The poker craze sweeping the world has now worked its way into people’s eating habits with the launch of a new poker-themed chocolate bar.

It joins the ranks of the miscellaneous poker-themed items already for sale at shops and stores including poker-themed candle holders, poker movies and cheeky poker-themed condoms.

And now sweet toothed poker fans can enjoy the I’m All In Poker chocolate caramel bar from Themed Gourmet Candy Bars.

The milk chocolate and caramel bar is aimed at both poker fans and chocoholics and will go on sale this week.

Online gambling standards body eCommerce and Online Gaming, Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) has announced that it is holding its second global training session in London at the end of May.

The player protection group has given its stamp of approval to more than 100 top internet casinos and poker rooms worldwide and is promoting the benefits of self-regulation of the online gambling industry.

Online casino and poker room managers will travel to London to discuss issues such as underage and problem gambling, take part in two days of intensive training run by specialists from the international Global Gambling Guidance Group (G4) and meet other delegates.

The London training session will include lectures, homework and practical workshop sessions aimed at helping delegates identify problem gamblers.

A similar eCOGRA training session was held last year in Cape Town, South Africa for websites with the eCOGRA Play IT Safe seal.

Andrew Beveridge, CEO of eCOGRA, said: “We are pleased with the commitment of our ‘Play It Safe’ operators, who have now included specific responsible gaming measures, aids and advice on their sites and appointed staff to look after this critically important operational requirement.”

The popular poker show High Stakes Poker is due to return with a second series.

The first series of the TV poker programme, filmed at the Golden Nugget, was a hit with both critics and poker fans because of its innovative approach to screening poker games, Poker News reports.

Featuring an array of poker legends in a No-Limit cash game where the minimum buy-in was $100,000, High Stakes Poker was brought the tension and drama of high-rolling games to the small screen.

GSN’s High Stakes Poker is a fast-paced programme that showcases the talents of a host of top names, including Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, Freddy Deeb, Barry Greenstein and Daniel Negreanu.

The players filmed the second season of the show after the WPT Championship earlier this month at the famous Palms Casino and Resort.

Season two of High Stakes Poker will run for 16 weeks from June 5th and will feature all the action from the two days of play at the Palms.

Legal video poker machines in the US state of North Carolina nets the local economy a total of more than $100 million each year, new figures reveal.

A report by gambling interests in the state, on the south east coast of the United States, suggests that the online video poker industry is benefiting the state, with more than 1,750 jobs created annually.

The 58-page document is an attempt to combat moves to legislate against the operation of video poker in North Carolina by lawmakers including state senator Charlie Albertson.

Opponents of the machines claim that they have a negative impact on society, but the study indicates that video poker machines actually boost the local jobs market and generates cash for the state economy.

North Carolina has an estimated 10,000 legal video poker machines in operation and the industry has managed to resist attempts to ban them with the help of allies such as house speaker Jim Black.

Played in stores, arcades and shops across the state, an attempt to file a bill against the machines by Representative Ronnie Sutton this year was referred to the House Rules Committee and has not resurfaced.

The machines are generally unregulated and, with gambling legal in every US state except Utah and Hawaii, they generate billions of dollars in the country each year.

Super Fun 21, a great online game from VIP Casino, is a variant of the popular cardgame blackjack.

Played with a single deck of 52 cards, the aim of the game is to beat the dealer’s hand by getting as close as possible to 21 without going bust.

Cards are shuffled after each hand is played, all face cards are valued at ten, the cards from two to ten are valued as indicated and aces can be valued at either one or eleven. The value of a hand is the sum of the values of the individual cards.

Two cards are dealt to the player face up and the dealer receives one card face up and one face down. Players opt to Hit, Stand, Split (up to two times three hands max), Double Down, Surrender or Insurance, if the dealer’s up card is an ace.

Player blackjack always wins and pays one to one and player blackjack in diamonds pays two to one. Player hands of 20 or less, consisting of six cards, except after doubling, pay one to one, while a player hand of 21, consisting of five cards or more, except after doubling, pays two to one.

Chips are stacked at the bottom of the screen by denomination and Super Fun 21 players start by placing a bet on the table. The game has a $2 minimum initial ante, a bet maximum of $1,000 and a $1 Bonus Side-bet fixed bet.

VIP Casino has a range of great games including Millionaire’s Club and new Marvel Hero Slots!

Australian champion Joe Hachem has been talking about the financial freedom that playing poker has awarded him.

