POKER/GAMBLING NEWS

Ok so in a nutshell..when can we basically start signing up for new microgaming accounts lol?

 

Really though..when or when is it predicted?

I think it's going to take a while yet Allgood.  There is a lot of regulations to be put in place but I'm sure all casinos will jump as soon as they can.

Fingers,toes and every other body part I can cross are crossed. ;D Damn now I got a charliehorse!!!  :o ;D Thanks blue for keeping us informed! :-*

Definitely got everything crossed for you guys - it will be fantastic that is for sure.

blue

Can not wait to try out Playtech sites...

Never played at any of their games which all look fun!!!

Thanks Blue for updating the news!!! :D

Can not wait to try out Playtech sites...

 

Never played at any of their games which all look fun!!!

 

Thanks Blue for updating the news!!! :D

I'm so looking forward to you [all] being able to play every casino and bingo site and of course....poker if you should be so inclined lol.

It'll be a wonderful day Nan.

blue

UIGEA better get repealed (or else I might just move to Canada!).

 

Join the PPA, write to Congress, donate time or money--anything you can do to stop the government from taking your rights away!

I want to join in PPA

Thanks

More speculation on which way the influential Nevada politician, Harry Reid, will jump

The Reno Gazette created a ripple of headlines across the media this week with an article on the internet gambling position of influential Nevada politician and US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The article quoted a number of land gambling executives perturbed at what they see as a move toward legalised internet poker by the veteran Senator, something which most of them appeared to fear as an unwelcome competitive element.

Unnamed executives in northern Nevada told the Gazette that at a meeting at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa on August 16 this year Reid told them he would support the legalisation of online poker in the United States but drew the line there - he would not support any other form of online gaming.

However, even such a restricted legalisation worries land operators from the competitive aspect, and because they believe that such a move would be the thin end of the wedge. The successful passage of Barney Frank’s HR2267 through committee this year, with its amendments de-fanging much of the opposition, has been noted.

The Gazette observes that as Senate majority leader, Reid holds the key to passage of any Internet gaming bill, an opinion shared by Frank Fahrenkopf, the president and CEO of the American Gaming Association.

However, Reid would not support anything that hurt Nevada jobs, his Nevada press secretary told the Gazette this week.

Speculation on where Reid stands has been ongoing for much of this year. In February the news that he had supported a delay in the implementation of the UIGEA appeared to be a positive sign of his growing support for legalised and taxed online gambling in the USA.

In May the rumours of Reid support surfaced again, with a UK business analyst suggesting that Reid would introduce an online poker bill of his own within the next three months. At the time a spokesman for the Senator downplayed the rumour as “greatly exaggerated”, although he did acknowledge that Reid’s staff was looking into the issue in detail.

Later, another Reid spokesman issued a statement to CardPlayer magazine in which he reprised the “greatly exaggerated” line and attributed the speculation to the fact that the Senator’s staff were “trying to get a thorough understanding of every facet of the issue, including the potential effect on Nevada.”

Later still, Chris Moyer, the deputy Nevada press secretary for Sen. Reid, said that online poker regulation was “not high on the priority list.”

Many of the land operators to whom the Reno Gazette spoke are clearly afraid and opposed to the advent of online poker or, worst still, online casino activity in the United States, but where is the Frank legislative initiative realistically headed?

Congress is winding down and the mid term elections have had a distracting effect. Republican Representative for Carson City, Dean Heller, told the Gazette: “We only have two or three weeks and if I were a betting man today, I don’t think that this thing will get a House vote (this session),”

“I could be wrong. But I don’t know if there is enough appetite right now to get that down to the House floor.”

Not all Nevada land operators are against online gambling legalisation. Jan Jones, a senior vice president at Harrah’s Entertainment said that the company is developing strategies to monetise the legalisation of Internet gaming.

Jones told the Gazette that online poker would grow, not shrink, the market for Nevada gaming.

"If you look at the businesses that are surviving today, they approach their customers in three ways,” said Jones, the former mayor of Las Vegas. “One is brick and mortar. One is direct marketing sales, and the other is the Internet.

“The businesses that have not done that have gone out of business. Look at record stores. Look at newspapers.

“In the gaming industry, we need to realise, where are the X-Y generation customers? They are all on the Internet. That is where they play. That is where they congregate, and if we don’t leverage the Internet, then we run the risk of becoming an old person’s entertainment.”

CEREUS POKER NETWORK SOLD

Little known e-gaming company buys Tokwiro's internet poker network

Taking many industry observers off-guard late Thursday was a press release from the largely unknown e-gaming firm Blanca Games revealing that it has acquired the interests of the Cereus poker network formerly owned by Tokwiro Enterprises and including well established if at times controversial sites Absolute Poker.com and UltimateBet.com.

The release did not provide details of the consideration paid or conditions for the sale, although industry sources have since confirmed that a supporting press release from Tokwiro can be expected soon. The network is unlikely to have been a cheap buy, as the deal is understood to cover all network operations, intellectual property, software, and branding rights for the constituent sites.

The Khanawake Gaming Commission, which licensed and regulated the sites, has apparently given its blessing to the deal.

The press material includes quotes from Blanca Games CEO Stuart Gordon, whom it describes as an experienced e-gaming executive, who said: “The acquisition of Cereus is a significant opportunity for us. Cereus is a major platform of well-managed assets. Over the past few years, it has created new brands, like UB.com, that are extremely well-positioned in the most desirable demographic in our market: players in the 20s and 30s age brackets.

“From our perspective, we have acquired a large, sophisticated online gaming operation with state-of-the art capabilities, ranging from compliance to business intelligence to online marketing to customer service. We see a tremendous growth opportunity in this deal and beyond, as Blanca seeks additional acquisitions in the market.

“We are confident that the Cereus Network has found an excellent home in Blanca Games.  Over the past several years, Cereus has developed into an outstanding platform, which is poised for significant growth.  This transaction will benefit Cereus players and employees alike.  We expect no changes in the playing experience on the Cereus sites, except for the improvements that will likely be the long-term result of this transaction.”

According to internet sources, Gordon founded BingoMania.com and Helix Gaming International, and has licensing from both the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and Antigua.

Gordon has intimated that no major changes are presently contemplated in either staffing, policies or technology at Cereus. Clearly with an eye on the historical furores at Absolute Poker and UltimateBet, Gordon said: “We intend to leverage the existing strengths of the Cereus Poker Network, particularly in the areas of security and customer service. Although we are impressed with many of the new security features on the Network today, security is and will remain our top priority.”

Victory Poker (USA OK), have confirmed that they will be moving to the Cake Poker network from 1st September. 

This was confirmed in a live chat with a site representative this evening.  All players have been notified by email.

UIGEA and lobbying

Q2/2010 mandatory disclosures show that significant investments are being made in political lobbying

A new BV Media study on second quarter lobbying in the United States shows that significant investments are still being made by major organisations interested in the legalisation of online gambling.

