Writer Victoria Coren, herself a skilled and experienced poker player as well as a senior journalist, looked ahead to 2010 in an article that postulated a serious risk that regular games will die before the end of the new year.

Coren examined the case of the card room at the Victoria Casino in London, which she described as the headquarters of British poker.

“Local rivals come and go, but can never truly compete – or couldn’t, until the government interfered,” writes Coren.

“The 2009 spring budget introduced a stupid, greedy, ill-thought-out change to the tax rules. Casinos always paid full tax on their table games, but Valued Added Tax only on poker. That’s because poker was a “service” rather than a “business” – at the Vic (or similar outfits) customers play against each other, not the house, paying only a small hourly fee for table hire.

“The budget ignored this, slapping a full tax rate on poker as well. The money raised will be too small to affect the nation’s finances: it’s just big enough to cripple the Vic. It has cost them an extra million (GBP) so far this year. If poker is as expensive for them as roulette, while being so much less lucrative, why should they bother to keep having it?”

Coren goes on to urge the poker playing public to write their political representatives and the Chancellor of the Exchequer [finance minister] demanding that the punitive tax be removed to preserve the game and the companies that offer it.

The first set of bonuses has the coupon code Green Chip. Players can avail up to 40 coupons on the two days. Each coupon offers a 50% match bonus subject to a maximum of $1,000. This bonus can be wagered on slots, keno, video slots and scratch cards. The play through requirements for these bonuses is that both the deposit and the bonus must be wagered at least 25 times before requesting a withdrawal.

The second set of bonuses has the coupon code Blue Chip. This also offers up to 40 coupons on the two days. Each coupon offers a 40% match bonus subject to a maximum of $1,000. This bonus can be wagered on Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker and all the Caribbean poker games on offer at Aladdin’s Gold Casino. The play through requirements for these bonuses is that both the deposit and the bonus must be wagered at least 40 times before requesting a withdrawal.

Aladdin’s Gold Casino also offers a number of special promotions from time to time through e-mails to its players. Therefore players are requested to regularly check their e-mails so that they do not miss out on any of these special offerings. Aladdin’s Gold Casino hosts online slot tournaments “with a league to suit every pocket”. Players can use the special coupons offered to participate in these tournaments and be in running for the huge prizes. Inclusion into the Aladdin’s Gold Casino VIP scheme is automatic. Free chips and VIP deposit coupons are offered through e-mails to both low rollers and high rollers. The progressive jackpot games at Aladdin’s Gold Casino pay double comp points. Some of the progressive online slot games like Aztecs Millions and Jackpot Piñatas have jackpots of over $1 million and with twice the cashback on every wager they make for excellent gaming.

This promotion runs from December 14 to December 20. It consists of two sets of bonuses. The first set of casinos bonuses is called Slots & Keno and the second set of bonuses is called Table Games. Keeping in mind the festive season the coupons for the bonuses have been named COOKIES and DOUGHNUT respectively. From December 14 to December 17 the Slots and Keno bonuses will offer 10 coupons every day. On December 14 each coupon will offer a bonus of 40% of the deposit. On December 15 the bonus will be stepped up to 45%, on December 16 to 50% and on December 17 to 55%. Players at Club World online casino who avail of all these four bonuses will be entitled to a bonanza over the weekend. From December 18 to December 20 these players can redeem 10 COOKIES coupons that offer bonuses of 75% of the deposit. Club World online casino celebrates the season of giving by having no cap on these bonuses. However wagering requirements have to be met. The deposit and bonus must be wagered 25 times before asking for a cashout.

The Table Games bonuses are not as attractive, but this is only to be expected. Table Games have a lower house edge than slots and keno and players have an inherent advantage in wagering on these games. On every day from December 14 to December 17 players at Club World online casino can avail of 10 coupons. Each coupon offers a bonus of 40% of the deposit. Players who avail of all these four bonuses will be entitled to 10 coupons from December 18 to December 20. These coupons also offer a bonus of 40% of the deposit. Like the Slots and Keno bonuses there is no cap on the Table Games bonuses. However the wagering requirements are at a higher level of 40 times the deposit and bonus.

To keep the players coming in during the pre-Christmas period Club World online casino has launched two Christmas themed online slots. One is Santa Strikes Back. This is a continuation of the epic battle between Santa and Rudolph, which began in the slot game Rudolph’s Revenge. The other slot game is Naughty or Nice featuring two of Santa’s lady elves.

