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Pokerfest: PartyPoker’s inaugural online tournament festival starts Sunday

2011-10-23T22:36:00.001+11:00

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Series runs until 6th November - quality from as little as $1 NOW!

Gibraltar – 21 October 2011 – The countdown is on for the arrival of PartyPoker.com’s inaugural online poker festival – Pokerfest. With 47 events in a range of game types, the festival starts THIS SUNDAY 23rd October – 6th November guaranteeing $3,000,000. Qualifiers starting from $1 are online now!

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: "We kick off on Sunday with four no limit hold’em events with guarantees of $300k, $2k, $20k and $150k – these cater for players on all levels with the $2k requiring a points buy-in only. The no limit re-buy tournaments start Monday, with the Pot Limit Omaha dominating Tuesday – the fixed limit hold’em tournaments start on Thursday."

Team PartyPoker.com Pro Kara Scott looks ahead to Pokerfest. Tony G calls everyone out for what he calls a 'Meatfest'.

At least three events every day

Pokerfest will feature at least three events EVERY DAY covering a variety of buy-ins and game types. Below is just some highlights of what is on offer:

· Event #47 - $1,000,000 guaranteed main event - $640 buy-in (qualify from $1)
· Event #23 - $350,000 guaranteed - $215 buy-in (qualify from $2.50)
· Event #46 - $50,000 guaranteed - $33 buy-in
· Event #2 - $2,000 prizepool - 20 Points buy-in

Qualify from as little as $1

PartyPoker.com want everyone to be a part of Pokerfest so they have developed a number of fantastic qualifying routes so players can qualify for a fraction of the main buy-in. There is also a wide range of extra promotions and side events - click on the tabs on the site to check out the $100k leaderboards and get the scoop on how to qualify for a fraction of the buy-in. The grand finale of Pokerfest is the $1,000,000 guaranteed main event taking place at 13.30ET on Sunday 6th November.

Variety of buy-ins and game types

Pokerfest will feature three events every day covering a variety of buy-ins for the following game types:

· No Limit Hold ‘em
· No Limit Hold ‘em + Rebuy(s)
· No Limit Hold ‘em, 6 max table, deep stack Fixed Limit Hold ‘em
· Pot Limit Omaha
· Pot Limit Omaha + Rebuy(s)

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Sports Entertainment News Website Network Updated

2011-08-30T14:07:00.002+10:00

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Wrestling News Media: Dwayne Johnson aka "The Rock" Bringing Hulk Hogan And Roddy Piper’s Legendary Stories To TV / Movies; NBC Talk, by Greg Tingle

2011-08-30T14:07:00.001+10:00

Scoop: PartyCasino.com By Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment To Get Andre The Giant Online Slot Game

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Dwayne Johnson and Jerry Bruckheimer are teaming up for a new TV project, set in the world of competitive wrestling in the ’80s. The NBC offering hails from Jerry Bruckheimer Television in association with Warner Bros. Television; Johnson (“Fast Five”) will be an EP on the project but no word on whether he’ll actually appear in the series. Deadline says it will be written by Brent Fletcher and Seamus Kevin Fahey (”Spartacus: Gods of the Arena”), who will co-executive produce alongside KristieAnne Reed. Johnson will next be seen in the Uni tentpole “G.I Joe : Retalliation”.

NBC Buys Dwayne Johnson-Bruckheimer Wrestling Drama Set In 1980s...

NBC is getting in the ring with a put pilot commitment to a drama about the 1980s professional wrestling boom that is executive produced by one of the biggest ’90s wrestling stars, Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock. The fictional drama set in the world of wrestling in the ’80s hails from Bruckheimer TV, marking a departure from the company’s signature brand of procedurals. It will be written by Brent Fletcher and Seamus Kevin Fahey (Spartacus: Gods of the Arena), who will co-executive produce alongside KristieAnne Reed. Johnson, Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman are executive producing.

The ’80s, often called “the golden age of wrestling”, marked a surge in the popularity of professional wrestling in the U.S. fueled by the growth of cable television and pay-per-view and the efforts of hot-shot promoters like Vince McMahon. During that period, pro wrestling shifted from a system controlled by numerous regional companies to a system dominated by two nationwide companies: Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling and McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation. It featured the launch of WrestleMania and the emergence of wrestling’s first crop of superstars led by Hulk Hugan. The project extends the popularity of period dramas among the broadcast networks, which have two such series, the 1960s-set Pan Am on ABC and The Playboy Club on NBC, premiering this fall. It also expands wrestling’s presence at NBCUniversal. NBC’s sibling network USA carries WWE Raw as well as the revival of WWE Tough Enough. This is the third sale and third put pilot commitment for Bruckheimer TV so far this development season. The company recently set up a Navy SEALs drama at ABC and a procedural about a mom-turned-New York State Trooper at CBS. Fahey, repped by UTA and Underground Films & Management, previously worked with Bruckheimer TV as a writer on the ABC series The Forgotten. Fletcher is with CAA.

Bruce Willis is on board for New Orleans-shot 'G.I. Joe 2,' co-star Dwayne Johnson confirms...

Rumors have been swirling for weeks involving Bruce Willis' reported negotiations to join the New Orleans cast of Paramount Pictures' big-budget, high-octane "G.I. Joe" sequel. This weekend, confirmation finally came -- from none other than "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" co-star Dwayne Johnson.

Johnson, who has been generous with the Twitter updates since arriving in town last month to begin prepping for the film, let the cat out of the bag Saturday (Aug. 20) with the following tweet:

"Welcome brother Bruce Willis to the cast of GI Joe! What an honor. #HeavyArtillery."

Paramount hasn't issued an official announcement yet, but Willis reportedly had been in talks to play Gen. Joe Colton, the character who started the G.I. strike team in the 1980s comic books and who is referred to by many as the "original" G.I. Joe.

He joins a cast that includes Johnson, as Roadblock; Adrienne Palicki, as Lady Jaye; and Channing Tatum, reprising his role as Capt. Duke Hauser from 2009's "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra."

Jon M. Chu ("Step Up 3D," "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never") is directing.

It's only the latest in a string of recent New Orleans-shot projects for Willis, including "RED," "Looper," "Lay the Favorite" and "Fire with Fire."

The big-budget "G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation" started filming last week as part of an extended shoot that is expected to see it continue to Thanksgiving. The film is scheduled for a July 29, 2012, release.

Andre The Giant Slot Game Developed By NextGen Gaming

Legendary wrestler Andre The Giant now has his own slot game. The game was developed by developer NextGen Gaming. The slot game is expected to go live before the conclusion of this year and is tipped to be added to the portfolio of PartyCasino.com Media Man reports.

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Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment sponsors EuroLeague Basketball; PartyCasino And PartyPoker News, by Greg Tingle - 16th July 2011

2011-07-16T05:44:00.001+10:00

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The world’s largest listed online gambling operator, Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, has announced that its Bwin brand has signed a three-year deal to serve as the title sponsor for the EuroLeague Basketball professional club basketball competition.

Bwin.Party revealed that the deal will see every one of the EuroLeague’s matches streamed live in more than 30 European countries with active Bwin sportsbetting customers able to watch for free.

“We are proud to announce the EuroLeague Basketball agreement, which represents a perfect match to our long-lasting relationship with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the world governing body for basketball,” said Norbert Teufelberger, Co-Chief Executive Officer for Bwin.Party.

“This makes Bwin.com an even stronger brand as we will now cover both club basketball with the EuroLeague and the national teams through our FIBA partnership. Basketball, along with football and motorcycle racing, is one of the three pillars of our sport sponsorship strategy.”

Bwin.Party described EuroLeague Basketball as ‘the most important professional club basketball competition in Europe’ while stating that the agreement ‘significantly broadens the footprint of Bwin.com within European basketball’ and would strengthen its sports brand philosophy.

“It is a big step for EuroLeague Basketball to welcome Bwin.com as partner until 2014,” said Jordi Bertomeu, President and Chief Executive Officer for EuroLeague Basketball.

“The most important basketball competition in Europe now gets the most important sportsbetting brand, Bwin.com, as a supporter to take club basketball´s popularity in Europe to an even higher level.”

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Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment VS The World...

Shares in online gaming firm Bwin.Party surged Friday after competitor Full Tilt had its licence suspended.

A US investigation into the companies founders led the gambling commission of the Channel Island of Alderney to order the firm to stop trading with immediate effect while it conducts its own investigation.

Full Tilt was indicted in the United States for alleged gambling offences, money laundering and bank fraud.

In a research note, UBS analyst Simon Whittington says the news is positive for remaining European poker operators.

He advised: "We estimate that Full Tilt has a 10-15% share of the non-US poker market. With a similar share themselves, we believe Bwin.Party should be a prime beneficiary of any market 'vacuum' created."

Austrian Bwin merged with rival PartyGaming earlier this year. The company is based in Gibraltar, a preferred location for igaming companies due to its relaxed tax laws and well-regulated gambling - gaming system. After their initial surge its shares fell back to close 1.2%.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment (BPTY) Share Price Information

Share Price: 151.00 Bid: 151.00 Ask: 151.20 Change: 0.00 (+0.67%)

Preview Of PartyCasino

PartyCasino.com has the most frequent game launches in the industry and offers over 160 games, including over 100 slots. PartyCasino.com pays out easily over $10 million EVERY DAY to players. “The Big One” is structured as a five-tiered pool. The highest tier—Colossal Cash—seeds at $1.5 million, the biggest online jackpot seed in the industry, and currently stands at over $1.6 million.

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In the meantime PartyCasino.com continues to roll out new games and initiatives.

The most popular PartyCasino.com games of late include Sin City, Unicorn Legend, Heist, Circus, Rambo, Palladium Slot, The Godfather, Sinatra, Slotbox, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Mission: Impossible, The Terminator, Cleopatra, Sinatra, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man, Monopoly, Resident Evil, Melon Madness, Wheel Of Fortune and Mega Fortune Wheel.

The PartyCasino.com jackpot is currently approaching the $4 million mark. Players can also compete for The Big One and Marvel Hero Jackpot, playing the Marvel super hero themed online slot games.

PartyCasino's most recent game releases include Sin City, The Sting, Unicorn Legend, Shaaark! SuperBet, Crocodopolis, Alice's Wonderland, Glamour Puss, Super Cubes, Heist, Palladium Slot and Circus Slot.

PartyGaming CEO Jim Ryan has gone on record advising PartyCasino will soon feature more Hollywood blockbuster themed slots. A few in the know journalists and media agents have been recently tipped off that an all time classic movie and TV adaption will be showcased in the PartyCasino portfolio within 1 month. PartyCasino has the world's most impressive line up of Hollywood themed games, and more are just around the corner.

Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.

The Big Fat Win

Collect your cut of more than $100,000
Starts: 00:00 ET, 6th July
Ends: 23:59 ET, 18th July

Sin City is now open for business and to welcome you to our most jaw-dropping slot game ever we’ve put together a cache of prizes worth more than $100,000.

With leaderboard cash prizes and double points for the taking, all you have to do is spin Sin City or any of our slots and jackpot slots to stake your claim for a share of this formidable haul of prizes.

Double points when you spin Sin City

Don’t forget, every time you play Sin City during the promotional period you will get double the amount of points you would normally earn. Now there’s absolutely no reason for you to stay away from Sin City.

Make a name for yourself in Sin City

Lose yourself in Sin City and discover a slot game we’re certain will blow you away.

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Pay Sin City a visit today and see if you can make a killing.

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There's Never Been A Better Time to Play at PartyPoker

GIBRALTAR - June 29, 2011 - There's never been a better time to play at leading online poker room PartyPoker.com New offers introduced TODAY include:

• $100,000 freeroll Make a deposit using bonus code 200JULY and you'll get automatic entry into a huge $100K Depositors freeroll on Sunday 7th August.

• 100% reload bonus Top up your account and get 100% extra up to $200. Just deposit using bonus code 200JULY. The 200JULY reload bonus is available until 23:59 on 7th August 2011.

• Summer Million freerolls Enter daily Summer Million freerolls and play for a Summer Million ticket and a $1,000 prize pool every day for free.

• Keep your VIP status Have you been a VIP at another site? Just email proof to vip@palladiumlounge.com and earn 1,000 points within 15 days and we'll upgrade your account to VIP status.

See PartyPoker.com for more information.

Cleaning up at the tables? Fancy a bigger project or just a bit of fun? Your chance to achieve total 'World Domination' gets underway at PartyPoker.com from the 8th July 2011. Conquer 72 cities by earning PartyPoints and pick up freerolls, cash prizes and a potential top prize of $100,000 on the way!

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: "The premise is simple – divide and conquer! Rome wasn't built in a day but it could be won in an hour! Turn your PartyPoints into cities - the empire building continues until the 31st August or until all cities are conquered. There are 72 cities to conquer and freeroll seats, cash payouts and a top prize of $100,000. Just earn 10 PartyPoints to be randomly awarded a city from 72 available."

"Many of the cities have cash prizes and freeroll seats attached The big money comes in when you can complete all the cities in an entire continent, for example, getting all of Asia wins you $5,000 and Europe will bag you $20,000. Finally, a player who gets every single country has world domination – worth a cool $100,000."

As an incentive to get started, PartyPoker.com give you your first city for just 5 points. Tony G writes from his secret underground bunker at PartyPoker.com

Players can earn up to 100 cities a day throughout the World Domination promotion. Reveal the ones collected by logging in to your Party Account, checking the interactive map and start to accumulate a fortune.

For more information see: PartyPoker.com

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Confirms Ongame Poker Network Deal Possibilities

The Ongame poker network is "likely" to be sold, bwin.party has confirmed that a formal process to sell the B2B network is on the way.

The announcement was made earlier today ahead of today’s Annual General Meeting, the first held by the giant since the merger between Bwin and PartyGaming was completed last March.

The statement read "One area of our stated strategy was to recycle surplus assets,"..."We expect that any sale will be completed by the end of the year."

No licensee on the network has yet responded to bwin.party’s announcement, although Betfair’s outgoing CEO David Yu passed opinion on Ongame just yesterday.

Bwin.Party’s AGM statement contains details of a planned share buyback, which will see the company follow the examples of Playtech and Betfair in making such a move, plus news of a progressive dividend policy containing a €30m dividend payout for the year ending 31 December 2011.

As we go to press trading is described as “Broadly in-line with management's expectations,” however analyst James Hollins, of Evolution Securities, advised in a memo earlier today that “The stock remains a Neutral ahead of potentially disruptive German legislation near-term.”

Meanwhile Simon French, of Panmure Gordon, reiterated his firm’s ‘buy’ recommendation, explaining “[We] expect the shares to respond well to the dividend and share buyback news.”

German sports betting proposals in April had seen the share price of bwin.party dive 16% in a day, and a decision on the country’s State Gambling Treaty is expected in October.

Yesterday things turned around following the suspension of Full Tilt Poker’s licences in Alderney - the share price ended the day at 148.2p, an increase of more than 10% day-on-day.

Bwin.Party In Line With Management's Expectations

bwin.party digital entertainment's trading performance since the beginning of April has been broadly in line with management's expectations.

But is says sports margins have been lower than expected due to a favourable run of events for customers in May.

The improvement in new player sign-ups in poker, following action taken by the US authorities against certain of the group's online poker competitors on 15 April, has not had a material impact on poker revenue as new players represent just a small proportion of the overall player base and these companies have so far continued to command significant market share in non-US markets.

Casino continues to perform well while bingo has been slightly softer than expected in the period.

At 8:47am: (LON:BPTY) share price was +0.5p at 148.7p.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Big On Security

The online gaming business PartyGaming has also long since been protecting its players with strong authentication. After all, there is a lot of money at stake – money that the dark forces may want to siphon away. PartyPoker, PartyCasino, PartyBingo and PartyGammon customers register by downloading the PartyGaming customer software. After registration, they can obtain an authenticator called PartySecure from the online store. This is again a Digipass Go 6 that has been completely adapted to the branding of PartyGaming. Here again, a Vacman Controller Server takes over the authentication. “The solution is highly scalable,” stressed a PartyGaming spokesperson. “It can grow with us and effortlessly cope with the growing number of online-players on our platform.”

Australian Tony G Inks Player Representation Agreement With PartyPoker

There's only an elite few poker players who are also extremely astute businessmen, and Australian Tony G is one such ace. Having amassed over $4 million in live-tournament winnings and having a few other healthy income streams the only thing missing from the mans achievements was a major representation deal with a major online site. Enter PartyPoker.com

Tony G in a cunning moving has sold his Tony G Poker official website and IP to the igaming powerhouse giving the Bwin.Party giant access to the website's strong poker player database.

Mr G said he couldn't be more pleased about his new deal and that he is ready to take on all challengers. "I cannot wait to start playing for Team Party on the circuit. I’ve always loved Party and what better way to kick off than at the Aussie Millions. I am also really excited about the Premier League in February ...it is the best event in poker in my eyes. After finishing runner-up and third in the last two years the title has to be mine! I just hope my rivals have the heart and commitment to the game to stop me!"

His new deal incorporates live tournament buy-ins to events around the world and he will play online under the screen name "TonyG." He joins an impressive roster of Team Party players including Mike Sexton, Kara Scott, Ian Frazer, Bodo Sbrzesny, Remy Biechel, Stewart Scott and Felipe ‘Mojave’ Ramos.

The Tony G Poke website will migrate all its players to NoblePoker.com, (a Bwin.Party subsidiary). As part of G's deal, he will continue to run the Sunday Bike Ride, a popular bounty promotion on the site. According to G, this will give Tony G Poker players added value over the long run.

"It’s business as usual for Tony G Poker.com The exciting acquisition of its assets by the PartyGaming will create a larger more flexible and productive playing environment," said the G. So, whether online poker, online casino or other tickle your fancy, the good folks at Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment have your number.

The company is currently expanding worldwide, and growing markets include Australia, Canada, Italy, Spain, and the firm is currently talking turkey with U.S regulators regarding a full return to the U.S market, where its World Poker Tour brand should prove to be the door opener, followed by sports betting and online casino offerings, all under the Bwin.Party banner. It's b2b deals with Marvel Entertainment, Frank Sinatra Enterprises, Paramount Pictures, Dark Horse Comics and International Game Technology are also understood to be giving the powers that be confidence to get negotiations with Bwin.Party to the next stage.

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Sports Entertainment News: PartyCasino Wins Media Man Online Casino Of The Month Award

2011-07-14T17:31:00.001+10:00

PartyCasino.com has been awarded the Media Man and Casino News Media "Online Casino Of The Month".

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Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment's igaming suite has grown a custom to winning awards since they first opened for business in 1997.

The competition to knock off PartyCasino.com for the coveted award was intense again this month with massive bids from both WPT Casino, Captain Cooks Casino, Virgin Casino, Betfair, PKR and Noble Casino however there can only be one winner... ladies and gentlemen, that's PartyCasino.com

The award follows PartyPoker's EGR Poker Operator Of The Year and PartyGaming also made the shortlist for EGR Operator Of The Year. Recently PartyGaming's PartyPoker.com also won the Casino News Media "Online Poker Website Of The Month".

The Media Man - Casino News Media accolade is based on a combination of elements including user experience, innovation, trustworthiness, customer service, gameplay, affiliate program offerings, newsworthiness and company values.

PartyCasino.com is one of a number of Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment brands.

The most popular PartyCasino.com games of late include Frank Miller's Sin City, The Sting, Heist, Circus, Rambo, Palladium Slot, The Godfather, Sinatra, Slotbox, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Mission: Impossible, The Terminator, Cleopatra, Sinatra, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man, Monopoly, Resident Evil, Melon Madness, Wheel Of Fortune and Mega Fortune Wheel.

The PartyCasino.com jackpot is currently approaching the $4 million mark. Players can also compete for The Big One and Marvel Hero Jackpot, playing the Marvel super hero themed online slot games.

PartyCasino's most recent game releases include Frank Miller's Sin City, The Sting, Enchanted Unicorn, Shaaark! SuperBet, Crocodopolis, Alice's Wonderland, Glamour Puss, Super Cubes, Heist, Palladium Slot and Circus Slot.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Co-CEO Jim Ryan has gone on record advising PartyCasino will soon feature more Hollywood blockbuster themed slots. A few in the know journalists and media agents have been recently tipped off that an all time classic movie adaption will be showcased in the PartyCasino portfolio within 1 month. PartyCasino has the world's most impressive line up of Hollywood themed games, and more are just around the corner.

PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com customers can also benefit from rewards and bonuses via PartyPoints and the Palladium Lounge. Be certain to check out the PartyCasino exclusive "Cash Machine" that is being championed as one of the greatest online casino promos ever.

Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with PartyGaming, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.

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News Limited News Update: News Of The World, Herald Sun, BSkyB..., by Greg Tingle - 14th July 2011

2011-07-14T14:06:00.001+10:00

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'Brooks, catastrophe': Last laugh for NoTW staff as final crossword takes aim at Rebekah

Sacked News of the World staff appear to have fired a parting shot at their former editor Rebekah Brooks, disguising mocking messages in the crossword of the tabloid's final edition.

Brooks, now the chief executive of News International, reportedly brought in two loyal proofreaders to sanitise Sunday's final edition of any jibes directed at her following the newspaper's spectacular demise during the phone hacking scandal.

But they failed to detect the not-so-cryptic clues that appear to savage her in the crosswords on page 47.

Among the clues in the paper's Quickie puzzle were: "Brook", "stink", "catastrophe" and "digital protection".

The Cryptic Crossword appears to go even further, including the hints "criminal enterprise", "mix in prison", "string of recordings", and "will fear new security measure".

Another clue was "woman stares wildly at calamity", with suggestions it refers to a photograph of Mrs Brooks as she left the News International HQ in east London on Thursday after staff were told the paper would be shut down.

The answer to that particular clue was "disaster".

Other answers included: "Deplored", "stench", "stir", "menace", "desist", "racket" and "tart".

A source at the News of the World told the Daily Mail that "Rebekah tried everything to stop the staff having the last word and she utterly failed".

"She brought in two very senior Sun journalists to go though every line on every page with a fine toothcomb to ensure there were no libels or any hidden mocking messages of the chief executive," the source said.

"But they failed and we've had the last laugh."

The decision to close the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid after 168 years in print follows an extraordinary week of revelations about intrusive phone hacking and alleged pay-offs to police from the newspaper. It was revealed that the tabloid had tapped into the phone messages of murdered schoolgirls and relatives of slain soldiers and 2005 London bombing victims.

The job losses sparked scenes of anger last week at the paper's headquarters, largely directed at Brooks.

She was the editor in charge when phone-tapping practices were used but has somehow been spared the knife.

In a secret recording made as she addressed staff on Friday, Brooks can be heard saying: "This is not exactly the best time in my life but I'm determined to get vindication for this paper and for people like you."

The staff then cheer as an unidentified male staff member angrily replies: "You're making the whole of News International toxic. There's an arrogance that you think we would want to work for you."

Murdoch flew in to London overnight to deal with the crisis engulfing News International, and was pictured leaving his apartment with his arm around Brooks, whom he described as his number one priority. (Credit: The Age)

News apologises for website virus after hack attack...

Readers of Melbourne’s Herald Sun website may have been exposed to a virus, the News Limited tabloid’s website said this week, in another embarrassment for the media company.

"The Herald Sun wishes to apologise to any readers who may have been affected by a virus that appeared for a short time on heraldsun.com.au,’’ the newspaper said in a note posted to its website. ‘‘The offending virus and files were quickly removed and the site is operating as normal."

The Herald Sun warned readers that their computers could only be infected "if you clicked ‘allow’ to a software download in a pop-up window from bogus sites’’.

Herald & Weekly Times digital operations and business strategy director Peter Clark blamed a hacking attack for the virus.

"The Herald & Weekly Times, publishers of heraldsun.com.au, can confirm that we did have a hacking attack on the Herald Sun website on Monday July 11," he said. "The attack attached malware on some files on the site."

"We have since addressed the issue, but we are not in a position to release any further details on the basis that it may provide information for further attacks," said Mr Clark.

The trouble for the newspaper come as shares in parent company News Ltd skidded on continuing worries about the fallout from the phone hacking scandal in the United Kingdom. Revelations about the extent of the problem at the global media company’s UK operations have electrified the public - both locally and overseas - unleashing a firestorm of criticism as well as multiple investigations in the UK.

James Turner at Sydney-based IT advisory services company IBRS said organisations, like the Herald Sun, "should be talking to their web hosting provider about what measures are in place to prevent this kind of thing from happening".

"It's embarrassing for any organisation to have its website passing off malware to customers," said Mr Turner. "We're still in the Wild West days of the Internet and so many organisations are taking the cheaper path, purely because they don't understand the value in IT security."

Malware, similar to a virus, is a program that infects a host computer, compromising the user’s privacy, or hijacking its normal operation.

The Herald Sun recommended users who believed their computer had been infected should run a full anti-virus scan.

Chris Gatford director of security consultancy Sydney-based HackLabs said, the majority of users were more likely to be caught by malware.

That’s because less savvy web suffers often run older operating systems on their computers and web browser that might lack crucial security patches.

Malware can alert people to fake anti-virus software, which it says is needed to “clean” the victim’s computer, he said.

“However, after taking money, it does nothing and sits in the background (of your computers system).”

Malware could also add making a PC user an unwitting accomplice to a botnet, or a network of computers that illegally shares media files or mounts attacks on other websites, he said.

Other malware programs try to ferret out a computer users banking details. (Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald)

News shares rally after bid for BSkyB dropped...

Shares in News Corp have jumped more than 4 per cent after Rupert Murdoch dropped his bid for British pay TV giant BSkyB.

The move comes after the scandal over newspaper phone-hacking at Mr Murdoch's UK paper News of the World escalated.

The announcement came overnight shortly before Britain’s parliament began debating a government-backed motion calling on the media baron to halt his attempt to acquire the 61 per cent of satellite broadcaster BSkyB his company does not own.

New Corp’s main stock on the Australian Securities Exchange added 62 cents, or 4.2 per cent, to $15.36 in mid-morning trade. It’s non-voting stock was up 55 cents, or 3.9 per cent, at $14.81.

Prior to today, about $6.5 billion had been wiped off the company’s market capitalisation since July 6, after news of the phone hacking scandal emerged in the UK.

Shares in British Sky Broadcasting Group also rose overnight after the takeover bid for the company was pulled.

BSkyB shares closed 2 per cent higher at 705 pence, after trading around 680 pence when News Corp said it was pulling its bid.

In the immediate aftermath of the statement, the shares tanked to a low of 665 pence, but that knee-jerk sell-off proved short-lived as investors had already concluded that the bid was doomed given the toxic political environment.

Analysts said News Corp's decision will, counter-intuitively, help BSkyB after a week-long battering following the disclosure of widespread phone hacking at the News of the World.

Now that the bid has been pulled, speculators like hedge funds - who were looking for windfalls from the prospect of a higher News Corp offer - are pulling out. At the same time, however, new investors are looking to buy up what has become relatively cheap stock for a company that is highly profitable. (Credit: AAP)

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2011-06-24T17:47:00.002+10:00

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Wrestling News Media: Wrestling Legends Update, WWE, Australia, Movies and more, by Greg Tingle - 19th June 2011

2011-06-24T17:45:00.000+10:00

Profiles

Steve Austin Roddy Piper Chris Jericho Hulk Hogan Mick Foley Bruno Sammartino Vince McMahon Miz John Cena The Rock Mickey Rourke Jim Ross John Seru Wrestling Wrestling Legends WWE

In this writer's opinion, pro wrestling aka sports entertainment is hot again. Not quite yet at WWE Attitude levels, but getting close in some fashions.

Why? How about compelling storylines and character's in the WWE, the brand getting back some of their attitude (more hardcore and adult themes), developing talent, and let's face it - more of true legends on the broadcast like "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

The legends back on WWE television helps get the new talent over.

Then there's the elevation of R-Truth Alex Riley, former student of Miz, "Big" Andy Leavine aka "Silent Rage" (who yet had to show he truly brings it)... but the slap by McMahon and the stunner by Austin on Raw a few years ago sure helped get him over, but can Andy maintain the rage? Time will tell.

R-Truth, opponent of John Cena in less than 24 hours is on fire and over in a big way. Anti establishment all round bad ass is what helped get Austin over big time, going back to the King Of The Ring ceremony when he uttered the words Austin 3:16 said that I just whipped your ass. Some comparison can be drawn between R-Truth and The Gangstars in the old Extreme Championship Wrestling, and not just because they are the same colour. It's about the attitude, the out of control charisma, and ability to back in up in the ring. The world loves a rebel, and R-Truth delivers. He's attacking the corporate champion and ripping on WWE merchandise and the conspiracy towards him is hard not to love, if you're into more mature storylines. Randy Orton is on fire and CM Punk is one of the most entertaining superstars, in and out of the ring. Now all we need is for R-Truth to win the strap, and we will have a hell of a meaningful wrestling feud. It's R-Truth VS The World, and we're loving it.

The WWE powers that be do appear to be listening.

It's also compelling to hear that Mick Foley aka "Mankind", "Cactus Jack" and Dude Love", may be soon returning to the WWE, after a decent run in TNA. In addition, TNA's Hulk Hogan also frequently mentioning by name Steve Austin (Hogan wants a match), and Roddy Piper is apparently interested in doing a Piper's Pit with Hogan VS Austin and Hogan VS Ultimate Warrior.

FCW, the feeder promotion for the WWE continues to develop the next generation of wrestling superstars and TNA continues to keep up the good fight, with Hogan publicly getting behind Matt Morgan.

A number of wrestling insiders are saying that WWE needs to keep going with the more hardcore and mature storylines, and that they might also do well to further embrace some more UFC concepts.

Jim Ross, living legend of the wrestling announcer variety, continues to deliver great insight into the world of pro wrestling, mixed martial arts (and BBQ sauce).

Australian fans - don't forget the WWE comes back down to Australia for WWE Live, starting in Sydney on 1st July at Acer Arena.

Let's now take a look at some specific individuals and further probe some of the world's hottest pro wrestling news...

Ross on Steve Austin and Roddy Piper: "(Austin and Piper) were the two highlights for this old schooler on Monday's Raw. They both know how to fully command an audience and still have 'it.' Austin can be so intense that it bleeds through the TV screen. His Clint Eastwood-esque delivered line to CM Punk...."punk" was golden. @CMPunk and Austin have excellent on screen chemistry and back in the day they would have had a helluva run. Nothing but money."

