La Línea owes banks €100 million and fell behind in salary payments to municipality employees over the summer.

La Línea owes banks €100 million and fell behind in salary payments to municipality employees over the summer. About 10,000 of its 65,000 inhabitants are unemployed, compared with 4,000 jobless five years ago.“The boom years created jobs, but when the building craze suddenly ended, there was no obvious way to channel all these people into other activities,” Mr. Sánchez said. “We’re now told by Madrid that we cannot take on more debt, but that puts a city like ours in an impossible situation.”In Jerez de la Frontera, a municipality known for its wine and flamenco, the debt pile has reached €670 million, or about $883 million. The economic slowdown has also cut Jerez’s tax revenue to €11 million last year from €41 million in 2008. “I’m running a war economy,” said Jerez’s mayor, Pilar Sánchez.The...

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Gibraltar cited for weak anti-money laundering compliance

Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust – the same institution were Ponzi scheme architect Scott Rothstein did millions of dollars in banking – was criticized by federal regulators for weak anti-money laundering compliance.Regulators told the $1.6 billion-asset bank to stop the “unsafe and unsound” practices of operating with “ineffective Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and anti-money laundering compliance programs, having an excessive level of problem assets, not addressing its liquidity risk management and not following regulatory guidelines on real estate lending.The Coral Gables-based bank on Friday released the order to cease and desist to the Business Journal shortly before the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) was expected to make it public.The OTS listed six laws or regulations that it said the...

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Amnesty International is calling on the Moroccan authorities to immediately investigate the fatal checkpoint shooting of a 14-year old boy

Amnesty International is calling on the Moroccan authorities to immediately investigate the fatal checkpoint shooting of a 14-year old boy outside a camp set up by Sahrawi protestors.According to his relatives, Al-Nagem Al-Qarhi was shot dead on 24 October by Moroccan military officers, while in a car bringing supplies to a camp set up by Sahrawi protesters demanding an end to their economic marginalization by the Moroccan government.“The disturbing details of this killing that must be investigated immediately and transparently”, said Amnesty International. “Morocco needs to show that it has not violated UN standards on the use of firearms, or used excessive force as it chokes off access, supplies and communications to the Sahrawi protest camp.”Al-Nagem died almost immediately after being...

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Moroccan police have instituted a pattern of abuse under the country's anti-terrorism law, notably by way of detentions

Human Rights Watch charged Monday that Moroccan police have instituted a pattern of abuse under the country's anti-terrorism law, notably by way of detentions carried out by the intelligence service.In a report called "Stop Looking for Your Son: Illegal Detentions Under the Counterterrorism law in Morocco," the New-York based rights organisation said that the abuses "violate the progressive legislation Morocco adopted to safeguard against torture and illegal detention."HRW staff told a press conference in Rabat that agents wearing plain clothes have in recent years turned up at homes and arrested people without any identification or explanation, then transported them blindfolded to a secret place of detention.This practice has taken place under a law that was passed just after the Casablanca...

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Sperm whales, pilot whales, orcas and dolphins are all at risk of being killed in collisions with freighters using the proposed route between Tarifa,

Sperm whales, pilot whales, orcas and dolphins are all at risk of being killed in collisions with freighters using the proposed route between Tarifa, on the southwestern tip of Spain and a new port in Tangier on Morocco's northern coast.Greenpeace has called on the Spanish government to rethink the creation of the new route. "There is an exclusion zone that is ignored already and now they are going to create a new route that slices it in two," Pilar Marcos, head of Greenpeace Spain's coastal campaign, told Spanish newspaper El Pais.The Merchant Marine department of Spain's Public Works ministry has admitted that it "does not consider the said route to be necessary" but cannot prohibit its use.Instead it will urge freighters to reduce their speed during the crossing to 13 knots and post lookouts...

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Morocco has blocked the entry of seven Spanish journalists into Western Sahara following the killing of a young demonstrator there by Moroccan police

Morocco has blocked the entry of seven Spanish journalists into Western Sahara following the killing of a young demonstrator there by Moroccan police, Spanish media reported Tuesday.Moroccan government sources accused the Western Sahara independence movement Polisario and its backer Algeria of using journalists to politicise social demands by protestors who have set up a tent camp near the Saharan capital Laayoune.The Moroccan airline Royal Air Maroc cancelled the tickets of the Spanish journalists as they were preparing to fly from the Moroccan city of Casablanca to Laayoune, the daily El Mundo said.The journalists were given no clear explanation for the cancellation.Morocco perceives Spanish media as often siding with Polisario, government sources told the German Press Agency dpa. They accused...

