It’s an interesting idea – the sort of idea you wonder why nobody thought of it before.

I’m referring to the recently uploaded Casino City directory that gives us all a pretty comprehensive rundown on most of the major online payment systems out there. Whether you’re an online bingo player or an operator of online bingo games, this is one directory it might pay to visit.

Why – because it may just help you understand what’s at stake in doing business with or as an online bingo hall in this post-UIGEA world.

For those of you not up to speed with what ‘UIGEA’ is, it stands for the US law called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. It’s a piece of US legislation aimed at disrupting US players’ right to gamble with who they want – and has effectively shut the international online bingo industry out of the US market. UIGEA targets the payment methods used by players to play online bingo.

Getting around UIGEA, or simply just trying to understand how online payments operate in this environment is essential for all wanting to get involved in playing or operating bingo online. May I recommend you visit the directory by going here: http://online.casinocity.com/payment-methods/

Written by John Witherspoon – Come and read all about the online bingo world. BingoStreet’s online bingo news section serves the freshest info of the industry.

It seems some of the bigger names in European online gaming are getting a little annoyed over the time it is taking the EU to nail the US over compensation for their withdrawal from WTO free trade obligations to do with online gambling.

I don’t blame them considering the vast amounts of money lost in the wake of the US’ ill conceived Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). The online bingo industry and free online bingo games operators were amongst a whole lot of honest, hardworking online businesses that woke up one day to find that their biggest market effectively no longer existed.

Then the WTO said UIGEA was bad – against the trade agreements for free access to markets that the US had signed up to.

Then the US said the WTO trade agreements relating to online gambling was bad – and that they were packing up their toys and going home.

Now we’re waiting for a decision by the WTO on how much the US should pay for the privilege of reneging on its WTO free trade agreements.

Don’t hold your breath on this one. I reckon there are probably a few free online bingo jackpots bigger than what the US is willing to pay. It’s my bet the US has a few more delaying tricks up its sleeve before it dips into its pockets for the likes of PartyGaming, Bwin, Sportingbet and 888.com.

Written by John Witherspoon – Playing bingo online is fun. Relax and play online bingo from the comfort of your home. We’ve collected the best online bingo games for you.

Here’s a case of hubris, a little quote from Sweden’s gambling monopoly concerning its recent announcement of massive profits:

“Gamers choose our secure poker platform over others, which is pleasing,” said Svenska Spel CEO Jesper Kärrbrink on his company’s 32% profit increase.

Legally, Swedish punters currently only have Svenska Spel’s ‘secure poker platform’ to choose from.  My guess is the same applies to their online bingo operations which are singled out for high praise due to excellent performances in that niche.
Raking in profits of the type enjoyed Svenska Spel is nice work when you can get it – and Sweden’s government makes sure Svenska Spel gets it all!

So, how about letting Swedish online bingo players get a taste of what a competitive free online bingo games market can offer?  Rhetorical as that question is, it’s time Sweden’s politicians got with the free trade programme and leveled the playing field, if anything for the sake of Swedish bingo players who obviously enjoy a bit of online bingo.

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Any chance of a quick decision on compensation claims by EU and Antigua against the US regards its decision to withdraw from its WTO obligations has now been put off till late December.

As a quick recap for those in online bingo land not familiar with this issue, the US is essentially reneging on its WTO obligations to free its gambling markets to foreign competitors, particularly its online sector.  As a result quite a few countries are going to lose a lot of money and this is what they are seeking compensation for.

In my opinion this issue is obviously going to drag on forever and it’s unlikely we’ll see the US get its comeuppance any time soon.  In any case, it’s also unlikely that those online bingo operators and online bingo halls hurt by the US’ anti-online gambling policy would have gotten any form of compensation out of this WTO thing either.

The US says it wants a reasonable solution to the dispute – by this it means it wants to reduce the amount it might have to pay, not soften its anti-online gambling policy.  Will the best online bingo halls on the Internet ever enjoy US customers again?  Not as long as the current administration runs the show in the US me thinks.

Written by John Witherspoon – Interested in free online bingo? Our great online bingo portal gives all the info you need.

I find what I’m about to comment on most amusing and the justice of it all pleasing.  I am referring to the recent debacle involving the arrest of Unibet CEO Petter Nylander by Dutch authorities on behalf of an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the French government under their antiquated protectionist laws.

What people have to consider in this case, especially those of you who may operate free online bingo games or online bingo halls, is that this man was arrested in Europe for breaking a French law which has been judged illegal by the European Union – but that didn’t stop Dutch police executing the arrest under European jurisdiction, a fact that now has the French in an acutely embarrassing legal situation.

Nylander can thank the EU Commission for coming to his aid in pointing out that, by EU law, Nylander has done nothing wrong and in fact it is the French who are in violation of the law.

Put simply, this makes the French look silly and vindictive – and I love it!  Of course, it must have been a rather unpleasant experience for Nylander, but then he is now set to become somewhat of a martyr for the online gaming cause.

I hope Nylander goes for the big one and sues the French for everything he can get.  Finally we have an incident which may spark definite action in freeing up European online bingo markets European wide.

Written by John Witherspoon – How about playing bingo online? The best free online bingo games are just one click away.

