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Internet and Interactive Gaming - May 2003
31 May 2003
By Ken Adams
The Internet gaming picture does not look much brighter than
the Illinois tax picture. Congress is still working on finding politically acceptable
ways to ban it, including requiring ISPs to refuse to connect the "illegal"
gaming sites. And, as if Congress needed more, there were two incidents where
school administrators were gambling online at work while they were charged with
protecting and educating children.
US lawmakers are attempting to prevent Americans from gambling
online by blocking their access to overseas gambling sites - such as those
registered in the UK. … A bill approved by a House panel yesterday takes
a two-pronged approach toward curbing Internet wagers. It could require ISPs
to delete hyperlinks to offshore gambling sites and would order credit cards
and online payment systems such as PayPal to identify unlawful transactions
that might be related to gambling. Declan McCullagh, Silicon News, 5-7-03
After one House panel put the brakes on an Internet gambling
ban last week, the chairman of another committee on Tuesday put it back on
track. Rep. Mike Oxley, R-Ohio, the chairman of the House Financial Services
Committee, rammed a scaled down version of the ban through his committee in
less than three minutes with no debate and no amendments. …the ban preserves
exemptions for the horse racing industry and other factions whose support
is considered vital to move the ban through the House and Senate. Tony Batt, Stephens Washington Bureau, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5-22-03
A Pennsylvania principal has resigned over accusations she
used her school computer to gamble on the Internet. Rosa Calvet, the principal
at Lehman Intermediate School in Bushkill, gave up her $79,000 post this week
after district officials confronted her with details of an investigation into
her computer records. Associated Press, WPVI, Philadelphia, 5-16-03
Regardless of the debates in Washington, the Internet is becoming
increasingly more important and at least for some, profitable. Marriott booked
20,000 rooms in one day, $5 million in sales; and Youbet continues to grow with
revenues increasing over 300 percent in one quarter.
"It's the first time we've broken through 20,000,"
in hotel rooms booked online in a single day, said Marriott International
spokesman John Wolf. The rooms represent about $5 million in gross sales,
up from the record of about $4.8 million when just under 19,000 room-nights
were booked one day earlier in the month. Marriott International's online
sales topped $1 billion last year, a nearly seven-fold increase in two years.
Jerry W. Jackson, Orlando Sentinel, Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, Hotel
Online, 5-21-03
Youbet.com, Inc., the leading online live event and wagering
company, today announced that First Quarter 2003 marked the company's fourth
consecutive quarter of record growth. The gross handle for the first quarter
set a new record at $61.0 million, up substantially from $27.1 million in
the first quarter 2002, and includes a record-breaking gross handle of $21.1
million for the month of March, 2003. Gross revenues increased 323% to
$11.0 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2003 as compared to $2.6
million in the first quarter of 2002. Net revenues, after payments to our
track partners and licensing fees, were $3.8 million for the first quarter
2003 compared to $1.7 million in the first quarter of 2002. Business Wire, Yahoo Business, 5-16-03
The growth rates are stunning in both cases and both have implications
for all of the gaming industry. There are some in the industry that think it
makes sense to try and stop the growth of Internet gaming, but for the rest
of the industry it makes more sense to try and understand it and find ways to
integrate the Internet into the business and operations.
Recent Articles
Best of Ken Adams

Ken Adams is the principal in the gaming consulting firm, Ken Adams and Associates. Formed in 1990, Ken Adams and Associates specializes in information, analysis, and strategic planning for Indian tribes, casino operations and gaming manufacturers. Ken spent over 20 years in the hotel-casino industry, prior to founding Ken Adams and Associates. He held the positions of: Director of Casino Operations, Casino Manager, and Keno Department Manager. During this time, he developed numerous innovative marketing and customer development programs and systems for evaluating casino performance. Some of those programs, such as slot clubs and tournaments, have become industry standards. Ken is also actively involved in gathering and disseminating information that is important to the gaming industry. He is editor and publisher of and the Adams' Report, a monthly newsletter specializing in identifying trends in casino gaming, regulation and manufacturing, the Adams Daily Report, an electronic newsletter that provides electronic links to the key gaming stories of the day, and the Adams Review, a special report distributed by Compton Dancer Consulting that provides editorial commentary on gaming trends.
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Ken Adams is the principal in the gaming consulting firm, Ken Adams and Associates. Formed in 1990, Ken Adams and Associates specializes in information, analysis, and strategic planning for Indian tribes, casino operations and gaming manufacturers.
Ken spent over 20 years in the hotel-casino industry, prior to founding Ken Adams and Associates. He held the positions of: Director of Casino Operations, Casino Manager, and Keno Department Manager. During this time, he developed numerous innovative marketing and customer development programs and systems for evaluating casino performance. Some of those programs, such as slot clubs and tournaments, have become industry standards.
Ken is also actively involved in gathering and disseminating information that is important to the gaming industry. He is editor and publisher of and the Adams' Report, a monthly newsletter specializing in identifying trends in casino gaming, regulation and manufacturing, the Adams Daily Report, an electronic newsletter that provides electronic links to the key gaming stories of the day, and the Adams Review, a special report distributed by Compton Dancer Consulting that provides editorial commentary on gaming trends.
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