Speaking to the publication Inside Poker Business, Garber hinted that the WSOP franchise could push for bracelet events in Italy and France.

We know we would like to strategically expand the bracelets beyond the US and the UK,’ Garber said. We haven’t figured out if [the events in Italy and France] will be individual events, or part of the WSOPE or tied to a larger series.

The online gambling exec added that the decisions would be taken and announced within the next six months.

The new events would be the first since Harrah’s launched the WSOP Europe in 2007 with three bracelet events in London, and will be used to boost the profile of the firm’s online poker site in Italy and France, Garber explained.

The WSOP.com site has soft launched for real money play in the UK and a larger marketing push will be launched to coincide with the WSOPE in September, he told Inside Poker Business.

You will see a lot more marketing from us and attempts to tie in the TV and tournament to the website and acquire customers from that event, Garber said. Then our next focus is on France and Italy.

The publication notes that Harrah’s Interactive is currently in talks with local partners in both countries, although the firm has not yet applied for a licence in either Italy or France.

Our strategy is to link-up with strong local partners and we are talking to people right now, said Garber. I don’t think we have the infrastructure or local expertise to operate on our own in each of these countries, and it makes more sense for us to partner with strong local businesses.

Whilst Cyprus is home to many online gambling companies, the legal position of internet gambling remains tenuous.

At present, online gambling in Cyprus comes under the general Betting Law, amended in 2007 to comply with EU legislation for the free movement of goods and of services. It appeared that lawmakers had settled on the concept to allow the state to regulate online gambling by excluding it from this list of services in line with recent changes in EU law, which in practice allows member states sovereign rights to ban or control online gambling.

The government appeared to favour banning, with talk of ISP blocking of internet gambling sites and credit card transaction restraints, although the ban would be selective, with live betting on horseracing and sporting events permitted.

The confusion over governments intentions appeared to irritate Ionas Nicolaou, chair of the House Legal Affairs Committee, who characterised the situation as a cock-up in government policy.

Both he and Ricos Erotocritou, head of the Institutions Committee, said they did not know what to make of the mixed signals coming from government officials regarding the issue.

Deputies were confused because the Justice Minister, in an interview with a local newspaper, apparently was explicit in saying that he was in favour of legalising online casinos.

Adding another layer of confusion was the Chief of Police, who said he wanted online gambling criminalised, and State President Christofias, who has repeatedly vowed that no licensed casino virtual or not will be allowed to operate in Cyprus whilst he holds office.

And whilst lawmakers were discussing the best way to outlaw online gambling, it was revealed that the ministers of Finance and Justice, and the Attorney-General, were at the same time having their own private meeting, apparently still trying to develop a government policy, suggesting that the government was not firm in its resolve to ban.

I hope we dont reach the end of the drafting process and suddenly find that policy has changed radically, Nicolaou commented to reporters, revealing that he and his colleagues had been working on a banning bill for the past three months. Were gambling to be legalised, that would be a complete reversal in philosophy.

The plan was to draft the bill in consultation with a wide range of interested parties and then submit it to the Cabinet and the European Commission for comment before presenting it to Parliament for ratification.

“While Pennsylvania’s 55-percent gross tax rate is in line with most states’ racetrack-casino taxes, it is the highest rate in the country for stand-alone casinos. The state Legislature is considering proposals to legalize table games with tax rates from 12 percent to 34 percent, which is closer to the range of tax rates for stand-alone casinos in other states.

“Lawmakers also are considering one-time, table games license fees of up to $20 million.

“‘State officials are kind of trying to balance a desire not to totally open up the state to gambling, but at the same time to have it be profitable for (casino) owners,’ said Ian Pulsipher, a gambling policy specialist at the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver. As budget crises spread across the country, more states have tried to expand gambling, he said.

“Pennsylvania has been without a budget since July as lawmakers battle over how to fill a gap initially estimated at $3.2 billion. They are looking at revenue from the tax on table games to help pay the bills…”

The attendance for the 2009 PokerStars EPT London is also more than the 608 players who took part in one of the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) tournaments in London last week.

The EPT London Main Event attracted a wealth of stars from around the globe including Team PokerStars PROs and former world champions Joe Hachem, Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker and the current world champion Peter Eastgate as well as sponsored celebrities such as tennis legend Boris Becker, footballer Teddy Sheringham and Dutch Hockey Pro Fatima Moreira de Melo.

The total prize pool for the PokerStars EPT London Main Event is £3,540,500, with 104 players guaranteed to cash. The final champion will take home £850,000, with the second and third place finishers getting £530,000 and £285,000 respectively.

“A new Vikings stadium would cost an estimated $950 million, with the team possibly needing $700 million from the state.

“Rep. Tom Hackbarth of Cedar, Minn. said Monday he would try to amend the state constitution to permit slot machines at two Twin Cities-area horse racing tracks. Hackbarth proposed the amendment last March, saying voters should decide whether it’s a sound option.

“The Vikings are under lease at the Metrodome until 2011.

“…John McCarthy of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association questions whether gambling is a reliable enough revenue stream to pay back as much as $50 million a year in construction debt…”