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official complaint against the Rock’s reclamation projects.

SANCHEZ CALLS ON BRUSSELS TO INVESTIGATE GIB RECLAMATION PROJECTSMayor of La Linea Alejandro Sánchez yesterday presented a 100 page document to the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee in Brussels detailing an official complaint against the Rock’s reclamation projects. According to Sr Sánchez the paper “will show the damage to La Linea’s beaches given the proximity of these projects,” while noting the alleged absence or notification of any environmental impact assessment into the neighbouring coastline.Additionally, Sr Sánchez also refers to other “hidden reclamation projects which will come to fruition soon,” that could have further effects “on the marine fauna, flora and environment.”The complaint also calls for the setting up of a commission of investigation to establish whether there...

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HOTEL and real estate group, Jale have lost control of the famous Incosol hotel in Marbella

HOTEL and real estate group, Jale have lost control of the famous Incosol hotel in Marbella as well as three others in Cadiz and Cordoba. A judge in Cadiz has left the management of the hotel in the hands of the members of the insolvency administration and the owner of the hotels, Inmobiliaria Amuerga, will receive no money at all.Incosol is run by Jale Medical Spa Corporate SL although there is no contract to prove this and the money taken, which amounted to €11.7m in 2008, is kept by this company. The judge reports that there was €7.5m worth of unjustified personnel and external services expenses. Amuerga, however, claimed that this situation was known by the insolvency administration.Now, the creditor will be able to appoint someone to directly run each one of the hotels so that expenses...

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official complaint against the Rock’s reclamation projects.

SANCHEZ CALLS ON BRUSSELS TO INVESTIGATE GIB RECLAMATION PROJECTSMayor of La Linea Alejandro Sánchez yesterday presented a 100 page document to the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee in Brussels detailing an official complaint against the Rock’s reclamation projects. According to Sr Sánchez the paper “will show the damage to La Linea’s beaches given the proximity of these projects,” while noting the alleged absence or notification of any environmental impact assessment into the neighbouring coastline.Additionally, Sr Sánchez also refers to other “hidden reclamation projects which will come to fruition soon,” that could have further effects “on the marine fauna, flora and environment.”The complaint also calls for the setting up of a commission of investigation to establish whether there...

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Kuwaiti investments in Morocco reached about 8 billion dirhams ($1 billion)

Kuwaiti investments in Morocco reached about 8 billion dirhams ($1 billion) in various sectors, Morocco's Economy and Finance Minister Salaheddine Mezouar said on Thursday.These investments significantly increased with a tendency for more sectoral diversification, Mezouar told the press following the signing ceremony of four agreements to reinforce the Moroccan-Kuwaiti cooperation, under the chairmanship of HM King Mohammed VI and HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The Moroccan official added that Kuwait is one of the Kingdom's main partners in terms of funding development projects in Morocco (ports, highways, electricity, high speed rail, dams…).The Moroccan-Kuwaiti agreements signed on Thursday reflect the deep and sound bilateral relations, he said, underlining...

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jet owned by a senior executive in the US firm which has bought Liverpool Football Club was chartered by the CIA and used

jet owned by a senior executive in the US firm which has bought Liverpool Football Club was chartered by the CIA and used in flights allegedly linked to the rendition of terror suspects. The plane is owned by Phillip Morse, 69, the vice-chairman of New England Sports Ventures, which bought the club on Friday for £300million.An investigation has established that between 2002 and 2005 the CIA chartered the plane from Mr Morse for millions of pounds and made extensive use of it.Guantanamo Bay to Morocco on March 27 2004 and a journey from Guantanamo to Romania and Morocco on April 12 2004 to the abduction of al Qaeda operatives Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri, Abu Zubaydah, Ramzi bin al-Shibh and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.Abduction link: Mr Morse's jet with the Red Sox logo on its tail finAll four men were...

