FIFA has announced that 2012 will be the year that the football association cracks down on match-fixing scandals. The association will employ new tactics to fight match-fixing, including developing a team of detectives that will attempt to prevent crimes.

Match-fixing crimes have become increasingly more expensive over the years. One of the more recent scandals seen in the public eye saw a businessman attempt to pay $100 000 to fix a game. He offered the cash to a UK player but was reported and has now been put in jail.

Unfortunately, other criminals aren’t caught so easily. Many crimes go undiscovered, costing bookies and innocent punters millions of dollars every year.

In order to prevent these crimes from taking place, FIFA will be spending $1 trillion on an intensive initiative. The association will work with Interpol to keep tabs on individuals who may be plotting match-fixing schemes while developing amnesty for those who provide information.

Especially with the 2012 Olympics coming up, it is incredibly important that gaming and sports associations work together to fight sports-related crimes.

Microgaming is a leader in online slots development, launching new games every month of the year. This month, the company was a little slow on the uptake, but has finally announced the release of its latest title: The Grand Journey.

This great new online slot brings players back to Jurassic times, when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. As such, the reels feature creatures from times gone by like dinosaurs, mammoths and sabretooth tigers. This is a pretty unique theme for an online slots game, and it will certainly get a great deal of attention from players.

Microgaming has also introduced the Multiplier Trail feature. During the free spins round of The Grand Journey (where players can win up to 15 free spins), the multiplier increases each time the player spins the reels.

You’ll also find stacked wilds, which offer players the chance to increase their winnings. Stacked wilds are symbols that are in a row on the reels, making it easier to complete winning combinations.

With these features and more, The Grand Journey will be a huge hit at Microgaming casinos like Spin Palace and All Slots.

Mobile gambling is become a popular trend across the United Kingdom. It is one of the few markets in which mobile gambling is allowed, so operators have taken great advantage of this. Bwin, one of the biggest sportsbetting brands in Europe, is just getting into the game and has launched a new mobile betting application that is sure to capture players’ attention.

The new application will provide players with the option to make live wagers, betting on events as they take place. Players will also be able to place regular bets before sporting events start. The mobile application offers players the same range of sports as they would find on Bwin’s online casino website, so mobile users won’t miss a beat!

Using the application is almost as great as gambling online, as there is not much that the mobile app lacks. Players can access all of their information, including betting history and banking data, so there is no need to use a computer at all!

The Bwin Android application is available all over Europe, while the iTunes application is only available in certain countries.

The UK Government is thinking of introducing a new online gambling law that would require operators to obtain an additional gambling license in order to offer their services to the British. The proposal has been met with a great deal of disdain from operators across Europe, and financial firm Deloitte had made predictions as to how to the market will react.

According to a new report by Deloitte, a 10% tax on international gambling operators would cause 27% of all online gambling activity to be diverted to the unregulated market. If the tax is made to be 15%, 40% of activity will leave the regulated market.

Many gaming firms across Europe depend heavily on the UK gambling market, which is worth billions of dollars. Should an additional licensing scheme be introduced, many operators will be forced to pull out of the United Kingdom, bringing their loyal customers with them – many of which would still be located in England.

Gaming companies have protested the change, but the government seems set in its ways. Hopefully, Deloitte’s study will help to change the minds of the politicians in charge.

The United Kingdom is working hard to ensure that no betting scandals take place during the 2012 London Olympics. It is estimated that billions of dollars will be wagered on this year’s games, opening up plenty of opportunity for scams to take place – but the UK government has a plan that aims to catch crimes before they are committed.

Hugh Robertson, the UK’s Olympics Minister, has stated that the country is well-prepared to deal with betting scandals. These types of crimes can compromise the integrity of the games and shine a negative light on the country as a whole. As such, the UK has spent a great deal of time and effort devising an effective route for fighting match fixing.

A surveillance system has been put into place, which will monitor all wagers placed on the Olympic games. Should any behaviour look suspicious, the authorities will be alerted so that they can intervene.

Previous Olympic games have used similar systems to detect betting crimes, which have seen some degree of success. The UK hopes to build on these systems to create an effective method of fighting match-fixing and other gambling crimes.

Microgaming and GSN Digital are ending the last few days of 2011 with a bang! Fans of mobile gambling can rejoice, as there are even more games for them to play now, thanks to the release of more games from Microgaming and GSN Digital. The mobiles games are available to play on Android, iOS phones, the iPhone, as well as the iPad.

Players can find mobile games on GSN Digital’s social gaming site, www.GSN.com.

