Poker Tour News

Italian Poker, Bingo Markets Continue Growth

Everyone has read about the economic troubles faced by several countries that are members of the European Union. Greece has received a lot of news coverage. Austerity measures forced on the nation have caused widespread social unrest and riots in the street. Greece is not the only country facing massive debt problems. Spain, Portugal and Italy are also facing similar problems. Although Italy may be facing problems caused by the global recession, that hasn’t stopped millions of Italians from spending billions of Euros on gambling. According to several news reports, despite the severe problems faced by the EU nation, Italians have managed to spend more money gambling than any other country except the United States.

Last year, Italians wagered a staggering 79.9 billion Euros. Europe’s largest gambling arcade, Bingo Re, is in Rome and contains hundreds of slot machines. Bingo is exceptionally popular in Italy which is not surprising since the game was invented in the country during the 15th?century. The massive gambling hall is operated by Spanish gaming company Codere. Massimo Ruta, director of Italian operations at Codere told reporters “it’s been a record year for us, the crisis has put many of our clients in a difficult situation but gambling is part of human nature. It’s difficult to do without it.”

In early April, the Italian regulatory body AAMS released figures that showed astounding growth in Italy. Fixed odds wagering at sportsbooks increased by 370% and generated 25.6 million Euros in February. Other forms of gambling like internet bingo, poker and sports betting grew by 21% generating 78.6 million Euros. Poker, skill gaming and casino games account for 70% of all Italian online gambling. The figures showing growth conflicted with earlier predictions by gaming experts that said that growth would slow during 2012. The figures show that the Italian online gaming market is the fastest growing in the world.

The largest player in the Italian online gambling market is Lottomatica which enjoys a 20% market share. Bwin.party is in second place with a 12% market share and William Hill is third with a 6.1% market share. The largest online bingo operators in Italy are Gioco Digitale, bwin.party, Lottomatica and a few local online bingo brands. Because of recent legislation legalizing online gambling Italy is the fastest growing market in the world and most industry experts say that the trend will continue well into the future.

10th anniversary extras from pokerstars in December 2011

PokerStars is celebrating its 10th Anniversary

with millions of dollars in added cash prizes up for grabs, plus 2012 PCA prize packages and much more across a range of different events, and players in the UK can win their share now in the pokerstars 10th anniversary celebration!

In addition to all the huge tournaments and giveaways running during the 10th Anniversary, you can also play:

$10,000 Class Freerolls

On December 10, every single PokerStars player is invited to play in a $10,000 freeroll. Each tournament is for one of the ten years that PokerStars has been running, and you get to play the freeroll for the year in which you joined the site. Besides the $10,000 prize pool you can also win a trip to The Bahamas with a PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) prize package. To book your place in your year’s tourney all you need to do is earn 1 VIP Player Point (VPP) in November.

Trivia Tourneys

Now you can make your knowledge of all things PokerStars pay. There will be 100 Trivia Tournaments running throughout the celebrations from December 1-18, with thousands of dollars in cash prizes to be won. Each tournament will be announced via the PokerStars game client, 30 minutes before the start. The registration message will include a trivia question – all you have to do to enter the tournament is answer the question correctly!

All the answers are a year, in the format YYYY. Provide the correct answer and you can buy-in to the tournament for just $0.10. The Trivia Tourneys have a total prize pool of $100,000 up for grabs, which means you can play and boost your bankroll. Stay logged in to the game client for the best chance of taking part.

10th Anniversary Special VIP Store Items

As the celebrations continue, you’ll be able to get your hands on a memento of the PokerStars 10-year Anniversary. For a limited time, the PokerStars VIP Store will carry special items marking the occasion. Caps, T-shirts and other goodies will be available at specially discounted rates. These items are part of history and will sell out fast, so make sure you get your order in quick.

click on the banner above to get started in the 10th anniversary celebrations!

Paddy Power Poker Giving Away $10,000 in Cash Prizes October 2011

The 2011 Irish Winter Festival will be held in the 4-star environs of the Burlington Hotel, in the heart of Dublin City centre. Just a short stroll from Grafton Street, the RDS and Lansdowne Road/Aviva Stadium – the 02 Arena and Croke Park venues are within quick access by car, bus or taxi.

The Burlington Hotel continues to shine as Dublin’s largest conference venue and premier leisure and corporate destination. The grand-scale of this Dublin Hotel’s famous ballroom is unrivalled anywhere in Ireland. The Hotel’s bars and restaurants are a buzzing hive of activity by night – the new Bellini’s bar adding a hint of panache to an evening where guests can sip a cocktail in a low-lit ambience, amidst the busy chatter of local clientele.

Ample parking and immediate proximity to Dublin’s City centre, Bus, Aircoach, DART line mean that guests can enjoy the hotel as an ideal base from which to explore the city and its surroundings: a home away from home and a warm welcome back.

Paddy Power Poker is giving away $10,000 in cash prizes this month in two new Points Races. Players will need to just opt in to perform the more they then play, the quicker points they earn.The very first race commences this next Monday, Oct. 10 and can run till the following Sunday, Oct. 16. The next will take place from Oct. 24 to Oct. 30 and both races will award the top 50 finishers on the points leader board a share of $5,000 in cash.This is one way the prizes will certainly be countermined:

1. $1,000

2. $500

3. $500

4. $300

5. $300

6. $300

7-10. $150

11-15. $100

16-25. $50

26-50. $20

Those who finish 51st-250th will seek to the chance to play for a variations of iPoker Online Poker Series tournament tokens in an iPOPS Freeroll. iPOPS features four MTT events with $1 million guaranteed in prizes in total.

There are even more prizes for anyone who cashes in each of the Points Races. In case a player finishes inside the 5 top of both races, he/she will receive an iPOPS all-event entry worth $400; a top 25 finish in each races means a hall worth $125 to iPOPS #4 which is a $500,000 guaranteed event; and at last those who finish in the top 50 of both races will receive entry, worth $50, to iPOPS #2, a $150,000 guaranteed event.

Apart from this, the location is preparing for the popular Irish Winter Festival which kicks off on Oct. 28 in Dublin’s Burlington Hotel. This Sunday, Oct. 9, is quite opportunity for aspiring champions to have a member of 20 packages guaranteed under the IWF Mega Satellite at www.paddypowerpoker.com

You can always be sure Paddy Power put on a brilliant event, take a look at the recent Irish Open 2011 below:

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