Harrahs Online Gambling Update

Harrah's Interactive Entertainment, the new division set up by the giant US gambling group to handle its future online gambling enterprises, will be headquartered outside the United States in Montreal, according to reports this week in the Montreal Gazette.

The Quebec province city in Canada is the home town of Harrah's newly appointed CEO, the former PartyGaming head Mitch Garber. He told the Gazette that positioning the business outside the USA gives it greater freedom and flexibility on the international business and marketing fronts, and that a core staff element of 10 people was already at work setting up infrastructure for the new operational centre.

Among the projects Garber has in mind is ythe further development of Harrah's giant World Series of Poker brand. The gambling executive told the newspaper: "There is a hunger for World Series of Poker events, like PGA golf, with events taking place everywhere, whether it is Moscow, Montreal or Rome. Our intent is to deal with government and licensing authorities in every jurisdiction to grow the World Series of Poker."

Other projects on which the interactive division is working include government licensed operations in the UK market, with which Garber is familiar from his PartyGaming days, and becoming involved in online lottery opportunities with state and national governments around the world.

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ON-PREMISES REMOTE GAMBLING FOR NEW JERSEY? - 02/07/2012 : The publication New Jersey.com reports that state politicians keen to boost the waning fortunes of Atlantic City land casinos are to discuss following the example of Nevada by permitting remote on-premises gambling using mobile handheld devices.

POKERSTARS DROPS MACAU MILLIONS - 02/07/2012 : The postponement of the Macau Millions reported recently has been confirmed by the Pokerstars blog, which announced this week that the project will cease next month for an indefinite period.

RECORD PRICE PAID FOR CARD PLAYER ART - 02/07/2012 : One of a series of five Cezanne impressions of card players painted in the 1890's has changed hands for a record $250 000, reports the publication Vanity Fair.

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