EiG discussions suggest that Playtech is about to launch the first of its two Marvel licensed branded casino games this week in the form of online slots themed on The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man.

Playtech casinos secured licensing for the brands from Marvel earlier this year and the releases will present some competition for licensees of major provider Cryptologic, which already has the super heroes on its gaming theme roster.

Big news from Ongame?

Could an important announcement be due from Ongame Network today? It would seem that EiG has been the vehicle of choice for several major deal announcements in the industry this week, and it would the ideal vehicle.

The still unconfirmed rumour is that online betting giant Betfair is about to join the Ongame Network for its poker offering. If true, such a deal would bring both liquidity and prestige to the Ongame service.

Site requested comment from Ongame poker chief Martin Lerby this (Thursday) morning, although it was appreciated that unless this agreement is set to go right away this may difficult for him to confirm or deny.

Lerby responded, saying: “I cannot deny or confirm [the Betfair move] and I prefer not to comment on this rumor.”

Lerby also clarified the position regarding Gioco Digitale’s acquisition by Ongame’s parent Bwin, saying that it has not yet been decided if or when the Italian company will migrate to Ongame’s P5 poker network engine.

More Texas Hold’Em

Microsoft wasn’t at EiG, but its latest product offering was discussed by some delegates as the Seattle software giant released its Zune HD upgraded personal media player designed to challenge Apple’s iPod Touch.

The reason? The available games include yet another Texas Hold’Em offering.

Zune is an all-singing, all-dancing product that plays music and video, and can surf the Internet via Wi-Fi as well as playing games. Thus far the Zune Marketplace offers only seven free game options, but the potential for growth is obvious. Opinions on the quality of these games seems divided, with the preponderance of critics disappointed with the ad-supported final product. Many abhor the requirement to watch an advert before being able to play the game.

Texas Hold’Em is the poker addition to the Zune HD games roster, but it has been panned as uninteresting although basically functional. Surprisingly, there is no multiplayer action; no cool table themes; no tournaments, and a very basic AI that plays a bland, cautious game. The consensus appears to be that Microsoft will have to do some serious upgrading before this can be regarded as any sort of competitive threat.

Online gambling scratchcard development company NeoGames Partners, has used its presence at EiG to announce the launch of its brand new 9 line slot game Bon Appétit on Internet scratch card websites, Scratch2Cash and Hopa.com.

Players will come face to face with a huge variety of very appetising food and drink such as pizza, waffles, ice cream and lemonade positioned across a 9 line slot machine.

The objective of Bon Appétit is to match a minimum of two identical icons on the same line to win.

There is a $/GBP/Euros 200 000 Jackpot to be won, so players may find themselves craving to get the five matching ice cream symbols to win the big prize.

A rather depressing assessment by the Poker Players Alliance is quoted in the respected online poker magazine Cardplayer this week, surmising that HR 2267- Congressman Barney Frank’s attempt to legalise and regulate online gambling in the United States - could again be pushed aside as Congress concentrates on the financial issues resulting from the global economic debacle.

The PPA opined that the bill was running out of time and was unlikely to be progressed this month, pushing it out to October 2009.

However, a second and related bill, which would delay the implementations of the Unlawful internet gambling Enforcement Act for one year, could still stand a chance of making it through a busy Congressional session, and the PPA will put its weight behind that measure.

“The feedback we got (from a meeting with Representative Frank’s staff this week) was that it’s unlikely that we will hold a hearing in September; however, the door is not closed on that,” PPA Executive Director John Pappas told CardPlayer, speaking about H.R. 2267: The Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act.

CardPlayer reports that with that reality in place, the PPA is actively moving on Frank’s other poker-related bill, H.R. 2266: Reasonable Prudence in Regulation Act:, a piece of legislation that would delay the full implementation of the UIGEA from December 1, 2009 to December 1, 2010.