Mandatory disclosures show that in the second quarter of 2010, 43 special interest groups spent approximately $4.21 million lobbying online gaming and related issues, up from 36 groups and approximately $4.20 million in the first quarter.

Harrah’s Entertainment was among the leaders, putting up $1.02 million lobbying Congressman Barney Frank’s HR 2267 licensing bill, and increasing its lobbying spend from the $905 515 it invested in the first quarter.

Another big spender was the Mastercard group, which boosted its lobbying effort by 143.6 percent to $332 857 in Q2/2010.

Internet gambling supporters spent the most to influence policy during the quarter, accounting for an estimated $3.37 million, or 80.1 percent of total spend. Meanwhile, those neutral on the issue spent an estimated $663,442, or 15.8 percent of total, and those opposed spent an estimated $171,438, or 4.1 percent of total.

Other lobbying spends of note includes:

UC Group $487 690 (Q1/2010 - $522 239)

Poker Players Alliance $450 000 (Q1/2010 $450 000)

IGC $429 000 (Q1/2010 $439 080)

Significantly, a number of Las Vegas operators and federally recognised Indian tribes began reporting lobbying expenses for Internet gambling – including Boyd Gaming Corporation and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians – indicating increased interest in the issue among the United States’ top brick-and-mortar businesses.

Historically, Internet gambling has proven a divisive issue for gambling industry trade groups like the American Gaming Association and the National Indian Gaming Association. Bola Verde Media Group expects land-based operators and equipment manufacturers, therefore, will continue to step out from behind those organisations to lobby the issue in the second half of 2010.

With a fragile coalition of Las Vegas’ biggest operators and equipment manufacturers now behind legalising online poker, the view out of Nevada on Internet regulation, arguably, has never been more positive, the media group opines.

However, if that coalition is unable to swing a workable tax rate and a regime under which states are deputised by the federal government to regulate online gaming, their support for any regulatory bill will likely evaporate.

What will it take to get all stakeholder groups at the same table, what do those groups want, and just how far is each willing to bend to get it? These are key questions addressed in BV Media's white paper on the issue, titled "Internet Gambling Federal Lobbying Report."

Author Chris Krafcik says: “It’s a fact: Congress has never been as interested in Internet gambling as it is now."

The new report can be purchased online at: http://www.bvmediagroup.com/BVconnection/Reports.aspx

Online poker subscription club folds

Another online poker subscription site – Cardplayer Magazine’s Spade Club.com – has folded.

The $20-a-month subscription club, which offered its members a way in which they could legally circumvent US anti-online gambling laws, offered a range of tournaments and prizes on a regular basis.

Subscription-based poker sites can operate from within the United States and allow Americans to play because players do not wager money in ring games or tournaments. Instead, the monthly subscription is a fee for access to the service.

Late this week, members received email notifications advising them of the club’s closure and their alternatives. These were described as:

“Going forward, all SpadeClub members are being offered a chance to participate in the transition to the ZEN Entertainment Network. ZEN’s VIP program will honor all time already purchased by SpadeClub members.

“Basic members can continue to play for free as well.”

ZEN is based in Las Vegas, providing gaming for the National League of Poker (NLOP), Poker Para Ti, Motor Sports Poker, the UFC, and World Wrestling Entertainment.

Players will need to execute their choice of moving over to the Zen operation or cashing in any account balances and moving on within the next 30 days.

Cardplayer Magazine owner Barry Shulman has since been quoted as saying: “We just couldn’t make it work from a financial standpoint. We were getting close to having a breakeven month for the first time about a year ago and then we started having processing problems that we couldn’t overcome.

“Even though SpadeClub is out of business, we had a community of loyal poker players and wanted them to have a place where they could continue playing with the friends that they made. Zen Entertainment has a great community and was the best fit for our players.”

Zen, which is headed by property entrepreneur Vincent Zaldivar, was formed in 2007 and became associated with NLOP a year later. The company has branches in Vegas, Boston, Palo Alto, the Ukraine, and India.

Bid to legalise and regulate US internet gambling is running out of time

Internet gambling's US champion, Congressman Barney Frank, has dampened hopes of an early debate on his HR2267 proposal to legalise online gambling in the Unites States, telling the Washington DC publication The Hill that he thinks it unlikely that the bipartisan measure will reach the House floor before the midterm election distractions in November.

Frank is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, which in July this year approved the bill for further debate after it had been subjected to several amendments (see previous InfoPowa report).

Congressman Frank told The Hill that he wanted to see a floor vote on the legislation but that a 'cramped' House work schedule indicated it would be tough to move his bill this (September) month.

“I’m not optimistic,” Frank said, adding that he does not have a commitment from the Democrat House leadership that they would move the bill before the traditional lame-duck session.

Frank said that he has lobbied senators on the possibility of moving his bill to the Senate to step up the pace. A companion measure has been introduced there by the Senator from New Jersey, Robert Menendez, but it has so far not attracted any co-sponsors (Frank's bill has bi-partisan support from 70 Representatives in the lower House.)

Confirming Frank's opinion, a Senate Democratic aide indicated to The Hill that it is highly unlikely HR2267 will move before the election. The staffer added there is a small chance it might move in the lame-duck session as an attachment to a jobs bill. He pointed out that whilst the bill faces many obstacles, it does have a key desirable component - it raises much-needed tax revenues.

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee who has been working with Frank, has introduced a bill that would set up the necessary infrastructure to tax legalised Internet gambling. McDermott’s bill would raise $72 billion over 10 years from new taxes on the industry. The bill is currently stuck in the House Ways and Means Committee.

In his interview with The Hill, Frank said he would like the House Ways and Means Committee to mark up McDermott’s bill so it could be paired with his.

“My ideal would be that Ways and Means would do that and they would come out together,” Frank said.

McDermott’s office, however, told The Hill that the tax bill is not likely to be marked up by Ways and Means before the November elections because of time constraints.

oh no!!!! was afraid of that!!! :'( :'(

oh no!!!! was afraid of that!!! :'( :'(

Ditto that bingocrazy.

blue

Dennis Publications and The Poker Channel team up in new venture

European poker fans can look forward to a television program dedicated to their pastime this week with the launch of The Poker Player Show, a thirty minute program created to reflect the content of Poker Player magazine, and hosted each month by Poker Channel presenter Anna Fowler.

Episode 1 features Neil Channing in the studio answering questions on strategy and talking about the UK poker scene, along with interviews with Norwegian pro Annette Obrestad and recent WPT London winner and UK pro Jake Cody.

Angus Gairdner, executive producer of The PokerPlayer Show, said, “With the eyes of the poker world firmly fixed on London this autumn, what better way to kick off this exciting new series than by taking our cameras along to such prestigious events as the first ever WPT London, the English Poker Open and the now well-established WSOP Europe. We’re delighted to have teamed up with Poker Player to bring this unique new show to poker fans.”

Matthew Balch, associate publisher for the magazine, noted that Poker Player attracts the world’s biggest names to its cover each issue.

