Despite the bad weather, 266 players made it to Galway and entered the tournament with many familiar faces amongst the line-up including Liv Boeree who is now part of Team PokerStars Pro. There was also a familiar champion from Season 1 of the UKIPT – Nick Abou Risk who was victorious in the Edinburgh stop of Season 1.

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Nick Abou Risk managed to make it to heads-up play against Trish Mallin and she had lots of support from the rail being a local amateur. On the final hand of the tournament it was all down to the river card as to who would be victorious. Mallin decided to shove after the turn card was revealed with the board of: 9/5/10/4. Mallin held 7/8 chasing a straight but Nick held 10/2 just needing to avoid a 6 or a Jack – and he did. The dealer revealed the river of 10 giving Nick trip Tens and victory.

Nick’s victory means he is the first UKIPT double-champion and for this win he picked up €67,100 meanwhile Mallin picked up €41,300 for the second-place finish.

UKIPT Galway Final Table Results

1: Nick Abou Risk, Canada – €67,100
2: Trish Mallin, Ireland – €41,300
3: Maurice Silke, Ireland – €25,250
4: Vytenis Navickas, Lithuania, PokerStars qualifier – €18,600
5: Eoin Olin, Ireland – €15,400
6: Dan Rankin, Ireland, PokerStars qualifier – €12,725
7: Roar Aspaas, Norway, PokerStars qualifier – €10,100
8: Johan Meyer, Germany – €7,975
9: Aonghus Farrell, Ireland – €5,700

Kezia Hopkinson, 27, from Priest Road,Swanage, admitted the theft of £20,576 from WHSmith PLC while she was running their premises at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. Prosecuting at Bournemouth Crown Court, Carolyn Branford-Wood said an investigation had been launched at the store after financial irregularities were detected in February 2010.

She added: There were high levels of National Lottery pay-outs and a covert camera was installed to cover the tills and office. The footage showed Miss Hopkinson removing money and putting through false lottery refunds or winnings.

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Hopkinson, who denied pocketing the cash until she was shown the incriminating CCTV evidence, was £12,000 in debt. She told police she had frittered the money away on nights out with friends, splashing out on Champagne and gambling on slot machines, using part of the proceeds to buy a new car. During interview, she added: It was a habit; I couldn’t help himself.

In Hopkinson’s defence, the court heard that she was a woman of previous good character and truly remorseful.

At the time of the offences, she had been under immense pressure to boost sales and been suffering from depression, anxiety and a gambling problem.

Sentencing Hopkinson, Judge Roger Jarvis described the offence as very serious, and told Hopkinson: You were in a position of trust – the money has mainly been squandered. He imposed a 40-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, with a 12-month supervision requirement and 20-day activity requirement.

Gary Shanks, manager of the location, said: “It’s inspiring to see how generous people have been, especially given how difficult this year has been financially for many.” It means that those who love to play bingo games have also had the opportunity to give cash to a good cause.

Marie Curie Cancer Care community fundraiser Siobhan Heffernan told the news provider it is great to see the efforts the bingo hall has went to help the charity out.

Both sides are now likely to spend several days studying the details of the submission to Jeremy Hunt MP, the culture secretary, who is required by law to determine the 2011 levy after the racing and betting industries failed to reach agreement. However, action on thresholds and a levy on foreign racing were two significant pleas in racing’s submissions over the levy, and both have received a favourable response from the Board’s independent members.

If accepted by the government, the report could ensure that the sharp decline in levy yield in recent years will be arrested. However, the proposal to abolish thresholds is likely to face fierce opposition from bookmakers, who will claim that it will threaten the existence of a number of betting shops where margins are already tight.

The Gillard Government yesterday foreshadowed its crackdown on problem gambling would move into cyberspace to target the growing epidemic.

Federal Families Minister Jenny Macklin told a problem-gambling conference  held ironically at Jupiters Casino on the Gold Coast  that online betting was emerging as a major concern that would be tackled at a meeting of state and territory ministers early next year.

The move came as new research showed Australians would wager almost $1 billion on illegal online gaming alone this year and a leading gambling researcher warned young people were being caught up in the boom.

Internet gambling, apart from sports betting and lotteries, is banned in Australia, but many Australians access overseas-based gambling sites offering games such as poker and keno.
“It has been estimated that Australians will spend about $968 million in 2010 on illegal (overseas) sites,” gambling researcher Dr Sally Gainsbury told the National Association of Gambling Studies conference.

Dr Gainsbury, from Southern Cross University’s Centre of Gambling Education and Research, said internet gambling worldwide was forecast to grow in value from $21 billion in 2008 to $30 billion by 2012.

“It is highly accessible, fast and can be played alone at home with just a credit card and unregulated sites provide few player-protection measures,” she said.

The Productivity Commission, in a report on Australians’ addiction to gambling earlier this year, recommended a 10-year ban on internet gaming be lifted but the Federal Government refused.

Ms Macklin told the conference that while gambling was an enjoyable pastime for many Australians, for many others it was “a very, very destructive problem”.

An e-mail from Full Tilt Poker technical support confirmed. “Rush Poker Mobile is currently unavailable due to maintenance. While we are delighted at the success of the Rush Poker Mobile software, due to the software being in the beta testing stage, maintenance such as this is often essential.”

