legal
Charges In Melbourne...
A
Melbourne 26 year-old known as "Grease Trap Man"
and "Ocean's One" after he was rescued from
a ventilation shaft at Crown casino walked out...slipped
away if you will... a free man from court yesterday.
Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard two charges against
Brook Adrian Valencic, 26, had been withdrawn by prosecutors.
Valencic, of Sydenham, faced a charge of criminal
damage to a door at Crown and a second charge of trespass,
over the incident in July last year. It is believed
the crim defence planned to argue he was so drunk
he could remember nothing of the incident and police
concluded they could not prove the charges. Valencic
spent hours trapped in the grease-filled ventilation
shaft and was pulled clear by a search and rescue
crew after staff at the Automatic Cafe heard screaming
when they turned on the ovens. He was covered head
to toe in grease, as was worried his might of been
in line for a cooked alive number ala battered fish
fry. The rescuers had to crawl into the shaft to rescue
Valencic, who was hot and dehydrated, but otherwise
unharmed, yet a touch worried about what was about
to get cooked. At the time of the incident firefighters
thought he entered the steel duct from a stairwell,
crawled about 30m, and then fell vertically through
the vents until he became wedged above the cafe's
grill. Valencic left court without talking to the
press. Crown Casino security and law enforcement agencies
will be watching Crown Casino like hawks as The Logies
is to take place on the 1st April, opened by performing
artist come casino babe Katy Perry.
Aristocrat
Aussie Battle Returning To Casino King; Tarzan, Mr.
Cashman Headline Aristocrat's Booth at Southern Gaming
Summit...
From
Australia to Vegas To Biloxi, the embattled Aussie
firm is bouncing back with a vengeance.
Aristocrat
Technologies is bringing top-name celebrities to Biloxi
for the annual Southern Gaming Summit. "Tarzan(R)"
and "Mr. Cashman" of Cashman Fever(TM) will
be front and center as Aristocrat unveils its newest
games that will help operators across the South give
their customers the greatest gaming experience every
day. Aristocrat will be in booth #812, where the stunning
new video slot game Tarzan®Lord of the Jungle™
will bring a call of the wild to the tradeshow floor.
Tarzan Lord of the Jungle is the newest title in Aristocrat's
award-winning VERVEhd™ cabinet, where the game's
big screen style action stretches top to bottom. The
game is complete with incredible stereo sound, seven
high-hit frequency bonus features and a four-level
progressive with a jungle-sized top jackpot of $250,000.
Co-starring at the event is every casino player's
best friend, Mr. Cashman™, who is now starring
in the new video slot game Cashman Fever™. Cashman
Fever brings the fun and excitement that players have
come to expect from Mr. Cashman to a scorching hot
new level. Cashman Fever is a new feature-rich, highly
entertaining gaming experience with four red-hot,
high-frequency Cashman Fever bonus features and an
exclusive Cashman Fever Progressive Link feature that
offers 20 jackpot pools. Aristocrat is riding a wave
of award-winning success, and the company will be
showing off its most recent award-winning products,
including More Hearts™ and More Chilli™,
the opening titles on Aristocrat's all-new and award-winning
game category Mega Pay™, which was recently named
one of the Top Ten Slot Floor Products for 2011 in
the fifth annual Casino Enterprise Management Slot
Floor Technology Awards. Aristocrat will also be showing
its all-new game category Win Your Way™ and its
industry-exclusive Nteractiv™ LCD Programmable
Buttons, which were both recently named to the list
of Casino Journal's annual "Top 20 Most Innovative
Gaming Technology Awards." Aristocrat will introduce
southern operators to Stuntman Sam™, the company's
newest hero who in this thrilling new game attempts
several heart-stopping, death-defying feats to give
players an entertaining gaming experience and a big
win. And "Rock Star of the Art World," Michael
Godard's work will be on display in Monster Boogie™,
the hilarious sequel to the instant player favorite
Rockin Olives™. Also showing Gazellions™
and Fortune Fantasy™, where players have a chance
to play four games at once; and the latest entry in
Aristocrat's Reel Tall Tales™ line, The Headless
Horseman™, a triple standalone progressive with
five bonus features. They're not just games, they're
Aristocrat games, and they give the greatest gaming
experience every day.
Return
to the Scene of the Crime; Sin City Sydney Crime Tourism...
Gamblers,
histories and many tourists will love this. From murder
and robbery to gambling and civil unrest, Sydney’s
turbulent history will be revealed as we visit crime
scenes from the past and present in this fascinating
walking tour of Circular Quay and The Rocks.
The walk starts from the Justice & Police Museum
and winds its way through the city to finish in The
Rocks. Both planned and spontaneous true crime stories
are looked at in detail on this tour.
Details:
Justice & Police Museum
Address
4-8 Phillip St
Sydney 2000
Telephone 02 9252 1144
Price from $20.00 to $25.00
Date Tue 03 May
Alternative dates Tue 17 May
Open 6-8pm
Website: HHT
Also
check out
Sin
City: crime & corruption in 20th-century Sydney
No
city in the world can rival Sydney's tolerance for
organised crime - Professor Alfred W McCoy, 1980.
In the second half of the 20th century, Sin City was
in every way a fitting nickname for Sydney. Organised
crime held a grip on the city and corruption was rife,
infiltrating the top levels of politics, law and justice.
Focusing on the 1940s to the 1980s, this exhibition
will examine some of the audacious crimes, fascinating
people and various vice trades – from suburban
SP bookmakers and sly-grog sellers to narcotics dealers
and flashy illegal casinos – that bankrolled
corruption...
Website: HHT
Keith
Bulfin; Casino And Business Criminal Tells His Story
In Undercover Tell All Book...
His
colourful story, described in his autobiographical
novel Undercover, reads like a movie script. Bulfin
says while the novel is fiction, it is based on the
true events of his life. The events may sound fantastical,
he says, but he can prove it all actually happened.
The story starts in the 1990s, when he was running
a mortgage company, and fell out of favor of the law
on a charge of conspiracy to defraud in the valuations
of Lasseters Casino and Dreamworld. “My lawyers
said, ‘You’ve got no chance, they’ll
throw the book at you’. I pleaded guilty and
got sent to prison,” he says. Bulfin was stabbed
and beaten several times at Port Phillip Prison, and
progressively moved to higher security sections with
tougher criminals at every turn, until he ended up
in a so-called supermax unit. "There are 20 people
in the unit, and you’re under surveillance 24/7.
It’s one of the worst units in Australia,"
Bulfin says. Bulfin advised he has a good reason for
writing a book about such a dangerous man, someone
who could easily arrange for him to be killed. "I
was sick of psychologists. I thought I’ll write
a book, and maybe it’s therapy," he says.
"Also, by writing a book, I’m safer, and
now no-one can threaten me." Bulfin says his
book, which was originally intended to be released
as a true story, is going to be made into a movie
called The Banker. Keith Bulfin will be speaking at
this year’s Bayside Literary Festival on May
22 from 1pm–2.30pm. The event will be held at
the Brighton Savoy, 150 The Esplanade. Cost is $10,
and afternoon tea will be provided.
Aussie
Rock Gods INXS Play Moncton Casino On July 7...
Australian
rock group INXS is going to perform at Casino New
Brunswick's Entertainment Centre in Moncton in July.
The band, performing in support of new album Original
Sin, will start the rock n roller Thursday, July 7
at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. Over the span of the
band's 30-year career, INXS has sold more than 30
million albums worldwide. They have scored hits on
four different continents and have received MTV Awards,
World Music Awards, two Grammy nominations, British
Music Awards and Gold, Platinum and Diamond sales
status on their records. They have also performed
over 4,000 live shows for more than 25 million people
in almost 50 countries. First as the Farriss Brothers,
then as INXS, the band is made up of brothers Tim,
Jon and Andrew Farriss, along with Kirk Pengilly and
Garry Gary Beers. Original INXS singer Michael Hutchence
died in 1997 via a dark and adventurous sexual method
and has been replaced at various times by different
singers, notably J.D. Fortune who grew up in Nova
Scotia. Fortune is fronting the band on stage, but
on Original Sin new versions of classic INXS hits
were recorded with various vocalists, including Train's
Pat Monahan, Rob Thomas and Ben Harper. Tickets for
the Moncton INXS show go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m.
Casino execs think INXS will boost numbers to the
venue and should see more folks trying their luck
on casino games. Sounds like something to check out.
Punters,
er readers, stay glued to Media
Man for more "can't miss" news on Australian
pokies and gambling wars.
Crown
Casino Teams Up With NRL's Melbourne Storm...
Melbourne
are expecting a cyclone size backlash as the latest
National
Rugby League club to link with a gambling establishment
after confirming Crown Casino as their new major sponsor.
In a massive deal snatcher for a club which last year
was disgraced after being stripped of all points and
two premierships during the salary cap scandal, the
Storm unveiled Crown as their front jersey sponsor
on Friday. Melbourne chief executive Ron Gauci agreed
there would be criticism of the club's link with gambling.
However he defended the arrangement and said Crown
offered a home for Storm supporters, which the club
had not had since it joined the competition in 1998.
All Storm after-match and mid-season functions for
members will be held at Crown. The casino believes
the sponsorship will boost their exposure interstate.
"I think you'll have those that wish to comment
but I think we need to emphasise what it is that we
wanted out of the relationship and that is a home
for our supporter base," Gauci said. "If
you think about what Crown has to offer as an entertainment
complex ... this is a great place to consolidate those
activities." The Storm lost major sponsors Host
Plus and ME Bank in the wake of last season's scandal.
Gauci said the new sponsorship delivered a message
of confidence in the Storm ahead of the 2011 season.
"I think it does deliver us a substantial message
to the marketplace, and for the club it's very important
to have an organisation as big a Melbourne icon as
Crown is to support the club. It delivers a magnificent
message about the confidence the corporate world has
in Melbourne Storm and our future direction."
The Storm joined South
Sydney as the second NRL club to have a gambling
establishment as their major sponsor, while Penrith
have renamed their home ground Centrebet Stadium and
Manly will also have the Centrebet logo on the back
of their jumper. Yes, NRL ramped up links to gambling
are all the rage. A rumour has started that igaming
kings PartyGaming
want into Australia and would accept an NRL jersey,
shorts or even stadium deal. The firm is known for
its well known and respected PartyCasino,PartyPoker
and World
Poker Tour brands, which have a strong following
in Australia, other parts of the Asia Pacific, such
as New Zealand. Party is also looking to ramp up sports
betting services in the Asia Pacific region. Melbourne's
announcement also comes in the same week as Ryan Tandy,
who left the Storm midway through last season to join
Canterbury, was arrested and charged as a result of
an ongoing police investigation into "irregular
betting" on a match between the Canterbury Bulldogs
and North Queensland Cowboys last August. Dennis Watt,
rugby league general manager with News Limited, who
own the Storm, defended the arrangement between a
gambling establishment and a sport sold as a family
game. "I can speak for Crown as an integrated
entertainment, retail complex. It is very much reflective
of the heart and soul of Melbourne and it's a great
relationship for us to have and I don't see a conflict
for the relationship the Storm have sought here."
He echoed the views recently expressed by NRL chief
executive David Gallop that the association between
sport and gambling "is as old as sport itself".
"Gambling's a part of the Australian way of life,
part of our character and our history," he said.
"We advocate moderation, we know that problem
gambling affects less than half a per cent of the
population. "You've got two million problem drinkers,
four million smokers, over nine million Australians
suffering levels of obesity which are also big social
issues."
