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It's not just the iPad mini that's stealing headlines for packing a huge amount of excitement into such a small package. Americas Cardroom announces the Mini Online Super Series. The fiv-day event runs from November 15th through 19th and features more than $67,000 in prize money, $25 bounties on online poker pros, four big leaderboard competitions, and a special $1k guaranteed event for the four top performers. But perhaps the biggest attraction is the fact that online poker players can buy a seat in any of the tournaments for between $0.10 and $2.
"It might be called mini, but the excitement players are about to experience in mid-November promises to be huge," stated Michael Harris, Americas Cardroom spokesperson. "After returning from the Punta Cana Poker Classic, our recreational players have been asking for something else to get excited about. So while we plan for an unbelievable 2013 that's going to blow the last few years out of the water, we're bringing back a smaller but just as intense version of our popular ACROSS series."
The Mini Online Super Series features over $67,000 in guaranteed prize money, spread out through three tournaments a day from November 15th through 19th. Buy-ins for the tournaments range from $0.10 to $2.
The first daily event, a $1k Guarantee, costs just $0.10+$0.01 to get into. It runs daily at 12:00pm ET and features a first-place price of $300. The second event follows three hours later at 3:00pm ET. It features a buy-in of just $0.25+0.02 and a guaranteed prize pool of $2,500, with $750 for first place. The final daily tournament kicks off at 6:00pm ET. The $10k Guaranteed tournament, featuring a $3,000 first-place prize, costs just $2+0.20 to get into. All tournament seats can be obtained using Combat Points.
In addition to the generous payout schedule, each tournament features bounties on the heads of two of Americas Cardroom's biggest online poker grinders — MOSS_Donkey and MamaCoolJ. A player who knocks either of the two out of the tourney will win $25.
While the tournaments are attractive on their own, it's the sum of its parts that makes the Mini Online Super Series really impressive. The series includes leaderboards for each tournament plus a fourth leaderboard that ranks players across all tournaments. In addition to winning money for ranking on each leaderboard, the first-place finisher on each leaderboard will win an entry in a special four-seat tournament on November 24th where $1k is on the line.
www-casinocitytimes-com/news/article/over-$67-000-on-the-table-over-five-days-at-americas-cardroom-203262
"It might be called mini, but the excitement players are about to experience in mid-November promises to be huge," stated Michael Harris, Americas Cardroom spokesperson. "After returning from the Punta Cana Poker Classic, our recreational players have been asking for something else to get excited about. So while we plan for an unbelievable 2013 that's going to blow the last few years out of the water, we're bringing back a smaller but just as intense version of our popular ACROSS series."
The Mini Online Super Series features over $67,000 in guaranteed prize money, spread out through three tournaments a day from November 15th through 19th. Buy-ins for the tournaments range from $0.10 to $2.
The first daily event, a $1k Guarantee, costs just $0.10+$0.01 to get into. It runs daily at 12:00pm ET and features a first-place price of $300. The second event follows three hours later at 3:00pm ET. It features a buy-in of just $0.25+0.02 and a guaranteed prize pool of $2,500, with $750 for first place. The final daily tournament kicks off at 6:00pm ET. The $10k Guaranteed tournament, featuring a $3,000 first-place prize, costs just $2+0.20 to get into. All tournament seats can be obtained using Combat Points.
In addition to the generous payout schedule, each tournament features bounties on the heads of two of Americas Cardroom's biggest online poker grinders — MOSS_Donkey and MamaCoolJ. A player who knocks either of the two out of the tourney will win $25.
While the tournaments are attractive on their own, it's the sum of its parts that makes the Mini Online Super Series really impressive. The series includes leaderboards for each tournament plus a fourth leaderboard that ranks players across all tournaments. In addition to winning money for ranking on each leaderboard, the first-place finisher on each leaderboard will win an entry in a special four-seat tournament on November 24th where $1k is on the line.
www-casinocitytimes-com/news/article/over-$67-000-on-the-table-over-five-days-at-americas-cardroom-203262
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2006/12/07
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The Nevada Gaming Commission today issued licenses for three more companies to compete in the state's new intrastate online poker industry.
