Stephen Duval, CEO of Australia-based Superfighter, met with the media to talk about his dream – it’s a doozy. Duval invented an eight-man eliminator that offers the winner a whopping $5 million. Fighters can’t even get their contracted minimums, which can be as low as $5,000 a fight, so this is better then lotto. The losers? They collect the $200K minimum.

Here’s the lineup, so far:

Chris Byrd (39-3-1 20 KOs) – The former IBF heavyweight champion. His style has put more people to sleep then Nyquil. Byrd will try to peck his way to victory. But after the beating he took against Wladimir Klitschko, and unofficially losing four of his last five bouts, I wouldn’t bet on him with your money.

O’Neil Bell (26-1-1 24 KOs) – The current cruiserweight champion. He crushed French tank Jean Marc Mormeck in a war. A big plus for Bell is that he can crack. But he never has faced a heavyweight, and he takes too many punches flush. Against a heavy it might be beddy-bye for Bell. Bet on him getting eliminated by the third round.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” Samuel Peter (26-1 22 KOs) – He’s George Foreman’s pick to take it all. In a four-rounder, he’s the most dangerous opponent. But can he carry his power through four hours, 12 rounds and three opponents? Odds should be in his favor.

Steve “USS” Cunningham (19-0 10 KOs) – He’s the #1 IBF cruiserweight and walks around at 195 lbs. Cunningham showed a dynamite chin by taking everything Guillermo Jones could offer. If he’s matched up with Samuel Peter, his ship sails. Otherwise, he has enough boxing skills to dazzle his way to the finals.

Tye Fields (36-1 33 KO) – I agree with Max Kellerman’s analysis: “At 6-9, 293 lbs., and not so skilled, he’s an attraction, not a contender.” He’s a long shot.

Shannon Briggs (45-4 40 KOs) – Since his loss to Jameel McCline, he has fought every club fighter from New York to Arizona. BUT … he’s got the experience, he can fight and has underrated hand speed. He might be the man to beat. I see him making the final

Alexander Povetkin (7-0 5 KOs) – I think Povetkin is Russian for pulverized. He’s too raw to best any of the combatants. He’s a huge underdog and doesn’t make it past the first round.

#8 – OPEN

Maybe we should put odds on this circus even getting off the ground. Just think back to Cedrick Kushner’s “Fist Full of Dollars?” Can you recall who won? Enough said …

Clottey Chasing Margarito
Joshua Clottey (28-1, 20 KOs) is ranked #4 by the WBC, #5 by the WBO and #7 by the IBF. Just as the high ratings indicate, Clottey believes he is capable of beating the best welterweights in the world, and having reeled off nine consecutive victories the star from Ghana has his eyes set on WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito (33-4, 24 KOs).

“I’m determined to become a world champion,” Clottey says. “I have the skills, work ethic and heart to be a champion. I’ve dealt with many hardships throughout my career, and getting a shot at Margarito and the title would make it all worth it. This is what I have been working toward my whole life. I have a lot of respect for Antonio Margarito as a champion. I know he always wants to fight the best. I am the best welterweight contender in the world. Margarito may want to fight an easier fight right now, but if Antonio wants to stay at welterweight, he can run, but he can’t hide.”

Floyd Mayweather turned down an $8 million dollar offer to face the WBO champion, so Margarito is running out of defense options.

In a recent FightBeat.com interview, Bob Arum confirmed a Clottey matchup: “Mayweather has shown reluctance to fight Margarito, so we are thinking about putting Margarito-Clottey on the undercard of Rahman-Maskaev clash.” That fight takes place Aug. 12.

Are you ready for WWIII?

Diego “Chico” Corrales (40-2 33 KOs) and Jose Luis Castillo (52-7-1 46 KOs) are revving their engines to produce another “fight of the year.”

If you’ve never seen their first fight, GET IT! “Chico” was knocked down twice in the 10th round and came back some 60 seconds later to win it. Check out garyshawproductions.com to view Round 10. Just amazing.

Their second bout was marked with controversy. Castillo didn’t make weight and refused to even try. Castillo was fined for this stunt, but Team Corrales agreed to fight anyway.
The result: Corrales on his back.

The weight issue proved to be a mistake, something even promoter Gary Shaw admits:
“I’ll never do again what I did in this fight,” Shaw said. “If the contract calls for 135 pounds it will be at 135 pounds.”

The fight takes place June 3. Stay tuned next week for my breakdown and prediction. Sportsbook has Castillo-220, Corrales +180

Barrera Wars with Juarez

As the final bell rang, he walked back to his corner with swollen eyes, a bloody nose and probably a broken jaw – and that was the winner!

