No Sure Bets at the Casino

"Luck be a lady tonight," belted out the Blue-Eyed Baron of Babble as he sauntered into Connecticuts Mohegan Sun resort. The Puss, who was hitting the casino with an old childhood crony and a pocketful of dough, snickered when he noticed the "Top Gun"-themed penny slots because tonight the sky was the limit.

The Katt had heard that the casinos slot revenues were down from a year ago and asked his pal if Internet gambling had anything to do with it. The pal explained that the novelty and allure of new gambling venues in New York and Rhode Island actually were believed to be the cause.

"Speaking of online gambling, did you hear that the European Union is seeking compensation from Uncle Sam for the U.S. ban on Internet gambling Web sites?" queried the crony.

"Yeah, and yet, despite the ban, a new site called Betcha.com just launched right here in the States," said Spence.

The site is trying to tap a loophole in the law by claiming it uses an open, peer-to-peer honor system, which allows bettors to back out of bets if they wish to. Of course, bettors who dont pay up get "dinged" in their Betcha profile and wont be viewed as reliable gamblers by their "peers."

Click here to read about the SECs probe into Dells accounting practices.

The gambling Grimalkins pal said that for a real insiders view of online gaming, the Katt should check out Calvinayre.com, a new blog written by Bodog Entertainment founder and offshore gambling mogul Calvin Ayre.

Resource Library:

"The sites pictures of Ayre giving Antiguan government officials a tour of Bodogs headquarters or hobnobbing with Paris Hilton speak volumes about the world of online gambling," chuckled the crony.

The clarion call of the KattPhone kept the Kitty from completely losing his shirt at the Let it Ride tables, the casinos variation on five-card stud. The caller was an Apple watcher who said that former Apple CTO Ellen Hancock was stepping down as president of Jazz Technologies. Hancock, along with two other high-rolling Apple vets, Gil Amelio and Steve Wozniak, acquired the foundry through Acquicor, their "blank check" private equity company.

The Apple maven also claimed that the Apple rumor mill is clinging to rumors from a German tabloid that Apple may be developing a GPS navigation tool and a sound system for Mercedes-Benz. "Id give that rumor das boot," laughed the Lynx.

Leaving Mohegans Casino of the Earth area flat busted, the two made their way to the Wolf Den, the resorts free music venue. There, while grooving to the Latin vibe of the Emo Luciano Orchestra, Spence ran into a young lady from the financial biz. Talking shop, the Puss new gal pal claimed Dells internal financial probe may be coming to an end—of course, what the SEC will make of Dells internal audit is anyones guess.

The Furry One soon realized that his new friend was obsessed with felines, as she explained that although she had her own MySpace presence, she also maintained similar Web sites for her house cats on Unitedcats.com and Catster.com. Spence was baffled as to why she poured a drink on his head and stormed off after he innocently inquired whose site was more popular—hers or the cats?

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