The Weekly Tournaments at InterCasino have an interesting format. The entry fee for the online casinos tournament is $10. Players start with tournament chips worth $500. They are given 30 minutes to play. During this period they have to try and end up with as many chips as possible. The player’s score at the end of his 30 minutes of play is recorded. The weekly tournament runs for 7 days. At the end of the 7 days the players with the 6 highest balances share the prize pool. The prize pool for each Weekly Tournament is $250. It is distributed as follows. The player in the first place will win $100. The player in the second place will win $50. The players in the next four places will win $25 each.

This week’s online tournament has already started on December 14. It will run till December 20. This Weekly Tournament is being played on Blackjack. Participating in the tournament is a simple affair. The player has to log in to the InterCasino software opting to play with real money. He should click ‘More Games’ in the menu, select ‘Tournaments’ and choose the Blackjack tournament from the list. Then on clicking ‘Sign Up Now’ the player will be taken to the tournament screen. The final Weekly Tournament at InterCasino will run from December 21 to December 27. It will be played on the online slot game Millionaires Club, which is one of the most popular games at InterCasino.

Like the Weekly Tournaments the Weekend Special bonuses have a standard format. The player has to enter the relevant bonus code before making a deposit of at least $30. This has to be done during the days when the Weekend Special promotion is in force. The player then has to wager $450 on specified online casino games. All slot games are included in the list. The following Casual Games, Jenga, Cubis, Bejeweled and Sudoku are also included. The wagering requirements can also be met on Keno, Lottery and Scratch Cards. After the player meets the wagering requirements the first $30 of his deposit will be credited back to his account. At InterCasino players can avail of this promotion between December 19 and December 20 and also between December 26 and December 27.

InterCasino is one of the oldest online casinos. It is powered by software from Cryptologic and is licensed by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta.

This being the season of Christmas it is not surprising that Mummy’s Gold online casino has chosen Christmas themed online slot games for double loyalty points. Mummy’s Gold is powered by software from Microgaming, which has a tradition of launching Christmas themed online slots every year. Hence Mummy’s Gold had a wide range of online slots to choose from. Gift Rap, Santa Paws, Jingle Bells and Ho Ho Ho were the slot games chosen for the double loyalty points promotion. Players who wager on these slot games throughout December will have their Club Points earned on these games doubled.

For the triple loyalty points program Mummy’s Gold online casino has a standard practice. It awards triple Club points on the slot games released the previous month. Therefore in December triple loyalty points will be awarded on the online slots launched in November. These are Alaskan Fishing, Kings of Cash and Dance of the Masai. However tripled Club Points are not offered throughout the month. Players who wager on these games only on Tuesdays and Thursdays will be entitled to triple Club Points.

Along with the loyalty points promotion Mummy’s Club online casino offers a Brain Teaser promotion every month. A question is asked and from the players who have provided the correct answer five names are drawn at random. One of them wins the first prize of $50 and the other four win $25 each. In order to qualify for this promotion the player must deposit and wager a minimum of $50 during the month. The brain teaser for December is “Our mountainous adventure slot, Alaskan Fishing was launched last month. How many ways does it give you to win?” Players have to e-mail the answers to customer support at Mummy’s Gold online casino.

Players would do well to note the dates of some of the popular competitions at Mummy’s Gold online casino. The Multi-Play Poker contest will be held from December 21 to December27. The Santa’s Slot Selection contest will be held from December 28 to January 3. Both these promotional events have a prize pool of $1,000 each. The Roulette Rally is in progress and will run till December 27. It has a prize pool of $2,000.

“In a letter from internet casino to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, a Foxwoods lawyer, F. Warren Jacoby, said efforts to obtain financing online casino bonuses raised ‘unanticipated new issues’ that may force Foxwoods to ask the board for permission to build a different type of structure.

“Foxwoods had been considering erecting an ‘interim’ facility, much as the SugarHouse Casino is doing, that would serve as the core of a larger casino.

“By contrast, a temporary structure would be built quickly, then removed to accommodate a permanent casino…”

The Las Vegas-based casino gambling operator, which owns 50 percent of the MGM Grand Macau, is exploring an initial public offering in the Asian internet gambling market.

MGM Mirage Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Murren said Friday the company could use proceeds from the offering to enlarge the MGM Grand Macau or fund potential expansion opportunities in the Chinese online gambling enclave.