The poker star won last year’s World Series of Poker (WSP) title in Las Vegas, netting him $7.5 million, and controls all his own finances with the help of an accountant and financial adviser.

In an interview with the Times newspaper, Hachem describes himself as “a spender by nature”, but claims to have started saving and being more responsible with his cash over the past three years or so.

Hachem, a former mortgage broker and chiropractor, did not turn pro until 2004 and made most of his early money on the internet. He is now sponsored by a number of companies, but still makes the majority of his earnings from the game.

The Australian player said that he spent his WSP 2005 winnings on paying his mortgage, taking his family round the world and buying a diamond ring for his wife Jeanie.

The son of Lebanese immigrants, Hachem has always earned a “decent living” and now owns a number of investment properties in Melbourne, a stock market investment portfolio and a large family home. He admitted his spending weaknesses are watches and clothes

Hachem is now one of the best-known faces in the game and has appeared on a number of television shows. He lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife and their four sons.

Bodog Online Gambling Group has announced that it is hosting its annual marketing conference this summer in La Vegas.

The event will take place on July 23rd to 25th at the Wynn Las Vegas, Nevada, and is expected to attract leading figures in online betting.

The digital entertainment and online gaming expert has published an impressive timetable of speakers for the conference, including keynote speaker Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Mark La Monica, Newsday.com internet news manager, GMR Marketing creative director Max Lenderman and Jim Stern, author and president of the Web Analytics Association.

The third annual Bodog Marketing Conference features the theme Seduce, Induce, Ignite and will look at growing customer base, retaining customer loyalty and growing a business venture.

Bodog.com founder and CEO Calvin Ayre said: “Our goal is to make each Bodog Marketing Conference better than the last. We are thrilled that along with Magic Johnson we are joined by an esteemed group of industry leaders who will be presenting on the most cutting-edge ways for companies to establish and grow their online gaming businesses.”

The online gambling industry is now worth an estimated $13 billion a year worldwide and is continuing to grow rapidly, with millions of new people subscribing to websites each month.

The eagerly-awaited Poker Dome is currently embroiled in a legal tussle over a gaming license.

The vast marquee is being erected on the site of the Neonopolis entertainment complex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Plans are already in place to play some of the largest stake games in the history of poker during the Pokerdome Series this July, which will be screened on Fox Sports Network (FSN).

However, Online Poker News reports that the Poker Dome is moving forward with construction whilst facing complications that could jeopardise its ambitious summer 2006 plans.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board is insisting that a licence is needed to stage games at the Dome and is consulting with the attorney general’s office, while organisers insist that its is exempt, as it will only host gameshow format competitions.

Some reports claim that the dome will play host to a $60 million winner-takes-all event this summer. The luxurious marquee features cutting-edge technology and one-way, mirrored glass and microphones for watching fans.

The Dome site will also feature a 200-room hotel, a permanent bar facility, a restaurant and a complete casino. Taping for the FSN poker series is due to start on May 27th at a temporary venue at the Tropicana casino.

Sabina Gadecki has been announced as the new hostess for season five of the World Poker Tour (WPT).

The actress and model, originally from Poland, will take over from newswoman Courtney Friel, Pokernews.com reports. Friel, from southern California, was brought in for season four of the WPT to replace Shana Hiatt.

The first event of the fifth WPT season started this week. The Mirage Poker Showdown is a $10,000 buy-in event, with a number of top pros amongst the 385 players taking part.

Little-known Gadecki, 23, has been working on the New York theatre scene in recent years and has previously appeared in magazines like Seventeen and Redbook.

She was selected from hundreds of applicants for the poker contest and will start filming her WPT segments at the Mirage Poker Showdown in Las Vegas this week.

WPT CEO Steve Lipscomb said: “Sabina Gadecki joins us as an exciting, fresh, new face for the all-new World Poker Tour to debut with a new set, look and feel in Season Five.”

Millionaire’s Club, the progressive three and nine line slot machine on VIP Casino.com, is growing by an astounding rate – over $35,000 a day!

The pot has been steadily growing since Christmas and breaking records along the way. The jackpot now stands at over $2,700,000, which is a new world record!

Millionaire’s Club is also just one of the many progressive slot machine at VIP Casino and has the advantage of allowing players to switch coin value to $20 without changing machine.

VIP Casino has also recently launched a range of new games including a new progressive jackpot and a range of slots so no matter what your game VIP has something for you!