After the settlement approved by the US District Court of Northern California over privacy on Facebook, the company will have to pay $20 million for putting users’ names and faces in “Sponsored Story” ads without their permission and without paying them, the issue on the compliance with applicable privacy laws of other direct marketing practices on social media has become more and more prominent. In the case referred above, the US District court found that 150 million Facebook users had their names and/or likeness misappropriated to promote products and services through Facebook’s sponsored stories program. However, interestingly the court also…

The Verge – They won’t have neon signs, drive-thru windows, or 24-hour wedding chapels attached to them. But Las Vegas marijuana dispensaries will be massively profitable tourist attractions that could deepen the entire nation’s relationship with weed. At least that’s the hope of the 109 applicants who entered the heated competition for Vegas’ first medical marijuana dispensary and grow-room licenses in time for Tuesday’s deadline. Nevada voters legalized medical marijuana way back in 2000, but the state only recently enacted regulations to allow people to open pot businesses legally. Unincorporated Clark County — not to be confused with Clark County,…

The Guardian – Usually when poker makes headline news it tends be alongside the word “addiction” or “gambling”, a precautionary tale of why this card game of skill and temperament should be avoided at all costs. So when Victoria Coren Mitchell became the first person to win two European Poker Tour (EPT) titles, garnering a significant amount of press interest among broadsheets and the more reputable media outlets, the whole poker community breathed a sigh of relief. The truth is that poker has suffered greatly over recent years, particularly in the US where online poker was ostensibly banned in April…

Players have finally been rewarded with the release of the Avalon II online slot, the sequel to one of most successful Microgaming titles of all time. The original Avalon slot, launched in 2006, was an instant hit among players. It was originally released for mobile in 2010, and a multi-player version followed three years after in 2013. This online slot game builds on the success of its predecessor and rivals any video slot game out there. Players are taken on a quest to retrieve the Grail, and the game features professional voice actors, outstanding music and 3D rendered animations. The…

San Francisco Gate – An actor in a plush panda suit bounds across the stage with the enthusiasm of a minor league baseball mascot, flanked by acrobats atop bamboo poles, stone-faced kung-fu fighters and over-the-top visual effects rarely seen off the Las Vegas Strip. “PANDA!” — the first Chinese-produced show to take up a long-term residency on the famous tourist corridor — also takes pains to weave in Chinese folklore and motifs, including sweeping views of an ultra-modern Beijing skyline on giant LCD screens. The loose, wordless plot needs no translation. The subtext doesn’t either: A growing, confident China wants respect, not…

My News 4 – Ultimatepoker.com turns one-year-old on Wednesday. The first regulated, real-money online poker site in the United States led Nevada’s charge into online gaming. Online gaming in the Silver State is booming. Since the first regulated pay-to-play poker website in America launched a year ago, two more operating real-money poker websites have also started. ““Ultimate was the first,” said Nevada State Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett. “Right now, the three internet poker websites collected $926,000 is revenues for last month.”  The Nevada State Gaming Control Board said the numbers keep growing. “For the first 11 months of operation,…