Over the course of the past few years, Zynga has hitched a ride on the Facebook gravy train – and now the time has come to see if the company can stand on its own two feet. Zynga has finally decided to launch its own stand-alone gaming website, which will allow players to access its most popular games without having to log in via Facebook.

The website is still in its Beta stage, so only 5 games are available the moment. Currently, players can resume their activities in: Cityville, Castleville, Hidden Chronicles, Words with Friends and Zynga Poker. The games will be integrated with Facebook, so players can pick up where they left off on the former platform.

This is a great step forward for Zynga, but some i-gaming experts are concerned that the company will fail to garner enough attention on its own. Facebook is an existing entity which individuals log into on a regular basis, and social games just happen to be available. Zynga Direct will require players to visit a whole different site, and the games won’t have the existing Facebook audience to appeal to.

Regardless, Zynga is still optimistic about the move. It could be great practice for when the company decides to launch its own online casino.

It was just last month that Zynga stated that it would be interested in launching its own online casino website. Now, the company is taking things further by hinting that it may be partnering with an online gambling operator in 2012.

According to a report in Web Pro News, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus called online gambling a natural fit for Zynga. He believes that real money gaming is the way forward for social games like Zynga Poker. Even though players can spend money on tokens and items, actually wagering cash would take the app to a whole new level.

Pincus also believes that Zynga is currently in the ideal position to begin thinking about online gambling. Zynga Poker sees over 30 million users every year, and players in the UK and around the world have downloaded its online poker application.

So, if Zynga were to launch an online casino, it would be able to tap its already existing fan base, consisting of players from around the world. Many existing players have expressed that they would switch to Zynga’s online gambling website, even if they were already registered at another.

The UK has is a high rate of citizens in debt, according to a recent study. Cooperative Bank has put together a report that highlights just how serious the issue of debt is across the country. According to the report, over 70% of individuals are experience debt problems, and 10% use gambling to deal with them.

The average amount of debt accumulated is about £1050, and the majority of individuals have trouble paying it off. Cooperative Bank uses the term DRIP to illustrate how UK citizens are dealing with their debt:

Deny their debt
Rationalize why they are in debt
Ignore their debt
Postpone paying it off

The other issue at hand is that many individuals use gambling in order to help them pay it off. While the lottery is a popular choice, some individuals play casino games and poker. Safe gambling groups recommend that residents only gamble with money that can be afforded to be lost. Players should budget their gambling expenditures based on their leisure cash; otherwise, they could sink further into debt.

All Slots online casino is asking ‘How Do You Do It?’. In this case, the casino operator is referring to playing online slots, as part of a promotion. To enter this unique contest, players at All Slots casino simply need to take a photo of themselves playing All Slots Mobile in an interesting situation or location.

The prize of the competition is quite unique. Rather than giving away cash bonuses, All Slots is offering an iPad 2 to the winner. So, the lucky player who wins the contest will be able to play at All Slots mobile using a brand new, innovative mobile device.

Entering into this promotion is certainly worth it, as it requires very little initial investment. Whereas online casinos usually ask players to deposit cash, this one does not. All the player has to do is take a photo and send it in to the online casino operator.

We are excited to see the winning entries, as we are sure there are going to be some very interesting photos. There will also be consolation prizes for the runner-ups in the form of cash bonuses.

Over the course of the past month, residents of the UK have been making a wide range of complaints about gambling advertisements. While most of them simply concern the vast number of ads that appear on television, some of them are more specific. This time, Paddy Power has been singled out, after airing an advertisement that has been deem discriminatory against transgendered people.

The commercial advertises Ladies Night at Cheltenham. Paddy Power asks viewers to “tell the stallions from the mares”, mixing some transgendered women into the racing day crowd. During the advertisement, several women are shown as the voiceover guesses “man” or “woman”.

Channel 4 has pulled the advertisements as many complaints were made about the commercial being transphobic. Several advocacy groups filed complaints with the gambling commission, Channel Four and Clearcast – and Channel 4 decided it would be best if it no longer aired the ad.

According to Clearcast, the advertisement was screened and approved by a local transgendered advocacy group. However, that has not stopped transgendered individuals from across the country from being outraged.

There is no word yet on whether or not the actual Ladies Day event will be cancelled.

The UK Gambling Commission has just received word that Gala Coral is planning on taking its online gambling operations offline. The company has recently announced that it simply cannot compete with existing offshore gambling operators and have decided to bite the bullet.