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Moroccan investigations have revealed that the terrorist network al-Qaeda is aiding international drug cartels

Moroccan investigations have revealed that the terrorist network al-Qaeda is aiding international drug cartels in securing logistics in the Northern African country to export drugs to Europe.On Friday, Morocco’s Interior Minister, Taib Cherkaoui, revealed details of the relationship between al-Qaeda and drug cartels, which he described as “obvious”. The interior ministry’s recently cracked down on a group with 34 members involved in selling drugs.“Through security investigation, it has been found that there are direct relations between international drug networks and al-Qaeda, and they use Moroccan’s desert and coast as a base for their operations,” Cherkaoui said.He also added that the drug lords are mainly from Colombia, Venezuela and Spain and have a “good” relationship with al-Qaeda in...

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Morocco's government says police have dismantled an international drug trafficking ring

Morocco's government says police have dismantled an international drug trafficking ring bringing cocaine and marijuana from South America to Africa and on to Europe.Taieb Cherqaoui says 34 people were arrested, including a Spaniard who led the group out of Morocco.Cherqaoui told a news conference Friday that the ring had ties with al-Qaida's North African affiliate, known as AQIM, as well as Latin American drug cartels.Cherqaoui said the group had smuggled 600 kilograms of cocaine into Morocco between March and August of this year.He said the drugs were brought from Colombia and Venezuela to Africa, stored in northern Mali, then taken through the desert to markets in Morocco and Euro...

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12 people were killed when former Tuareg rebels backed by Malian government forces clashed with heavily armed drug smugglers

12 people were killed when former Tuareg rebels backed by Malian government forces clashed with heavily armed drug smugglers ferrying cocaine across the Sahara desert, Malian officials said on Sunday.Several smugglers were captured in the clash, which took place on Thursday about 100 km (60 miles) from the town of Kidal in northern Mali, a local government official said."Drug traffickers transporting cocaine from Morocco towards Egypt clashed with (former Tuareg rebel leader Ibrahim Ag) Bahanga and his men, who were given material support by the army," said the official, asking not to be named."About a dozen" people died in the clash and a number of traffickers were arrested, the official said. Another official confirmed the incident but could give no further details.Nomadic Tuareg rebels...

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Probability has been awarded a remote gambling licence by the government of Gibraltar

Probability has been awarded a remote gambling licence by the government of Gibraltar, the first new licence since 2008.Cohen called the Gibraltar licence “the icing on the cake” not just because it places the company among a “prestigious group of egaming businesses, but because it provides us with access to a skilled workforce and more efficient, competitive tax and cost regime”.There are currently 19 other companies with a remote gambling licence in Gibraltar including Ladbrokes, 888.com, PartyGaming and William Hill. The company said the move would bring both commercial benefits and “significant on-going cost savings and improved operational margins” as the business expands.Glenn Elliott, the company's chief operating officer has relocated to Gibraltar and taken up the role of managing...

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Gibraltar is now recognised globally as an online gambling centre and continues to highlight it's credibility.

Gibraltar is now recognised globally as an online gambling centre and continues to highlight it's credibility. While not quite the glamorous destination of the Mediterranean gambling mecca Monaco Gibraltar has gained a reputation as the place where sophisticated online gambling companies have based their operations. Rising from reclaimed land on the Rock's west side, Europort has become home to some of the world's most trusted and reliable gaming firms.Back as far as 1998 Victor Chandler from the U.K. moved a segment of it's operation to Gibraltar in order to give customers an advantage by not having to pay a gambling duty or VAT in the U.K. When Ladbrokes moved their online and telephone segments there the government in the U.K. removed the gambling tax in order to keep more companies from...

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Probability plc, a software producer that specializes in developing mobile casino games, has left Aldernary and is on its way to Gibraltar

Probability plc, a software producer that specializes in developing mobile casino games, has left Aldernary and is on its way to Gibraltar, becoming the first online gambling company to receive a new license from the jurisdiction since 2008.Probability says the move will allow them to save costs and improve operational margins. The company is expanding thanks to a recent explosion of interest in mobile phone gambling. Recent revenue growth is also attributable to increased spending on marketing and customer retention.Wagers on Probability’s mobile casino games were up 55 per cent in September over April, with total cash deposited by players up 27 per cent over the same period. The group’s sites also saw an 11 per cent rise in players.The latest product update released by Probability was the...

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Gibraltar Private Bank and Trust Co. on Friday was served with a cease and desist order from regulators, citing unsound banking practices

Gibraltar Private Bank and Trust Co. on Friday was served with a cease and desist order from regulators, citing unsound banking practices related to its Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-Money Laundering policies and procedures, as well as problem loans.The privately held Coral Gables-based bank, which caters to doctors, lawyers and other professionals and entrepreneurs, has had clients affected by the economic downturn, said Steve Hayworth, Gibraltar's founder, chairman and chief executive.``Clearly over the last few years it's been a difficult environment for all Florida banks -- all banks really,'' Hayworth said.Yet given its well-heeled niche, it's ``very surprising'' to be given a formal regulatory enforcement action, said Miami-based economist and independent banking consultant Ken Thomas.``It...

