Paul Delfabbro of the University of Adelaide led a team studying more than 2,500 Australian teens, more than half of whom admitted to gambling in the past year. OK, fine. Delfabbro then brings out his broad brush.

If you look at those young people who are classified as pathological gamblers you will find that they do have a higher frequency of involvement with many different types of videogame. They're much more likely to play games on Xboxes and similar consoles. They are also more likely to play arcade games ... Those sort of young people who've had this need for more sort of unstructured activities probably also drift into gambling a bit more because it's another activity which you can do if you're out on the street.

This is, honestly, a serious question - are arcades in Australia as dead as they are in the U.S.? (It's 6:30 a.m. there, I'm not waking Luke up to ask that.) Because if so, it's an incredible - as in, not believable - assumption that arcades, practically made obsolete by consoles, play a role in conditioning or desensitizing young people to gambling in a casino.

If it seems like too easy a connection, don't worry, a guy with a diploma bigger than yours or mine thinks so too. Alex Blaszczynski, a psychology professor at the University of Sydney, more or less states what folks learn in Psych 101, or any form of science, really - correlation is not causation.

Does an interest in gambling lead to people becoming involved in video games or do video games lead to people becoming involved in gambling? Or is there a third factor which accounts for both gambling and videogames? There's also the possibility that some people with certain characteristics would then tend to engage in both video and technology type gaming activity and gambling as well. And that may well be linked to things like risk taking or impulsivity or other factors.

Does Video Game Play Lead to Gambling Addiction? [Game Politics]

Pongsathorn Wattanabenjasopha, a sixth grader student at the Sri Witthaya Paknam School, committed suicide on Thursday. According to The Bangkok Post, several factors lead to his decision to take his own life: "Family problems topped the list. Other factors included physical and mental problems, economic hardships, poor income and unemployment."

Even as the suicide rate is rising in Thailand, the government has decided to crackdown on computer games and online gambling. On May 19, the Criminal Court to the Information and Communications Technology Ministry issued an order demanding that 72 gaming sites be shuttered. According to the director of the Rajanagarindra Child and Adolescent Mental Health Institute, the boy's addiction to gaming reflects that kids who game have an aggressive mentality and are more likely to commit suicide.

Court orders closure of 72 websites [Bangkok Post]

New Internet thing BringIt aims to solve this conundrum. The site acts as a secure third party that can let you set up cash prizes for games. Just set up a challenge - one on one or tournament and agree a prize amount. Monies are held in escrow by BringIt once the game is afoot, so nobody can run off with the pot.

Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, & Wii games are supported (no PC - presumably it is too easy to cheat) as long as you have a decent, stable net connection.

(full press release after the jump)

BringIt Delivers the Next Generation of Competitive Video Gaming with Skill-Based Competition for Cash… 24/7!

New Consumer Site Provides Secure Online Environment

Where Members Can Challenge, Play and Earn Real Money

CHICAGO, IL – November 21, 2008 – It’s time to BringIt! BringIt LLC today announced that the company’s flagship service, BringIt, has opened its doors to consumers and is inviting gamers to be a part of the BringIt open beta. BringIt is a leading online site at www.BringIt.com, where video gamers can put up money to challenge other players to matches, play their favorite games, and earn prize money by winning. The service was designed with gamers in mind, delivering the next level of competitive gaming by removing physical barriers and offering an online destination where players looking for real head-to-head competition and real rewards can test their skills wherever and whenever they want.

“BringIt is going to transform the videogame landscape by allowing individuals to compete online for bragging rights and real money through skill-based gaming,” said BringIt CEO and founder Woody Levin. “Gamers have shown great interest and support for competitive gaming, so we are pleased to offer BringIt as a player-driven service that quickly connects gamers, allowing them to play legally for cash while getting a more intense competitive rush.”

BringIt works with any video game platform with online capabilities and with any game that supports online head-to-head competition. BringIt will support a diverse portfolio of popular games for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo Wii. Featured games during the beta period will include Madden NFL 2009, Gears of War 2, FIFA 2009, Halo 3, Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock, Rock Band 2, Super Smash Bros Brawl and Mario Kart, to name a few. Games will be added constantly with the help of feedback from the BringIt player community.

BringIt makes competitive console gaming easy, adding only one step to secure online game play. Registration is free and available to gamers 18 years and older. Players can fund their BringIt account via PayPal or major credit card and access their secure account at their convenience. As a special welcome, BringIt will match initial deposits up to $20 for those individuals who register and use the service during the open beta period. Accounts are limited to one per person, insuring player identities are verified.