Marco Antonio Barrera really underestimated 2000 Olympian Rocky Juarez. Juarez showed power with both hands and kept countering Barrera all night with left hooks and overhand rights. HBO did its usual cheerleading for Barrera, seldom mentioning Juarez unless he got hit. The fighters dueled on even terms for 12 rounds, and the decision was what most anticipated… a draw

Unexpected was the announcement that judge Morita’s scorecard was tabulated wrong. The correct total was 115-114 in Barrera’s favor to give the champion a split-decision victory.

For Christmas I promise to send the commission a calculator

There are close to 650,000 residents living in Alaska, which is the largest state in the U.S. There are at least 365,039,104 acres of land in Alaska, and much of it is devoted to primitive, wilderness areas. This is part of the reason that being outdoors is an important aspect of Alaskan culture.

However, indoor fun is not to be discounted in Alaska as Alaska casinos provide quite a bit of entertainment around the state. Many of the Alaska casinos are owned and operated by Native American tribes. Alaska casinos are spread out all over the state and most offer a break from the outdoors for some fun and excitement inside.

The Atka Ira Council is a casino in Alaska, located in Atka. The casino specializes in bingo and also boasts a bed and breakfast as well as a loaded snack bar.

CBJ Bingo, run by the Tlingit and Haida Indians, is another large bingo facility operating in Alaska. This Alaska casino is located in Juneau and has one of the largest bingo operations in the state.

Other Alaska casinos featuring large-scale bingo operations include: Klawock IRA Pull Tab Shoppe, located in Klawock and Sitka Tribal Bingo in Sitka. These casinos serve the needs of the community around them by offering entertainment in the form of the easy-to-learn, lucrative game of bingo. Bingo is the draw and focus of most Alaska casinos.

One of the more unique Alaska casinos is the Shoonagac Tribal Bingo, located in Kodiak. This Alaska casino features total slots as well as bingo.

While there are not an abundance of Las Vegas-style casinos located in Alaska, there are a number of medium-scale Alaska casinos specializing in gambling ventures like bingo, which are low-profile games, but fun and exciting just the same. The laid-back attitude of Alaskans can be demonstrated in the laid-back vibe of Alaska casinos. They are just as much fun as their large-scale, flashy counterparts and perfect for the population of this large, but low-key, state.

Nowadays, there are almost 445 casinos in the United States and still growing more. No wonder why many business people are opting to start a gambling business of their own because it seems to be the in-thing today. And wherever trends come, business-minded people would surely dominate the scene.

However, like any businesses, operating a gambling business also entails careful management and makes use of strategic methods so as to increase the business’ money-earning potential.

Luck or Skill?

Most people say that operating a business needs dogged determination, skills in all aspects of the business, and luck.

Hence, it applies the same thing in gambling business. But where gambling mostly relies in the stroke of luck, gambling business owners should not do so. This is because operating a business, in whatever form, should not merely rely on luck but on one’s skills and determination.

Indeed, businesses also have the risk of losing or winning in the end, just like gambling. But nevertheless, it still needs the proper management and operative measures so as to have a successful gambling business.

Things to consider

Just like any kind of business, running a gambling business also entails money. A person can never continue running a gambling business if it no longer has money.

People should keep in mind that running a gambling business is not a “get-rich-quick_ scheme. Therefore, things that will be employed should be in conformity with the law.

It also needs good planning. Of course, there is nothing in this world that will be successful if not with good planning. Planning keeps the business right on track. It gives the owner a special guide in order to make decisions properly.

Moreover, dogged determination is required. Surveys show that almost 65% of the businesses, which were not able to succeed, had instantly given up their businesses just because of some trials.

And lastly, good accounting skill is needed in order to run a gambling game. After all, gambling entails lots of money, so it is just proper to keep track of whatever comes in and out of the business.

The bottom line here is that running a gambling business, like any other business, is not an easy job. What’s more, it needs a good combination of everything so as to get the business going, whether it includes luck or not.

Most gamblers would insist that lady luck is the goddess of fate and chances of winning the game. They tend to believe that one stroke of lady luck on a players fate would definitely bring about winning streaks and endless shots of fame and fortune.

However, the concept of lady luck is basically based entirely on the fate of the person and not on the skill of the player depending on the game he or she is about to play.

No wonder why people always utter, “There goes lady luck again” to somebody who consistently wins the game.

However, the problem lies in the fact that the so-called lady luck is not always consistent from day one until day two or three.

