A recent study conducted by Experian found that those who access Internet gambling sites and are subjected to an identity verification check that lasts more than four minutes tend to abandon the process, clicking their mouse and moving elsewhere on the World Wide Web. This may come as a surprise to online gaming operators, who may want to take note and pare down that verification process for those online gamers whose attention span and/or patience wears thin easily.

“It comes as no surprise that online consumers are not prepared to wait for verification processes to complete – though it does come as quite a shock that four minutes is the threshold of their patience," said Rob Meakin, the market development manager at Callcredit Information Group.

Ten sectors were studied by the worldwide information services provider and online gambling patrons showed the lowest level of tolerance, eGR reported. Individuals dealing with insurance and mortgage matters tended to wait longer that punters at Internet gambling sites, with tolerance levels of nine and ten minutes, respectively.

In this day and age when people have grown accustomed to taking care of many necessary functions online quickly, waiting too long can certainly make the most patient web surfers grow weary. Some of the delay may not be the fault of the gaming sites, but instead the speed of Internet connections. Those speeds are known to vary widely among worldwide jurisdictions.

“Identity verification is becoming an increasingly important part of egaming operations, particularly as the online industry for this sector grows," said Nick Mothershaw, Experian's director of identity and fraud. “Our research shows that egaming businesses are at risk of losing out on trade as thousands of consumers are taking their custom elsewhere. It is therefore vital for online gaming outlets to make sure the transaction process is as fast and simple as possible."

What many online poker grinders have also found quite annoying are the sites that readily accept credit cards for deposits in no time flat. However, when it's time to cashout, a drawn-out verification process is often required before a withdrawal is processed. While that is somewhat different than ID verification prior to accessing Internet gambling sites, it is equally as perturbing.

This month, the Merge Gaming Network revamped its tournament schedule and expanded its range of guaranteed prize pool tournaments. Result: profit.

Professional Rakeback’s new MTT Overlay Report gives an early indication that the changes have been successful for the network: In september the network earned a total average profit per day of $5,741; so far in October its up to $5,927.

This makes for a 3% gain from a simple reorganization of the MTT schedule and the introduction of more guarantees, despite it receiving a mixed response from players on forums.

Saturday’s scheduled tournaments have not succeeded quite so well: September’s Saturday avgerage profit per day is at $3,727, according to the report, whereas for October the guarantees have not been met, resulting in an average lost of -$4,765. Clearly some tinkering is still in order.

September numbers were skewed by the Poker Maximus tournament series, so Merge may let the current schedule run for a few more weeks before making any decisions about changes.

Golden Nugget is the second of the state's 12 casinos to be awarded an operator's permit, following the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa receiving the first such honor last week. Both casinos will not get a jump on their competition, however, as New Jersey's official launch date has been set for November 26. A test period soft launch by invitation only will commence five days prior.

A free-play poker site hosted by Golden Nugget in conjunction with software provider Bally Technologies has been in operation since the middle of last year. Golden Nugget had originally partnered with Chiligaming to launch that free-play endeavor, but Bally then acquired Chilgaming's platform. Players can access the free-play website at goldennuggetpoker.com.

Less than six weeks remain before DGE officials turn on the Internet gambling virtual switch. With about three dozen applicants yet to be scrutinized, regulators have their work cut out for them if the projected launch date is to be met.

As pointed out at PokerUpdate one day earlier on Thursday, October 10, the 2 + 2 thread dedicated to Full Tilt remission concerns saw a number of posters continue to vent frustration regarding Garden City Group's handling of the entire process, but mostly the exclusion list pertaining to affiliates. The following day, John Pappas of the Poker Players Alliance penned a letter to the GCG requesting clarification on the affiliate issue, as well as several other matters that had players concerned.

The GCG responded by updating the FAQ portion of its website at www.fulltiltpokerclaims.com. Those updates include what to do in case of account balance discrepancies, it addressed matters pertaining to the uploading of documents in support of petitions, and also informed players that those who never received petition and control numbers should file their claims anyway.

But the seemingly most crucial of player concerns remains the affiliate issue, to which GCG updated information on the home page of the remission website. Here is what was posted:

NOTICE TO AFFILIATES OF FULL TILT POKER

"It has been determined that Affiliates of Full Tilt Poker ("FTP") will be able to submit Petitions for Remission to recover the portion of their account balances that does not relate to their Affiliate status. Affiliate accounts have been flagged as such because the player signed up with FTP as an Affiliate. If you are an Affiliate, you will be able to submit a Petition for the portion of your account balance that relates to poker transactions, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria. GCG is in the process of receiving updated data from FTP concerning Affiliates' accounts. Once GCG receives and completes its review of the data, we will email all Affiliates of record to provide instructions for the Petition process and provide login credentials for online filing. You will then have 30 days to submit a Petition. The filing process for Affiliates will not delay the processing or payment of other Petitions for Remission."

Although the deadline for Petition for Remission submission is November 16, affiliates who receive the email mentioned above can apparently disregard that date. The thirty days to reply will seemingly supersede the initial filing deadline of November 16.

It is very encouraging that the GCG is cognizant of the problems faced by players and has responded in kind. Keep in mind that the remission process is designed to get money into the pockets of players who are viewed as victims of fraud. It is not an attempt to keep player funds by labeling or tagging them as affiliates. Players still having concerns about their claims should check out the recent updates at www.fulltiltpokerclaims.com.

New Zealand is no different in that regard and that can be seen in the reactions to that country’s government giving the green light for 510 extra gaming machines and tables to be put in place in the proposed SkyCity Convention Centre.

While there has been some support for the initiative, it also has its fair share of domestic opposition. Among those making their voices heard has been the country’s left wing Green Party, which has undertaken an innovative and creative way of protesting their opposition to the gaming plans.

The party has constructed a makeshift casino of its own in the main square of New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, made entirely of cardboard. That’s right, cardboard.

The cardboard casino consists of 230 imitation poker machines, 240 automated player stations, and 40 gambling tables, which are the amount of facilities that would be allowed in the convention centre once it’s completed. It appears to be quite a sight and takes up a substantial chunk of Aotea Square, which is exactly the point the party has been trying to put across.

Green Party co-leader Meteria Turei said that the gaming facilities that the government would allow at the proposed convention centre would essentially amount to an entire new casino in the city of Auckland.

"The 510 additional gambling machines and tables gifted to SkyCity would be, on their own, the third-largest casino in New Zealand," Turei said. "That's a casino which wouldn't exist without this deal."

The extra gaming facilities at the proposed centre came as part of a deal between the New Zealand government and casino company SkyCity. The company already operates the largest casino in the country and the convention centre will likely be located in the same complex.

Among the main reasons for the opposition to the extra gaming facilities is the perceived potential for “problem gambling.” While that is always something that needs to be carefully considered, the fact these new facilities will be located on the same complex as an already existing casino may lower that potential.

If it was part of a whole new casino in another part of the city, the potential may very well be major as it could give ‘problem gamblers’ easier access and more variety to choose from. However, that is likely to not be the case in this situation.

Still though, the protest is certainly eye-catching and attention grabbing and should help the party in getting its point across. According to stuff.co.nz, the cardboard casino will be presented to the government in the New Zealand capital, Wellington, after spending the day in Aotea Square.