"We thought the idea of a magazine show for TV could help us bring our content to life," he said this week. "In future we would like all of our feature interviews to be conducted using video so that we can bring readers closer to their heroes.

“Working with The Poker Channel with its extensive reach and experience in poker programming around the globe makes sense, as we already market Poker Player across Europe and to Australasia via the newsstand and by subscription. We are continually looking at ways to build the brand and hopefully a venture like this can achieve that both in the UK and overseas.”

The Poker Player Show premieres on Thursday 23rd September at 22.30 CET across continental Europe and at 10.30pm BST in the UK and Eire.

Hopes that senior Nevada politician is taking a wider view are dashed

Rumours that Senator Harry Reid, the influential Nevada politician who leads the Democrats in the US Senate, is taking a softer view of federally legalized online gambling (see previous InfoPowa reports) were dashed by an official statement from his office this week.

Answering an enquiry from the Bola Verde Media Group, the Senator’s staff said unequivocally: "Senator Reid has long had concerns about Internet gaming. He does not support any of the existing bills and he would oppose any proposal that would put jobs in Nevada at risk."

The statement clearly refers to federal bills such as those of Congressmen Barney Frank, Jim McDermott and Senator Menendez seeking to legalise and tax online gambling in the United States.    As such the statement must be seen as a disappointing development for the industry.

Earlier this year the industry was buoyed by the news that the National Football League, long an opponent of internet gambling, had dropped its opposition to the Frank bill. The NFL changed its position after an amendment was added to the proposed bill by two New York Representatives, Republican Peter King and Democrat Gregory Meeks, which specifically excluded internet sports betting from being federally regulated.

:o :o...Nuts!!!I could say more but I'll just stomped around my house for now,cuz if I said what I thought I'd get banned!!! :'( :'( Thanks for ALWAYS keeping us informed blue. :'(

IGRTEA unlikely to move out of committee this year

Industry disappointment at the news that Nevada Senator Harry Reid is against the federal legalisation of internet gambling in the United States (see previous InfoPowa report) has been followed by a pessimistic statement from Representative Jim McDermott regarding his proposed bill on the taxation of online gambling.

McDermott's Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act is a companion bill to that of Representative Barney Frank, which seeks to legalise, regulate and tax online gambling.

The McDermott bill has stalled in the Ways and Means Committee and is at the mercy of the committee chairman, Sander Levin, who has not yet scheduled the proposal for markup. It seems that this will not happen before the November mid-term elections, according to a spokesman for Representative McDermott this week.

The House of Representatives adjourns October 8 to prepare for the elections, only returning early in November, when a 'lame duck' session is traditionally held.

McDermott's representative said the Congressman would like to see the bill advance before the end of the year, but warned that time is running out and the amount of other legislation awaiting the attention of the Ways and Means Committee is considerable.

If the McDermott bill is not out of committee when the current Congressional season ends, it's back to square one next year.

Obama administration working on new ways to counter money laundering

The 2plus2 forum was buzzing this week with speculation regarding a new move by the Obama administration to monitor and control international financial transactions.

Posters discussed a reported initiative to ensure that all international electronic funds transfers are recorded, and not just those in excess of $10 000.

The US federal government is apparently prepared to spend over $30 million in setting up an infrastructure which will handle weekly reportage from banks and financial institutions of all electronic money transfers into and out of the United States.

State officials are justifying the need for this further intrusion into the affairs of citizens as necessary to counter terrorist financing and the economic danger of money laundering.

The initiative is over and above the burden already placed on US financial institutions to enforce the UIGEA by disrupting illegal online gambling transactions with offshore operators.

One  poster pointed out: “If you transfer money to a company that is subsequently linked to money laundering, you run a real risk of becoming entangled in any legal prosecution of that entity if your name is associated with it…. and any financial association with that accused company will be transparent for the government to see.”

James H. Freis Jr., who is director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network in the US Treasury Department, said in a statement recently: “By establishing a centralized database, this regulatory plan will greatly assist law enforcement in detecting and ferreting out transnational organized crime, multinational drug cartels, terrorist financing and international tax evasion.”

Oooooh, but if they pass this, it will make gambling for people based in the States ever so difficult!

It certainly will Catface.  Think of all the information they will have at their fingertips! 

I would certainly be very worried if I was a US based gambler.

blue

 

Answering an enquiry from the Bola Verde Media Group, the Senator’s staff said unequivocally: "Senator Reid has long had concerns about Internet gaming. He does not support any of the existing bills and he would oppose any proposal that would put jobs in Nevada at risk."

 

I really struggle with this statement. It is one of the most lame excuses i have ever heard. What i find interesting is that Harrah's Group, which is one of the biggest casino moguls in Vegas and throughout the states supports the bill. They have spent millions on getting the bill passed.

If Harrah's group is all for it and they are not worried about losing money at THEIR land based casinos then why the hell are they?

It all boils down to the government wanting to know what is in it for them.

Lips

Posters discussed a reported initiative to ensure that all international electronic funds transfers are recorded, and not just those in excess of $10 000.

A ya ya ya... :-X  like I need one more thing to worry... :'(

Blue...hope you don't mind me to post this...:)

A bit more information regarding the last post...

When the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was put in place back in 2006, financial institutions almost immediately cried foul. Representatives of the financial institutions spoke to members of Congress, telling these lawmakers that it would be nearly impossible to block the online gambling transactions.

Now, legislators are working on a law that may help the banks prove their point. Lawmakers are in the process of creating a law that would call for the tracking of all International money transfers. This is the preferred method of Internet gamblers.

While online poker players are freaking out over the possibility that this could end their run at their favorite online poker rooms, the opposite may end up being the end result. By tracking the transactions, the banks will finally be able to prove their assertion that it is difficult to decipher which transactions are from online gaming companies.

Most Internet gambling sites use third party processors for their monetary transactions. These processors have altered the coding that is detected by the bank. Instead of saying the transactions are for Internet gambling, different businesses will be listed in the code.

All along, the banks have told the government that because of the codes, they will be unable to stop gaming transactions, mainly because they will have no idea that those are the transactions being processed. With an actual list of these transactions, lawmakers may end up seeing the error that is the UIGEA.

The law is being created for the purpose of stopping terrorists from being funded from countries outside of the US, so poker players are not the main target of the law. The players are weary, however, considering they were not the target of the UIGEA either.

The UIGEA was an add-on bill that was placed with a border security measure. The border security measure passed, therefore creating the UIGEA. Democratic leaders such as Representative Barney Frank have been attempting to have the UIGEA overturned, and they may have to accomplish that goal the same way the law was created.

Rep. Frank has passed legislation through the House Financial Services Committee that would overturn the UIGEA and lay the foundation for a regulated Internet gambling industry in the US. The bill is not expected to get to the House floor before the mid-term elections.

It is widely speculated that after the mid-term elections, the Democrats would lose control of the House. If that occurred, it would be unlikely the Frank bill would pass. Given the political landscape, the Democrats could chose to attach Frank's legislation to a jobs bill and pass it during a lame duck session.

