I didn’t want to write about Kentucky again. I think it’s mostly a good state that gets a bad rap for a position on online gambling that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. So while other gambling writers are quick to beat down the Bluegrass State, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. But then Kentucky’s NCAA football team was routed by the Florida Gators, the team I hate more than any other. So while this may be kicking them while they’re down, I’m mad at Kentucky at the moment, so here goes…

In the most recent decision in a Kentucky court case that dates back to 2008, the state Supreme Court refused to pass judgment and then kicked the case back down to the circuit court where the case had started. You may remember the case where the state of Kentucky seized domains for some online gambling websites, an action that is being fought by the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA) and the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC).

Earlier this year, circuit court Judge Wingate ruled that the lawyers for iMEGA and IGC could not represent the domains and that the actual owners must be present. Since the owners were not present and a part of the proceedings, the case was dismissed. iMEGA and IGC then brought the case further up the ladder, where it eventually reached the state Supreme Court. There, they submitted affidavits from Pocket Kings and Yatahay Limited that affirmed they were the owners of the domain names Full Tilt Poker and TruePoker.com.

The Supreme Court then said that the new information had never been given to the circuit court, so they kicked it back down to them rather than making a ruling. While that might not necessarily be a bad thing, it’s clear that the Supreme Court is skeptical about the ownership of Pocket Kings and Yatahay Limited. In the order that passed the case back down to the circuit court, the Supreme Court stated that the lower court had “ruled correctly thus far in this case regarding standing issues.” They said that “until the circuit court determines that the domain owners or registrants are properly before the court, no one has established standing to proceed on a writ action.”

Only time will tell what will result from this decision. In all likelihood, this case will eventually go back to the state Supreme Court anyway.

This weekend there are some good tournaments at Millionaire Casino. The tournaments that will get the most attention are the Slots-tember tournament and the Slottery. The Slots-tember is the month-long tournament that ends on September 30. The buy-in is only $5 and players compete for a shot at a $100,000 prize.

The Slottery is a five-part tournament that has a fourth part ending on September 26. That is a $5 tournament where players compete for a share of the pot. While those tournaments are the big ones for this weekend, they aren’t the only tournaments available to Millionaire Casino members. For one thing, there are tournaments available for those who don’t even play slots.

For video poker players, the September 100-Hand tournament is still going strong and doesn’t end until September 30. That tournament has a $5 buy-in and players compete for the pot. There is also the Weekend Deuces Wild Face-Off, which runs from Friday to Sunday. The game is played on the Deuces Wild game and has a $5 entry fee, with players going after the pot.

For blackjack fans, this weekend is the Weekend Blackjack Classic. It is played on the US Blackjack game and runs from Friday to Sunday. The blackjack tournament has a $10 entry fee and players compete for a share of a $5,000 prize pool.

Lastly, roulette players aren’t left out of the action at this casino. TheWheel Deal tournament began yesterday and ends on September 30. It is played on the American Roulette game and has an entry fee of only $2. Players fight for a share of the pot.

To take part in any of these casino tournaments, visit Millionaire Casino.

According to Greece’s Finance Ministry, the online gambling market in the country is worth an estimated €2 billion. It seems that because Greeks don’t spend much time working – the few that do work – they have plenty of time for leisure activities, such as gambling.

George Christodoulakis (you’d think people as lazy as the Greeks would have easier names to pronounce), a senior official in the Finance Ministry, told the Agence France Presse that “the propensity for gaming in Greece is among the highest in Europe and the world.” He said that “has to do with our temperament and culture,” referring to lazy people who would rather try to make money playing a casino game than earn it with a hard day’s work.

With that in mind, Christodoulakis said that the only thing the government needs to do is set the rules for online gambling, which is currently illegal though the law is not really enforced. As a result, the Greek government is considering establishing a Gaming Commission to regulate and tax the online gambling industry.

Of course, being taxed by the government for something they are currently doing tax-free may cause more rioting in Greece, assuming that there are Greeks who have enough motivation to riot and are not already doing so. Then again, I’m not sure what the communist party’s opinion is of gambling, so I can’t be certain how those rioters would react.

Christodoulakis estimates that approximately €4 billion is spent on illegal gambling, with half of that being spent online. That makes it tempting for the government to regulate the industry, especially considering the Greek government is big on controlling industries. Once that starts affecting the wallet of the Greeks, though, all bets are off.

It was not long ago that seemingly every online gambling news source reported that UIGEA was likely to be repealed this year. They touted accomplishments like Barney Frank’s bill passing the House Financial Services Committee. Meanwhile, I was one of the few people telling you not to hold your breath, that in the limited time left before mid-term elections, it was unlikely that a Congress that is concerned now more with elections than in passing legislation would floor such a controversial bill. Now it seems that Barney Frank agrees with me.

Representative Frank recently told Capitol Hill that he does not believe his online gambling legislation will be discussed on the floor before the mid-term elections. He also does not believe it will be discussed during the lame-duck session. Traditionally, Congress does not pass any major legislation during the lame-duck session because doing so would likely go against the will of the American people, who voted the people out for a reason. Still, some members of Congress have hinted that major controversial legislation such as a climate change bill could reach a vote due to lame ducks having no more fear of losing their job.