On its entirety, the truth behind lady luck is basically dependent on the stroke of luck that falls upon the person right at that very moment.

On the other hand, mathematicians argue that they can combat lady luck into a more realistic viewpoint by using numbers instead of fate or what their stars tell them.

That is why critics of the “gaming industry” would rather call blackjack, roulettes, and other games in the casinos as part of the gaming industry and not gambling industry because they want to let the people believe that the probabilities of winning is not based on chances or some kind of lady luck but on the mathematical statistics of every move.

The Drawback behind Lady Luck

The problem with people relying on their lady luck to smile at them so as to ward off any bad luck is that the modern game tends to fall back on the superstitious beliefs of most primitive people.

Most of the losers tend to believe that they can ward off bad luck by using some techniques such as spreading some salts to ward off bad elements that bring bad luck.

Some even contend that the color of the clothes attract lady luck to come and sit with them.

The Conclusion

Consider this; some mathematicians contend that the odds of having or getting a royal flush are 1 in 649,739. This goes to show that if people will solely rely to lady luck, chances are they will definitely lose more than winning.

The bottom line: gambling is not about winning, it is entirely based on losing. The only winner is the casino owner who calls for the so-called “house advantage” and there is no lady luck to the rescue.

According to the Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, a casino is a building that accommodates casino gambling. Customers may gamble by playing slot machines or other games of chance and some skill. Casino gambling games usually have mathematically determined odds built in that ensure the house retains an advantage over the players. This advantage is called the “edge”. “Payout” is the percentage given to players. Some statistically even games may take a commission or tax, a “rake” on bets customers make against each other.

There are a lot of casino gambling games which can get you hooked in no time. First of all, you have the classic slot machine. A slot machine is a coin-operated casino gambling machine with three or more reels that rotate when a lever on the side of the machine is pulled. It includes a currency detector that validates the coin or money inserted to play. The machine typically pays off based on patterns of symbols visible on the front of the machine when it stops.

Sadly, casino gambling games often offer the player the illusion of control in which the player is given choices, but these choices do not eliminate the player’s long-term disadvantage. This disadvantage is caused by the casino not paying the full amount that would be expected for the odds wagered. For example, if one game was played by betting what number a roll of a die would give, instead of paying 6 times the amount bet for winning, the casino only pays 5 times the amount bet.

This system is often found in famous casino gambling games like Poker, Craps, Roulette or Blackjack.

Poker is a very popular casino gambling card game. The players, with fully or partially concealed cards make wagers into a central pot, after which the pot is awarded to the remaining player or players with the best combination of cards.

Like Poker, Blackjack is also a very popular casino gambling card game. Much of its popularity is due to the mix of chance with elements of skill and decision making, and a practice called card counting. It is a skill in which players can turn the odds of the game in their favor by making betting and strategy decisions based on the cards that have been dealt. Players suspected of card counting are usually banned and blacklisted by casinos.

Craps is a famous casino gambling game using dice. Players wager money against the casino on the outcome of one roll, or of a series of rolls of two dice. The rules vary slightly from one casino to another, but the expected value of most bets is only slightly negative. All bets have a negative expectation, except the “free odds” bet with an expectation of 0, that the player is allowed to make after a point is established on a flat bet. Unlike in Blackjack, there is no possible winning strategy over any given period of time.

Roulette is a signature casino gambling game. A croupier turns a round roulette wheel which has 37 or 38 separately numbered pockets in which a ball must land. The main pockets are numbered from 1 to 36 and change between red and black, with number 1 being red. In addition there is a pocket numbered 0 of green color. In most roulette wheels in the United States but not in Europe, there is a second zero compartment marked 00, also colored green. If a player bets on a single number and wins, the payout is 35 to 1. The bet itself is returned, so in total it is multiplied by 36.

Be very wary though, these casino gambling games are highly addictive (as they are intended to be). A lot of lives have been ruined by casino gambling and although it might be fun, please do try to regulate yourself.

In fact, there are professional analyzers that insist on their findings that there are more people who spend more money in gambling than they would do with the other nonsense items such video games, theme parks, and movie tickets, even if all of these things are combined all together.

Since then, there have been numerous reports about how gambling is penetrated in the society. There are still studies that lack evidence and conclusions about senior gambling.

These should pose an alarming case. This can be attributed to the recent survey done on almost 7,000 seniors, wherein, bingo had ranked as the second most-played gambling game by seniors.

