The latest in a long line of criticisms of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) passed by US Congress earlier this year has focused on the players themselves, arguing individual desire will overcome prohibitive legislation.

The UIGEA has been the subject of a series of fierce condemnations since it was signed into law in October, with criticisms ranging from the historical failure of prohibitive measures to the wording of the bill itself.

Now poker journalist Lena Katz, writing for All In magazine, has added her voice to the chorus of disapproval.

“In passing [the UIGEA], Congress failed to understand that internet gamblers are exceptionally resourceful, fiercely independent and technologically savvy. A determined poker player will be able to play cash games online, despite this ill-conceived law,” suggested Katz.

“The US joins with such other stalwart states as Iran, China and North Korea in mandating internet censorship,” the author added.

A host of top poker names are due to appear at the inaugural World Series of Poker (WSOP) Academy in Tunica next month.

Attendees at the two-day camp in Tunica, Mississippi, will be treated to lessons in poker by legends such as Greg Raymer, Joe Navarro, Scott Fischman and Alex Outhred.

Raymer came from nowhere to win $5 million at the 2004 WSOP championship event, retired FBI agent Navarro is a trained criminal profiler and has written a book of poker tips using his experience, and Scott Fischman holds two WSOP bracelets.

Tuition is being organised by Toronto-based Post Oak Productions and follows the success of similar events at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas with Phil Hellmuth.

Promoters Jeff Goldenberg and Brandon Rosen have teamed up with Harrah’s Entertainment to take their WSOP Academies to casinos across the US.

“We have designed a curriculum that has been written and endorsed by our team of pro instructors,” Rosen said. “It provides players with the tools that will take their game to the next level.”

Taking place on January 27th and 28th at the Grand Casino in Tunica, the poker camp will concentrate on education and interaction with poker pros, with seminars, workshops and practical sessions leading up to a No Limit Texas Hold ‘em tournament at the end.

Leading software provider CryptoLogic has announced that it has redesigned its poker software in order to provide an even greater class and variety of facilities for online gamblers.

The company, which licenses its software through its WagerLogic subsidiary, has revealed several new exciting features that are already being rolled out across sites such as www.InterPoker.com.

Enhancements include the ability to launch games direct from a poker table or lobby with immediate effect, avoiding the unnecessary delays that sometimes cause players to miss hands or rolls.

New poker features include provisions for players to make notes and view information on rival competitors, with the ability to see a summary of the last 15 hands also being provided for the first time.

“This is an exciting day for CryptoLogic, because we’re taking our award-winning poker software to a new level that offers players more simplicity, selection and statistics,” said Lewis Rose, president and chief executive of CryptoLogic.

“CryptoLogic’s redesigned poker software demonstrates our continued commitment to provide the best entertainment experience available on the internet – to benefit our customers, their players and our business,” Mr Rose continued.

Further changes to Italy’s internet gambling legislation have increased interest in the country as an online gaming venue, with a number of companies set to invest in the region.

After years of prohibition and anti-gambling measures that contributed to policy initiatives announced as recently as October, the government has now decided to open its doors to online gamblers as part of a new regulatory approach.

Over 17,000 licenses for venues across Italy are to be auctioned off by the government, with casinos, betting shops and online casinos among the attractions on offer.

Companies such as William Hill have been quick to make their interest in such facilities known, according to early reports from the region.

The potential move signifies a further effort by William Hill to expand its European operations, the company having recently begun a venture with Spanish company Codere.

A separate development saw the bookmaker announce that it was in talks with software developer CryptoLogic to extend the two firms’ highly successful software contract.

A new special is to be filmed by the World Poker Tour focusing on fathers and sons.

The company said the show will feature poker’s most prominent personalities and players competing for a $25,000 seat in the WPT World Championship.

Father and son teams include “Texas Dolly” Doyle Brunson and his son, Barry Greenstein and son Joe Sebok and media mogul Barry Shulman with son Jeff Shulman.

“We wanted to create a unique special that would bring a fun and emotional perspective to poker playing families,” said Robyn Moder, executive vice president and co-founder of the WPT.

