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Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA)'s attempts to enter real-money gambling may be held back by US laws, which favor existing casinos, according to Bloomberg. So far, 3 US states, including New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware, have passed laws that will allow online gambling games to be played on their territories, but it looks like the conditions will benefit casinos which dominate the gambling scene. This could create problems for the social gaming giant, which is looking to reduce its dependence on its current business model, including bolstering growth and business transactions by offering real-money games. At present, Zynga (ZNGA) has employed a 'free to play' business model, which was started by multiplayer online games like Jagex Games Studio' RuneScape. It allow players to play games free of cost but with the choice to spend real money on virtual items or other in-game advantages. These in-games purchases are called "micro-transactions".

Gaming Club Claims Online Gaming is Next for the 3D Treatment Posted on July 2, 2012 The recent re-emergence of 3D has taken the entertainment industry by storm, transforming the film, television and gaming sectors, and 3D casinos are the next step, announce Gaming Club. With 3D technology costs falling, and consumer acceptance of the new medium growing, the industry hopes that a three-dimensional future could significantly boost revenues.

Mark Pincus, chief executive of Zynga, said in a conference call with analysts today that the company will launch its first real-money online gambling poker game in the first half of 2013. The game will likely be launched outside the U.S., since real-money online gambling is still illegal in the vast majority of states. There are regulatory roadblocks in many countries, but Europe is pretty open. Pincus said the launch will be subject to online gambling regulatory reviews. Zynga's non-real-money poker game, Zynga Poker, accounted for 18 percent of revenue. In that game, users purchase poker chips with real money, but they cannot cash out any winnings

888, one of the world's most popular online gaming entertainment and solutions providers, has today announced, as part of its online US strategy, an alliance with WMS Gaming Inc., a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of games, gaming content and gaming machines in the United States.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: experience the newest entertainment-style video slot from Aristocrat - Mission: Impossible. Featuring a wide area progressive jackpot with a $250,000 top award, this is an operation rich with ways to win, including three local area progressive jackpots, and a low 150 max bet that encourages every agent to shoot for the big prize. Espionage meets excitement with six great bonus features and 1-cent 50-credit minimum bet, and the fact that it's a Reel Power™ base game (25+25 credit ante bet) makes Mission: Impossible a true high-value target. There's no way this one will stay covert on your slot floor. The premium packaging includes the VERVE hd™ cabinet, licensed game theme, overhead signage and an amazing surround sound chair. Here's the intel we can give you: 31.5" portrait monitor with the award winning Nteractiv™ LCD programmable buttons, high-def 1920x1080 graphics via the advanced GEN7X™ platform, interactive edge lighting, and 3D panoramic digital audio with player-adjustable sound. Durable, low-maintenance surfaces and sleek, stand-out design ensure mission success, and ergonomic seating and controls help keep your operatives in the game longer. This is an experience unlike any other - which means it won't stay top secret for long!

Ralph Topping, chief executive of William Hill Plc., used his personal blog to call for online social gaming to be regulated. Topping said the London-based firm has adopted a "watching brief" stance when it comes to social gaming. "Social gaming is no longer the next big thing for gambling, it is already a very big thing," Topping wrote. "Over one billion dollars has already been spent by 'traditional' gambling companies alone in mergers and acquisitions and hundred of millions of dollars in revenue is already being generated."

Let's start with the obvious: When it comes to the green stuff, no game company is, well, playing games. But Zynga is about to enter a whole new playing field. CEO and co-founder Mark Pincus recently announced that his social gaming giant will enter the real-money gaming (or online gambling) business outside the U.S. in 2013. In fact, Zynga already has products in the pipeline. "What we've said, and what we have to announce today, is that we have our first products in development and that we intend to release them in markets that are regulated and open, subject to our getting licensing," Pincus said during an unfortunate analyst conference call, TechCrunch reports.

Zynga has announced the release in early 2013 of its poker application that will involve real-money gaming. Over the past year, Zynga has struggled to keep its foothold in the mobile gaming market as new entrants have entered the industry. Zynga's solution: real-money poker, which is set to launch in the first half of 2013 in international markets. Zynga's latest quarterly earnings report - its sales of $332.5 million missed the $343.1 million mark that Bloomberg had forecasted - sent the company's stocks plummeting as low as $3.03 per share on Wednesday. At the end of today's trading Zynga's stock price sat at $3.17 per share, but has dropped even further in after-hours trading. During the earnings conference call, Zynga CEO, Mark Pincus blamed Zynga's second quarter shortcomings on Facebook. Changes to Facebook's algorithm apparently surfaces fewer games, thereby decreasing the frequency with which Facebook users discover Zynga games.