Moreover, the number of senior people who are into gambling have increased from 20% in 1974 to 50% in 1988. These figures can be very alarming in spite of the long gap between 1974 and 1988. Also, this only goes to show that senior gambling is gradually but steadily growing in number.

Because most of the seniors have already gotten their “nest eggs,” they have more tendencies to get involved in gambling because of their money.

So, for people who want to know why senior gambling is so rampant these days, here’s a list of some facts that could be of great help.

1. Senior gambling is prevalent because of the fact that they do not have anything to do and that gambling is the only activity they find lucrative and at the same time gratifying.

2. Lack of attention and deteriorating opportunities made available for their social interaction, older people are more vulnerable to gambling these days. They find gambling as one way of escaping the hard realities of life that they could not bear. In turn, they gamble a lot so as to forget life’s problems.

3. Another reason why a lot of senior people are so much into gambling is that they have money, usually from their nest eggs or retirement funds. The more money they have, the more chances of gambling more.

4. In reality, senior gambling does not delve more on winning but more on the entertainment and satisfaction that they get whenever senior people gamble.

5. More privileges are available for senior gamblers, thus, seniors find it more convenient and more pleasurable to play gambling.

This form of gambling provides an easy and fun way to play all the games normally found at a land-based casino, but without the hassle of making the pilgrimage to Las Vegas. Online Vegas casinos are very safe, in that personal details are not required to be sent out and the payouts and odds are just as equal and fair as in a regular Vegas–style casino. Offshore gambling makes it a win-win situation.

Online vegas casinos are regulated by three organizations. These are OSGA (The Offshore Gaming Association), The IGC (Interactive Gaming Council) and the Fidelity Trust Gaming Association (FTGA), which is a smaller IGC in effect, in that it charges lower membership fees.

OSGA and Offshore Gambling
The OSGA is an independent “watchdog” agency that monitors the Off Shore Sports Gaming Industry in an effort to provide the public an avenue to find reputable companies to wager with. It aims to protect the rights of consumers and they charge no membership fees.

The agency is a professional non-biased third party organization that gives objective opinions, based on your feedback, independent research, phone calls, tips and inside news.

For OSGA they resolved to keeping the philosophy that there are safe places for sports gambling. Because of the climate in the industry today people need to have additional information on offshore sportsbooks and online casinos from an outside source.

IGC and Offshore Gambling
The IGC, a not-for-profit organization, was founded in 1996 in the US, relocating to Vancouver, Canada, incorporating there in March 2000. The organization was established to provide a forum for interested parties to address issues and advance common interests in the global interactive gaming industry, to establish fair and responsible trade guidelines and practices that enhance consumer confidence in interactive gaming products and services, and to serve as the industry’s public policy advocate and information clearinghouse. The IGC does what it has set out to do, and more.

IGC membership has increased significantly since being founded, drawing more and more attention from noteworthy industry groups to complement existing leading industry players. We have members from the U.S., the U.K., South Africa, Israel, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, Denmark and Sweden — to mention a few.The IGC has built a reputation for reliability, integrity and credibility through its high standards, and appeal to legitimate businesses. Affiliation with their association ensures that you have a trusted organization fighting for the promotion and enhancement of our industry, fighting for you when you need it and most importantly – with a collective voice.

The IGC regulates offshore gambling by utilizing a special 10-point code ff Conduct and charges casinos a fee to display their logo. Unhappy customers can also report their disputes to the IGC.

FTGA
The FTGA was formed in an effort to set a standard for online gaming operations. The agency believe that by conducting business with only reputable companies, they can form an alliance of the most fair and professional offshore gaming operations worldwide. To be sure that the companies they support are reputable FTGA do comprehensive background checks on not only the company but the individuals behind the company. According to them, they form a close relationship with their members and monitor their business practices frequently.

With the boom of the internet over the last few years, everything seems to have translated into an online version and offshore gambling has been no different. There are organizations that govern the fairness of online gambling which should serve to alleviate any fears of insecurity by skeptics. It eliminates the traveling costs, but still keeps the basic essence of a Vegas casino, but only now, in your very own home.

Knowledge of state laws is crucial in making your choice as well as other regulatory and statutes that you need to be knowledgeable of. Remember, the law does not exclude anyone.

As in any type of business, the most crucial aspect in establishing your business is where to locate it. Location, location, location is the key. Unless you want to jumpstart the economy of a certain locality, choosing the perfect location is by far the most difficult decision to make.

Another decision you need to make requires you to evaluate which type of gambling business you would like to get into.

There are a lot of options to choose from in going into the gambling business. One can choose to establish a casino, a lottery outlet, a wagering system, bingo social halls, sweepstakes and dice games.

