The suspension is whilst a review under section 116 of the online poker Gambling Act 2005 takes place as part of an ongoing Commission investigation.

The Commission will make no further comment until the investigation is complete, but on December 3rd the publication BNet reported that the assets of a London-based online betting company had been frozen by enforcement authorities in Italy as part of a police operation to break up a major mafia gang.

“Paradise Bet, a company licensed by the UK’s Gambling Commission, has been linked to a three-year investigation into the activities of the Parisi clan, whose members are accused of attempted murder, drug trafficking, loan-sharking, interfering with the bidding process for public contracts and money laundering,” BNet reported.

The report goes on to reveal that local politicians and businessman in the southern Italian city of Bari, where Paradise Bet lists an operating office, were believed to be among 74 people arrested by Italian officials, along with the 48-year-old head of the clan, Savino Parisi.

Police also seized 227 properties, 680 accounts, 61 luxury cars, nine stables and 71 horses, believed to be trotting horses, and 35 businesses said to be worth around GBP 200 million in a operation codenamed ‘Domino’. The newspaper The Telegraph also reported on the case, revealing that Italian officials were aided in the operation by Britain’s Serious and Organised Crime Agency.

“Paradise Bet Ltd, of Hounslow in Middlesex, was granted a casino and general betting licence in April 2007,” the Bnet article reveals. “The group financial statements for Paradise Bet Ltd from the year ended March 31, 2008, state the business made a loss in 2008 of GBP 1.6 million from turnover of GBP 105 million. The previous year the business made a profit of GBP 336 000 from turnover of GBP 108 million.”

BNet reported that the company was unknown to the Remote Gambling Association, which represents the major online betting operators in Europe, but its managing director Clive Hawkswood told the publication that the seizure of the company was “not good news”.

“The fact that they are licensed through the UK, assuming these things are proved, is not good news for anyone,” he said.

“There are clearly lots of people opposed to gambling generally who latch on to this sort of thing and one of our reasonable lines is that if you regulate the activity, that’s the way you deal with this problem.

“No regulatory system is foolproof but we will have to know a lot more to see whether the Gambling Commission might have done anything to pick up on this.

“I assume the Italians will be contacting the Gambling Commission for evidence.”

Following the approval of Belgium’s new Gaming Act by the House of Representatives, the Belgian National Lottery has begun trialling online casinos wagering on all current draws, with an additional set of casinos games set to be launched in coming months.

The trials consist of a six-week test phase amongst 3 000 players, and if successful this will be followed by the full launch on 18 January 2010.

The country’s new Gaming Act, which is expected to be signed into law in January 2010, has been roundly criticised for its restrictions on operators from fellow EU nations, and adverse European Commission advisories questioning its compatibility with European law. The restriction of Belgian licenses to holders of existing land-based gambling licenses in the country is a particularly controversial aspect.

The decision to widen the communication campaign comes after representations by affiliates that the reach of affiliate representative bodies was insufficient to ensure that as wide an affiliate audience as possible received the online casinos material.

The deadline for claim submissions has also been extended to December 31st 2009.

Grand Prive issued the following statement with each email:

INVESTIGATION INTO THE GRAND PRIVÉ AFFILIATES PROGRAM CLOSURE

On December 4th 2009 Grand Privé issued a statement to affiliate representative bodies and webmasters asking for their cooperation in advising former affiliates of the Grand Privé Affiliates Program of the following:

1) That Grand Privé remains intent on addressing the closure of the Program and its consequences for affiliates.

2) That in pursuance of this objective, Grand Privé management has requested the independent assistance of the player protection and standards body eCOGRA, tasking the qualified audit team of that organisation with investigating and reporting on the closure, and in mediating a fair and reasonable resolution for affected affiliates not already settled by Grand Privé.

3) Inviting affiliates with a legitimate claim to complete an online claim form which will be audited against Program records by eCOGRA, with a deadline for claims of 21st December 2009.

However, eCOGRA monitors have since reported to us that there appear to be doubts as to whether said affiliate representative bodies and online gambling webmasters have sufficient reach to ensure that as many relevant affiliates as possible are informed of developments.

eCOGRA has therefore recommended that this communication exercise be expanded by emails directly to Program affiliates, and that the deadline be extended to December 31st 2009 in order to finalise the audit and mediation process as soon as practicable.

