The event will be placed in the Guinness Book of Records as the Largest Online Poker Tournament. 

“No other site brings the level of excitement, skill, and challenge that poker players crave,” said, Daniel Ngu, a Team Poker Stars Professional. “The Sunday tournaments at PokerStars provide an unrivaled opportunity to prove your poker prowess with a lucrative prize pool that matches the highest level of competition.”

For more information or to join Poker Stars, see our Poker Stars review.

“Due to a network communication issue this afternoon, players may have experienced difficulties buying National Lottery tickets in store or via the National Lottery website,” said lottery organizers before the draw.

“We would like to apologize to anyone affected.”

We wonder whether the eventual winner of the £3.4 Million first prize was really all that bothered that their winnings were £800k less than they should have been. 

The UK lottery has been established since 1994 and this is the first time that ticket sales have been affected for such a duration.

Until now, the Czech Republic has cited fears of underage and problem gambling as reasons why this type of entertainment has not been offered online. Czech companies such as Fortuna have promised to take all the necessary actions to prevent problem gambling, something they claim foreign companies don’t do.

It seems that the way forward for the online gambling industry is not to ban sites or betting activity but to impose regulations and rules that protect vunerables from gambling online.

Co-founder of Party Gaming, Anurag Dikshit’s decision to pay out $300 million in a plea bargain with the US Department of Justice and his admission of guilt for engaging in ‘illegal online gambling activities’, has angered other co-founders of the company, as well as top executives in the online gambling world.

They fear that the plea will start an unwelcome trend in the market. “Dikshit's decision has created a rift with his former Party Gaming colleagues, in particular the three other entrepreneurs who helped launch what was once the world's biggest poker service. 

Ruth Parasol, her husband Russell de Leon and their marketing guru, Vikrant Bhargava,” said a Times article over the weekend. “ It will also have troubled executives at other big online gambling companies, such as 888 Holdings. And it could have grave implications for the entire gambling industry, estimated to be worth more than $12 billion a year.”

The US has been pushing its weight around since the UIGEA was introduced, attached to a completely unrelated bill.  It is hoped that the Obama Government will overthrow the regulations but that remains to be seen. 

It is thought in many circles that eventually the US will legalise and regulate gambling in the country to collect the many taxes that come with it.  This would be a real kick in the teeth for the people they are targetting with lawsuits at the moment given the poor laws relating to gambling within the US. 

Dikshit, a multi-billionaire, can afford to lose $300 but the gambling industry can't afford to continue to let the US Government run over it in this way.

2009 is sure to bring many new challenges to the online gambling industry, compounded by the state of the ecomony Worldwide - we'll keep you informed.

But, you have to be in it to win it!

The game is available at what is dubbed, "The cheekiest bingo site on the 'net," and hosts a range of other games as well as the monthly £10,000 Coverall Jackpot game.

They also run a great selection of player promotions at Wink Bingo, aimed at both new and existing players.  New players who deposit to play online bingo with Wink can look forward to a  200% bonus on your first deposit with a minimum deposit of only £5.  

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Wink Bingo also have Guaranteed Jackpot Games for smaller amounts with £5,000 and £3,000 being the most popular.  The Hidden Treasures Room has other prizes for players like HD ready plasma TVs, Nintendo Wii and Fit Boards and many other similar prizes.  

You can check out Wink Bingo in more detail or click below to sample one of the best bingo sites on the internet for yourself.

The group which includes the All Slots Casino, Wild Jack, All Jackpots and First Web Casino are now fully regulated and licensed within an EEC area (Malta) meaning that are now legally allowed to advertise within the UK.

We've always liked the Jackpot Factory group and the casinos that go to make up the group but had to remove access to them from the Doolallys site due to them being regulated outside the EEC which disallowed sites to advertise them.  It was a real shame because the sites themselves are real gems, running with Microgaming software, and had loads of loyal and happy players.  

However, with them now being fully regulated and licensed within an approved area, we can, once again, bring you reviews of these casinos.  Try All Slots Casino or First Web Casino for a taste of what makes the Jackpot Factory Group so special. 