A
Media Man
spokesperson said "The Crown Casino - Melbourne
Storm sponsorship deal looks to be a match made in
heaven. Crown has world class facilities and entertainment
is the name of the game. Entertainment takes many
forms, be it football, burlesque, television, rock
bands or slot machines aka one armed bandits. Crown
Casino can do it all. Already this deal has generated
national and international headlines, and yes, we
are helping spread the word to our friends in the
U.S and Canada. Gambling911, CAP, GWPA and Poker News
Daily are just a few outlets that we expect to run
the story. It's balanced and positive coverage all
the way, instead of the agenda driven gaming hater
stuff you read from time to time. Chalk up more browny
points for Crown's James Packer and his world class
team at Crown, and good on the NRL and The Storm for
seeing the golden opportunity and moving it into high
gear. I never thought I would say this again after
last season's scandals, but Go The Storm!"
Australian
Betting Limited 'Bullet Proof' NOT! Says Maker Aristocrat...
A
card-based system forcing pokie players to set betting
limits isn't a "bullet proof" solution to
problem gambling, poker machine maker Aristocrat Leisure
Ltd says. Aristocrat, representing over 60% of the
Australian pokies market, is instead proposing a machine-based
system that lets gamblers set time and/or betting
limits. But the proposal was met with some opposition
when Aristocrat executives appeared before a joint
federal parliamentary committee hearing in Sydney
on Friday. The committee is investigating the idea
of a pre-commitment scheme using smart card or other
technology to force pokie players to set limits on
their gambling. It follows a controversial commitment
from Prime Minister Julia Gillard to Tasmanian "independent"
(so to speak - has seen to be bias and preduduce against
those liking a punt) MP Andrew Wilkie to introduce
such a scheme across the country in return for his
support of her Labor government. "As a company,
we acknowledge that there is a problem out there,"
Aristocrat general manager of corporate affairs Kristene
Reynolds told the hearing. "For us, coming here
today is to come to the table and be part of that
solution." The company's managing director in
Australia and New Zealand, Trevor Croker, said card-based
systems, which have been used in other countries,
can be manipulated by problem gamblers. "It is
not a bullet proof solution. People do swap cards
and have been able to use multiple cards," he
said. "I think finding the complete solution
is going to be a very difficult outcome. "It
should not be something we don't aspire to, but it
will be very difficult, from what we see in those
(other) markets." Aristocrat will soon trial
a new slot machine that features opt-in pre-commitments,
allowing users the option to set themselves spending
or time limits. These machines could be ready for
mass production from the end of 2012, and phased in
as part of the normal machine replacement cycle, Croker
said. But with the average cost of a pokie at $25,000,
Labor MP Stephen Jones questioned the Aristocrat executives
on the cost effectiveness of such a solution. "It
would be good for Aristocrat, I can see that. But
it's a very expensive solution to the problem, isn't
it?", he asked. Aristocrat general manager of
design and development Justin Brown said smaller venues
could be given longer to replace their machines, while
newer models may only require a software upgrade,
at a cost of about $3,000. Mr Wilkie, the committee's
chairman, also questioned the motives of Aristocrat's
proposal. "I can't help feeling an element of
commercial self interest in your advice to the committee
here," he said. Further questioning resulted
in the Aristocrat executives conceding their machine-based
proposal would not prevent problem gamblers from simply
switching machines or venues once they had reached
a pre-committed loss or time limit. The hearings continue
in Canberra and Hobart later this month. In Australia
the machines are often known as pokies or poker machines,
in the U.S - slots, and much of Europe - Fruit Machines
or Fruities!
Queensland's
Sunshine Coast A Big Winner For Lottery Sector; Punters
To Win Homes Via BoysTown Gambling...
It's
steal from the rich to give to the poor! Ok, not exactly,
but read on and you will get the drift soon enough.
The Sunshine Coast has long been regarded as a prize
location by local residents, but now a range of national
and state lottery organisations are taking notice.
BoysTown Lotteries recently unveiled a million-dollar
home in Buderim as its latest prize home offering.
Located at 22 Orme Rd, the home is part of a prize
package worth more than $1.5 million. It is arguably
one of Buderim’s most beautiful homes, according
to BoysTown’s general manager fundraising Keith
Coventry. "Our previous lottery prize home was
in Nerang (Gold Coast) and the one before that was
in Rainbow Bay (Coolangatta). Now we find ourselves
in Buderim on the Sunshine Coast. When deciding on
a prize home, we look at the property itself and then
the desirability of the location and the features
of the area," Coventry said. "I think the
thing about Buderim is that you are close to the beach,
but you also have those great views over the ocean
and the coastline. I guess you get the best of both
worlds. "The Buderim home has been particularly
popular and the retail sales have been very strong."
Yet another contender in the Coast’s prize pool
is a home in Mount Coolum, raising funds for the Mater
Foundation as part of the Mater Prize Home Lottery.
Also sporting a million-dollar price tag, the home
is located at 47 Boardwalk Blvd in Coolum’s Boardwalk
Estate. Twin Waters is the site of Surf Life Saving
Lottery’s prize home, which is valued at more
than $750,000. The three-bedroom home at Lot 4 Ameen
Cct comes with $41,832 in furniture and electrical,
along with 12 months paid council rates. Coventry
said funds raised from the BoysTown lottery would
assist the Kids Helpline service, which was in particular
demand since the recent floods. "Kids Helpline
is certainly taking a lot more calls from kids who
are worried about the impacts of the floods, or who
have been affected by the floods. A lot of people
are seeking assistance with the mental health aspects
of this natural disaster, so I think that is certainly
going to be the focus of much of our fundraising over
the coming months." The money raised from Mater
lotteries help funds medical research teams and the
purchase of life-saving medical equipment, as well
as supporting patients and families. Surf Life Saving
lotteries assist Surf Life Saving clubs around the
country. Aussies, feeling lucky. Go on, give them
a go, and you know the money is going to a good place,
if you don't happen to win. Mind you, feel welcome
to check out the slots, poker, bingo and other casino
games showcased on the portal also. BoysTown Lottery
will set you back a bit, while at Media Man partners
like PartyGaming, many games can be played for free
or for money. The choice if yours. Hours of entertainment
for young and old - just kidding, check legalities
but most counties insist you are at least 18 years
old to gamble, and that includes from lottery to poker
to slots, ok crew!
Clubs
Australia VS Productivity Watchdog: Dog Fight; Bark
Worse Than Bite?...
Clubs
Australia will today accuse the nation's productivity
watchdog of making a mathematical error in its claim
that problem gamblers are responsible for 40% of poker
machine revenue. Media Man spokespersons and investigators
have been disputing the "problem gambling"
numbers for almost 2 years! The figure of 40% is being
used by anti-gambling politicians aka "gaming
haters" to try to justify new limits on gambling
the Gillard government has pledged to introduce to
maintain the support of independent MP Andrew Wilkie
in the hung parliament. Clubs Australia is fighting
a mandatory precommitment scheme that would force
pokies players to set a limit on how much they intend
to spend before they start gambling. It claims the
scheme will cost clubs and pubs $2.5 billion nationally
and cost thousands of jobs if it turns off casual
gamblers from having a punt, throwing a couple of
bucks down the throat of an "one armed bandit",
whilst often sinking a cold Aussie beer at the same
time (not that we endorse it). Beer can change ones
thinking, but you likely knew that already Jack! Politicians
backing the reform have seized on a claim in the Productivity
Commission report that problem gamblers contribute
40% of pokie revenue to justify the crackdown. Clubs
Australia president Anthony 'On The Ball' Ball will
tell a parliamentary inquiry in Sydney today the figure
is "highly contentious" and "inaccurate".
In his opening address to the inquiry he will say
that the Productivity Commission claims there are
95,000 problem gamblers who play the pokies and spend
on average $21,000 each year on the machines. When
multiplied together, this comes to a total of $1.995bn,
and this figure represents just 16.8% of the $11.9bn
total expenditure on poker machines. "These are
not our numbers. These are the figures from the commission,"
Ball will say. "Therefore the vast majority of
gambling revenue comes from recreational gamblers."
The Productivity Commission used a range of different
methods to calculate the amount spent by problem gamblers
and found both problem and recreational gamblers underestimated
how much they spent on gambling each year. The 40
per cent figure was not derived from multiplying the
number of problem gamblers by the amount they said
they spent each year but was derived from a range
of surveys that looked at what gamblers actually spent.
Clubs Australia will tell the parliamentary committee
the proposed mandatory precommitment scheme is a "massive
infringement of people's individual rights".
"There's a vast difference between making the
pre-commitment available to any player who wants to
use it, and forcing anybody who wants to play a gaming
machine to register, obtain a device and provide personal
details or fingerprints in order to be able to play,"
Mr Ball plans to tell the inquiry.
Australian
Gambling Enquiry: Traditional Gamblers Heading Online
For Slots, Poker, Roulette Et Al; Problem Gamblers
VS Problem Child Government Policy?...
Using
hi-tech to force pokies players to set betting limits
would drive gambling addicts online in the masses
and divert resources away from helping problem punters,
a Senate inquiry has heard. The inquiry, chaired by
Tasmanian federal independent MP Andrew Wilkie, is
investigating the concept of a pre-commitment scheme
using smart card or other technology to force all
pokies players to set limits on their gambling. Clubs
Australia, the peak body for registered clubs in the
nation, on Friday told the joint parliamentary committee
inquiring into the issue it had reservations about
the proposal in its current form. Clubs Australia
executive director Anthony Ball said more research
was needed on how effective it would be. "There
is very little good research out there about whether
this proposal or any others are going to work,"
he told the inquiry in Sydney. "There are a multitude
of gambling opportunities. The strategy must not be
to drive (problem gamblers) online ... The strategy
must be to find these people, get them the right treatment
and turn their lives around." He said state regulations
on gambling were sufficient and that a 'one-size-fits-all'
policy should not be applied across all states. Clubs
Australia president Peter Newell said the three main
issues regarding the scheme were cost, whether it
would reduce problem gambling and the consequences
of implementing it. He said the system failed to work
in Norway, and instead drove problem gamblers to the
internet. Five million Australians would play the
pokies in any given 12-month period and the system
would only drive away recreational players, who represented
the "vast majority" of gambling revenue,
he said. "As a recreational gambler myself, I
am disturbed that there are people who think I need
assistance in determining how I spend my money,"
he said. "Mandatory pre-commitment fails to provide
what problem gamblers need most and that is treatment,
and in doing so, diverts attention and resources away
from treatment. Problem gamblers will still gamble
in the mandatory pre-commitment system. They are addicted.
But recreational gamblers will walk away from pokie
machines." Newell said the system would be expensive
and difficult to implement across 197,000 machines
nationwide, taking years and billions of dollars to
do - forcing clubs to close and costing thousands
of jobs - with no indication as to how effective it
will be. It's man VS machine; The People VS The Government,
and The Government VS The Gaming Industry. News media
and website portals just keep lapping up the action
resulting in a readership jackpot bonanza.
News
Australian
Celeb News: Media, Casino And Gaming Celebs, by Greg
Tingle - 29th January 2011
G'day
punters, celebrities, journos, high rollers - casino
whales, gambling millionaires and billionaires, poker
sharks, entertainment news junkies, media tycoons,
politicians, insiders, outsiders, legal eagles,...
one and all. You know who you are. Seems just about
everyone is a celebrity, or knows a celebrity these
days. God know the poker world is full of them. This
is our Aussie celebrity special, featuring Aussie
celebs from the world of media, gaming, poker and
more, and even a few ring-ins for good measure. Media
Man and Gambling911 with celebrities you love
to love, and even a couple you love to hate...
