Online Gambling

As reported in yesterday’s The Wall Street Journal, the House Financial Services Committee voted 41-22 to approve legislation that would regulate many forms of online gambling, including poker and bingo, while specifically banning betting on major US sports leagues like the MLB, NFL, NBA, and others.

Other news articles point out that the legislation also would deny licenses to any online site that has allowed, or currently does allow, US players to gamble online. Looking ahead, this would appear to effect PokerStars, FullTilt, and other online poker rooms that have continued to serve US players despite the UIGEA of 2006.

Other key elements of the legislation include player loss limits, rigorous age verification systems and frequent testing thereof, and allowing states to opt out of this legislation and ban its citizens from online gambling.

And the legislation that was passed does not cover how the industry is to be taxed — that’s covered in a separate bill that hasn’t made it out of the House Ways and Means Committee.

It is unlikely that this legislation will be voted on before the current Congressional Session expires in September. The scheduling is simply too tight. If it is not voted on, the process will need to start again next session. Perhaps it will be attached to some other legislation, as was the UIGEA of 2006. Even so, if the legislation is approved, it still would need to be signed by Obama.

We are still years away from any comprehensive online gambling policy in the United States. Need proof? The UIGEA of 2006 took nearly 4 years before it actually went into effect this past June 1 — and there are still plenty of loopholes in that legislation that allow US players to fund and withdraw money from their online gambling accounts… or so I’ve heard.

Here’s a short and sweet blog:

Las Palmas Sportsbook & Casino will be paying 20% bonuses for all deposits and re-loads throughout the NFL season.

Go get ‘em!

I’ve long praised BetUS as one of the best sportsbooks on the internet; it is one of the several sportsbooks that I myself use on a regular basis. And now they’ve really outdone themselves — check out the new tiered bonus schedule for new and existing players at BetUS.

All levels of membership, BetUS clients receive the following:

· 25% New Member Referral

· 10% Gambler€™s Insurance

· Free Sports Schedules and Swimsuit Calendar

· Free Making of the Swimsuit Calendar DVD (*Deposits of $500 or more)

Earlier this month, I wrote that: “From now until Super Bowl 43 on February 1, Sportsbetting.com is doubling is initial deposit bonus for new customers from 10% to 20%. You must enter promo code SBTWENTY in order to get the bonus.”

Guess what? The folks at Sportsbetting.com have upped their offer again to a massive 43% when you use offer code 4THREESB. Their fine print:

1.Offer expires February 1st, 2009

2. 5x rollover in Sportsbook, 25x rollover in Casino. Bonus funds cannot be used in our Poker room.

3.We reserve the right to rescind the offer or change the terms prior to the expiry date.

4. This promo code can only be used once per account. Only one account allowed per person.

(Note: The information present on this blog is intended for entertainment purposes only. Please check your local, state and provincial laws before you gamble online. If your local laws prohibit online gambling then we recommend you consider an alternative form of entertainment.)

From now until Super Bowl 43 on February 1, Sportsbetting.com is doubling is initial deposit bonus for new customers from 10% to 20%. You must enter promo code SBTWENTY in order to get the bonus.

Sportsbetting.com  is rated 4-stars (out of 5) by The Online Casino Gambling Directory, so you know that the site can be trusted, and that you’ll get better-then-average customer service should you need it.

(Note: The information present on this blog is intended for entertainment purposes only. Please check your local, state and provincial laws before you gamble online. If your local laws prohibit online gambling then we recommend you consider an alternative form of entertainment.)

From now until September 7, Sportsbetting.com is offering a 25% match on initial deposits! The normal offer that you will find from sportsbooks is around 10%-15%, so this is a great way to get your sportsbook bankroll ready for the upcoming NFL season.

Just deposit $25 or more at Sportsbetting.com and you’ll be on your way to an exciting season of betting NFL football. There is a low, easy-to-meet 4x rollover requirement on the deposit and the bonus.

(Note: Sportsbetting.com accepts players from all US states. Please check your local, state and provincial laws before you gamble online. If your local laws prohibit online gambling then we recommend you consider an alternative form of entertainment. )

 One of the reasons that the Bookmaker.com sportsbook is not rated highly at The Online Casino Gambling Directory is because it has a huge minimum deposit ($300) and no bonus on credit card deposits.

But, from now through Feb 1, new players can get a 25% bonus on all deposits of between $100 and $2000. Plus, new players get:

• One free entry to the BookMaker’s SuperBowl Prop Contest
• One free entry to the BookMaker’s SuperBowl Blackjack Tournament
• One free entry to the BookMaker’s March Madness bracket Contest
• One free $5 SuperBowl Office Pool Square

Seems like a great deal at Bookmaker.com, and comes at an opportune time to bet the NFL Conference Championship games, as well as Super Bowl XLII on Feb 3! If you take them up on this offer, please do let me know about your experience — good or bad.

The NFL season is down to eight teams vying for a Super Bowl championship.

I don’t know about you, but I think that the weekend after wildcard weekend is the best of the season. And this year, there is the added excitment of seeing if the Patriots can pull off an undefeated season! Even though I am a Bengals fan, it sure is interesting to watch one of the best teams ever assembled in my lifetime try to pull this off.

Here are the current lines at Intertops.

Intertops is one of about a dozen sportsbooks that currently accept US bettors, and — as of this writing — is one of only three sportsbooks that accept US bettors that have been awarded a 5-star rating at The Online Casino Gambling Directory.

Here’s what I have my eye on this weekend. head on over to Intertops or Sportsbook.com to check out the lines.

• Saturday
  • ALCS Game 6: Cleveland Indians at Boston Red Sox. Shilling goes for the Sox, and is looking to rebound from his poor start earlier in the series. He looked awesome against the Angles, but the Indians seems to have him figured out. Can he take the Sox to a deciding Game 7? Or will the Indians take the series and face off against the streaking Colorado Rockies in the World Series?
  • UFC 77 – Hostile Territory: Cincinnati Ohio native Jorge Gurgel takes on Alvin Robinson in a featured bout. Gurgel is looking to revenge an earlier defeat at the hands on Robinson. And then there is the main event, featuring Rich Franklin taking on UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Should be a great evening of Ultimate Fighting!
• Sunday
  • Tampa Bay @ Detroit and Chicago @ Philadelphia look to be two of the more evenly-matched games on the Week 7 NFL schedule. I’m picking both of the home teams in these two games.