The United Kingdom's largest theme park cancels the first "National Muslim Fun Day" due to poor ticket sales. Alton Towers had set aside September 17 as a day for Muslims. The park was going to ban music, gambling and alcohol for the day, institute a strict dress code and set aside prayer areas. The park was also going to segregate by sex rides such as "Ripsaw," Corkscrew" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. "

A newspaper reported Wednesday that bookmakers received $33 million US in bets over whether a 5-year-old boy would survive a fall into a pit last weekend. The fiasco was widely televised all over India. The Times of India newspaper quoted an unnamed bookie as saying: "The timing of the boy's likely rescue was also a matter of intense speculation. " Most gamblers expected the boy would be freed by Sunday morning.

Online gambling on hurricanes is becoming quite popular. The gambling operators who offer these types of bets claim that the historical data on hurricanes make for great odds due to unpredictable weather predictions. For example, wagers can bet on a range of hurricanes formats from the total number of hurricanes that occur to wagering on the odds of category strength status to how many storms will hit Florida residents or certain areas along the coastline.

A woman accused of defrauding a credit union and buying hundreds of items was sentenced to 27 months in prison. "She was a compulsive shopper and was one of the most extreme cases I'd ever seen," Dr. George Perovich, an Allentown psychologist told the AP. Betty Jean Barachie, stole more than $1. 5 million from her job at Northampton-Carbon County Federal Credit Union. She held no contest and pleaded guilty to charges of embezzlement and filing a false federal tax return.

A detox center for people addicted to video games will open in Amsterdam in July, offering in-house treatment for those who can't kick their video game habit on their own. Keith Baker, director of Amsterdam-based Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants, says video games can be as addictive as gambling or drugs.