Online Gambling

Its prime time for excitement and prime time for gamblers.;Its also a prime concern for U.S. officials trying to crack down on a growing Internet industry gambling Web sites.;College students are reportedly the fastest growing sector of gamblers, and the Internet provides an array of virtual casinos willing to take bets.;Internet casinos are booming, having grown from 15 to 140 in just a year. The online sports betting industry is expected to take in an estimated 600 million in gross revenues this year.

The real significance of last week's Internet gambling breakthrough -- Nevada legislators passed a law paving the way for online gaming -- went almost unremarked. It wasn't so much that Internet wagering might be permitted for the first time in the United States. After all, with the legal complications surrounding the new law, the practical effects might not be realized for years. The true impact lay elsewhere -- in the emerging shift in attitude of the casino industry. U.S. casino operators, who control $22 billion in legalized gambling, once strongly opposed betting on the Internet.

It could hurt Mark Blandford's business, to say the least. A bill outlawing gambling over the Internet is the last thing the founder of Sportingbet.com, a legal online bookmaker in the British Isles, wants to see pass in the United States.So why wasn't he celebrating when the bill didn't pass under a fast-track measure in Congress last month? Because the issue isn't going away. Since the July 17 House vote, the bill's supporters, including professional sports leagues, casinos and the Christian Coalition, have increased the pressure on Congress.

He dreamed that with the next game, the next jackpot, the next click of his mouse, he would solve all his problems. But as he got sucked deeper into the anonymous world of online gambling, his problems only got worse. "There was no boundary between me and what was going on inside the computer screen," said the recovering gambling addict, who asked not to be identified. "I was ill with a compulsion, even though I was losing $5,000 and $10,000 and $15,000. " Gambling has been around for centuries, from gruff Wild West saloons to glitzy Las Vegas casinos.

People who gamble on the Internet may tend to have more serious gambling addictions than people who wager in other ways, according to a study released Sunday. The report, published by the American Psychological Association, focused on visitors to dental and medical clinics. "There is a significant gambling problem among people who visit medical and dental clinics," said psychologist Nancy M. Petry, a co-author of the study. "Although it's still pretty rare to be gambling on the Internet, we think it's going to increase.

Police in China said they broke an illegal soccer gambling ring ahead of the World Cup in South Africa, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday. The bust was made in Shenyang, the capital of the northeastern province of Liaoning. Forty-eight people were taken into custody, the report said, citing police. Police told Xinhua on Tuesday they investigated what they called a major web soccer gambling case and made the bust after a two-month probe. Police seized over 420,000 yuan, or more than $61,000 U.S., in cash and froze around 1.03 million yuan, or more than $150,000, in bank accounts belonging to the gang members.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board took a small step toward legalizing online gambling last week with its approval of technology that will allow sports wagering via modem.On Thursday, the board approved the technology, created by Virtgame of San Diego, Calif. But it still must approve related software that ties into the sport book's system, said Dennis Neilander, a Gaming Control Board commissioner. That approval is likely next week and will be followed by a 30-day field trial, he said.

Ignoring regional government concerns about the potential social problems caused by online gambling, Philippines company Sports and Games Entertainment (Sage) will launch next month what it describes as Asia's first online casino. The downloadable casino software is available in eight languages, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Thai, English, Spanish, and French. Sage officials have been reported as saying they hope the multiple language versions will help lure more than 100,000 foreign players by the end of this year.

Given the human prediliction for losing money, the proliferation of virtual casinos has a range of special interests calling for a crackdown before things get out of hand. In all likelihood they are wasting their breath. As one American academic commented recently Computer bits dont have morals.;The tiny European principality of Liechtenstein pioneered online gambling when it launched InterLotto in 1995. Open to players around the world, InterLotto pays out an unusually large 65 of the pot. The game is simple enough players register and open an account on the Web site with a credit card, against which they purchase lottery tickets.

by James Ledbetter and Steve Viuker ;NEW YORK IDG A New York state judge delivered what may be a damaging blow to the online gambling industry yesterday, when he ruled that New Yorks gambling ban applies even to Web sites based overseas.;In an action brought by the New York State Attorney Generals office against World Interactive Gaming Corporation, Judge Charles Edward Ramos insisted that a Web site providing New Yorkers with a virtual gambling experience violates state law, regardless of where the Web servers are actually situated.

