What could possibly be the reason behind these two heavyweights merging a partnership? Well, how about the fact that the ban on online gambling in the United States has been lifted! It’s a very smart move for Austrian based Bwin to make, as UK based PartyGaming once ruled the U.S. online gambling market.

After the U.S. ban lift was announced, PartyGaming announced the next day that Bwin would become a partner.

The coupling of these two gambling giants has bookmarkers worried, as they each bring a lot to the table. Before the 2006 federal ban on online gambling in the United States was imposed, PartyGaming was ranked the number one online gambling company in the world. After the ban, many bookmarkers were forced out around the world, as well as PartyGaming.

The 2006 federal ban hit many online gambling operators hard, but hands down, PartyGaming was hit the hardest as 70% of their players resided in the United States. They went from ranking number one in the world to sliding down to fourth place.

Now that the ban has been lifted, PartyGaming will be able to come back in full swing and bounce back from their losses, and take back their number one title.

A recent report by iGaming Business as stated that the online gambling industry is only expected to grow in the future. It has been on a steady incline for the past decade and shows no signs of slowly down, according to the online gaming publication.

Although there was a downswing last year due to the global recession, this year has seen a great deal of growth. As the recession continues to come to close, an increasing number of gambling fans now have more disposable income available. They can now spend their money more freely, and online gambling gives them the opportunity to do so.

Currently, the online gambling industry is worth about $4.7 billion, but by the end of the 2014, it is expected to nearly double to about $7 billion worldwide.

Social networking is the key to the growth of the online gambling industry. More and more casino operators are using websites like Facebook and Twitter to solicit new customers and maintain relationships with existing players. It is important that operators take advantage of the vast opportunities that are out there because they will certainly contribute to the growth of the industry over the next couple of years.

Also, the opening up of many different gambling markets around the world is sure to help the online gambling market grow. France and The United States are expected to be some of the most lucrative markets in the world and they will both be of great value to the industry at large.

Australia started the movement, by banning all internet service providers associated with online gambling websites. Now, Russia, China and France have decided to make similar moves, which force ISPs into blocking residents in these countries from having access to online gambling websites.

The most recent country to enact these rules has been Israel. This week, the government issued a list of IP addresses that must be restricted to those living in the country. Police have ordered various internet service providers to block these addresses from Israeli citizens, and they have only 48 hours to do so.

The ISPs that have been ordered to carry out the ban have stated to the government that banning online gambling websites is illegal and they do not have the authority to do so. However, the police back their case by citing 224 of the Penal Code, which states that online gambling is, indeed, illegal.

The situation is convoluted, but it is very common around the world. Many countries believe that online gambling is harmful to their citizens, but ISPs do not have the power to carry out bans of the sites that provide this service. Other countries, on the other hand, have welcomed online gambling, as it can provide the government with a great source of revenue that can be used to benefit citizens.

Progressive jackpots operate by collecting a portion of all wagers placed on the machine and contributing them to the jackpot total. While progressive jackpots currently can range anywhere from £5000 to £5 million, a financial analyst believes that by the year 2018, the average progressive jackpot will be £1 million.

This is great news for online casino operators and players, as both sides of the coin will benefit from this breakthrough. As progressive jackpots increase, more and more players try their hand at winning the big prize. This is beneficial for operators as they are guaranteed an influx of customers who are interested in winning the million-dollar progressive jackpot.

While the average increase is destined to be, there are some things that online casino operators can do to speed up the process. The first thing that can be done is to expand progressive jackpot networks. Most online casinos today only link progressive slots across one particular casino, but it would be a most worthwhile option to link progressive jackpots across a many casinos that belong to the same brand.

Cryptologic had the right idea by linking all of its Marvel Superhero slots. The progressive jackpot is not only linked between games with the same title, but between all of the Marvel Superhero slots, regardless of which hero the game is based on.

This is certainly the future of online gambling and operators should take note of this!

Underage gambling is becoming an increasingly prevalent problem in the UK. Over the past decade is has become easier for underage gamblers to assume fake identities in order to wager on sporting events. Up until recently, the problem has been ignored, but now William Hill online casino is looking for a way to combat the issue.

In 2009, a study conducted by the UK Gambling Commission indicated that 98% of bookmakers across the UK allow underage individuals to place bets on various sporting events. The Association of British Bookmakers called the statistics embarrassing and are looking for ways to ensure that the percentage decreases significantly over the course of the next year.

William Hill ensures that 8100 of its employees have undergone extensive training, including workshops that inform them how to deal with a situation when they encounter an underage gambler. By October, William Hill will train an additional 2000, ensuring that its entire staffed has obtained sufficient training on how to deal with the issue.

After the news that PartyGaming and Bwin would be teaming up to launch a new online gambling brand, it has been rumoured that 888 Holdings is now considering the option of launching its own merger with another well-known online casino company.