“If we could access the capital markets in Hong Kong, it could be very advantageous to us,” Murren said.

MGM Mirage operates the 600-room MGM Grand Macau, which opened in December 2007 at a cost of $1.25 billion, with Hong Kong businesswoman Pansy Ho, the daughter of Macau casino kingpin Stanley Ho.

The company’s relationship with Pansy Ho is being scrutinized by New Jersey gaming regulators because of her 88-year-old billionaire father, who international law enforcement authorities have alleged is tied to Chinese organized crime triads.

“(An IPO in Hong Kong) has been on the radar from the moment the joint venture was set up,” Murren said. “Both partners are very open-minded to it and we believe it’s a very viable and attractive option.”

Any move on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange by MGM Mirage would follow two other American-based casino operators, Wynn Resorts Ltd. and Las Vegas Sands Corp.

Last week, Wynn raised $1.87 billion through Hong Kong’s second-biggest IPO this year. Las Vegas Sands said in August it had applied for a Hong Kong IPO, which the company expects could raise at least $2 billion. The company hopes to complete its listing next month.

Wynn sold a 25 percent stake in the company’s Macau operations to fund the IPO. It was unclear what percentage stake in its Macau assets Las Vegas Sands will put on the market.

“I think the Wynn model was a good model,” Murren said. “They did almost everything right. It was fortunate timing and the market was receptive.”

Murren said MGM Mirage would like to increase its foothold in Macau. Wynn operates Wynn Macau and is opening a $675 million hotel-casino next year. Las Vegas Sands has three Macau resorts and is hoping to restart construction on some of its stalled Cotai Strip projects with proceeds from its IPO.

Initially, Murren said MGM Mirage plans to complete 70,000 square feet of gaming space on the MGM Grand Macau’s second floor. The joint venture also controls a Cotai Strip site for a potential hotel-casino and the company plans on looking for development opportunities on the Macau peninsula.

The interest comes at a time when the Chinese government may be implementing a new round of visa restrictions on visitation into Macau by mainland China residents.

Also, the Macau government has slowed expansion and the licensing of any additional casino projects.

“The rules are being modified and changed on what seems to be a week-by-week basis,” Murren said. “The government has taken a thoughtful approach to the market. I don’t think anyone knows what will happen specifically, but the market will grow opportunities.”

Part of the British festive season build-up is the annual gamble on whether snow will fall over the Christmas period, and the snowy predictions this year have persuaded bookies like William Hill to slash the price of snow in Aberdeen from 8/1 to 3/1 and snow in London to an 8/1 shot.

One snow gambler from Derbyshire will collect as much as GBP 14 700 on his bets with William Hill if there is a blanket of snow on Christmas morning, the bookie revealed from online casinos.

“The 8/1 for snow in London is unlikely to last long as we are seeing some serious money for a white Christmas.” said William Hill’s spokesman Rupert Adams.

The Northern Irish online casino gambling market could actually begin to resemble some of the gambling laws that were put in place in the UK several years ago with the UK Gambling Act, although not that liberal most likely. Right now there is a push for the government to give concessions for the bingo halls – both internet bingo sites and the land bingo halls. Margaret Ritchie, the Minister of Social Development, supports the modernization of these gambling laws and notes that the current legislation is just too “hard to understand” and the land and online casinos are likely confused as to the limits of their industry because of the old language used. Old laws simply cannot account for all of the new opportunities and products available in the online marketplace.

The government in Northern Ireland feels that modernizing the gambling laws to deal with the real issues and concerns of the current land and online casino gambling industry will benefit all of the citizens of Northern Ireland as well as the internet bingo and gambling companies operating in an unclear market.

The State Lottery Director in Iowa is now urging the Iowa government to consider passing its own online casino gambling legislation before the federal legislation comes into effect so that the state can remain competitive in the market and establish a base for in-state internet gambling before the big competition that will come from the US licensed offshore gambling sites. The offshore online casinos are likely going to dwarf the smaller state-run operations if the federal level legislation passes and the lottery director is feels strongly that the state should remain on the offensive.

The Lottery Director, Terry Rich, feels that there is a very strong possibility that the gambling legislation is going to pass through the federal government and once that happens there will be a lot of competition that will threaten the revenues that many states currently gain from in-state specific gambling. The foreign online casinos would be regulated and taxed at the federal level and there is a growing fear that late action on the part of the states could me that the federally listed gambling companies will threaten the profitability of state-lottery and betting.