Ross on R-Truth: "R-Truth' s professional career has never been more elevated. He fits the role that he's in well and it would not shock me to see, by hook or crook, R-Truth upset John Cena this Sunday on PPV to win the WWE Title. Long shot? Perhaps....but stranger things have occurred on a WWE PPV and no one can argue that a Truth title win wouldn't 're-shuffle the deck.'"

Ross on The Miz: "(The Miz) is so easy to dislike which is a marketable necessity for any villain. Guys that can talk as well as Miz, who I Tweeted reminded me of a male Kardashian, are essentially Teflon coated. Essentially no matter what occurs in the ring, more often than not, they are right back to where they need to be when provided the opportunity to speak."

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper

Rowdy Roddy Piper recently shared his thoughts on the Warrior vs. Hogan situation; here are the Twitter highlights: "Warrior made some comments I heard that Hogan may sue over. Sex and Wrestling, Warrior talking of Hogan. Hogan talking about Macho. This is not a time to be funny or reckless. I take it very serious! There's a honor a man has to carry with him. I have seen a lot. There's a line that I won't cross for any $ value. I have to catch a plane in 4 hrs. Going to Battle. I will try an address H/W over the weekend.1st. Warriors interviews. Warrior was not making interviews to be analyzed. They were made for the PG audience at the time. For kids! You have to look at the presentation Warrior did a good job presenting. Yes he could have layered it, parents and children could enjoy together. His merchandise. His way. Taking negative about another man's family? YOU CAN DIE FROM THAT!! Nothing to do with business...A thought. Take both Hogan and Warrior together or apart. Do a Shoot Piper's Pit!!! Then again fools rush in were wise men never tread!!"

A Roddy Piper vs. Terry Funk singles match is officially advertised for the 2011 Gathering of the Juggalos event, which takes place August 11-14 at Cave in Rock, Illinois. For more information, visit JuggaloGathering.com

Chris Jericho

(PETERBOROUGH) Chris Jericho has struggled with critics throughout his career, both in the wrestling ring and on stage. Jericho spent two decades climbing the ranks of sports entertainment, passing off the skeptics who labeled him not good enough, too small etc to become one of the most celebrated stars in World Wrestling Entertainment history, including being crowned the first-ever undisputed champion. Now the lead vocalist of Fozzy, playing venues like the Historic Red Dog, is defying the disbelievers who first slammed the heavy metal group as simply "the band with the wrestler." "There were a lot of people who stayed away from us, thinking it was just a novelty," says Jericho. "But I just didn't wake up one day and say, 'Let's start a band.' This was something I've been doing since I was 12. The passion is there, the belief is there and the knowledge is there. "I think people can sense that. That's why we are building momentum. Once people can realize it's real, they'll get behind you." Fozzy's recent Peterborough stop is a visit between two huge concerts in Toronto and Brantford before a major summer tour in Europe alongside metal stalwarts Metallica, Slayer, Slipknot, Anthrax and Motorhead. "You get a different vibe when you play a smaller club than in bigger places," says Jericho. "It's a little sweatier; more energy and a little more rock and roll. We love that." Fozzy Osbourne, a cover band formed in 1999 by Rich Ward of Stuck Mojo, evolved into Fozzy. Jericho joined in 2000, accompanied with characters such as Moongoose McQueen and a satirical storyline. They had signed a 20-year contract to stay in Japan only to discover many famous artists in the U.S. had ripped off their music. The group's high-energy sound led to a record deal and two albums of cover songs, Fozzy (2000) and Happenstance (2002), paying tribute to the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, Twisted Sister, Motley Crue and Black Sabbath. The second album also included five original songs. "It was a fun side project and suddenly we got offered a record deal just to play covers. We were kind of confused with that but like any self-respecting musician, we took the money and did it," quips Jericho. In 2005, the comical shtick was dropped as was the cover song focus. All That Remains was an album of entirely new music, as was Chasing The Grail, which was released in 2010 to rave reviews and loads of radio time. "The gimmick can only last so long if the music isn't there," says Jericho, who composes the lyrics while Ward writes the music and plays lead guitar alongside guitarist Sean Delson, drummer Frank Fontsere and guitarist Billy Grey. "We're a very heavy band but with a lot of melodies." But from groove-driven metal compositions, such as Under Blackened Skies and Martyr No More to the epic 14-minute prog-metal tune Wormwood, Jericho finds inspiration from the unlikeliest of bands: The Beatles. "They are my favourite band of all time. There are a lot of harmonies and melodies in our vocals and much of that comes from listening to them." The Winnipeg-raised Jericho (his real name is Chris Irvine, the son of former NHLer Ted Irvine) admits he always chased two childhood dreams. "Wrestling just kind of took off first before the music did," he says. "But now that the music is starting to catch up, it's very gratifying and rewarding because we've been working hard on it." Jericho left the WWE in September after his contract expired. It's his second departure after a two-year hiatus in 2005 during which he said he was disheartened with wrestling. But he remains a busy entertainer. He has written two New York Times best-selling books chronicling his wrestling career and is working on a third book. And there's been numerous TV appearances include competing on ABC's Dancing With The Stars. But wrestling fans are clamouring to know when, or if, Y2J will ever step inside the ring again. "That's a big question and I really don't know. "When I left in September, I had no plans of coming back and had no plans of not coming back and I still feel the same way. I love them both but right now my main focus is on Fozzy because of all the great stuff we have going on. "I still like watching wrestling and I keep track of it very diligently and know exactly what's going on in all aspects of it. I'm still enjoying it as a fan." Fans of Jericho share his passion for music and wrestling. "We have fans from all aspects -- your Chris Jericho fans and your die-hard Fozzy fans. "And there will be the people who will come check out Chris Jericho 'the wrestler guy' and see what we're about. "I always like to say the only people that don't like our band are the ones who have never heard it." Something tells us that Jericho is way too good to stay away from the wrestling ring forever, and when the WWE needs him to spark new energy into the show, he will be there. Perhaps the most rounded sports entertainer ever - that's Chris Jericho.

John "Vulcan" Seru

One of the biggest superstars of the Australian pro wrestling scene of all time. Today Seru runs the Muscle Mania gym in South West Sydney. Seru recently told Media Man on Randy "Macho Man" Savage that he was one of the very best pro wrestlers ever and that the industry had lost a great one. Savage was the best 'Oh Yeah'!

WWE Films Wrestles With Gorgeous George - 27th April 2011

EXCLUSIVE: In an age where books routinely get tiny movie options and languish in development, one could do worse than make a deal with wrestling mogul Vince McMahon's WWE Studios. In a mid-6 figure outright buy, WWE acquired the 2008 John Capouya book Gorgeous George: The Outrageous Bad-Boy Wrestler Who Created American Popular Culture. Not only was the deal brokered by Justin Manask generous for the author, but WWE Films has committed to a 2011 start date for a film about a journeyman wrestler who remade himself into a preening, vamping villain and became a national TV star at a time when there was little on the boob tube but wrestling and Milton Berle. WWE Films set John Posey to write the script for a film that will be the last of nine features WWE will generate in less than two years. The fourth, Killing Karma, is shooting now.

While early WWE films were schlocky action showcases for its spandex stars, WWE Films head Mike Pavone said the company has morphed into a family film factor with better scripts that draw actors like Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Patricia Clarkson, Danny Glover and Parker Posey to work alongside ring fixtures like Triple H, The Big Show and John Cena. Each film costs around $7 million after rebates for location shoots in Louisiana and Pavone said they save about $1 million for each film by never really wrapping production. Crews get a couple weeks rest after each film completes its 20-25 day shoot, and then the next one gets going.

A Gorgeous George film was McMahon’s idea, an exception to his unwritten rule not to make pictures about wrestlers. Pavone said George’s flamboyant persona not only set the tone for future stars like Hulk Hogan and The Rock, but also helped Bob Dylan come out of his shell and influenced the likes of Muhammad Ali, James Brown, and Liberace.

“George Wagner was a good wrestler who couldn’t get over the top until he developed this character that people loved to hate,” Pavone said. “He had this effeminate, aristocratic persona that he and his wife Betty created from whole cloth, down to the robes and platinum blonde hairstyle his wife copied from Betty Grable. George realized that they don’t come to see the good guy win, they come to see the bad guy lose. He paraded as this effeminate man in the 40s and 50s in Texas and the South, with 12,000 people screaming and throwing things.” Wagner, who made his entrance to Pomp and Circumstance, rubbed elbows outside the ring with Hollywood stars, and made as much--$100,000 per year--as Joe DiMaggio. His fortunes flagged, though, and George stayed too long in the ring. His final payday: a humiliating match, pre-arranged for him to lose and have his signature blond locks shaved in the ring by his opponent, Dick the Destroyer.

Pavone said McMahon is committed to fully finance the Gorgeous George pic as well as the other eight WWE Films. It's a bold play, because McMahon won't know if the film program works until the pics start getting released in September. Samuel Goldwyn distributes the first few, and WWE Films will handle the marketing.

“We’ve been making these movies in a vacuum, confident that our model will prove itself,” Pavone said. (Credit: Deadline.com)

Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan is still 'The Main Event', By Jon Robinson...

Every birthday from about 8 years on, I begged and pleaded with my parents for the same present: tickets to see the WWF live at the Cow Palace. My aunt was actually a regular at wrestling matches from the days of Gorgeous George and once almost got kicked out of the arena for throwing her high heels at some heel who was hitting her favorite fighter with a foreign object every time the referee turned his back. Funniest thing about this is my aunt was the most uptight, old-money, stuck-in-her-old-ways woman I knew. She was someone who might throw a fit if someone spilled soda or even sat on her all-white couch that for some reason was never sat on (why someone would feature furniture you couldn't sit on, I'll never know), but I could never imagine her throwing a shoe.

But that's what the wild and wacky world of professional wrestling is all about. It's more than just the soap opera for men it's so commonly referred to as. It's more like a rock concert of kung fu fighting acrobats complete with fireworks and the occasional dead man, masked man and/or midget. It's a place where good battles evil between the ropes while bringing the thousands in attendance along for the next chapter.

And that showmanship that helps drive the action is what the new video game, "Hulk Hogan's Main Event" is all about. Because wrestling is more than just men in tights rolling around and getting sweaty (not that there's anything wrong with that), Hogan is using the power of Kinect to bring gamers into the ring with him while teaching them the taunts, poses and posturing that made him a worldwide phenomenon.

I caught up with Hogan inside video game publisher Majesco's booth at E3 to talk wrestling, showmanship and his time inside the ring, from his days rocking a mask to his nights as "Hollywood." Here's what one of the most influential wrestlers in the history of the business had to say.

Jon Robinson: I'm about to play your game for the first time. What's your advice on how I can become the next Hulk Hogan?

Hulk Hogan: You're very lucky because instead of looking for a coach, you have now found the greatest coach of all time. I don't know too much, but I do know a lot about wrestling, and in "Hulk Hogan's Main Event" I'm your coach, brother. I teach you the moves, get you all excited, and then it's up to you to get the crowd booing or cheering and get them ramped up. The whole entertainment aspect gets you rolling right into the ring, and then you get to turn the moves up and either do some scientific wrestling or cheat like the bad guys. And what's cool is, you can't sit on the couch for this one. Since it's on Kinect, you actually have to get up, get moving and move your bum around.

Jon Robinson: You are one of the best showmen professional wrestling has ever seen. How did you learn to get the crowd so moved during your matches?

Hulk Hogan: I played music for about 10 years before I ever got into the wrestling business, so I was used to being on stage and being in front of people. I really wasn't a great singer, so we had a couple of guys who would sing, but in between songs, I would grab the mike and talk to the crowd, so I got over any shyness I had in the music business before I ever got into wrestling. Then when I got into wrestling, it was all about that scientific stuff and rolling around on the ground and putting each other in arm locks and leg locks, but the first time I ever looked out into the crowd -- I was wearing a mask back then, and they called me The Super Destroyer -- the reaction from the crowd was a lot louder than I got for the actual wrestling. So the reaction from the crowd made the wrestling easier for me, and I worked that in my whole career. Most of the time when I wrestled, the crowd wasn't just cheering, they were standing up and cheering or carrying on, and that's what's cool about this game, it really plays up that entertainment aspect. As soon as you enter the arena and walk down that ramp, it's up to you to get the crowd going, and that parlays right into the fact that now you're on your feet and doing the wrestling moves using Kinect. It really takes you from wanting to be a wrestler to putting you right on the spot and in the spot.

Jon Robinson: So, how did you go from some strange dude in a mask to arguably the most popular wrestler of all time?

Hulk Hogan: That transmutation or transformation took quite a while. I started wrestling 35 years ago, and I had a pretty intense attitude back then when I was young and injury free. The wrestling promoters back then had me start under a mask because they were hoping that one day I might turn into something. When you start out in the wrestling business, you make a lot of mistakes, tripping over your own feet and looking like a fool. The Super Destroyer mask was really to protect me because I was so big and back then I was one of the few guys who actually looked like I trained. A lot of the guys I was wrestling had big arms, but they also had big stomachs. So under the mask, I could learn my way while everyone beat me. Then this whole transformation started happening, but becoming Hulk Hogan took quite a few years. I quit wrestling a few times, then I was Terry Boulder, then the promoter starter calling me Sterling Golden, then I was Terry "The Hulk" Boulder, then I was Terry Hogan, then I became Hulk Hogan. It actually took me eight or nine years before I was able to put it all together. That's why it's so hard for these young wrestlers who all think they should be in the main event. There's a lot more to it than just having a scientific match. You have to put the whole thing together.

Jon Robinson: What do you think of your persona living on in all of these video games like "Main Event" and "WWE All-Stars"?

Hulk Hogan: It's crazy. WWE owns my intellectual properties and all of my old footage, so Vince McMahon is repackaging all of that old stuff. It's a great compliment, though, because at the end of the day, I'm so grateful to anybody who contributed or helped me become who I am today. A large part of my career and a large part of my life, I'm very grateful to Vince McMahon Sr., Vince's father. I'm also very grateful to Vince McMahon because he and I were best friends and business partners. I was an employee, and we went down a lot of twisty roads together. Even right now, if I was to call him and tell him, "Hey, Vince, I need help," I guarantee Vince would be there for me. So I am very grateful for the fact that I have "Hulk Hogan's Main Event" coming out and that I'm on the cover of "WWE All-Stars." It's kind of like Hulk Hogan has found his niche, not only in Americana but in the video game world. It didn't have to be this way. The fans could've totally forgotten about me, but the fact that the fans have been so loyal, I'm still in the game. Right now, I'm with Impact Wrestling, formerly TNA, and, after two years of back surgeries, I'm working there creatively and helping out, but you never know, I might just slide back into the ring someday. It's not like I could take any crazy bumps, but then again, I never did. [laughs] I have to be really careful with my back.

Jon Robinson: When you think back to your favorite matches, do you have one moment that stands out as your personal favorite?

Hulk Hogan: I'm torn between my match with Andre the Giant and my match with The Rock. Andre was huge, and it was a defining moment for me because Andre passed the torch when I body slammed him. That was a huge deal, and I'm not trying to downplay it, but then later on in my career, when I finally returned to WWE after all those years of working for Ted Turner, Vince told me, "Hey, if you're coming back, then you better bring it." So when I went back, I was the ultimate bad guy, and when they put me in the match against The Rock, the fans were supposed to boo me out of the building. But it was a defining moment because the fans cheered me so loud and they booed The Rock. The fans were letting everyone know that they loved Hulk Hogan so much, that they were so loyal to Hulk Hogan, that nobody was going to tell them who to boo and who to cheer. It was like the fans slapped me in the face and told me, "Don't you know who you are? You're Hulk Hogan!" It was a huge moment in my career.

Jon Robinson: After so many years of drinking your milk and eating your vitamins, was it fun flipping it on everyone and doing the "Hollywood" character?

Hulk Hogan: I talked to Ted Turner about it before we did it, and I told him, "We're either going to ruin this business, or we're going to capture lightning in a bottle and it's going to be the greatest thing that ever happened." When I turned into a bad guy, the ratings shot up, the numbers went through the roof, and for two and a half years, we were able to beat WWE in the ratings.

Jon Robinson: One of the guys you fought with and against for years in both WCW and WWE was Randy Savage. What are some of the memories you have of him?

Hulk Hogan: Randy and I were stuck together like glue for about 15 years. We did everything together -- we traveled together, we worked out every day together -- and then we went on to have some great matches. I know this sounds horrible, but we made a lot of money together, and then we had this huge falling out that to this day, I still don't know why he got mad. He went through a lot with his divorce from Elizabeth and stuff, but we just started talking again a few months before he died. I don't do many independent wrestling shows, but I finally did one and [Randy's brother] Lanny was there, and he was telling me how tough it was after their dad passed away, but his dad was really happy that Randy and I had started talking again. But then Lanny was really worried about his mom, so they were going to throw a big barbecue at his mom's house with Randy and I, and that was supposed to be the next weekend, but Randy died in the middle of the week. Out of all the guys who have died, that one hit me the hardest. I've known a lot of guys, I've walked into hotel rooms where there have been bad situations, but that one was a tough one.

Jon Robinson: You talked about your back problems earlier, but I was just curious if there's somebody out there you'd like to have that one last match with?

Hulk Hogan: Well, if there is that one last huge match that really, really meant something to the fans, that would have to be against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. I can see him already making appearances back on TV, and he's already starting to get full of himself. I heard him say for a while that his back and his neck were too messed up to wrestle, but from what I've been seeing lately, I think he's getting geared up to do something, and I'd like to be a part of it.

Jon Robinson: How about in Impact Wrestling? Do you see a guy in Impact who might have the ability to carry that brand to another level?

Hulk Hogan: I've really tried to be optimistic when looking at the talent that is there, and I've already tried to give the football to a couple of guys who are there, and they are just so off into that: "TNA Wrestling, this is TNA Wrestling, I have a five-star match every week." But that's not the big picture. I think the one guy I really need to focus on is Matt Morgan. There are a couple of things that need to be fixed, and one of the main things is his interviews. When Scott Steiner looks at you and calls you a punk and says you look like a tiny turd in a toilet bowl, you need to come back and say something about how you can look over the top of Steiner's head. Instead, he's out there talking about how he respects Steiner as an athlete. His whole rap needs to change. I think if we sit down and really dial Matt Morgan in, he can be somebody who can really turn things around and lead Impact Wrestling to the promised land. (Credit: ESPN)

Bob Marella (aka Gorilla Monsoon) To Be Inducted Into Wrestling Hall of Fame...

Waterloo, Iowa – Bob Marella, a 1959 Ithaca graduate who rose to fame in professional wrestling as Gorilla Monsoon, will be inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Marella will enter the hall of fame, which is located at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, July 23.

Marella, a member of Ithaca's Hall of Fame, was the wrestling program's first all-American, placing second at the 1959 NCAA Championships. Wrestling in the heavyweight class (which was then called the unlimited weight class), Marella upset the second and third seeds (from Northern Colorado and Iowa State, respectively), before dopping a 2-0 overtime decision to a wrestler from Oklahoma State in the title bout. Marella, who was nicknamed "Tiny" during his collegiate career, also starred in track & field as a Bomber.

Induction into the professional wrestling hall of fame includes a substantial impact on professional wrestling, general respect within the profession, and a strong amateur background.

“Bob helped raise money for the first mat that I bought at Ithaca,” said John Murray, Ithaca's head wrestling coach from 1980 to 1995. “He was probably the alumnus who had the greatest impact on our program through money he raised and the awareness he brought to the program.”

Monsoon had a distinguished professional wrestling career that included many titles, including the WWWF (now WWE) United States Tag Team title. He was also known for his successful career as a commentator for the WWE. Monsoon died on Oct. 6, 1999.

The Rock And John Cena

Wrestling News Media: The Rock VS John Cena At WWE WrestleMania, by Greg Tingle

The Rock's return to pro wrestling er... sports entertainment, or whatever it is now, has little to do with wrestling as such.

The booking The Rock vs. John Cena at WrestleMania 28 twelve months in advance has strong merit, but will both competitors be as hot then, as they are now... probably.

This is one of the smartest moves ever by WWE head honcho Vince McMahon, as it plugs right back into mainstream entertainment, with a hot main event which has star power and money written all over it, plus news media is going to have it as a media darling to boot. I don't see Rock or Cena "stuffing up" with real life situations that would stop the match, and hopefully both will remain injury free.

What's were doing here is getting Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, the living legend himself, and putting him in the squared circles with one of the most popular pre-teen megastars ever. This is the pop culture main event of the decade, if not century!

Wrestling fans will go for this big, and spend, plus it should be a decent match to keep the loyal fan base happy too. Most mainstream news media companies should cover it also, and the buzz and coverage leading up is already there, so just imagine. Bigger than the MTV Hulk Hogan VS "Rowdy" Roddy Piper 'War To Settle The Score', Andre The Giant at WrestleMania III, and perhaps even up there with the very first WrestleMania back in 1985 which came from sports and entertainment mecca in New York - Madison Square Garden.

The Rock VS John Cena at WrestleMania is tipped to break all sorts of records and have mega success written all over it. As The Rock would say, Just Bring It!

Stay tuned to Media Man, Wrestling News Media and our friends at Google News as the saga continues.

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Vince McMahon Writes About "Macho Man" Randy Savage In Time Magazine

2011-05-28T10:55:00.001+10:00

The June 6, 2011 issue of TIME features an article on the late Randy Savage written by WWE chief Vince McMahon. A preview of the article was released: "It’s important in sports and it’s important in entertainment to stand out. Randy knew that. Right away, he wanted to leave his mark, and to do that he was aware he had to make himself different from everyone else. "One way he did this was concentrating on his outfits, those brightly colored costumes with foot-long fringe that became his trademark. He brought to wrestling a unique look and style. Randy, who died in a car crash May 20 at age 58, was one of the building blocks of what is now WWE (previously known as the World Wrestling Federation). He had…" To read the article in its entirety, pick up a copy of TIME at your local newsstand or download the TIME iPad app. Oh Yeah!

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Pro wrestling legend Randy 'Macho Man' Savage dies in car accident, by Greg Tingle - 20th May 2011

2011-05-21T09:56:00.003+10:00

Randy Savage VS Ric Flair

RIP Randy Savage (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011)

Professional wrestling superstar Randy "Macho Man" Savage passed away after having a heart attack while driving his Jeep Wrangler in Seminole, Florida.

A witness told the press that he "suffered a heart attack while driving and hit a tree."

Florida Highway Patrol said Savage, 58, leapt a concrete median, veered into oncoming traffic and smashed into a tree head on.

He died from his injuries at largo Medical Center.

Savage, whose birth name is Randy Poffo, had recently celebrated his first wedding anniversary with his wife Lynn. It was his second marriage.

His wife was in the car at the time of the accident, which was first reported by TMZ. She suffered only minor injuries.

He married his first wife Elizabeth Hulette best known as "Miss Elizabeth," in 1984. They divorced in 1992. She ended up dying from a drug overdose in 2003.

World Wrestling Entertainment, in progress of rebranding to WWE, advised in a statement that Savage's death was a huge loss.

"WWE is saddened to learn of the passing of one of the greatest Superstars of his time, Randy Poffo, aka Randy "Macho Man" Savage. Poffo was under contract with WWE from 1985 to 1993 and held both the WWE and Intercontinental Championships. Our sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends. We wish a speedy recovery to his wife Lynn. Poffo will be greatly missed by WWE and his fans."

The wrestling world posted thousands of comments Twitter to grieve over the former wrestler.

"He had so much life in his eyes & in his spirit, I just pray that he's happy and in a better place and we miss him. We miss him a lot. I feel horrible about the ten years of having no communication. This was a tough one." Hulk Hogan posted on his Twitter account.

"RIP Randy 'Macho Man' Savage - you were one of my childhood inspirations and heros. Strength, love and prayers to the Savage/Poffo family," Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said on Twitter.

"I lost a close friend today. If anybody in heaven is wondering who the cat in the ugly cowboy hat is it's Randy. Love you Bro. Never another," Kevin Nash tweeted.

Twitter queen Alyssa Milano was also among those offering condolences, tweeting, "Rest in peace, Macho Man Randy Savage."

Savage helped put WWF wrestling on the global map in the 1980s and '90s, becoming, along with Hulk Hogan, one of its biggest draws of all time. His outrageous ring attire and his "Oooh Yeah!" catchphrase made him a fan favorite. He had also been pitchman for Slim Jims media and advertising campaigns.

"I feel so fortunate that I had a second chance to marry my first love, here where it all began," Savage said a year ago, after his Lido Beach wedding to Payne, whom he'd met there decades before.

Savage had recently returned to the wrestling scene with the release of the WWE Wrestling All-Stars video game. There was also a push to see him be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, many insiders and fans saying he was the greatest wrestler never to have been inducted, with rumours circulating that the reason he may not have got the green light was a fling with WWE boss Vince McMahon's daughter, but that is speculation, not fact.

Savage, who announced the release of a Macho Man action figure at Comic-Con in July 2010, was known for his catch phrase "Ooooooh yeaahhh" and his affiliation with Slim Jim snacks.

His pro wrestling success including numerous reigns as WWE (then WWF) and WCW champion...Savage appeared as Bone Saw McGraw, the wrestler Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker squares off with in "Spider-Man" (2002), among other occasional acting parts, and released a rap album, "Be a Man" (2003).

Savage had a numerous of other wrestling accomplishments and was the 1987 WWF King of the Ring and the 1995 WCW World War 3 winner.

His WrestleMania III match with Steamboat was considered a classic by both fans and critics and was named 1987's Match of the Year by both Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer.

He drew a lot of money in just about every wrestling territory he entered, be it Memphis, Florida, Atlanta or New York.

Savage signature moves included the flying elbow off the top rope, sometimes even from the top of cages, double ax handle, and had an extremely fast brawling style, as well as being a solid technical wrestler, often using a variety of suplexs in his matches.

His greatest wrestling feuds were with Hulk Hogan, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Ric Flair, Andre The Giant, The Honky Tonk Man, Tito Santana, George 'The Animal" Steele,
Bruno Sammartino and prior to the WWE, Jerry "The King" Lawler. He's biggest out of the ring feuds with with Hulk Hogan and wrestling boss, Vince McMahon.

Under his real name Randy Poffo, he played minor league baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnatti Reds systems in the early 1970s. Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was also among those expressing condolences Friday.

A Media Man staffer was overhead "Savage was one of the greatest ever and a true legend. He was up there with Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Flair and Steamboat. It would be nice to see a classy tribute by the WWE and also see him finally inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Thanks for the awesome memories Randy".

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Pro wrestling legend Randy 'Macho Man' Savage dies in car accident, by Greg Tingle - 20th May 2011

2011-05-21T09:56:00.001+10:00

Australian Sports Betting Worries Sport Bosses, by Greg Tingle - 20th May 2011

2011-05-20T12:04:00.000+10:00

The sports betting sector continues to be red hot political and legal potato in Australia, and it has many a sports boss worried, as well as administrators of Australia's Olympic body, with Aussie Olympic athletes being red the riot act. Media Man and Gambling911 get you up to speed with the latest in the Australian sports betting industry, which is already having international consequences...

Aussie Sports Bosses Worried About Sports Betting...

Think you know all there is about the politics and proposed laws re sports betting in Australia? Think again.

The money men - the top brass behind the elite sports codes in Australia just yesterday expressed their unease at the full on advertising delivered by enthusiastic promoter types in the betting agencies.

The money stream for the sporting codes has been a financial shot in the arm for pro sports, but many now question at what cost.

Most advertising budgets in Australia have slowed over the last few years, but not sorts betting, a close cousin to gambling.

Live betting - exotic betting - are the forms of sports betting which have the majority of sports code bosses very worried, and we all know there's been a few scandals with the "exotics", and we're not talking about casino babes or sports babes folks.

The prestigious Tattersall's CEO's Sports Luncheon was held yesterday with reps from the AFL, NRL, ARU, FFA and Cricket Australia going on record that they felt somewhat uneasy with the tactics being employed by gambling firms, despite the big bucks they made from the association with sports betting.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say some of that more aggressive 'bet now' advertising is concerning us," NRL boss David Gallop said. "We would prefer to see that in a less aggressive mode. But it's difficult when the media outlets are going to take that advertising anyway, so the sports need to be in control of it."

After demonstrating initial caution, the Australian Football League has embraced the gambling universe, even permitting teams to accept gambling organisations as jersey, sports and internet sports sponsors, as plugging live odds on the AFL website during matches and showing live match odds on the scoreboard during games as part of an agreement with Betfair.

AFL chief exec Andrew Demetriou said it was issue beyond sport. "If it's in your face at the football, it can be really off-putting," he said. "But let's not delude ourselves; don't just concentrate this on the sports. The newspapers are littered with advertising about sports betting. Let's look at issues across the board, not just in sport. We're genuinely trying to do the right thing. Once sports betting became deregulated … everyone became exposed to it, not just kids at the football."

Australian Rugby Union top dog John O'Neill stated the massive money being thrown around by gambling firms had inevitably bought them a slice of power.

"We certainly do express a view if it's in your face, it's over the top. But that's the level of influence [they now have]," he said. "There is a source of revenue there." Assurances that all professional sporting events are not tampered with by bookmakers - or that players, coaches or officials are not betting on outcomes - has added another layer to the complex relationship between sports and agencies.

Cricket Australia exec James Sutherland advised all sports had to retain their integrity to survive.

"The critical issue for us is that the success of sport is built on the connection between the fan and the sport. They need to know this is a real contest, this is the real thing," he said. "If there is any question or taint around that then the integrity and value of the sport is significantly downgraded. That's something we're very conscious of. We can't have corruption in our game."

Federal Sports Minister Mark Arbib has expressed his support for tougher match-fixing laws, and is due to meet his state counterparts next month.

Just when all the confusion will come to an end is anyone's bet.

Gambling continues to be one of the world's most successful industries and most popular pastimes, and Aussie gamblers - sports betters are some of the most popular in the world.