This will mean that the last major UK gambling operator has finally left the market. Ladbrokes, William Hill and now Gala Coral will have now left the country for greener pastures. This comes as a huge disappointment to the UK Gambling Commission; however, it seems to be the motivation that the government needs in order to ensure that the government passes its new laws concerning the taxation of offshore operators.

Local reports indicate that, because the UK government does not tax offshore operators, the country is missing out on over £300 million gambling tax revenue. Because a portion of these profits go to social programs, the country as a whole is losing out.

The new legislation aimed at taxing offshore operators will receive a second hearing on March 30, 2012. With the news of Gala Coral leaving the country, it is likely that the bill will receive a great deal of support.

Microgaming is a trend-setter when it comes to online gambling, always searching for new ways to impress online casino players. Now, with its new Diamond Edition live dealer software, the company is bound to revolutionize the way gamers play in the online world.

One of the best features of the new software offering is players are able to view their dealers in HD video. This is a huge deal for the online gambling market, as most face-to-face gaming is broadcast via webcam, meaning choppy videos and a great deal of lag. Those technical issues are a thing of the past with Microgaming’s new live dealer software, as dealer video will come in clear using the new Diamond Edition technology.

Diamond Edition software will also mean that live players from around the online gambling market will be able to have multiplayer roulette games. This is the first time that any live dealer software offers players the ability to take part in multiplayer games, a huge step for the online gambling market.

Microgaming is pleased to announce the introduction of this new software, as it marks a huge advancement in the online gaming market. It is likely that other casino operators will adopt similar software in the future.

In 2011, Ladbrokes generated £13 billion in wagers, but the company has mixed feelings about its performance over the course of the past year. While $13 million in bets is a huge amount of money, Ladbrokes still saw a decline in gambling revenue.

This marks the first time in 2 years that the company has seen a decline in profits. Ladbrokes blames a recent influx of unfavourable bets for the drop in revenue, as several sporting upsets saw the company pay out more in winnings than normal.

The online division is where Ladbrokes saw the biggest decline. Profits dropped over 12% in the online gambling market for Ladbrokes, despite the company having recently moved offshore to lower its tax requirements.

The company’s land-based division seems to be doing much better, however. Online gambling profits rose by 2.1% while revenue generated by gaming machines was up an incredibly 19%. Ladbrokes states that more younger clients are visiting betting shops, with more disposable income to spending on fruit machines and sportsbetting.

As such, the company has planned to expand its land-based market. Ladbrokes has announced plans to open 60 new betting shops across the country, taking advantage of its beneficial place in the over-the-counter betting industry.

The Genting Poker Tour is one of the most exciting events in the UK poker world, attracting a wide range of players from across the country. The tour hits a number of stops around England and Ireland, offering players a chance to compete for amazing cash prizes.

When it comes to behind the scenes action, however, the biggest winners are those that partner up with poker tournament operators. As such, one of the most profitable deals a card manufacturer can take part in is one with a casino operator like Genting.

Genting has announced that Fournier will be the official supplier of cards for the upcoming tournament, an exciting deal for both parties. Fournier was a front-runner for the position, as the company already supplies cards to Genting’s land-based casinos, offering them a competitive edge.

Fournier has proven itself to be a trustworthy brand over the years. Genting reports that the cards they’ve used have never been faulty or defective. In large tournaments, this is very important, as marked cards can lead to cheating.

The next leg of the Genting Poker Tour will take place on March 25 at London’s Fox Poker Club. The tour will also hit stops in Edinburgh, Sheffield and Stoke.

Today, PokerStars has released a new mobile poker application, available for a wide range of smartphone and tablet computer devices. It is the first real-money application of its kind, making PokerStars somewhat of a revolutionary in the mobile gaming market.

Zynga and other online gaming operators have previously launched mobile poker applications; however, none of them offer players the ability to play for real cash prizes. As such, PokerStars’ app is the first real-money mobile poker application, providing players with the ability to win real money while playing games on their mobile phones.

Several different games will be available on the application, including Texas Hold’Em and Omaha. Pot Limit, No Limit and Hi Lo variations will all be available to users. Players will also be able to take part in tournaments.

Players can also access some of PokerStars most useful online features, including hand histories and multitabling. As such, PokerStars had made it so its mobile application is no different from its mobile application. Of course, there are still some features that have been left out, but as it stands, the new mobile application is a great mobile substitute for online play.