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An Oscars 2010 betting prop that has caught our eye here at Gambling911.com is the odds being offered on acceptance speeches.  Yes, you can actually bet on the over/under number of minutes for an acceptance speech and who a winner might thank first at BetUS.com (see odds here)

The Oscars 2010 betting prop for acceptance speech timing is interesting in that one can actually handicap based on past history and allotted speech time.  YouTube.com offers some great tools for study.  The OVER/UNDER is 45 seconds.  Assuming a win by Meryl Streep in the Best Actress category, there are plenty of past speeches to review from her. 

The Best Actor and Best Actress would pay out $11.50 for every $10 bet should they thank anyone other than God, Family or the Academy first.  Perhaps they will thank a fellow co-star or close friend or they will not thank anyone (might be worth a bet in other words)

Another very popular Oscar prop this year is the color of the Best Actress’ dress with Black the favorite and paying out $20 for every $10 should it come to fruition.

(Read the full post about ‘Oscars 2010 Betting Prop: Acceptance Speeches’…)

Casino players can experience the atmosphere of a real-life casino environment with bet365’s range of Live Dealer games. On Saturday 6th March the bookmaker is hosting its Live Games Giveaway tournament, giving everyone the chance to win a cash prize by playing on these games.

A total of £5,000 is up for grabs during the Live Games Giveaway tournament, with 200 players winning a share of the prize-pool. The top player will walk away with a cash prize of £500.

Bet365’s helpful Leaderboard allows to keep a check on a player’s progress throughout the day, giving the opportunity to see just how close one is to scooping the top prize. (Read the full post about ‘UK Online Casino Features Live Dealer Games Giveaway and Cash Prizes’…)

The Virgin Group continues to expand on the online gambling front as they seek investors to help the company move into newly open markets, according to a report filed by eGamingReview Magazine.

One of the more intriguing markets is the United States.  Should this occur, Virgin would be the first European-based online gambling company to accept US gamblers since passage of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006.

That law makes it illegal for banking institutions to knowingly allow transactions for certain Internet gambling such as poker, sports betting and online casino games.

(Read the full post about ‘Virgin Group May Move Into US Online Gambling Market’…)

Several bills which would legalize online poker and other forms of online gambling in the USA are currently languishing in the U.S. Congress.

One or more of those bills could become law soon.

Or maybe not so soon.

Or maybe never.

In the meantime, however, several online poker rooms are already operating from the USA and they claim to be legal.

And they are thriving.

The largest of these so-called legal Internet poker rooms is Pure Play (www.pureplay.com), which is based in San Francisco, California, USA.

Pure Play gets around U.S. law

(Read the full post about ‘Legal Online Poker Rooms Thriving in the United States’…)

(Read the full post about ‘Tournament: Lichtenberger leads NAPT Venetian Day 2′…)

MasterCard was the first of the major credit card companies to pull the plug on transactions to and from online gaming companies when it switched off the service last January.

Under the terms of the UIGEA, there is no need to turn off the service until June this year. However, it would appear that both MasterCard and Visa are keen to have a dry run.  Fortunately, for casino fans, the trial period might be short-lived, if Congressman Barney Frank gets his way.

The UIGEA act was tagged onto the Safe Port Act in 2006 at the very last minute. The Safe Port Act was critical and had to be passed. As a result, the UIGEA slipped through without anyone having a vote on whether or not is was a fair piece of legislation.

(Read the full post about ‘Visa Blocks US Casino Transactions Ahead of Legislation’…)

Super Slots Casino Mardi Gras officially began on Tuesday in New Orleans, but it began two days earlier for Super Slots Casino. The online casino began a Mardi Gras slot tournament on Sunday that will last for one week.

The event is not what players have come to expect at Super Slots. There is no large guaranteed prize fund, but there is currently over $5,000 in play. The entry fee for the tournament is only $5.

So far, in the two days the tournament has been running, over 400 players have tried their luck. The starting balance for the event is $75, and re-buys are available. (Read the full post about ‘Mardi Gras Brings Slot Tournament To Super Slots Online Casino’…)

Reports emanating from Italy indicate that online bingo operators, licensed only last December as the country liberalised its bingo laws, may have to take a break whilst what has been described as “legal procedural defects” surrounding the licensing decree are sorted out.

Initial Italian consumer interest in online bingo was reportedly strong, and a hiatus which could enable more competition to enter the market will be galling for those operators who have already secured licenses but now have to sit back and await a resolution of the irregularities.

The action appears to be taking place in the administrative courts of the Lazio region, where the judiciary has found that approval of the decrees regulating online bingo was not compliant with the formalities required by Italian law.

(Read the full post about ‘Recently legalised online bingo runs into Italian complications’…)

Bet365 have introduced a major change to their opening casino bonus, giving players the chance to choose from three bonus offers. With the Standard Opening Bonus players can load their account with a 100% bonus, up to £100, on their first deposit of £10 or more.

If that is not enough, then the VIP Opening Bonus might be more to their tastes. With this offer, players can receive a 100% bonus up to a £500. They need to make their first deposit £200 or more to enjoy this very special bonus, which provides the opportunity to start enjoying the online casino at bet365 with a big chunk of extra funds.

Bet365’s range of slot games are hugely popular – as such, they are also offering casino players a slots only opening bonus. (Read the full post about ‘Bet365 Online Casino Lets Players Choose from Three Opening Bonuses’…)

The Grand Jury enquiries into online gambling and arrests in Kansas last year resurfaced this week with the news that a Kansas City man has pleaded guilty to running a sports bookmaking business. The Kansas City Star reports that Michael V. Badalucco (26) admitted that he and others provided bettors with a toll-free telephone number or access to a website – Best24b – both of which routed from Missouri through Arizona to a company in Costa Rica.

Badalucco agreed that on February 17, 2009, he called the offshore company, identified himself as “George” and canceled bets for one of his customers.

According to court records, he paid out winnings and collected cash in person from bettors, usually on a weekly basis.

In pleading guilty, Badalucco waived his right to have a grand jury review the government’s evidence and agreed to plead guilty immediately.

In return, prosecutors agreed not to call him as a witness in the prosecution of anyone else in the illegal gambling business.

Badalucco faces a maximum of two years in prison.

(Read the full post about ‘Guilty plea in Kansas sports gambling case’…)