With the goal of reaching a fair and reasonable resolution front of mind, Grand Privé management has agreed to these changes, hence this email notification to you.

Please find below an amended copy of the eCOGRA audit team’s invitation to affiliates dated 7th December, which provides you with all the necessary information to submit a claim if you feel you have a legitimate and verifiable case.

The emails also include the following eCOGRA statement detailing the claiming procedure:

GRAND PRIVÉ AFFILIATES INVESTIGATION

Following a number of Internet-based allegations concerning payments following the closure of the Grand Privé Affiliate Program on 1 December 2008, eCOGRA’s professional services have been engaged by the management of the company.

Pursuant to an independent and fair resolution of the issues involved, eCOGRA has been tasked with:

* Independently investigating the manner in which the Program was terminated and the reasons therefore; subsequently compiling a full and transparent report.

* Gathering and verifying claims by any affiliate that considers an amount still to be owing by the Program as a result of player wagering activity subsequent to 1 December 2008; and

* Carrying out a full and independent review by suitably qualified staff of the program software and data to confirm amounts owing to claimants at 31 December 2009.

eCOGRA is open to all submissions concerning the closure and payments owed, and urges affiliate watchdog organisations in receipt of this email to assist it in order to ensure that respective affiliate members are informed of this opportunity to submit legitimate claims.

Claims can be submitted prior to 31 December 2009 at http://www.ecogra.org/grandprive.aspx.

Former Grand Privé affiliates who believe they have a legitimate and verifiable claim will be asked to complete the Claim Submission Form that they will find on this link.

The following information will be required on the Claim Form, and will be treated in strict confidence:

FIRST NAME

LAST NAME

BANNER TAG

EMAIL ADDRESS

WEBSITES

PHYSICAL ADDRESS

TELEPHONE NUMBER

BANKING DETAILS

AMOUNT OF LAST PAYMENT RECEIVED FROM GRAND PRIVÉ

DATE OF LAST PAYMENT RECEIVED

Closing dates for submission of claims is 31 December 2009.

In the interests of transparency, eCOGRA’s findings will be publicly released on conclusion of the investigation.

In its latest progress report emailed to claimants, eCOGRA confirms the new arrangements in the following statement dated December 17th:

PROGRESS REPORT : GRAND PRIVÉ AFFILIATES PROGRAM INVESTIGATION

The audit team continues to receive and assess claims in connection with the above and the investigation is on track.

The eCOGRA team has noted affiliate concerns regarding the lack of communications reach of affiliate representative bodies and webmasters, and Grand Privé management has consequently decided the following:

1) That the communications exercise be expanded by emailing all affiliates who had active players on the Program’s records during the 3 months prior to 1 December 2008 when the Program closed;

2) That the deadline for submission of claims be extended to 31st December 2009.

Our mandate has therefore been amended accordingly, and the expanded communications exercise has commenced. Our investigation will also include confirming the accuracy and completeness of the database list of emails used in the expanded communications exercise.

Excluding revenues from Betboo, the recently acquired South American online gambling business, the average daily revenues in Q4-09 have increased by 30 percent from the same period last year to Euro 166 000 (Q4-08 Eur 128 000).

Gaming revenues in Q4-09 have been averaging Euro 124 000 (Q4-08 Euro 107 000) while Sports revenues have been averaging some Euro 42 000 (Q4-08 Euro 21 000).

Sports margins in Q4-09 have been averaging 29.5 percent (Q4-08 11.1 pc)

The Sports margins derive mainly from the Group’s Betaland brand licensed in Malta.

Gaming VC expects to complete the sale Betpro, it’s brand licensed in Italy, to a third party for a nominal sum imminently. The effective date of disposal is 31 August 2009 and hence the figures in Q4-09 exclude the results of that business. The Net Gaming Revenues from Betpro for the 8 month period to 31 August 2009 amounted to Euro 500 000, less than 2 percent of the group’s total NGR over the same period.

Group NGR, excluding Betboo, for the 350 day period from 1 January 2009 to 15 December 2009 have been Euro 50 million, compared to Euro 48 million for the 350 days to 15 December 2008, and Euro 50.1 million for the 12 months ended 31 December 2008.