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Spanish fisheries protection vessel entered our waters and inspected a vessel’s papers

May of last year we had the first incident of a different and more serious kind. That was when a Spanish fisheries protection vessel entered our waters and inspected a vessel’s papers. This was therefore not just a case of incursion, but also of exercising executive competence and policing powers in our territorial waters. During the last 18 months we have been making it clear to both London and Madrid that this new Spanish behaviour was not consistent with, and was bound to impact on, the viability of co-operation in matters relating to waters.The incident of 28th September was the first of an even more serious kind, in which the Guardia Civil, by the threat and use of physical force against RGP officers, prevented them from exercising the RGP’s powers and jurisdiction in our own waters....

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Gibraltar’s application to establish a World Trade Centre (WTC)

Gibraltar’s application to establish a World Trade Centre (WTC) has been approved by the WTC Association at the conclusion of its Annual General Assembly in China, making it the 335th licence to be awarded across the globe to develop international trade.The unanimous vote by WTC members in favour came after close scrutiny of the credentials and development plans submitted by Greg Butcher, the entrepreneur behind the large-scale mixed use Ocean Village proje...

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NO to the reclamation in Gibraltar.

mayor of La Linea Alejandro Sanchez and his PP council members have again been trying to stir anti-Gibraltar feelings in La Linea. On this occasion through a leaflet that was produced by the 'ayuntamiento' and distributed in the border town.The leaflet carried a banner headline which said NO to the reclamation in Gibraltar.It then asked: Till when? To where?It is not right that Gibraltar should expand its territory at La Linea's expense - that was the message.The line taken was that the reclamation projects were affecting La Linea's beaches, which they claimed were 'disappearing'.It is amazing how excited they can get when they think they can knock the Rock.Yet, there have been huge reclamation projects over the Campamento and Algeciras areas, gaining land from the waters of the bay - and...

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British and Spanish naval and police boats have been involved in a series of face-offs in the waters off Gibraltar, around which Britain claims

The government has declined to take further action on Saturday after a letter from Gibraltar called for the Royal Navy to deploy ships to confront Spanish "incursions" into the waters of the disputed territory.Gibraltar's Chief Minister Peter Caruana said on Thursday he had written to Foreign Secretary William Hague asking him "to take effective action to uphold Her Majesty?s Sovereignty of British Gibraltar Territorial Waters."He wanted this to include "the systematic deployment and intervention of the Royal Navy in support and protection" of police.But while acknowledging receipt of the letter, a spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "The Royal Navy is already present and their role is well-defined already."Since last year, British and Spanish naval and police boats have been involved in...

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DutchNews.nl - Netherlands and Morocco sign treaty on criminal investigations

DutchNews.nl - Netherlands and Morocco sign treaty on criminal investigations: "Netherlands and Morocco will today sign a treaty designed at making it easier for the two countries to each other in criminal investigations.For example, the agreement will make it possible for the Dutch and Moroccan police to ask for evidence or to question witnesses in each other's countries, Nos tv said. Justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin has described the treaty as a 'breakthrough'. Every year, the Netherlands asks Morocco to help it in hundreds of criminal investigations, usually to do with drugs smuggling, money laundering, violence or suspected terroris...

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Euro Weekly News | Two held on drugs charges linked to Italian Mafia | Costa del Sol | News | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain

Euro Weekly News | Two held on drugs charges linked to Italian Mafia | Costa del Sol | News | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain: "POLICE have arrested seven people who were caught unloading 700 kilos of hashish from a recreational boat in Malaga. An eighth person was arrested in Barcelona. Two of the detainees are associated with the Neapolitan Camorra and were under investigation by the French and Italian police for smuggling drugs from Morocco while pretending to be fishing.They had several boats which they kept in Montenegro, Serbia. One of the detainees owned a nautical company in Velez Malaga from where they would head to Morocco and return with the drugs hidden in special compartments.When police were tipped off that they were on their way to pick up a large quantity of...