Players can ‘BringIt’ for as little as $1 or up to as much as $100,000, so both casual players and those who crave the adrenaline of high stakes can engage at their own pace and be assured their BringIt challenge experience is safe and secure. During gameplay, the collective entry fees are held in an escrow account until the winner is declared and verified, at which point the funds are released to the winner’s secure account, minus the BringIt service fee. BringIt provides neutral arbitration as well as a self-regulating player feedback system that lets members know an opponent’s standing in advance of initiating a challenge or accepting a match.

Because videogames are games of skill, the BringIt service does not violate any United States or international anti-gambling laws, including the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2006.

BringIt is a venture-backed company founded and managed by CEO Woodrow “Woody” Levin, an entrepreneurial veteran of the sports, entertainment, and finance industries. Mr. Levin has previously worked with the NFL and MLB as President and founder of InStadium, an innovative sports advertising firm, and was Managing Partner of Riverbank Capital Management, an equity options trading firm based in New York and Chicago.

BringIt is currently in open beta at www.BringIt.com, and scheduled to launch in winter.

About BringIt

BringIt is an innovative and unique consumer gaming site where video gamers can put up money to challenge other players to matches, play their favorite games, and earn money by winning. BringIt provides a safe, secure environment for gamers, allowing them to take on players of comparable skill and compete in videogames for cash. Through the service, gamers can elevate their skills and play legally for real money against their friends or gamers in their skill rank in a wide variety of game and match options. Registration is free and player funds are maintained in a secure account they can access at any time. BringIt works with any online-capable gaming platform, and games for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and PlayStation 2 are currently supported. For more information about BringIt, please visit www.BringIt.com.

BioHazard [Yamaza via Hatimaki]

That is completely false information. Regarding FF, our company works very hard every day so that everyone can enjoy it as a game. There is currently no development being made [to bring FF to pachinko/pachi-slot machines].

Good, because Square Enix needs to focus on FFXIII and not other stuff.

『FFXIII』がパチンコ、パチスロに？” [Famitsu]

Resident Evil infects pachislot parlors [Siliconera]

The fighting mechanic was pretty basic and what you would expect from this type of open world, mission based game. You can fight everyone form the local yokels and thugs to the mascots of the various casinos. I got particular pleasure out of beating the crap out of one mascot who looked suspiciously like my arch nemesis, The Burger King. By pressing X to attack, you can build up your BuzzBomb meter which, once it's filled, will give you an special move that will send your enemy flying through the air. Beating enemies down yields casino chips that can be used later to buy more clothes, cars and other goodies.

Next we moved on to the gambling portion. At the current time they have confirmed that there will be Black Jack, Texas Hold 'Em Poker and slots with other games to be announced later. I tried my hand at a Black Jack game and did pretty well. Of course, it helps that the game has a built in cheat device for each casino game. In Black Jack, the cards are marked and going into a special mode will allow you to see What's coming up next and what the other player have in their hands. but don't linger to long in cheat mode, because the pit boss is watching and if his suspicion meter fills up, you are busted.

Where game really shone was the party mode. Your character is dispatched to a club that is rather empty and you are implored by the DJ to help her bring customers in. This is accomplished through a series of mini-games like a Cake Mania-esque bar tending gig, beating up cheesy bachelors and a rather gratuitous wet t-shirt mini-game where you spray girls down with water.

My favorite part of the club scene however, was the dancing. Based on the Tony Hawk method of combos, you can make your character pull of various dance moves using button presses. The more moves you can stack up without failing, the more points you can score. If you get really good, you can even get everyone on the dance floor to follow you in a group synchronized dance routine. It was really pretty clever and I found myself thinking that in itself would make a pretty fun game.

All in all I'd have to say that the game seemed pretty fun and the dialog was amusing. The graphics looked great and the recreation of Vegas was really well done with loads of detail. However, what we saw of This Is Vegas was pretty disjointed so it was difficult to get a handle on the overall gameplay. I look forward to seeing a more cohesive version that includes the driving mechanic at this year's E3. It is expected to ship Winter 2008 for 360, PS3 and PC.

The company portrays itself as a traditional online game firm, however, it is fairly clear that they are stretching the boundaries of online gaming and gambling ....

And, from the look of things, it is very clear that they are planning to continue pushing the limits of gambling. After all, who else is going to give you 500 Yuan (almost $70) in incentives to play? I certainly recognize this marketing pattern from the spam that floods my email box from various Internet casinos ....

The other "fun" trend is marketing pyramid schemes built around gaming. The one I've been seeing a bit of lately is uVme.

Ah, growing pains. I doubt we'll be seeing the gambling craze spreading, but one never knows.