Additionally, revenues from the newly acquired Betboo business have been averaging BRL 31 000 (Euro 12 000) per month in the period since it was acquired on 2 July 2009.

The Group had Euro 18.3 million in cash at bank at close of business on 11 December. Gaming VC has already paid Euro 12.5 million in dividends during 2009.

The trading statement refers to the company’s intention to shift domiciles from Luxembourg to the Isle of Man and includes the statement:

“For legal reasons, the restructuring is slightly different to that originally envisaged, in that it is now expected to involve the hive-down of the Luxembourg holding company’s assets and liabilities to a newly incorporated Isle of Man subsidiary followed by a liquidation of the Luxembourg holding company and in specie distribution of the shares of the Isle of Man company to shareholders.

“This may give rise to a taxable event for certain shareholders – further details will be set out in the circular and shareholders should take their own advice on any taxation implications for them. The Directors continue to believe that redomiciliation would be in the interests of the company with benefits expected to include:

* The absence of a 15 percent Luxembourg withholding tax on dividends

* The application of the Takeover Code to the new Isle of Man holding company

* The eligibility of the shares in the new Isle of Man holding company for CREST

* More modern corporate law

* The ability to facilitate special dividends or share buy-backs

The Financial Times reports that in addition, in the AG’s opinion, member states do not have to recognise online gambling licences obtained in other EU countries.

The advocate general’s comments refer to two cases involving online gambling giants Ladbrokes and Betfair against the Dutch state-owned monopoly De Lotto.

However the AG’s opinion also includes a note that article 49 of the EC Treaty must be interpreted such that: “…the principle of equal treatment and the transparency requirement that flows from it also applies to the gambling sector in the context of a single license regime.” This could be interpreted as questioning De Lotto’s right to act as Holland’s sole legal supplier of online gaming, online sports bets and the national lottery without having to compete in a tender process against EU-licensed lottery providers.

Betfair has been fighting for a licence to operate in the Netherlands since early 2008 and took the issue to the European Court earlier this year. Ladbrokes has been under fire from the Dutch government for illegally targeting Dutch punters.

The advocate general’s opinion is not binding but in the past has usually been adopted by the ECJ.

Although the Dutch will undoubtedly regard the opinion as a victory in the case, further legal argument has still to be heard, with a judgement expected next year.

John O’Reilly, md for remote betting at Ladbrokes commented: “We continue to believe that the ECJ should uphold principles of free and fair competition across borders as there is no logic in the fact that the Dutch monopoly could freely compete against us in the UK but we are prevented from accepting bets from any Dutch resident that finds us on the Internet.”

Sigrid Ligné, Secretary General the influential trade association European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), which represents most of Europe’s major online gambling groups, said: “This is a key question for the Court given that the exclusive licence has repeatedly been handed out to De Lotto without any form of tender.”

The network is not specific on whether the presentation will include online gambling, but it appears likely given the widespread coverage that Barney Frank’s efforts to legalise the pastime has achieved recently.

The promo blurb reveals only that: “Beyond the bright lights of Vegas, billions are on the line in a shadowy underworld inhabited by people just like you. Premieres December 16 at 9p ET/PT.”

The publicity release notes that the program will conclude with the debate over legalising internet gambling. “It’s an argument that is gaining traction in Washington and CNBC speaks with congressmen from both sides of the argument – Congressman Jim McDermott, a Democrat from Washington State and the sponsor of a bill that would regulate and tax online card games and Congressman Bob Goodlatte, a Republican from Virginia and author of “The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.”

World Sports Exchange founder Jay Cohen is also interviewed as one of the online offshore pioneers in Internet sportsbetting who returned to the United States to fight the “servers offshore” argument in court and ended up serving a 2 year sentence under the outdated Wire Act of 1962.

The process includes on-site and highly detailed inspections by an audit team tasked with ensuring that all aspects of the applicant’s software development operations and casinos bonuses, methodologies and management control systems comply with the international standards enshrined in eCOGRA’s generally accepted practices (eGAP).

Compliance Manager Shaun McCallaghan said that the investigative compliance review for Greentube I.E.S AG was conducted at the company’s Vienna base during September 2009 and examined all aspects of the multi-lingual online bingo, casino and poker software used by Stargames.