With the Aussie news media and internet push on it seems unlikely that sports betting offline or online are going to decline in popularity any time soon. All gambling sub sectors are generally on the increase with the public, and now it just seems that all regulations across the board need to get up to speed with the reality of internet sports betting. You can bet legal eagles will continue to be busy and media reports will continue to be pumped out, keeping punters, politicians and all other interested parties abreast of the latest news. What else is left to say than good punting, and bet with your head, not over it.

Australian Olympic Committee Says Illegal Sports Betting Biggest Risk...

Aussie Olympic athletes set to head off the Olympic Games in London next year will be required to obey new laws designed to stop illegal betting.

The Australian Olympic Committee annual general meeting was held yesterday.

Plenty of top brass was present including AOC president John Coates and the Federal Minister for Sport Mark Arbib. They are so worried they rate illegal betting as big a risk as doping in the 1980s and 1990s.

Coates wants a national sports betting authority independent of any sport and their official bodies and handed federal powers and resources.

In a curious tactic, the AOC's 2012 team membership agreement has also been tweaked to limit the prospect of a selected Aussie athlete betting on themselves or anyone else during the Games in London.

Coates is happy to punish offenders by "naming and shaming" them. Arbib said he supported a prop for jail sentences of up to a decade for anyone found guilty.

The illegal betting industry, Arbib said, is worth roughly $140 billion a year, and has now spread like wildfire globally. He thinks that the battle to combat illegal betting will need the co operation of governments, sporting federations and legal betting agencies if it is to be won.

Coates said that athletes who still did not fully comprehend what was at stake would certainly do so by the time they had put on their green and gold team colours and were on a flight to London. He advised athletes will all be fully briefed before the Games, and the changed clauses in their agreements will be outlined. "In our team membership agreements, we have always had clauses in there that prohibited involvement by our team members in betting on Olympic Games, on other athletes or themselves," Coates said after the meeting. "We are just making [it] more specific."

"We have added the references to prohibition to illegal and irregular gambling betting to our ethical behaviour by-laws … that will be in place, the athletes will be briefed on it. It will be made very clear to them that we will not tolerate any betting during the Olympic Games."

Coates also advised that punishment for an infraction would not only come from the AOC.
Senator Arbib didn't shy away from outlining how strong a stand he plans on taking.

"The NSW Law Reform Commission have talked about penalties for up to 10 years for match fixing. That is something I support," he said.

"This is a very serious crime and there are large sums of money involved internationally.
''We need to send a strong message to those people who are involved in match fixing [and] those people involved in illegal gambling that government will act.

"We will act together with the sports and the betting agencies and we are going to take the toughest stance possible."

Coates went thought a 7-point mandate for the national sports betting authority. He's hopeful that Prime Minister Julia Gillard will endorse it and see it become a reality.

Investigate cheating and fraudulent conduct with necessary powers to phone tap, subpoena and seize information and exemption from privacy legislation.

Undertake effective national liaison and information sharing with the Australian Federal Police, Australia Tax Office and other federal agencies, and the State and Territory police.

Undertake effective international liaison and information sharing with other governments, international sports bodies and agencies.

Establish a comprehensive code of conduct for all sporting bodies.

Establish guidelines for minimum and consistent penalties across sports at all levels and the means to ensure they are applied.

Record the names of offending athletes, officials, clubs and third parties of ill-repute on a public register, and undertake education of coaches and officials.

Folks, with list or will it come to pass and become written in law? Tipsters advise we may know in the coming weeks, and no, we are not taking bets on it before you ask, but feel free to check out other gaming and betting promotions right here.

Punters, er readers, stay glued to Media Man reports via Gambling911 for more "can't miss" information on Australian sports betting, pokies, gaming and casino wars.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming. Media Man also publishes Media Man News

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Jesse “The Body” Ventura On Bin Laden, 9/11 and more, by Greg Tingle - 18th May 2011

2011-05-18T20:16:00.001+10:00

Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger

The man is no stranger to controversy. Media Man, newsrooms around the world... from Bondi Beach to New York...Mexico, the Wrestling News Media outfit and friends have followed his exploits in and out of the wrestling ring and political arena for decades. Many call him a living legend and a true American hero. Meet Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, aka 'The Mind'.

It's been suggested that the last thing Osama Bin Laden saw was what Jesse Ventura used to be...one of the Navy Seals from the U.S.

Navy Seals by default need to be able to fight, having got some of the best hand-to-hand combat available in the United States we understand.

How would have Ventura faired in a real fight about a Brock Lesner, Dan Severn, Frank Mir or even Kurt Angle? We will never know, but leaks say Ventura was and is one hell of a tough S.O.B.

Ventura is not only a former Navy Seal, officially known as a Naval Underwater Demolitions team (UDT) member , the precursor to the "Seals".

It would be been interesting to see Ventura fight MMA - UFC - no holds barred style in his prime. In the pro wrestling with his time at AWA and the old WWF, it seemed apparent he was a tough dude, but his style of pro wrestling made it difficult to see just how tough he may have been for real. How about his wrestling exploits with Rowdy Roddy Piper, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Hulk Hogan, the late Adrian Adonis and WWE head honcho, Vince McMahon - the stuff of wrestling folk law.

It's hard not to dig Ventura's real life rock n roll wrestling connection, being a former bodyguard for The Rolling Stones, pro wrestling champion, ex-Governor Of Minnesota, TV talk show host and now, he’s a well-respected and best selling author with some extremely controversial things to say about the U.S government.

If you haven't done so already, grab yourself a copy of his latest book '63 Documents the Government Doesn't Want You to Read'. He gives his take on what he believes really happened before, during and after 9/11.

It's hard not to dig Ventura's movies like 'The Running Man' and who can forget 'Predator', where he played opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The world awaits to see if Ventura will run for President, perhaps with Schwarzenegger as Vice... no, not that sort of vice friends. For a while it looked like Donald 'The Don' Trump was heading for that big white office in Washington, only just deciding to opt out of the presidential race.

Of course, Ventura might like to just jump back into corporate sports endorsements and the like, ala WWE, UFC and maybe even a bit of gaming and sports betting.

A few things are for sure. He will keep 'em guessing and we'll be hearing lots more from one of America's most powerful pens and voices.

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Wrestling News Media: WWE WrestleMania and WWE Hall of Fame News

2011-04-03T16:22:00.001+10:00

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Merger Between bwin and PartyGaming Planned to Complete on 31 March 2011

2011-03-15T21:40:00.000+11:00

March 15, 2011 - Merger Plan Requirements Now Met in Austria

Following the almost unanimous approval of the merger at the extraordinary general meetings of both bwin Interactive Entertainment AG (bwin) and PartyGaming Plc.

(PartyGaming) on 28 January 2011, the proposed merger was formally entered into the companies' register by the Vienna Commercial Court on 15 March 2011. Subject to the formal approval from the supreme court in Gibraltar, the merger is expected to complete on 31 March 2011.

Share trading on the stock exchange

bwin shares (ISIN AT0000767553) will cease trading on the Vienna Stock Exchange at close of business on 25 March 2011. For administrative reasons, trading in bwin shares on the Vienna Stock Exchange must be suspended for three days prior to completion and also on the day of completion itself (31 March 2011). On 1 April 2011, existing bwin shareholders will receive 12.23 bwin.party depositary interests (ISIN GI000A0MV757) for each bwin share free of charge. These depository interests can then be traded on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BPTY.L.

The exchange ratio of 12.23 bwin.party depositary interests for each bwin share will result in so-called 'fractional entitlements', rights to fractions of bwin.party depositary interests that cannot be traded on the London Stock Exchange. In accordance with the terms of the merger, these entitlements will be disposed of, and the proceeds of sale credited to the original beneficiaries (former bwin shareholders) in a process that may take up to two weeks. The disposal of fractional entitlements is also without cost to bwin shareholders.

Anti-trust approvals received

Following the approval of the merger in Germany by the Federal Cartel Office and in Austria by the Federal Competition Authority, bwin has now also received anti-trust approval from the relevant authorities in Romania.

Dividend

The new bwin.party depositary interests will carry a dividend entitlement with effect from 1 January 2010. The company's dividend policy will be determined by the new board of bwin.party digital entertainment plc over the next few months.

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WWE Hall of Fame 2011

2011-03-10T03:23:00.000+11:00

Shawn Michaels

The Heartbreak Kid. The Icon. The Showstopper. Mr. WrestleMania. The amazing Shawn Michaels has gone by many names and he can now add WWE Hall of Famer to that list.

Sunny

A trailblazer and a true original, Sunny changed the way women were viewed in sports-entertainment. This unmatched influence has earned her a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011.

Bob Armstrong

The patriarch of one of sports-entertainment's great families, "Bullet" Bob Armstrong is a wrestling legend, a Georgia hero and a member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011.

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan

With his trademark 2x4 slung over his shoulder and an American flag held proudly in his hand, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan was a true patriot who brawled his way into the hearts of the WWE Universe.

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2011-02-18T15:30:00.000+11:00

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Australian Media And Gambling Wars; Aussie Rich List, by Greg Tingle - 6th February 2011

2011-02-06T17:58:00.001+11:00

G'day punters, journos, sports nuts, high rollers - casino whales, gambling millionaires and billionaires, media tycoons, politicians, insiders, outsiders, ... one and all. You know who you are. This is yet another instalment into the Australian media wars, with a dash of the Aussie rich list (a few gaming gambling types there) for good measure... Media Man and Gambling911 prob the Australian media business, and do the math on whose loaded up to the hilt down under...

James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch Rumoured To Be Worried With Network Ten News Progress...

After only two weeks on air, the Ten Network’s news evolution has reportedly come under scrutiny from new stakeholders James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch, thanks to a poor ratings performance. On Thursday night 6pm with George Negus attracted its lowest audience to date with only 398,000 viewers. The state based Ten Evening News at 6:30pm performed even worse, attracting only 362,000 viewers. The direction and performance of the George Negus fronted news vehicle is said to be of particular concern to new stakeholders Packer and Murdoch, the press reports. The pair reportedly told Ten Network executives they're worried that the international content of the bulletin is a turn-off for viewers. "Basically (an) email sent to Ten bosses said the predominance of overseas stories was unwise and indulgent and not calculated to build ratings," a well-placed source told Confidential. However, another Ten executive dismissed the report as "utter bollocks", going on to reaffirm the network’s long term commitment to the two-and-a-half hour news and current affairs block. "This is not a two-week plan or three-month one - you can't do what we've done and expect instant results - this is a long haul," a spokeswoman said. Rivals from other network’s have also expressed their thoughts on the $20 million a year investment in news, with one source pointing towards the timeslot winning lead-in 6pm with George Negus receives. "Aren't they conveniently overlooking the substantial lead-in it's provided every night by Ten's 5:00pm news which has always rated respectably for yonks?", said the source. On Thursday, David Gyngell, chief executive of the Nine Entertainment Company, described the performance as worse than he had expected.

Nine Network Presents Weekend 5pm New Slot...

The Nine Network will launched a new national 5:00pm weekend news bulletin Saturday, taking advantage of the Ten Network's recent departure from the timeslot. Nine's director of news and current affairs, Mark Calvert, told The Spy Report that the bulletin will be a permanent addition to the network's Saturday and Sunday schedule once the cricket season concludes tomorrow. Calvert unexpectedly announced the move via his Twitter account. "Missing having news at 5:00pm? Feeling abandoned by Channel Ten News at weekends? See Nine News first at five with Wendy Kingston," he posted. "Incredible flood rescue pix Nine News at 5:00pm. Yep, 5:00pm. You know...when Channel Ten News used to be on at weekends. Nine News at 5:00pm and 6:00pm. "Working harder than ever - Peter Stefanovic, Tracy Vo, Lizzie Pearl to get ready for Nine News first at 5:00pm then more at 6:00pm." Ten abandoned its national 5:00pm bulletin on weekends as part of its $20 million early evening revamp it unveiled two weeks ago. Since then, it has instead opted for a 6:00pm state-based service rivalling those on Nine and Seven. At this stage, it's unknown whether the half-hour bulletin will broadcast into Sydney and Brisbane when Nine's Sunday Afternoon Football returns on March 13. Nine's Afternoon News Hour will also continue to air weekdays from 4:30pm.

Australia's Richest Person Gina Rinehart Adds Value To Channel Ten Sports...

'Our Gina' loves sport, at least as far as it being a strong part of the line up on Network Nine. Fellow shareholders James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch also like sport, especially the cricket (sports betting connection), but Rinehart is more of an all rounder when it comes to the sports media side of the business. Our friends and Fairfax Media have secured a strong leak aka deep throat delivering the following: "She's tough, opinionated, sometimes difficult but never frightened". Rinehart is understood to be very happy with her 10% per cent stake in the network, and intends on getting her money's worth (and continuing to exercise her clout). Packer and Murdoch recently told Ten executives that while they like sport, they believe the network more than they should be, particularly for AFL broadcasting rights. The late great media and gambling tycoon, Kerry Packer, put aside an AFL $780 million deal over five years, not long before his passing away, but Packer Jr may want to talk it about a bit more. The AFL is set to receive the $1 billion at its next contract commencing at 2012. Ten wants to renegotiate its deal with Channel Seven over AFL coverage. David White, the sports director of Ten, has advised analysts that returns from AFL over the past season were not good. It is anticipated Ten will go after an improved ratio with Seven of their share of future fees, or demand an allocation of higher-rating match ups. Under the existing 7 - 10 agreement both networks must bid together, however if Ten is unable to improve its payment or game quality ratios, the deal might collapse. "Ten now has two directors (Packer and Murdoch) who would support the move to walk," a leak said. Rinehart may lobby to retain the agreement in support of Kerry Stokes, the owner of Seven. The word is her main reason for investing a dab of her $4.75 billion wealth for 10% of Ten is political influence. He took note of the success of the advertising campaign against the mining tax and sees the powerful control of the media on the political landscape, and those who work in it. Packer snatched his 17.9% take in Ten ($128 million) to boost his political clout, and then went on to selling half to Murdoch. JP likes the gambling and sport connection, as do many NRL and AFL clubs ala Rabbitohs - Star City and his own Crown Casino - Melbourne Storm baby. Packer gets on well at this stage of the game with Australian Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, and they are understood to enjoy a spot of golf from time to time. Packer and Murdoch famously had a bite with him at Crown Casino months ago. This past Thursday Conroy announced amendments to sport's anti-siphoning list, allowing free-to-air networks to show live sport on their digital channels! This falls into line with the ministers strategy to move Australia quickly away from analog TV. Ten has the only sports-dedicated digital channel (One) at this time. Should Packer and Murdoch be successful in convincing the Network Ten board that One is too costly and must be closed up, or switch programming, it would automatically undermine Conroy's plan to use sport to boost along the uptake of digital TV. It would also quite possibly piss off the big wigs at the NRL and AFL. AFL games shown live on a free-to-air network's principal channel in Melbourne could be shown live on its digital channel in New South Wales and Queensland, rather than suffer piss weak ratings, as Ten suffered in Sydney and Brisbane, especially on Saturday evenings. At the moment Queensland AFL fans who want Seven's coverage of Friday nights must subscribe to pay TV operator Foxtel, part-owned by companies associated with Packer and Murdoch. Shutting up shot on One would be a strategic step with a major goal being to protect this money machine, but a leaker revealed Packer would be hesitant to make too much noise or agro that might stir up regulators, with Crown Limited going so well. Best not have the government tests applied to the ownership of a casino licence if you follow. Packer is also keen to ramp up online gambling, expanding on his 50% owned Betfair. He's also aware of overseas gaming giants like PartyGaming eyeing off the Asia Pacific region, and its well known PartyGaming have the smarts to ink big government deals, as well as land based casino and b2b deals. Party also have the Hollywood branded deals performing well, so Party could be an opportunity or a threat to Packer, depending upon which way the wind is blowing, and what Australian politicians decide will be law in the online space, with the Liberal Party calling for full regulation, something PartyGaming, Media Man and we understand, Betfair, are all keen to see happen. In will also get rid of any bad eggs in the iGaming space down under. Back to the traditional news media, if Ten walks from its AFL deal with Channel Seven, it would therefore leave a 7 - Foxtel consortium as the only bidder worth their salt. Sen. Conroy "decoupled" the existing anti-siphoning arrangement where free-to-air on-sold the bottom 4 games a week to pay TV, permitting Foxtel to bid directly. Gyngell's Network Nine reserving its art of war strategy for NRL rights which expire in 2012, it is unlikely the Australian Football League will be able to hold a auction for the rights. So, no challenger to Seven for the top 4 games and Nil to Foxtel for the other 4, the AFL may not get their $1 billion bucks with JP and Murdoch Jr paying less for rights, helping make sure of continuing solid profit margins in Foxtel and Fox Sports. 'Our Gina' out in the Wild Wild West - West Australia, looks to be a key player in all of this, and not just because she's loaded and is now down under's richest woman. Yep, politics, power and money all take a seat in the box beside professional sports being broadcast on Australian TV. Don't even start us on Aussie TV being broadcast on the internet. That's all sports, but stay turned in the coming days and weeks for more on the art of war that is Australian news media.

Australian Rich List

1 Georgina Rinehart, 56, $9b (mining)

2 Andrew Forrest, 49, $6.9b (mining)

3 James Packer, 43, $4.4b (gambling, media and new media)

4 Frank Lowy, 80, $4.3b (property)

5 Harry Triguboff, 77, $3.4b (property)

6 John Gandel, 76, $3.3b

7 Anthony Pratt, 50, $2.7b

8 Kerr Neilson, 61, $2.4b

9 David Hains, 80, $2b

10 Kerry Stokes, 70, $1.9b

11 Lindsay Fox, 73, $US1.7b

12 Angela Bennett & Michael Wright, 66, $1.55b

13 Leslie Alan Wilson, 69, $1.5b

14 Paul Ramsay, 75, $1.45b

15 Michael Hintze, 57, $1.4b

16 Chris Wallin, 58, $1.3b

17 Gerald Harvey, 71, $1.2b

18 Solomon Lew, 65, $1.15b

19 Leonard Buckeridge, 75, $1.1b

20 Stanley Perron, 88, $1.05b

Source: Forbes

Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...

Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...

PartyCasino.com

Captain Cooks Casino

Betfair (sports betting only)

PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)

PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)

Profiles

Australian Casinos

World Casino Directory

Global Gaming Directory

Casino Travel

Casinos

Australia

Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:

Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money

Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.

Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered

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Real Life Underbelly NRL Style, by Greg Tingle - 5th February 2011

2011-02-05T14:15:00.001+11:00

G'day punters, journos, sports nuts, high rollers - casino whales, gambling millionaires and billionaires, media tycoons, politicians, insiders, outsiders, law enforcement agencies, legal eagles ... one and all. You know who you are. This is Real Life Underbelly - NRL style!... Media Man and Gambling911 go beneath the underbelly of Australia's National Rugby League, where the real news is...

Australian Police Swoop On NRL Bet Scandal; Blow By Blow Account...

It's goes like this...early Tuesday, coppers with search warrants, hone in simultaneously on the shacks of Doggies star play Ryan Tandy, player agent big wig Sam Ayoub and former NRL great John Elias. Tandy is in bed at eastern suburbs Bronte. Ayoub is getting ready to go to work in the Strathfield home he shares with former Roosters and now Parramatta Eels player Brad Murray. Elias, who recently penned a tale about his involvement in various crimes and time in the clink, lives with mum at Punchbowl in Sydney's south west. Police search for any breakthrough evidence in the NRL betting scandal from the highly suspicious Cowboys-Bulldogs game late last season. Officers raid the homes, confiscate mobile phones, search cars, seize computers... you get the idea.. Ayoub quizzed by the press over the past few days refuses comment, having denied any illegal activity. Yep, he's a cleanskin. "I don't know who is telling you things," Ayoub said. "I'm with people...I've got to go," he added, before hanging up. Ayoub is Tandy's manager, the player who gave away the controversial penalty which sparked the Racing NSW stewards inquiry that was later passed over to police. Ayoub, who shares a house with Murray, was captured on CCTV footage placing substantial wagers on the option of Cowboys scoring first points from a penalty goal. Ayoub has confirmed he placed a bet on a Cowboys penalty goal as the first score but says it's an option he often takes when gambling on NRL games. Elias said he was shocked when police knocked on his door, although he was aware of the rumours that he bet heavily on the game in question and the penalty goal option under investigation. "Is there now a law against having a bet?" Elias said. "I have done absolutely nothing wrong. People know I like to have a bet on the footy, but so do a lot of other fans." News Limited understands police showed Elias photos of a punter placing bets at the Rozelle and Haberfield TAB outlets and asked if it was him. He confirmed it in fact was. The raids follow over 4 months of investigations by coppers, involving interviews with dozens of NRL players, officials and managers. A massive amount of resources are being throw at the case. It's a secret what cops found in the search. The dees confirmed they seized relevant documentation and mobile phones, while one leak be prepared for more to come out at the Crime Commission this week." Ayoub, Murray and Tandy all appeared before the NSW Crime Commission within the last week before dees raided their homes. No findings of wrongdoing were made against them. Tandy was recalled and later charged for allegedly providing false evidence to a law enforcement agency during an investigation. At a presser later, Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis claimed the information Tandy provided to police was far more serious than "a white lie". "This is the type of lie that carries very serious ramifications," he alleged. He refused to comment on how many other players would be charged in relation to the investigation. "It's not a game - this is real life, and police will continue with their investigations in an endeavour to uncover the truth and ensure justice is done," Katsogiannis said. "Detectives will continue to use every available resource to uncover the truth and complete their investigation. "If anyone has been involved with, or has information about criminal activity regarding betting allegations, we urge them to come forward and assist police while they have the opportunity."

Players And Agents Part Of Real Life Underbelly?...

An underworld type has been seriously implicated in the NRL's latest scandal. Police investigating match-fixing claims executed search warrants at a Punchbowl home early on Tuesday morning. In the home lives mum Susan, John Elias, 3 times a jailbird and a self-confessed match fixer, race rigger and stand-over man, whose knows the who is who of the underworld. In the 80s and 90's Elias was a huge star. When not playing footy he would sometimes engage in robberies and other criminal behavior. He had very close ties to crime figure Danny Karam. Karam was murdered by gunshot in 1998 by his partner Michael "Doc" Kanaan. Elias's "Kings Cross family" is understood to be headed by friend John Ibrahim. "'John is now arguably the most influential man of his kind in Sydney, a Lebanese immigrant like myself but with infinitely more connections" wrote Elias in his autobiography Sin Bin, which hit the shelves in 2010. When in jail he got to build more connections with crims, as you would expect, even with murderer and drug trafficker Neddy Smith. Smith, was a key part of the puzzle that saw Elias put $1 million with illegal bookies on the infamous game between Wests and Elias's then-team Souths circa 1994. Smith gave Elias money to pay 4 Souths players $25,000 each to play poorly, while 4 Wests players were bucks to play their guts out! That was that the the games' outcome almost a lock. Elias placed $1 million with illegal bookies on Wests to win. The fix had some similarities to the alleged Cowboys-Bulldogs case of last year, where there was a plunge for the Cowboys to score first by way of a penalty goal. In both cases, it was the pre-game betting that set of the warning a fix might be up. Due to the 1994 plunge, the media speculated a fix was on.
The fix was called off at the last moment the story goes, but not all are totally convinced. "While there's no such thing as a certainty in gambling, there were ways to stack the odds in your favour," writes Elias in his book. While betting scams were one thing, his also loved putting the fix on the trots. "So where do I go from here?" pens Elias in his book. "Now that you know my life's story, I'm hoping you can be the judge.". The tainted anti hero is expect to get strong book sales and numerous media opportunities, but not all will be positive, however some will be balanced. He will be back in the news.

NRL In Bed With Gambling; A Safe Bet Or Not?...

Ryan Tandy's recent arrest is the closest anyone, player, agent or other, has come to being charged following an investigation into betting on the NRL. Despite criticism of the growing ties with the NRL and its clubs have with bookies via betting and sponsorship, it is those lines of communication that helped NSW chief racing steward Ray Murrihy decide that the matter should be handed over to the coppers, our friend - the Boys In Blue. The NRL insists that betting agencies associated with the game sign agreements that insist on co-operation. It was those integrity agreements that Murrihy, who was called in by the NRL as a consultant, was able to work out the level of betting activity on the first scoring option in last August's Cowboys-Bulldogs match at Dairy Farmers Stadium, and where the wagers were placed. He then decided there was enough solid evidence to warrant the involvement of the NSW Police Casino and Racing Unit, which then organised hearings before the New South Wales Crime Commission. Recent developments such as Penrith renaming their home ground to CentreBet Stadium, Manly entering a sponsorship agreement with CentreBet, and South Sydney wearing the Star City casino logo on the front of their jersey have lifted concerns about the growing involvement of gambling firms in the footy. Crown Casino is now confirmed as the Melbourne Storm's new major sponsor. Gambling on sport is big business, in Australia and around the globe, and punters will bet money on matches regardless of whether the NRL and clubs are officially involved or not. The game wants to profit, which is fair enough, as betting on sport, events and such is hear to stay, well entrenched in Australian culture. Let it be known to all...the police charges against the Doggies front-rower for giving false evidence. They are not directly related to the betting on the game as such, but often where there is smoke, there is fire. The probe has also revealed that Parramatta halfback Brad Murray placed a bet on the Cowboys-Bulldogs game, which is contrary to NRL rules and likely to lead to sanctions against Murray...although there is no suggestion he did anything illegal. Back in 1994, the game was subjected to similar rumours and allegations, involving players from the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Magpies that were never conclusively probed. Tainted ex footy NRL legend ... the anti hero - Elias surged up the best-sellers with his book in which goes on to tell how he had tried to fix a match, the last of the season. Elias, who was playing for The Bunnies at the time, claimed to have been offered $50,000 for himself and another $100,000 to buy off teammates to ensure Wests won. He explained in detail how he organised the sting, and then called it the evening before the game. Four Souths players including Sinclair, who passed away last year sued for defamation. There have been rumours and allegations of other betting rorts in between but no wrongdoing has ever been proved. Betting and the NRL is a curious mix, but is it a case of better the devil you know, than the one you don't? If the NRL teams do deals with the gaming and betting sector, one would think they can better keep a finger on the pulse of the situation, but would they be fooling themselves? Time will tell... maybe!

Don't change your dial punters. We will be back soon with more of the saga that is Real Life Underbelly NRL style.

Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...

Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...

PartyCasino.com

Captain Cooks Casino

Betfair (sports betting only)

PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)

PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)

Profiles

Australian Casinos

World Casino Directory

Global Gaming Directory

Casino Travel

Casinos

Australia

Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:

Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money

Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.

Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered

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Aussie Gambling News: Australia's Tabcorp Revenue Leaks From Flood, by Greg Tingle - 4th February 2011

2011-02-04T08:25:00.000+11:00

G'day punters, journos, high rollers - casino whales, gambling millionaires and billionaires, entertainment news junkies, media tycoons, politicians, insiders, outsiders, ... one and all. You know who you are. Today we take a close look at how the Queensland floods put a hole in Tabcorp's revenue, Aussie sports betting reform, Packer's boat floating off Manly getting some heat and lots more. Media Man and Gambling911 play Water World with this wet wet wet news report...

Queensland Floods Cost Tabcorp Millions In Lost Revenue...

Gaming, betting and gabling firm Tabcorp Holdings Ltd advised the recent floods on the east coast of Australia in January have wiped $10 million from revenue. Tabcorp is still expecting to see revenue and earnings growth in the second half of 2010-11. Tabcorp posted a 2.9% lift in first half profit to $265.5 million, up from $257.9 million in the prior corresponding window. Tabcorp said its normalised net profit for the half year was $272 million, up 3% on the prior corresponding half. Normalised net profit takes into account variations in the "theoretical win rate" against high-rolling punters. It excludes costs associated with Tabcorp's plans to demerge its casinos division from its other operations to form 2 listed companies. Shares in Tabcorp were 22 cents higher, by 3.19%, at $7.12 (10.24am on Thursday). Tabcorp chief executive Elmer Funke Kupper advised that each of the company's 3 operating divisions was forecasting an lift in revenue and earnings performance in the second half of the financial year. "The recent floods put some uncertainty in the immediate outlook for consumer spending in Queensland. Nevertheless, we are expecting to see positive underlying growth in the second half of the year. This gives us confidence that we are on the right path with our investment programs", Funke Kupper went on record with. Tabcorp noted the recent Queensland floods had affected trading at its Treasury casino and hotel in Brisbane, with a large dive in visitors during the floods and immediately afterwards. Tabcorp's other casinos experienced a small impact and operated normally, with Jupiters Hotel and Casino on the Gold Coast and Star City in 'Sin City' Sydney continuing on with the momentum. Wet weather in Queensland, NSW and Victoria also affected Tabcorp's wagering business as the number of abandoned horse and dog races rose. Tabcorp estimated that the immediate revenue impact of the January floods and wet weather was about $10 million. Despite the floods, normalised group revenues grew 2.5% in January 2011, which Tabcorp said indicated good underlying growth. Tabcorp said that in the first half, all 3 business divisions achieved positive revenue and earnings growth, with the strongest growth recorded in casinos. Group expenses rose 4.6%, driven by costs associated with Tabcorp's massive upgrade and expansion of its casinos. The $960 million redevelopment of Star City in Sydney was said to be progressing to plan. In the first half, Tabcorp announced that it intended to invest $625 million in upgrading its Queensland casinos. Tabcorp said plans to separate its casinos business from its wagering, gaming and keno businesses into separate, listed companies were on track. The target date for the proposed demerger remained June 30, 2011. Tabcorp plans to have a "scheme booklet" available during April 2011, and to hold an extraordinary general meeting in the late part of May or early June to allow shareholders to vote on the demerger proposal. Tabcorp's revenue for the 6 months to December 31, 2010 was $2.26 billion, up 3.5% from $2.18 billion. Tabcorp declared an interim dividend of 24 cents per share, fully franked. Tabcorp looks poised for a solid to good 12 months. James Packer's Crown Limited has recently downplayed talk of a potential buy out of Tabcorp, but didn't completely rule it out either.

James Packer's Z Sydney Whale Size Yacht Gets's Shelly Beach Locals Talking...

