The UK Government has just increase the tax on gaming machines across the country, and operators are not impressed. It is yet another decision from the UK government to extract even more funds from the country’s gambling market, but it comes at the expense of gaming clubs.

The new Machine Games Duty will replace the existing VAT and Amusement Machine License Duty. It will result in a 3% increase for club operators, which will accumulate over time. When the government makes small tax increases, the change seems very minimal, but over the course of a year, it can result in some huge losses for the industry.

For example, companies like William Hill and Ladbrokes will lose over £10 million each as a result of the new tax. It will also cause the loss of over 1000 jobs and the possible closure of 2000 venues.

Some operators believe that the tax increase will mean the end of the amusement gaming market in the UK. However, this may be what the government had in mind, as residents have been complaining about the increase in betting shops and gaming clubs on high streets recently.

Last month, the television show that the UK Gambling Commission was most focused on was Simon Cowell’s Red Or Black. Now, the commission has set its sight on Deal or No Deal, claiming that the popular game show may encourage the development of unhealthy perspectives on gambling.

This week, the professionals from the UK Gambling Commission will meet with television executives from Channel and Endemol to discuss the issue at hand. The Gambling Commission believes that the show portrays gambling in an unrealistic light, as players can win large sums of money without displaying any sort of skill.

If the UK Gambling Commission’s suspicious are correct, then Deal or No Deal would be classified as illegal gambling in the UK. If that is the case, there is no word yet on how the commission will proceed, but we are nervous that it would mean the show would be taken off of the air.

At this point, it seems that the Commission is grasping at straws. Its concerns with Red or Black seemed rooted in actual evidence, as the television show was directly based on Roulette. Deal or No Deal, which has been around for years, is not related to any particular gambling activity, and it would be a shame if it were taken off of the air.

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.

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.

Simon Cowell’s new television gameshow ‘Black or Red’ has come under fire recently for glamourizing the activity of gambling. The UK Gambling Commission has thus requested that a few changes be made to the game’s format.

‘Red or Black’ premiered last year on primetime television. Competitors gained the chance to play the game live on television by purchasing lottery tickets for just £1. Once one the show, the competitors witnessed stunts and situations and were required to guess the outcome: either Red or Black.

Over the course of the show’s first season four people walked away with the £1 million grand prize, a fact which caused the UK gambling commission to worry. Participants were not required to do or risk very much in order to win these generous prizes, casting an unrealistic light on the world of gambling.

As such, the UK Gambling Commission has requested that the show change its format before beginning to film the next series. The commission hopes that the show’s producers will require players to show some degree of skill in order to win prizes; otherwise, legal action may be taken.

The UK’s online gambling market is expected to see a great deal of changes this year. The introduction of a new tax will see profits decline for UK-based companies that have recently moved offshore, analysts to caution investors against putting too much faith in gambling stocks this year.

Ladbrokes, William Hill and Betfair are three companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. Over the course of the past few years, however, all three have moved to offshore locations to avoid paying steep gambling taxes to the government. While the move initially helped to improve their profits, the UK Gambling Commission has found a way to close the loophole by requiring offshore operators to obtain new licenses.

This is likely to have a detrimental effect on these companies and their profits, and the turmoil is likely to travel down into the pockets of investors. With profits expected to wane as a result of the new taxes, investors are have been warned against working with gambling stocks.

Already, prices are beginning to drop, as Ladbrokes has seen a 2p decline and William Hill has dropped by at least 4p. Things aren’t looking good for UK gambling stocks this year, since the year has already gotten off to a bad start.