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The Android Market website, however, offered up a different explanation for the app’s disappearance. “Apps with gambling themes or that include simulated gambling should be rated ‘Teen’ or above. Real gambling is not allowed in the Android Market.”

The app is still available for use on Full Tilt’s website, but a phone using Flash Version 10.1 or higher is needed to use the application. It is currently unknown whether the app will return to the Android Market for strictly play money use.

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Grosvenor Casinos submitted proposals to turn a former bingo hall at the Parrs Wood Entertainment Centre into a gambling zone.

But members of Manchester council’s planning committee rejected the plans after residents objected.

The casino would have been at the vacant Buckingham Bingo Club in the entertainment complex, which is also right next to Parrs Wood High School.

Campaigners fighting the plans claimed sixth-form students from the school would be encouraged to gamble if the casino was approved.

The casino was opposed by John Leech, MP for Withington, as well as residents and local councillors.

Coun David Sandiford, who spoke against the plans, said: “Putting a casino near Parrs Wood High School would have been a dreadful decision.

“It was a wholly unsuitable site for a casino and the people of East Didsbury will be absolutely delighted by this decision.”

There is a already one Grosvenor Casino operating on Bury New Road in north Manchester.

The new one would have created around 120 jobs and meant a £3-£4m investment in the refurbishment of the former Buckingham Bingo,

The Rank group, which runs Grosvenor and Mecca Casinos, insisted that the site was already a bingo hall and that permission had been granted in 2007 to turn part of the complex into a casino which was open until 6am. However, the permission was never implemented.

Lynton King, 28, and his accomplice Leroy Hippolyte, burst into the Gala Bingo in The Broadway, Pitsea, wearing a crash helmet and yellow rubber gloves.

King threatened terrified staff with a blade, before telling them they would be stabbed if they didn’t open the safe.

The pair fled with almost £5,000 from the raid, which happened on October 15, 2006.

Hippolyte, then 30, was linked to the raid, after police found his fingerprints and DNA on the crash helmet, motorbike, a pair of rubber gloves and a hoodie, which were later found dumped in Grays.

He admitted the offence at Basildon Crown Court in April 2008 and was jailed for four years.

During that hearing, the court heard how King said staff would “get the knife in their backs if they did not get the safe open”.

But after King was arrested in March 2007, he failed to answer his bail and went on the run.

He was only arrested in April this year, three years later, by Metropolitan Police officers for an unrelated offence. He was then handed over to officers at Basildon.

King, of Caraway Close, Plaistow, was found guilty of robbery and failing to surrender to custody, after a trial at Basildon Crown Court. He was jailed for five years.

Following the case, investigating officer Det Con Darren Ward, of Basildon CID, welcomed the sentencing.

He said: “I am pleased King has finally been brought to justice, more than four years after committing this robbery.

“The staff at the time were terrified as King brandished a knife and threatened to use it.

“This sentence reflects the severity of the offence. I hope others considering making a criminal career through robbery realise, however long it takes, they will be brought to justice and put behind bars.”

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The WPT Barcelona event made headlines last week when it drew 326 players, the largest field since the tournament began in 2007. That field built a €1,043,200 prize pool, with €315,000 due to the winner, a great choice for your second live tournament if you’ve already cashed against the best in Monte Carlo. By the time the final table was set, the 40 year old Tekintamgac was in the driver’s seat with a significant chip lead.

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Tekintamgac held that lead the entire way, finding himself a 5-to-1 favorite against Spain’s Roberto Garcia Santiago by the time heads-up play began. Santiago had led the tournament in its early days, but he was unable to find the winning combination against the German and had to settle for a €160,000 runner-up prize. Tekintamgac, meanwhile, grabbed the top prize and a seat in next year’s World Poker Tour Championship. He says his next stop is the WSOP Main Event, where he should stand a pretty good chance of making himself three-for-three cashing in major tournaments.

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The first case Rank brought was in relation to the double taxation that bingo clubs were subject to. Operators had to pay bingo duty and VAT on the fees taken in bingo games and sessions, but Mecca said that VAT should not be charged.

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The refund claim for the second case started as jackpot machines were subject to VAT, and fixed odd betting machines prior to 2005 weren’t. Rank said that the VAT obligations contravened the European Union principle of fiscal neutrality, basically that as the machines were similar they should be treated the same as far as VAT was concerned. The tribunal ruled in their favour, agreed that they were similar and therefore the jackpot machines should not have been subject to VAT.

Deloitte gave advice to Rank in both cases, and always believed that they would win. Tony McClenaghan, a Senior Tax Partner for the company said; “This is a very welcome decision following on from earlier victories at the Tribunal and in the High Court. We have always been confident that there was a breach of fiscal neutrality in the differential treatment of the relevant gaming machines and we welcome the Tribunal’s confirmation of this fact. Taxpayers affected by this decision should now consider making claims for overpaid VAT”.

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HMRC have appealed the rulings to the European Court of Justice. This is expected to be heard some time next year, although it is not thought likely to succeed. Rank must be keeping it’s fingers crossed on this, as if the HMRC were to overturn the original verdicts then they would have to return the payment, and to add salt to their wounds would also have to pay interest on this.