A LUCKY punter has scooped the UK’s highest ever online jackpot – winning £2,058,888 while playing the slot machines from the comfort of his own home.
The online player bagged the record-breaking prize while playing the Millionaires Club online slot at www.LittlewoodsCasino.com, becoming the online gaming world’s first ever UK double millionaire.
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The nationwide smoking ban which came into effect on July 1 is expected to hit casinos and bingo halls the most, according to a new report.
Analysts believe the gambling establishments could see a fall of up to 15 per cent in revenue due to the new legislation.
Britain is following the examples of countries such as France, Australia and Ireland in implementing the law which prohibits smoking in enclosed public spaces.
It is believed that the bingo halls will be especially hard hit due to the fact most of their customers are middle-aged woman who will choose not to go to the clubs if they are prevented from lighting up and will have to go outside the building to special smoking zones.
The clubs in Ireland have seen a downturn in trade with women playing fewer games, and crucially being unable to play the lucrative slot machines when there is a break from the bingo action.
It will be up to the clubs to try and halt any downturn by clever marketing techniques and possibly bigger prizes in an attempt to stop the players migrating – possibly to online gambling establishments.
Casinos are also expected to be hit hard having over the years cultivated a ‘social’ side to casino visiting where the gambling forms a part of the overall entertainment for an evening. In the past, cheap drinks and value food had been on offer in some establishments to encourage groups to attend – even if just of few of those who attend actually play any games.
In the US where several states have smoking bans, casinos have been able to get exemption from the prohibition for the time being but even that is now under review. It was the powerful casino lobby that argued the ban would cause a drop in income (and consequently local taxes) and that many people would instead head for the Indian-run casinos where smoking is permitted.
We should get one thing clear, however, the smoking ban in the UK has not been brought in to help the health of the nation. Neither has it been implemented to encourage non-smokers back into the pub, club or bingo halls – it was introduced because any worker in a smoking environment would have been able to take the government to court for compensation for any effects on their health.
Now, I’m all for health and safety at work but I believe a common sense solution could have been introduced whereby any worker would have to wear a gasmask while employed in such a place – similar to any worker who works with dangerous gases in an industrial setting.
I had imagined the old World War Two gasmasks, though, as someone pointed out – these contained asbestos.
Casino’s are the new cool these days and Sir Elton John is set to follow the trend this month when he will eclipse all of his past parties with a Casino-style soiree for some of the planet’s top celebrities
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If the opening of a casino is the sign of a maturing economy, then Uganda is well on its way to establishing itself as one of the emerging nations from Africa.
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The high court has ruled in favour of the government and against the interests of the British Casino Association (BCA), leaving the way clear for the building of a supercasino in Manchester and 18 other smaller casinos.
The BCA had argued that the introduction of the supercasino with its unlimited jackpots on certain machines was anti-competitive and would cost their members up to 135 million pounds in lost revenue.
Rejecting the challenge in a written judgment, the judge said: “My conclusion is that each point, whether taken separately or together, fails. No basis has been made out before me for challenging the propriety of Paragraph 65 of Schedule 4 to the Transitional Provisions Order of 2006. It was properly made, whatever the merits of arguments about its consequences. The claim must fail.”
Realistically, the casinos had little hope in winning their case as the whole idea of just one supercasino was the idea thought through by an all-party parliamentary committee whose sole aim was to ensure there was less problem gambling.
The BCA’s claim that the new casinos were unfair and that there would be no level playing field was pointless as the idea was actually to create an unlevelled playing field.
The government’s casino proposals are currently on hold following the House of Lords decision not to ratify the bill that was placed before them and ministers are currently scrambling around to find a workable solution.
The Tories are demanding that the government sort out the mess as quickly as possible.
“It is now time for the government to indicate just what they intend to do over the casino fiasco,” said shadow home secretary David Davis
“We have a right to know whether this has all been a futile exercise or whether it is yet another example of government paralysis while we wait for a new prime minister.”
The sports minister Richard Caborn was more phlegmatic on the subject.
“I welcome the judgment which dismissed the BCA’s case on all grounds and found that our policy was fairly and properly made,” he said.
“We have always put social protection and proper regulation above commercial interests and this judgement supports that approach.
“We will continue to get on with the job of implementing the Gambling Act by September 1st, and putting in place the significant new safeguards for children and other vulnerable people which it contains.”