Aside from lame-duck legislation, the other dirty trick that could get Frank’s bill passed would be to tack it onto another larger bill, such as a jobs bill or a tax-cut bill. UIGEA was itself tacked onto the SAFE Port Act in 2006 as an amendment and the best chance bill that would repeal UIGEA has is likely to do the same.

Yet even if that happens and Frank’s bill passes the House in 2010, there is still a much bigger problem: the Senate. The closest thing the Senate has to a comparable bill has little support and is also not scheduled for debate. In order for UIGEA to be repealed in 2010, the bill would have to pass the House and then the Senate and if the two bills are different, which is almost guaranteed, it would then have to be combined by a Conference Committee and passed again. It would then have to go to President Obama and signed into law. All of that before the new congressional session in January.

It is for that reason that I think 2011 is the best chance we have for repealing UIGEA. Though Frank may no longer be Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee anymore (and may not even still be in office), Congress should be full of moderate Democrats and Tea Party Republicans that lean toward small-government libertarianism. If that happens, both sides should be able to agree that the government shouldn’t be banning online gambling.

Though the kids have gone back to school and the classrooms and board rooms are more crowded than the beach, summer promotions are still going on at Villento Casino. There are a couple good September promotions going on right now as well as the continuing big Summer Safari tournament.

One promotion that I like regards everyone’s favorite social media site to mock: Twitter. Yes, I make fun of Twitter, too, but I also use it to network. Villento Casino uses it to keep customers and affiliates informed about their promotions. They want all of their customers to follow them on Twitter. As a reward, players who follow them and then send a confirmation email to the casino can win part of a $5,000 prize pool. The random drawing from eligible customers will be in two days, September 23.

Thursday, September 23 also marks the end of the Triple Play Triple Pay promotion, which is a casino promotion open to all Silver, Gold and Platinum level customers at the VIP Club. During this promotion, players who use specific games will earn triple loyalty points. The selected games includes Alley Cats, Arctic Fortune, Bearly Fishing, CashOccino and Beach Babes.

The biggest tournament of the summer, though, doesn’t end until November 7. That is the Summer Safari tournament, which ends a while after the summer does, though in Africa it seems like summer lasts a little longer than it does most places.

The Summer Safari tournament has exciting weekly promotions where players compete against each other for a spot atop the leader board. At the end of the tournament, ten lucky players will win tickets for an African safari and other players will win boring cash prizes. The promotion for this week is the Safari Summer Platinum Streak, where six layers will win a Platinum membership status and all of the benefits of that status for a full year.

To take part in any of those promotions, visit Villento Casino.

In the same way that businesses have to pay off the Mafia for “protection” in order to operate, Sportingbet just reached a deal with the U.S. federal government. With the feds shaking them down, the online betting site did the only thing that would make the harassment stop: They paid for protection.

Sportingbet, a company based in the U.K., reached a non-prosecution agreement with the United States government. As part of the agreement, the company agreed to forfeit $33 million to the authorities, supposedly as penance for their American online gambling operations that took place between 1998 and 2006. Of course, there was no American ban on online gambling during that time period and there still is no federal law against it, though the passing of UIGEA in 2006 acts as a de facto ban.

So here’s how it worked. The government accused Sportingbet of violating a law that didn’t exist and if they wanted to avoid prosecution and maybe even be able to obtain a license if the U.S. decides to regulate the industry, they would have to pay up to the tune of $33 million. Relatively speaking, Sportingbet got off light. PartyGaming, the only other online gambling company to reach a non-prosecution deal with the feds, had to pay $105 million. Under the deal, Sportingbet agreed to pay $15 million by September 30 of this year, $12 million by the same date in 2011 and $6 million by 2012.

A lot of people think the United States will eventually legalize and regulate online gambling, though it’s doubtful that it will happen this year. If that happens, it’s likely that those who agree to pay off these government thugs will have first dibs at overseas licenses. In that way, perhaps Sportingbet and PartyGaming are making business decisions that will turn out profitable in the long term. However, in the short term, it’s hard to get past the bad taste that caving in to the mob leaves in your mouth. For those two companies, I hope it’s worth it.

SEGA’s short-lived experiment with online gambling is coming to an end. Less than a year ago, SEGA Corporation launched SEGA Casino and SEGA Poker, two online gambling sites meant to cash in on the popularity of online gambling and the marketability of the video game company’s characters and brands. There was much excitement over getting to play online slots featuring Virtua Fighter, House of the Dead, Sonic the Hedgehog and more. But now all of that is ending.

SEGA Casino and SEGA Poker are both shutting down soon, though no specific date has been given. The casino is now telling all customers to withdraw their money. On the websites, there is a message from the company that says “We are no longer accepting registration/deposits” and that existing customers should withdraw their funds. Any funds not withdrawn by the customer will be “atomatically credited back to your deposit method.”

