A new poker business site is being launched, aimed at providing news to a “very specific niche”, according to the site editor.

George Tobias says the new PokerBiz411 site will be an important source of online poker industry news with ongoing updates and poker developments.

Mr Tobias said: “While there are many informative sites for both poker enthusiasts and industry observers, our goal is to serve a very specific niche by providing focused, independent coverage of the news that affects the business of online poker.”

News on the site will cover topics like marketing initiatives, trade events and any big industry deals.

San Diego County will see the Viejas Casino – a Native American business – open its doors next week.

The project is a $25 million expansion of the existing Native American casino and is one of the first to be reviewed by the government under new gambling laws.

It took 18 weeks to complete the renovation and while it opens to the public from tomorrow, the grand opening is scheduled for May 5th.

Viejas Casino will feature a futuristic design and the expansion will provide gamblers with 14 new card tables, a lounge and a bar and also 260 slot machines.

By adding new slot machines the premises will now hold 2,500 in total making it the Indian casino with the most slots in the whole county.

The head of the Canadian Gambling Association has accused online gambling of sucking money out of the established Canadian gaming industry.

Speaking in Vancouver at the associations’ national conference, Bull Rutsey claimed that online casino’s are effectively costing the Canadian economy some $500 million and pose the single most real threat to Canada’s land based gaming industry.

In the past five years online gambling has grown from a $5 billion business to a $13-$14 billion industry.

Online Casinos.com quoted Mr Rutsey saying: “Millions just disappear – the money is sucked right out of the economy.”

“Internet gaming is a real competitive threat, and law enforcement needs to take steps to deal with the issue. It seems to be a case of benign neglect at this point.”

Rutsey also claimed that rather than provincial governments benefiting from their share of the $7 billion laid in bets in online casinos last year, profits are instead passing into the hands of organised criminals and private companies.

Socialite Paris Hilton is hoping to win back her wheels after losing them in a poker match.

An online gaming site has offered the well-known Simple Life star an opportunity to win the equivalent $178,000 that her Bentley cost her before she lost it in a Vegas casino.

Warren Lush, Party Poker spokesman, said: “It is a simple deal for the Simple Life star.

“If she goes heads-up online in a no limit Texas Hold’em challenge against poker legend Mike Sexton and wins we’ll hand her the keys to a brand spanking new Bentley. Forget one night in Paris, we’re offering her one night to win her wheels back.”

Reports suggest that Paris has been banned from playing poker following her huge loss in Sin City last week.

VIP Casino is now offering a range of new games for lucky customers including the hugely popular Marvel Online Slots.

That’s right, log on and register at VIPCasino.com and you will have the opportunity to play on one of the five new nine-line slot machines.

Each one is based on a separate classic Marvel comic book character and follows standard nine-line slot rules but also includes an exhilarating arcade style bonus round.

So which one will you opt for? Well, with a selection of The Hulk, X-Men, Blade, Daredevil and The Punisher there’s sure to be enough choice for everybody.

However, the excitement does not stop there as VIP customers also have the option of playing the adrenaline pumping Hulk Fruit Machine. This new fruit machine is bound to be a huge hit with the punters especially because of the option to place three different bet values – you can choose between $0.50c, $1 and $5.

The new game offerings do not stop there though as VIP Casino has also bagged the hugely popular Bejeweled ten-line slot. So with all these fabulous new games and many other classics as well, VIPCasino.com should be the only bookmark on your internet browser!

Organizers are hoping to raise around $1 million for charity through a series of poker tournaments.

Cleveland, Ohio will be hosting a series of 24 four-day events, which will begin at the Nautica Entertainment Complex this Thursday.

With double the number of events being put on in 2006 and a boost in the number of poker tournaments, the event organizer is hoping to raise over a million dollars.

David C Grunenwald, event co-ordinator, said: “We are pleased that all of the participating charities from 2005 are returning in 2006.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Hartman, co-ordinator of athletics and student activities at the Garfield Heights City School District, said “We conducted a successful and profitable festival last year … We are glad to be returning in 2006”.

It is hoped thousands will turn out to watch the poker festivals and that last year’s amount of $450,000 will be smashed.

The World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship is taking place this week, featuring a record number of players and prizes.

A total of 605 poker professionals and amateurs will be taking part, competing for the $3.7 million top-prize.

Steve Lipscomb, chief executive officer of WPT Enterprises, said: “The WPT World Championship is considered the toughest tournament in the world to win if you consider the calibre of the competitors.”

The tournament will be shown in 147 countries around the world and players had to cough up a $25,500 buy-in.

Mr Lipscomb went on to say that with the high cost of entry you get the very best: “You’ve either built a solid bankroll or you’ve outlasted thousands in satellite tournaments.”

Well-known poker stunner Jennifer Powell is set to launch her own website.

The professional poker player – who has proved to be a big hit with the fans due to her model looks – has proved herself as a handy card player in recent times.

Although the blond beauty has modelled in the past, she recently made it clear what she sees as her primary profession.

Asked how a model makes their way into the poker world she said “you’ve got it wrong… I’m a poker player that is getting into modelling”.

The new website will allow poker fans to buy posters, autographed headshots and other memorabilia relating to Ms Powell.

There is even a poker tutorial DVD in the pipeline as well as a possible lingerie calendar later on this year.

There is a tendency for online poker player to be “nomadic” and switch between different sites, according to a new report.

This is the view from Best Poker Websites who has a list of the best online poker rooms.

Jason Blum, the webmaster of Best Poker Websites, explained the company’s view.

He said: “One of the interesting facts we found through our research is that online poker players are nomadic by nature.

“By that I mean they have no problem trying out a new online poker room if it is a legitimate operation.”

Best Poker Websites collated its list from information provided by the sites and rates companies according to how many cash competitions and tournament tickets they give away.

Millionaire heiress Paris Hilton has told reporters that she is completely hooked on playing poker.

The blond starlet, who only recently learnt how to play the game, said that she and little sister Nicky love being card sharks – even trying their hands in live tournaments.

She told Entertainment Tonight: “I’m obsessed with poker. It’s my favourite game now. We love it. We play tournaments in Vegas.”

And although the Simple Life celebrity is clearly not short of a buck or two, she still seems to be doing well at poker.

She added: “I’m really lucky in Vegas – I always win!”