Asia Pacific gambling and media tycoon James Packer had folks talking this week with his monster yacht, Z Sydney, anchored off Shelly Beach. While Packer’s luxury boat might seem large for Cabbage Tree Bay, it’s just one of many similar boats that have been seen on Pittwater, behind Sydney's Northern Beaches over summer. Broken Bay water police commander senior sergeant Chris Morgan said the larger boats were self-contained and rarely caused any problems. "Packer’s boat is big but there are plenty of other big ones," he said. Palm Beach water taxi driver Brad Fogarty said there were "plenty of big boats" between Christmas and New Year. "I think Ilonka was the biggest, but so was Northern Star, which had a chopper on the back and five or six tenders," he said. What a life a big time gambling and media business can bring hey.

Australia Just Weeks Away From Combating Illegal Sports Betting Corruption?...

The top brass of the down unders lucky 7 major sports could be only weeks away from approving a raft of measures designed to combat the stench of illegal gambling. Former Australian cricket chief Malcolm Speed is in the final stages of compiling a report into how the Coalition of Major Professional Participation Sports (COMPPS)...which represents rugby league, rugby union, AFL, netball, tennis, football and cricket...can combat corruption. We understand the codes have scrapped plans to form an integrity commission but are focused on convincing the federal government to bring in laws to cater specifically for illegal gambling on sport. The latest developments come as the NRL endures yet more negative headlines relating to suspicious betting activity on last year's round 24 game between the Bulldogs and North Queensland. Bulldogs forward Ryan Tandy was arrested and charged 2 days ago after allegedly providing false evidence to a law enforcement agency in relation to the matter. Tandy, at the centre of police probes into the game, has denied any wrongdoing. Police declined to comment on the prospect of further arrests in coming days, although they did confirm their investigation into the suspect game could be completed by the end of this month. Speed provided a draft document to a working group of the 7 major sports which was discussed at length via meetings over the past 2 days. He took note of their feedback and fully expects to finalise his recommendations within 2 weeks. "We have now reached a stage where a number of changes have been suggested," Speed said. "Most of the issues are resolved but there are a couple that have not quite been resolved. It will now go from that working party to the seven chief executives of the sports. There are some recommendations on some action the sports should take to make sure so far as possible they have covered all of the options in relation to gambling and corruption." While there were suggestions the sports would join forces to form an integrity commission designed to track and watch out for suspicious gambling activity, it is understood that concept has gone by the wayside. However, the sports are in agreement over the need for sports-specific legislation which would allow governments to take action against anyone involved in illegal activity. "It's important that each sport has its own processes to deal with anti-corruption," Speed said. "What's become apparent is there are some things we can do together that are cost-effective and more effective by doing them together. They're the sort of things we'll be recommending to the chief executives." The sports have already held talks with federal Sports Minister Mark Arbib to discuss the subject of jail sentences for athletes in relation to match fixing. The concept has already been adopted in Britain where athletes face jail sentences for corruption. We tip that some current and former players and players agents will do jail time, by the time the proposals become law.

A Media Man spokesperson said "On the surface the new proposal containing ways to combat corruption looks impress. Something needed to be done, and this looks to be it. Some laws will be more general, while some are sport specific. That approach will help catch out the bad apples. Many of our friends and associates are excited and positive about the forecast changes. Everyone should win... except for the bad guys who have been engaged in corruption. Here's to a much cleaner Australian sporting landscape in 2011".

Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...

Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...

PartyCasino.com

Captain Cooks Casino

Betfair (sports betting only)

PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)

PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)

Profiles

Australian Casinos

World Casino Directory

Global Gaming Directory

Casino Travel

Casinos

Australia

Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:

Take the time to research and learn games and sports before placing down money

Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.

Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.

Keep your head above water!

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered

Website Network

Media Man International

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Media Man Australia

Media Man Asia

Media Man Canada

Media Man Games

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Media Man Network

Casino News Media

Poker News Media

Global Gaming Directory

NRL South Sydney Rabbitohs: Star City Casino Partnership!, by Greg Tingle - 27th January 2011

2011-01-27T12:06:00.001+11:00

G'day punters, journos, high rollers, sports nuts, casino and football team owners, entertainment news junkies, politicians, insiders, outsiders, politicians, journos... one and all. Today we probe the new and exciting deal between the legendary Aussie NRL footy team, the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the "partnership" with Tabcorp's Star City Casino. This follow the recent deal between the NRL's Penrith Panthers and Centrebet, with the teams football ground now known as Centrebet Stadium, in a $5 million dollar deal, tipped to secure the financial future of the club. Other clubs and plugging into the lucrative gambling and betting dollars, with more win - wins on the way, but at what cost? Can NRL and betting co exist in a sustainable fashion, without more sports betting scandals on the way. Centrebet Stadium, PartyGaming Cricket Ground, Paddy Power Park, Betfair Entertainment Centre?! Who know what may be around the corner. Media Man and Gambling911 kick a goal between the posts with this special report...

The tie ins between the National Rugby League and gambling, sports betting et al, continue this week with South Sydney celebrity owner Russell Crowe, tipped to present the Bunnies' new 5-year, multimillion-dollar sponsorship deal with Tabcorp's Star City.

A press conference including Crowe has been scheduled for the Pyrmont's Star City. Souths also yesterday announced the bookmaker, Luxbet (linked to Tabcorp), as a corporate partner for 2011. The online agency will run in house tipping service Bunnybet, taking over from Betezy, which launched the gambling website portal as a joint venture with the Rabbitohs in 2009, in a media campaign pushed far and wide by the Media Man agency, which covers the sector in a fair and balanced fashion, and known to focus on the positives, while also doing hard nosed coverage on the potential dangerous of excess gambling - betting.

The Souths Rabbitohs deals comes only 5 days after the Penrith Panthers announced their Australia-first venue naming-rights contract with a sports betting and gambling company, rebranding their home ground Centrebet Stadium Penrith. The northern beaches based Manly Sea Eagles will also this year have the Centrebet logo on their jumper. No word yet what's happening to the Full Tilt Poker logo that was on East's Rooters players shorts.

This bush tucker bag of NRL - gambling news comes at the same time that a high-profile NRL player is battling a huge problem, dropping at least $1500 a week at Star City. In addition, a police investigation, as well as New South Wales Crime Commission hearings, is not yet complete into irregular betting patterns reported in last year's round-24 match between North Queensland Cowboys and and Canterbury Bulldogs aka 'The Doggies' in Townsville. 'The Doggies' still struggle to live down a football betting and sex scandal from years ago, with the obviously sexual reference tie in off 'Doggie style', a often preferred sexual position of women.

Souths' Rabbitohs new commercial deals also equate to a bit of a back down from Crowe and co-owner Peter Holmes a Court since they proposed to to remove the pokies aka 'one armed bandits' from Souths Leagues Club in 2007. "There is a time and a place for gaming and I don't believe that South Sydney is the time or the place," Holmes a Court said way back then. The club has faced serious cash flow challenges, not to mention a poor win rate over the past years, despite having a club history second to none.

Current Souths chief executive Shane Richardson would not comment on the Star City sponsorship yesterday. NRL chief executive David Gallop mentioned that many of the NRL clubs have corporate partnerships with betting firms and the NRL itself is aligned with TAB Sportsbet, for which that company pays a product fee of 5 per cent of profit on rugby league punting.

Overseas operators such as PartyGaming, Paddy Power and others are said to be keen to get in on the action, and in the meantime the international headlines add fuel to the fire.

Betting agencies associated with the game must sign integrity agreements that insist on co-operation.

"Gambling on sport is as old as sport itself. We have to accept that being able to bet on a game adds a very enjoyable aspect to viewing," Gallop said. "The arrangements that we now have with betting agencies put us in a lot better position not only in terms of being compensated for the use of our intellectual property but also in our ability to access information about irregular betting. We've worked hard with all the sports to get ourselves to that position and indeed some of the matters that have been investigated and are currently being investigated - those investigations have only been possible because of those arrangements. Our ability to get to the bottom of issues … is greatly improved by those arrangements."

Gallop, however, listened to concerns that issues such as "spot betting" were a concern, as was hard core promotion. NRL broadcaster Channel Nine has been criticised for the past 12 months for its commentators' plugging betting options during broadcasts of the game.

"In terms of the promotion of gambling we do have restrictions. Individual players can't endorse individual agencies. There are elements that are concerning such as types of bets and aggressive promotion."

'Gambling Man' (MM tag) Gallop said he was not alarmed by reporting of players with gambling problems. "Our players are a cross-section of the community and there are going to be players with social problems, be they gambling , alcohol or drugs," he said.

Media Man and Gambling911 will continue to revel more details as they come to hand, so don't change your dial.

Australia Gets Gambling Arenas; Penrith Panthers First Cab Of The Rank; South Sydney Or Who Next?...

With Australia being in the world's top 10 gambling nations, it shouldn't shock or surprise that we're tipped to soon have a number of sporting arenas and grounds named after gambling and gaming companies, both national and international brands. Yep, money will talk where B.S sometimes walks. James Packer's Betfair is understood to build upon their Betfair Park branding, Europe's PartyGaming is keen, and currently Centrebet looks to be leading the charge, with many insiders saying its a case of when, not if, for the household name brand. Centrebet already has significant branding, thanks in part to a swag of TV and online adverts, plus who can forget the Centrebet branded part of Network Nine's 'The Footy Show'. The gambling companies already have a number of key targets, and many cash strapped and / or cash handy NRL team and home grounds are near the top of the hit list. For instance NRL team, The Penrith Panthers, are seriously considering having their home stadium named Centrebet Stadium. We kid you not punters. If the deal goes through, they will make history becoming the first major Australian sporting team to snatch a betting firm as the naming-rights partner for a playing venue. Horse Racing already has some naming rights deals with tracks and in the mix such as Betfair Park and then you have races named after gambling brands such as the Lasseters Cup, Lasseters known for its hotel - casino up in Australia's top end. The forecast Betfair deal comes as a police continue to probe the NRL gambling scandal that from last season following a number of "irregular" wagers was picked up in the Canterbury Bulldogs VS North Queensland Cowboys match up. The Panthers, Centrebet and a swag of gambling companies, have rather pissed off the gambling and gaming haters, who continues to get organised into lobby groups. A Media Man spokesperson such "Many people in and out of news media and gaming, the general public, are starting to get really pissed off at the gaming, gambling and sports betting haters. The bible bashers. Who do they think they are trying to push their beliefs onto others. Many Australians just love a punt, and that's the way it is. Some of the gaming haters have strong ties to church groups and there appears to be some sort of brainwashing system going on. They keep discussing the 'evils of gambling'. I mean, seriously, come on. People know not to over-do it on on the slots, sports events, poker and the like, but the haters keep trying to be the thought police. Gambling companies in Australia have a very high focus on responsible gambling with warnings everywhere. It's great to see the gambling and gaming industry place so much focus on safe better. The sports stadiums will be great for business, , but no one is forcing anyone to have a bet. It's a personal decision, as it always has been. 2011 is going to be a very exciting year for punters, especially those who like to have a bet of sports matches, and television and online website portals and brands will bring it all together nicely".
Back to the first prime target #1...The modest 22,500-capacity sports ground, owned by Penrith City Council, was in a past life known as CUA Stadium. What's up is that the club's contract with the Brisbane financial services company has expired, and negotiations between Panthers, the footy club and Centrebet have been taking place, even prior to Christmas about renaming the stadium. Other clubs and stadiums have also caught the buzz and are opening chequebooks and crunching the numbers. The first of its kind business agreement between the club and Centrebet is just about a done deal, and ink is expecting to try on contracts sooner rather than later, possibly within a fortnight. An exciting, if not controversial type of announcement is fully expected by the Panthers in the coming week. Sports and gambling commentators are quick to point out that Penrith already has ties to Centrebet, the gambling brand being lit up across the top of the video screen at the stadium. This kind of exposure has also been very good for their mobile - hand held device sector. Anti-gambling campaigner Senator Nick Xenophon is especially unhappy with the development of the gambling branded sports stadiums in Australia. He went on recent with: "How can a footy code currently embroiled in a betting scandal possibly allow a stadium to be named after a betting agency? There was a time when rugby league was all about the game. Now it's all about the odds, and that is ruining the game". Over the last couple of years the NRL (and AFL) has watered down its laws and regulations relating to clubs' deals and partnerships with gambling - sports betting firms, allowing them to be branded on footy jerseys for a virgin time. Cronulla Sharks have sponsor PokerStars (.net) on their jersey sleeves while cashed up Manly Sea Eagles are tipped to have Centrebet's signage on the back of their jerseys this season after a widely reported $1 million plus deal with the Northern Territory based betting outfit announced just before Christmas. Yep, it looks like a few clubs and stadiums will be getting their Christmas presents and will have lots to celebrate, while the gambling haters will be spewing in Grinch like fashion. The National Rugby League of course also has corporate ties with TAB Sportsbet, and is understood to snatch a 5% "product fee" via the company's rugby league betting profit. NRL spokesman John Brady advised he would not comment on individual clubs' sponsorship agreements but maintained there was no concern about the prospect of gambling agencies assuming naming rights for the game's venues, at least from his take on the situation. "It's an area that was relaxed last year. As such there are a number of betting sponsorships that are available to clubs in terms of jerseys and other opportunities," Brady said. He advised any and all betting firms involved with the NRL via sponsorship of clubs were made to sign "integrity agreements" to ensure transparency. The majority of NRL clubs now have corporate deals with betting agencies. Centrebet sponsors five teams: Penrith, Manly, Parramatta, St George Illawarra and North Queensland. "Comon' Betfair and PartyGaming, pull you're finger out", a Media Man sports journalist was overheard shouting when he found out the news of Centrebet's ongoing infiltration of the sport. Penrith's stadium pending name change has been intertwined we understand by some to the financial problems that have hit the football club's parent body, Panthers Group.
The licensed club is no longer quite the licence to print money as it was in the 90s Some audited figures about to do public by the conclusion of the month are expected to show black and white confirmation of a Murdoch - News Limited news story of last February that said Panthers were due to report a rather embarrassing net loss of $11 million bucks. Panthers are not afraid to speak on the record about their on and off field performance, which has seen better days. Ric Simpson, Panthers Group chief exec since last July, said a culture change and "renewal of process" across Panthers clubs had improved their situation. Analysts question that was a PR line or absolute truth. Mind you, we don't blame club for trying to focus on positives. "We're probably looking at reducing that loss by somewhere in the order of $8-$9 million," Simpson said. A Media Man spokesperson said "At this stage of the gaming the overseas trend of seeing sports groups and football teams pick up sponsorship and strong branding for gambling, gaming... sports betting companies looks to be moving full speed ahead down under in Australia. Centrebet might become the Bwin of Australia. PartyGaming is said to be currently crunching numbers to see if an Australian sports ground deal is viable. They already have a Aussie Millions former champion sponsored by their poker brand and a couple of Aussie poker players signed up, so anything is possible. James Packer's Betfair, a direct competitor of Centrebet is not likely to take the situation lying down either. Betfair is 50% Packer owned and wants to keep building their sports betting brand, as well as opening up many online casino games in Australia, poker and more. Could an Australian sports stadium ever be known as PartyGaming stadium or WPT Stadium? Not overnight, but never say never, stranger things have happened. It's all going to add a lot of money into the game and business of sport and entertainment, and already our firm is starting to experience some positive spin off benefits. It's all very exciting and profitable".

NRL Star Gambling Habit May Be Out Of Control...

He's a well known NRL footy star with a massive gambling problem. The star is a regular at Star City , where he often loses $1500 in a week. Mates are concerned. He's been asking his friends for money. He has never paid back loans, and friends are refusing. Teammates often accompany him on his frequents to Star City. No photographs are allowed, which sits well with the players. He was recently booted out of a watering hole after a big night on the piss. Media Man and Gambling911 hope this serves as a wake-up call before a promising career is ruined. Please bet and drink responsibly, and remember, the both often don't mix. Bet with you head, not over it! If the gambling stops being fun, it's probably time to stop. Have fun and good luck.

Crowe, Holmes A Court, Richardson, Gallop, Murdoch (both of you sirs), Gyngell and Turnbull and a few others - you're throw of the football and dice!

Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...

Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...

PartyCasino.com

Captain Cooks Casino

Betfair (sports betting only)

PKR.com (mainly poker and some casino and sports betting)

PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)

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Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:

Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money

Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.

Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered

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Australian Underbelly History; Anti Pokies Song, by Greg Tingle - 31st December 2010

2011-01-01T09:48:00.001+11:00

Sports Entertainment News

Happy New Year punters, casino and gambling millionaires, billionaires, entertainment news junkies, insiders, outsiders, politicians, journalists and everyone else. We've started off with a bang tracking the history of real life 'Underbelly' in 'Sin City' Sydney and well as even getting a bit of a scoop on an anti pokies song by one of Australia's foremost musicians. Media Man and Gambling911 help you get the new year started right with some fair dinkum Aussie fodder from the land down under...

Real Life Underbelly: A Dark Side Of Australia's History To Be Jackpot For Network Nine...

Crime TV fans and gambling nuts have been calling on it for about a year now, but they won't have to wait much longer - more 'Underbelly' TV is about to hit, and it even includes some of the glory days from circa 1920, including a few of the vice queens, casino queens, poker queen bees, and you get the idea.

You might have heard of the Roberta Williams babe of the crime scene in Melbourne, but they were many more female vice types before she become a household name in Australia a couple of years ago.

Lovers of femme fatale are going to wet themselves as they check out Sydney's famed "vice queens" Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh.

Production is set to rock n roll on Underbelly: Razor in January (2011 - that's right). These vice babes were running the dark side of 'Sin City' Sydney for over four decades.

You will love the costume make ups with fur coats, gold, diamonds, cash filled pockets, and are you getting the picture folks. Devine and Leigh wrestled with the biggest, baddest and most cunning (so to speak) for domination of the mean streets of 'Sin City' Sydney, with hit men and bodyguards, cloak and dagger types ready to risk there balls er lives... for the women they served, morning, noon at night.

The casting for the 4th version of 'Underbelly' is set to start in roughly a week and the gig has a track record of making stars of those who appear, so ladies (and gents), find your inner gangster and give it your best shot. The bloke who have done well in recent history including Gyton Grantley (as Carl Williams), Firass Dirani (as John Ibrahim) and Media Man's own John 'Vulcan' Seru as 'Kiwi Steve.

#4 will be primarily based on the book Razor by well respected writer Larry Writer. As the name suggests it will cover in graphic detail that "razor gang feuds" that hit Sydney's Kings Cross, Darlinghurst, and Surry Hills, with the occasional odd job ending up at Bondi Beach, Maroubra Beach, Palm Beach and wherever else a car boot load sometimes took the bodies.

The razor gangs got their title after pistol licensing laws saw jail terms com in for concealing a gun, so criminal types made the switcharoo to carrying blades.

Brothels were a great starting point for Devine whose establishments did a roaring trade. Palmer Street, Darlinghurst, was HQ for the sex and hubby "Big Jim" working out of the Tradesman's Arms, a notorious "bloodhouse" these days trading as the hip East Village pub.

Leigh, of Devonshire St, Surry Hills, cemented her rep the queen be of sly (illegal) drink. Illegal, because after 6pm the law said no to legal sales, but that's when she made a killing... when people wanted it, and would pay well for their vice.

Now get this. A punter could gain entry to her drinking pots by popping the question "Oh, is Mum in?".

Devine got arrested at least 204 times and the story goes Leigh ordered the murder of countless rivals.

Birdies tell us the TV drama will build towards their most violent war...a riot that ran rough shot over Kellett St, Kings Cross on the 9th August 1929.

The TV series is predicted to surge a new interest in their underworld parts, and cool Darlinghurst wine bar Love, Tilly Devine looks poised to cash in on publicity, financially, or both.

Casino Canberra Wants Bigger and Better Pokie Deal...

Casino Canberra is making more noise about wanting its Xmas wish of 200 poker machines, with their marketing director Peter Cursley going on record with the region top getting "hung up" on numbers. The ACT has more one armed bandits per head of population than any other Australian state or territory. They are king! A report by the Gambling and Racing Commish found the number of ACT adults participating in gambling had dropped from 72.9% in 2001 to 69.8% in 2009. The number who played pokies dropped from 38.1p% in 2001 to 30.2%. Pokies remain a game of preference for punters young and old, both in land based venues and online. When Casino Canberra opened for business two decades ago, it apparently did so on the understanding that it operate no machines, and be the only casino in Australia not to operate them. Cursley advised this provision became "redundant from day one". We are yet to get to the bottom of this but are investigating further. In its submission to the ACT Government's tax review, the casino said it desired to utilize machine licences held by the Government in surplus. Now, just 3 weeks back, Gaming and Racing Minister Andrew Barr announced he would remove those licences from circulation in a bid to further curb problem gambling. "The bottom line is we want 200 machines and we're prepared to pay," Cursley said. "We don't care where they come from." He said valuable business opportunities were being lost by the long-term ban on poker machines at the venue. It's a move and public stance bound to add fuel to the fire re anti-gambling groups, the casino says the arrangement would benefit the community, contributing $10 million in one-off licence fee revenue to the Government. It would in addition contribute 30% in gross gaming revenue tax, which would deliver an annual revenue stream of about $4 million to the ACT Government. The casino was also prepared to go on record that it would employ 20 new staff members which would contribute roughly $60,000 in payroll tax to the Government's account each year. Will money talk, as the AC/DC song goes? Cleopatra, Sinatra, Monopoly Black Rhino, Where's The Gold, Top Gun and Mission: Impossible are understood to be some of the pokie titles Casino Canberra is keen to get its hands on.

Aussie Singer-Songwriter Legend Tim Freedman to Perform Anti-Pokie Anthem Number; Government Plays Emotive Card...

The Whitlams front man Tim Freedman enjoys performing in Canberra, a pokie hotspot from way back when. Freedman wrote the smash hit 'Blow Up The Pokies' in response to a mates gambling problem and says the Federal Government is finally moving forward on the case of gambling addiction in Australia.

Last night Australian fans got to enjoy 2 x 45-minute sets featuring a medley of the band's best loved songs, including the anti-gambling anthem. Civic Square was the stage to add an interesting x factor into the Government's campaign. Freedman advised the band would time the last song of the last set to segue into a fireworks display... you know, New Years Eva and all.

The singer-songwriter was pretty surprised to learn the ACT beat NSW for the highest number of pokies machines per capita. The ACT has all told 5155 gaming machines - that's one pokie for every 68 people! The Aussie average is 1 machine for every 110 folks.

The performer was happy to share some of his thoughts on pokies..."The clubs jumping up and down about gamblers presetting their gambling limits is ridiculous. I agree with the new proposals, in that they are not affecting the recreational gambler. I personally don't think they are going far enough, but at least they are going in the right direction."

But Freedman is dismissive of his anti-pokies message.

"I just wrote the song. I haven't been involved in the front line battle like Senator Nick Xenophon, he's done the hard yards I just wrote a few rhyming couplets about 12 years ago."

Folks, its going to be interesting to see how the clubs VS Australian government pokies war plays out. So, 'Mr X' now has a performing artist on side. Might Clubs Australia and Clubs NSW play the same card, or opt for something a tad more wild. We say expect the unexpected, and a good does of people power.

Awards...

Last month was a big month for casino awards also. Let's have a look...

PartyGaming's PartyCasino has also come back with seconds, picking up another Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month Award' for December, and also the parent company, PartyGaming, picked up the prestigious EGR Slots Operator Of The Year Award ...Some other top picks of ours who picked up awards at the EGR night of nights were:
Virgin Games (Affiliate Programme)
Betfair (Innovation, Mobile Operator and UK Sports Betting Operator)
Bwin (European Sports Betting Operator
PKR (Poker Operator)

Oh, we almost forgot...Media Man and Casino News Media 'Casino Babe Of The Month': Jenny Woo, 'Poker Babe': Kara Scott, 'Gambling Babe Personality': Paris Hilton.

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Wrap Up...

Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? How did you see in the new year? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis.

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PartyPoker Reviving Million Dollar Hand in January - 22nd December 2010

2010-12-26T15:50:00.000+11:00

In January, PartyPoker will be bringing back one of its most popular promotions ever, the Million Dollar Hand. All you have to do is make a pair in a five-card poker hand to be awarded a prize, and a $1 million jackpot is on the line.

Accumulating cards is quite simple. You’ll get one for every 15 PartyPoints you rack up between January 5th and January 30th. When you’ve amassed five cards, you’ll have a hand. If it contains a pair, then $3 will be coming your way. If it contains two pair, then your prize will be upped to $10. If you manage to score three of a kind, then you’ll get a $20 cash prize. That’s pretty simple, right?

Players who land a straight in the Million Dollar Hand will take home $50, while those who pick up a flush will see $100 come their way. Players who make a boat will get $150, while anyone who hits quads will receive a $1,000 cash prize. Now, we’re into the big money, as straight flushes are worth $10,000. Finally, anyone who manages to score a Royal Flush will divide a $1 million prize pool, which means if two players hit it, each person will actually take home $500,000. If only one person makes a Royal Flush, they’ll take home the seven-figure jackpot.

The best part about the Million Dollar Hand is that PartyPoker is awarding every player his or her first card for free. No play is required! Just log into your PartyPoker account to see what your first card is.

Now, let’s review some of the terms and conditions of the PartyPoker Million Dollar Hand. First, you’ll only be able to acquire 10 cards per day for a total of two five-card poker hands. Second, if you fall short of 15 points, PartyPoker will carry them over to the next day. Third, you have to reveal your cards manually. In order to do so, log into your PartyPoker account and see what you’ve amassed. If you don’t reveal your cards, they won’t count.

PartyPoker players will have until the end of the day Eastern Time on January 31st to reveal any cards they’ve received and only points accumulated at cash game tables will count. Finally, as text found on PartyPoker’s website notes, "Cash prizes will be paid to players within an hour of them revealing their hand apart from Royal Flush winners, who will be paid on February 1st."

PartyPoker is one of the industry leaders when it comes to unique promotions like the Million Dollar Hand. In fact, the site is concurrently running a Million Dollar Hand VIP Points Race for Palladium Lounge members. Players will earn the same cash prizes as in the Million Dollar Hand and also rack up points based on their hand’s value. The top two spots on the leaderboard pay out a World Poker Tour (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic prize package worth $14,000.

The top 200 spots in the Million Dollar Hand VIP Points Race pay out, with a minimum prize of $100 up for grabs. The top 30 spots award four-figures and everyone who reaches the top 500 scores a seat into the Million Dollar Hand VIP Freeroll, which doles out a WPT prize package to its winner. Palladium Lounge members will receive extra race points for accumulating over 300 PartyPoints in a single day.

According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, PartyPoker is the third largest site worldwide in terms of real money ring game volume with a seven-day running average of 3,600 players. It just edges out the iPoker Network, but is well behind PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, which rank first and second worldwide, respectively. PartyPoker’s team of sponsored pros includes Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Mike Sexton, poker bad boy Tony G, and "High Stakes Poker" hostess Kara Scott. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Australian Gambling, Sports Betting Ads, Promos Cop Heat, by Greg Tingle - 18th December 2010

2010-12-19T14:54:00.001+11:00

Sports Entertainment News

G'day casino and gambling millionaires, billionaires, media moguls, sports nuts, entertainment news junkies, insiders, outsiders, politicians, journalists and everyone else. Today we probe the proliferation of sports betting, casino and gambling mentions and themes in the Australian media, sports and entertainment business. Network Nine and the cricket were quick off the mark via television, followed by the likes of Fox Sports, Centrebet, and now OneHD and Network Ten, the 'Warnie' show and a bush tucker bag of website portals are picking up the ball and running with it, in a way we think WikiLeaks would be proud of. Even News Limited and Fairfax Media newspapers are running tons of ads, promos and news stories are a plenty. Media Man and Gambling911 play media monitor and trace route investigator, and hit 'em for six with this very special and rather clever report...

How's the cricket been treating you recently? The Ashes has sure been good to media companies and punters who like to... well, get on the punt. Australia's fantastic sports coverage is helping get the word out on sports betting and gambling.

A number of special interests groups, campaigners, bible bashers and even a couple of medical types are jumping on the anti gambling bandwagon, and the strong gambling coverage tied in with cricket and other sports well positioned in the Australian media seems to be adding fuel to the fire, as we head towards a perfect storm.

One group, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, advised it has been "alarmed" at the rise in gambling ads, promos, as well as frequent references to sports betting odds, in televised sport and particularly the cricket that us Aussies love so much. The cricket is something both Nine boss David Gyngell and Ten and Crown Limited bigwig James Packer, are both fighting over, and we think the sports betting aspect is something that keeps the cricket so appealing to media tycoons - and its not just the modest TV ratings that go with the game if you follow our lead.

It's been debated that any cases of sports betting odds come with a warning to emphasise and make the potential punters aware of the dangers of excessive gambling as well as a helpline for existing addicts to call.

RANZCP president Dr Maria Tomasic was prepared to go on record with "Problem gambling is a real concern in our community. (Yet) there has been little public debate about the introduction of gambling advertising on sports programs, particularly during the day when children may be watching. Frequent exposure to gambling promotion, gambling's association with sport, and the use of commentators and sporting role models to promote gambling and discuss betting odds, can normalise gambling and influence vulnerable people and children."

This particular college has advised sports betting problems were on the rise and reform was needed to promote more "responsible levels of gambling activity" to help minimise its harmful impact on the community. Their list includes: Showing helpline phone numbers whenever gambling odds are broadcast during live sporting events, providing clear warnings at all gambling venues which explain the possible harms that flow from excessive gambling, advice containing details on where to seek help, while more counselling services and other forms of help and the mathematical odds of winning in luck-of-the-draw style gambling should also be on clear display at gambling venues

A Media Man spokesperson said "We think some of the groups proposals do have some merit, but at the same time we need to help ensure proposals and guidelines don't contain overkill. All gambling and sports betting services have some sort of warning about the dangers of gambling. Do we really need the fun police everywhere. People know sports betting and gambling is just that, and not what you would call a business model for one's life financial planning or regular income. Granted, some people are very successful at making sports betting and gambling their main income, but that is the rare exception to the rule. It's hard to protect people from themselves. People need to just enjoy the experience and keep it fun, and not bet over their head".

