After hiring lead producer Courtland Alves from Crowdstar as their new CEO, Hitpost decided to target those who love sports betting in US games by creating an app that allows you to place fake money bets in order to move higher up a scoreboard and earn more points for guessing the outcome of matches correctly, including a social element so that you can challenge your friends and attempt to prove that you are the one with the most knowledge!

“Hitpost is the only company I’ve seen that has successfully merged casual game mechanics with sports. Courtland is a proven leader to further this vision,” says Mike Maples, the partner at Floodgate who funded Hitpost’s $2 million second round a year ago. Those who used the previous incarnation of the app, which was called OnSports, may not be as happy with the way that things have developed: features such as news sections and polls have been taken out in order to focus on the betting aspect, making it more of a game than a general sports app – but this does mean that it is now the perfect app for someone who loves to make bets but perhaps does not have the bankroll to do it.

There is a level driven mechanic in the game whereby you can level up by completing certain functions within the app: betting on a certain type of game for the first time might earn you points, and winning a bet certainly will, so that you can start to advance through the levels and gain you more energy – as you can only bet as many times as you have energy to while you are in the app. This is a great game and one that sports fans are absolutely going to love.

He was playing the Punto Banco form of baccarat at the Crockfords casino over the August bank holiday weekend when he made the bets which have since raised controversy. The thirty five year old from California had already deposited £1 million to his account with the casino in order to show that he meant business, and now he was out to prove just how much business he meant. Punto Banco is not an overly complicated game in terms of how you win or lose, and for Ivey it was clearly no challenge at all – as he was able to rack up a staggering win of £7.3 million over the night.

However, the next twist in the tale was that Crockfords quite simply refused to allow him to take his winnings. They have called in investigators over their belief that he must have cheated in some way, and seem to have become obsessed with this idea – showing just how confident they must have felt about the house edge. They have conducted interviews with members of staff, checked the surveillance footage thoroughly, inspected the cards and the dealing shoe that were used, and took a look at just about any conceivable thing that he could have used to cheat.

The way we see it, this man is just that much better at betting in poker than anyone else. Naturally a casino might be upset when someone starts to cut into their profit margins by being too good, but ultimately they have to accept that – and it is very reasonable to suggest that a man who can master poker this well can also figure out how to play baccarat to his overall advantage.

Most big cats tend to try and avoid areas of high human traffic, but not so for this beast. Apparently the bright lights of the casinos can attract some unlikely visitors: after being released into the Carson Range, above Lake Tahoe, it apparently followed the Truckee River and made its way to the gambling house, trying to go through the revolving door at Harrah’s.

Those revolving doors can get the best of us though, and for this two year old male cougar they proved a little too difficult. He retreated to huddle up under the outdoor stage where he was spotted during the early breakfast rush, and animal experts were brought in to remove him from the scene. The Nevada Department of Wildlife was represented by Chris Healy, who described the encounter as “almost the equivalent of being a stupid teenager”, relating to the fact that cougars can act like this if they are chased out of their own territory by mature adult cats. No one was injured by the young male, fortunately for him, and he was released after being tranquilised and being moved back to where he should have been in the first place. The tracking collar will find out if he makes a move back to the city again, with Healy describing it as the “best case scenario” that he stays out in the wilderness where he belongs rather than attempting to come back in to Reno and hit those slot machines.

Perhaps he just wanted to check out those betting odds, but unfortunately we may never know the answer to what a mountain lion’s favourite table game is. The unfortunate animal has been warned: if it shows up in Reno again, it is likely to be euthanized, so we are hoping it sees sense and stays away. Perhaps if it waits a few months, it will be able to get its paws on some online poker instead once the first casinos start hosting their own sites!

For more than four years, lawmakers in California have been debating the merits of legalising online poker playing, but at every turn they have been met and matched by native American gambling interests. Just last week, a new proposal put forward by state Senators Roderick Wright and Darrell Steinberg was due to go under a vote that had been scheduled in advance, with spectators lining up to hear whether it was finally time for California to move into an acceptance of the internet age. Unfortunately, however, a Senate committee sidelined the proposal right before the vote was due to take place, leading to a mass exodus of disappointed citizens and headlines across the country.

What is clear now is that something must be done. With so many people playing illegally, the ban must either be put into force much better or – in the best interests of the state – removed entirely. With all the tribal interference happening at the moment, however, nothing is getting done – so someone needs to move decisively. The thing is that the tribes need not lose out from Wright’s bill – it would allow them to also operate online poker games based out of their existing casinos, with the stipulation that rigorous checks would need to be done and a license fee be paid. Standing at $30 million upfront this may put off some gambling firms – but it is no higher than that proposed in most other states currently; only Nevada is looking at a much lower fee, but with California only asking for ten per cent of their gross earnings in taxes it looks like a fair deal. Californians want to be betting in poker, and make no mistake – they will do it whether it is legal or not.