Both SEGA online gambling sites are licensed and regulated by the government of Alderney, a member of the Channel Islands and a British Crown dependency. There was much fanfare when the SEGA casinos launched, with some even thinking that it would revolutionize the industry. After all, a company that made a name for itself by making popular arcade games and console video games could surely make online gambling a more fun experience. At least, that’s what the fans said. Now, with the casinos closing their doors, no one knows what to think. No reason was given for shutting down the websites, though it’s most likely that they simply weren’t profitable enough for SEGA’s liking.

With SEGA Casino and SEGA Poker closing, this may be a bad omen for those looking forward to a Nintento Casino (which, as far as I know, has not been rumored, but why not start one now?).

All year long China’s oppressive communist government has been cracking down on gambling, both online and offline. Now they are taking an extra step by redefining what and who they can punish. According to Xinhua News, China’s state-run newspaper, a new document released jointly by the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security redefines internet gambling in an attempt to avoid any ambiguity.

The new law defines those who are guilty of “establishing or running a gambling house” and allows the red government to sentence the guilty parties to up to 10 years in prison as well as levy stiff fines. Under the new law, you are guilty of establishing or running a gambling house if you establish a gambling website in mainland China, establish a gambling website overseas that serves Chinese customers, establish a gambling website and provide it to others to organize gambling, act as an agent for the gambling website and take bets or share profits with gambling websites.

That last one is the biggest change. Under the new law, any business partner of online gambling websites could potentially be violating Chinese criminal law. I’m pretty sure if I ever visited China I could be arrested under this new law, which is one of many reasons I never plan to visit China.

Though the law is new, the crackdown on online gambling is not. Though never a fan of freedom, this year China decided to place a new emphasis on making sure people are not able to spend their own money on casino games, so they have gone after sports betting and online gambling operations with a new vigor.

Since beginning the new crackdown in January, China has arrested or detained more than 7,360 people and frozen nearly 1 billion yuan (equal to $148 million USD). The Ministry of Public Security states that they have dealt with 1,364 cases involving online gambling and broken up more than 130 “gangs” connected to offshore online gambling companies.

Though already underway, there is still plenty of time to enter the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring promotion at All Slots Casino. The new online slot with that incredibly long title is the most popular new game at that online casino and is sure to become one of the most popular casino games online. To celebrate its release earlier this month, the casino is holding a promotion that began on September 2 and doesn’t end until October 31.

The promotion is the $100,000 Quest. I’m sure that dollar amount got your attention. Here’s how it works: Players try to guess the correct combination. There is a scroll with numbers from one to 36 and players can either pick a combination of numbers of click an “auto-pick” button. For every 75 credits you play at All Slots Casino, you will earn one chance to enter a combination in the $100,000 Quest. For every 75 credits played on the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring slot, you earn two entries.

The top prize for guessing correctly is $1,500, though there are also smaller prizes. Up to 200 other participants will win $50 each. From now until October 31, All Slots will announce the winning numbers every Sunday at 10:00 PM GMT.

Because you get double the entries for playing the Lord of the Rings slot, I would recommend playing that if you want to participate in the $100,000 Quest. Not only will you get the most bang for your buck, but it is also a well-made and fun online slot. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring slot is based on Peter Jackson’s first movie adaptation of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It feature images, videos and animations of characters from the movie. It also has an interesting soundtrack and sound effects that add to the ambiance of the game.

To take part in the $100,000 Quest promotion for the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring slot, visit All Slots Casino.

VIP Slots Casino, you know what I like. Like many people, during football season I spend too much time in front of the TV, watching my favorite college teams on Saturday and pro teams on Sunday. The only thing better than watching football on my TV is watching it on a fancy HD home theater system. VIP Slots is giving away a home theater to some lucky winner in their current sweepstakes.

The top prize in the current month-long sweepstakes held by the online casino is a Sony Bravia home theater system. There are smaller prizes as well, such as cash prizes ranging from $50 to $500. On September 30, the casino will choose winners in the sweepstakes by randomly picking winning tickets. Players can use their loyalty points (the VIP Plan) to purchase tickets. One ticket costs 500 loyalty points and you can purchase as many tickets as you want.

Even when there is no sweepstakes that interests you, your loyalty points can be redeemed for prizes from the VIP Plan catalog. There are many prizes available, such as a PlayStation 3, an iPod Touch, an HD TV, camcorder and more. At any time, players can also redeem their loyalty points for cash. With the VIP Plan loyalty points, players are rewarded for their continued support of the online casino.

To qualify for the sweepstakes, all you have to do is purchase at least one ticket for 500 points and you must have made a deposit at the casino within the last 90 days. So if you haven’t made a deposit lately, I suggest you do; otherwise, you can’t win the Sony home theater system.

So if you happen to win the big-screen TV and home theater system, take pride in the fact that while you’re watching the same football game on ESPN as I am, your players look larger and clearer and the action seems closer and more dynamic than ever before. Now I’m jealous. So don’t enter. I don’t care!

Sorry about that. It was just the jealousy talking. To enter the sweepstakes, visit VIP Slots Casino.