“Adding Texas hold‘em to the existing DoubleDown Casino portfolio allows us to bring one of the world’s most popular games to Facebook’s estimated 900 million users,” says Robert Melendres of IGT in an interview with iGamingBusiness.

The New Texas Hold ‘Em Offering at Double Down Casino appeals to players of all levels. There are tutorials and game guides available, so players can reference learning material as they play. Players can also take part in games of four different speeds, so beginners can take their time while experts can get in more hands.

This is an interesting development as it puts DoubleDown Casino in direct competition with Zynga Poker, Facebook’s most popular Texas Hold ‘Em application. The competition will be steep, and it is up to players to decide which company offers the superior social gaming version of Texas Hold ‘Em poker.

As Spain prepares to legalize online poker in the country, the government wants gambling operators to pay back taxes from 2008. For a company as profitable as PokerStars, this could mean that the company will pay upwards of $250 million in taxes from previous years.

The Spanish gambling market is expected to be incredibly profitable for online poker companies, so it will be worth it for companies to pay these taxes. However, entering the market does jeopardize their plans in the immediate future, since all of their finances are likely to be tied up covering the tax requirements for poker operators like PokerStars.

So, it may be quite some time before PokerStars is able to buy Full Tilt Poker. However, it doesn’t seem like there is much other competition for the purchase of the infamous online poker operator.

The new game is part of Microgaming’s Diamond Edition suite, made exclusively of high-quality live dealer games. In addition to featuring high-definitional graphics and improved sound quality, the suite also offers multiplayer roulette, something which has yet to be seen in the online gambling market.

In multiplayer roulette, several players can ‘sit’ at the same virtual table at once, just like they would in a traditional casino. They can see each other’s bets and even interact with one another, making the game’s software more impressive than any other live dealer suite on the internet today.

Many online casinos today offer Microgaming live dealer software, and we highly recommend it. Visit your favourite Microgaming casino today to give the new Diamond Edition software a spin.

At University of Sydney’s Gambling Treatment Centre, Dr. Fadi Anjoul has determined that problem gambling requires different treatment methods than other forms of addiction. He states that this is the case because the same features are not present, such as tolerance or withdrawal. With different symptoms, he safely assumes that the forms of treatment that work for alcohol and drug addictions are not effective for problem gamblers.

“Traditional therapies tend to focus on ways to help people deal with their urges when they occur,” says Dr. Anjoul.

As a contrast, he has developed a new and innovative form of cognitive therapy by helping them change their thinking, behaviour and responses overall. He states that it has seen much greater success than traditional forms of addiction therapy, since patients are seeing much lower relapse rates as a result of the new method.

While you may not notice the changes at first, you can tell IGT has had a fantastic influence on the development of the platform. First of all, there are several new games available, including the highly-anticipated American Idol online slots. Video poker, traditional poker and table games are also offered, so players can enjoy a diverse online gaming experience.

IGT is certainly likely to start a trend among online gambling developers as DoubleDown Casino offers capabilities that are currently unavailable on other websites. For example, players can share their success with friends via Facebook and even invite them to compete using the social network. Players can also level up, earning new achievements and capabilities as they progress.

Even if you’re not interested in free-to-play gaming, you should still give DoubleDown Casino a spin. It is an exciting new venture in both social gaming and online gambling markets.

Aristocrat’s latest online offering is 50 Dragons, one of the company’s most successful land-based poker machines. Combining the mystical theme of 5 Dragons with the exciting format of 50 Lions, 50 Dragons presents players with the best of both worlds, presenting an innovative and engaging experience.

At its name suggests, there are 50 paylines which players can wager on. This means that there are plenty more chances for players to win big while playing 50 Dragons online pokies. The prize that players will be vying for is a grand jackpot of 1000 coins, making for a very generous payday to the lucky player who hits it.

50 Dragons is just one of many new online pokies that Aristocrat has released. If you’re familiar with Aristocrat titles from casinos across the country, you will enjoy the company’s range of online casino games, which includes 50 Dragons, Wicked Winnings and Dolphin Treasure.

The promotion started during the 79 700 000 000’s hand, awarding players each millionth hand until the $80 billionth hand. Players participating in each milestone hand would win $60 for every VPP they earned while sitting at the table. The winner of the hand would have their prize multiplied.

The winning hand took place in a .10/.25 game. With A – 5, the winner rivered two pair for a total pot of $179. However, his winnings from the promotion were worth $22 000. The remainder of the players won $10 000 for participating in the hand.

The winning players were elated to discover that they had been dealt into the milestone hand. At a .10/.25 table, the most a player could expect to win in a session would not be more than a few hundred dollars.

The next big promotion on the Road to 100 Billion will be the 85 billionth hand. The prizes will be even bigger and better, so be on the lookout.

According to New Zealand Herald, SkyCity’s efforts to prevent problem gambling do not adequately deal with the number of problem gamblers that have emerged recently. The number of problem gamblers at SkyCity Casinos has risen from 660 in 2008 to more than 2500 last year – but the casino operator has not stepped up its efforts to fight problem gambling.

You can tell this is the case, based on the number of problem gamblers that were excluded from the company’s casinos last year. In 2011, just 544 self-excluded players were refused entry, compared to 428 in 2008. This demonstrates just how lax the self-exclusion program at Sky City really is.

“They are getting better at identifying it,” says Graeme Ramsey of the Problem Gambling Foundation. “But, that is not being met by a corresponding improvement in how they’re dealing with problem gambling.”

So, it seems that SkyCity will have to make a greater effort when it comes to dealing with problem gamblers at its local casinos. With all of the money the operator has spent on building Auckland’s new convention centre, there must be some reserve available for boosting its self-exclusion program.

To gain access to the Diamond Lounge, players must first obtain VIP status. They do so by earning 750 loyalty points over a period of just six months. Before they are granted access, casino staff examines them to ensure that they are not problem gamblers.

However, the high-stakes gambling is not the major concern at this point. Currently, The Problem Gambling Foundation, Salvation Army, ASH and the Cancer Society have banded together to have the smoking lounge shut down due to health concerns.

According to the Cancer Society, the Diamond Lounge violates the Smoke Free Environments Act. The organization assumes so, as it does not actually seem to be outside, so players are actually smoking inside the venue – which is illegal.

Sky City does not seem too bothered by the complaints, however. The casino operator issued a response stated that the Auckland Regional Public Health Service seemed that the Diamond Lounge actually complies with the Smoke Free Environments Act.

Over the course of the past few years, smartphones and tablet computers have taken over the handheld gaming market, which was previously dominated by consoles like the PSP and Nintendo DS. Mobile communication devices offer players the unique ability to play games on the same device they use to browse the internet and make calls. Now, Sony is fighting back by offering mobile communication capability, putting the PS Vita in direct competition with the smartphone and tablet computer markets.

However, Sony may not have an exclusive patent on the technology. There are rumours circulating that Skype is also in talks with XBOX to launch a similar mobile communication application.

The new application will be available in the PlayStation mobile market starting May 25th. The application is free, so we highly recommend it for all PS Vita users.