Boosted by growth in the UK and other key markets, mobile gambling is going to devour a bigger slice of the gambling pie by 2017 According to a new report from Juniper Research the value of mobile gambling could reach $100 billion by 2017. Growth will largely be fuelled by an expansion in mobile lottery games in certain international markets and an increase in sports betting and social gaming in the UK. http://www.jackpotcity.co.uk/mobile-casino/ already offers a mobile site complete with all its casino games. It is looking to make its mobile play even more socially minded in the future as are other major players in the gaming industry. Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/05/4884031/mobile-gambling-predicted-to-reach.html#storylink=cpy

Strip casino giant MGM Resorts International isn't planning to open more multibillion-dollar integrated casino-resort complexes anytime soon. Instead, MGM Resorts will in June launch myVegas, a free-to-play social gaming casino where only virtual money is bet to win only virtual prizes. Think of Farmville meets Bellagio.

NEARLY 130,000 Australians are playing illegal internet poker games, with US operators raking in $68 million in one year, according to new research. Online casino games, including poker, are illegal in Australia but in May the federal government released an interim review of interactive gaming laws that recommended legalising internet poker as part of overall liberalising of the industry. Other casino games would remain banned.

Nearly 130,000 Australians are playing illegal internet poker games, with United States operators raking in $68 million in one year, according to new research. Online casino games, including poker, are currently illegal in Australia. But in May the federal government released an interim review of interactive gaming laws that recommended legalising internet poker games, as part of overall liberalising of industry. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/illegal-online-poker-is-costing-australians-68m-20120705-21kdg.html#ixzz1znVbSn89

CLUBS should be the sole operator of online casino games if they are legalised, with the community-benefit model of pokies revenue flowing to local clubs to be applied, the pokies lobby says. Online casino games, including poker, are at present illegal, but a recent interim review of interactive gambling laws recommends a liberalisation of online gambling, with online poker hosted by Australian companies to be trialled over five years. Other casino-style games would remain banned. Conservative estimates show at least 130,000 are playing online poker on overseas websites despite the current law.

"Social game developers have all the ingredients that the gambling guys are missing," Mr Griffin said. "They have good user experiences. They have a huge install base of a billion players, but they don't have access to monetisation." Betable has not announced any specific contracts, but said the platform could be used by the popular Facebook or social games like Zynga's Farmville.

"Although social gaming juggernaut Zynga was reportedly 'leading the race' in a bidding war for online poker provider Ongame Network just a few months ago, Amaya Gaming Group has ended up winning it. The Montreal, Canada-headquartered gaming company this morning announced that it has acquired Ongame from Internet gambling powerhouse Bwin.party for 25 million euros (just south of $32.2 million)."

However, Poker continues to be a bright spot for Zynga, which may be one reason the San Francisco-based game giant has recently revisited its roots by developing traditional casino games like Bingo and Slots.

Operators traditionally associated with online casino sites, including Europe's largest operator, Bwin.Party, as well as leading casino software developer Playtech, have expressed an interest in expanding into the social media arena. Conversely, leading lights of social gaming, Zynga, who created Farmville and Cityville, are looking to expand into the gambling sector. Zynga recently appointed two lobbyists to their ranks, Justin McCarthy and Jeffrey Peck, known for their support of the legalisation and regulation of online casino gaming in the United States

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that poker is more a game of skill than chance and cannot be prosecuted under a law created to stop organized crime families from making millions of dollars from gambling. The decision by Judge Jack Weinstein in Brooklyn was embraced by advocates of card games pushing to legalize Internet poker in the United States. The judge relied extensively on the findings of a defense expert who analyzed online poker games.

At a June 26 press event, Zynga announced its plan to help millions more make this grievous life mistake available as a video game with its new game Zynga Slots. It's a slots game where you don't actually have any chance of winning any money back. (But did the slot machine gambler ever have any hope of coming out ahead? Probably not.) The important thing is that Zynga Slots lets players experience pathetically dumping their money down a black hole just like at a real casino, with such premium downloadable content as "Cup of Coins" ($9.99), "Bucket of Coins" ($19.99), and "Vault of Coins" ($99.99). And if that just isn't enough coins, there's always the Platinum Purchase Program for $500 and up.

It's swordplay meets slot play, with excitement of legendary proportions! Housed in the breakthrough Viridian Hybrid cabinet, Zorro: The Legend Returns unsheathes amazing innovations, like Active Reel Technology - for a better bonusing experience - and a dynamic LCD button deck. And with its 32" LCD feature top box, interactive edge lighting and sleek design, the game is as dashing as the character it's named for. As a defender of masterful play, Zorro is a cut above with three standalone progressive jackpots, symbol-triggered progressive jackpot feature, and four additional random bonus features. So if your floor is ready for epic action, this game is ready to ride again.