Shane
Warne...And Liz Hurley...
Warnie
and Liz look to be in love, with each other and with
Twitter. The spinner is hanging out for a game of
poker or "poke her" with Liz, almost begging
for Hurley
Burley to come down under for a face to face. The
couple have taken to Twitter like ducks to water.
Warne and Hurley's developing romance is good fodder
out for their almost half a million Twitter followers.
They are now publicly planning her trip Down Under.
The poker - fashion babe might be in Australia within
weeks. Hurley has been tweeting about her new parrot,
Ping Pong. "I'm getting jealous of ping pong!
Think it's time you left ping pong alone for a while
& come visit me in Australia," Warne tweeted.
"No need for jealousy SW, she's not getting any
cuddles or kisses!" Hurley replied. The model
brunette is teaching the parrot to talk and Saints
fan Warne has urged her to teach it the St Kilda club
song. "Don't forget advance Australia fair !!!!
In tune too please ping pong . . . Ps organized kangaroos
and koalas for your trip," he wrote. The affair
between the former spinner and the movie - poker babe
went public in December and the pair were busted on
a romantic weekend in LA earlier this month. Both
have bounce back, and judging by the Tweets, can't
wait to bounce, fly and play together. Is it an Aussie
expression... a bird in the hand is worth two in the
bush? Never mind. Tweet me at twitter.com/mediamanint
Russell
Crowe: Ex Kiwi (On Defending His South Sydney Rabbitoh's
Star City Casino Deal)...
"The
football club is a completely different organisation
from the leagues club. We don't have any control over
what the leagues club does; they run their own game."
Crowe
then went on to defend the move by pitching Star
City as primarily an entertainment precinct and
putting forward society benefits from gaming revenue,
of which there is some truth in. Entertainment is
the name of the game, and its broken into sub sectors.
"This is an entertainment venue in general; it's
not just about gaming. Let's get real about this situation;
we're living in a state where they're telling us that
the revenue from poker machines is paying for our
hospitals. What we're talking about here is about
a connection between two organisations that are all
about entertainment, that are all about the future
of Sydney." Souths chief executive Shane Richardson
seconded the views put forward forward by NRL chief
executive David "Gambling" (MM satire) Gallop
this week that the association between sport and gambling
"is as old as sport itself". "Let's
be honest no sport in the world could ignore it, we're
not holier than thou, the NFL, the English Premier
League, wherever it is, there's gambling. As David
Gallop said all along, it's going to be there, it's
a major part of what sport is whether we like it or
not and we've got to be part of it to have some sort
of control over it." Crowe did concede that his
own personal beliefs on gambling were at odds with
the deal and recognised that problem gamblers were
an issue of concern. "I don't like them (pokies).
I'm not a fan of them; I've made that clear in the
past. "But in life I am a gambler. The fact that
I took on South Sydney underlines that." Media
Man and Gambling911 congratulate both the Rabbitohs,
Crowe and Tabcorp's Star City for taking a bet on
this. Life is a gamble, just don't let it get the
better of you, and always have fun... on and off the
field. Work hard and play harder!
Julian
Assange...
He
is possibly Australia's most notorious public figure
in a strange sort of way. Hero or Villain? Guess it
depends on who you ask. If you ask Prime Minister
Julia
Gillard we think you know the answer! This weekends'
The Australian newspaper fueled rumours that the James
Bond franchise might like to have an Assange type
in an upcoming flick. The journo penned...Ian Fleming
could have turned the WikiLeaks boss into a villain
in a James Bond novel. Given the pervasiveness of
the Bond myth, it is no surprise that Assange, like
Osama bin Laden before him, should be likened to a
Bond villain. He has been labelled many things both
positive and negative, from champion of free speech
to cyber-terrorist. Perhaps the strangest, and for
many fans of popular culture most glamorous, epithet
applied to Julian Assange is that of Bond villain.
Moreover, it is an epithet that has found widespread
media acceptance. The connection has been made in
blogs and especially tabloid newspapers, and equally
it has surfaced in such diverse publications as Britain's
The Guardian, The Financial Times and the US's The
Washington Post. The most conspicuous parallel between
Assange and the fantasy world of Ian Fleming's James
Bond involves the Bond villain's lair. The WikiLeaks
HQ, known as the Pionen data centre, is a remodelled
Swedish nuclear bunker set in a granite mountain face.
Special thanks to Simon Caterson at News Limited.
We like your work mate.
Elle
Macpherson...
The
once former flame of Brit gambling tycoon Damian Aspinall
has got busy again as of late. Elle
Macpherson and Cate Blanchett were guests at the
major bling event for the Portofino range at a dinner
in Geneva yesterday. They were joined by Lost's Matthew
Fox - looking heavier and a bit ratty in a Brad Pitt-style
Catweazle beard - plus Kevin Spacey, Ronan Keating
and more. We're sure it was a fun event. And we're
sure all received a special gift.
Damian
Aspinall (James Packer Mate) To Sell Aspinall's Casino
In Britain Following Bad Luck!..
Damian
does business with Australia's James
Packer, but its possible that soon that may come
to an end. The Brit has had relationships with glamorous
women, including the TV presenter Donna Air, Elle
Macpherson and Naomi Campbell. He confirmed the
scale of the club’s debts but said it was not
unusual for a casino business. He said: “You
are talking about a business that has £250 million
a year drop (the money staked by its clients). So
it is a bit circular. You are looking at unlucky years.
That is the business we are in. “Anyone in the
business with high value VIP tables will have years
when you do well and years when they don’t do
well because it is volatile." Asked about the
house’s performance last year, he added: “That’s
completely normal. You are talking about a volatile
business.” He said over a 10-year period Aspinall’s
was winning 18 per cent of the money gambled at its
tables. But he added: “You have years when you
do nine per cent and years when you do 24 per cent.”
The most recent available accounts for the club are
for 2009 and Mr Aspinall said the club was now doing
better. He said that despite his plan to move away
from the elite clubs founded by his father such businesses
would not die out. “I think there is a future.
You have got to be grown up about those sorts of investments.
You lose £10 million one week, and win £8
million the next. It is part of the business. When
you lose these amounts it is a knock for the casino
concerned, but you have weeks like that. We also had
a week where we won £11 million in six days.
It is big numbers these days. The winners could be
three people over a number of days, it can be one
person in one night. There are plenty of players all
over the world who have won and lost that sort of
money in a night."
Mel
Gibson...
American
law enforcement sources say Summit Entertainment which
is distributing Aussie Mel's upcoming movie, "The
Beaver" - gave Mel the final cut of the movie
on DVD. Mel
screened it at his home, and at 10:45 AM put the DVD
in his mailbox so a courier could pick it up and return
it to Summit. The DVD was rumoured to go missing in
action, not Mel!
Hugh
Jackman...
Hugh
Jackman, Oprah
Winfrey, Halle Berry and Marisa Tomei Among Oscar
Presenters...Tony Award winner and previous Academy
Awards host Hugh Jackman will be part of this year's
Oscar ceremony, according to the Associated Press.
Jackman will be a presenter at the 83rd Academy Awards.
Other presenters currently include Sandra Bullock,
Jeff Bridges, Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry and Marisa
Tomei. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements
of 2010 will be presented Feb. 27 at the Kodak Theatre
at Hollywood & Highland Center. The awards will
be televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning
at 8 PM ET. James Franco and Anne Hathaway will co-host
this year's ceremony. Jackman, who was seen on screen
in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine,"
earned a Tony Award for his work in the Broadway musical
The Boy From Oz. He is also known for his film roles
in the "X-Men"
trilogy, "Someone Like You," "Swordfish,"
"Kate and Leopold," "Van Helsing"
and the recent "The Fountain" and "Happy
Feet" (in voice). His stage credits also include
Trevor Nunn's staging of Oklahoma! at Britian's National
Theatre and award-winning work in productions of Sunset
Boulevard and Beauty and the Beast.
John
Travolta...(As John Gotti)...
Travolta
was at Amici restaurant in Brentwood a few nights
ago. He wasn't giving much away about taking the role.
But Marty Ingels, Executive Producer of the movie
was much more direct, stating Travolta will play the
lead role in the movie, "Gotti." Leaks tell
us James Franco has been approached to play John Gotti,
Jr. Bang! Hit us up for an update soon.
David
Gyngell...
Gyng
is tipped to be very shortly flying to the U.S to
test the waters re the upcoming float on the stock
market on his CVC. Nine
Entertainment's private equity owners will assess
the health of the local equity and advertising markets
this month. After which, they will decide the date
for a $5 billion listing of the television, magazine
and digital group. According to market sources, Nine's
owner, CVC Asia Pacific, is yet to decide on the listing
date although most observers expect the debt-laden
group to test the waters as soon as April if global
equity markets remain relatively strong. Management,
including newly installed chief executive David Gyngell,
will travel to the US next month to gauge the interest
of potential offshore investors.
Celebrity
Poker Pros: Tyron Krost And Stewart Scott: Celebrity
Stars Going Down In Ratings; Direct Response To Poor
Showing In Aussie Millions 2011...
These
couple of poker celebs were on fire at some point,
but lately a shower has been thrown on their parade.
Both are former Aussie Millions champs - Krost from
last year, Scott from 2009. Fellas, time to win some
big games again or you might not even be thought as
celebs any more. Start performing or might those sponsorship
deals with PartyGaming'sPartyPoker.com
dry up?
Van
Marcus...
Poker
pro Van Marcus, currently in Melbourne for Aussie
Millions, is the chap who has his red rare Ferrari
nicked from the Crown valet parking last year, in
a story that generated massive international headlines.
In the past days Marcus has been seeing driving around
Melbourne in what looks to be the same card, but this
time reportedly with a hot blonde or brunette in the
passenger seat. Hows the ride girls?
Australian
Chris Hemsworth Plays Father To Thor; Anthony Hopkins
Is Thor!...
The
Aussies and Brits are teaming up again in film, thanks
to our friends at Marvel Entertainment. The industry
is abuzz for Aussie Hemsworth and Brit Hopkins. Hopkins
has portrayed so many notable characters from history,
literature, and the arts, that it’s no surprise
we will see him in yet another role of stature. In
this year’s hotly anticipated Paramount
Pictures and Marvel
Entertainment epic adventure Thor, he will be
Odin, the major god of Norse mythology, and father
to Thor, (played by Australian Chris Hemsworth). The
film is based on the Stan
Lee comic book version, and directed by Kenneth
Branagh. Excelsior! Marvel Entertainment: Don't just
buy the comics and watch the movies, play the games
at PartyGaming. May the power of Thor be with you.
James
Packer And Co...
Marketing
and gaming advisers to James
Packer have leaked that they see merit in having
an Aussie Millions branded online slot game. They
saw the popularity of Cleopatra and Sinatra in an
online environment, and well as PartyGaming's World
Poker Tour slot in land based casinos. They have
not confirmed a Kerry Packer themed slot game, with
some concerns it may be a uncomfortable proposal for
one or two of the Packer family, however many punters
and insiders think that Kerry would have loved the
idea, and further would have loved the concept that
a slot game will his likeness via tribute slot would
actually make Crown
Limited money. PartyGaming,WMS
and IGT
are keen to talk turkey with Crown Limited with their
online plans, which may also compliment what's in
store for the further development of Packer 50% owned
Betfair.
Who is tipped to the the contract?
We
think PartyGaming,
based on their strong US land based casino deals,
ink still drying over the last few days, but you will
just have to keep watching the space.
As
they say on TV, I'm a celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here!