The Commission, meeting in Las Vegas, approved licenses for MGM Resorts International and lesser-known companies Z4Poker LLC of Las Vegas and CAMS LLC of Los Angeles.
The applications had received initial recommendations Nov. 1 from the State Gaming Control Board.
The poker approved is not video poker, but players competing against each other like they do in physical casino poker rooms.
MGM Resorts plans to put up a play-for-fun site in the coming months. This would be in addition to the myVEGAS social media site it's using in partnership with myVEGAS developer Playstudios.
Both MGM Resorts and Boyd Gaming are partnering for real-money poker with bwin.party digital entertainment plc, which may be considered for licensure in Nevada next year. If bwin is approved, MGM Resorts and Boyd could choose to go live with real-money play.
Gaming commissioners commented today that they still need to consider the bwin application and that their approvals for MGM Resorts and earlier for Boyd are independent of the upcoming examination of bwin, a big offshore poker operator known for the PartyPoker, PartyCasino, World Poker Tour and other brands.
Z4Poker is developing a poker system while also working on potential bingo and keno systems that might be offered around the country should online gaming be approved in various states.
CAMS has systems to manage online player accounts and verify the age, location and identity of players, while also preventing problems like money laundering and problem gambling.
CAMS hopes to serve the poker and lottery industries.
"Your business is important to us. The issues you deal with are important to [gaming] providers and to us," Commissioner Randolph Townsend told CAMS officials during a discussion on maintaining the integrity of online gaming by preventing cheating and other problems.
"This is where the wise guys are going to cause the hiccup," added Commissioner Dr. Tony Alamo.
With testing of poker systems still under way, Nevada poker applicants approved earlier this year were Boyd, Station Casinos LLC and the founding Fertitta family's Ultimate Gaming\Ultimate Poker brand, the Golden Nugget with casinos in Las Vegas and Laughlin, South Point Poker, Global Cash Access Holdings and Bally Technologies.
Also approved were SHFL entertainment (formerly Shuffle Master), American Casino and Entertainment Properties, PokerTrip Enterprises, NetEffect Networks, International Game Technology, Monarch Interactive and WMS Industries.
investing-businessweek-com/research/stocks/news/article-asp?docKey=600-201211151608KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_34064_53955-1¶ms=timestamp||11/15/2012%204:08%20PM%20ET||headline||MGM%20Resorts%2C%202%20others%20get%20Nevada%20licenses%20for%20online%20poker%20[Las%20Vegas%20Sun]||docSource||McClatchy-Tribune||provider||ACQUIREMEDIA||bridgesymbol||US;IGT&ticker=IGT
The Commission, meeting in Las Vegas, approved licenses for MGM Resorts International and lesser-known companies Z4Poker LLC of Las Vegas and CAMS LLC of Los Angeles.
The applications had received initial recommendations Nov. 1 from the State Gaming Control Board.
The poker approved is not video poker, but players competing against each other like they do in physical casino poker rooms.
MGM Resorts plans to put up a play-for-fun site in the coming months. This would be in addition to the myVEGAS social media site it's using in partnership with myVEGAS developer Playstudios.
Both MGM Resorts and Boyd Gaming are partnering for real-money poker with bwin.party digital entertainment plc, which may be considered for licensure in Nevada next year. If bwin is approved, MGM Resorts and Boyd could choose to go live with real-money play.
Gaming commissioners commented today that they still need to consider the bwin application and that their approvals for MGM Resorts and earlier for Boyd are independent of the upcoming examination of bwin, a big offshore poker operator known for the PartyPoker, PartyCasino, World Poker Tour and other brands.
Z4Poker is developing a poker system while also working on potential bingo and keno systems that might be offered around the country should online gaming be approved in various states.
CAMS has systems to manage online player accounts and verify the age, location and identity of players, while also preventing problems like money laundering and problem gambling.