Dr Clive Allcock, Member of RANZCP's Section of Addiction Psychiatry said "Problem gambling can result in divorce, suicidal thoughts and acts, illegal acts and bankruptcy. Those with gambling problems often also have other concerns, such as depression, hazardous alcohol use and smoking, and personality disorders."

The good doctor also said more research was also needed to develop evidence-based treatments for gambling addiction, as there was currently "not one treatment which is considered to be the best for problem gambling".

Gambing industry bigwigs like Aristocrat's Len Ainsworth said in regarding to problem gambling "A problem gambler is like a problem drinker or a serial killer; you've got to get to the cause".

Ainsworth's comments do have merit, but as is often the case with bright ideas, easier said than done. How do you get inside someone's head, how do you force them to change their ways. Oh, that's right. Let's see what Australia's 'Big Brother' Gillard Labor government can do. Perhaps that's why they are looking closely at biometrics. But, are such solutions the tip of the iceberg for something a whole lot more similar with previous Australian government proposals containing the likes of the 'Australia Card'.

Some of the most popular sports betting and gambling brands for Australia include:
Betfair, Centrebet, Gamebookers and BetUS (sports betting brands)
PartyGaming, PartyCasino, PartyPoker, Captain Cooks Casino, 888, PKR and World Poker Tour (gambling and poker brands)

Some sports that are currently seeing an increase in betting interest include motorsport (F1 and V8 SuperCars), professional surfing, boxing, wrestling and UFC. The AFL, NRL, tennis and soccer continue to maintain their incredible popularity.

Australian media and gambling tycoon, James Packer, appears to be best positioned to lead Australia into the future of sports betting and gambling, with his 50% ownership in Betfair, ruling Crown Limited - Crown Casino (home to the Aussie Millions) and stake in OneHD...an offshoot of Ten Network Holdings, commonly known to punters are Channel Ten. PartyGaming, listed on the London Stock Exchange, have also enjoyed strong success in Australia and the wider Asia Pacific region, teaming up with mainstream media and entertainment industry brands such as Marvel Entertainment, Sony, Fremantle Media and Paramount Pictures. News Corp's 20th Century Fox is also understood to be wanting to become heavily involved in the Australian gambling landscape, as they are in the United Kingdom. Media and entertainment portals such as Google, Media Man and Yahoo! all appear to be continuing to ramping up their coverage of gambling and sports betting, catering to an international audience via the internet...ideally suited to covering the dynamic nature of the gambling sector.

Whatever the final outcome aka Australian government 'The Final Solution' is, don't get too used to the current Australian gambling and sports betting landscape, and significant changes are just around the corner.

If you enjoy a bet, please do so in a responsible matter, and if you think your gambling may be getting out of hand, please seek professional assistance.

Awards...

Last month was a big month for casino awards. Let's have a look...

PartyGaming's PartyCasino has also come back with seconds, picking up another Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month Award' for November, and also the parent company, PartyGaming, picked up the prestigious EGR Slots Operator Of The Year Award ...Some other top picks of ours who picked up awards at the EGR night of nights were:
Virgin Games (Affiliate Programme)
Betfair (Innovation, Mobile Operator and UK Sports Betting Operator)
Bwin (European Sports Betting Operator
PKR (Poker Operator)

Oh, we almost forgot...Media Man and Casino News Media 'Casino Babe Of The Month': Jenny Woo, 'Poker Babe': Kara Scott, 'Gambling Babe Personality': Pamela Anderson.

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Wrap Up...

Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report on gambling in the Australian media? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis. They also publish Australian Sports Entertainment http://www.australiansportsentertainment.com

*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited, Ten Network Holdings and Virgin

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Australian NRL Footy Star Recorded Placing Bet, by Greg Tingle - 5th December 2010

2010-12-05T16:11:00.001+11:00

Sports Entertainment News Blog

Punters, sports nuts, insiders, outsiders, and everyone else. Think you have heard the last of sports betting scandals, fixes and all that stuff down under in Australia? Think again. Just when you though Aussie sports betting scandals in the NRL might have been history new evidence has come to light that appears to implement at least one Australian NRL player. Media Man and Gambling911 clothesline and crash tackle the situation with this special report...

An up and coming National Rugby League star player has been catch into rugby league's latest and very ugly betting scandal after being caught on closed circuit TV placing a suspicious wager on the dubious, some say, rather rigged, match this year between Canterbury Bulldogs and North Queensland Cowboys.

Front and centre...Brad Murray. The spotlight is on you son. The 20 year old played for the Bondi Beaches favorite sons, the Sydney Roosters last season, and then jumped ship to join the Parramatta Ells, committing for the next three years. He also had the prestige of being named (in a positive way) in the 2010 Toyota Cup under-20s team of the year.

Murray, talked about as a potential Eels first-grade halfback for next season, is currently the second league figure to be filmed on CCTV placing a "highly irregular" bet on the match. Another key figure in the betting investigation has also been caught on 'candid camera' placing at least 5 wagers on the Cowboys - Doggies match in a time duration of less than 5 hours. So readers, that's about 1 bet per hour, using a spread on bets and money (and clothing)... more on the clothing later.

The wagers are understood to have involved a bet being placed on a penalty goal being the game's 1st scoring option. This kind of specific occurrence bets are the ones that seem to most attract the dark side of betting - fixing, players doing the wrong thing, and so on.

Our sources indicated by all accounts that Murray placed his wager on the game at 1pm on the 19th August in a Flemington hotel on Parramatta Road, in Sydney's western region.

Then, on the following 2 days an unusual amount of similar type bets were placed with punters in line to win more than $250,000. Folks, the average yearly wage in Australia is about $60k, so that's not bad money, but it comes with risk, as folks are finding out the hard way.

"We didn't go into the specifics but, yes, I have spoken to Brad," said Parramatta chief executive Paul Osborne. "It is a difficult time for him and his family but I've encouraged him to fully co-operate with police."

Quizzed about would his club consider firing Murray's ass, Osborne replied "It's too early to say."

Murray is managed by the well known player agent, Sam Ayoub, also the 'go to' man for Doggy Ryan Tandy, who has denied any wrongdoing in the scandal despite infamously losing the ball from his grasp with his first hit-up of the match and then going on to concede a penalty in front of his side's goalposts. Folks, you're smart enough to join a few dots we think.

Ayoub has been silent on the matter thus far, but if he speaks on it we'll let you know.

The figure who placed the 5 wagers in 5 hours cannot be named for legal type reasons but is known to have strong links to the NRL and some current players.

Police have released images of a man (looks like a stocky footy player) who placed 1 of the first suspicious bets on the game.

Over the next two days a suspiciously high number of similar type bets were placed, with punters standing to win more than $250,000.

Doggie prop Ryan Tandy famously lost the ball with his first hit of the match and then gave a penalty away in front of the posts.

But the Cowboys rejected the opportunity for a penalty goal and instead scored a try as the first play of the match.

"As this was one of the earliest bets placed on the game we believe he may have information that can assist our investigation," said Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis, commander of the Firearms and Organised Crime Squad.

He advised more than 80 people had so far been interviewed! They include relevant players from the match, along with the mystery man identified in the CCTV footage one of the last unidentified people under investigation.

It's not a good look for Australia sport, and he give his thoughts on the situation.

"If true, the allegations go to the heart and the integrity of the game," Det. Supt. Katsogiannis said.

While he would not be drawn on if or when charges would be pressed, he said he was "very optimistic" about the chance of success.

Media Man and Gambling911 are hopeful that the NRL can be cleaned up.

"It doesn't mean some sort of insider information and hot tips has to disappear from the league, but we need to get rid of the ugly aspects of Australian sports betting", a Media Man rep said.

Read About Another Famous NRL Sports Betting Scandal...

'Australian Sports Betting Scandal: NRL Melbourne Storm'
http://www.gambling911.com/sports/australian-sports-betting-scandal-nrl-melbourne-storm-042310.html

Awards...

Last month was a big month for casino awards. Let's have a look...

PartyGaming's PartyCasino has also come back with seconds, picking up another Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month Award' for November, and also the parent company, PartyGaming, picked up the prestigious EGR Slots Operator Of The Year Award ...Some other top picks of ours who picked up awards at the EGR night of nights were:
Virgin Games (Affiliate Programme)
Betfair (Innovation, Mobile Operator and UK Sports Betting Operator)
Bwin (European Sports Betting Operator
PKR (Poker Operator)

Oh, we almost forgot...Media Man and Casino News Media 'Casino Babe Of The Month': Jenny Woo, 'Poker Babe': Kara Scott, 'Gambling Babe Personality': Pamela Anderson.

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Wrap Up...

Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? What else can be done to help stop the rot in Australian sports? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis. They also publish Australian Sports Entertainment http://www.australiansportsentertainment.com

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Crown Casino: Sports Performer Awards, by Greg Tingle - 30th November 2010

2010-11-30T17:10:00.000+11:00

G'day punters, sports nuts, casino and gambling millionaires and billionaires, poker nuts, politicians, super whales, journalists, ... one and all. Today we dish up sporting feast as Melbourne's Crown Casino plays hosts the annual Sports Performer Awards. Media Man and Gambling911 hunt down the hottest sports stories in the world just for you...

Tonight's the night, at Crown Casino, if your into sports that is, and we don't mean poker.

Very cleverly James Packer owned Crown Casino continues to put on a bush tucker bag of activities, events et al... some gambling related, some not. It's all part of his 'World Of Entertainment' which JP has been selling for a few years now.

Regular G911 and Media Man readers will recall other events that are hosted by Crown included Warnie tapings, 'The Logies', Brownlow Medal awards, and the upcoming 'This Is Your Life'.

Well, tonight (Tuesday) Crown does elite sports.

Let's see... we've got Alicia Coutts (swimmer) and Mark 'No Bull' Webber (F1 ace) in the mix of a world class line up of elite sports men and women.

The winner of the super cool sports performer of the year will get a handy $50,000 payday and a Raymond Weil timepiece valued at $3900. The watch might end up on eBay, but that's another story punters.

The top individual award line up is: Webber, Huegill (swimming), Coutts, Mitchell, Torah Bright (snowboarding), Todd Carney (NRL), Stephanie Gilmore (surfing), Lydia Lassila (aerial skiing), Chris McCormack (ironman), Neil Robertson (snooker), Dane Swan (AFL) and Steve Hooker (athletics).

Who will be Australia's top athlete? We've got Cadel Evans, Matthew Mitcham and Craig Alexander.

F1 legend Webber is a fav of ours and finished third in this year's F1 championship. Webber's performance is amazing when you consider the Red Bull team appeared to treat him as their #2 driver for the season, and you can look up the history on this website.

Collingwood midfielder Swan was a awesome performer all year and significantly assisted the Magpies end a 20-year premiership hiatus.

Snooker ace Robertson grabbed the world championship before going on to top the rankings and win the World Open. Readers will recall some of the history when the favorite got stuck in a sports betting scandal, but enough of that for now.

Aerial skier and Vancouver Olympic gold medallist Lassila went on record that she was was "surprised" and "very grateful to be nominated". Lassila won this year's The Don Award at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame induction ceremony, so she's on a roll.

The nominees for the team performance of the year are the Matildas (soccer), Kookaburras (hockey), St George Illawarra (NRL), Collingwood (AFL), Queensland State of Origin (NRL) and Team Vodafone (V8 Supercars).

How about coach of the year? Ok, we've got Ric Charlesworth (hockey), Gai Waterhouse (horse racing) and Mick Malthouse (AFL) in the field of contenders.

Young performer of the year? Try on for size Melissa Wu (diving) and Jessica Watson (sailing), and swimmer Matthew Cowdrey for the sports performer of the year (with a disability).

Crown Casino Mate To Call And World Class Cricket (And Business) Spinner...

Shane Warne TV News...

Warnie sweetly beat Channel Ten shows The Good Wife and House. Australian TV critics expressed some optimism after viewing the first Warnie. Herald Sun's TV writer Colin Vickery went with the show "a solid first innings". "Warne doesn't have the skills of the famed British interviewer (Michael Parkinson) but the former Aussie spin king has a knockabout charm that brought out the best in his guests," Vickery said. Veteran interviewer and radio host Derryn Hinch told the newspaper he was pleasantly surprised after initially fearing the show "had bogan written all over it". "Take it for what it is, it's entertainment and I think Shane Warne has, what I've seen at this stage, done a pretty good job," Derryn 'The Human Headline' Hinch said. "It's just straight up and down, it's folksy and chatty, it's light and entertaining and it will go quite well." Professional blogger Karl Quinn, from The National Times, a Fairfax Media publication scribed the program as "neither a disaster nor a world-changing event". "It was exactly what you might expect from Shane Warne: affable, blokey, and not to be taken too seriously," Quinn said. Other celebrities to feature on the show include Sting, Pink, Chris Martin and Daniel Radcliffe. Quotes From Warnie And Guests...Warne: "Did you ever think, 'I wish I could be a plumber for a day, or drive a truck and deliver beds or deliver pizzas?'" Packer: "To be honest, not a lot. I sometimes wished I was you, but if I can't be you I'm happy being me." Sam Kekovich: "A life spent making mistakes is more honourable and more useful than a life spent doing nothing," he said. Claiming he was quoting George Bernard Shaw, but everyone knew who he was really talking about. Our rating: 9.5 out of 10. Yep, Warnie hit em for 6, with Packer chipping in being a good sport, making sure it would be a success. Not quite a Packer whacker, but not a puff piece either. Warnie could well be heading for a jackpot next week. Don't change your dial, and always remember to spin to win.

Awards...

It's been a big month for casino awards.

PartyGaming's PartyCasino has also come back with seconds, picking up another Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month Award' for November, and also the parent company, PartyGaming, picked up the prestigious EGR Slots Operator Of The Year Award ...Some other top picks of ours who picked up awards at the EGR night of nights were:
Virgin Games (Affiliate Programme)
Betfair (Innovation, Mobile Operator and UK Sports Betting Operator)
Bwin (European Sports Betting Operator
PKR (Poker Operator)

Oh, we almost forgot...Media Man and Casino News Media 'Casino Babe Of The Month': Jenny Woo, 'Poker Babe': Kara Scott, 'Gambling Babe Personality': Pamela Anderson.

Media Man Profiles

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Wrap Up...

Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Did you enjoy the Crown Casino sporting news? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis. They also publish Australian Sports Entertainment http://www.australiansportsentertainment.com

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Aussiewood - Hollywood Entertainment News, by Greg Tingle - 29th November 2010

2010-11-29T22:36:00.001+11:00

G'day punters, entertainment news junkies, casino and gambling millionaires and billionaires, politicians, super whales, journalists, one and all. Today we have a special Aussiewood - Hollywood entertainment news round up for you. From the golden sands of Bondi Beach, the Opera House in Sydney, over to Perth, all the way up to our friends in Hollywood, you will be sure to get stars in your eyes today. Media Man and Gambling911 continue to bring you some of the most interesting and news on the planet. Lights, camera, action...

Sylvester Stallone Sex Film 'The Party at Kitty and Stud's' Sells For $400K on eBay...

Sly, The Italian Stallion himself, is back in action…erotic action, sort of... The rights to a soft-porn film starring Sylvester Stallone four decades ago, was sold on e-Bay for $412,100. The then strapped-for-cash star made his on-screen debut in the 1970 film "The Party at Kitty and Stud's." Stallone played Stud, a young man who, along with his oversexed lover Kitty, enjoys inviting various women into their bed. The 71-minute movie was eventually renamed "The Italian Stallion" by Bryanston Distributors after the actor became famous in "Rocky." Now that the rights have been purchased (the owner has not yet been identified), it's likely the film will be re-released, The Sun reported. In an interview in the 1970s, Stallone, now 64, told Playboy that he was so poor that he had to take the role. "It was either do that movie or rob someone because I was at the end—at the very end—of my rope. Instead of doing something desperate, I worked two days for $200." After filming "Rocky," the erotic filmmakers tried to sell the movie back to Stallone for $100,000, but the actor said he "wouldn't pay two bucks for it," according to AOL's Moviefone. Last year MGM unsuccessfully tried to buy the flick. Sly, you've cum a long way since then.

U2 legend Bono Waits For Table At Australian Bondi Beaches' Icebergs...

Bono snuck into 'Sin City' Sydney on Saturday. He headed for a eat and a drink as he often does when down under. The renowned Irish rock singer, who spent two weeks at Sydney's Bungan Beach with his family in 2006 completely undetected, casually strolled into Rose Bay nosherie Catalina on Sunday for a seafood feed with guitarist The Edge (David Evans) and the eatery's owner, Michael McMahon. On Saturday night he arrived unannounced at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar at Bondi Beach and like a normal person waited or a table at the "no reservations" restaurant. "He was having a red cocktail but didn't finish it because a table became available," advised a deepthroat. No, not a Stallone type of deepthroat you rascals. The U2 360 tour begins in Melbourne this Wednesday night.

Avatar Michelle Rodriguez Star Teams Up With Sea Shepherd In Perth...

Hollywood babe actress Michelle Rodriguez, star of Avatar, was in Fremantle supporting anti-whaling activist group Sea Shepherd. Rodriguez has been aboard Sea Shepherd’s flagship vessel MY Steve Irwin. The crew are replenishing supplies before heading to the Southern Ocean in December. The trip, dubbed 'Operation No Compromise', will be Sea Shepherd’s seventh mission into the frigid waters of Antarctica to attempt to stop the slaughter of whales by Japanese "scientific researchers". Among the crew are three Perth residents including former Labor Attorney General Jim McGinty’s brother Kevin McGinty, Steven Bennett and Georgie Dicks. Captain Locky MacLean said the crew are looking forward to having Rodriguez on board. The group, which uses rather militant art of war tactics in its fight against whaling, made headlines early this year when their stealth vessel the Ady Gill was "cut in half" by Japanese whalers. This year, a new monohull fast vessel called the Ocean Adventurer will replace the Ady Gill. SS are currently seeking a large sponsor which would give them the naming rights to use 'Godzilla'. Something like that. Sea Shepherd’s Australian Director Jeff Hansen said: "It is great to see high profile people like Miss Rodriguez giving up their spare time to help promote our fight to defend the whales being illegally targeted in New Zealand and Australian waters". Media Man lost good mate Peter Carrette this past weekend, approximately 48 hours after doing photography at the Bondi Beach 'No Compromise' gig at Bondi Beach last Friday. R.I.P Peter. We miss you mate.

Darren Aronofsky Explains 'The Wolverine' Aussie Hugh Jackman...

If you're wondering why "Black Swan" director Darren Aronofsky was hired to tackle "The Wolverine" for 20th Century Fox, wonder no more. Aronofsky himself has broken his silence on the "Wolverine" front in an extensive interview with Movie City News. According to the filmmaker, his reasons for choosing the "Wolverine" non-sequel as his next project are quite simple: in the end, he just wanted to have a good time. "I'm just trying to have fun," he said. "I think, for the first time in my life, you know, every single film that I've done so far I've been the only person in the room who wants to make the movie. And, I kind of am excited about doing a film where actually everyone wants to make it just to see what the experience is like and to see if I can do what I do in that world." It's not like I'm going to change my process," he added. "I'm going to be working with the same team, and making, you know, really trying to do something very, very different and see what happens." During the interview, Aronofsky said that he's received a large amount of support both from franchise lead Hugh Jackman and Fox Studios head Tom Rothman, joking that Rothman "doesn't even know how gutsy it is" that he hired the outside-the-box filmmaker for "The Wolverine." "I've been looking for a situation where everything lines up really well. This just makes sense; I think I'm being hired because of who I am. I'm not being hired to turn into someone. I'm being hired to do what I do. I don't know if (Rothman) knows exactly what he's bought, but we're definitely going to make something great, you know, but it will be very different, and that's what I do. We're going to try and have a great time with it."

John Travolta and Kelly Preston 'Overjoyed' With New Baby Benjamin; Travolata Not Gay...

Living legend and iconic star of Saturday Night Fever (the movies and the online slot game), is delighted with his new baby, but very unhappy about the gay rumours. Actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston took to Travolta's website earlier this week to announce the birth of their 8-pound, 3-ounce son, Benjamin Travolta. "We are overjoyed to announce the arrival of our son, Ella's baby brother, Benjamin Travolta. Born November23, 2010 in Florida, Benjamin is healthy and doing beautifully. Thank you for the congratulations messages and wishes...we are beyond happy about the newest addition to our family," the family said in the message. Travolta, 56, and Preston, 48, announced the pregnancy earlier this year, celebrating with a dozen close friends at a shower held at their Los Angeles-area home. "This baby is such a healing baby," a family friend told People magazine. The pregnancy was the first bit of good news they had shared in a long time. "It's impossible to keep a secret," they wrote in a statement on Travolta's website in May, "especially one as wonderful as this." We want to be the first to share this great news with everyone that we are expecting a new addition to our family," the online statement continued and like this week's update, was signed "Love, John, Kelly and Ella." John Travolta's family has been dealt another blow as reports emerge that he has been allegedly cheating on his wife...engaging in "lewd sex acts with other men" as part of a "secret gay spa subculture." Perez Hilton posted the story on his website along with a cover of the National Enquirer, carrying the headline "John Travolta Caught In Cheating Scandal! "John Travolta has been cheating on Kelly for years!" said Robert Randolph, author of the memoir, You'll Never Spa in This Town Again. "And when the details emerge, he's gonna make Tiger Woods look like a boy scout." John has been married to Kelly Preston for 19 years, with the pair expecting their third child this year. They lost their eldest son Jett in 2009 to an autism-related seizure.

WWE Studios Films Flop At Box Office; Perform Well In DVD Rental Market...

Entertainment trade publication Variety published a report today on WWE Studios's new films strategy "flopping" at the box office, but perhaps finding a market on home video. Variety followed up on WWE's third quarter earnings report last Thursday by noting WWE reported $3.8 million in revenue related to "Legendary," despite the movie drawing a measly $200,000 at the box office. WWE executive Jim Connelly told Variety that WWE is banking on strong storefront marketing at retail locations such as Walmart to help boost DVD and Blu-ray sales of their movies. Variety also reported on WWE pushing their slate of movies to theaters simply for marketing purposes before pulling the movies and releasing them on DVDs. That was apparent with WWE Studios's theatrical release schedule for "Legendary" and "Knucklehead." Related to the planned launch of the WWE TV Network potentially in 2011, Variety reports that WWE is looking to their slate of movies to serve as "more high-profile programming" on the new cable tele channel. Going forward, Jim Connelly told Variety that WWE will be re-evaluating their movie release schedule for 2011 as they begin to roll out the next slate of low-budget movies in theaters with an eye on home video. Variety concluded: "For now, it appears as if the future of WWE Studios will play out on the smallscreen."

Aussie's Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban To Appear On Oprah Winfrey Show Tomorrow; Australia Catches Oprah - Oprah House Mania...

Australian actress Nicole Kidman and huby singer Keith Urban will be on The Oprah Winfrey Show tomorrow. Urban has earlier confirmed that he would be performing in the shows Ultimate Australian Adventure episodes to be filmed later this year. "Tomorrow, two of the hottest Aussies are here! Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban! The countdown to Oprah's Ultimate Australian Adventure starts now!," says a post on the official Facebook page for The Oprah Winfrey Show. Keith Urban was in The Oprah Winfrey Show earlier this November where he confirmed his performance at the much anticipated episodes set to be shot in Sydney this December. Urban promoted his sixth studio album Get Closer to in the United States. However, the Australia singer did not comment on rumours that his wife Nicole Kidman will also be on Oprah's Australian show. Tomorrow's episode might just confirm if Nicole Kidman will indeed be a guest on December 14 and 15 at the Sydney Opera "Oprah" House.

Mad Max Revamped Movie #4 Will Happen Says Aussiewood Insiders; Fury Road?!...

Remember the Aussie cult film classic that went on to mainstream...Max Max. They got to #3, always with Aussie tough guy Mel Gibson in the lead as 'Max Rockatansky' aka 'The Road Warrior'. Filming will take place near Broken Hill, New South Wales. Gibson will not be reprising his old role in Mad Max 4: Fury Road which will star British actor Tom Hardy alongside Charlize Theron. In November 2006, George Miller had stated that he still had full intentions to make Fury Road, telling the press that he was considering doing the film without Mel Gibson, saying, “There's a real hope. The last thing I wanted to do is another Mad Max, but this script came along, and I'm completely carried away with it." The film's screenplay was co-written with cult British comic creator Brendan McCarthy, who also designed many of the new characters and vehicles. Miller again confirmed his desire to make another Mad Max at the 2007 Aurora film maker initiative. However, he did say he thought Mel Gibson would not be interested in the film because he is too old (not too nuts!)

Billionaire Branson To Launch Apple iPad Lifestyle Mag...

Aussie's live Branson and Virgin, so you'll love this...Word of Sir Dick's plans to publish "Project" for delivery on iPads came shortly after media mogul Rupert Murdoch hinted that his News Corp empire will soon publish a digital newspaper for the hot Apple gadgets. News Corp, owner of The Australian, has been tight-lipped about the project but 79-year-old mogul Murdoch acknowledged in an interview last week that "The Daily" is in the works. Sir Richard said in invitations to the press that "Project" themes will include entertainment, travel, business, design, and international culture. The event in New York City on Wednesday did not indicate whether "Project" would be provided as passenger reading on flights. Billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard owns about half of Virgin Atlantic airline with its aircraft that boast internet-age amenities such as power outlets at seats and wireless connections to the web. He recently said that his Virgin Galactic enterprise is on track to offer commercial space travel within 18 months, and that space hotels are next on the drawing board. Yeah, we know, Branson has appeared in films such as Casino Royale, Around The World in 80 days, and a good spread of other movies and TV specials. If your going to be a media tart, you might as well be very good at it.

Lachlan Murdoch Acquires Ten Network Stake, Joins Shareholder Aussie James Packer...

Lachlan Murdoch, son of News Corp. Chairman Rupert, has recently acquired a little over half of James Packer’s stake in Ten Network Holdings Ltd. Packer bought a 17.88% stake, or 172.2 million shares, in the media group last month through Cavalane Holdings Ltd. Murdoch, through Illyria Nominees Television Pty Ltd. has agreed to buy 93.4 million shares for A$128.2 million, according to a regulatory filing to the ASX (Australian Stock Exchange). The two gents will act in concert in relation to the exercise of their votes, the statement said. Packer and Murdoch agreed to join the board of Australia’s third-ranked television broadcaster last month. Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest woman, lifted her stake in the company to 10%. Packer also owns 49% of Consolidated Media Holdings Ltd. which in turn has 25% of Foxtel, down under's largest pay television operator.

Media Man Showcases Movies; Reviews...

Want more? Check out Media Man Movies here and Media Man Movie Reviews here.
Try not to get square eyes. We're told PartyGaming still has the best movie blockbuster themed slot games on the planet, but you be the judge, jury and executioner. The Media Man has left the building.

Awards...

It's been a big month for casino awards.

PartyGaming's PartyCasino has also come back with seconds, picking up another Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month Award' for November, and also the parent company, PartyGaming, picked up the prestigious EGR Slots Operator Of The Year Award ...Some other top picks of ours who picked up awards at the EGR night of nights were:
Virgin Games (Affiliate Programme)
Betfair (Innovation, Mobile Operator and UK Sports Betting Operator)
Bwin (European Sports Betting Operator
PKR (Poker Operator)

Oh, we almost forgot...Media Man and Casino News Media 'Casino Babe Of The Month': Jenny Woo, 'Poker Babe': Kara Scott, 'Gambling Babe Personality': Pamela Anderson.

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Wrap Up...

Readers... er, punters, how did you like our special Aussiewood - Hollywood report? Did you get stars in your eyes? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer media, entertainment industry and political commentary and analysis. They also publish Australian Sports Entertainment http://www.australiansportsentertainment.com and Hollywood Slot Games

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Win A Dream Holiday And Guaranteed Entry Into WPT Celebrity Invitational; PartyCasino Big One Near $3 Million

2010-11-27T13:51:00.001+11:00

Win A Dream Holiday And Guaranteed Entry Into WPT Celebrity Invitational; PartyCasino Big One Near $3 Million

‘The Big One’ at PartyCasino.com is nearing $3,000,000 while the accumulated jackpots on the world’s largest online casino are nearing $4,000,000! ‘The Big One’ is structured as a five tiered pool. The highest tier - Colossal Cash - seeds at $1.5 million, the biggest online jackpot seed in the industry, and currently stands at $2,840,000. Customers can play for ‘The Big One’ through traditional slot Melon Madness and the recently introduced Snow Business. Somebody is going to win very big!

PartyPoker.com recently introduced anonymous heads-up tables. How does that change your game? We asked Kara Scott et all for their views.

Win A Dream Holiday And Guaranteed Entry Into WPT Celebrity Invitational

Gibraltar – 16th November 2010 -- PartyPoker.com is offering customers the opportunity to indulge themselves in the world of the rich and famous by winning a four-day dream holiday to Los Angeles, including a seat in the prestigious WPT Celebrity Invitational at the Commerce.

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “Win one of our amazing prize packages and we’ll make sure you live it up in one of the coolest cities on the planet. Last year we took package winners on a tour of Hollywood and Beverley Hills as well as organising a fun-filled day at the world-famous Universal Studios – and this time it could be you experiencing the A-list lifestyle. As well as the sightseeing you’ll also get a seat at the exclusive WPT Celebrity Invitational. This event is packed full of celebrities and big names from poker but we’ve made sure our winners will have their place among the elite for a chance to win a major slice of the $200,000 prize pool.”

"These packages are sure to be popular. We don’t know how many of the 14 packages we’ll give away in each weekly satellite so remember, once they’re gone they’re gone and the promotion will be over."

PartyPoker.com’s Los Angeles packages include:

Four nights’ hotel accommodation
$2,000 spending money
Our world-renowned hospitality throughout your stay in Los Angeles
Guaranteed entry to the WPT Celebrity Invitational

There are a wide range of daily qualifiers that run until the 19th December or until 14 packages are given away. Daily freerolls mean there is the chance to win the trip to LA for free!

The WPT Celebrity Invitational is the curtain raiser for the LA Poker Classic and takes place on the 18th – 19th February 2011 – the event is overseen by WPT Executive Tour Director Matt Savage. The event is strictly invite only. Amongst the celebrities spotted in the field in 2010 were Ricki Lake and Terri Hatcher, with reality star Trishella Cannatella and poker pro Thor Hansen making the final table. Amateur Leron Washington took the $100,000 first prize.