Nan - this is for poker / gambling news for everyone to post in therefore it's a great post.

Thank you.

blue

19-year-old Krakow student wins $150 000 car on a freeroll

Party Poker.com has announced the winner of its ‘Drive the Dream' promotion, awarding the first prize of a new Aston Martin DB9 coupe to 19-year-old cartography student Marek Sisnowski of Krakow, Poland.

The young player won the big prize on a complete freeroll after a nine handed live shootout at The Mint Casino in London over the weekend.

Sosnowski, who is due to take his driving licence next week, decided to take $150,000 instead of the dream car.

“This is madness, I don’t quite know what to do – I cannot believe I won this without investing a penny. I have my driving test next week so I thought it would be best to take the money! An Aston Martin is an amazing car but I was thinking I would get an Audi TT instead when I pass my test. I took my preparation for the event really seriously. I have been reading books and even hired myself a poker trainer. It has paid off and I couldn’t be happier!”

The young Pole took down the title in a field that featured players from six countries. The runner-up was the UK’s Bob Gipson, while all nine players who qualified were guaranteed a prize.

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “Hundreds of thousands of players took part in Drive the Dream and Marek was the deserved winner. The fact he won after qualifying through a freeroll is remarkable but his commitment to improving his game in the weeks before the final is commendable. It just goes to prove how important skill and learning elements are to the game of poker.”

Drive the Dream online freerolls ran on PartyPoker.com from April until September 12th. The lucky winners from the main satellites that were held every second Sunday of the month secured places in the final. After a champagne reception, play started on Saturday evening with 10,000 chips per player. The players spent two nights at an exclusive five-star Soho Hotel as part of their package.

Another door shuts for online poker payments

Canadian processing company defined UltimateBet winners as "payroll" payments

This week, Washington State, which is well-known for its severe anti-online gambling legislation, has once again become the focus for the US online gambling payment processing prosecutions. It was reported by Seattle PI that Seattle Federal prosecutors presented claims that a Canadian company is facilitating payments to online poker players, so they moved to seize $553,000 from it.

According to the Prosecutors, the company called Secure Money, Inc. breached the state law by mailing payments, classified as payroll payments, to Washington poker players using online gambling sites.

Earlier this month, the Prosecutors filed a civil complaint to the U.S. District Court judge to issue an order that the balance of six bank accounts connected with the service be forfeited to the government.

This investigation was initiated when in 2009 a state Gambling Commission agent started playing poker via the UltimateBet website.

In the court documents, an Assistant U.S. Attorney underlined: "Secure Money, Inc. distributed checks on behalf of illegal websites that host gambling activity.” Processing checks that represent the funds derived from illegal gambling … constitutes a violation of the money laundering provisions set in federal law, it was added.

The investigation obtained bank records, which prove that between June 2009 and January, Secure Money, Inc. issued over 5,500 checks, whose total amount reaches USD2.7 million. Each of the checks states that the reason for payment is “payroll.” The civil complaint states that the company operated without obtaining the licenses that Nevada and Florida require, therefore breaching the state law.

Further development in the case remains to be seen.

Dang it!!!! This sucks, another setback and for those of here in the US .It's getting harder and harder to play online. :(Thanks for the update blue. :-*

Election day 2010 finally arrives on Tuesday, and that is bad news for online gamblers who were hoping that Internet gambling regulations would be passed in Congress. With control of the House likely to change, online gambling regulations may be dead for the foreseeable future.

The Democratic-led House has had two years to try and overturn the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. The ill-advised law was put in place by a largely Republican Congress, and if Republicans win back control of the House, it is unlikely they will repeal their own law.

Representative Barney Frank and his allies in the House Financial Services Committee have spent most of the past two years dealing with the floundering economy in the US. The attention to the economy has caused Frank to neglect his online gambling legislation.

The Democrats have had the opportunity to tie the Internet gambling law to another bill, much like the Republicans did back in 2006 to create the UIGEA, but as of yet that has not been done. There is a small chance that the Democrats push through the law in the lame-duck session before the end of the year.

The good news for online gamblers is that individual states have began to explore the possibility of online gambling regulations, specifically for the game of poker. State lawmakers in California, Florida, and New Jersey are poised to beat the federal government to the online gaming market.

Voter turnout is expected to be much less than two years ago when President Obama won office. The low turnout will hurt the online gambling industry, with Republicans expected to turn out in much bigger numbers on election day.

Hope still exists that some of the poll research has been off, and that the Democrats will keep power in the House. The more likely scenario has online gamblers spending the next couple of years the same way they have spent the last decade, playing online at sites that are not regulated by the government.

:( Today is the day that many of us who is in US, will feel sad and depressed...

It is just too frustrating...

I do feel for you guys I really do.  It's a sorry state of affairs when you cannot choose to spend your hard earned money how you wish to and you are restricted by daft regulations that make no sense at all.  So many billions of much needed $$$$ could be pushed into the US economy if gambling was regulated properly. 

Deep sigh...

blue 

Duhamel, 23, wins World Series of Poker

:o Holly Cow!!! One of the luckiest men...

Canadian poker professional Jonathan Duhamel won the World Series of Poker main event

title and $8.94 million on Monday night after keeping a stranglehold on his chips and

pressuring his opponent.

Place your bets

The World Series of Poker is over, but how did it all shake out?

Duhamel took the last of Florida pro John Racener's chips in the no-limit Texas Hold 'em

tournament with an ace high after 43 hands where Racener was no better than a 4-1

underdog in chips.

Duhamel pushed Racener all-in and the Floridian called with a suited king-eight of diamonds. But Duhamel had an unsuited ace-jack for the lead.

A flop of two fours and a nine helped neither player; and Racener didn't improve with a six on the turn and a five on the river.

"It's a dream come true right now," Duhamel told the crowd at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino as confetti fell from a theater ceiling. "It's like the most beautiful day of my life."

"Come join the party," he said, flanked by some 200 friends and family who rooted him on while wearing Montreal Canadiens jerseys.

more-Fox Sports

New Jersey Advances Toward Internet Gambling Legalization

Senate Budget Committee approves beneficial bill

On Nov. 15, the Senate Budget Committee approved a bill that could fill New Jersey budget with up to $350 million a year, by legalizing internet gambling. What this bill advocates is replacing a $30-million annual subsidy that Atlantic City land casinos give to state horse racing facilities with revenues from legalized online gambling.

The bill does not only promote home internet gambling, but also proposes setting up internet gambling facilities in land casinos and at racetracks.

This is a good advancement for the bill, but it still has a long way to go and undergo further debate. However, if it is passed, New Jersey will be a pioneer in the Us in terms of legalization of online gambling.

According to one of the founders and major advocates of the bill, Sen. Ray Lesniak, this is a new, enlightened approach to online gambling, which could enrich the state by up to $350 million a year through taxation.

On the other hand, despite the fact that state governor Christie is not philosophically opposed to the bill, he has still engaged his attorneys to investigate whether it would be legal for the state to proceed, reported North Jersey.com.