Bingo Street ran a report yesterday covering the move by Austrian gaming giant Bwin into the Spanish market via a joint venture.  It’s also interesting to note that elsewhere two of the UK’s bigger names in sportbetting, Ladbrokes and William Hill, are also making forays into the Spanish market.

The reason for this is Spain’s efforts at liberalizing its gambling industry which has now made it easier for non-Spanish gaming companies to establish a foothold there.  Ladbrokes does run an online bingo hall and it’s not entirely without the realms of possibility that bingo online may see a boost in that country.

Ladbrokes has teamed up with Spanish betting company Cirsa while William Hill will be exploring the market in association with Codere.

While free online bingo is predominantly a British phenomenon, there is a large British population in residence in Spain, so let’s see if the arrival of two big UK names down there (one with an already established online bingo presence) sees the online bingo gospel find a new source of players to join the growing international online bingo community.

Written by John Witherspoon – Become a part of a great online bingo community. Play online bingo chat games at BingoStreet.com

A Forbes magazine report is indicting that the French may be thinking about taking a more sensible approach to allowing non-French gambling companies access to their market.

This is welcome news to those of us in the online bingo industry that have seen various events linked to government protectionism impact our business. While we are all familiar with the carnage created in the online gambling industry by the passing of the UIGEA law in the US, it has been particularly galling that European countries that are committed to the EU ideal of free markets continue practice monopolies in the gambling sector.

What the French interior minister is reported as saying by Forbes is that he sees French casinos benefiting through a liberalized market by being able to project a presence into new online markets.  Naturally, there is a self-serving slant to this attitude, but I’m sure online bingo halls and operators of free online bingo games will take any concession they can get.

Just how long will it take for the European Union to fully implement freedom trade for the online gaming industry?

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Bingo Street recently included Ladbrokes Bingo as part of its reviewed online bingo sites that we recommend you visit.  No less a financial giant than Lehman Brothers (one of the big four investment banks in the US) has included Ladbrokes in its recommendations to buy on the stock market – sorry Lehman Bros, we spotted this winner before you!

I love it when we’re ahead of the big boys in spotting talent.  Ladbrokes Bingo is well worth a visit along with all the other free online bingo sites we cover at Bingo Street.  The difference with Ladbrokes Bingo though is that you could be in for a double whammy of winnings if you both play its online bingo games and buy its stock.

On a more serious note, one of the reasons Lehman Bros picked up on Ladbrokes is due to that company’s excellent use of modern and advanced online technology, including its bingo online games.  Lehman is convinced this puts Ladbrokes ahead of its competition, thus making it a more viable investment.

It will be interesting to see how Ladbrokes stock does this week in what is shaping up to be a very interesting time for the markets.

Written by John Witherspoon – Come and read all about the online bingo world. BingoStreet’s online bingo news section serves the freshest info of the industry.

This last week I have written enough reports on UK gambling companies making announcements that their profits will be substantially down to know that something is taking place in the industry that does not bode well for many.  Some blame the smoking ban’s effects on their land-based bingo customer base, while others have pointed to the changes in the UK Gambling Act.

Whatever the reason, one thing is for sure – the downturn in profits is across the board in all industry sectors and it seems gambling is just one of many sectors facing a tough time over the next while.  But, what does this mean for online bingo?

Free online bingo has the advantage of getting around a smoking ban and this makes it a viable alternative for bingo operators trying to turn a buck.  But like any sector it’s dependant on the overall health of the economy and there are signs out there that things are not going well.  It’s my opinion that land-based bingo would have suffered even without a smoking ban. Why? – “…the times they are a changing�.

As the economy gets tighter bingo-playing people are going to want cost saving solutions that still give them the thrill of taking part in a bingo game.  This is the area that online bingo games excel at.  Bingo online can offer to the UK bingo population a complete alternative to land-based bingo without the major cost outlay associated with running a land-based bingo club.  However, the key is in how online bingo markets itself, and that’s where taking full advantage of sites such as Bingo Street should be an essential ingredient in any online bingo operator’s business plan.

As more and more land-based bingo clubs close down, where do you think all those punters with Internet connections are going to look for their next bingo fix?

Written by John Witherspoon – Interested in free online bingo? Our great online bingo portal gives all the info you need.

The emphasis in the continuing saga that is the World Trade Organization (WTO) stand-off between an anti-online gambling US and the rest of the world has now shifted back to the duel that started it all off – little Antigua’s claim against its giant neighbour.

Antigua is seeking compensation for being shut out of the US market despite the US signing up to a WTO agreement committing it to open markets.  Quite a few online bingo games operators and international online bingo halls suffered the same fate as Antigua.

Unfortunately, the process by which Antigua may get its compensatin has now entered the insufferable period where bureaucrats take over, so it’s unlikely we in online bingo land will see anything concrete coming out of this issue for a while.

It’s interesting, however, to note that the actual numbers being bandied about regards the value of the compensation being claimed for by Antigua are wildly different depending on your point of view.  Antigua wants $3.4 billion – the US will only offer $500,000.  Yep, that’s a $3.35 billion discrepancy in calculating Antigua’s losses thanks to UIGEA.

Who would have thought the US could be so cheap!

Written by John Witherspoon – How about playing bingo online? The best free online bingo games are just one click away.