Full information can be found at: PartyPoker.com

Please note that players have to be 21 to take part in the WPT Celebrity Invitational.

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AFL Star David Schwarz: Gambling, Mafia Warnings, by Greg Tingle - 24th November 2010

2010-11-24T20:23:00.001+11:00

Readers, punters, politicians, casino millionaires, billionaires, sports nuts, one and all. We know that only a small percentage of people develop a gambling problem, where it starts to become a real problem and negative in their lives. As a public service and in the spirit of being fair and balanced in our coverage of gaming and gambling we offer the story on an Aussie sporting champion who survived his problem, and today he shares it with us. Media Man and Gambling911 with the news you need to know, not necessarily what you want to hear...

AFL footy star David Schwarz knows what it's like to battle with a gambling addiction.

His addition has been compared to the one that Brendan "Punter Fev" Fevola once was known for.

He gambled the better part of $4 million bucks over a decade while playing with the Melbourne Demons AFL team between 1991 and 2001.

In a revealing and candid speech at a gambler's help launch at Victoria's Latrobe Community Health Service last Monday, Schwarz disclosed he made it out of his gambling addition only because of the help of other people.

Schwarz lived in Morwell and Traralgon as a child before moving to Beechworth and then Sunbury.

He's good memories of growing up are overshadowed by bad. When he was 8 years old he said he saw his father shot dead in front of him, leaving the family with gambling debts of almost $40,000, then the value of 3 houses in the town.

When he was 14 he placed his first bet and scored a winner, pocketing about $50.

Schwarz said when he told his mother how he got the money he "saw the fear in her eyes straight away".

The only days of the year he didn't gamble were Christmas Day and Good Friday, because the betting companies were closed.

When the AFL hit the "boom time" in the 1990s Schwarz said his income jumped from about $30,000 a year to $1.28 million for a 4 year deal.

"Most people would think 'I can set myself up for life here', I thought 'I can do some damage at the track'," Schwarz said.

His gambling spiralled out of control and the rising footy star blew his earnings and the equity on his Camberwell home, and his personal and work relationships began to suffer greatly.

"I was hanging out with d**kheads in the Mafia...all of a sudden I'm the person who's letting my team down...no one trusts me," he said.

"(But) I don't care, I'm punting, that's my life."

He told the group that punters made selfish choices and lied to family and friends.

Schwarz said he didn't believe the gaming industry was "evil", but some punters were vulnerable to becoming problem gamblers and those people needed to be protected.

Average electronic gaming machine expenditure in the Latrobe Valley is about $4 million a month. You read correctly.

Latrobe Community Health community support executive director Anne-Maree Kaser said the Venue Support Workers program helped gaming venue staff identify and respond to people showing signs of problem gambling behaviours.

Two Venue Support Workers are now in Gippsland working with gaming venues and gambler's help organisations to support responsible gambling practices and environments.

Hat's off to Schwarz, gaming companies and community support groups doing the right thing.

If gambling is becoming a problem for you please seek assistance.

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Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Do you think you or a friend might have a problem with gambling? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis.

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Australian Ex Survivor Producer Up For Murder, by Greg Tingle - 21st November 2010

2010-11-21T23:01:00.001+11:00

G'day punters, gamers, entertainment news junkies, casino and media millionaires and billionaires, journalists, politicians and one and all. Australian Bruce Beresford-Redman, former 'Survivor' Producer, and ex resident of Toongabie, Sydney, is up for murdering his wife. Media Man and Gambling911 play Cluedo, Columbo and real life Underbelly with this special report...

A former reality television producer is up for murder for allegedly murdering his wife.

Australian Bruce Beresford-Redman, ex 'Survivor' producer, is the prime suspect.

Why would a husband murder his wife? Will the accused survive a trial? Beresford-Redman appears to be gambling on there not being enough evidence linking him to the grizzly crime, but with new evidence and such coming to the surface he may need to change his tactics, if he is to cheat time in the big house can (jail).

Media Man representatives last September were present at Sydney's 'The Basement' celebrating Australian actor Jack Thompson's 70th birthday when an announcement was made over the microphone that "Producer Bruce Beresford-Redman is sorry he can't make it in person tonight as he's shooting in Mexico", or something to that effect. A silence hit the rumor, raised eyebrows, and a light chuckle or two, as some of the audience were clearly in on the (non funny) joke. Most audience members were pissed... that's Aussie for had drank a lot of beer or wine.

The Latest...

The lovely sisters of Monica Burgos Beresford-Redman want a judge to keep her husband away from Monica's assets as they are understood to be afraid Bruce Beresford-Redman will basically raid the bank accounts to pay lawyers who will defend him on murder charges. Lovely stuff hey punters.

The sisters are understood to be worried BBR will strip Monica's estate to post a hefty bail. In legal papers filed earlier, Monica's sisters claim BBR is already under "severe financial stress".

The move comes just days after Beresford-Redman was arrested in connection with Monica's murder.

A Bit Of History...

BBR was arrested by cops his house in Rancho Palos Verdes, outside Los Angeles on the 16th November. U.S. Marshals and the FBI conducted the arrest. The arrest is for extradition to Mexico says various news wires.

Mexican authorities issued an arrest warrant in May for the former "Survivor" producer, in connection with the murder of his wife, Monica Burgos Beresford-Redman.

The feds complaint alleges a forensic expert examined Bruce's hotel room and found blood stains on a pillar in the room, on the sheets and on a railing! Yep, red all over the shop.

And the complaint goes onto say 2 teens in the hotel room below Bruce's were awakened by "screams, crying for help and extremely loud banging from the room above ... it sounded like a woman in extreme distress."

It was on April 9th 2010, The Los Angeles Times reported that Monica had been strangled and her body dumped in a sewer near where the couple was staying. She was born Monica Burgos on April 8, 1969 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The couple had two children, Alex and Camilla. On May 31, 2010, Mexico issued an arrest warrant on Beresford-Redman for the supposed murder of his wife while Mexican prosecutors initiate extradition proceedings to return Beresford-Redman back to Mexico to be "tried."

According to the complaint, "The fact of Beresford's affair was confirmed through a series of emails obtained by the Mexican authorities in which BBR admitted to his wife that he had been unfaithful." The complaint is also claiming an employee at the hotel witnessed Bruce "attempt to physically assault the woman," whom he later identified as Monica. And after Monica disappeared, authorities observed scratches/abrasions on BBR's hands, behind his ear, on his left shin and his right ankle.

We're expecting news from BBR's court room affairs in downtown LA.

From Bondi Beach - Sydney - Vegas - Mexico - LA and beyond, the BBR "Survivor" alleged murderer case remains the talk of the town.

BBR had lived in his Rancho Palos Verdes home with his children since May, although his parents have temporary legal custody of the children, ages 3 and 5. He built his career as a Hollywood reality television show producer. He worked for several seasons on the popular CBS show "Survivor," in which contestants compete against each other in a variety of extreme outdoor scenarios. He was nominated for three Emmy Awards as a producer on the show and was last credited as a producer in 2004. He also worked on NBC's "The Contender" and "The Restaurant," as well as MTV's "Pimp My Ride," according to entertainment media company IMG. Monica Beresford-Redman, a native of Brazil, owned a restaurant in Los Angeles.

Will he survive? Should bookies take odds on the chance of his imprisonment, charged with murder?

The current "Survivor" producer is Brit Mark Burnett. Burnett is frequently referred to as a media and entertainment genius. Burnett has a loose connection to the gambling and casino sector, having produced "The Casino" reality TV show in 2004. It was an American program broadcast on the Fox network that followed two dot-com millionaires, Thomas Breitling and Tim Poster, as they managed the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino, located in downtown Las Vegas instead of the more popular Las Vegas Strip. The show was cancelled shortly before the last 3 episodes of the series could be broadcast due to crap ratings. However sister station Fox Reality Channel picked up "The Casino" and broadcast the unaired episodes and then ran the series in reruns until its cancellation from that network.

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Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? What's next for "The Survivor"? Does he have the eye of the tiger, or is he dead meat? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis.

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James Packer And Shane Warne Casino Deal; Tiger Gossip, by Greg Tingle - 18th November 2010

2010-11-18T13:52:00.000+11:00

What sort of business deals might an Aussie cricket legend and Australian casino king James Packer get up to? How about a Warnie branded poker room, and opening a bar or two, and plenty more win - wins in the works say those in the know. Warnie and Packer have also taken a liking to Tiger Woods, and some more good business is understood to be on the horizon for the daily double, soon to become a trio. Media Man and Gambling911 take a swing with the bats and balls and sink a cold one with this special report...

Shane Warne Expands Business Empire...

Aussie cricket living legend Shane Warne is further expanding his business.

He's the face of a poker brand, might have a poker room named after him, has a hair care endorsement, a venue music deal with Media Man mate Kym Illman, and now word leaks of both a Warnie talk show coming up on Network Nine, and perhaps a drinking bar - watering hole at Crown too. What a party animal, (with brains, and friends in all of the right places).

The champion spinner is coming back from more business deals offered to him from good mate and self appointed mentor, James Packer. Get this, the Crown Casino rooftop bar might also offer cigars and be smoker friendly, but details are a tad sketchy at the moment.

Warne was happy to confirm he and Packer were looking at a joint venture deal but wasn't able to, or willing, to discuss details at this stage of the game.

"Myself and James Packer are going into business and doing something at Crown," he said. "There might be something happening at Crown in the next 12 months."

Quizzed if it would be on the rooftop, cheeky Warne replied with "It should be very good views."

Both Packer and Warnie are smokers and the former cricketer is known to enjoy a good cigar. Warnie new mate, golfer, Tiger Woods, is understood to be keen to spend more time with the spinner, but if he will brave the night air and a ciggy on the roof at Crown Casino is unclear.

A Crown spokesperson yesterday said Crown had "no comment on this matter at this stage".

Warne is also strongly rumoured to have a hamburger business deal in the worlds. We got a report he was seen eating a McDonald's burger, that might have been branded as his own. How hot or not the burger might be is the talk of cafes and bars in Melbourne. On the burger he's understood to have said "I don't do spicy stuff. Too many years in India."

He also said he had no problem endorsing Maccas, noting they offered many healthy options.

"We did a bit of due diligence on McDonalds," he said.

Warne event went as far to say his three kids don't mind a bit of Maccas.

"Once a week I say, 'What would you like to have?' ... eight out of 10 times, it's McDonald's."

Shane Warne Talk Show; May Mention Poker, Gambling...

It's going to be called Warne’s World, the chat show is scheduled to air on Thursdays at 9.30pm once the Ashes series kicks off next month. "We’ve secured two or three big-name guests at this stage so things are going well," Warne said. The hunt is on for potential co-hosts. It will also feature a slew of international mates. A production source said, "Warnie knows so many people – there are many closet cricket fans out there – so we’re expecting anyone who’s in town, whether it be a superstar singer or a Hollywood actor, to be called on by Shane." Maybe it possibly work as a summer cricketing counterpart to The Footy Show? Warne also recently appeared Top Gear Australia, the show he was heavily rumoured to be hosting, but the host gig didn't come off, of course. Warne's World sounds like a better fit for the former spinner.

Warnie Mate Tiger Woods Also Likes His Twitter...

Tiger Woods is now on Twitter. In his first tweet , the world's former No.1 golfer said, "Whats up everyone. Finally decided to try out twitter!" In a second tweet, TigerWoods said, "Yep, it’s me. I think I like this twitter thing. You guys are awesome. Thanks for all the love." Woods' public image has taken a beating since last November, when a car accident outside his Florida home triggered reports of numerous extramarital affairs. Woods and ex-wife Elin Nordegren finalised their divorce in August. Woods has also struggled on the golf course in 2010, failing to win a tournament for the first time in his professional career. He lost the world No.1 ranking to Lee Westwood on October 31. Woods, currently "down under" in Australia, is understood to have a chance of winning the Australian Masters, and insiders reckon his time with Aussie cricket legend and lady lover, Shane Warne, are helping the Tiger mindset. At the Masters - Crown Casino press conference their similar nocturnal habits were brought up, which got a smile and laugh from the "dream team". Granted, with the ladies or the press, Tiger is no Shane Warne, but he doesn't need to be. Go get 'em Tiger.

Warnie Did Not Have Facelift; Hair Treatment Works!...

Warne has denied having plastic surgery after a spat of rumours and innuendo about his appearance. The famous cricketer was finally forced to use his Twitter account to set the record straight after a picture of him at an event in Melbourne sparked a whirl of speculation. "No have not had facelift or any work done to face, training hard and lost 5kg. Yes have had teeth whitened," he tweeted. He later added: "NO have not had hair transplant, have re-grown my own hair with laser therapy!! It works and happy with results!!"

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Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? How's things looking for a Packer - Warnie, and maybe Tiger Woods deal? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis.

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Shane Warne, Tiger Woods Sex Scandals Center Stage at Aussie Casino, by Greg Tingle - 11th November 2010

2010-11-12T10:28:00.001+11:00

G'day punters, gamers, journalists, politicians...one and all. It's another huge week for Australian casino and gambling news. We're got Tiger Woods hanging out with Shane Warne and James Packer at Crown Casino, politics meets gambling, pokie palaces doing the wrong thing by patrons, Tote news and much more. Media Man and Gambling911 continue their world famous new wrap ups from the land down under in Australia...

Sex Scandal Joke Bonds Tiger Woods And Shane Warne At Crown Casino Press Conference...

The risque scandals that threatened to ruin the careers of sporting greats Tiger Woods and Shane Warne became comedians fodder in front of an enthralled Crown Casino audience last night. Interviewing Woods and Warne live on stage at the Australian Masters dinner, commentator Mark Nicholas stunned the duo when he suggested they shared the "same nocturnal habits". When asked if the pair had met before, Warne said he'd only met Woods that night but had "heard a lot about him".

Warne joked: "I think we have a little bit in common ... I love golf." It wasn't until the sporting duo both smiled that the audience erupted into laughter. "Everything was said without anything needing to be," one surprised onlooker said. "It was a remarkable moment between the sports stars." The situation didn't seem to faze a clearly relaxed Woods, who said he had admired Warne's cricketing career and was amazed by how the Spin King could bowl a ball out of the back of his hand. Woods flew back to Melbourne yesterday and into a political storm over his $3 million appearance fee.

The superstar's private jet had barely touched down when Victorian Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu declared that a Coalition government would not be spending taxpayer money to bring him back for future events. "He's welcome here and I'm sure he'll be a great asset to the tournament, but I don't think taxpayers need to fund him in a commercial tournament," he said. The Government hit back, warning Sydney was poised to swoop on our major events if Victoria was not prepared to pay stars. Woods got straight down to business after arriving just after 7am, checking into his palatial Crown casino villa before hitting the hotel gym. He gets his first glimpse of the Victoria Golf Club layout early this morning when he tees off in a pro-am event with three lucky hackers associated with tournament sponsor JBWere.

Woods will hold a press conference this afternoon where he is likely to be grilled about his dramatic fall from grace immediately after winning last year's Australian Masters. Within days of leaving Melbourne last year, a US newspaper revealed Woods had secretly entertained New York party girl Rachel Uchitel in his Crown Towers hotel room. A string of mistresses later came forward admitting to affairs with the golfing superstar, who has since divorced. Fans who heckle Tiger or any other player during the Masters will be booted out under long-standing crowd behaviour rules.

Tiger Woods Comes Down Under To Play In Australian Masters, Stays At Crown Towers...

Woods' was and still is a wild boy. News media and your truly can tell you its becoming hard to catch tiger by the tail, if you follow. Who will every forget his steamy affair with New York party queen Rachel Uchitel, and do you remember she was spotted at Crown Towers the same time that Tiger was there! Naughty Tiger. That was an expensive root. Uchitel was photographed by a Yankee pap photographer and subsequent worldwide news headlines followed, then the divorce from his wife. As we go to print Woods is set to attend a dinner at Crown Palladium tonight where he will speak along with other international golf players and also Aussie sporting great and keen poker player, Shane Warne. Now we have learned by well informed leaks that spectators who heckle golfing superstar Tiger Woods over his private life face being ejected from the Australian Masters. Fans (and anti fans) will be given 1 warning before being thrown out from the Victoria Golf Club.

Some insiders joked "make it a good heckle if you do it, 'cause you only get one chance!" Woods has flown into Melbourne where his career and personal life began to get extremely rocky last year, to defend his Masters championship. Woods has not won a tournament since the Masters win at Melbourne's Kingston Heath course last November.

The presence of "RU" at his Melbourne hotel room triggered an ongoing sex scandal that shadowed his career and led to his divorce from blonde bombshell Elin Nordegren, with whom he has two offspring. Woods is understood to be hungry for victory, having last week lost his world #1 ranking to Englishman Lee Westwood. He had been number one for 281 weeks. The tournament is scheduled to begin on Thursday morning. Woods' $3 million appearance fee is partly funded by the Victorian government. Hometown star Robert Allenby and West Australian pro Brett Rumford have been chosen to play alongside Woods in the first two rounds at the Masters.

Ticket sales for the Masters are understood to be strong but not totally sold out, which means spectators will now be able to get up close and personal with Woods at the Victoria Golf Club. Good hey. Crown top brass and especially James Packer are understood to be delighted that Tiger has returned to their famous digs. They should be, last time he brought in up to $10 million bucks to Crown, thanks in part to a group of touring Japanese "whales" and "dolphin" high rollers and sports nuts. Crowds of up to 100,000 are expected over the five days of action at the Cheltenham sandbelt course. Let's now cross to the man of the moment...

"Overall, I felt like I've been hitting it well and it's just a matter of being patient," Woods said. Victorian taxpayers have got mixed feelings about chipping in half the bill for Woods' $3 million Melbourne appearance fee, with sponsors paying the rest, and its been discussed heavily in newspapers and Australian talk back radio stations. Forecasters are predicting heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong northerly wind over the weekend, so folks, you've been warned.

Tigers have a mixed record in rain, but its understood not to slow them down for indoor activities at Crown! Aussie bookies last night put Woods $3.50 favourite ahead of Australian Geoff Ogilvy at $6.50. Woods will tee off at 7.27am this Thursday with Australian star Robert Allenby and journeyman Brett Rumford. Media Man and Gambling911 wish 'Tiger' all success with his holes and putter, on and off the field, and we are hopeful that his 'woodie' and all returns to champion form, allowing his to sink a few holes. May the best man sink the most holes (and win).

Labor Party Gives Up On Mildura Jewel Casino Says Nationals Party...

The Labor Party Branch President appears to have deserted the Labor candidate for the seat of Mildura by joining forces with the Carrazza Irwin pro-casino campaign. ALP stalwart Ken Carr has been reported as providing advice to the pro-casino candidate Mr Tonge in the area of Social Justice and Welfare. He has even agreed to join Mr Tonge’s so-called community cabinet. “The local ALP Branch President has thrown his weight behind the Carrazza Irwin Independent candidate,” says Member for Mildura Peter Crisp. “The Labor candidate must feel betrayed and abandoned. “Mr Carr has been heavily involved in the Labor Party in this region for many years and is close to people in ALP headquarters. “Does his support for the Independent candidate mean that the Labor party machine has switched support to the pro self-interest, pro-casino Carazza Irwin forces? “The Premier, John Brumby, has been evading the casino issue by saying that bi-partisan support was necessary before his government would consider a second casino licence for Victoria. “It’s clear that bi-partisan isn’t possible given that the Liberal Nationals Coalition hasruled out support for a second casino licence. “Past statements from the Premier should therefore mean the issue of a Mildura casino is dead, but now the main office bearer for the Labor party in Mildura has thrown his support behind the pro-casino Independent candidate. “Is Labor now gambling on the Carrazza Irwin pro-casino Independent candidate winning the seat of Mildura? “John Brumby should declare his hand.”

Robbers Carry Cash Machine Past Pokie Players!...

A cash vending machine has been stolen from the wall of a southside Brisbane hotel right under the nose of pokie players. Coppers said two "confident" hooded offenders simply walked into the Cannon Hill Tavern around 6.30pm yesterday, prised the machine off the wall with jemmying tools and carried it out - all within about 15 seconds. "It was rather blatant. I think everyone just stood there a little bit in shock," said an officer. No words were spoken during the daring crime, and no-one was threatened or injured. Police said the machine converted notes into coins and was in the area near the pokies. Detectives from Dutton Park CIB have seized CCTV footage from the hotel and will be speaking to a couple of witnesses, police said. The men made their getaway in a silver sedan. Both were wearing long-sleeved hoodies, and gloves. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

Adelaide Pokies Palace Blamed For Not Removing Punter From Marathon Gambling Session...

An Adelaide pokie palace has been criticised by the Independent Gambling Authority for allegedly allowing an addict to lose $10,500 on one machine over a marathon 13-hour duration. The Grand Junction Tavern boasts the "best gaming room in the Port Adelaide region" but one customer complained the venue allowed her to gamble $4500 in cash she arrived with, a $5000 withdrawal from an ATM and five further withdrawals of $200 each. The woman, who did not want to be named, spoke to the press through South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon, who she has asked to act on her behalf in legal action against the venue because she was not happy with two investigations since 2009. Senator Xenophon said legislation and rules governing pokie venues meant the woman should have been barred from the venue and the machine should not have been turned off to stop other people using it while she went to get more cash six times.

The State Government's Liquor and Gambling Commissioner found the venue should not be the subject of action but this had provoked a rebuke from the sister Independent Gambling Authority. The Liquor and Gambling Commissioner, Paul White, in a letter to the IGA obtained by The Advertiser, stated: "I am satisfied that the circumstances of this matter have been a learning experience for all involved and that the licensee and approved persons are clearly on notice about their obligation to respond to their legal obligations and the ever-present issue of problem gambling". A spokesman for Coles supermarkets, which owns the tavern, said the company conducted extensive training of staff to prevent problem gambling, and that the machine was turned off due to breakdown.

"The hotel manager attempted to speak with the patron about gambling help services and was initially rebuffed by the patron, with a later offer of gambling counselling telephone service accepted," he said. But in a review of the commissioner's inquiry the IGA said it was clear the woman could not control her behaviour. The authority believes the woman should have been removed.

"There could not have been a clearer example of a person demonstrating difficulties controlling her gambling expenditure," IGA director Robert Chappell said, in a letter to Senator Xenophon.

Punters, who is right and who is wrong? You be the judge, and please know you're limits when on the punt.

National Leisure & Gaming Facing Tough Times...

National Leisure & Gaming faces an uncertain future. Chair Peter Dransfield told shareholders that the struggling pub operator is persevering in the hope that trading conditions improve or it receives an offer for its pub portfolio.

Tasmanian Gambles On Asian Markets...

Tote Tasmania is building relationships in Asian markets to strengthen its position in the world betting market. The state betting company's annual report reveals a before tax profit of almost $10 million for the past financial year, with dividends of more than $6 million paid to the Government. Tote Tasmania's chief executive officer Craig Coleman says Asian markets represent more than 40% of the world's online gambling business. Coleman says TOTE is already building contacts to develop tailored betting products. "The chairman Michael Kent was one of three international individuals invited to join the Centre for Chinese Lottery Studies, which is the principal advisory board to the Chinese Government on the future of gambling in that country," he said.

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Readers... er, punters, odds on Tiger returning to champion form, on and off the field? How will he place in the championship? How many Aussie women might his score this trip down under? Are holes in one or more in line? Tell us in the forum. If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis.

*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited

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Crown Casino Catches Tiger Woods By Tail Again, by Greg Tingle - 9th November 2010

2010-11-09T12:00:00.001+11:00

Tiger Woods has been successful lured by the Australian Open, and more impressively, Crown Casino again. James Packer and his team just keep working the magic that will see 'The Tiger' return to the scene of the crime er action at Crown Towers, that was a significant part of the 'Tiger' scandal that made worldwide headlines last year. Media Man and Gambling911 go Tiger hunting, in a good way. Go get 'em tiger...

Woods' family friendly image was wrecked after his stay at Packer's Crown Towers last year when it came to light that New York party queen Rachel Uchitel was his very special guest.

Uchitel was photographed by a US newspaper pap in the hotel foyer, igniting a scandal that destroyed his marriage and made worldwide headlines, with Tiger jokes still all the rage.

Woods, whose $3 million appearance fee will once again be partly paid for by Victorian taxpayers, was a massive fan of the casino's ultra exclusive riverside restaurant Koko, where he dined up to three times, and hit the gaming tables in private gaming suites.

The world #2 ranked player enjoyed a dream working holiday in Melbourne last year, winning the Australian Masters and picking up some new fans in the process.

Aussie mum Kultida joined Tiger at Crown. After being wined, dined and maybe romanced, at Crown Casino and enjoying a CBD shopping spree, the happy mum told Rupert Murdoch's News Limited she was "loving Melbourne".

Woods is set to attend a dinner at Crown Palladium tonight where he will speak along with other international golf players.

Ticket sales for the Masters are understood to be strong but not totally sold out, which means spectators will now be able to get up close and personal with Woods at the Victoria Golf Club. Good hey.

Crown top brass and especially James Packer are understood to be delighted that Tiger has returned to their famous digs. They should be, last time he brought in up to $10 million bucks to Crown, thanks in part to a group of touring Japanese "whales" and "dolphin" high rollers and sports nuts.

Media Man and Gambling911 wish 'Tiger' all success with his holes and putter, on and off the field, and we are hopeful that his 'woodie' and all returns to champion form.

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Readers... er, punters, odds on Tiger returning to champion form, on and off the field? How will he place in the championship? How many Aussie women might his score this trip down under? Are holes in one or more in line? Tell us in the forum. If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis.

*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited

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2010-11-03T15:57:00.001+11:00

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James Bond Casino Icon: Move Over Daniel Craig, by Greg Tingle - 3rd November 2010

2010-11-03T15:56:00.001+11:00

G'day to James Bond 007 enthusiasts the world over. The James Bond franchise continues to be a favorite with the casino and poker crowd across the globe, and now Media Man and Gambling911 can reveal thanks to our spies, Bond is about to get a face lift, and Daniel Craig nor Angela Jolie are in the script. This news follows the sale of the Bond DB5 Aston Martin in London last week for about $3 million pound. Media Man and Gambling911 don the spy jackets with this special report...

James Bond... casino icon fans, you asked for it, and we've delivered.

We can now reveal that Daniel Craig's run as James Bond 007 could soon be over, man kisser or not, and Angelia Jolie won't be getting a look in any time soon either.

Talented crime author Jeffery Deaver has been commissioned to pen the next 007 epic adventure and has gone on record advising he plans to make his superspy a 30-year-old Afghanistan veteran.

The new Bond novel is due for release in May 2011, and he's whispered there are some significant changes in store for your favorite spy.

"The novel is set in the present day, in 2011," Deaver says.

"Bond is a young agent for the British secret service. He's 29 or 30 years old, and he's an Afghan war vet."

Craig, the current Bond, is aged 42, and the original 007, created by legend Ian Fleming in the 1950s, would be close about 90.

Deaver is one of many renowned writers to take on Bond over the years - Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and Sebastian Faulks have each had a crack at it, following on from Fleming, who sadly died in 1964.

But Deaver says his 007 will be a very different superspy.

"I want to stay true to the original James Bond, who many people don't know much about. People know Daniel Craig, they know Pierce Brosnan, they know Roger Moore and Sean Connery, all of whom brought a great deal to the stories of 007. But the original Bond was a very dark, edgy character."

Gambling911 and the Media Man are also currently chasing deals of if or when MGM will be doing the next Bond film and if it will be shot in 3D or not. Gambling fans are also screaming out for a James Bond online slot to be released and our spies reckon PartyGaming, IGT and NextGem Gaming are in the running.

Casino buffs also take note...favorite casino games of Bond include Baccarat Chemin de Fer, Texas Hold'em Poker and Roulette.

Media Man and Bond fans...you may be interested to learn that Media Man is the manager and agent for Aussie - Fijian actor - pro wrestler, John "Vulcan" Seru. Johnno played 'Gabor' in James Bond 'The World Is Not Enough'. Seru also featured in an 'Underbelly' episode alongside up and coming Aussie actor, Firass Dirani.

Stay glued to Gambling911 for more on motorsport, including Aussie legend Mark "The Turkey" Webber. Folks, the names' Tingle, Greg Tingle. Putting the "I" in Bond I Beach!

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Readers... er, punters, what do you think of the new Bond? Tell us in the forum. As always, if you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis.

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Vince McMahon defends WWE; Conn. Dems cry tag-team

2010-10-29T10:54:00.000+11:00

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Wrestling impresario Vince McMahon — who has largely avoided the role of political spouse and whose World Wrestling Entertainment alter ego has been on hiatus during his wife's Senate campaign in Connecticut — has emerged from ringside in the contest's final days, defending a business empire he says has been trashed because of politics.

Democrats call his actions a late tag-team effort to boost Republican Linda McMahon's campaign as she trails in the polls.

Fed up with what he called "malicious and misleading attacks," the bombastic 65-year-old McMahon recently launched an Internet campaign called "Stand up for WWE," whose past policies and programming have been attacked by his wife's opponents.

He also filed a federal lawsuit this week against the top state election official for suggesting that WWE fans who come to the polls cover up their wrestling clothing or paraphernalia, given Linda McMahon's ties to the company. A judge Wednesday ruled in McMahon's favor.

And on Saturday, the WWE is staging a fan appreciation event in Hartford just three days before Linda McMahon hopes to rally enough voters to defeat Democrat Richard Blumenthal for the seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd. WWE announced Thursday it will hand out free merchandise near selected polling places on Election Day to "celebrate" its success with the lawsuit.

Vince McMahon says such efforts have been "a monumental success."

"Certain members of the media, they're a little less likely to write untruths. Elitists, a little less likely to be looking down their noses at us. And even government officials, are concerned about the collective power of you, the WWE universe," McMahon proudly tells the fans in a WWE Web message posted this week.
While WWE and Linda McMahon's Senate campaign both claim the "Stand up for WWE" endeavor is strictly a company initiative, state Democrats have sought a federal elections investigation into whether the company has illegally cooperated with the political campaign.