Another State Sen., Jeff Van Drew, assessed that the amended bill was “a good compromise” that could eliminate the horse racing industry’s purse woes while also boosting Atlantic City.

Legalization of Online Gambling in US Still Debated

But may happen in two years

Over the weekend the Las Vegas Sun newspaper reported of an interesting interview it has conducted at the G2E Expo in Las Vegas, in regards to the legalization of online gambling in the States, with a number of the professionals in the field strongly pro or against the matter.

According to the owner of a Western-themed land casino, the Klondike Sunset, the reason why he is against the legalization is not only for competitive reasons, but also because of the concern that the number of problem gamblers, which is now kept at a low lever, could grow if gambling becomes instantly available in homes 24/7.

John Woodrum (72), an experienced professional, who  has been in the business since 1961, assessed that there’s something completely different to internet gambling compared to land casinos, where players go to have a flutter: “Allowing it for people every minute of every day and you’ve got a whole different animal on your hands.”

Still, it was stated by the newspaper that many land casinos note the inevitability of introduction of online gambling in the US, but that its legalization is not expected to come for the next two years. As one of those, Woodrum told the Las Vegas Sun that he expects legal US internet casinos will become widely promoted...and as a result, more punters will lose more money. He added: “The big companies think if people gamble on a computer, they’ll want to go to (Las Vegas). Maybe they’re right. On the other hand, if you lose on the Internet you might have less money to spend at the other place.”

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/nov/20/casino-operator-heart/

[Source]

California Following New Jersey's Online Gambling Legislation Footsteps

Oh Wow!!! I know many of here beside me are in California and this is a great news!!! :-*

Following in the footsteps of the New Jersey Senate passing Internet gambling legislation, it appears California is ready to make a strong run at instituting intrastate online poker in 2011.

"We have a bill sponsor who will be announced in the next few weeks," said Melanie Brenner, executive director of the trade association Poker Voters of America, which has been focusing its efforts in the Golden State. "The challenge in California has always been with the tribes, and we have made great strides there. We are just ironing out a few minor details and then we will be able to make a public announcement of their support very soon."

Legislators in California showed interest in discussing an online poker bill this year but the proposal fell apart without support from Indian tribes that control gambling interests in the state. With support from the tribes, legislation could move as quickly as it has in New Jersey.

While the recent election established challenges at the federal level, where the Republicans took control of the house to limit Barney Frank's ability to push Internet gambling legislation, Brenner believes the political climate in California improved.

Both houses of the legislature remain strongly Democratic, and the new governor, Jerry Brown, is someone Brenner believes can be counted on to sign a poker-related bill.

"When we started this process, we started in the Attorney General's office and talked to him," Brenner said of Brown. "There's no doubt where he is on this issue. He won't come out fully behind it, but we know it will be a quick trip to get it signed by the governor if we can get it on his desk."

The Internet poker bill needs a new sponsor in California because State Sen. Rod Wright, who sponsored the bill this year, is going through legal trouble after being indicted for voter fraud and perjury regarding the claim of residency he used to be elected. Wright previously chaired the state's Governmental Organization Committee, but isn't even expected to serve on the committee next year.

Brenner said the recent progress in New Jersey should help get other states moving on this issue, especially if New Jersey can take it all the way next year as many expect it will. Poker Voters of America also is working on pushing legislation in Florida. That bill, which will be sponsored in the Florida House of Representatives by Joe Abruzzo, is currently being drafted and is expected to be very similar to the California bill.

"I'm really pulling for them to get it done in New Jersey," Brenner said. "It would be great for us. I think there's a certain apprehension from some of the states on if they want to be first. When we first sit down with legislators, they always ask what other state has done this. To have a state up and pass legislation will give us more momentum."

Thanks nan for the info,hopefully other States will follow.It sure would be nice if we could spend OUR money how we want to.Cute pic too..sooooo cute. :) :-*

Update: New Online Poker Legalization Attempt in U.S.

California Democrat Senator presents legislative proposal

Another strong pressure of the Morongo tribal band in California to legalize online poker came this week as the tribe, which previously joined with California cardrooms in a similar quest, became involved in a legislative proposal presented by Santa Ana Democrat Senator Louis Correa. As another party in the drive appears another tribal casino owner, the San Manuel Band, based in San Bernardino.

Senate Bill 40, proposed by Sen. Correa, may actually aim at setting an intra-state system in place before Senator Harry Reid's reportedly federal launch of similar legislation gains traction, assessed the LA Times. The newspaper further reports that with SB40, selected tribes and others will be allowed to run state-sanctioned Internet poker games, paying a share to the state.

As the LA Times learned from Correa, "People play offshore now. All of that money goes offshore. What we’re trying to do is take a whole exploding industry that is illegal (in California) and make it legal and tax it to fund state services."

Correa added that there are concerns about the proposal among other Californian tribes, and that it is criticized for having the potential to let select tribes operate Internet poker websites that would deprive land casinos from customers.

Apart from this, if online poker is allowed, there’s also a possibility that Indian tribes that oppose online gambling for competitive reasons will reinstate their threats to withhold payments to the state from slot machines, which reportedly helped to derail a similar measure introduced last legislative session by Sen. Roderick Wright.

Update: Reid’s Online Poker Legalization Initiative Incites Further Debate

Interested parties clash on specific clauses in the bill

New development arose in the debate on the legislative proposal to legalize US online poker advocated by Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, heating up the already fierce debate.

What seems to particularly concern interested parties is a a clause which reads: "No qualified body may issue a license under this title before the date that is 15 months after the date of the enactment of this Act. Qualified bodies shall, to the extent practicable while meeting the requirements and standards of this title, issue multiple licenses on the date that is 15 months after the date of the enactment of this Act in order to ensure a robust and competitive market for consumers and to prevent the first licensees from gaining an unfair competitive advantage."

As it was assessed by a blogger on the ESPN site, this practically means that "Once this bill is enacted, the first license will [only] be issued 15 months from that date."

ESPN also underlined other points, including a requirement that thirty days since the law enters into force, operators who currently provide online poker services to US players must cease to do so if they wish to be considered for a license.

Those who decide to comply with the clause will need to instruct their players about the manner and timing for withdrawing their positive account balances, because if they fail to withdraw their money within two years, their funds will be transferred into escrow which will be at the disposal of federal authorities.

However, what’s good about this is that the "blackout" period in which online sites are allegedly excluded from achieving licensing status for an additional two years, appears to have been removed from the current draft.

In addition to this, some good changes will be introduced into the UIGEA, which hampers online gambling financial transfers:  "A financial transaction provider shall not be held liable for engaging in a financial activity or transaction, including a payments processing activity, in connection with a bet or wager permitted by the Prohibition of Internet Gambling, Internet Poker Regulation, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2010 or the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 (15 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) unless the financial transaction provider has knowledge or reason to know that the financial activity or transaction was conducted in violation of either such Act or any other applicable provision of Federal or State law."