For those who haven’t yet experienced the delight of MLB, the concept is fairly simple. Thirty different teams battle it out over a period of four months, between 28th March and 3rd October. During this time in 2011 the Major League Baseball season played host to a plethora of different winners, and was one of the most popular sporting events as far as wagering was concerned, in addition to being the most watched on television. The game even managed to get in the top lists of the online bookies, which has historically been a difficult nut to crack to the hands on nature of baseball.

This year there are well over 160 games in the schedule, due to take place over the summer, sure to be chock full of excitement for all. Betting is a large part of any sporting event, and much like the Grand National in the UK, and the World Cyber Games in Korea, Major League Baseball is absolutely no exception to the rule.

Keen to get in on any sporting event where wagering is involved, the online bookies all over the net will be taking bets on practically every possibility, and just as well because sports gambling fiends from across the world will surely want to get in on the action. In an effort to increase demand, the bookies are offering a number of exciting promotions centred around MLB 201.

Whether you want to bet outright, or put something down on runs or lines, and even league markets, these book makers certainly have you covered this year. Not only this, but through the official Major League Baseball Wiki players can actually get up to the minute data and statics on players, games, results, and much more. With all this information, life is surely easier to it has ever been before when it comes to calculating betting odds for the game.

Well believe or not it was found that 31% of American adults who were surveyed said that they have bet on the outcome of the Super Bowl at some stage in the past. The survey also found that 41% of men have placed bets on the game compared to the 21% of women who bet on the Super Bowl. And here is the best news of all, 44% of the participants said that they had won over $100 while 14% said they had lost $100 or more.

But the most interesting piece of information that this survey has revealed is that 20% of the participants said that they would miss a wedding of a close friend or family member to watch the Super Bowl if their team was playing and 19% said they would miss the funeral of a loved one! 15% of people showed their real allegiance to the game when they said they would even miss the birth of their child to watch the game! Now that’s saying something people. It’s quite evident that the people of America love the Super Bowl and come hell or high water they are not going to miss out on the game. The betting on the Super Bowl ranges over domestic bets made among friends to bets made on at the field with professional bookies and of course the most popular means of betting now is online sports betting. Bettors can get instant updates online and place their bets right from the comfort of their homes.

Until now the Department of Justice said that all forms of online gambling was illegal under the Wire Act of 1961. The act prohibits placing wagers across state lines and international border. But they have come up with a whole new interpretation of the act and said that it applies only to bets made on “sporting events or contests”. The act does not prohibit the state’s use of the internet to sell lottery tickets to adults outside its borders. Well, whether or not the Justice Department just came up with this new interpretation all of sudden or not is really of no concern. What matters is that online gambling will finally be legal in the US and proper regulations. The Obama Administration allows the state to choose if they wish to legalize online gambling. Now we just need to wait and see which state will pounce on this opportunity first. My bet is on Nevada.

It has been reported that the agreement would allow former players to apply for compensation via the Justice Department for money outstanding. The failed poker site currently owes US poker players in excess of $150 million, which certainly makes you wonder how they ever intended to pay it back. Although this is undoubtedly good news for all players currently owed funds, several leading poker industry sources were quick to point out this is not specifically a sure-fire money back guarantee.

A French investment group known as ‘Groupe Bernard Tapie’ has agreed to purchase the Full Tilt Poker company and brand for $80 million and intends to bring the name over to Europe. With FTP’s former success considered this equates to quite the bargain. It should however be noted that the Department of Justice will be handing the French group a huge portion of the money seized from Full Tilt Poker during the Black Friday crackdowns. This figure is estimated to be around $40 million dollars. If we do the math this means Group Bernard Tapie will be purchasing Full Tilt Poker for a mere $40 million.

Jeff Ifrah, an attorney for Full Tilt Poker said “Groupe Bernard Tapie will still need to obtain a license, if they want to operate in the US.” Regardless, this deal is certainly set to please many people who just want to get back to betting in poker, and especially the players who are owed money.

Even though there is difference of opinion when it comes to rewards, the casino and horse racing executives of New Jersey are rooting for the bill that will legalize and regulate sports betting. While Joseph Kelly, president of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce wishes for all the revenue generated from sports betting to go to casinos, Senator of New Jersey Jim Whelan that no legislative support is possible without spreading the profits within the state.

It is not just the residents of New Jersey who are looking forward to the referendum as Senator Lesniak is also waiting to pass the votes to pass his revised online gambling bill.

Run by the Seminole Tribe, the casino is one of the very first Indian gambling operations in the US. The casino has 500 rooms and 130,000 sq. ft. casino that is packed with 2000 slots and 70 table games. And you also get to enjoy the white sandy beaches that are just across from the casino. Another popular tribal casino is the Seneca Niagara Casino that opened in 2002. Yep, so you can go gambling in a world class casino that houses 3200 slot machines and 95 table games, has great restaurants and luxury suites and then you can spend some time at the beautiful Niagara Falls as well.