*Media
Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet
portal development company. Gaming is just one of
a dozen sectors covered
*the
writer owns shares in Crown Limited and Ten Network
Holdings
News
Australia
Day Special, by Greg Tingle - 26th January 2011
G'day
and Happy Australia Day everyone. Ok, we know some
of you punters, journos, high rollers - casino whales,
entertainment news junkies, politicians, insiders,
outsiders and legal eagles are from across the globe
are not Australia, nor have ever been down under,
but you get the idea. Did you know that some indigenous
Australia's call Australia Day 'Invasion Day'! That's
because most history books show that Captain James
Cook and his crew invaded Australia on this day in
1988. They are known by a new names including the
First Fleet, while some aborigines will always think
of them and murderous mongrels, who stole their land
and pride. It's easy for many of us to get the point
of the blackfellas (affectionate). Media
Man and Gambling911
with a bush tucker bag full of Australian gambling,
casino, poker, media and sports news. Fair winds...
Queensland
Banana Bender State: Pub Pokies And Online Pokies
Becoming More Popular?...
One
armed bandits are maintaining their popularity in
'The Sunshine State'. It's understand that punters
might have only a 1 in a million chance of winning
really big, lotto - millionaire style, but they just
keep coming back for more. Yep, throw another dime
in the pokie baby. Queenslanders "invested"
close to $2 billion last year as the punters passion
for the slots maintained its fever pace. The total
pokies expenditure of $1.81 billion was slightly down
on the previous year, it was the third year consecutively
the number exceeded $1.8 billion. We're also learned
that the 2008 figure of $1.83 billion was an all-time
record. Now, this is important - those numbers Do
Not take into account the rabid take up and roll our
of online poker or sports betting. You know, betting
over the global medium - the internet. Overall, Queenslanders
spent $7 million less on pokies than last year and
$28 million less than in 2008, but it still works
out at in excess of $150 million every month down
the slots August was the year's biggest month for
slot gamblers, who put close to $170 million in the
throats of the one armed bandits. August was also
the biggest month for gamblers in 2008, with more
than $173 million lost. Pokies remain by far the most
popular games for punters in Australia, bringing in
most of the estimated $17 billion spent on all forms
of gambling down under each year. Some insiders think
that the reduction in official spending was more a
sign of the increased popularity of internet and sports-based
gambling. Concentrating on pokie figures, it appears
Queenslanders gambled more at the height of the global
financial crisis two years ago than they did throughout
2010.
Tassie
'Devil' Gambling Tycoon Devilish Quotes...
David
Walsh from Tasmania was such a big hit with the readership
we thought we would dig up a few more of the red hot
'The Devil's' quotes, that are too good not to share.
First a refresher...Art and gambling do mix, at least
that's the experience of Brits Damian Aspinall, Phil
'Tuffers' Tufnell, Australian artist Gina Sinozich,
Media Man
(bodypaint and burlesque "fetish") and Tasmanian
gambling whale - tycoon, David 'Wicked' (satire) Walsh.
You will pick up on Dave's affectionate nickname by
us later. We like you David, ok mate. Tasmania's most
famous or infamous gambling figure, millionaire, David
Walsh yesterday gave us a peak into his art exhibit...the
biggest (and weirdest) private art gallery in Tasmania,
if not the Asia Pacific. The $110 million Museum of
Old and New Art is nestled on the banks of Hobart's
Derwent River.
Quotes
By The Tasmanian Devil!...
"FUCK
the art, let's rock'n'roll."
"I
think formal curation is a form of mental masturbation."
"I'm
not really that interested in a bunch of big names.
Most of the works are by people most people haven't
heard of and still won't have heard of because there's
no wall labels."
"I
don't want to lose control (or) something that ends
up looking like a pale version of the National Gallery
of Victoria".
"Subversive
adult Disneyland".
"Please
see reception if you are planning a pool party or
a ritualistic orgy."
"It's
the opportunity to mess with your head. I like the
idea of people having a couple of beers and looking
at the art, having a couple more and changing their
mind."
"Just
a privileged guy with a megaphone"
"It’s
like a rich man’s soap box. I’m standing
on my soapbox and I’m shouting my views like
they mean something."
"I’ll
take all the popular stuff out. And if you go to the
toilet two or three times we’ll recommend a good
urologist."
“My
brother once said about me that I’d rather be
outside a barrel pissing in than inside the barrel
pissing out. I’m anti this idea that we know
what we’re doing with certainty. I kinda think
that most things that are good happen to people largely
by accident, but then they start looking for explanations.
You see the views of rich, successful people on television,
and they tell you why they got rich and successful;
they don’t interview all the people who went
through the same process and didn’t. I think
most things are complete crap. I want to show that
you can be fortunate without believing that your fortune
was anything other than fortune."
"There
are so many things we do that we hide from. We hack
open cows and eat their guts but we compartmentalise
that away from our lives so we can pretend it’s
not happening. And on a larger, more important scale,
if each of us acted individually to say ‘OK,
we f…ed up the atmosphere, it is our personal
responsibility’, humanity would behave in a very
different way."
"One
of the things about having money is that … I
feel a bit of guilt and a level of privilege, and
it seems to be an obligation to do something, and
since art is what I’ve been doing....but it wasn’t
really like that. It was: I bought this small gallery,
bought a bigger one, and gradually it became something
of this scale. It’s become a lot more serious
endeavour than I intended it to be. There’s a
bit of thumbing my nose at the establishment and trying
to bypass academia, but mainly I just wanted it to
be a bit of fun. And it is. And it will be."
"The
gambling is all a computer thing that is going on
right now".
Queensland:
Cairns Reef Hotel Casino Poised To Raise Big Bucks
For Flood Relief On Australia Day...
Punters,
let's all spare a thought for those who have been
attacked by the floods on Australia Day. Numerous
events are being planed around Australia, from 'Sound
Relief' to and initiative from the Cairns Reef Hotel
Casino 'Bring on the Sun' It will be one of the biggest
events on the Australia Day calendar for the city
and all funds raised will go to the Premier’s
Flood Relief Appeal. There's a good old fashioned
sausage sizzle, competitions and female performers
including the Marlins’ cheer squad. "The
whole idea is slanted towards the female performer,"
entertainment manager Bruce Stewart said. "We’ve
got an eclectic blend of female artists coming to
perform as well." Cazalys, El Mundo Tapas Bar
and the Marlin Coast Bowls Club will also host events
to raise money for flood victims. Cairns Regional
Council will hold events across the region, including
the ever-popular celebrations on the Esplanade. Mayor
Val Schier said the council was expecting a good attendance
as usual with residents keen to get outside and celebrate
our sunburnt country in the green and gold. "Even
last year when it poured, a huge number of people
came to the Aussie breakfast; we expect the same will
happen this year, rain, hail or shine. It is one of
those days where people can come together as a community
and help celebrate why it is great to be an Australian.
We live in a fantastic country and it is good for
people to get out and enjoy it." Pubs and clubs
will also get into the Aussie spirit with a number
of activities on offer. Paradise Palms Resort and
Country Club has a patriotic, fun-filled day planned
with activities that pay homage to Australia’s
heritage such as the much-anticipated pie-eating competition.
"Everybody is welcome to come along and have
some fun while tucking into our Aussie selection of
meat pies, icy beers, lamingtons and classic Australian
music by DJ Danny from Millennium Sounds," director
of sales and marketing Darlene Holdsworth said.
Events
Join
the celebrations
Paradise
Palms Resort and Country Club Australia Day celebrations
What’s on: Australian menu served from noon in
Restaurant 59, pie-eating and thong-throwing competitions
start at 1.30pm. Pies, icy beers, lamingtons and classic
Australian music on offer at the resort.
Time: 12pm. Entry free.
Bring on the Sun at Cairns Reef Hotel Casino
What’s on: Entertainment, sausage sizzle, raffles,
jumping castle and more with all proceeds going to
the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal.
Time: 2pm. Entry free.
Shane Warne And Poker Mates Get VIP Star Treatment
At Australian Open Tennis Sunday Night...
The
spinner got there at 8pm hoping to get star VIP treatment
for 14 of his closest mates. In the mix was was Joe
Hachem, who he had earlier caught up with at the launch
of the Aussie Millions Poker Tournament at Crown Casino.
Warne requested an escort (no, not that type silly)
when he arrived and posed mostly for photographs with
his sunglasses on. He also spent time in Andy Roddick's
player's box during his loss to Swissman Stanislas
Wawrinka. It been a big couple of days for "poker
her" for the legend, playing rendezvous with
Liz Hurley in LA. He is expected to play in the second
round of the poker tournament and could face off against
Gary Ablett Jr and Jeff Fenech tomorrow. Blett made
it through to the second round.
Australian Financial Review Goes Gaga For Lady Gaga;
Gets Facts Wrong (We Think)...
It
took us a few months of going through newspapers but
we finally found the AFR to make a slip up, and its
a doozy....An article reads "the complex will
have a few upmarket bars, including one on the roof,
and an events theatre to house live acts – think
Lady Gaga – as well as awards nights." With
Gaga's level of popularity she would require a much
larger venue than Star City. Earlier this year, she
- they played two concerts at the Sydney Entertainment
Centre, capacity 12,000 or thereabouts. Do the math.
Australia's
Kylie Minogue To Do The Colosseum At Caesars Palace
Las Vegas: Aphrodite Live...
Mark
is down Kylie fans the word over. She's doing Ceasers
Sunday May 22, 2011 8pm
Melbourne: Aussie Joker Comedian Performs At Packer's
Crown; Raises Cash For Flood Relief...
Melbourne
folks at Crown Casino recently enjoyed 'The Jokers
Comedy That Rocks' at Crown Casino. James Packer's
casino donated all proceeds from last Friday night’s
show to Queensland flood victims. Organiser William
Leitch has happy with the way things went and showcased
an evening with some of the city’s top stand-up
artists, including Brad Oakes, Christine Basil and
Greg Fleet. It's understood he got close to 150 people
to come along, and he may be invited back on upcoming
Friday nights.
Top 100 ASX Listed Companies Respond To Flood Cry
For Help; Gambling And Gaming Industry Steps Up; Mining
Firms and Banking Bastards Lead Charge...
1.
BHP Billiton: $1.3 million (in addition, matching
employee donations)
2.
CBA: $1.35 million
3.
Westpac: $1 million
4.
ANZ: $1 million
5.
NAB: $1 million
6.
News Corp: $500,000 and Blue Ribbon campaign
7.
Rio Tinto: $1 million ($700,000 to Premier Relief,
$300,000 to Emerald community)
8.
Wesfarmers: $7.5 million (plus $3.5 million from Coles
customers)
9.
Telstra Corp: up to $1 million by matching staff contributions
(so far $338,000; is also supplying phones and free
calls to people affected)
11.
Woolworths: $6.9 million (matching customer donations
in Woolies, Big W, Dick Smith dollar for dollar)
14.
Fortescue Metals: Matching staff donations dollar
for dollar
15.
CSL: $250,000
16.
QBE Insurance: not releasing a statement
17.
Origin energy: $1 million
18.
Macquarie Group: $200,000 (combined staff and company
effort with fundraising activities continuing both
here and overseas)
19.
AXA Asia Pacific: No response
20.
Santos: $500,000 plus use of helicopters and vehicles
for clean up. Also $50,000 for flooding in WA
21.
Coal and Allied Industries: (see Rio Tinto)
22.
AMP: $250,000 + matching employee contributions to
WA flood appeal up to $250,000
23.
Suncorp Group: $100,000 (staff and customers have
donated $1.5million)
24.
Foster's Group: $500,000
25.
Brambles: No response
26.