Also, operators may reject the proposal that sites will have to pay a licensing fee of 20 percent of the revenue generated: "Each ....licensee shall be required to pay not later than 15 days after the end of each calendar month an Internet poker license fee equal to 20 percent of a licensee's Internet poker receipts for that calendar month."

Apart from this, the new legislation would also require from operators to:

• Report every player's winnings and losses.

• Base hardware for the sites in the United States.

In terms of licenses, they will expire after five years, and if unlicensed operators are found to provide online poker services to US players, they will be severely fined with up to $1 million a day, or "...civil penalty of not more than the greater of the amount of bets or wagers taken by the person from players in the United States during the period that a license was needed but not held by the person."

What else does the Reid proposal encompass? It includes provisions for responsible gambling and research studies into Internet gambling, as well as regulations allowing individual states to opt out of its implementation, thereby guaranteeing the continued intra-state autonomy of the states. However, the bill has yet to pass through the Congress’s legislative process.

Update: Legalized Poker Bill Good for Country, Says Reid

Reid’s voice finally heard

This week’s headlines were full of speculations about a draft bill for legalization of online poker. After some silent time and scattered statements from his staff members, a statement was issued by Nevada Senator Harry Reid regarding his proposal to legalize online poker at the federal level.

The comment included in a statement issued by his office reads: “The online poker bill I am working on is good for the country and for Nevada. Internet poker is played by millions of Americans every day in an essentially unregulated environment, meaning no protections for minors, no respect for state law, no assurance that games are fair and honest, and no one to turn to if you’re defrauded.”

In addition, Reid underlined his concerns about the legalization of other forms of internet gambling, and stressed that he seeks nothing more than the legalization of online poker.

A sum up of the draft bill is also included in the statement, along with a note that in terms of the issue of licenses the initial preference will favor states and native American tribes with a good operating pedigree.

SEN. REID’S CHRISTMAS PRESENTS WITHOUT ONLINE GAMBLING?

Unlikely survival of the bill legalisation, ESPN sources claim

According to the renowned publication ESPN, legalisation of US online poker will not be among the gifts below the online gambling industry Christmas tree.

Late Wednesday, Andrew Feldman, the ESPN writer famous for his connections and access to well-informed sources, reported that Senator Harry Reid's proposal to legalise online gambling in the USA is dead in the water and will not pass Congress's lame duck session as the legislature closes for the year.

Despite strong support from some of the top land gambling groups and the American Gaming Association, the Reid bill is unlikely to be passed this year, either as a standalone bill or attached to the coattails of other 'must-pass' legislation, claims Feldman quoting unnamed, but reliable sources.

“We are disappointed that Congress failed to act and provide the necessary consumer protections and sensible oversight over this multi-billion (and growing) industry. Sadly, some politicians remain with their heads firmly in the sand,” John Pappas, executive director of Poker Players Alliance, commented according to Feldman’s report.

A lot of media attention was given to the Senator Reid when he presented his proposal late November, however the reactions to the proposed legislation were conflicting – ranging from the support to antagonism – even from some of the most influential people.

Another federal attempt to legalise online gambling initiated by the Congressman Barney Frank as HR2267 has not been more successful either, as it has passed committee but not made it to the floor. It can be assumed that the Reid’s bill too has failed in the present session of Congress and with a Republican House of Assembly next year the chances do not look good for any resurrections.

Individual state initiatives remain the only hope for online gamblers in the US, as California, New Jersey and Florida are already working on passing the online gambling regulations.

What Happened to all the Seized Online Gambling Money?

2010 was a banner year for the US Federal Government and the Department of Justice who confiscated hundreds of millions of dollars from online payment processors & gambling site owner/operators like BetonSports and most recently payment processor EwalletXpress. Week after week, we have been reporting about online payment processors being seized by the Federal Government in the US and time after time, it was for huge amounts of money, all of which came from online poker players. In fact, every single dime that is seized through a payment processor is player’s money. The gambling sites and banks are not the ones losing money in these seizures because the cash that is being seized is “winnings” not deposits. Payment processors handle payments to players once they cash out winnings, so when a processor has their accounts frozen by the Feds, all that cash sitting in those accounts should be going to the players but instead the government takes the funds and does what with it? They don’t give it back to the players (not yet anyways), and by the way, shouldn’t they, because playing poker online in the US is still NOT illegal. So there is no reason that these players should have their money stolen from them. It’s the banks that process these winnings that are operating illegally and they should be the ones bearing the brunt of the DOJ’s ire.

So what does the DOJ do with all this money they are confiscating? Throughout 2009 & 2010, it seems they have seized enough money to pull this country halfway out of debt, but instead we are no better off now than we were last year. So the government gets millions of dollars for free from innocent online poker players and they never tell us what they do with the money. But the players know it’s not given back to them. Even the online poker sites and casinos that are involved with these processors are being fined millions of dollars for marketing in the US and excepting US players. I have not seen many online gambling sites offering to pay these winners again with new checks, instead they just write little notes telling the players their sorry for the inconvenience but there is nothing they can do at the moment and promise to keep them informed as to what their money is up to! I think it’s high time the DOJ addresses poker players and online gamblers around the US and inform them as to what actually happens to their money once seized by the government.

Cereus Group Loses Two Aces

Duke and Hellmuth decide to move on

On Dec. 30, the industry observers started speculating of the reasons why two high-profile US poker pros, Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth, resigned as resident professionals for UB.com, a major online poker site in the Cereus Group.

Based on the statements made by all parties, this seems to be an amicable parting. In addition, the site specified that the pair decided to move on in order to pursue other business interests and will no longer be associated with UB.

As a proof of the split on friendly terms, another Cereus pro, Joe Sebok, stated about his now former colleagues on his blog: “These two legends in our industry have, quite literally, helped to build UB into what it is today. Phil and Annie have been the face of the company for years now, and we thank them for their unbelievable contributions and bid them the utmost in success moving forward.”

Apart from the above mentioned aces, UB.com still boasts some quite impressive names, such as Sebok, Brandon Cantu, Eric Baldwin, Tiffany Michelle, Adam Levy and Maria Ho, and they plan to include more of them on the team.

According to Duke: “After some thought, I made a decision to leave UB.com because I would like to explore other avenues of business and personal growth. I realized I needed to spend my time on other things.”

The two aces hold some of the biggest wins in the poker world, and their finances are expanded not only by the tournament prizes but also by their private business outside the industry. In addition, Hellmuth is a recorder for winning the most WSOP bracelets (11), which only shows the class of player that those former UB.com team members are.

California Sees Another Poker Legalization Bill?

Wright bill gets updated?

This week’s industry news reported of a recent speculation that last year’s less than successful bill launched by Senator Rod Wright proposing legalization of intrastate online poker in California may be back in the game in form of an updated proposal by Assemblyman Gerry Hill. This bill, supported by the action group Poker Voters of America, will be the third to go before the Californian legislature in the coming months.

It was stated by PVA President Melanie Brenner: “The bill is different from Wright’s bill, it has taken out limits on the number of [operating] hubs, and introduces a further income distribution component, granting further benefits to stakeholders such as the tribes.”