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Investigations led to the arrest of seven members of this criminal network, including two Spaniards, who were in possession of large sums of money

Home: Morocco dismantles drug trafficking criminal network, Interior Ministry: "As part of efforts made by the Moroccan authorities to fight organized crime in all its forms, security services have managed to dismantle a dangerous criminal network operating in Morocco. The network, which has branches in Latin America, Europe and Africa, is specialized in the trafficking of hard drugs (cocaine) and chira, transported to Europe by land, sea and air, a statement of the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday. Investigations led to the arrest of seven members of this criminal network, including two Spaniards, who were in possession of large sums of money in foreign and Moroccan currencies, vehicles used in the trafficking of hard drugs in Morocco, quantities of cocaine and chira, and tear gases....

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French bank Credit Agricole exits Morrocan Attijariwafa Bank | TradingMarkets.com

French bank Credit Agricole exits Morrocan Attijariwafa Bank | TradingMarkets.com: "French bank Credit Agricole (EPA:ACA) has disposed of its 1.44% in Morrocan Attijariwafa Bank (CAS:ATW) to holding company SNI for an unrevealed price, French daily, Les Echos, wrote on Monday, citing press reports from Morroco. Credit Agricole still owns in Morocco the majority of local lender Credit du Maroc (CAS:CDM), the French daily said. Country: , Morocco Sector: Banking/Financial Services Target: Vendor: Credit Agricole SA Type: Divestment Status: Clos...

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Spain has made it clear she wants to return to sovereignty negotiations

"Spain has made it clear she wants to return to sovereignty negotiations - despite the tripartite talks!At the UN last week, the message was clear: Spain wants dialogue, of the wrong kind.Spain reiterated a firm desire to resume direct conversations with the UK.Where does that leave the Gibraltar Government?The Spanish attack followed the pattern of the past:*The colonial situation in Gibraltar ran counter to the Charter of the United Nations*The principle of self-determination was not applicable to the decolonisation of GibraltarThe Gibraltar Government has been dismissing the Spanish stance, while Britain has been backing the Gibraltar lin...

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Pure Power hires Gibraltar as AOR - PRWeek US

Pure Power hires Gibraltar as AOR - PRWeek US: "Pure Power, a Singapore-based clean technology and biofuels company, hired Gibraltar Associates as its AOR. The firm, which began working on the account in June, is providing IR, media relations, shareholder communications, and social media counsel. The company is focusing on outreach to North America markets although it is planning for a global push, as well. It was not a competitive bi...

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Los Barrios vows to free Jorge Cano and Juan José Ramirez Ruíz | dscriber

Los Barrios vows to free Jorge Cano and Juan José Ramirez Ruíz | dscriber: "On Monday evening, the people of Los Barrios gathered at the town's cinema to form an action group to fight for the release of Jorge Cano and Juan José Ramirez Ruíz in the wake of an appeal court ruling last week in Tangier that confirmed their three-year jail sentence for drug trafficking as well as a fine of 170,000 euros. Andalucía's ombudsman, José Chamizo, called the court's decision an 'outrage,' claiming there was no strong evidence against the pair. Moreover, he said evidence also proves their innocence, suggesting the conviction of the pair was politically motivated.The Plataforma Cívica de 'Libertad para Jorge y Juan José' was established by the residents of Los Barrios with the specific purpose of achieving...

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Betfair May Be The Next Gambling Group To Leave The UK - Gamblingkingz.com

Betfair May Be The Next Gambling Group To Leave The UK - Gamblingkingz.com: "After confirming last week that it would be going ahead with planned flotation on the London Stock Exchange valued at £1.5 billion, Betfair has apparently drawn up a contingency plan that could see the group move its operations to Gibraltar.Rumours are high that Betfair will follow in the footsteps of its rival William Hill in a bid to save millions of pounds in taxes.By operating offshore, Betfair will also be free of the heavy 10% horseracing levy that all bookies in the United Kingdom are subject to.Gross Profit Tax (GPT) in Gibraltar is only 3%, compared to the 15% demanded by the UK government.Bookmakers have long complained over the government's inaction over offshore gambling sites, as well as ever-increasing...