Leighton Holdings: No response
27.
Orica: No response
28.
Oil Search: No response
29.
Stockland: Donated $250,000 to the Premier's flood
relief appeal, another $30,000 to the Mayoress Rockhampton
regional flood appeal and are matching employee donations
dollar for dollar
30.
Coca. Cola Amatil: No response
31.
Amcor: No response
32.
Westfield Retail Trust: No response
33.
IAG: No response
39.
Crown: Donation tins in Crown complexes and have committed
to matching all donations as well as staff contributions
52.
Tabcorp Holdings: $1 million
78.
Tatts Group: Going to run a dedicated lottery for
the Queensland flood appeal where all profits will
go to the Premier's Flood Appeal. They ran the same
thing in Victoria after the Black Saturday bushfires.
It will run on Wednesday 2 Feb in Queensland and is
expected to raise $200,000. In addition, another donation
will be made from the unclaimed prizes fund of an
as. yet undecided amount
79.
Fairfax Media: Matching staff donations
100.
Seek: Reported it had made a donation to the Premier's
Flood Appeal but chose not to disclose how much
Brisbane:
Flood Relief Money Gets Spend On Pokies, Vice - Piss
Up At Pubs...
It's
been reported in a number of Queensland newspapers
that the $1000 flood relief grants that went to many
good folks in Granville are being used to feed slots
and buy piss (beer) rather than food and necessities.
Two Maryborough publicans say that in some instances
the answer to that is yes, and they are disgusted.
One of the publicans was so incensed by the misuse
of flood relief money she telephoned Fairfax Media
to complain. "A man came in bragging about how
he’d got the $1000 payout because he told Centrelink
he was stuck in Granville – but he was here the
whole time. It makes me sick that people are openly
admitting they’ve got the money for nothing,
while there are people who’ve died or lost everything."
She said Centrelink should have screened the applications
more carefully to make sure only people who were genuinely
in need received the cash. Another pub owner said
his one armed bandits had not stopped buzzing since
the grants became available. "We were quiet during
the actual floods but this week’s been totally
different. The pokies and the bottle shop have been
going non-stop." Yeah, Aussie continue to love
a punt, rain, hail, shine or flood!
Aussie
Millions Game 8 Results...
The
London based chap took down the $1,100 8 game mixed
event title at Crown Casino in Melbourne adding AUD$23,800
to his almost $1.2 million in career tournament earnings.
He entered the final table as the short stack, but
managed to grind his way to victory and nudge away
Australia's Bruno Portaro for the victory. The event
marked Ashby's 8th final table appearance at the Aussie
Millions that includes a side-event win back in 2005
and a seventh-place finish in the main event in 2009.
Ashby also won his first WSOP bracelet this summer
in the $1,500 7 Card Stud event and went well in the
$10k H.O.R.S.E. for his biggest career score of $378,027.
The 2011 Aussie Millions $1,100 8-Game Mixed event
drew 68-players and paid the final 7.
Here
are the results:
1 Richard Ashby AUD$23,800
2 Bruno Portaro AUD$16,320
3 Casey Kastle AUD$10,880
4 Daniel Ospina AUD$6,800
5 Oliver Gill AUD$4,760
6 Dane Coltman AUD$3,400
7 Paul Ravesi AUD$2,040
Aussie
Main Event Day 1b: PartyPoker And Full Tilt Poker
Players Feel The Pain...
PartyGaming'sPartyPoker
and Full Tilt Poker's powers that be likely won't
be celebrating. Ok, they got news coverage and exposure,
but its because their players are out. Yep, history
maties. Full Tilt went well on Day 1a but Day 1b was
rooted. Many of the big name pros went down for the
count as locals stepped up. 209 players entered the
Crown Poker room but after 7 levels of play, 80 remained.
David Oppenheim, Annette Obrestad, Carlos Mortensen,
David Benyamine, Andrew Feldman, Steve Yea, Andy Bloch
and Gus Hansen were some of the Full Tilt players
who died. Other casualties included Luke Santo, Raj
Ramakrishnan, George Moussa, Michael Pedley, Graeme
Putt, Martin Comer, Dennis Huntly, Jamie Pickering,
Bruno Portaro, Casey Kastle, Ben Savage and Tim Marsters.
2005 World Champion Joe Hachem (tweeting he struggled
with jetlag following a recent trip to the PokerStars
Caribbean Adventure.) Defending champ, 2010 Aussie
Millions Main Event winner Tyron Krost (PartyGaming's
PartyPoker
pro went down too). A new champ will be crowned in
2011 with plenty of Aussies still in contention. The
field kicked off with Jeff Rossier in the lead with
154,900, closely followed by Michael Ottobra (143,400)
and Martin Drewe, After winning the Opening Event
last week and going deep in another event, Drewe is
now set in the chip leaders in the Main Event after
getting to 136,100. Jay “SEABEAST” Kinkade
did nicely with 128,700, Haibo Chu (113,900), Manny
Stavropoulos (85,600), Sorel Mizzi (74,400), Michael
Egan (61,100), Kent Hunter (56,400), Jeff Lisandro
(55,000), Eric Assadourian (50,300), Scott Montgomery
(49,200), Chris Ferguson (45,400), Lee Nelson (30,200),
Neil Channing (28,800), Roland de Wolfe (26,100),
Aleks Brkovic (24,600), Jackie Glazier (21,900), Grant
Levy (18,300), Gary Benson (10,500) and Mel Judah
(7,200) amongst those who will return on Day 2. The
3rd and final flight of the 2011 Aussie Millions Main
will commence Tuesday with another strong field and
a few big names expected. Even Van Marcus will front
up. Van, is your Red Ferrari safe this time mate?
We're looking for more good fodder to write about.
How about do a publicity stunt and make world wide
headlines ago. Maybe someone at Crown Casino - Crown
Limited might be open to it. Stanger things have happened...
like Ferrari's getting stolen on site, casino fights
and a man getting stuck in the Crown Casino kitchen
grease vacuum.
Aussie
Millions Event #9 Day 1b: Rossiter In Front...
It
was down to business with players investing AUD$10,600
to buy in all with the goal of becoming the 2011 Aussie
Millions Champion. 7 seven levels of play, and the
209-player field went to 80. Jeff Rossiter is in front
with 154,900. Martin Drewe, 2011 Aussie Millions Event
#1 winner with 136,100 - now 3rd on the leaderboard.
Australian Jay Kinkade is on 128,700, and European
Poker Tour mainstay Jeff Sarwer sits 5th with 120,500.
Randy "nanonoko" Lew has 110,000 and Gavin
Griffin 101,700 in 9th ninth and 10th place. Sorel
Mizzi, Jeffrey Lisandro, Eric Assadourian, Team Full
Tilt's Chris Ferguson, Full Tilt Poker Red Pros Scott
Montgomery and Roland de Wolfe, Neil Channing, and
Lee Nelson have also all made it to Wednesday's Day
2, but it was touch and go for some of them, testing
the skill VS luck debate. Full Tilt Poker $25,000
Shootout Invitational winner David Oppenheim, Annette
Obrestad, Carlos Mortensen, Andy Bloch, David Benyamine,
Andrew Feldman, Gus Hansen, Joe Hachem, and David
Steicke all had to say goodnight nurse. PartyGaming's
- PartyPoker
Tyron Krost was eliminated in a hand VS Gavin Griffin
where his Ace-Queen couldn't best Griffin's Aces.
The 3rd and final Day 1 flight commences Tuesday in
Melbourne, Australia at 12:30 p.m. local time.
Getting
board of poker yet? If so, try your luck er skill
at Baccarat or Craps. If your more into luck, check
out the slots like Cleopatra, Sinatra, Rambo, Goanna
Gold and The Terminator. Rumour goes PartyGaming
also have, or will soon get, a World
Poker Tour themed online slot game. We recommend
punters open an account with PartyCasino,PartyGaming
and World
Poker Tour, just to have all based covered. Party
appears to still be the most popular online casino
brand in Australia despite big efforts by the likes
of 888. Marvel
slot games are forecast to be some of the most
popular of this year with Captain
America and Thor
tipped to hit Australia cinema's this year, with Spider-Man
also getting a remake. Whatever your casino game of
choice, good luck, and let us know how you go guys
and girls. Spin to win.
Take
the time to research and learn games before placing
down money
Media
Man,Casino
News Media and Gambling911
are website portals. Not casinos as such, however
are recognised as world leading websites that cover
the sector and act as central points to games, news,
reviews and more.
Readers...
er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us
in the forum.
If
you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over
it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg
Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media
Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet
portal development company. Gaming is just one of
a dozen sectors covered
News
Australian
Pokie And News Media Wars, by Greg Tingle - 14th January
2011
G'day
punters, journos, high rollers, politicians, insiders,
outsiders... one and all. The battle for your hearts,
minds, wallets and purses continue as Australian gambling
and media companies continue to pull out all the stops
in order to achieve market domination, or is it world
domination? There's something for everyone here, be
it casino lovers, haters, media tarts or other. Media
Man and Gambling911
with rip snorter of a news roundup for you from the
land of Kangaroos, Koalas, convicts and all manner
of critters...
Tennis
Babe Transforms Into Casino Babe At Packer's Crown;
Australian Media's Next Hot Yummie Mummy To Be?
Tennis
babe Maria Sharapova commenced the Australian Open
Tennis in red hot fashion 2 nights ago the world's
hottest and sexiest players landed in Melbourne, home
of Australia's original TV 'Underbelly'. The babe
of the moment showed off a sparkling engagement ring
and smile. This particular Russian babe has taken
quite a liking to down under and was more than happy
to show off quite a bit of leg, but only a slight
bit of cleavage in her new range of tennis gear showcased
at a Crown casino media and PR gig. Sharapova's lucky
boyfriend, Los Angeles Lakers basketballer Sasha Vujacic,
popped the big and brave question to the tennis babe
last red October. Her competitors did not seem to
be bothered by Sharapova's "media darling"
statue or expectational good looks. World #1 Rafael
Nadal stripped down during a relaxed practice session
on centre court and Ana Ivanovic strutted her stuff
on an outside court. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray
enjoyed a soccer workout with Melbourne Victory players
at AAMI Park. Oh, weather was also a concern, with
all the floods that hit Queensland, tipped to also
catch part of Victoria. Tourney director Craig Tiley
declared the Open weather-proof. "We have two
roofs we can close. We also have five indoor courts,
so for us rain is - unlike the US Open - easier to
deal with. If we are thrown more challenges with the
elements we will be able to do what we need to. We
have those plans in place to help in terms of scheduling."
Isolated showers across southern Victoria could affect
the first few days of the event, which starts on Monday.
The first week of last year's open was relatively
mild but the mercury rose to the mid-30s by the second
week of play. In 2009, tennis stars endured scorching
conditions with at least three consecutive days above
43C. Paramedics had their work cut out with more than
100 spectators treated for heat exhausting or sunburn.
Tiley said major redevelopment work at Melbourne Park
would not get in the way of this year's Open. More
than 600,000 spectators are expected to flood the
Grand Slam venue over two weeks. Insiders reckon the
latest range of Tennis babes cum Casino babes, are
bound to raise temperates in more ways that one. Feel
the heat.
Sin
City Sydney - Star City Soccer Fans Ralley...