“Millions of Americans engage in weekly family poker matches and pride is often the biggest stake in the prize pool. What better way to show our viewers how the pros handle the pressure.”

PT Fathers and Sons will be shown on the Travel Channel on June 17th, 2007 – Father’s Day in the US.

Stanley Ho, one of the world’s richest people and the so-called king of gambling, has seen his casino interests come under threat from his own sister, it has been reported.

Winnie Ho has offered to buy out her brother’s controlling stake in the Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau (STDM), claiming that she is owed $491 million for her eight per cent stake over the past five years.

Ms Ho has filed over 30 lawsuits against her brother in an attempt to recoup her perceived loss in earnings and reputation.

Mr Ho at one time held a 70 per cent share in Macau’s gambling market, but foreign investments from the likes of Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts ended Mr Ho’s monopoly in 2002.

“We don’t need all these lawyers if he plays by the rules and the law and pays me back the money he owes me. But that’s just Stanley, always thinking he can just walk over anybody,” said Ms Ho in a televised interview earlier this week.

Representatives for the casino mogul have said that the company rejects all of Ms Ho’s allegations.

A new report has been published aiming to provide those interested in participating at online casinos with useful tips and a guide to best practices.

The article from www.onlinecasinoreports.com advises potential gamblers on things to look for when choosing their venue, as well as hints and tips regarding potential future successes.

Recommending the online casino trend of providing bonuses to its users, the report states that users can reap instant rewards by selecting a casino which will add money to their initial deposit.

However, sign-up giveaways are not the absolute priority when selecting a casino in which to play. The guide also advises users to find a venue with a high average rate of distribution, commenting that this figure now stands at around 96 to 98 per cent.

The site also confirms the importance of online security, recommending that users do not just skip confidentiality or terms and conditions documents.

“It is recommended that you indeed do read it as carefully as possible.[Terms and conditions] include relevant laws about online casino sites and gambling […]Verify that all the information you give the online casino is properly protected,” the article concludes.

Indiana’s newest casino has revealed its receipts for the first month of business, showing successful returns on investment and promising more to come.

The French Lick casino has announced that over 156,000 visitors passed through its doors during November, with gross revenues coming out at almost $10 million.

Located on a custom-built lake and riverboat due to Indiana’s strict gaming laws, the venue, which cost almost $400 million to build, aims to have welcomed over one million guests by the end of 2007.

Despite the high figures, French Lick still ranked second to last among Indiana’s riverboat casinos in terms of November revenue. However, experts suggest that this is simply evidence of the potential gains that the company can make in the market.

The overall market in Indiana reached $212 million, a net gain in revenue per casino – a factor that insiders believe is significant when calculating potential future revenue streams.

A new report has revealed that internet gambling has grown to such an extent that it is now the fastest growing sphere of e-commerce.

The study by Gamingpublic.com discovered that the popularity on web-based gaming means that the industry is continuing to grow by 22 per cent per year.

With online ventures still only accounting for three per cent of the overall gambling sector, experts believe that the growth rise is indicative of future trends.

In support of this belief, Gamingpublic refers to a survey by financial analysts Merrill Lynch which suggests that the online industry is on course to reach annual takes of $528 billion by 2015.

Companies such as Merrill Lynch itself, and other investment firms such as Goldman Sachs, have of late invested hundreds of millions in online firms based as far afield as London or Costa Rica, moves which highlight the extent to which the industry is expected to take off in coming years.

A West Monroe resident has won a massive $4.3 million in a Louisiana casino, it has been revealed.

Staci Raborn won the big money prize on a slot machine in the Horseshoe casino, and promptly put it down to a divine presence.

“It was definitely our angel Jake,” she told the Associated Press, referring to her four-year-old son who died from cancer in October.

Mrs Raborn and husband Don were on the way to print Christmas cards designed by Jake before he died when they stopped in at the casino.

The Wheel of Fortune game provided the Raborns with the huge jackpot thanks to its progressive payout system, which features a combined pot built up by income from all other machines in the venue.

The 30,000 square foot Horseshoe riverboat features over 1,600 slot machines as well as over 50 table games. A 606 room hotel is also attached to the resort.