CAMS hopes to serve the poker and lottery industries.
"Your business is important to us. The issues you deal with are important to [gaming] providers and to us," Commissioner Randolph Townsend told CAMS officials during a discussion on maintaining the integrity of online gaming by preventing cheating and other problems.
"This is where the wise guys are going to cause the hiccup," added Commissioner Dr. Tony Alamo.
With testing of poker systems still under way, Nevada poker applicants approved earlier this year were Boyd, Station Casinos LLC and the founding Fertitta family's Ultimate Gaming\Ultimate Poker brand, the Golden Nugget with casinos in Las Vegas and Laughlin, South Point Poker, Global Cash Access Holdings and Bally Technologies.
Also approved were SHFL entertainment (formerly Shuffle Master), American Casino and Entertainment Properties, PokerTrip Enterprises, NetEffect Networks, International Game Technology, Monarch Interactive and WMS Industries.
investing-businessweek-com/research/stocks/news/article-asp?docKey=600-201211151608KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_34064_53955-1¶ms=timestamp||11/15/2012%204:08%20PM%20ET||headline||MGM%20Resorts%2C%202%20others%20get%20Nevada%20licenses%20for%20online%20poker%20[Las%20Vegas%20Sun]||docSource||McClatchy-Tribune||provider||ACQUIREMEDIA||bridgesymbol||US;IGT&ticker=IGT
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2006/12/07
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A court in Spain ruled this week that PokerStars has operated legally in the country since it began offering its services in 2001.
Spanish gambling giant Codere claimed that PokerStars operated unlawfully prior to the country's new gambling regulation in June 2012. Codere argued that online gambling operators were negatively impacting the firm’s land-based operations by offering services to Spanish gamblers without state authorization.
However, according to a press release issued by PokerStars on Friday, a Barcelona court affirmed PokerStars’ position that it operated lawfully in the country prior to June 2012 because "the lack of regulation meant that there was no relevant law preventing such activity."
“This ruling confirms the legal advice we have been given and which we have followed in Spain for years,” said Paul Telford, group general counsel for PokerStars. “We are very pleased the court agreed with our position and look forward to continuing to provide our licensed poker services as the leading brand in the Spanish market.”
“The Barcelona court judgment is absolutely clear in its conclusion that PokerStars has always operated in Spain according to the law," added Antonio Vázquez-Guillén, partner at Allen & Overy, PokerStars' counsel for the case. "We are very happy with this outcome. It clarifies a question that, in our view, should never have been brought to a Court of Justice."
PokerStars currently operates Poker online ? Jugar a poker Texas Hold'em en Internet ? PokerStars under a specific online gaming license issued by the Spanish Gambling Commission in June. According to PokerScout-com, pokerStars.es is dominating the Spanish poker market, controlling nearly 70 percent of the real-money traffic since the new market opened.
Read more: Spanish Court Rules in Favor of PokerStars; Site Operated Legally Since 2001 | PokerNews
Spanish gambling giant Codere claimed that PokerStars operated unlawfully prior to the country's new gambling regulation in June 2012. Codere argued that online gambling operators were negatively impacting the firm’s land-based operations by offering services to Spanish gamblers without state authorization.
However, according to a press release issued by PokerStars on Friday, a Barcelona court affirmed PokerStars’ position that it operated lawfully in the country prior to June 2012 because "the lack of regulation meant that there was no relevant law preventing such activity."
“This ruling confirms the legal advice we have been given and which we have followed in Spain for years,” said Paul Telford, group general counsel for PokerStars. “We are very pleased the court agreed with our position and look forward to continuing to provide our licensed poker services as the leading brand in the Spanish market.”
“The Barcelona court judgment is absolutely clear in its conclusion that PokerStars has always operated in Spain according to the law," added Antonio Vázquez-Guillén, partner at Allen & Overy, PokerStars' counsel for the case. "We are very happy with this outcome. It clarifies a question that, in our view, should never have been brought to a Court of Justice."