Earlier this week the PVA announced that it had appointed former Morongo spokesman Patrick Dorinson as its new executive director.

California Online Poker Association (COPA), led by Morongo tribe, in December last year pushed a bill sponsored by California Senator Louis Correa, and the original version of Senator Wright's bill was re-submitted by the veteran senator.

In this rather contentious bill COPA suggests that its members, including commercial land card rooms, should be given exclusive rights to operate online poker in California. This caused opposition due to fear that such a monopoly would exclude participation by some of the state’s largest gaming tribes and nearly a hundred licensed card clubs.

On the other side, Californian supporters of online poker claim that legalization and taxation of the pastime could help reduce the projected $25 billion Californian budget deficit.

According to Brenner, tribal support for legalized online poker is growing, and PVA approach has attracted a number of previously opposed; “the Pechenga and Caliente, whose opposition was a problem in the past, are now on board and want to make it happen”, she said.

Update: Online Poker Targeted by Washington State?

Latest actions result in confiscation of $8 million

This week’s Forbes magazine brought to us detailed report on the latest federal moves against e-processors in Washington State. Reportedly, in the past few months, the authorities have 'quietly moved' to seize nearly $8 million from financial enterprises that dealt with processing of transactions for major offshore online poker companies like PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, UltimateBet.

and Absolute Poker.

According to Forbes, four civil forfeiture complaints have been filed in federal court in Seattle since October, causing the federal prosecutors to have seized cash from accounts at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Wells Fargo & Co. and SunTrust Banks, and belonging to payment processor firms like Arrow Checks, Secure Money, Etegrity Processing, Anaya Trading Solutions and Blue Lake Capital Management and Logistics.

The magazine further opines that those actions represent the latest move in the Justice Department’s battle against online poker, adding that they follow Washington’s State Supreme Court September action, which upheld a 2006 state law that made it a Class C felony to play online poker for money in the state of Washington. In addition, based on the court filings, a special task force got enforcement in shape of the Washington State Gambling Commission and started investigations in January 2009.

In terms of the biggest forfeiture case, it was initiated in June 2009 when the task force officer got a tip from a witness that he had received a payout check for their online poker winnings from Arrow Checks. The case involved some $5.1 million and it was filed in December.

The court documents reveal that over $20 million of wire transfers have been tracked so far from Canada and Texas to Arrow Checks accounts at Bank of America controlled by Scott Seguin and Justin Sather.

It was further specified that players from Washington state who received the checks from Arrow Checks were then contacted, alleging that the money represented came from online poker activities at PokerStars. Therefore, the federal prosecutors claim that Seguin and Sather were operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and violated the federal Wire Act “...because online gambling is illegal in Washington state.”

It was also stated in the Forbes article that other payment processors operated six bank accounts at SunTrust and Wells Fargo controlled by one Sanjay Panya, and used to issue checks reportedly coming from poker play at Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker. Upon getting additional info from Washington state players they tracked through the processing records, the feds seized $1.3 million in the accounts connected to Panya in November, and stated that he was also operating unlicensed money transmitting business and violating the Wire Act.

The court documents point Brian Kenny and Javier Carillo, as facilitators of payments to Washington state residents derived from online poker play at UltimateBet.

Also, after the state Supreme Court’s September findings, some big companies like Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker decided to pull out of Washington State.

Throughout the USA, teams of feds have been prosecuting e-cash processors, and seizures have been reported from Florida and New York as well as Washington State. They have already disrupted hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions.

Identity of Isildur1 Celebrity Finally Revealed

Isildur1 aka Viktor Blom

A final, official confirmation came this week from Pokerstars that the past few months’ speculation that Viktor Blom is the name hiding behind high stakes poker player Isildur1, was actually right. The announcement came at Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure this weekend, and drew big media attention to the young, 20-year-old Pokerstars pro.

Isildur1 has been widely present on the online poker scene for only about a year, and his play is characteristic for loose, almost reckless high stakes, bringing his bankroll to millions, which he spectacularly lost and won back and then lost again on the Full Tilt high stakes tables against the biggest online poker names, including Hastings, Dwan, Ivey, Sahamies and Antonius.

However, losing millions doesn’t stop this fierce Swede for long - he would disappear only for a while, soon coming back with another major bankroll to repeat the experience all over again.

The real identity of reputable Isildur1 was revealed when Blom took part in a $10 000 buy-in, 100 hand promotional match against the formidable multi-table high stakes player Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier. Despite expectations, Blom remained quite calm throughout the game and the media shindig, explaining that he was sure most people had known his identity anyway.

Also, when he was admitted to the Pokerstars pro team, he seemed just as calm and relaxed being next to the names like Daniel Negreanu, Vanessa Rousso, Johnny Lodden, Grospellier and Jason Mercier. On the occasion, he said: “I think I’m the best online heads-up No-Limit Hold’em player in the world but I’m looking forward to learning a lot from the other Team pros and helping them with their games, too."

New Product from PokerStars

Innovation allows players to create their own poker club

The online poker giant Pokerstars has yet another fabulous novelty for its players, titled Home Games. The concept allows players to set up their own private online poker games, comprising their friends and other invited players.

Players were informed by the Pokerstars website that the new facility will serve to create and manage a private poker club, in which they will have the freedom to play what they want, with whom they want and when they want.

In addition, players can give their club a name and an invitation code, and in return they will be offered a private poker lobby to customize with Home Games tables and tournaments of choice.

It’s also possible to schedule games and tournaments, which is rather easy to do – the player only has to choose the game, the stakes, the date and time for the event, and the invitations will be sent to fellow club members automatically through the Pokerstars system.

Key features:

* Club Management Tools – used to choose administrators, manage membership, customise club games and lobbies and set length of club sessions.

* Club Leader Board – displays the top players by points awarded in tournament play

* Player Statistics – used to view points earned, top finishers, knockouts for each club member

* Save Favourite Game Setups – used to direct players to favourite customised games on repeat visits.

* Game Schedule – sets tournament dates and times, plus open ring game tables

* Game Results – used to view tournament finishing positions, points earned and knockouts

* Private Games – all games and tournaments are available exclusively to members of each club

* Custom Tables – game tables feature the name of each club on the felt.

* Full Range of Poker Games – originators can choose from a wide range of games like Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, Mixed and HORSE

For more information, visit: http://www.pokerstars.net/poker/home-games/

OMG!!!

Wow...I can not wait,blue!

What an amazing idea!!!

Go,"LatestPokerBonuses.com" club,Go!!! :-bd :-bd :-bd

US Legalization Raises Optimism

A tipping point for the US online gambling legal affairs

According to the industry analyst Michael Campbell, who works for the Daniel Stewart broking company, there’s good reason for optimism, because the US online gambling market will “sooner or later embrace online gambling legalization in one form or another.”

Campbell recently pointed to the grand changes in the US scene recently, adding that increasing pressure from major land gambling companies and the difficult economic situation in a way resulted in several legalization proposals at both federal and state level.

