Footballers are no stranger to the gambling world with David Bentley the latest in a line of luminaries, both past and present, to have admitted a penchant for having a wager, or two, or three…..
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Welcome back to Littlewoods Casino Top 10. This month we’re looking at some of the more lighthearted moments in casino history – from eccentric owners to biblical toasties! After you’ve had your fill, remember that we are the UK’s premier online casino site, with all your favourite casino games ready to play right here, right now.
With the news that the US looks set to overturn its ban on online casinos, it is strange to hear that Norway, home of the latest online poker sensation Annette_15, looks set to enforce a total ban.
The government has taken a moral stand and is suggesting that they must be in a position to defend problem gamblers. However, if you scratch the surface a little, you will find that possibly the major reason it wants to ban its citizens from the ‘perils’ of online gambling is because there is a state-run gambling operation in existence which will still be allowed to carry on trading should the proposed ban become law.
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Baccarat conjures up two images for me - Omar Sharif in a white evening suit with a black bow tie and the singer songwriter, much plugged by Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, Burt Bacharach.
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I’ve never been a fan of TV adverts so it fills slightly me with dread that there will soon be a whole raft of them on our screens promoting certain forms of gambling.
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With a massive rise in casino gambling online, the Internet is host to an ever growing number of casino online sites, all offering you the chance win big. The majority of these are very reputable online casinos but unfortunately, there are a number of sites that don’t deliver all that they suggest they will.
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The popular online virtual world site Second Life has taken the dramatic step of banning all casino and gambling activity with immediate effect.
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Japan is the latest economy to appreciate how much legalised gambling can do for its tourist industry.
With the nation keen to expand the number of visitors visiting the islands, the Liberal Democratic Party has put legislation in place to liberalise its gambling laws.
The move comes as similar laws in Singapore will allow more tourists to spend an evening playing poker, roulette or keno.
In an interesting move, the government is believed to be thinking about making local people pay a fee to enter the casino in order to discourage lower earning gamblers from using the facilities, although tourists would get in for free.
The new gambling initiative comes as Japan faces a declining population and the resultant decline in tax revenues. The new casinos are seen as a way of revitalising economic blackspots – similar to the way the super casinos where supposed to help rundown areas of the UK.
It is hoped Japan can attract tourists from nearby China and Russia who are both experiencing relative economic booms.
Meanwhile, the man behind the success of Macau’s booming casino business, (it recently surpassed Las Vegas in revenues) Stanley Ho, has been in the news for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, the billionaire has paid nearly £1 million for an Imperial throne which went up for auction recently in Hong Kong.
Ho, 85, made the winning bid by phone for the five-panel, gilt-incised, lacquer throne dating from the reign of the Qing Dynasty emperor Kangxi.
The throne is expected to make its way to one of Ho’s casinos in Macau from where the tycoon amassed most of his wealth having been awarded a casino monopoly in the 1960s.
Ho, who was awarded an OBE by Margaret Thatcher for his philanthropy, next made the news after giving the single biggest cash award to Oxford University.
He has donated £2.5 million for improving Chinese history research and teaching at Pembroke College.
Oxford University’s press release described him as “Dr Ho”, although it is believed he is a Hong Kong University dropout. His spokeswoman said that he was forced to give up his studies by the Japanese occupation but was awarded an honorary doctorate by Macau University in 1984.
A lack of sleep results in people making silly decisions because it affects a “gambling casino” in the brain, scientists have found.
The brains of volunteers were scanned while they gambled using a computer programme that simulated every day decision making.
The experiment centred around the part of the brain known as the nucleus accumbens which regulates the anticipation of reward. All volunteers were deprived of sleep and then set the scientist’s test.
The volunteers who had been deprived of sleep began to make rash decisions in the anticipation of a higher, though much riskier, reward.
The findings add to previous research showing that those volunteers deprived of much needed shut eye did not give a proverbial toss about the outcome of the results.
The standard psychological test employed two decks of cards – one good and one bad set.
Although the players know that the good deck will eventually give them a small reward, they are still tempted by the bad deck, which although sometimes paying out higher, will eventually lead to a loss.
Most volunteers undergoing the experiment start by picking cards from either deck, but after about 30 selections tend to choose the better deck. The people with the more risk-taking nature are unable, especially when tired, from taking rash decisions which end up costing them money.
It is recommended that any gambler should take between 8 and 10 hours sleep per evening in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Casino’s do not just offer a place to gamble these days, they are centres for entertainment and special events and one of the most bizarre is happening at the Hard Rock Café in Las Vegas.
The casino is staging the world’s biggest (and most important) auction of Michael Jackson memorabilia.
Over 1000 original Michael Jackson costumes will be on sale to the general public along with other oddities.
The goods had originally been bought as part of a bankruptcy sale of Jackson’s belongings and although the singer tried to stop the sale - things were settled out of court – the sale will go ahead.
Some of the most popular items that will be offered at the casino auction are:
Bill Whitten-designed militaristic red coat with gold rope that belonged to Michael Jackson
The 1987 contract detailing his $30 million purchase of the California ranch now known as “Neverland.”
A good luck telegram from another famous recluse, Marlon Brando, before an 80’s show.
The FBI has been called in to investigate possible illegal gambling taking place in the increasingly popular Second Life virtual world.
Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by over 5 million people from around the world.
With online gambling banned for US residents, many have been getting around the rule by playing for Linden dollars in the virtual world.
However, no one is clear as to whether it still constitutes an illegal action to bet with virtual money and the makers are keen for the FBI to take a look around as they have nothing to hide.
Hundreds of casinos offering slot machines and blackjack are easily located in Second Life. Although it is difficult to estimate the total size of the gambling economy in Second Life, the three largest poker casinos are earning only small profits each per month.
The US government has arrested executives from offshore gambling websites in recent months and it is no coincidence that the upsurge in virtual casinos on Second Life came around this time.
The legal profession are not too sure how the situation will play out but some believe the owners of the game – Linden – may be infringing some laws by accepting payment. Linden dollars can be bought for real dollars.
“What they did was go after the processors, and made it a crime to process payments that relate to online gambling sites. Linden could potentially be held as the same sort of processor,” said Sean Kane, a lawyer at New York’s Drakeford & Kane
“If you’re buying money on the Lindex (a virtual currency exchange) and utilizing it for gambling purposes, Linden could have a much higher level of responsibility,” he added. “If they would be found in violation, that’s difficult to say, but I can see a much stronger case being made.”
Even if the law were clear Linden would have no way to monitor or prevent gambling in Second Life.
“It’s not always clear to us whether a 3-D simulation of a casino is the same thing as a casino, legally speaking, and it’s not clear to the law enforcement authorities we have asked,” a spokesman said.