"Linda McMahon's $50 million attack machine is calling in corporate reinforcements with no respect for the law or the voters of Connecticut," said state Democratic Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo, referring to how much the candidate has said she'll spend on her campaign.

Vince McMahon has appeared politically only once with his wife since she declared her candidacy last fall — in May, when she won the state GOP's endorsement.

Still, his image and reputation have made an impression in a race where the issues of steroid abuses and the WWE's controversial programming have often outmatched policy discussions.

Political opponents have enjoyed showing clips of Vince McMahon — as WWE character Mr. McMahon — forcing a woman to bark like a dog. They also point to his 1994 trial when was faced charges of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids to wrestlers. He was later acquitted.

Linda McMahon has touted her 30 years as an executive at WWE, and its past incarnations, in saying she has what it takes to turn around Washington.

Her husband of 44 years acknowledges he doesn't have much use for politicians and politics.

"When Linda mentioned to me that she wanted to give this a run and what did I think, I said, 'Well if you're successful, you'll be the only honest politician I know in Washington D.C.,'" Vince McMahon told The Associated Press.

On the campaign trail, Linda McMahon has mostly been accompanied by her paid campaign staff, appearing at times with the couple's daughter Stephanie, or Stephanie's husband Paul Levesque, the wrestler known as Triple H.

And on WWE's programming, the fictional Mr. McMahon has been incapacitated for months after some renegade wrestlers beat him up in June. McMahon told the AP that he hopes to end the character, saying the performances in the ring have become physically grueling.

"This was not about Vince McMahon, it should not have been about WWE, it was about Linda. The campaign was about Linda McMahon running for Senate," WWE spokesman Rob Zimmerman said.

The McMahons transformed a small wrestling company they bought from Vince's father into the success that it's become today, complete with pay-per-view matches and a planned cable TV channel. Both talk about sharing a desk in the old days, not sure whether they could afford to pay their taxes or their staff.

Vince McMahon acknowledges he underestimated the interest, and scrutiny, the Senate race would bring to WWE and the issues he and the company have faced over the years, such as steroids, wrestler deaths and raunchy programming.

And he's also been surprised by how he's been portrayed as a mythic, all-controlling figure who knew what was really going "back in the day," before the company revamped everything from its programming to drug testing.

"I'm supposed to be this Machiavellian character of some kind ... ," he told the AP. "Oh yeah, I'm extremely aggressive, over the top and real matter-of-fact, and I go for the jugular everyday and have an extraordinary work ethic and what have you, but the stories are legendary."

Credit: Google News, Wires

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Hulk Hogan Hulkamania Casino Slot Via Endemol Games UK, by Greg Tingle - 23rd October 2010

2010-10-27T18:52:00.001+11:00

G'day punters, gaming entrepreneurs, casino billionaires, journalists, gamers, wrestling fans and Hulk-A-Maniacs!... one and all. The Hulk Hogan Hulkamania slot game will soon be coming to an online casino near you!. Media Man and Gambling911 catch Hulkamania as the red and yellow runs wild...

There's been talk of a Hulk Hogan themed online slot game for years, and it was only last year when Hogan's 'The Hulkamania Experience' slot hit a couple of American land based casinos, thanks to an Eric Bischoff deal inked with Rainmaker Technology, ID Interactive and the Dreamseekers Foundation. In the process some substantial funds were raised to help out Native American Indians with the support of the National Indian Gaming Association.

Hogan's latest gaming effort may be more commercial in nature, but we think just as newsworthy, and you can bet long time rival, Ric Flair aka 'The Nature Boy' is closely watching the situation, Flair with his own themed Carolina Lottery deals in place, with his trademark Woooooo! It's most interesting timing with WWE, Hogan's former home turf promotion where he largely built his fame, launching WWE Poker just last August to mixed, mainly positive response.

To say this is a major coup for Endemol Games UK is an understatement, and numerous media and gaming commentators predict more pro wrestling themed games to follow, with the names of Ric Flair, Andre The Giant, Jimmy Snuka, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Kevin "Big Sexy" Nash being thrown around. Nash, earlier in his career being known as Vinnie Vegas, has featured some online casino games on his website for a few years, so an official slot game for the NWO mainstay would not be a surprise.

A little known fact is that over a decade ago the then World Wrestling Federation purchased a land based casino in Las Vegas, but never got far with the project, actually selling it for a 2 million dollar profit (something unheard of these days).

Online casinos on the surface appear just as good a fit with pro wrestling aka sports entertainment, as action figures and wrestling video games. One may expect for security checks and age verification checks to be ramped up at online casinos as the trend towards pro wrestling slots continues.

A Media Man spokesperson said "This is one of the biggest online casino news stories in years. Hulk Hogan is of course one of the most recognizable people on the planet and a genuine living legend. Having met the man, we can say he's one hell of a great guy, generous of heart and spirit, and an innovator. He was one of the original pro wrestling entrepreneurs, having gained great experience working with the likes of WWE's Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff and Jimmy Hart over the years. Hogan can create buzz and set trends like few other entertainment stars, and we predicate mega success for Hogan and his team on his latest venture. We're hopeful that the likes of PartyGaming and Virgin Games get his world class online slot machine, as we are keen to show it off to our loyal and vast readership. What's ya going to do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?"

For the record, here's the press release...

ENDEMOL AND HULK HOGAN TEAM UP FOR ONLINE GAMING DEAL

Los Angeles / London: 15th October 2010

Hulk Hogan is taking to the ring again, this time online. The world-famous wrestling champion, actor, TV host, entrepreneur and reality-show star has formed a new tag-team with global production company Endemol, and the licensing division of Bischoff Hervey Entertainment, in order to take on the online gaming industry.

Seen weekly in over 120 countries as the star of TNA Wrestling, Hogan has now partnered with Endemol, one of the world’s largest producers of TV, film and digital content. The result is Hulk Hogan’s Hulkamania, an online slot created by Endemol Games UK. The game is slated for worldwide release early next year and will be distributed internationally by Endemol Worldwide Brands, a global division dedicated to brand partnerships and digital media. Hulkamania will be one of the first games of its type to integrate original video content of its star, who appears personally throughout in order to inspire players and personalize the gameplay experience.
Endemol Games UK is the recently launched division specializing in online gaming and headed up by Managing Director, Jurian van der Meer. Van der Meer comments; “Endemol Games UK is expanding into new areas and this deal marks one of our first third party licensing partnerships. Hulk Hogan is an icon with massive global appeal and we aim to attract his fans with creative online slot games. This is a great addition to our portfolio.”

The deal was spearheaded by producers and longtime Hogan partners, Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey, for the licensing division of Los Angeles-based Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment. “Endemol is a major player in international media. Titles like ‘Deal or No Deal’ and ‘Big Brother’ are still setting the standard for media properties across the world. We’re proud to be partners”, said Bischoff.

MX Gaming, a relative newcomer in the online world, is co-producing Hulkamania with Endemol and Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment, and was instrumental in the genesis of the deal. “We’ve worked closely with Bischoff and Hogan on prior projects, and when examining our options for online, Endemol was clearly the perfect fit. They know television, and they know gaming, and that’s precisely what we wanted”, said Ike Mcfadden of MX Gaming. “With a 25-year career and millions of fans, a game based on the exploits of Hulk Hogan is probably as close to a safe bet as exists in the highly competitive online gaming industry.”

For more information:
Eliot Nesmith
Memetix Public Relations
tel: + 1. 561.715.5907
eliot@memetixgroup.com

For more information about Endemol contact:
Rae Langford
Tel: +44 (0) 208 222 4176
Rae.langford@endemoluk.com

About HULK HOGAN
Known most recently as the star of TNA Nonstop Wrestling on SpikeTV, host of NBC’s top-rated “American Gladiator”, host and Executive Producer of CMT’s series, “Celebrity Wrestling”, and star of MTV’s “Hogan Knows Best”, Hulk Hogan is one of the best-recognized celebrities in the world. A twelve- time world wrestling champion, including six WCW World Heavyweight belts, six WWE Championships, and a World Tag Team championship belt, Hulk Hogan is arguably the greatest wrestler in sports entertainment history. Rarely has an athlete held so many professional titles to his name in such a vast career. Hulk Hogan is also well known among young fans for his four “demandments”: which include training, saying prayers, eating vitamins, and believing in one self. As a result, he is one of the most-requested celebrities for the Make-a-Wish Foundation children’s charity.

About BISCHOFF-HERVERY ENTERTAINMENT
Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment specializes in the creation and production of television content, as well as licensing opportunities for established entertainment properties. BHE has created, developed, and produced both television pilots and series for NBC, VH-1, CMT, A&E, E!, and SPIKE TV, including two seasons of the hit series “Scott Baio is 45…and Single” and “Scott Baio is 46…and Pregnant” on VH-1, and “Home Again” with Billy Ray Cyrus on CMT. In 2008 BHE produced “Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling” for CMT and is currently in production for an upcoming series on TruTV. BHE licensing has developed brand strategies, licensing opportunities, and retail distribution for entertainment brands including WWE, Playboy, Socko Energy, Hulk Hogan, LG, and WalMart.

About ENDEMOL
Endemol is a global leader in entertainment programming and the largest independent television and digital production company in the world. Endemol comprises a global network of more than 80 companies in 26 countries. Each year the company produces content and partners with more than 400 broadcasters and cross media platforms worldwide. Endemol is also one of the largest independent distributors of formats and finished programming in the world. The company has a growing library of over 2,000 formats and more than 22,000 hours of content across genres including entertainment, reality TV, game shows, animation, comedy, drama, docu-dramas, features and feature films. Endemol’s credits include international blockbusters formats such as Big Brother, Deal or No Deal, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, 1 vs. 100, Star Academy and Wipeout. Its growing drama portfolio includes worldwide hits such as Home and Away, Rush, McLeod’s Daughters; Wire in the Blood, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Robin Hood and Nini. Endemol is also behind a wide range of multi-media sports content including football, cricket, rugby and motor racing. Endemol is owned by Goldman Sachs, Mediacinco and Cyrte, which acquired the company in May 2007

About MX GAMING
MX Gaming is an independent game developer with offices in Palm Beach and Buenos Aires, distributing games in the US, Western and Eastern Europe, Mexico, Central and South America. MX Gaming Partner Ike Mcfadden placed third in the 2004 Iditarod with a run time of 13 days, 15 hours.

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Readers... er, punters, are you looking forward to running wild with Hulkamania? Any other pro wrestling themes you would like to see? Keep checking daily for updates. If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They also operate Wrestling News Media

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Australian Gambling, Sports And Entertainment, by Greg Tingle - 12th October 2010

2010-10-12T12:37:00.000+11:00

The Australian gambling, sports and entertainment sector continues to run at fever pitch. We've got Aussie poker politics, Mark Webber continuing his winning ways in F1, Royals banned from cricket, Commonwealth Games scandals and more. Media Man and Gambling911 give you a gold pass to the some of the best coverage found anywhere on the planet...

New South Wales Opposition: Liberal Party Would Stab Pokies Tax; Club Friendly And Smart...

A New South Wales Coalition government would slash and brutally cut up pokie taxes by a massive $300 million over 4 years if clubs agree to contribute significantly more to community organisations. In was in 2004 that the State Government increased tax rates on gambling revenue for large clubs but the Opposition has announced a plan to cut rates back, turning back Father Time (should be the name for slot game). Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell says the plan is geared to create 2,000 jobs and raise community contributions from clubs by $270 million a year. He says the policy will ensure clubs remain viable but also contribute to the community, so its a real win - win. "When clubs are unable to provide funding to local social, community and sporting groups what happens is those groups come to Government," he said. Media Man also also recently seen a rise in the level of sponsorship requests, even though the books are full and not taking on any additional community projects for the time being. "It makes a lot of sense to ensure that clubs are able to do the job they've done for more than 50 years, which is support local neighbourhoods, support local groups through funds they're raising in their clubs." O'Farrell denies the announcement has anything to do with donations from clubs to the Liberal and National parties.

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Commonwealth Games: Network 10 Don't Show Steve Hooker Gold Medal Win Live...

Network 10 has got criticized after not providing live coverage of Steve Hooker's gold-medal winning efforts. Despite Hooker’s being the biggest track and field star of these Commonwealth Games, Ten did not manage to cross live to any of his attempts as they happened, focusing rather on events on the track. Hooker secured gold at 12.45am AEDT, when England’s Steven Lewis failed in his attempt at the height of 5.70, but Ten did not broadcast these events until 45 minutes later. Hooker's first jump was made at 12.25am AEDT, with Ten going on to show it 15 minutes late. Ten's head of sport David Barham said last night the network had been cursed by a faulty cable. "Ourselves and the BBC had an optical fibre fault from Nehru stadium, and there was nothing we could do about it," he told Delhi Now. "From my understanding it was about 20 minutes delayed, but we couldn't do anything. This happened before we started (the telecast) when a road fell in and cut the cable back to Australia, so it's happened before. "This time there was a fault and the line back to the IBC (International Broadcast Centre) didn't work." One of Foxtel’s Delhi-specific channels was able to broadcast the entire pole vault competition without interruption. Barham said the channel was on a two-minute delay while showing Sally Pearson’s 100m hurdles medal ceremony before the fault kicked in, causing viewers to miss the chance to see the end of the pole vault competition. However, Hooker had already won gold by the time Pearson's medal ceremony took place, unknown to to Network 10's viewers. Barham said the network had followed its policy of going live all the time. "We have been live with everything we have done, consistently live for all nine days," he said. Readers of Delhi Now’s live blog on the event were outraged. "Can't believe Ch10 is missing this," posted dp. "Effing channel 10,” posted Sarahmagpie. “This is ridiculous!” Steve wrote: "Up until now I've enjoyed 10's coverage, but not showing Hooker is inexcusable. Are the great minds behind Channel 7's coverage doing this? Although no one really cares about the Winter Olympics Nine did a great job showing it. Bring on Channel 9 and London 2012." The Seven Network was panned at the weekend for gradually delaying its coverage of Bathurst until it was nearly half an hour behind. The network's response was that "our objective was (for) viewers not miss a moment of action," but it allowed Seven to increase its ad revenue. Seven also came under fire for their delayed coverage of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, with their failure to show Hooker’s gold-medal winning efforts live used as a prime example.

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Drugs In Commonwealth Games...

Delhi's Commonwealth Games suffered its first positive drugs test on Monday, leaving the women's 100m with potentially a 3rd different winner, as India braced itself to hail a new track queen. Nigeria's 100m gold medallist Osayemi Oludamola, who only inherited the winner's position after Australia's Sally Pearson was disqualified for false-starting, tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexanamine. If the 24-year-old is stripped of her gold medal, Natasha Mayers of St Vincent and The Grenadines would be promoted to first with England's Kathryn Endacott taking silver and Bertille Atangana of Cameroon coming 3rd. "Any positive test, whether in a high-profile event or not, is something we very much regret because we all strive for a clean Games and a clean sport," said Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell. "We don't know what sort of damage will accrue but we want to let everyone know that we are very vigilant and we are doing all we can to eliminate doping in sport." Despite the positive result from Thursday's final, Oludamola competed in the 200m heats on Sunday, but finished fourth in her heat to miss out on making the final. That medal race was due to be held Sunday evening but was postponed after more chaos when Elena Artymata of Cyprus, the fastest qualifier, was disqualified from her semi-final for stepping out of her lane. Her appeal was turned down with the final delayed until Monday. India, who have stretched their gold medal lead over England, was still on a high Monday after seeing their men's hockey team defeat rivals Pakistan 7-4 to make the semi-finals, have high hopes of a rare track gold for Tintu Luka. She is one of the favourites for the 800m title later in the day, but she will face stiff opposition from a trio of Kenyans including Nancy Langat, the Olympic 1,500m champion. "Tintu is in good form. I don?t want to talk much about the final and put unnecessary pressure on her. It is a very competitive field," said her coach PT Usha. The 800m, which will be missing world champion Caster Semenya after the South African pulled out of the Games injured, is one of seven golds up for grabs on the track. Rugby sevens got underway on Monday with a series of one-sided encounters.
New Zealand, bidding to become the first country to win four successive team golds, saw off Canada 43-7, Wales beat hosts India 56-7, England mauled Sri Lanka 59-7 while world sevens series champions Samoa defeated Papua New Guinea 38-17. In women's hockey, defending champions Australia defeated England 1-0 to reach the final where they will face either New Zealand or South Africa. Media Man says its not whether you win or loose, its how you play the game. Former BetUS ambassador and Minnesota governor Jesse "The Body" Venture used to joke (we think), "It's not how you play the game, it's whether you win or loose, but always cheat"!

Aussie Pearson Pissed At Drug Fuelled 100m Race...

Sally Pearson has spoke out on the drug controversy surrounding her ill-fated 100-metre final, suggesting that gold medallist Oludamola Osayemi should not accept her medal and describing the situation surrounding the still-unresolved drug test as "a joke". Pearson added, in a pointed critique of Osayemi's positive test for a banned substance, that she was happy to be "running drug free. It's just a joke you know," said Pearson, minutes after her redemptive gold medal in the 100m hurdles. "I don't know how you can accept a medal knowing what you've done to yourself. But I'm happy I'm out here running drug free." Dr Mani Jegathesan, the Commonwealth Games anti-doping chief, admitted Osayemi's failed drugs test would tarnish the image of the Games to some degree. He also denied any suggestion that anti-doping measures had been compromised by the chaotic start to the Games, during which the late arrival of many athletes forced alterations to the testing program. "That has not been the case," Jegathesan told the press. "Every system in place is a balance between affordability and availability and you have to find that. What I believe we have put in place is a system where every athlete feels they are an equal chance of being tested before, during or after a race. They should be thinking, 'It could be me today' whether it's because they have won a medal, selected at random or targeted. "We've done nearly 900 tests and this is the first positive, and I think that says a lot. It's not great news for the Games, but it is news that shows there are systems in place that should act as a deterrent."

Aussie Shane Warne Pissed And Shocked With Royals' Demise From IPL Cricket...

Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne says he is totally shocked by the news that the franchise has been thrown out of the Indian Premier League. The Australia sporting legend led the Royals to the IPL crown in the competition's inaugural season two years ago. Now the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced on Sunday that the Royals' franchise agreements with Punjab and Rajasthan had been terminated "based on legal opinions". The decision was made due to issues over the outfit's ownership, with Kings XI Punjab also greatly suffering the same fate and a warning being handed out to the new Kochi franchise. But Warnie said that he hoped the BCCI, who own the lucrative Twenty20 event, would "come to their senses". "Thank you for all your messages of support, still shocked at IPL news re the Royals, what are other owners saying? Hope to know more asap," he said on his infamous Twitter account. He then went on..."The Royals gave young unknown Indian players a chance and I as captain backed them, and our coaching staff supported them... we were a team. "Three seasons ago Royals won the first-ever IPL, underdogs come good, what a story, it helped give credibility to the competition. Now look. "What now for the youngsters?" As well as Warne, fellow Aussies Shane Watson and Shaun Tait, Graeme Smith of South Africa and Pakistan's Kamran Akmal and Younus Khan are among the star names who have played for the Royals. On a side note, Warnie remains passionate about poker and gambling, and has recently inked a deal with Australian casino king, James Packer, which will involve Warne doing lots of promos at Packer's Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia.

F1 News: Red Bull 1 And 2 - Vettel Gets Victory, Webber Closes In On World Title...

Sebastian Vettel won the Japanese Grand Prix for the second consecutive year, leading a Red Bull one-two with Mark Webber on Sunday. The 23-year-old German, who started from pole position, snatched his 3rd victory of the season, with championship leader Webber finishing second, 0.9 seconds behind. It was Red Bull's 3rd 1-2 finish of the season after Malaysia and Monaco. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was 3rd, 1.8s behind Webber, while McLaren teammates Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton were fourth and fifth, Hamilton nursing an ailing car to the finish. The victory was the 8th of Vettel's career, and he joins Mika Hakkinen (1998, 1999) and Michael Schumacher (2000-02) as the only drivers to win consecutive races at the high-speed, 5.8 kilometre track. With only 3 races left, Webber leads with 220 points and Alonso is second with 206, edging out Vettel, also with 206, on race wins. Hamilton drops one place to 4th with 192, and Button remains fifth with 189. Despite finishing behind Vettel for the 2nd consecutive race, Webber said it had been a "very good day. The most important thing is the gap is going in the right way," Webber said. "I have to keep it like that. We have three races to go, and it is a good result for me. "Seb deserved the victory, but I need to win again in the future. I'm confident I can do that." Vettel praised his car after his first victory since the European Grand Prix at Valencia in June. "It's about time," he said. "This track is like it has been drawn for us with all the high-speed corners. It's always a pleasure. When the car was getting lighter and lighter with fuel at the end, it was more and more fun. "You want to push every single lap because the car is magnificent around here." Vettel was quickest to react at the start, leading Webber off the line. The Aussie was passed into the first corner by Renault's Robert Kubica but a safety car period slowed the race as quickly as it had started. Kubica's teammate, Vitaly Petrov, smashed into a wall trying to avoid the slow-starting Williams of Nico Hulkenberg, while Ferrari's Felipe Massa clashed with Force India's Tonio Liuzzi at the 1st turn. Both drivers retired on the spot. Kubica then retired under the safety car when the right rear wheel of his Renault worked loose on lap three, leaving Webber to chase Vettel when the race resumed 4 laps later. Button, the only driver in the top 10 to start on the more durable harder tyres, led the race for 13 laps in the middle stages before his pit stop for softer rubber dropped him to fifth. He regained a place when Hamilton had to slow with gear-selection problems with 9 laps left. In a recent poll 83% of Australians think Mark Webber will win the drivers championship. Media Man publicly congratulates on his outstanding success this season. Yep, Webber is no turkey.

Hugh Jackman Wolverine Body And Bank Account In Shape With Marvel Entertainment Money Making Machine...

Jackman continues to get into shape for "Wolverine 2,", and his bank account is also getting into even better shape, as is the case whenever he takes on the Marvel Comics - Marvel Entertainment 'Wolverine' role. Jackman remains good friends with News Limited king of the world Rupert Murdoch. Rumours are running crazy that the Wolverine game will soon appear at PartyGaming and Richard Branson's Virgin Casino. Thor And The Incredible Hulk are the 2 more popular games at Party at the time of publication, with Spider-Man making a late crawl up in the rankings. Stay tuned, but as we say at Media Man with Marvel - don't just watch the movies - play the games!

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Readers... er, punters, how did you like the update? Tell us in the forum. If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

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*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and publish Australian Sports Entertainment
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F1 News: Australian Mark Webber 3rd; Fernando Alonso Wins, by Greg Tingle - 27th September 2010

2010-09-27T14:21:00.001+10:00

Australian F1 ace Mark Webber is on fire and snatched victory in Singapore - the world famous Marina Bay circuit. Webber's Aussie Grit was once again fueled by passion and massive fan and news media support, after a number of incidents - on field and off field drama and storylines WWE like this season. He's well and truly also lost the "Turkey" moniker, affectionately tagged by Media Man after the Turkey rear end smash that just seems like yesterday. Media Man and Gambling911 play Russian roulette and speed demon with this special revved up F1 report...

Red flag to a bull, the Aussie Grit bull responded with 3rd place taking calculated risks in the shadow of the local casino. Yep, perhaps Webber was backing himself - be it with money or just in spirit, we may never know, but the Aussie hero performed and is on track for the grand jackpot at this stage of the game.

What action - a steering wheel comes off Lewis Hamilton's cockpit like a guided missile ala The War Of The Worlds meets Mission: Impossible and Daytona 500 on steroids game fans and speed freaks. Can't you just feel the need for speed.

In the shadow of the new flashy casino complex that dwarfs over the Marina Bay circuit, he had gambled and lost to the house.

The 2008 Formula One world champion was booted disastrously out of the Singapore Grand Prix last night and left to his own devices - flinging the steering wheel down the track. Temper, Temper. It's the naughty corner for you.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso won this race with the steady hand of an expert poker player, a victory that shuffled the pack of a world championship that looks like it will come down to final hand - a historic World Series of Poker or World Poker Type type fight to the finish.

Hamilton was the loser but Mark 'Not A Turkey' (Media Man tag) Webber was handed the get-out-of-jail card, because it was his Red (flag to a) Bull that surged the McLaren driver off the circuit on lap 36 of a fantastic race, yet by God's guiding hand Webber escaped damage to his own car. The devil's Lucifer will have to wait, Webber of course cheating death a few months back with his spectacular flip.

The Englishman could have regained the lead in the championship here but thanks to the errors, now slips into 3rd place behind Alonso, while Webber left Singapore and its Asia Dragons breathing a sigh of relief.

The Australian remains in the lead after snatching 3rd place under the dazzling floodlights, but he is somewhat in the dark as to how he actually got away with it... like a thief in the night. Time is running out for the Brit challenge, with Jenson Button, Hamilton's McLaren team-mate, having to settle for a disappointing 4th.

Even as Hamilton was speaking of getting his "head down" to aim at the 4 remaining races, Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One's commercial rights-holder and king of the world, was raising serious doubts that the new grand prix in Korea will go ahead.

The race track is not even laid yet on a circuit that is not much more than building site. If Korea, scheduled for October 24, doesn't go ahead, that is a key for Hamilton being removed and this world championship could be reduced to a straight fight between Webber VS Alonso - which is why the former's lucky break was so important.

This had all the makings of a boring grand prix, but, then a miracle from the casino, gaming and sports betting gods, how close and how orgasmic it all turned out. The brilliant blood red of Alonso's Ferrari was separated from the dark blue of Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull by just under 3 tenths of a second at the chequered flag, the end of an awesome and exhausting pursuit over 61 laps of the longest grand prix of the season.

Behind them, the culling - dead meat rate was significant: 9 cars failed to finish, the Lotus of Heikki Kovalainen lit up into flames 2 laps from the conclusion within sight of his garage on the pit straight. As the Finn fought alone to douse the flames with an extinguisher, the pace of the leaders remained as nutso extreme as it had from the start.

Webber seemed to know had to find a smart strategy to suit, starting from 5 place with the 2 McLarens on the 2nd row of the grid ahead of him and Vettel, his team-mate, alongside Alonso, the pole-sitter.

His opportunity came after 3 laps when the safety car was called out so that the wreckage of Tonio Liuzzi's Force India car could be removed. Webber darted to the pits for his single tyre change, deciding to stop first and then surge to the end - some whale gamble as his team revealed that he had only a half-mile of rubber left on his wheels at the finish. This is on the edge of your seats stuff hey punters.

The McLarens, line astern with Hamilton 3rd and Button 4th, faltered mid-race, their rear tyres shredding on the circuit's devil like asphalt. The like a magic jackpot game, Webber was in with a chance of a podium finish as the McLarens emerged from their pitstops on laps 28 and 29.

But his tyres were wearing fast, while theirs were fresh as daisy's. Another safety car period - allowing Bruno Senna's HRT, mangled into the sidepods of Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber, to be cleared...gave Hamilton the chance to regroup for the massive attack.

He rushed like a rocket down Raffles Boulevard, the wide street that takes its name from the hotel that is Singapore's most famous landmark, just ahead of Webber's Red Bull. But 2 would not go into the 1 space available at the tight, left-hand Turn 7.

Webber bashed the side of Hamilton's car like an Iron-Man - Max Mad blend damaged the McLaren's left rear wheel. That was race over and Hamilton's title ambitions on hold. Hamilton was now stunned mullet. He might have been better off in the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel sinking a stiff Singapore Sling or just playing Cleopatra slots than gazing ruefully at the TV in the corner of the McLaren motorhome endlessly replaying the cruel, crucial moment of impact that had screwed up his evening.

"I don't really understand the feelings I have right now," he said. "I'm not going to blame Mark. I guess I was just unlucky. I had to take that risk. I thought I'd got past him. I braked, turned in and tried to leave enough room for him on the inside - and the next thing I knew I'd got clipped, my tyre was blown, and that was it. As the saying goes, that's motor racing."

This was the 2nd time in successive races that Hamilton has crashed out and the 3rd time in 4 races that he has failed to finish. Contrast that with the professionalism of Alonso, who is timing his run to perfection.

The Spaniard has snatched more points in the past 5 races than any of the 5 drivers in contention for this world championship, winning 3 of them! Hell Yeah!

Alonso was the star of the weekend, driving like the champion rev head he is. There was not a hint of irony as the deadpan Spaniard described the Marina Bay circuit as "special".

Perhaps he has erased memories of being the villain of the 2008 race here when his former Renault team orchestrated his victory by ordering Nelson Piquet Jr to drive into a wall.

There was no such fun and games this time, just flawless skill and speed... a brilliant performance for a man who, unlike Hamilton, suddenly looks like a champion in waiting punters.

Red Bull's 'Number 2' driver Sebastian Vettel continues to not be a lucky as Aussie Webber, casinos downtown or not. Webber seems to have the casinos number, and by the end of the season the switched on punters and commentators say that number is 1. Yes, Webber to be champion of the world.

Readers, still hungry for more? Check out the Gambling911 sports betting portfolio...

http://www.gambling911.com/sports.html

Media Man Profiles

Mark Webber

Formula 1

Red Bull

Sports Betting

Webber... man, bull, beast, and soon world champion? Tell the world in the forum.

Stay hungry and keep the eye of the tiger. The insiders from Casino Jack to Virgin top brass, Spread betting maniacs, motorsport enthusiasts all say the smart money remains on our boy Webber. Go Aussie Go.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.

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WWE Pro Wrestling Company Ramps Up Gambling Themes, by Greg Tingle - 14th September 2010

2010-09-14T19:00:00.000+10:00

WWE Pro Wrestling Company Dancing With Gambling Again - Enter RAW Roulette

Gambling - online poker and now a roulette theme, has invaded the WWE Universe, and Media Man and Gambling911 are centre ring to bodyslam, suplex and clothesline our way to the facts.

The World Wrestling Entertainment company, headed up by Vince McMahon, just off an Aussie and China tour, is ramping up gambling. Last week in case you blinked and missed it, WWE Poker, promoted on the official WWE website was all the rage, and today we learn of WWE RAW Roulette!

Just good, clean WWE family entertainment and fun, or something more sinister?

Years ago McMahon rival Eric Bischoff dabbled in mixing wrestling and gaming together with mixed results.