Some of these initiatives were more effective than others – especially those in New Jersey and California. Therefore, if individual states legalize internet gambling, that may result in a domino effect on other states.

In Campbell’s opinion, there are two companies that will most likely close some B2B deals in the potential US online gambling market, and those are Playtech and Party Gaming.

“Bricks and mortar casinos have endured a torrid time during the recession and are seeking to explore new ways of generating income,” Campbell said, adding: “Our view is that online gambling will move ahead whether legislative change happens at Federal or State level or a combination of both.

“Poker may be the only product vertical to pass at Federal level, however we believe that individual States will legalise online casino and poker at state level, with New Jersey and California leading the way, we believe will cause a tipping point, whereby other state will follow.

“We expect to see legislative change implemented and licenses granted in 2011 or early 2012.”

In addition, he put a particular stress on the estimated value of the US gambling market, some US$90 billion annually. This number primarily represents the business conducted in the commercial casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Atlantic City in New Jersey, as those two centers account for 37 percent of the total market.

There are two crucial stats to show the scale of the opportunity, Campbell said. First, the global online gambling market would be worth an estimated US$30 billion per year, of which the US would account for 27 percent or some US$7 billion. Second, before the ban was introduced on online gambling, this industry branch in the US actually accounted for about half the global market. "The scope for growth should legislation follow in the near future in our view is immense,” Campbell assessed.

Thanks again blue for keeping us updated.I'll keep my fingers,toes and anything else I can manage to cross and hope it's sooner than later.

Pokerstars Shuts Down eCheck for a Number of US states

Another obstacle for US gambling fans

Another bit of bad news for the US punters emerged this week when the online poker giant Pokerstars decided, after exiting the Washington State market to shutting down its eCheck cash processing facilities to the residents of a number of other states, including Nevada, New York, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, New Jersey and Maryland.

However, the good news is that the halt seems to come only for eCheck, whereas according to the company, players can still use other financial options such as paper cheques, bank wires and Western Union. Yet, even those may pose a problem, due to the regulative obstacles introduced by UIGEA.

Thanks blue for the info and of  course the stick it to us here in the US... again!! I'm not only in the US but also one of the States listed....stupid UIGDA!!!GGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

Thanks blue for the info and of  course the stick it to us here in the US... again!! I'm not only in the US but also one of the States listed....stupid UIGDA!!!GGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

Very unfortunate Rosebud.

blue

Online Gambling Companies Get More U.S. Support

New advocates for USOGA

In light of the recent developments regarding online gambling in the U.S, which proved that it will be state, not federal initiatives that will set the path for online gambling in the States, several industry giants decided to put a joint effort into advocating legalization.

Therefore, this week was marked by the establishment of the US Online Gaming Association, headed up by former Poker Voters of America chief Melanie Brenner. The organization received a major support from sponsors like Sportingbet.com and PKR.com, and the sponsor list is still expected to grow, especially having in mind that over twenty representatives of various companies attended the launch meeting.

According to Brenner, the purpose of the new body is “...to advocate for the legalization and regulation of online gaming in the States”. She added that “With the failure of a federal solution to this issue, the opening of the lucrative US market will be through state capitols such as Tallahassee, Sacramento and Trenton," said Brenner this week. "The work we have done through Poker Voters has uniquely positioned us to be the most effective voice in moving this issue.”

IT was stated by chief executive Malcolm Graham that the formation of USOGA was necessary when there was such a great momentum at state level towards internet gambling legalization in the United States.

“I think it is important [that] the industry, which will be supporting local operators from this side of the pond, has a collective voice and a consistent message," he remarked.

However, USOGA is not the first new legalization body launched this week; prior to its establishment, a still unidentified group of companies involved in the recent legalization victory in New Jersey joined together to form the American Institute for iGaming (AIIG), consisting of gaming companies, payment processors and casino operators under the leadership of top US lobbyist Bill Pascrell.

The organization focuses on legalization at national as well as state level, said Pascrell, adding that it will welcome online gambling entities from other countries, provided only that those entities did not have "US legacy issues."

New Jersey gets parimutuel and exchange betting

In America, the Governor for the eastern state of New Jersey has signed legislation into law that allows the state’s long-suffering horseracing industry to benefit by being able to offer exchange and parimutuel wagering.

First-term Republican Chris Christie put his signature to measures S-2229 and A-2926 on Monday while also using a ‘conditional veto’ to block legislation that supporters stated would have streamlined the process by which off-track betting locations were approved and built.

Sponsored by New Jersey General Assembly Democrats Craig Coughlin, John Burzichelli and Annette Quijano, A-2926 has been designed to boost interest in horseracing in the state and permits the New Jersey Racing Commission to issue a licence to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority that would allow it to operate a betting exchange.

S-2229 was sponsored by New Jersey General Assembly Democrats John McKeon and Connie Wagner and permits racetrack permit holders to provide for a single parimutuel pool for each running or harness horse race.

“These measures represent the next steps in following through on my administration's commitment to securing a strong, independent and self-sufficient horseracing industry in New Jersey,” said Christie.

“We are providing new tools to help the industry implement new strategies, generate additional revenues and capitalise on interest in horseracing around the state.”

Christie still has to decide whether to sign bi-partisan legislation sponsored by New Jersey State Senators Raymond Lesniak and Joseph Kyrillos into law that would see the state become the first in the United States to offer legal online gambling to its residents. Known as S-490 and passed on January 10 by both the lower New Jersey General Assembly and higher New Jersey Senate, the legislation would see inhabitants permitted to wager online via portals hosted on servers based exclusively in Atlantic City with those living outside of the state blocked. These domains would be run by land-based casinos operating in the state with operators required to pay $200,000 for an initial one-year renewable licence with this fee dropping to $100,000 for subsequent years.

Thanks Nan.  Here is another piece of news:

US operators stand a good chance against the UIGEA thanks to the government initiative

There has been new movement in the states which may provide operators with a good chance to strike a blow at the infamous Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act; namely the US government started an initiative to act against laws that represent an obstacle on the way of economic growth, which has already seen at least one pro-industry body taking up the challenge.

Namely, businessmen have been called on by the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Darrell Issa, to file suggestions about laws they believe are hampering economic growth and job creation in the States. This caused The Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, one of the major industry advocates, to get in touch with the committee in regards to the UIGEA, which according to them disrupts online financial transactions with online gambling firms.

In its note, the SSIGI advises that the government should abolish the law and in its place regulate and introduce licensing for online gambling, which, they believe, may lead to creation of jobs in the US jobs, but also bring nice taxation sums into the state coffers and boost business revenues.

"As you gather input on the various government regulations that have negatively impacted job growth, we would like to draw your attention to the opportunity to generate tens of thousands of new jobs and tens of billions in domestic gross expenditures should the federal government replace a failed attempt to prohibit Internet gambling with a system to legitimize the thriving activity," assessed SSIGI executive director Michael Waxman.