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Posts Tagged ‘Estonia’

Poker Stars Expanding Gaming to Estonia

Monday, October 25th, 2010

PokerStars.com is the largest online casino poker gambling company in the world. It is a premiere website that offers a lot to gamers whether they are new to the game, or they are seasoned professionals. You are going to find some great games and tournaments at this website. If you go there, you are going to find a great start up bonus of 100% matching up to $600, over your first three online deposits. This is a great way to extend your own bankroll and come up with extra money to test out the games. There also is a frequent player bonus program where you can earn more points and multi-table tournaments. If you love poker, then this is the perfect website for you. It also comes up with a huge array of poker tournaments to take advantage of. There are Sunday tournaments for varying amounts—from a million dollars to $500,000. You can find a game for any bankroll and you can even earn your way into some of them if you get lucky at the qualifiers.

Despite its success the casino’s owners have announced that they are working hard to expand the gambling company and its offerings to the public. The company just procured a license for operations in Estonia, a Baltic nation. The reason for the change is that it is providing the company with fewer restrictions in the online operating world. PokerStars.com was one of the first online gambling companies to enter the market in Estonia legally. To meet with the new laws, the company had to change its website a bit and customize it to the country’s specifications. It was well worth it though because this could open the door for the gaming company to reach an entirely new market in the world of gambling. In the world of gambling there are a number of players who are all highly competitive with each other. PokerStars.com is a company that is number one, but to keep that placement in the market, it has to push the envelope in terms of what it offers. Its operators know this and are moving to evolve the company as the market grows.

Estonia Seeing Decline in Gambling

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

The world of gambling seems to be growing exponentially. There are new casino openings every day. They bring in more and more gamers to their doors. In addition, there are also more online gaming casinos. They too are growing exponentially. It seems like they are taking a head in the development and growth of the market. Online casinos are the ones that are coming up with the biggest promotions and bonuses. In fact, theirs are a lot of times more lucrative than land-based casinos. Remember that land-based casinos are on the rise but they are facing stiff competition from online gaming companies. Online companies don’t have the same overheads that land-based casinos have, so they can save a lot more in expenses. That money then is put directly into other promotions that benefit the gamers. This can be one of the most lucrative ways of finding deals—look to the online market. It seems to be growing and pushing a lot of land-based casinos out. Now that there are so many online casnos they are thinning gout the market. There are new gamers entering the market but they seem to be opting for online gambling along with land based casinos. There isn’t a whole lot of loyalty these days—a result of a growing global market where gamers can get whatever they want easily.

One location where gaming is declining is in Estonia. The country is seeing a serious decline in land-based casinos. The country has a struggling economy that has not rallied since the recession. Most countries have some problems with revival, but Estonia is one that has been hard hit by the financial downturn. Now the area is seeing considerable closings of their casino market. So far there have been four closings of locations in the country and that is a huge decline in revenue for the struggling economy. There are no movements towards more online gambling and that could pose a problem for the market if they don’t replace the revenue stream with something other than the land-based casino world. Only time will tell what the country can do to bring in the revenue needed to return to normal operations, but it may take some time fo the gaming community to rally and be what it was in past months.

Estonia Blocks Access to Unlicensed Gambling Websites

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

One thing that is a hot-topic in the world today is online gambling. Countries all over are debating whether or not to legalize it and if they do legalize it, how to regulate it. It’s a huge debate in the world and both sides have strong cases on why, or why not, online gambling should be legalized. On the pro-side, money is the biggest determinant. The recession left countries worldwide on edge financially. Other than gambling, there are not a whole lot of money-generating activities that can bring in the millions of dollars needed. On the con-side, ethics is the biggest determinant. They believe that legalizing gambling would only open the door for crime, corruption and addictions to run wild. Those things combined would bring the country to a harsh standstill because it doesn’t have the necessary resources to help stave them away.