Sydney
FC CEO Edwin Lugt has urged more interaction with
supporters across the country after the successful
staging of a fan forum in Sydney last night. Lugt
spoke at a fan forum organised by Footy Fans Downunder
held at Sydney’s Star City Casino Sports Theatre
Bar. The forum which will head to Melbourne next month
discussed a wide range of topics with fans being given
the floor to ask any questions of the panel. Passionate
debate and some lively ideas were discussed in front
of almost 200 fans. The night also served as a fund-raiser
for the Queensland flood tragedy. But as a forum for
ideas, it was also a useful exercise, said Lugt. "The
fact that we have this (fan forum) means the game
is getting serious. It’s maturing". It's
understood a few of the fans tried their luck on the
pokies and roulette after the forum, some winning,
some loosing, and others breaking even. The event
was a win - win for both Star City, the fans and soccer
big wigs.
Australian
Gaming And Gambling Shares...
Company
Name Price Change % Change
National Leisure & Gaming 0.01 +0.00 UP +16.66%
Crown Limited 8.57 +0.13 UP +1.54%
Aristocrat Leisure 2.94 +0.04 UP +1.37%
Ainsworth Game Technology 0.27 -0.04 DOWN - 12.91%
Centrebet International 1.49 -0.02 DOWN -1.33%
Sky City 2.57 -0.03 DOWN -1.16%
Independent
Senator Or Bias Senator; Bluffing The News Media Or
Sincere?...
The
South Australian based Senator Nick Xenaphon aka 'Mr
X's in gambling and media circles, has basically accused
Clubs New South Wales of resisting moves to implement
new gambling legislation. Senator Xenaphon has backed
anti-pokies campaigner Paul Bendat who has took it
upon himself to place a full newspaper in the Illawarra
Mercury, and is considering doing more. One of his
targets is Clubs New South Wales chairman and former
Mercury editor Peter Newell. Bendat has been threatened
with legal action over the ads. Yep, its getting personal
and legal. Senator Xenaphon says the ad calls on Newell
to direct his members to "tell the truth"
about the Federal Government's mandatory pre-commitment
plans for poker machines. "When you consider
that literally billions of dollars are lost each year
by problem gamblers in this country and that could
be avoidable, it could be substantially reduced by
a sensible system of pre-commitment. "Then the
club's propaganda on this whole issue in terms of
how expensive it will be and how impractical it will
be, these things need to be exposed." A spokesman
for Clubs New South Wales says an earlier advertisement
had implied Newell had been untruthful and the ad
was overly personal. Joke for readers... How do you
know when a politician is lying? Answer: When their
lips are moving!
Crown
Casino, Melbourne: 2011 Aussie Millions Poker Championship
On The Way...
Australia's
biggest, best and richest poker tournament has just
got on the way. Aussie Millions commenced at James
Packers' Crown Casino in beautiful Melbourne, home
to the original 'Underbelly' TV series which featured
gambling themes. We understand that the $10,600 AUD
no-limit hold’em main event will snatch the attention
of the poker players and commentators when it fires
off on January 23rd. An deep field of 746 punters
participated in the 2010 main event, with our own
Tyron Krost being crowned champion, picking up $2
million, and soon after being signed u by PartyGaming's
PartyPoker. Many other players (and brands) and keen
to knock him off as you might expect. The field is
expected to be one of the greatest ever, if not the
best. High-stakes events include the $100,000 Challenge
that commences on January 22, as well as the Aussie
Millions high stakes cash game featuring a $200,000
minimum buy-in on Jan 24th. Last year the $100,000
Challenge attracted 24 players for a prize pool of
$2.4 million, and it was Dan Shak who bested Phil
Ivey heads up to earn a cool $1.2 million. Other substantial
buy-in events this year include the $10,500 Australia
no-limit hold’em heads-up championship and a
$10,500 eight-game mixed event. Stay glued to this
dial for more coverage, and don't be surprised if
Fox Sports and or / ESPN give it a bit of TV coverage.
Poker is big business in Australia and around the
world, and media companies are keen to cash in too.
Good luck to all players, and on James Packer for
your commitment to the "sport".
Aussie
Millions Media Run Down...
The
Aussie Millions Poker Championship is the largest,
richest and most prestigious gaming event in the Southern
Hemisphere and ranked fifth largest in the world.
Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in
every major poker variation, the Aussie Millions is
poker's longest running tournament in the Southern
Hemisphere, dating back to 1998.
Facts
-
The Aussie Millions Poker Championship is held each
January at Crown Casino, in Melbourne Australia
- The Aussie Millions ranks as the fifth largest poker
tournament in the world by player number
- The championship includes over 20 tournaments culminating
in the coveted AUD$10,600 No Limit Holdem ‘Main
Event' on Sunday 23 January for Day 1 - Flight 1 (Mon
24 Flight 2, Tues 25 Flight 3 with Day 2 starting
on Wednesday 26 January 2011)
- The 2011 Aussie Millions is expected to reach a
prize pool of almost AUD$20 million with an expected
first prize of AUD$2 million for the AUD$10,600 No
Limit Holdem ‘Main Event'
- Over 2,500 individual entrants will participant
and more than 600 international visitors are expected
to attend including players from the United States,
England, Ireland, South Africa, Scandinavia, Canada,
Israel, Estonia, Portugal and Russia
- The Aussie Millions generated approximately 8,000
room nights across Melbourne in January 2010, including
over 5,000 at Crown alone
- The 2010 Aussie Millions held the largest, cash
buy in tournament ever with a $100,500 event attracting
30 players
- It is expected that there will be almost 900 individual
players in the $10,600 Buy-In No Limit Holdem ‘Main
Event'
What is being billed as the biggest game ever played,
the ‘Million Dollar Cash Game' will see 10 of
the greatest and most influential poker players of
all-time stake a minimum of AUD$1 million to play.
However, players can (and will) bring more than a
mere million dollars to the table!
IMG
Tennis Party: Tennis And Poker Celebs - Sunday 16th
January
See
some of the world's greatest tennis stars including
David Nalbandian, Donald Young, Feliciano Lopez, James
Blake, Marcos Baghdatis, Maria Sharapova, Marion Bartoli,
Mark Knowles, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Venus
Williams. Along with some of the world's greatest
poker players in town for the Aussie Millions Poker
Championship including 2005 WSOP Champion and Crown
Ambassador Joe Hachem, Team Full Tilt pro's Phil Ivey,
Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, John Juanda etc. This
exclusive gathering of world class tennis pro's and
entertainment industry heavy weights will make this
event one of the best parties of 2011. Crown's IMG
Tennis Players Party has become one of the most high
profile events of the year. Held on the eve of the
Australian Open, the party is also a regular meeting
spot for IMG's star players who are staying at Crown.
Aussie
Millions Event Number 8 - $100,000 Challenge - Saturday
23rd January...
$100,000
No Limit Holdem Challenge will be for those with deep
pockets! Look out for some high profile players with
wallets in hand, looking for some wild action including
the Phil Ivey and 2007 Aussie Millions Champion Gus
Hansen. Up to 30 of the most prestigious and high
profile poker players in the world will descend upon
the Crown Poker Room for this event. Some of the world's
greatest poker players heading the list include; Alexander
Kostritsyn, Chris Ferguson, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel,
Gus Hansen, Howard Lederer, Ivan Demidov, Jeff Lisandro,
John Juanda, Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan,
Tong G and Tony Bloom *Total Cost (Buy-In + Entry
Fee) $100,500 ($100,000 +$500). *Special thanks to
Crown Casino for providing our news media with the
detailed information. We look forward to continuing
to cover the action.
Melbourne:
Gambling Research Agenda Continues At Monash University...
Researchers
from Monash University's Department of Marketing are
interviewing men and women, from a range of backgrounds
and age groups across Victoria, to find out more about
the reasons why people gamble and how it makes them
feel. Study Principal Investigator Dr Samantha Thomas
said research was usually focused on problem gamblers
with 'next to no' research being done on people who
gamble for fun or those who feel they don't have a
problem with it. "Most research is fixated on
problem gamblers and psychological and social impacts
associated with the negative aspects of gambling.
While we're not ignoring that exists we also believe
that for most people who gamble, whether it's a problem
or not, that gambling has, at some stage, been a social,
enjoyable past-time," Dr Thomas said. "At
what point does it go from being a 'bit of a harmless
flutter' to an issue that consumes their lives? At
what point do gamblers realize they have a problem
and does public messaging warning of the dangers of
gambling have any influence on their thinking or behaviour?"
Dr Thomas said public messaging and support group
programs specifically responded to problem gambling
using poker machines. "We know that people's
gambling habits are much broader than poker machines
and while the 'pokies' have been portrayed as 'evil'
and 'addictive', problem gambling is also evident
with people who bet online, through sports betting
outlets or on casino tables," Dr Thomas said.
Dr Thomas said the research involves extensive interviews
and participants will be compensated for their time.
"Learning more about why people gamble, when
they first started to gamble, and what their social
sphere is like is incredibly important in being able
to put into perspective behaviours and perceptions
of gambling." Dr Thomas said one emerging trend
in their research to date is that it appears people
who bet on sporting outcomes often do so because they
believe it requires skill and knowledge and that winning
on 'the punt' is a sign of personal achievement rather
than just financial gain. "In contrast we see
people who bet on poker machines believing more in
'personal luck' and a desire to 'beat the system'
with their goal being a financial reward. Dr Thomas
said the team was particularly interested in the experiences
of women. "Australia has high rates of gambling
in women, and we are particularly interested to how
women perceive their gambling activities," Dr
Thomas said. Dr Thomas said it was important for government
agencies, community help organisations and the industry
to be provided with information about gambling behaviours
that will contribute to shaping policy and community
responses.
A
Media Man spokesperson said of the study "Finally,
a gambling study that appears fair and balanced, and
not just an attack on the great Aussie tradition of
having a punt. They will be interviewing a wide array
of punters, not just being focused on the so called
problem gamblers, which has been quite the fodder
of media beat-ups and junk science research for well
over a year. We are not certain the gambling hating
senators of Australia will use data from this particular
study. Why? Because it looks to be honest and straight
up, and not just pandering to the Australian government,
the like way some Aussie politicians pandered to the
American government over Wikileaks. Balanced studies
on gambling in Australia are such a breath of fresh
air. I just might have a punt to celebrate the good
news".
Foxtel
Purchases ABC TV Programs; WTF...
ABC
Commercial has recently finalized contracts on more
than a dozen programs to Foxtel’s owned and operated
channels. The deals include the first two series of
THE LIBRARIANS (12 x 30’) and all three series
of THE GRUEN TRANSFER (32 x 30’), to screen on
Foxtel’s Comedy Channel. A further nine programs
were sold to Foxtel’s History Channel, including
Screen Australia documentary series KOKODA (2 x 56’)
and Chinese/Australian co-production PUYI: THE LAST
CHINESE EMPEROR (2 x 52’) which will be an Australian
premiere for the channel. Two documentaries, GIRLS
OWN WAR STORIES (1 x 55’) and ACCENTUATE THE
POSITIVE (1 x 55’) were also sold to the Bio
Channel. “Our business with Foxtel continues
to grow and grow. We are very happy to be able to
provide Foxtel with some of the best Australian content
in the market,” said Natalie Lawley, ABC Commercial’s
Sales Manager for Asia, Australia & NZ. If we
hear of more gambling or poker programing on Foxtel
or ABC, readers, we will let you know. Be on the lookout
for Aussie Millions to get a few mentions on Foxtel
- Fox Sports, as well as on the news, and ABC TV is
rumoured to do some fair and balanced coverage on
their sports reports via TV, radio and online.
Take
the time to research and learn games before placing
down money
Media
Man,Casino
News Media and Gambling911
are website portals. Not casinos as such, however
are recognised as world leading websites that cover
the sector and act as central points to games, news,
reviews and more.
Readers...
er, punters, how did you like our report? What's your
goss for us? Tell us in the forum.