Bwin and PartyGaming’s merger will create the biggest online gambling company in the world, worth over $4 billion. That is exponentially larger than any of the online gambling operators currently in existence, even including some of the world’s biggest brands like 888 and The Palace Group. The news of the merger has put the pressure on other big names in the online gaming industry to top Bwin and PartyGaming – and 888 may be just the company to do so.

Should 888 decide to merge with another online gambling company, PartyGaming and Bwin should watch out. 888 and whomever it merges with could blow the rest of the industry out of the water. The company has stated that it has received many phone calls this week from companies who are interested in merging, but 888 is in no rush to make a decision.

“Party and Bwin took almost a year to close the deal, so we don’t see anything happening imminently”, says CEO Gigi Levy.

It will be interesting see what other online casino operators merge in the coming months. Bwin and PartyGaming undoubtedly set a trend in the online gambling world.

The online gambling market in the United States is potentially one of the most lucrative in the world. Despite the country restricting operators from offering online gambling services to its residents, many operators based throughout Europe have continued to operate in the American market. While it seems that they have earned a huge head start for when the market finally is legalized, that may not be the case.

The United States’ government has announced that it may be restricting access to operators who continued to operate in the American market while the UIGEA was enacted. They will be punished not only because it was unfair to other, American-based operators but also because they committed a crime by refusing to exit the market and oblige by the UIGEA.

It is unfortunate for UK- and Europe-based online gambling operators. However, it gives American-based brands a fair shot at the online gambling market. Land-based brands that are owned and operated by American business owners have stayed out of the market so far, but the new law may give them the fighting chance that they have been looking for.

These amendments have only been mentioned so we will have to wait and see if they will actually be implemented.

Sweden has been lobbying to keep online gambling advertisements illegal and finally got the okay from the European Justice Court (EJC).  The Swedish government does not approve of the idea of online gambling ads because they promote a potentially addictive behaviour.

After two major Swedish newspapers printed online sports betting ads, the government went after the editors and publishers, citing the laws against any form of gambling advertisements.   The newspapers were fined for their transgressions but appealed to the European Justice Court in the hopes of having the decision overthrown.

Unfortunately for online casinos and the Swedish newspapers in question, the European Justice Court ruled in favour of the Swedish government and agreed that all forms of online gambling advertisements are illegal.

The EJC found that Sweden is not in violation of the European Union laws since the prohibition of online gambling advertisements considers public security.  However, the EJC did warn Sweden that any fines imposed on those who violate the gambling advertisement laws would have to be in accordance with the European Union.  Therefore, fines cannot exceed those set by other European Union member countries. 

The decision significantly affects the online gambling industry and is considered a major setback.  There is still a chance that the laws will be changed in the future but for now online gamblers will have to use word of mouth to choose an online casino rather than advertisements.

William Hill is one of the most popular brands in the online gambling world. In addition to being one of the oldest names in the casino industry, William Hill also knows how to attract customers by launching great bonuses and promotions on a regular basis. Today, the operator has just announced a brand new bonus that is sure to attract new players.

This bonus is exclusive to new William Hill players, offering them a free GBP 150 deposit bonus. There is no cap on the amount of money that the bonus can provide, so high rollers can get the most bang for their buck simply by making their first deposit.

Midrollers can get GBP 350 for depositing GBP 500 while high rollers who deposit can get GBP 500 for a GBP 1000 deposit. No matter what your playing style is, however, the minimum deposit you have to make in order to qualify for the bonus is GBP 35, which is quite low, compared to other online casino’s promotions.

As a special bonus, the wager requirements only ask that players wager their bonus cash 20 times. This is half than most online casinos, which require 40 times. William Hill wants to get you closer to withdrawal faster, making it much easier to meet your wager requirements.

Last year, the online gambling community took a huge hit when the global recession forced potential players to save their pennies. It is only recently that the industry is beginning to recover, as some of the most popular online gambling brands start to show improved revenue. One such casino is 32Red, which has recently reported a 33% jump in profits.

Over the past 6 months, 32Red saw a GBP 7.8 increase in profits. Industry insiders believe that the surge is due to the casino’s new makeover, which saw a complete overhaul of 32Red’s website’s design and a vast collection of new online casino games.

According to financial reports, the casino saw 35% more active players and 26% more player registrations than last year.

Unfortunately, the casino’s two subsidiary brands, 32Red Poker and 32Red Bingo, did not see successful results. In fact, poker revenues had dropped by 16% while bingo revenues decreased by 3%. This could be attributed to the fact that dozens of new online bingo and online poker sites have launched in the past few weeks, causing older sites to lose patrons as they migrate to bigger and better systems.

However, the company as a whole is still looking at improved profits overall. If 32Red Casino continues to compensate for its two other brands, the whole company could look forward to even moe financial success in the future.