Police in China said they broke an illegal soccer gambling ring ahead of the World Cup in South Africa, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday. The bust was made in Shenyang, the capital of the northeastern province of Liaoning. Forty-eight people were taken into custody, the report said, citing police. Police told Xinhua on Tuesday they investigated what they called a major web soccer gambling case and made the bust after a two-month probe. Police seized over 420,000 yuan, or more than $61,000 U.S., in cash and froze around 1.03 million yuan, or more than $150,000, in bank accounts belonging to the gang members.

He dreamed that with the next game, the next jackpot, the next click of his mouse, he would solve all his problems. But as he got sucked deeper into the anonymous world of online gambling, his problems only got worse. "There was no boundary between me and what was going on inside the computer screen," said the recovering gambling addict, who asked not to be identified. "I was ill with a compulsion, even though I was losing $5,000 and $10,000 and $15,000. " Gambling has been around for centuries, from gruff Wild West saloons to glitzy Las Vegas casinos.

People who gamble on the Internet may tend to have more serious gambling addictions than people who wager in other ways, according to a study released Sunday. The report, published by the American Psychological Association, focused on visitors to dental and medical clinics. "There is a significant gambling problem among people who visit medical and dental clinics," said psychologist Nancy M. Petry, a co-author of the study. "Although it's still pretty rare to be gambling on the Internet, we think it's going to increase.

The real significance of last week's Internet gambling breakthrough -- Nevada legislators passed a law paving the way for online gaming -- went almost unremarked. It wasn't so much that Internet wagering might be permitted for the first time in the United States. After all, with the legal complications surrounding the new law, the practical effects might not be realized for years. The true impact lay elsewhere -- in the emerging shift in attitude of the casino industry. U.S. casino operators, who control $22 billion in legalized gambling, once strongly opposed betting on the Internet.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board took a small step toward legalizing online gambling last week with its approval of technology that will allow sports wagering via modem.On Thursday, the board approved the technology, created by Virtgame of San Diego, Calif. But it still must approve related software that ties into the sport book's system, said Dennis Neilander, a Gaming Control Board commissioner. That approval is likely next week and will be followed by a 30-day field trial, he said.

It could hurt Mark Blandford's business, to say the least. A bill outlawing gambling over the Internet is the last thing the founder of Sportingbet.com, a legal online bookmaker in the British Isles, wants to see pass in the United States.So why wasn't he celebrating when the bill didn't pass under a fast-track measure in Congress last month? Because the issue isn't going away. Since the July 17 House vote, the bill's supporters, including professional sports leagues, casinos and the Christian Coalition, have increased the pressure on Congress.

Ignoring regional government concerns about the potential social problems caused by online gambling, Philippines company Sports and Games Entertainment (Sage) will launch next month what it describes as Asia's first online casino. The downloadable casino software is available in eight languages, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Thai, English, Spanish, and French. Sage officials have been reported as saying they hope the multiple language versions will help lure more than 100,000 foreign players by the end of this year.

Given the human prediliction for losing money, the proliferation of virtual casinos has a range of special interests calling for a crackdown before things get out of hand. In all likelihood they are wasting their breath. As one American academic commented recently Computer bits dont have morals.;The tiny European principality of Liechtenstein pioneered online gambling when it launched InterLotto in 1995. Open to players around the world, InterLotto pays out an unusually large 65 of the pot. The game is simple enough players register and open an account on the Web site with a credit card, against which they purchase lottery tickets.

by James Ledbetter and Steve Viuker ;NEW YORK IDG A New York state judge delivered what may be a damaging blow to the online gambling industry yesterday, when he ruled that New Yorks gambling ban applies even to Web sites based overseas.;In an action brought by the New York State Attorney Generals office against World Interactive Gaming Corporation, Judge Charles Edward Ramos insisted that a Web site providing New Yorkers with a virtual gambling experience violates state law, regardless of where the Web servers are actually situated.

by Elizabeth Wasserman ;WASHINGTON IDG A U.S. senator is rolling the dice, hoping his lucky number for the passage of a bill outlawing Internet gambling is 1999. ; ; Sen. Jon Kyl RAriz., Congress foremost opponent of online betting, said during a Senate hearing Tuesday that he is reintroducing a revised measure to amend the federal 1961 Wire Acts prohibitions on interstate sports gambling conducted by telephone or wire to cover newer technological transmissions, including the Internet.