If
you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over
it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg
Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
News
Australian
And New Zealand Gambling And Entertainment News, by
Greg Tingle - 9th January 2011
Punters,
January continues to shape up as a huge news month
for both Australia and our Kiwi friends in New Zealand.
Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com
and Gambling911 with another non sheep like report
- often imitated, never duplicated, from the Pacific
to the Tasman, and all points in between...
Alice
Springs - Northern Territory - Clubs, Pubs, Pokie
Palaces, Lasseter's Hotel Casino Gets Tough On Violent
Drunks...
Alcohol
laws designed with the key objective of stop drunken
violence dead on Darwin's meet streets, namely Mitchell
Street, are being rolled out to Palmerston and Alice
Springs. Drunk bastards can by law be banned for 48
hours from the 3nominated areas and will be staring
down the loaded gun barrel of a $133 on-the-spot fine,
slam bam, thank you mam. There's been 9 bans issued
since the Darwin law was introduced on October 1 of
last year, Acting Chief Minister Delia Lawrie shared
and it was "important to give police the tool
to issue on-the-spot fines and bans. It's a preventative
measure to stop people who have too much alcohol in
their system from carrying on like lunatics."
In Palmerston, the ban precinct encompasses a 1km
radius around the central business district. Mayor
Robert MacLeod supports the ban. "The ones who
are causing trouble are the ones that have to watch
out," he said. Macleod denied the law would unfairly
target itinerants and ban them from parks within Palmerston.
"If we sit back and do nothing, it stays the
same way...as leaders of the community, you have to
make decisions. If we don't try something then why
are we here?" The Alice Springs precinct boundary
is Wills and Leichhardt Tce, the golf course, Lasseter's
Hotel Casino and Stephens Rd to Telegraph Tce. Mayor
Damien Ryan is hopeful the strong arm of the law will
shift troublemakers out of the town centre. "It's
everybody's right to have an evening out without being
hassled by others who cause grief," he said.
Banned people can enter the designated area to work
but not for recreation. The NT Government plans to
introduce 48-hour precinct bans in Katherine and Tennant
Creek. Yep, we breed in tough in the "top end"
of Australia, but mongrel bastards of the drunk variety
will not be tolerated thank you.
Promoting
Lottery Syndicates; Australian Newsagents Thumps Up
On Sin D Catates!...
An
insider leaked across the www "We continue to
have good success with lottery syndicate sales, even
in our small temporary location. The small A5 mini-posters
which we have stuck on the pole holding the lottery
terminal screens works a treat for us. It is terrific
seeing a customer make a purchase and decide on a
syndicate ticket as well as the items they brought
to the sales counter. It costs nothing to make the
A5 poster. In a one hour stint last week I saw four
syndicate shares sold specifically because of this
promotional placement. We change the syndicates we
promote in this location regularly. Syndicates are
also promoted at our lottery entry table (workbench)
as well as in a display behind the counter."
Ed: apparently this is pretty big news in the world
of Australian newsagents who delight at selling lottery
tickets, so don't blame us is it doesn't turn you
on!
Elvis
Presley Impersonators Coming Up For King Title At
Milwaukee Casino; Australian Look And Act Alikes In
The Mix At Casino In Next Round...
Elvis
Mania is running wild at America's Milwakee Casino,
and yep, Australians from down under at trying their
luck to be 'The King'. "Tribute to The King"
is the gig at Milwaukee's Potawatomi Bingo Casino.
You've got all sorts of Elvis want a bees. The Elvis
impersonation comp...always near Elvis Presley's birthdate
enjoys a cult-like following. 500 folks fill up the
seats for the first round of action. Elvis nuts arrive
early to snatch the prime seats of the house. After
4our days of competition in 2010, one of these great
pretenders...Matt Joyce of Arkansas...left with the
$25,001 grand prize, billed as the largest in the
world for this type of competition. Among the judges
were three of The Imperials, a group known for backing
up Elvis Presley on his albums and tours until 1971.
"I don't think enough realize what a wonderful
singer Elvis was," says Sherman, a friend of
Elvis' who joined The Imperials as lead vocalist after
their work with the music icon ended. The event began
as a look-alike contest nine years ago, then morphed
into much more. Now Elvis fans schedule a week of
vacation around the competition, says Rachel Buelow,
the theater's entertainment coordinator. Performance
videos are part of the contestant screening process.
Judges are told to notice and rate the appearance,
costume, vocals, choreography and "overall replication
of The King." Contestants supply their own background
music, props (only guitars and scarves are allowed)
and arrive ready to perform because of a lack of changing
rooms. Next week's "Tribute to The King"
contestants include Elvis impersonators from down
under in Australia and the United Kingdom. Preliminary
competitions start at noon Tuesday through Thursday
and 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Admission is free,
but seats fill quickly. Tickets are $20 to $35 to
daily finals, which start at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through
Thursday and include a show by Elvis impersonators
Ryan Pelton and Matt Joyce as Double Trouble. Tickets
to Friday's grand championship, as usual, sold out
soon after going on sale in late November.
Australia's
Air Supply Soft Rock Legends To Perform At Casino
New Brunswick in Moncton...
Aussie
soft-rock band Air Supply, best known and loved for
'80s ballads like 'All Out of Love' and 'Even the
Nights Are Better', will perform at Casino New Brunswick
in Moncton on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. Yeap, we
know, love songs in a casino, but at least they are
not hate songs! Tickets for the show have only just
recently gone on sale today at the casino box office
for $29.50, which is pretty good value to see an hear
living legends. Air Supply has been doing their things
since 1975, when Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock
met while rehearsing for the musical Jesus Christ
Superstar in 'Sin City' Sydney, Australia. They started
out with one guitar and two voices, playing coffee
houses and local nightclubs, building up a reputation
for their harmonies and original songs. They got a
break with CBS Records and went on tour in Australia
and Canada with Rod Stewart. They signed with Arista
Records in 1980 and began a string of hits that pulled
on the heartstrings of listeners around the world.
Their rise to success coincided with the boom in music
videos through MTV and MuchMusic. Their biggest hits
included Lost in Love, All out of Love, Even The Nights
Are Better and Making Love Out of Nothing At All.
Air Supply was the first western group to tour the
orient - China, Taiwan and other countries that would
not allow pop music across their borders. They continue
to tour and record. The band has released a new album
called Mumbo Jumbo. Recorded at Graham Russell's home
studio in Utah and at the Odds On Records' studio
in Las Vegas with top session musicians and an orchestra,
Mumbo Jumbo was produced by Russell and engineered
by Sean O'Dwyer (Pink Floyd, Randy Newman and Blink-182).
"Because of our crazy touring schedule, Mumbo
Jumbo took three years to complete," Russell
says. "Hitchcock and I couldn't be happier with
the results. We had been releasing projects independently
for a long time. While sticking to our vow of never
making an album unless we are convinced it has numerous
potential hit singles, we also believe that we have
emerged with our best overall collection to date."
The band reckon the new album was welcome news to
millions of Airheads who were waiting for the duo's
latest work. Among them are Ozzy Osbourne (who has
attended their shows in disguise) and Al Pacino, who
recently was spotted hanging out in a dark booth in
the back of Orleans in Las Vegas, one of the duo's
regular venues. Hitchcock added, "We had 12 songs
recorded for the album, which to me seemed like plenty,
but Graham came to me with two more he wanted to record,
and I had an equally positive reaction to those. When
he said, OK, now we have everything we need, I knew
instinctively that we had a finished project. Writing
and recording new material is our lifeblood that keeps
us fresh and excited. In concert, we know we raise
eyebrows when we say we're going to start playing
new songs, but then we start and the audience realizes
how much love and care go into them. We've been around
nearly 40 years and are not only holding our own out
there but firmly believe, with albums like Mumbo Jumbo,
that our best days are still ahead of us." Air
Supply will perform at Casino New Brunswick on Thursday,
Feb. 17. Tickets for the show are $29.50 (plus tax
and applicable surcharge) and are available at the
Casino Gift Shop (located at 21 Casino Drive in Moncton,
exit #450 off the Trans-Canada Highway), by calling
1-866-9-GET-TIX/ 1-866- 943-8849. If the songs make
you feel lucky for the opposite sex, or whatever tickles
your fancy, you might want to have a flutter on casino
games also. But, remember, bet with you head, not
over it.
Victoria
- New Pokies Policy Stops More Pokie Palaces In Regional
Port Phillip...
Port
Phillip Council will reject any and all new applications
for gambling venues as part of its new gaming policy.
Could that be a form of discrimination many political
and gaming commentators are asking. The make on the
run policy is a knee jerk response to some folks who
are concerned about the number of venues in the area.
Insiders say many bible basher, good two shoe types
are behind it. The small but vocal minority, who like
to have a whinge and a wine about all matter of things.
If you're reading, you know who you are! There are
at least count 18 TABs and 384 electronic gaming machines,
operating from 10 licensed venues within the city.
Melbourne's Crown Casino also sits just outside Port
Phillip’s border. Mayor Rachel Powning said the
council wanted to introduce strategies to help those
at risk of problem gambling. "It comes under
part of the social justice area of council business,"
Cr Powning said. “Local agencies are under stress
in the inner-city and it is the low to middle-income
earners for which gambling is a problem here. "Along
with gambling comes depression, social isolation,
mental health issues and substance abuse." Commission
for Gambling Regulation figures show $28.2 million
was put into gaming machines in Port Phillip in 2009/2010.
The move is expected to drive forward the expansion
of illegal home poker games, gambling dens, as well
as driving more punters onto the internet sites and
games and entertainment portals.
Australian
Pokie Education And Political Format Website Portal
In War With 'The Truth'...
Here's
how it goes punters...Owing entirely to mistakes made
by the Illawarra Mercury, the Truth About Pre-Commitment
Reform was not published as contracted. Since the
time that the ad should have run, I have been accused
of actions I did not take, hung up on, indirectly
threatened with legal action by ClubsNSW (again),
and withstood suggestions to alter the advertisement
that would destroy it's core message. Provided the
Mercury make good on the commercial directors email
that states: "We are good. I will book the ad
into next weeks Mercury for Jan 11, 12 and 13. The
attached copy is the one approved to run so please
not that we will not accept any variation to this
copy without it going through the same approval process."
Readers, for more on the story and to make your own
mind up, check out
http://blog.pokieact.org/2011/01/battle-to-publish-truth-advertisement.html
Kaitaia, New Zealand; Land Of Sheep Sees 3 Lotto Wins
Born...
The
word is out - Kaitaia is lucky... or at least it just
was. 3 major prizes worth a cool combo of $654,456
grand were won in township in the span of past week.
A Lotto Strike first division ticket sold at Kaitaia
Pak'nSave won a local fella $529,456 in last Saturday's
draw, and on Wednesday, the local supermarket sold
a $100,000 Instant Kiwi ticket to another local. That
same night, a ticket sold at Kaitaia's Paper Plus
won the holder $25,000 in the Big Wednesday draw,
but that prize has yet to be claimed. The $529,456
Lotto Strike prize was claimed by a local man who
had made a last-minute addition to his grocery shopping.
Buying a Triple Dip was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
He checked his tickets online after the January 1
draw and thought it was "pretty cool" that
he had 3 of the right numbers. "I then checked
again and realised that I had all four of the right
Strike numbers, and thought, 'Oh no, that's me',"
said the man, who did not want to be named. "I'm
planning a party to celebrate. I also plan some sensible
investments with the money to make it last."
Kaitaia Pak'nSave owner Maurice Te Brake was delighted
that his store had helped put some much-needed money
into the local economy. "That's just awesome.