“Quite honestly, the preference of the PPA is to move [H.R. 2266] sooner rather than later, and not wait until October,” said Pappas. “We believe that the bill as it stands right now faces some opposition if it’s a simple delay. However, we’re working with the opposition to see if a compromise could be drafted.”

“We’re hopeful that if we can present to Chairman Frank a compromised bill that could easily go through his committee without too much fighting and debate — that we could get that done possibly in this month,” said Pappas.

“Hopefully, we wouldn’t even have to have a hearing. It could be a mark-up. A hearing is where you sit and talk about the bill. A mark-up is where you actually vote on it,” said Pappas. “The hope from our side is that if we can craft a non-controversial compromise, it is something that could be heard and voted on by the committee this month.”

If it were approved by the committee, the bill could be passed by the House as a typical corrections bill.

Pappas told CardPlayer that the PPA was disappointed to learn that Frank’s main legislative attempt aimed at legalising online gambling probably wouldn’t be the subject of a hearing until at least October.

“Obviously, that’s not what we wanted to hear, but it’s the reality of the Congress and the reality of their schedule,” said Pappas. “What the PPA is going to do is continue to push for it as soon as possible, but in the meantime, build as much support for the legislation both on the committee and off the committee.”

Rep. Frank had previously told Card Player that he hoped to hold a vote on The Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act by this [September] month.

That act has 55 co-sponsors in the House, but Pappas expects that number to move “closer to 70” in the next few weeks.

The speculation surrounding the failure of online gambling group Linx Media’s Eurolinx, BetonBet and Linx Casino deepened Monday with a public notice on the Malta licensing jurisdiction internet website advising that BetonBet, hitherto believed to have been licensed by the LGA, was not as far as the LGA is concerned.

The notice:

“The Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) hereby notifies that the company Alpine Malta Ltd is under investigation by the Authority.

“Alpine Malta Ltd operates under Class 1/4 and Class 3/4 licenses and online gambling operates under the tradename BetonBet.

“The LGA has issued a notice of suspension for the two classes.

“Furthermore, the LGA hereby notifies that the company Eurolinks Ltd is not and has never been a licensed operator with the LGA. The LGA also notifies that the sportsbooks of Alpine Malta Ltd (BetonBet and Eurolinks) are not and never were licensed by the LGA.”

The notice ends with an invitation for players with “any outstanding payments from Alpine Malta Ltd (BetonBet) specifically on the Class 1/4 and Class 3/4 licenses”.

Linx Media group subsidiaries were understood to have licenses as follows:

Eurolinx poker licensed in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles.

Betonbet licensed by the LGA in Malta

Linx Casino licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.

An enquiry lodged with the Netherlands Antilles licensing authorities has not yet elicited a response.

With reaction in the casino player community building following Friday’s news that the Linx Media Group is insolvent, an online poker marketing expert suggested possible solutions to safeguarding player funds from debacles such as this.

The former Vice President of Marketing for PokerStars, Dan Goldman, told Poker News Daily that online poker sites must change their views toward player deposits moving forward: “Online sites have the same responsibility to their players as banks have to their depositors,” he said. “All too often, they treat player bankrolls like their own money.”

Goldman suggests that player funds should be segregated into entirely separate, independently audited accounts.

“This is a simple step that, in addition to bolstering confidence in the site, helps to avoid the temptation to use player funds for operations,” Goldman opined.

It’s the sort of commonsense requirement that licensing jurisdictions should perhaps demand as a non-negotiable component of any licensing agreement…and software providers could insist on as well.

Bringing the issue into sharp focus was a comment by a poster at the 2plus2 forum, who claimed that he had spoken to Eurolinx managing director Jo Remme before coming to the conclusion that: “What was clear for me about his story was that they have been trading with our funds and that went extremely wrong. The word ‘trading’ he used himself.”

And a Norwegian poster on the Casinomeister forum noted:

“One of\if not the main guy, is called “Jo Arild Remme”, before going on to claim: “He has been in ‘trouble’ before, with pyramid schemes and other projects going bust”, before quoting several Norwegian language websites in support of his allegations.