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Question that investors might like to pose Betfair as its directors tour the City with the aim of securing their backing for its forthcoming float

Question that investors might like to pose Betfair as its directors tour the City with the aim of securing their backing for its forthcoming float: why are you still onshore?Nearly all of the betting exchange's more traditional rivals have now upped sticks and left for sunnier offshore climes (principally Gibraltar). And it's not hard to see why: by doing this there's no more 20 per cent "gross profits tax" on betting over and above corporation tax and other levies. Nor is there any need to pony up 10 per cent of your profits on horseracing for the racing industry to spend more or less as it sees fit.Of course, one of the reasons for Betfair remaining onshore is that it remains a controversial company, one that has many enemies. Staying onshore allows it to play the good guy, no bad thing...

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Offshore Gambling,Offshore and online gambling is illegal

Offshore Gambling: "Offshore and online gambling is illegal. There was something called the 'Wire Act' in 1961, which banned all gambling over a telephone, and Congress has stated that internet gambling is similar to gambling over a telephone. In 2006... they passed the 'Unlawful Internet Gambling Act', which banned all gambling on the Internet. Luckily, they're not arresting the people who are actually gambling, but instead, they are going after the companies that are sponsoring the gambling. At the moment, it is illegal for Americans to gamble on the interne...

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worrying implication for sports is that the bookmakers will no longer have to comply with rules requiring them to share information

William Hill's offshore gambling move raises match-fixing fears - Telegraph: "worrying implication for sports is that the bookmakers will no longer have to comply with rules requiring them to share information in cases of suspected corruption. Bookmakers are required to share information and to alert governing bodies to suspicious betting patterns under the Gambling Act, and the condition is seen as a crucial tool in preventing and detecting betting-related fraud. Last month the FA banned four players for up to a year for their part in a suspected match-fixing sting in a game between Accrington Stanley and Bury, with the case largely reliant on evidence provided by bookmakers. By contrast, the FA's investigations into other alleged rule breaches involving bets placed with bookmakers based...

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Sportingbet shares jump 10pc after settling US gambling case - Telegraph

Sportingbet shares jump 10pc after settling US gambling case - Telegraph: "Sportingbet shares jumped 10pc after the company agreed to pay $33m (£21m) to protect itself from prosecution in the US in a move that is likely to thrust the online gaming group into the takeover spotlight. The company said it had signed an agreement with legal authorities acting on behalf of the Department of Justice. The deal gives Sportingbet protection after it provided internet gaming services prior to the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in October 200...

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Sportingbet Forfeits $33 Million in Deal With U.S. Prosecutors - Bloomberg

Sportingbet Forfeits $33 Million in Deal With U.S. Prosecutors - Bloomberg: "Sportingbet Plc rose after the U.K.-listed online betting company reached a non-prosecution agreement with U.S. authorities that would have it forfeit $33 million for its American Internet gambling operations between 1998 and 2006. Chief Executive Officer Andrew McIver said the step should make it easier for the Guernsey-based company to raise funds, make acquisitions, and resume operations in the U.S. if it legalizes Web gambling. Shares rose as much as 16 percent. Sportingbet and PartyGaming Plc are the only European online gambling companies to have signed agreements to avoid prosecution by the U.S. Sportingbet agreed to cooperate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a continuing probe by the Manhattan...

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Investors gamble on Delta as co plans offshore casinos - The Economic Times

Investors gamble on Delta as co plans offshore casinos - The Economic Times: "Investors have been accumulating shares of Delta Corp on talks that the company has plans to open a series of offshore casinos along the western coastline. The company is also planning to open gaming rings and casinos in Sri Lanka, people close to the management said. Apart from its real estate and hospitality businesses, Delta is touted to be the biggest player in casinos and gaming areas. Anticipating a tremendous growth potential, large investors have begun investing in the company in a big way. The ‘Rar(e)ing Bull’ and his wife, close buddy ‘Old Fox’ and a Mumbai-based wealth management firm partly owned by the bull, are learnt to have picked up a significant stake in the company. Delta shares climbed 8.2% to...

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Revitalizing California's Potential Online Gaming Regulation | PokerNews

Revitalizing California's Potential Online Gaming Regulation | PokerNews: "California State Sen. Rod Wright withdrew his bill to license and regulate Internet poker within the state in late June because of a lack of support from California's card clubs and Indian casinos, Poker Voters of America has gotten involved to try to revive the legislation.The organization proposed an amendment to the bill that would set up a mitigation fund that would allocate up to $100,000 annually over five years to each land-based Indian casino, card club and racetrack that may face competition from online poker.Another proposed amendment would increase the number of licensed operators allowed under the legislation from three to five, which would create more competition to benefit player...