PokerStars currently operates Poker online ? Jugar a poker Texas Hold'em en Internet ? PokerStars under a specific online gaming license issued by the Spanish Gambling Commission in June. According to PokerScout-com, pokerStars.es is dominating the Spanish poker market, controlling nearly 70 percent of the real-money traffic since the new market opened.
Read more: Spanish Court Rules in Favor of PokerStars; Site Operated Legally Since 2001 | PokerNews
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2006/12/07
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Three more casino operators have been issued a Nevada online poker license.
The state Gaming Control Board on Thursday approved interactive gambling licenses for MGM Online LLC and boutique firms Z4Poker LLC of Las Vegas and Cams LLC of Los Angeles.
Interactive licenses allow a company to operate online gambling sites in which live players within Nevada borders compete against each other.
The three companies join more than a dozen others that have received licenses so far.
The state Gaming Control Board on Thursday approved interactive gambling licenses for MGM Online LLC and boutique firms Z4Poker LLC of Las Vegas and Cams LLC of Los Angeles.
Interactive licenses allow a company to operate online gambling sites in which live players within Nevada borders compete against each other.
The three companies join more than a dozen others that have received licenses so far.
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PokerSoftware sits down with WSOP final tablist Lesley Amos, who is known in the online poker world as Nutbreaker, to talk about what's in her Heads-Up Display.
To read the rest of this article you must be a PokerSoftware-com member. It is completely free to join, and registration only takes a minute. Click here to become a member now. If you are already a member, please sign in using the login box in the top right corner of the page.
To read the rest of this article you must be a PokerSoftware-com member. It is completely free to join, and registration only takes a minute. Click here to become a member now. If you are already a member, please sign in using the login box in the top right corner of the page.
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The Full Tilt story is sort of like the old mythical bird the Phoenix. It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. The Phoenix's ability to be reborn from its own ashes implies that it is immortal, though in some stories the new Phoenix is merely the offspring of the older one. In very few stories they are able to change into people.
Well in the this case the Phoenix is changed into a poker room called Full Tilt and has been reborn into the PokerStar version of the same old bird. Its first week alive after rising from what most people would call a major blaze is remarkable in that it is attracting a lot of players. The Rational Group which runs the PokerStars operation is trusted by the professionals who have flocked to the old brand to help revive its reputation for good service and fair play.
The news that “The Professionals” that included Gus Hansen, Viktor "Isildur1" Blom and Tom Dwan, Hansen and Blom have been rekindling the high-stakes action over the first seven days has stirring the businesses attraction for the glamour of the big money games. The high-stakes cash games on Full Tilt Poker are not up the same standards pre the shut down by the Department of Justice in the USA the games are still a ways from getting back to that base line, which PokerStars has been cultivating since. There is confidence that there is a demand for high-stakes games in the ranks of the top professionals. The Phoenix has risen and will grow to be strong again say the many spectators watching online poker.
Online Phoenix Full Tilt Poker Rises From The Ashes
Well in the this case the Phoenix is changed into a poker room called Full Tilt and has been reborn into the PokerStar version of the same old bird. Its first week alive after rising from what most people would call a major blaze is remarkable in that it is attracting a lot of players. The Rational Group which runs the PokerStars operation is trusted by the professionals who have flocked to the old brand to help revive its reputation for good service and fair play.
The news that “The Professionals” that included Gus Hansen, Viktor "Isildur1" Blom and Tom Dwan, Hansen and Blom have been rekindling the high-stakes action over the first seven days has stirring the businesses attraction for the glamour of the big money games. The high-stakes cash games on Full Tilt Poker are not up the same standards pre the shut down by the Department of Justice in the USA the games are still a ways from getting back to that base line, which PokerStars has been cultivating since. There is confidence that there is a demand for high-stakes games in the ranks of the top professionals. The Phoenix has risen and will grow to be strong again say the many spectators watching online poker.