This is not the first time Microgaming has released online casino games for mobile casino play. They have already released popular titles such as Blackjack, Major Millions, Mega Moolah, Mermaids, Roulette, Tomb Raider and Thunderstruck. Microgaming’s latest release is also their most popular online casino games, and game titles include favourites like Avalon, Agent Jane Blonde, Ladies Night, Break Da Bank Again, Spring Break, Aces and Faces and Deuces Wild.

Along with Microgaming, GSN Digital is hopping on the mobile gambling bandwagon. GSN digital launched their GSN Casino recently, which can be used on the iPhone, the iPad, and Android phones. The GSN Casino offers their top three games on their site, which are Undersea Treasure Slots, Outlaw Video Poker and Video Bingo.

Although mobile gambling is still a young part of the online gambling industry, it has grown, and will likely keep growing as the number of smart phone users keep increasing everyday.

It’s been a roller coaster ride this past year for the online gambling industry, and with 2012 just days away, now is the time to take a look at the past year, as well as look at the big changes that have been made.

At the beginning of 2011, many online casino operators were shut out of the United States, and as a result, many European online casino operators lost quite a bit of revenue that they would have normally got from U.S. players. The reason being as to why online casino operators were shut out of the United States is because it is illegal to gamble online, and there was a growing concern of offshore gambling as well.

Fast forward a few months later, and Black Friday hit. It may have hit the United States, but it affected the entire gambling industry, especially the poker industry around the globe. Essentially, player confidence was down, and many countries cracked down and got even stricter with their online gambling laws.

The U.K. and many parts of Europe have been successful at keeping online gambling around, and developing great laws that protect players. Across the ocean, the United States has been toughing it out, working tirelessly for legalized online gambling in some states.

It looks like the U.S. will have an easier time of online gambling and making it happen, now that the Obama administration has revised the 1961 Wire Act, changing it so that it only applies to sports betting, instead of applying it to all forms of gambling. With 2012 just days away, it looks like the start of a good year for the gambling industry in the United States, and perhaps, the United Kingdom will benefit from this as well.

Playtech has been on a roll this year, and with just days left until the start of a new year, they have kept up momentum, never missing a beat. The latest news from Playtech is that they are continuing with their expansion, and have announced that they will be launching a new online casino this very week. The company that will be adopting Playtech’s gaming software is Boyle Sports, which is an Irish company that already offers up sports betting, bingo and poker at Boyle Casino.

Boyle Casino is already live, and offers two different platforms for players to utilize. There’s the Flash instant play version, and the downloadable version. The downloadable version is complete with Playtech video slots, table, and card games.

Players will be able to find all of Playtech’s most popular game titles at Boyle Casino, including branded slot games and themed ones, like Iron Man 2, Beach Life, and Santa’s Surprise. Players that sign up today can receive a welcome bonus, and also enjoy other promotional offers and a VIP club.

Playtech has certainly kept busy this past year, and it looks like they won’t be slowing down any time soon! If 2012 is anything like 2011, players are going to have a lot of look forward to!

A shocking new revelation reveals that former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott spent taxpayer money to gamble while on a trip to Australia. The disclosure of this information comes as part of a new initiative in which the UK government reveals the expenditures of politicians using taxpayer money.

According to reports, Lord Prescott spent over £400 at the Star City Casino in Australia. It was also revealed that he spent more than £500 on dinner for his colleagues on the same trip.

Prescott was on the trip to Australia to determine the effectiveness of relaxing the country’s gambling laws – an ironic twist on this story. Australia’s government was entertaining offers from international companies who wished to build super-casinos, and Prescott was there to scope out the situation.

He claims that he never used the card himself, and states that he is shocked at how much money was spent on the trip. Prescott claims that the card was cloned, pointing out several other suspicious charges. It is likely that an investigation into the issue will be launched.

The much anticipated International Gaming Awards will be here soon! The gambling industry just loves award events, and the International Gaming Awards is the equivalent to the Oscars in the gambling industry. The International Gaming Awards is when the cream of the crop are rewarded. Awards are given away based on excellence in a variety of areas concerning gambling, from land based and online casino operations.

The next International Gaming Awards will be the fifth one, and with four previously successful events, the fifth one is certainly going to be even better.

The International Gaming Awards ceremony will be on January 23, 2012 in London, England at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel. People in the gambling industry from around the globe will be present, representing their companies, as well as using the opportunity to network and help great causes.

The 2012 awards show will not only be just for recognizing and awarding gambling operations, it will also be a charitable event. The two charities that the International Gaming Awards will be raising awareness for is CARE International and Children with Leukaemia.

Nominations are being accepted now, but time is running out. The deadline for nominations is October 8^th, and then judges still have to assess nominees and decide who will win what.