You would think a small country like Estonia would be impervious to the issues, but it turns out it isn’t. The country is in the midst of the same debates huge countries are when it comes to online gambling. The government just announced that it is going to block access to over 200 online gambling websites that failed to apply for licensing within the country’s borders. Their reasoning is that they want to keep money in the country and have their “piece of the pie” when it comes to outsourcing. Unfortunately, they are now under criticism from the European Union, or EU. The EU is a long supporter of non-censorship on the internet. They also hold to the free trade rules and by blocking some websites, Estonia is defying them. Although Estonia is blocking online gambling companies, it will continue to utilize its casino, The Olympic, and allow visitors to wager there. It may seem like a double standard to some, but the country’s officials claim that they are not against gambling itself. Rather, they want it to be done properly and done with the correct paperwork, and fees. Only time will tell whether or not the rules will stand or if the EU will step in to change them forcibly. Though there are no standing rules on dictating, the EU can still put pressure on countries to encourage them to follow the uniform laws of the EU member states.

Estonia is the Latest Country to Make Gambling Changes

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Gambling and online gambling are changing the world. As the market changes, more online casinos are entering into the gambling world. If you do a quick search, you will find a wide range of online games, promotions, bonuses and casinos. Things in the world of online gambling change quickly—almost on a weekly basis. The UK is going through many changes regarding online gambling. The UK recently decided to build up its regulations regarding foreign casinos coming into their territory.
Part of the issue is EU-generated. The EU is pushing countries to participate in online gambling. The EU is now pressuring members to change their views of gambling and open it up to foreign companies. In some member states it involves changing monopolies. Many countries have built up monopolies in gambling and are now quick to let them go without serious threats of penalties and fees from a higher power. For the US it has taken a long time to come up with adequate regulations and the country is still in the midst of working on adequate legislation. Estonia, not unlike the US, is a tiny country just opting to stay out of the online gambling fray. Though the country is small, it is still seeing how online gambling is influencing its industry and how it could bring in more money to the country’s coffers. The country’s officials already have seen proof of how much online gambling legislation can bring by watching other country’s success stories with online gambling.
In an effort to overcome problems, they have now made moves to allow casinos to apply for licensing. Playtech is the first company that is benefiting from the changes in law and most likely operators are elated that they have access to a new market. Operators know full well how lucrative online gambling is and how opening the door to a new location to market their product can considerably increase revenue flow. Only time will tell how the EU will enforce its rules and how Estonia, and other small countries, will manage but one thing is for sure. Online gambling is growing and taking on new markets is an integral part of that growth. Expect every country to start regulating gambling and operators to work with them.

Estonia is Trying to Block Online Casino

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

The EU and its member countries, along with non-member countries, are having problems. The government is trying to find some way to regulate online gaming but many countries already have their own rules and regulations. It is a difficult time as growth is still happening and governments are getting greedy– wanting to keep their customers in their country and not allow for freedom in advertising. One country that is affecting the mix is Estonia. Considered as contrary to European Union legislation, the government of Estonia has announced that they will begin to ban online casino and poker sites that do not hold a license in the country. So far the only casino that has gained this new license, Olympic Casino.  The Estonian Tax and Custom Board has indicated that internet service providers will now begin blocking an estimated 200 online gambling websites who do not hold an operating license in Estonia. This is exactly what the EU is trying to avoid– an all-out monopoly being created by individual countries and the push-back they will feel when they try to break up those monopolies. Estonia is a difficult country to deal with, but if it is succeessful in blocking online casinos, it may open the door for other countries– both EU members and non– to start their own blocking efforts. There are millions of dollars at stake in the gambling world and it is no wonder why countries are fighting hard to keep their money in their own pockets.

This may mean that our popular sites such as PokerStars and PartyPoker, who have not applied for an Estonian domestic license, will no longer be able to operate in the country.  Neither will a host of smaller operations who had previously been allowed to conduct their business in Estonia unhindered by the new licensing law. Unlicensed sites may also be presented with some hefty fines.  The Estonian authorities are hoping permission in granted if the EU deems remote gambling a national concern rather than an international one. We will just have to wait and see.  Their controversial decision to block over 200 gambling operators could go ahead without interference from other member states or EU legislators, meaning any criticism is likely to fall on deaf ears. Only time will tell what happens, but all EU member countries are most likely watching closely.