Casinos

Establishing a casino at the right location can make an individual (who can afford to build one on his own) or a group of individuals rich. But the initial investment is also very steep as the place needs to be at par with world class standards to be considered as the in place to be.

Lotteries

Everybody plays the lottery. Who doesn’t want to get rich quick? So getting a franchise or a license to open a lottery outlet is also another way of making a fast buck.

Wagering and/or Race tracks

Some go for the higher stakes of taking a chance on the outcome of the game from a jockey or from someone else. Building a race track for horses, for dogs or for any other animal is also a lucrative business that can be looked into. Provided state laws allow these animals to be a part of the gaming industry.

Bingo

People just love to play bingo. And formalizing a bingo social hall is just the right business around that corner if your community is into it day and night. Aside from its entertainment value, most charity institutions use bingo socials to forward their causes and solicit funding for their activities.

Sweepstakes and dice games

These have fairly been in the community long before the more elaborate and higher stakes gambling activities available now. However, these do not lose their charms as they provide a high that most people just can handle in their daily lives.

Last word on any gambling business you would want to establish, know your state laws.

This is where the reality sinks in, that, in gambling, the only person who gains from it is the business man or the owner of the gambling business. This is because people who play gambling games usually end up losing more as they continuously try their luck by adding more bets and risking more money, and even property.

With this fact, no wonder why more and more people are resorting to put up a gambling business, especially now that the Internet is incessantly growing at breakneck speed.

Moreover, with the advent of the Internet, setting up a gambling business online is relatively easy. Best of all, you don’t just get to earn more money but get to penetrate the industry faster and even better because of the wide diversity that the Internet can cover.

No wonder why in the United States alone, commercial casinos have accumulated almost $29 billion in just a year of gross revenue.

In fact, commercial casinos are prevalent in the US nowadays. There are currently 28 states that have Indian casinos, 11 have commercial casinos, and 40 states have lotteries. All in all, the US has 445 commercial casinos.

So for people who want to start gambling business, especially those online, here’s how:

1. If a person wants to start an online gambling business, it is important to get the needed items first. The most important thing of all is the software. Be informed that this costs millions of US dollars. This goes to show that people who want to start an online gambling business must be really rich.

2. Whether online or not, starting a gambling business needs an approval from the government. This goes to show that the gambling business being put up is legal and conforms to the rules and regulations set up by the law.

3. For online gambling business, it is a must that the owner has to be a licensee of an online gambling software provider. In this way, the business owner will be able to receive the necessary equipments and software needed in the online gambling business.

Indeed, gambling business can be very lucrative, especially if it is a legal one. And just like any businesses, proper management is the key element in order to succeed in the industry.

Generally, gambling refers to any form of activities that involves taking the risk of betting the money or any kind of tangible items of value, which sometimes depend on chance or the skill of somebody to manipulate the game.

Since its inception, the profitability that gambling can offer to an individual is endless. That is why gambling had continuously dominated the world of chances.

However, even if gambling like blackjack, poker, and slot machines are so popular these days, people still don’t have any idea how it started and who started it.

Here’s a list of the people who, in some way or another, contributed to the development of gambling.

1. The first ever slot machine, known as the Liberty Bell, was invented by Charles Fey in 1985. Fey was a car mechanic in San Francisco when he thought of inventing the Liberty Bell.

The first form of slot machine was made of three spinning wheels that had three featured shapes: spades, diamonds, and hearts plus a “cracked” Liberty Bell drawn at each reel.

It was on 1907 when an arcade-like machine maker based in Chicago had thought of reproducing machines similar to that of Fey’s. The manufacturer was named Henry Stephen Mills. The machine was called Operator Bell.

It was from this point that the slot machines have evolved until today’s form.

2. In card games such as blackjack, nobody can ever tell how the game started and who started it. This is because nobody tried to record it for the purpose of history.

However, there were people who conceptualized the basic strategy for playing blackjack.

It was in 1958 when Cantey, McDermott, Maisel and Baldwin had devised a strategy that caused such commotion with both the statisticians and the gamblers themselves.

These four people have created the basic strategy in playing the game all using their hand calculators. After which, they created a book known as “Winning Blackjack,” which is now considered as one of the most valuable strategies in playing blackjack.

In turn, this gave birth to what modern gambling now calls as the “card counting techniques.”

These are the people who have made the gambling world truly a phenomenon. Though, there are people who do not accept them as great inventors because of the negative effects of gambling in the society today. Nevertheless, they have contributed a lot in gambling.