These were found to be fully compliant, and the eCOGRA Seals Compliance Committee subsequently approved accreditation for the company’s products, which must be regularly reviewed going forward.

The audit confirms that the development, implementation, maintenance and security of Greentube’s games portfolio and back-office systems are representative of industry best practice standards.

Thomas Kolbabek, Head of Integration & Development at Greentube said that the review had been tough, thorough and practical.

“Fortunately, we had recently passed the European Gambling and Betting Association standards for Backgammon, which are equally stringent, and that certainly helped prepare us for that aspect of the inspection,” he said.

“We’re very pleased that we were successful in achieving the demanding eCOGRA standards, thus vindicating the considerable investment in time, energy and resources that we have made to ensure that our systems and products meet international best practice requirements.”

eCOGRA chief executive Andrew Beveridge said that Greentube’s commitment to safe and fair gambling and respect for players was illustrated by the high levels of professionalism the audit team had encountered during the review.

“Greentube is a worthy addition to our growing list of accredited and regularly monitored software sealholders, and in addition the company has commissioned our services to provide monthly casino payout percentage and RNG reviews, and annual bingo and poker RNG reviews, using live data,” he said.

The much awaited D-Day is now close at hand. The Grand Slam of Slots will finally commence on October 22. The online tournament will run for nine days and end on November 2. Those who have not qualified can buy their entries for €150. This may appear steep but is not, considering that a prize pool of €1.3 million is at stake. Of this €1 million will go to the first place winner of the event. Though there have been online tournaments offering million plus prize pools, this is the first one to offer a million to a single winner. Online players may recall that Microgaming had created history with the first ever million dollar payout on a progressive slot. Now it is set to do the same with an online tournament.

The prize pool in the Grand Slam of Slots runs deep. A total of 482 players will win prizes. The second place winner will get €50,000. The fifth place winner will get €7,500. Players in the 251st to the 450th places will get €100 each. There are 32 lucky special prizes of €1,000 each for players finishing in designated positions. The last of these is the 8,328th position. Therefore a lucky player can end up somewhere at the bottom of the leader board and yet win as much as a player who finishes on the 21st position.

The Grand Slam of Slots will be played on Tomb Raider: Secret of the Sword. Players will get 9000 starting credits and one hour in which to multiply them. Unlimited rebuys will be allowed at €20 each. Tomb Raider is based on the Lara Croft theme. Lara Croft has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “most successful human video game heroine”. On November 2 the online gaming industry will have its first online tournament millionaire.

The first of the two online tournaments is a freeroll. To get into the spirit of Halloween players can start the festivities without having to shell out an entry fee. The tournament is appropriately titled “Fearfully Fun Fright Night”. It will start at 10 AM on October 30 and end at midnight of the same day. Despite being a freeroll it offers a reasonably sized guaranteed prize pool of $2,666. Discerning players will recall that triple six is the sign of the devil. This online casino tournament has a rebuy of $1.99 and players start with a tournament chips stack of 100 credits.

The Vegas Technology slot game chosen by Online Vegas Casino for this tournament is Black Magic. The symbols on the reels are taken from witchcraft and include the Bat, the Owl, the Witches’ Hat and the Tombstone. The Witches’ Hat is a popular Halloween icon. Players can look out for some great animations on the reels such as bats flying across the moon and the witch casting a spell.

The second Halloween tournament at Online Vegas Casino is a longer affair. It is named Halloween Weekend Madness and is a part of the Weekend Madness events that are exceedingly popular at the casino. The online tournament will begin on October 30 and run till November 3. In keeping with the fitness of the occasion this online tournament has a massive guaranteed prize pool of $66,666. The entry fee and the rebuy amount have been fixed at $13.13, again numbers very suitably chosen to signify the spirit of Halloween.

The online slot game on which the Halloween Weekend Madness will be played is Monster Money. This slot game brings to the reels the creation of Frankenstein and is thus appropriate for Halloween. Players should be prepared for some gruesome Frankenstein body parts as symbols on the reels and can look forward to some sparking animations.

Online Vegas Casino is a brand of the Golden Casino group. It is licensed by the Curacao Internet Gaming Authority. Players who are not members of Online Vegas Casino and want to participate in the Halloween online tournaments have to first join the casino. They can avail of the massive $5,000 sign-up bonus that is available over the first 10 deposits.