Vince McMahon, WWE top brass looks to be taking it to the next level, but ironically a few years ago it was Ric Flair's involvement with the N.C Education Lottery that was given as a reason to distance themselves from 'The Nature Boy' and gambling full stop. A bit more history...About 15 years ago living legend Kevin Nash was known as 'Vinnie Vegas' when he entered the old World Championship Wrestling ring, but by the time he got to the then WWF he was Diesel. Today Nash is with WWE rival, TNA Wrestling, performing under his real name.

From the official WWE Facebook...

CINCINNATI – With just six days until Night of Champions, several competitors in that night’s Six Pack Elimination Challenge pushed their luck with Raw’s Roulette Wheel. Some hit the jackpot in their matches, while others saw their fortunes dwindle at the tables.... and

TONIGHT ON WWE Monday Night Raw: It's John Cena - WWE Universe vs. Randy Orton - WWE Universe, with their match type decided by the RAW ROULETTE wheel. Plus, NFL superstar Chad Ochocinco is our guest star in his hometown. Join WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel - WWE for a special Raw Live Chat TONIGHT at this link, starting at 8:30 PM ET

Last Week...

WWE Does WWE Poker: WTF - Grooming Kids For Poker?...

http://www.gambling911.com/poker/wwe-grooming-kids-poker-090510.html

WWE Social Media...

It took a few years of convincing, but WWE management and wrestlers are now some of the most powerful, impressive, popular and entertaining folks in the world of social networking.

McMahon has joined Facebook, plugging himself into the social media phenom, but thus far seems to have resisted his own official Twitter account, but his company and wrestlers are Twitter maniacs (in a good way).

Mrs Linda McMcMahon, now running for U.S senate is winning her wrestling match with American politics. Linda is still standing despite taking some incredible chair shots from her bully opponents and detractors. Way to go Linda.

Side note, Hulk Hogan finds himself having numerous fake Facebook and Twitter accounts springing up on an almost weekly basis. Fakes are one of the main dangers of the internet world, but thank god there's only one Gambling911 and one Media Man. Often imitated, never, ever, duplicated!

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis.

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Wrestling News Media Website Network Updated

2010-09-13T00:44:00.000+10:00

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Australian Sporting Codes To Gamble With Integrity Officers, by Greg Tingle - 7th September 2010

2010-09-07T23:19:00.001+10:00

Major Australian sports are set to get integrity officers, a pitch largely brought in my the casino like sports betting aspects of many sports, which has seen the integrity of the sector severely threatened over the past year, with the recent Aussie - Paki cricket match fixing being the most recent high profile brown stain. There was also a number of NRL, AFL and snooker matches questioned, and its obvious that affirmative and real, effective action is needed. For the corrupt people in and around sports betting in Australia the party may soon be over. Media Man and Gambling911 probe the sector quizzing movers and shakers, some on record, to help us find the way forward in the sometimes murky world of sports betting both down under and further afield...

Numerous high profile Australian sports betting experts has called on the major sporting codes down under in Australia to each appoint a specialist to oversee "gambling" - sports betting. Don't even get us started if it should be classified as a game of skill or game of chance. Might depend on if your an insider or an outsider. You know the drill.

Current leaders in the sports betting sector in Kangaroo and Koala land include James Packer 50% owned Befair, Centrebet, Sports TAB and Sportingbet.

Sportingbet chief Michael 'Sure Thing' (Media Man tag) Sullivan has been very forthright with his belief to see a crackdown and more safeguards and the like in place for the industry.

The sure one advised the amount of dollars being gambled in Australia mixed in with sporting bodies often having a "professional relationship" with the betting agencies, gave strong reason for the need to change.

"Not just Sportingbet but all the major operators have got relationships with the NRL so it's probably time to appoint an integrity officer because betting in this country is incredibly transparent," Sullivan told the press.

"The cricket betting is underground with Indian bookmakers who turn over billions of dollars with absolutely no transparency whereas here it's regulated, transparent and taxed. It's not just the NRL - the AFL, Cricket Australia and Tennis Australia have to embrace the idea (of a betting expert) and go to the next level because there's no doubt our turnover is starting to be very significant in both codes."

His stern and well informed comments came after reports suggested investigations into a suspicious plunge on an unusual "exotic betting option" in a rugby league match between the Canterbury Bulldogs and North Queensland Cowboys could be extended to include 6 NRL games.

A greater scandal is ongoing over an illegal betting surge in cricket, with three Paki "players" (performers?) suspended for now following a spot-fixing scandal over bowling no balls in the 4 Test against England.

In excess of 80 cricket matches will be probed into as part of a broader investigation.

Gerard 'Dollars' (MM tag) Daffy, who leads relative newcomer sports betting agency Sportsalive, advised Australia was the best regulated betting country in the world, despite some knockers not being totally convinced.

"Several other countries are copying our model of information sharing and knowing your client," Daffy said.

New clients opening accounts must pass a 100-point security check.

"It's the same as opening a bank account. We have that information, the industry regulators have it, AUSTRAC (anti money laundering group) have it and as we're finding out now, the police have it."

Daffy was happy to go on record and say you couldn't just pick up the Yellow Pages in India and look up a bookmaker because they were illegal.

"If you can believe the stories there's over $100 million a day bet illegally in Mumbai alone. John the bookie operates in a shed in Mumbai. The law says he doesn't exist but he holds a million dollars a day."

Daffy reckons illegal Mumbai bookmakers turned over in one day what Australian bookies combined held in a year on cricket!

They offer punters hundreds of wagering options including the toss, minutes lost through rain, which end the umpires would stand and how many players would be wearing sunglasses. Betting on no balls is under the spotlight at the moment, but no word on bets about if Australia's John Howard will get a job as an official in Paki land or India. Might be about 100,000 to one.

Bookmakers contacted by news media said they'd co-operated fully with the current NRL betting probe, handing over relevant betting sheets on the Bulldogs-Cowboys match.

None had been asked for any more particulars on any other NRL games.

St George Illawarra coach Wayne Bennett said it was time to stop the "exotic bets" on sports.

"It is an issue for the game, there's no doubt about that," he told Network Ten.

"They've just got to stop the multiple (betting options). There's just too many variables that can be manipulated too easily. I'd like to think we're all honest people, but that's not the case."

A number of offshore based gaming and sports betting companies are rumoured to have an interest to ramp up down under and eventually even have offices in Australia including PartyGaming - Gamebookers - bwin, Virgin Games and even BetUS, which has a stronghold in the UFC niche, which Aussie's have taken a liking to. Experts think that betting on pro surfing and some snow sports could be growing markets, but snooker remains on the nose, following betting and fixing scandals last year. It's unclear if the scandals will slow down or speed up overseas operators kicking business along in Australia, but interest is sky high and is likely to remain so for some time, new government or not.

A Media Man spokesperson said "Yes, I believe the sports sector needs more regulation, as does the igaming sector in general. Betting and online games are not going to go away. The internet is a global medium. Kids no now to beat filters with proxy and the like. Corruption needs to be stamped out, and more regulation and safeguards are the way forward. We need more quality people and brands in the mix. Betfair has Hugh Taggart, Centrebet has Neil Evans, Virgin - Richard Branson, PartyGaming with Jim Ryan. Maybe our former P.M John Howard might be up for the role. If it's on Australian soil, I think the Australian public would like it. Liberal leader Tony 'The Bruiser' Abbott, a former boxer, would be able to also talk sports and sports betting shop with Howard more often. It would be great for the business of sports with integrity, politics, and make more interesting sports media fodder. Hopefully the Australian Labor Party can help get this sports betting situation right, but I have my doubts. I expect Betfair and Centrebet to maintain their top positions and to drive forward innovation and safeguards."

Readers, what do you think of having sports betting integrity offices for Australia? Are you an honest John, or are you susceptible to do the wrong thing, given half a chance? Tell us in the forum.

Readers, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Good punting.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.

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Pro wrestling star Luna Vachon dead at 48 - 29th August 2010

2010-08-29T21:12:00.001+10:00

Veteran pro wrestling star Gertrude “Luna” Vachon was found dead Friday morning at her mother’s Florida home.

The Canadian-born Vachon, 48, the daughter of Paul “The Butcher” Vachon Butcher and niece of Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon, had been staying with her mother after her own house was recently destroyed in a fire.

The cause of death has yet to be determined. An autopsy was scheduled for Saturday.

Vachon had been medically diagnosed as having a bipolar disorder and being manic depressive, and had battled health issues throughout her career. She attended a WWE-sponsored rehab program in 1994 due to drinking problems.

Vachon began training at the age of 16 under her late aunt, Vivian Vachon, and began her wrestling career at The Fabulous Moolah’s school in Columbia.

“All she ever wanted to do (was wrestle),” Paul Vachon once told the SLAM! Wrestling website. “Her idol was my sister, Vivian, who was a wrestler. She had been watching her ever since she was 4 or 5 years old. That’s all she ever did. I told her she was a lunatic because all she wanted to do was wrestle.”

Vachon’s gimmick for most of her career was that of a “lunatic,” an outlandish, face-painted, Mohawk-sporting, over-the-top character with exaggerated facial expressions, and a part of stables such as Kevin Sullivan’s Army of Darkness in Florida in the mid-’80s and The Oddities in WWE in the late ‘90s.

But Vachon, who last performed in WWE in 2000, also was an accomplished wrestler who enjoyed notable feuds with the likes of Alundra Blayze (Debra “Madusa” Miceli) and Sensational Sherri Martel (Sherri Schrull), and most recently had mentored WWE women’s star Natalya (Natalie Neidhart) of the Hart Dynasty.

She often lamented that the business would benefit from more women who could actually wrestle — “not just bimbos and bimbettes.”

“I am saddened to hear of the passing of Luna Vachon,” Sullivan said in a statement. “Not only was she a fantastic performer, but I was lucky enough to consider her a dear friend and I will miss her greatly. Luna was an integral part of my career and I would not have succeeded without her. We have lost a great performer and an even greater person.”

Vachon had been married three times, including twice to wrestlers Tom Nash and David “Vampire Warrior” Heath of The Blackhearts tag team, and also was once involved in a purportedly abusive relationship with veteran wrestling star Dick Slater.

Vachon, who was nicknamed “Daughter of Darkness,” became a born-again Christian in 2004 after attending an Athletes International Ministry conference, and was later baptized by fellow wrestler Nikita Koloff and her then-husband David Heath (the former Gangrel in WWE).

She had worked in recent years as a tow truck operator in Port Richey, Fla. She recently had lost nearly everything she owned when her home in Florida burned down.

Jim Ross posted on his blog at jrsbarbq.com that he and Steve Austin both conversed with Vachon at a Cauliflower Alley Club event two years in Las Vegas, and that she had gained much-needed stability in her life.

“We talked about her being diagnosed with being bipolar and her having issues with depression of which she battled on an ongoing basis for a good while,” said Ross, who worked with Vachon when he was Vice President of Talent Relations in WWE. “Luna was a battler and was a tough individual who said she was going to keep fighting the good fight, but that it wasn’t easy. Steve and I both gave Luna many words of encouragement and spent significant time with her at the CAC function, talking old times and mostly laughing about our mutual experiences. Without question, laughter is good medicine for all of us.”

“It’s a very sad day for wrestling with the passing of Luna Vachon,” said TNA star Mick Foley. “My heart is aching.”

-- “Tough” Tony Borne, a legendary performer in the Pacific Northwest for several decades, passed away Friday at the age of 84.

Borne, whose real name was Anthony Osborne, was the father of wrestler Matt Borne (the original Doink The Clown).

The nine-time Pacific Northwest heavyweight champ was perhaps best known for his tag team with “Moondog” Lonnie Mayne during the ‘60s. The two held the Pacific Northwest tag-team belts on 11 separate occasions.

Borne, whose last match was in 1981, worked full-time in the real estate business after retiring from wrestling and also was a licensed superintendent for American Kennel Club.

The Milwaukie, Ore., resident had been in poor health as of late and passed away just as his son was leaving home to board a flight to Dallas. Borne had never fully recovered after having a pacemaker placed in his heart earlier this month.

-- Johnny “Mr. Wrestling No. 2” Walker arrived in Charlotte more than three weeks ago for what he assumed would be a weekend stint at the annual NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest.

Sign some autographs, take part in some photo-ops and receive an honor at a Hall of Heroes banquet. That’s what the job required.

Unfortunately for the 76-year-old Walker, who had endured a long plane ride from his home in Hawaii, the weekend turned into a medical crisis that is now going on four weeks.

Walker experienced feelings of tiredness during Fanfest, and on Sunday, the final day of the festivities, was taken to a nearby hospital after reportedly suffering a heart attack.

Several surgeries were postponed over a near three-week period due to complicating issues, but Walker finally underwent a triple bypass operation on Friday morning, and initial reports were that the procedure was a success.

Walker likely is looking at another five to six days of recovery in the hospital.

Fans can send get-well wishes to: Johnny Walker, c/o Carolinas Medical Center, 1000 Blythe Blvd., Charlotte, N.C. 28203.

Sixteen-time world heavyweight champion Ric Flair will be part of a TNA show Oct. 3 at Blackbaud Stadium on Daniel Island.

The Sunday show, which starts at 6 p.m., also will feature such names as Jeff Hardy, A.J. Styles, Jeff Jarrett, The Motor City Machine Guns, D’Angelo Dinero and Angelina Love.

Tickets are on sale at www.charlestonbattery.com, or charge by phone at 1-843-971-4625. Tickets also are available for purchase at the Blackbaud Stadium box office. For more information, visit www.tnawrestling.com.

“Scott is under care in the WWE’s wellness program,” Kevin Nash said recently. “God bless Ann (Russo) and Vince (McMahon) for taking care of my friend.”

WWE has an ongoing policy in which it covers the costs for current or former wrestlers who were employed by the company to enter a rehab facility.

-- Former WWE performer Charlie Haas, who served as a pallbearer at the recent funeral of Lance Cade (Lance McNaught), told the Right After Wrestling radio show that Cade, along with the late Umaga (Eddie Fatu), were the two people who were with him when he found his brother, Rusty Haas, dead in his apartment on Dec. 14, 2001.

“It’s been a rough year for me,” he said. “Now I look at that as both of those gone in six months — my two best friends.”

Cade’s father launched a verbal assault against his son’s former employer in an article published last week in TheDay.com.

Harley McNaught responded to remarks made by former WWE CEO Linda McMahon that she “may have met him once” in regard to Cade. The wrestler, who had struggled with an addiction to painkillers before being released by the company earlier this year, died of heart failure several weeks ago at the age of 29.

“I’ve been with him on two different WWE functions where she came up to him and knew him by name,” said McNaught. “She disrespected him. She disrespected my family.”

“Vince’s stance (is) they do all this because they care about the talent,” Cade said in April during a wrestling podcast with manager Kenny Bolin. “Bull----. They care about the image of the WWE and you care about the fact that Congress was having ... hearings about this. That’s what this comes down to.”

“WWE has nearly 600 employees and about 140 performers, and I think it’s understandable that Linda may not recollect every interaction she’s had, particularly given the fact that she’s personally met with thousands of voters since resigning her position at WWE in September. Linda’s a very kind and sympathetic person, but she is human,” said Ed Patru of McMahon’s political campaign.

Patru noted that it “certainly wasn’t Linda’s intent to diminish any additional interaction she may have had.”

McNaught said his son “would have cut his arm off for Vince McMahon, but it wasn’t there in return. (Vince McMahon) don’t care any more than the man in the moon for them, other than as dollar signs.”

Linda McMahon, who is running a close race in Connecticut for a U.S. Senate seat, had come under attack several days earlier from former WWE performer Chris Nowinski.

Nowinski, who left WWE. after a concussion and now serves as an advocate and as a consultant on head injuries, accused her of “kicking dirt on the guy’s (Cade’s) grave” after McMahon told reporters that the company could no more be held accountable for the death of Cade “than a studio could have prevented Heath Ledger’s death.”

“Who knows what causes people to have addictions and do what they do,” she added.

-- Lanny Poffo told the Right After Wrestling show that his brother, “Macho Man” Randy Savage (Randy Poffo), would, “without a doubt,” accept an invitation into the WWE Hall of Fame if asked.

“But I think he would do something else. He would barter to get my father (Angelo Poffo) in there,” Poffo added. “That would be the classy thing to do. If the WWE asked my brother, I absolutely think he would say yes. He’s in a different place now that he has married Lynn.”

Savage, 57, married longtime girlfriend Lynn Payne, 55, on May 10 in Sarasota, Fla. The two met in Sarasota in 1974 when Savage was playing minor league baseball for the Tampa Tarpons and Payne was attending school at the Ringling School of Art and Design.

They dated for two years before parting ways. The couple reunited in 2001.

“Thirty-six years ago, Lynn and I met on Lido Beach,” said Savage, who was married to the late Liz Hulette (WWE’s Miss Elizabeth) from 1984-92. “I feel so fortunate that I had a second chance to marry my first love, here where it all began.”

WWE recently put out a Savage DVD, and Mattel included him in its latest WWE toy line.

-- Straight Edge Society member Serena has been released by WWE.

The 24-year-old Serena (Serena Deeb) was a six-time Ohio Valley Wrestling champ.

-- WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross gave a nice tip of the hat to late friend Gen. Skandor Akbar in a recent blog.

“In my over four decades in the wrestling biz, I don’t think I can name one man who unselfishly done more to help young wrestlers and who was more dedicated to his profession that Jim Wehba aka General Skandor Akbar,” said Ross. “Ak passed away suddenly last Thursday at the age of 75 after living a wonderful life doing what he loved more than any thing and that was being a viable and timeless participant in the world of pro wrestling. Everyone should be so lucky to have such a long, distinguished career in their chosen vocation.”

Ross attended Akbar’s funeral on Tuesday.

“It was good to see several of ‘the boys’’ at the Catholic service in Ak’s birthplace of Wichita Falls including the great Danny Hodge, Johnny Mantell, and former referees James Beard and David Manning, among many others. The drive home was equally as challenging again not because of the miles, but because I had to come to grips that I would never see my dear friend again in this life.”

-- Hardcore icon Mick Foley, promoting his book “Countdown to Lockdown: A Hardcore Journal,” told MTV News that Vader and Steve Austin were the two stifffest men he ever worked with.

“I could say Vader, though a lot of people don’t remember Vader,” Foley said. “There were some things where he was hitting me so hard, and you wanted to say, ‘Did you not get the memo?’ It was just ridiculously hard.”

Foley also said Austin let the crowd work him up.

“Stone Cold in his prime was no day at the park when he was firing up for his big comeback,” said Foley. “The crowd would be so enthusiastic, and he would feed off that enthusiasm. Everyone would benefit except me.”

-- Monday Night Raw is celebrating its 900th episode this week with a show featuring performers from both brands.

-- Stephanie McMahon-Levesque gave birth to her third child Wednesday, a baby girl, making it three daughters for her and husband Triple H (Paul Levesque).

-- Birthday wishes go out to Jody “The Assassin” Hamilton, who turned 72 last week, and Lowcountry native Burrhead Jones, who turns 73 Wednesday.

Jones (Melvin Nelson), who moved to New York City four years ago, invites his fans to call him at (843) 607-5482.

Jones officially retired from Standard Warehouse in Moncks Corner in 2004. He last stepped into a wrestling ring that same year at a show in St. Stephen.

The inimitable Jones, borrowing some lines from Tennessee Ernie Ford’s “Sixteen Tons,“ sends out the following message to his Lowcountry following:

“I’m another year older and deeper in debt. Saint Peter, don’t you call me, ‘cause I can’t go; I owe my soul to the company store.”

-- Old School Championship Wrestling will present “Tag Team Wars 5” this evening at the Omar Shrine Auditorium, 176 Patriots Point Road, Mount Pleasant.

Former WCW and WWE performer Hugh Morrus will meet Josh Magnum in a featured bout. Also on the bill will be the annual “Team Wars” tournament in which the winners will get a shot at the tag-team title.

Bell time is at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5. Adult admission (cash at door) is $10; kids 12 and under $5. For more information, visit www.oscwonline.com or call 743-4800.

Reach Mike Mooneyham at (843) 937-5517 or mooneyham@postandcourier.com.

(Credit: The Post And Courier)

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Australian Sports News Update, by Greg Tingle - 29th August 2010

2010-08-29T17:17:00.000+10:00

The Australian sporting world has enjoyed a mega week. We've got Mark Webber, F1 ace in pole position, a footballers ear bitten off and explosive news of AFL's Ben Cousin's tell all documentary, drug revelations and all, and who can forget
the Jason Akermanis gay AFL player revelations. Media Man and Gambling911 offer you on front row ringside and reved up account of the huge Australian sports week that was...

Mark Webber In Pole Position For Belgian Grand Prix...

Mark Webber was over the moon after snatching pole position for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix, but did admit that timing of his best qualifying lap was crucial. It was the 34-year-old's 5th pole of the season for Red Bull, who have taken pole at all but one race this year. Webber, who snatched back the lead in the driver's championship from McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix, nipped the Pommie, who starts in 2nd place, by less than a 10th of a second. Webber clocked a time of 1min 45.788sec on his 1st lap in Q3 and admitted that the timing was vital as some timely rain prevented his rivals from matching his time. Remember the old saying, the more I win the luckier I get. "We knew the first lap was going to be pretty important because round here it is so unpredictable - the weather has been unique, even for Spa. It has been so on and off," the Aussie said. "So to have a pretty clean qualifying was very important. The first lap I was happy with, but you never know in this company if it is enough or not. It was nice to be on pole halfway through, but the weather made it more difficult to improve on our second attempt." Hamilton advised he was disappointed not to have bested Webber's time, but was delighted to be starting on the front row. "It was quite a tricky session through the whole qualifying," he said. "I got out for my first lap, the first one out. Turn 14 was drying up but I was first one to get there and didn't know how much to push. It was a bit of a disappointing first lap, I wasn't able to hold the time out of the tyres. Then I got the opportunity on the second lap which was a good lap apart from Turn 1. That was wet and a little bit damp, I lost time there. But the rest of the track was dry and I was able to utilise the tyres and pull out the time. I think I was a tenth behind Mark, there was the potential there to be in front in P1, but to be P2 on front row is a good position for us." Pole Robert Kubica will start in 3rd position for Renault ahead of German Sebastian Vettel in the 2nd (more controversial) Red Bull, while Brit Jenson Button of McLaren also made it into the top 5 spots. Ferrari driver Brazilian Felipe Massa was 6th fastest followed by Brazilian Rubens Barrichello of Williams. Force India's Adrian Sutil will start in 8th position ahead of fellow German Nico Hulkenberg of Williams and Ferrari driver Spaniard Fernando Alonso in 10th. Hulkenberg set the fastest time in the Q1 opening mini-session which saw rookie Russian Vitaly Petrov fail to set a time for Renault after spinning out on the exit of turn 9 on his opening lap. Sauber drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa joined Petrov on the casualty list after crashing out towards the end of the session. Despite not making it to Q2, Italian Jarno Trulli of Lotus will start in 16th position ahead of German Nico Rosberg who, despite finishing 12th fastest, has been given a 5 place grid penalty owing to a gearbox replacement. Kobayashi will start in 18th ahead of Hispania drivers Brazilian Bruno Senna and Japanese Sakon Yamamoto. Former champion Michael Schumacher's 10-place grid penalty for the incident involving Barrichello in Hungary means that despite making it to Q2 and finishing 11th fastest, he will start in 21st place! That will teach you a lesson son. Webber leads the championship just 4 points clear of Hamilton with another 6 points to Vettel.

Australian Rugby Player Loses Ear In Fight...

It was WrestleMania no holds barred on an Aussie footy field. An Australian rugby league player had part of his ear bitten off in a wild WrestleMania like brawl during a match. Jason "Smartypants" (MM tag) Schirnack, who was playing in the forwards for Sydney-based club Wests Tigers, was rushed to the Liverpool Hospital after being bitten in what his coach Paul 'Fireman' (MM tag) Fletcher described as a "bar-room brawl" during the match. The hungry and agro player responsible, winger Mitchell 'Muncher Steak' (MM tag) Stevens, 22, has been released by his club, the North Sydney Bears, Fairfax reported. The butt ugly match last Sunday was part of the NSW (New South Wales) Cup...1 of the 2 feeder competitions for the nation's prestigious National Rugby League premiership. Stevens will front up to the sport's judiciary Wednesday evening, and if found guilty, News Limited papers reported he could be suspended for 18 to 20 weeks. Some other media reckons he could be banned for at 1 year. Pissed off Tigers officials have lodged an official complaint over the bite to the sport's governing body, New South Wales Rugby League, while Schirnack, 21, described the bite as a "low act." "I was involved in a bit of biff with the guy and we started wrestling on the ground," Schirnack told Rugby League Week magazine. "Other players came running in and as we were wrestling on the ground, he took a chunk out of my ear. I couldn't believe it. It wasn't really all that painful, but when I realized a bit of my ear was missing, I was in shock. It's a low act. "I saw a plastic surgeon, but he said there wasn't much he could do," Schirnack said. "We didn't have the missing bit, so that made it hard for him to do anything. My girlfriend isn't happy because it looks pretty ugly, but what can I do? I just have to get on with life and try to move on." Tigers coach Paul Fletcher went on record with "The game was pretty nasty; it was like a bar-room brawl. There was no need for that sort of thing...it was a disgraceful act."

AFL: Ben Cousins Documentary - Drugs And All...

The first explosive scenes from the controversial Ben Cousins doco have been released. Cousins, 32, is shot dancing shirtless while holding a glass of red wine in Such is Life: The Troubled Times of Ben Cousins, which has been purchased by the Seven Network. Another scene shows the AFL star crying while under the influence of an unknown substance. "My name is Ben Cousins. I'm a drug addict", Cousins says while staring into the camera. The tell-all film, which was filmed over 2 years, is expected to screen later in the year over two nights. During the 30-second trailer, his dad Bryan chokes back tears while opening right up about his fears for his young fella. The AFL has confirmed Chief Executive Officer Andrew Demetriou has viewed the doco but has not publicly commented on its content. The Richmond Footy Club has also viewed the flick. Cousins played in West Coast's 2006 premiership but was sacked by the Eagles after the 2007 season when his drug problem and behaviour spiralled out of control. He was suspended by the AFL soon after for bringing the game into disrepute, before Richmond recruited him for the 2009 season. The Tigers club threw him a lifeline and he has played at Punt Road for the past two seasons. A sleeping pill overdose saw Cousins hospitalised overnight just last month. His club accepted it was accidental and he only missed one AFL match. Stay tuned for more.

TV Deals To Rich AFL And NRL Clubs...

About $2 billion from the next AFL and NRL television rights deals is due to deliver an massive boost to the brand value of the top clubs from the two codes. A list of the 10 most valuable football clubs in Australia across Australian rules, rugby league, rugby union and football, compiled by entertainment and trademark lawyer Wayne Covell of Worthy Of The Name, showcases the important role of television exposure in adding value to a club's overall brand. For example, Covell's $ list attributes a value of $263million to Collingwood with $87.9million of that due to television revenue and audience projections. In the NRL, television revenue and audience figures are also vital. Of the $169million value applied to Brisbane Broncos, $89.2million can be attributed to television weightings. For the Parramatta Eels, TV revenue accounted for $86million of the club's value of $141million. Interestingly, on a table compiled by brand analysis specialist Repucom International, highlighting the cumulative television audience of all football clubs in Australia across the four codes for 2009 on free-to-air television and Fox Sports, the Broncos are 1, the Eels are 2, and Collingwood are 3. The AFL's television deal, which expires at the end of next year, is worth $780million while the NRL's television deal, expiring at the end of the 2012 season, is worth $500million. Both codes will be looking for $1billion from their next deals. Covell emphasises the central role television plays in his valuations. "The size of the television deal has a huge impact on the football team valuations. A large slice of the television fees paid are attributable to a team's viewership. Their audience drives sponsorship, advertising and merchandise deals." With the NRL's potential to double the value of their current TV deal, and the AFL set to increase its own deal by $220million, it's interesting to compare their numbers to the English Premier League - its television deal is worth about $5billion, confirming its stature as the biggest football league in the world. NRL chief executive David 'Giddy Up' (MM tag) Gallop says he does not have a target price in mind for his code's next television deal, but feels the game has put forward a strong case to potential broadcasters. Gallop told the press "Our expectation is to get an increase in TV revenue that reflects the game's standing. We have not set a dollar value on that but we believe we have compelling content for any broadcasters and our ratings consistently reflect that." He said the NRL was doing everything in its power to secure the best deal. "It is an enormous opportunity," Gallop advised. "It is unquestionably our biggest single revenue source so it plays an important role in growing the financial strength of the game and in helping the game reach as many people as possible. I don't think anyone is underestimating the significance of the next broadcasting deal." AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou says his code isn't in a battle for the same television money as the NRL, despite having signed NRL players Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau. "We do not believe we are competing for the same television dollar in our next round of TV rights negotiations," Demetriou says. Covell's list comes after the release last month of Forbes magazine's valuation of the world's top 10 sporting franchises. Manchester United topped the Forbes list, with a valuation of $2billion. The total value of Australia's top 10 football brands is $1.8billion, which is about the value of the New York Yankees baseball team, which Forbes ranked as the world's third most valuable sports team. Well, it is sports business, and sports business is Big Business, something Gambling911 and Media Man can certainly attest to.

Boxing Gossip: Danny "The Green Machine" Green VS Anthony "The Man" Mundine (Outside The Ring)...

Mundine is a huge fan of the TV show Top Gear and quite the rev head...but he's said No chance to appear on the program. The producers really wanted Mundine to race against his arch rival Danny Green in what would have been a fantastic dream segment, but Mundine has put cold water on the pitch. "Let's get one thing clear...just like I whipped him in the ring when we fought, I'd whip him on the race track," Mundine sprouted "But Green has based his entire career on me and has ridden on me to try and make a name for himself in that time. I am not going to try and help him resurrect his name after his recent farcical fights (Hurricane Briggs). I've got to fight a world ranked fighter, Ryan Waters, on September 15 in Wollongong. All Green does is pick on blokes past their best."

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What's your thoughts on the good, the bad and the ugly of Australian sports? Tell us in the forum.

Readers, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Good punting.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming.

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