Keep an eye out for more from us regarding them as we extend our coverage of some of the best online casinos available for players to enjoy in the coming weeks and months.

The main stories this week cover a poker subscription site shutting up shop, 888 winning yet another award, a little about the European Sports Security Association (ESSA), and Pinnacle Sports ceasing US operations.

We'll be back to normal next week but to close this introductory summary to this weeks gambling news, I'd like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas from all the staff here at Doolallys.com - The Premier Online Gambling Site.

Zosoz Subscription Poker Site Shuts Shop
After only two months in operation, the $19.99-per-month subscription poker site, Zosoz, has suddenly shut down its operations. Many players have been left with bounced checks that were sent to them as prizes for winning competitionss played on the site.

“We regret to inform you that due to circumstances beyond our control, Zosoz will cease operations at 11.59 pm EST on December 14, 2008. All subscription membership fees have been refunded in full,” read a statement on the site. Zozoz promised to pay out winnings within six weeks, and players are waiting to see if anything comes out of these guarantees.

888 Holdings Wins Magazine Award
The internal 888 Holdings publication, Eight, won the prestigious APA's Most Effective Membership award, which recognizes brilliant brand content in publications. The magazine is sent out on a regular basis to members of 888 Holding’s sites. “These awards demonstrate how committed 888 is in ensuring we reach the highest performance levels in everything we do, and to delivering on our other core values of innovation, caring, customer centricity, leading and collaboration,” said Matt Robinson, Vice President of Brand Marketing at 888 Holdings.

ESSA To Target IGE Attendees
The European Sports Security Association (ESSA), which boasts membership of top gaming companies in the industry, such as Party Gaming and Sporting Bet, will target the thousands of participants of next month’s International Gaming Expo in London. ESSA will spread its message that calls for tougher standards in the sports betting industry to avoid unethical practices. “IGE is the year's first opportunity to talk with a congregation of almost 25,000 stakeholders from incredibly diverse business sectors," said Khalid Ali, the new Secretary General of ESSA. “The event represents a unique chance for us to convey important ESSA messages, canvas opinion and keep abreast of new personnel, technology and developments.”

Pinnacle Sports Stops Servicing US Market
Pinnacle Sports, which offers global horserace betting services, as well as an instant play casino and poker room, announced that – effective immediately – it would not be servicing the US horseracing industry. As such bettors will not be able to wager on races scheduled in the United States. “As a result of the various changes in the North American racing industry, Pinnacle Sports finds itself in a position where we are unable to offer horse racing to our satisfaction,” said a statement issued by the company. “This, added to the declining interest of clients in racing in general, has prompted us to discontinue wagering on daily North American horse racing with immediate effect.”

“It was only a few months ago that we awarded the 500th seal. To have reached the 600th seal so quickly underscores the increased enthusiasm and single-minded determination of our members all over the world to demonstrate that their sites are trustworthy and honorable and can be visited with complete peace of mind. It's both exciting and gratifying to see the accelerated pace at which webmasters are joining the Seal of Approval program.”

Doolallys.com was one of the first recipients of the seal when the GPWA announced the introduction of the approval process which focuses on fair play and fair gaming across all aspects of gambling portal sites.  Find out more about the inclusion of Doolallys into the GPWA Seal of Approval program.  We're committed to player satisfaction over all the programs we promote including casinos, poker bingo and skill based gambling games.

“Given the size of our business, it is crucial for us to work with software that is stable yet flexible,” said the Chief Executive Officer for Victor Chandler, Michael Carlton.

“VCCasino is a core part of our product offering and we were very pleased to seal a strategic partnership with Net Entertainment. Now that we have launched our new casino, we are fully expecting significant growth through 2009.”

Norsk Tipping is big business in Norway and provides a valuable source of income for the Norwegian government. 

It is believed that the law could reach the European Court of Justice if the European Commission steps in to act against the new gambling law in Norway.