online gambling
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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will push for online sports betting
He said the state could become the country's biggest sports gambling market.
New bill would outlaw online gambling, heads to Congress this week
The US government may have opposed extensive net neutrality laws and regulation of ISPs in the past, but when it comes to online gambling, several politicians are calling for the ban hammer. If Senator Lindsey Graham and Rep. Jason Chaffetz have their way, it will soon be illegal to play slots on your smartphone. Today, the two introduced legislation to outlaw internet betting -- excluding fantasy sports and horse racing -- asserting that the activity is a potential national security threat, among other things. Gambling sites, co-sponsor Senator Dianne Feinstein claims, often don't screen for underage players. Supports of the legislation also cite the lack of oversight for criminal acts such as identity theft and money-laundering, and they naturally invoke gambling addiction as well. Notably, Las Vegas Sands titan Sheldon Adelson is supporting the bill.
Zynga's online gambling initiative to launch in the UK next year
Zynga CEO Mark Pincus is making good on his promise to expand the social/mobile developer's grasp into the world of online gambling in the first half of 2013, according to Gamasutra. As expected, the roll-out will take place in Not America -- the United Kingdom, specifically.Facilitating this expansion is bwin.party Digital Entertainment, an existing online gambling operator that has partnered with Zynga to aid in its transition from fake addictions to the real deal. Zynga's first title in this new space will be a slots simulator based on the Farmville franchise, which may explain why the Zynga Slots team was the only one to survive this week's layoffs at Zynga Austin.
Zynga considering online gambling; puts $1 billion on Red 14
Zynga let it all ride with its IPO late last year and its stock has fluctuated ever since, with some analysts suggesting the social-games market has capped out its user base, that it doesn't generate enough consumer spending, and that Zynga just isn't worth very much as a company. Perhaps in answer to these claims, Zynga is flirting with the idea of online gambling -- the kind with real money.Zynga is talking with several potential partners about the foray, a spokesperson told All Things D, along with the following statement: "Zynga Poker is the world's largest online poker game with more than 7 million people playing every day and over 30 million each month. We know from listening to our players that there's an interest in the real-money gambling market. We're in active conversations with potential partners to better understand and explore this new opportunity."Entering the online-gambling industry would help Zynga end its piggyback dependence on Facebook, which may quell some investors' concerns about its future as an independent company. And it may stop Zynga from making more games like Farmville.
Sega receives poorly timed online gambling license
Here's a fun little slice of coincidence to brighten up your life: A pair of Australian researchers recently published a study that tracks the correlation between heavy video game use in teens and pathological gambling tendencies. Not 24 hours before this study -- which concluded that there was some connection between the two activities -- hit the blogosphere, Sega made an unfortunately-timed announcement: The company had secured an online gambling license from the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, allowing it to run Sega-branded online casino games for real-life money. While some may weave these two stories into a tapestry of fear for our young, impressionable youths, we're honestly not that worried. After their first roughing up by professional loan shark Big the Cat, they'll likely shy away from games of chance altogether. [Thanks, Barry.]
Cinemassively: Showdown at the Statehouse Corral
Second Life has been used to protest many things that are happening in real life. However, most don't break the Terms of Service in order to do so. Quick! Hide the cards! The Lindens are coming!In all seriousness, the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society wants viewers to know that poker is a game of skill, therefore should not be considered in an online gambling ban. Showdown at the Statehouse Corral is clever, although sometimes cheesy with the fake celebrities. Hopefully it will help raise awareness for their campaign, because this is exactly the sort of cost-effective machinima that SL is useful for.[Via Popcha!]If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.
