World Series of Poker Begins

Philippines To Offer Degree in Gambling - MANILA - /Reuters/ - The Philippines could soon be the first country to offer a degree course in blackjack and roulette if plans for a gambling academy are approved. "It is a baccalaureate degree, Bachelor of Science in Gaming Management, something like that, so we can professionalize it," Efraim Genuino, head of state-owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR), told a local radio station. The gaming group had the expertise to produce gambling graduates as it has trained gambling staff in-house since the 1980s, company officials said. Pending approval from the authorities, the academy will offer courses in gaming skills for table supervisors in popular games such as blackjack, poker and roulette, they said. Genuino said he was sure the course would be popular and he hoped graduates would work overseas and help the Philippine economy.

Britain To Allow New Casino Games and Play Options - LONDON - British gamblers will be soon be able to play three new casino games: Big Six, Sic Bo and three-card poker. The games are already seen in casinos around the world, but new laws will also allow them in Britain come May 13. Big Six (a.k.a. Wheel of Fortune) resembles roulette; players gamble on which slot will finish on top when the croupier spins a wheel. Sic Bo is Chinese dice game, in which players gamble on the numbers thrown or the dice total. In three-card poker, players back their hands against the banker’s. The new laws, due to be set out in Parliament by Sports Minister Richard Caborn next week, will also allow more options during play in four existing games: stud poker, roulette, dice and blackjack. "In the future, our proposed Gambling Commission will regulate casino games, but until that happens,” says Caborn, “statutory regulations to the Gaming Act continue to be the only way that we can respond to the changing demands of casino punters."