They [the two big winners] are local shoppers and
it's absolutely fantastic to know we've helped put
over $600,000 into the town," Te Brake said.
"I'm sure some of the money will get circulated
locally." A Media Man spokesperson said of the
new "This is great pr for the lotto industry.
It could have a few possible outcomes. More folks
will buy tickets at the shops or newsagents, or some
may hit lotto more on the internet, possibly both.
It brings some much welcome positive news to the Kiwi
lottery sector. Online casino jackpot games much also
experience a spike, as punters will be thinking to
go after the big one".
New
Zealand: Internal Affairs Loses Gambling Machine Battle,
Gambling Execs And Punters Celebrate; Machine Haters
VS Machine Lovers Kiwi Style...
The
land of sheep' Department of Internal Affairs has
lost a 3 year war to prevent passionate gamblers playing
gaming machines in the smoking area of a popular Wellington
tavern that acts are a pokie haven of sorts. Since
2007, the department has attempted to add a "special
condition" (discrimination?) to the Kilbirnie
Tavern's gambling licence that would stop people playing
the machines in areas where having a puff is permitted.
The department reckons smoking and playing pokies
encourages problem gambling. The Gambling Commission
has allowed an appeal by gaming machine operator Lion
Foundation against the condition Internal Affairs
wanted to impose. The Kilbirnie Tavern is one of lucky
7 pokie venues in New Zealand where gambling machines
are played in smoking areas. It is common for club
pokie players to enjoy a smoke while on the punt.
Online pokie players are less inclined to smoke according
to a Media Man spokesperson. Punters, 2 sins for the
price of one! Ok, were are just lightning things up
for you. If you get on the punt, please know the odds,
and most of all, have fun, with or without having
a puff on whatever weed takes your fancy.
Take
the time to research and learn games before placing
down money
Media
Man http://www.mediamanint.com Casino News Media and
Gambling911.com are website portals. Not casinos as
such, however are recognised as world leading websites
that cover the sector and act as central points to
games, news, reviews and more.
Readers...
er, punters, how did you like our report? How did
you see in the new year? Did you like the extra New
Zealand supplement? Tell us in the forum.
If
you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over
it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg
Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media
Man http://www.mediamanint.com
is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal
development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen
sectors covered
Article
Gambling
And Betting Adverts, Promos On Aussie TV, YouTube,
by Greg Tingle - 20th December 2010
G'day
Punters, news media, gambling and advertising tycoons,
mad men and mad women, TV and internet watchdogs...woof,
one and all. Following our tremendously popular feature
yesterday on Australian sports betting ads and promos,
we've decided to dish you up seconds 'cause so many
customers asked politely. These are some of the ads,
promos and campaigns on Australian TV and the web
that you love or hate. Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com
and Gambling911 serve up a hearty dish from our world
class menu that even Crown Casino's Neil Perry would
be proud of. 2, 4, 6, 8, dig in, don't wait!...
Firstly
punters, let's get a few disclaimers out of the way
so we cover that from the get go (shame some other
media companies and website portals are not as upfront
with disclaimers and where they stand)... My company,
Media Man, primarily a media, publicity and internet
portal development company has created and worked
on numerous campaigns, promos and the odd affiliate
program over the years. Some of the brands we have
assisted in various capacities, that do have some
sort of presence down under in Australia include PartyGaming
including poker
and casino
brands, James Packer 50% owned Betfair,
Richard Branson's Virgin
Games,Centrebet,
PokerStars, 888, Ladbrokes, William Hill, Betezy and
WagerWorks - I.G.T. We mention this so no one can
say "Media Man isn't being up front" and
"where's the disclaimer?" Ok haters (and
lovers), on with the Grich-free news.
TV
and Web
Shane
"Warnie" Warne (gaming and Aussie TV's current
'Human Headline'!)...
Shane
Warne - You have to give 'em credit for the McDonald’s
advertisements for the Legend Chicken Burger. The
former cricket spinner has become the talk of the
town, be it for cricket, his 'Warnie' TV show, text
messages with a certainly well known lassy in the
UK - LH, Messages On Hold and club ambiance music
for our mate, Kym Illman, and a bush tucker bag of
other gear. Warnie is relevant. I'm not a big fan
of his poker brand, but I will be a big fan of his
poker room and / or bar at Crown Casino once it's
gone from small talk to concept to reality. Warnie's
name is out there, and so is McDonald's... and check
out his Twitter (if he's game to Tweet again). I don't
think he will be giving too much info away on personal
stuff given his latest effort, but give him another
chance. It's the Australian way maties.
Betfair
Australia...
Betfair
Australia. I miss the "pink pigeons",
but what is happening is the TV ad featuring former
English cricket captain (and legend) Michael Vaughan
. MV decides he wants to place money on the Australians
via James Packer 50% owned Betfair. Take it from us...
the TV broadcasting tactic of cricket and sports broadcasters
regularly plugging gambling within programs within
programs works, but annoys some viewers.
PartyGaming...
PartyGaming's
PartyCasino
(on European TV and also on YouTube, and see on the
Media Man YouTube website network). Last year the
PartyGaming 'Feel It' campaign did the job, with the
sign up bonus getting a nice plug, cool music, wind
tunnel effects on the hair of hot sexy boys and girls
(over 18), and so on. Most punters and would be punters
wouldn't spotted this ripper. This year Party launched
a TV campaign on Channel Five that also became quite
the hit on YouTube and it featured Pommie sporting
celeb (and sort of equivalent to Shane Warne) Phil
"Tuffers' Tufnell. Phil in the 60 sec or so ad
plugged games such as 'Rambo', 'The Terminator 'The
Godfather. Phil goes on to say 'Now that is an offer
I can't refuse'. Insiders say the ad was a huge hit
and attracted both males and females to their brand.
To find one or two Tufnell PartyCasino
adds on YouTube type into the Google search engine
"Phil Tuffers Tufnell PartyGaming YouTube"
and you will be able to see for yourself. Good correction
though.. these days the sign up bonus is up $3000,
not $500. As they say at Wayne's World, bonus dude.
Paddy
Power...
These
guys go for controversy almost every time. We're not
certain if they ever got on Aussie TV, and if they
did, it was late at night. Many of their banned ads
and promos can still be found on YouTube and other
social media streaming websites. Look 'em up if you
want a laugh (or want to be shocked).
JackpotCity...
The
rumor mill said these guys got on late night Aussie
TV about 2 years ago, for about 2 weeks. Then the
ads stopped. We suspect 'Big Brother' got onto them.
Not our favorite campaign or Microgaming powered casino,
but they are still in business, so give the devil's
their due!
PokerStars.net
and The Poker Star...
In
a very clever move, the Joe Hachem fronted campaign
got a (not very good) reality TV program, where Blind
Freddy could see Hachem was with PokerStars,
which we have mixed feelings about. We think they
got caught up in the Aussie blacklist caper, and Australian
based companies affiliate programmes stopped working
correctly. As legal eagles have pointed out, including
some of our mates like Jamie at Addisons, .net often
references free sites, where .com is generally for
paid. That said, .net can also be used for money sites,
so can .org, and .com is a global medium. Last year
a considerable website portal also sold part or all
of its space to PokerStars in a move that rightly
upset many affiliate partners. We're not keen on the
brand, but it was clever of them to get ads on TV
as well as the reality show. Hachem is also one half
of the new Crown Casino media campaign along with
Warnie, so expect to see some ads along with some
more appearances aka plugs on Network Ten's 'The 7PM
Project'.
Virgin
Games and Virgin Bingo...
You
got to love Richard Branson (and his Bingo
partner in crime mate, Ricardo Jalapeno). Last year
the brains trust at Virgin
cast Branson as the Mexican online bingo lover or
nut. The campaign worked beautifully, and we understand
Ricardo came back for seconds. Their ads has hit UK
television a few times now, but as is the case with
PartyGaming, if you're down under in Australia you
will likely only see the full promos on YouTube. If
you're a Virgin
Games affiliate partners, you might also be able
to see the promos in the creative section of the affiliate
portal. Oh readers, if you need a refresher on what
an affiliate is, read the Gambling911 articles that
we have penned over the years, as we recently told
Fairfax Media and News Limited. Some otherwise switched
on mainstream media companies still can't totally
grasp what an affiliate program is. Virgin sure know,
having won the top honours at this years EGR Awards
night. The current Virgin Casino mainstream media
campaign comes with the tagline "The Home Of
Online Slots" (we say, Yes, but not if your in
the U.S, Canada, Australia or New Zealand). Can't
say we're surprised that Branson and the Virgin powers
that be haven't been able to sort things out with
the Australian government yet. Look up the Aussie
P.M's "illegal" references to 'Our Julian's'
WikiLeaks, if you're trying to figure out why Virgin
aren't doing online gambling in Australia at the moment.
Virgin's loss is Party's, Warnie's and PKR's gain!
PKR
The
popular PKR 2D or 3D (depending upon your perspective...and
maybe eye glasses) website
was strongly rumoured a few years ago to hit mainstream
TV in the form of a show. It never happened, however
they do have a web TV show of sorts and are also on
YouTube. They frequently get plugs in the UK FHM lad's
mag, and we understand last year somehow got an advert
in the Aussie version of the mag, before they stopped
printing them, and went to online only. Check out
our review on the website for more insider info.
Promo
And Ad Winner...
PartyGaming.
Great production, cut through factor, use of mainstream
celebs (does Tony G and his Germany Shepherd dog count?),
plugging into Crown Casino's Aussie Millions, PartyCasino
major Premier League Snooker - Matchroom Sport Limited
sponsorship deal in Europe, and being listed on the
London Stock Exchange plus having come to financial
settlement terms with the United States Department
of Justice doesn't go astray either, not does their
fantastic account management and customer service.
They haven't won numerous Media Man and eGaming Review
awards and commendations just for being nice guys.
The industry needs more good guys like the PartyGaming
family.
PartyGaming's
World
Poker Tour is understood to be getting a major
media push along soon, perhaps waiting for the Bwin
merger situation to get settled, and Caesars Entertainment
(formally Harrah's Entertainment) 'World Series of
Poker' is set for a big push. Both poker tournaments
got mention in Australian mainstream media including
on Murdoch's Foxtel television programming over the
past few years, and next year should be no different.
Wrap
up:
How
did you like the menu selection? What's your favorite
and most disliked gambling or sports betting advert,
promo or campaign? Before you mention it, we know
we didn't list a couple (of bad apples). If you think
you have some "good apple" recommendations,
list them in the forum, and we'll check them out,
and they may get a mention in a future feature.
Don't
be a turkey, even though Christmas is coming. If you
have a bet, do so responsibly. Always bet with your
head, not over it, and have fun. The surgeon general
also says if gambling is becoming a problem for you,
please seek professional assistance. Gambling is said
to be more addictive than cigarette's, so don't smoke
too much. Be good, nice, not naughty, because some
Aussie PM's reckon gamers and more dangerous that
bikies, so be a good citizen and do your big for positive
news and PR for the gaming sector. We can also now
disclose what form of news media we won't be doing
again next year... the style that goes: "Thanks
Corporate Media: We Couldn't Control The People Without
You"! If you liked the sound of that, look up
the graphic on the Media Man Int website portal in
the "censorship" section. The graphics always
offer some much needed comic relief, as is also the
case at the world famous (or notorious) Gambling911.
Please tell us if you like our tag team efforts. Also
remember the old saying "Anything in moderation".
Merry Christmas.
*The
writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media
Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal
development company
*The
writer owns shares in Ten Network, Crown Limited and
Virgin