Giant Online - You know its online gambling when.... [PlayNoEvil]

The main Southern Weekly article on ZT Online follows a gamer as she first becomes interested in the game, through her rise to power, and her eventual disillusionment with the money-sink it had become.

Woven into the narrative are descriptions of the often shockingly brazen tactics ZT Online uses to soak the "RMB gamers" who would rather spend money than grind out levels. The picture resolves into that of an online casino dressed in the trappings of an adventure game, and Shi Yuzhu [the brain behind ZT] ends up looking a lot like a shady used-car salesman.

It's a really, really great (if somewhat lengthy) article from a number of perspectives - it's one of the better mainstream media articles I've read on gaming, though not without its flaws. But as the PNE commentary points out, the fascinating thing is how it turns a lot of ideas about 'good' MMORPGs upside down ... and is reaping major rewards. From the sounds of it, I doubt we'll be seeing it Stateside, but one never knows.

Gamble your life away in ZT Online [Danwei via PlayNoEvil]

The site currently favors Need for Speed ProStreet 11-10—in their eyes, it's pretty much a sure thing. Fifa 08 comes in second at 2-1 and The SImpsons game is third at 3-1. (All listings appear to be cross platform). The best odds on the list? Balloon Pop. Yup, 250:1 on that longshot...which trust us, isn't even worth the 50-cent bet you have in mind. And that 50 Cent album that just streamed into your consciousness? Also worth ignoring.

No.1 Christmas video game? [via gamelife]

Reader Jason spotted a row of the new machines on the floor of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, testing his Pong skills and sending us potentially drunken pics. The skill-based slots are slowly being approved in states that permit legalized gambling, with manufacturer Bally promising a follow up with a Breakout based slot machine.

If only they had one based on the arcade game Shinobi and not that horrid PlayStation 2 abomination I'd be a 7% richer man.

The agreement enables 568 Inc. and CryptoLogic to establish a new China-based venture that will develop and distribute casual, skill-based games for the local and overseas Chinese-language markets. Games will include single- and multi-player mahjong, poker, online pool, puzzle challenges and approved card games including Chinese poker variants.

Having listened to majiang addicts shuffle their tiles for hours on end (alone, at 4 am, so they can learn the feel of the tiles by nothing more than touch), I'm not sure they need any more ways to gamble away lots of money - though I suppose it will save their neighbors from the sound of swirling tiles, which are louder than you'd probably think.

CryptoLogic Makes Strategic Investment to Further Asian Strategy [Yahoo Finance via PlayNoEvil]

There are some interesting risks for online skill games. First, "turn-based physics" games like golf, darts, and pool are very conducive to "analytic bots" that find optimal shots or allow players to test shots before they take them.

Second, these games can face serious threats from automated play bots. The "twitchy-er" the game, the more vulnerable it is going to be to botting.

... and unlike regular game models, there is a powerful incentive to attack these games.

He also notes that there's a lot of potential in this market for game types, as well as having a potential impact on the market as a whole. I don't really get the appeal of most forms of gambling/betting/etc., but I suppose if you're looking for a way to bring in some cash (or lose a lot of it) while playing games, it's one option to look into.

Skillground gains ground in expanding Skill Games - Launching on Skllbet.com portal [PlayNoEvil]

...we know games can be unfair and yet immensely appealing. Almost every gambling game is weighted and yet gambling games have been popular for millennia. Indeed, gambling games which are not weighted soon lose their appeal (try betting on coin flips with a friend).

I would argue, however, that gambling videogames aren't nearly as addictive than their real counterparts because addiction to gambling is an emotional high—not from winning—but almost losing. And with videogames, no matter how they are designed, the player has nothing tangible to lose but their time...which was sort of gone as soon as they booted up the console. Thoughts?

Game Design: Is Fairness Really Fair [nextgeneration]

... MMO operators can avoid any potential penalties by obtaining an operators' licence from the Gambling Commission.

"This is not a simple task, but it is also not overtly complex. The key is to satisfy the Commission that you have in place an operation that satisfies the requirements and key objectives of the new law."

These include commitments to ensuring fair and open gambling, the protection of children and other vulnerable persons and the prevention of links between gambling and crime.

I just have a hard time equating any MMO competition with playing poker or betting on the ponies.

MMO operators at risk of breaking law from September [GamesIndustry.biz via PlayNoEvil]

Why play for points and achievements when you can play for more important things? Things like money. A new slot machine based on the Sega PS2 game Shinobi has popped up at casinos. Good thing readers Aaron and Joel sent us pics of the swank set-up. Joel was nice enough to include a single pic of slot House of the Dead EX — which, according to the machine, has exactly 243 ways to win. (And probably a gazillion ways to lose.) Brian Ashcraft