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Gibraltar is considered to be one of the most desirable offshore centres for bookmakers

Gibraltar is considered to be one of the most desirable offshore centres for bookmakers, but there are only nine offshore bookmakers licences and the government is cautious about issuing new ones, perhaps not least because of the danger of overstressing the infrastructure in such a small place.Recently, however, Gibraltar has had to face the possibility that the betting industry would desert the Rock almost as suddenly as it arrived, when the UK Chancellor, Gordon 'Stealth' Brown, announced changes to the UK's betting tax regime designed to tempt back the bookmaking companies which had jumped ship to escape the UK's 9% betting tax. The Gibraltar government is currently holding discussions with those UK bookmakers established on the Rock following the British government's announcement. Bookmakers...

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Fifth Guilt Plea Comes Thursday In Kansas City Online Gambling Case

Fifth Guilt Plea Comes Thursday In Kansas City Online Gambling Case: "Authorities may have caught their biggest fish yet this week when a fifth person of a group running an illegal online sports gambling operation pleaded guilty in federal court. William D. Cammisano Jr. admitted to his guilt on Thursday. The betting ring had been taking place for several years, and was being run through telephone and Internet communications with an office in Costa Rica. Cammisano admitted to collecting over $1 million in lost bets between 2006 and 2009. This is not the first time that Cammisano has been in trouble with the law. Back in 1988, he was identified as a high ranking member of an organized crime family in Kansas City. The only higher ranking official at that time, according to the FBI, was Cammisano's...

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Something’s Just Not Adding Up with the Kentucky Domain Name Case

Something’s Just Not Adding Up with the Kentucky Domain Name Case: "One of the strangest stories I’ve covered over the last several years has been the attempt by the state of Kentucky to seize 141 domain names belonging to internet gambling companies. The state was clearly upset that offshore sites were taking revenue from their casinos and racetracks and they really had no way of stopping their citizens from betting with those sites. After all, there is nothing in U.S. federal law or Kentucky state law that prevents someone from placing a bet, offshore or not. To combat the growing interest in offshore wagering by Kentucky residents, in 2008 Governor Brashear issued a warrant to seize the domain names of 141 sites including many stalwarts like FullTiltpoker.com, Pokerstars.com, WSEX.com and...

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policing of British/Gibraltar sovereign waters is controlled by an ideology of political practicality

"Anyone with a memory stretching beyond the last weeks clash between the RGP and our friends at the Guardia Civil, would have little difficulty confirming in their own minds a familiar trait or characteristic in all this, the one that exposes the fact that policing of British/Gibraltar sovereign waters is controlled by an ideology of political practicality. Political philosophies is clearly the dominate force here; it’s where politics makes its own ‘frequent incursion into policing’ and seriously interferes with the vital policing role connected with this important issue! The most recent bout of political posturing regarding the policing role in the bay went up a notch or two after last weeks skirmish. As most of us know the Spanish government has always been quite adapted at politicising...

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Is Gibraltar Hiking Gambling Tax

Is Gibraltar Hiking Gambling Tax: "A dispute with a neighbouring mayor has brought forth some interesting facts and figures on the British enclave of Gibraltar, a financial services and online gambling jurisdiction at the entrance to the Mediterranean, and adjacent to Spain. The publication Panorama reports that rumblings about 'The Rock's' involvement in online gambling from the mayor of neighbouring La Linea prompted it to make a few local enquiries regarding the business. The publication approached Dr Joseph Garcia, the leader of the Liberal Party and opposition MP on Gibraltar, asking for information on the turnover and tax paid by online gambling companies domiciled in Gibraltar. Garcia responded: “We do not have the data on the turnover for the online companies. The latest information...

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Leading Tory ministers and advisors attend Gibraltar reception in Birmingham — MercoPress

Leading Tory ministers and advisors attend Gibraltar reception in Birmingham — MercoPress: "serious problem with Spain over territorial waters and he highlighted the recent incident where the Spanish police prevented a suspected drug smuggler being arrested by the RGP.Foreign Secretary William Hague also gave short speech in which he said he had enjoyed visiting The Rock during the European election campaign where he had stated that in Government he would not let Gibraltar down and that now he was, intended to defend Gibraltar’s interests strongly.The first meeting of the conference was entitled ‘People Power and the Big Society’ chaired by Eric Pickles. As is usual with high profile events, the streets were lined with police. Many had been brought in from neighbouring forces for the even...

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