Online Phoenix Full Tilt Poker Rises From The Ashes
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The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) sent a letter to Senators Harry Reid and Jon Kyl requesting modifications to the current draft of the online poker bill.
Dated Nov. 2, the missive was written by PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato commending the Senators for their work in attempting to regulate online poker in the United States. D’Amato states that the PPA is “pleased with many aspects of the draft” that protects consumers, provides a solid regime for states to act on their own accord in regards to regulation, generates revenue, and will stimulate the economy by creating jobs.
D’Amato also lists six specific areas where the Reid-Kyl bill can be improved. Chief among these is the requirement that each state legislature must act in order to opt-in to the federal scheme. The PPA believes that states already offering live, non-tribal commercial poker should be considered as opted in without the state legislature having to burden itself with approving such legislation.
The PPA also opposes the 15-month waiting period before operators can begin dealing cards online. Reid and Kyl included that provision so no operator could get a jump on others. D’Amato stresses that such a delay is a long time for both recreational and professional players to wait and that “other countries that have been successfully regulating Internet poker for several years were able” to get a handle on things much sooner than 15 months.
The existing Reid-Kyl draft does not allow for international play and ring-fences U.S. players from expanding player pools beyond American soil. This is perhaps the most short-sighted element of the proposal. The PPA admits that forging agreements with other governments and regulators is time-consuming, but the increased revenue and player liquidity that international competition would allow is a must.
The PPA also would like to see specific rules on player taxation of poker winnings. Federal lawmakers would be well-advised to include a provision in an amended Reid-Kyl bill that would “direct the IRS to formulate guidelines for reporting income from online poker prior to commencement of play,” D’Amato wrote.
Citing increased competition as a solid foundation for Internet poker, the PPA is concerned that the current federal online poker proposal threatens the sovereignty of Indian tribes. The PPA also feels that state lotteries should be allowed to seek Internet poker licensing. Many tribes and state lotteries have vocally opposed the Reid-Kyl draft and the PPA is attempting to placate those groups by suggesting that an amended proposal need to ensure equitable treatment.
Finally, the PPA is against a "bad actor" provision in the bill that forbids licensing for five years of any online poker providers who serviced the U.S. marketplace following enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006. In other words, PokerStars and Full Tilt, who benefited tremendously by remaining in the marketplace. D’Amato calls the five-year ban "arbitrary, unduly unfair and possibly unconstitutional." He further states that such a ban "will exclude some of the largest and most recognizable brands that have the deepest experience in offering Internet poker services from competing in the U.S. market."
PPA Seeks Changes to Reid-Kyl Online Poker Bill
Dated Nov. 2, the missive was written by PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato commending the Senators for their work in attempting to regulate online poker in the United States. D’Amato states that the PPA is “pleased with many aspects of the draft” that protects consumers, provides a solid regime for states to act on their own accord in regards to regulation, generates revenue, and will stimulate the economy by creating jobs.
D’Amato also lists six specific areas where the Reid-Kyl bill can be improved. Chief among these is the requirement that each state legislature must act in order to opt-in to the federal scheme. The PPA believes that states already offering live, non-tribal commercial poker should be considered as opted in without the state legislature having to burden itself with approving such legislation.
The PPA also opposes the 15-month waiting period before operators can begin dealing cards online. Reid and Kyl included that provision so no operator could get a jump on others. D’Amato stresses that such a delay is a long time for both recreational and professional players to wait and that “other countries that have been successfully regulating Internet poker for several years were able” to get a handle on things much sooner than 15 months.
The existing Reid-Kyl draft does not allow for international play and ring-fences U.S. players from expanding player pools beyond American soil. This is perhaps the most short-sighted element of the proposal. The PPA admits that forging agreements with other governments and regulators is time-consuming, but the increased revenue and player liquidity that international competition would allow is a must.
The PPA also would like to see specific rules on player taxation of poker winnings. Federal lawmakers would be well-advised to include a provision in an amended Reid-Kyl bill that would “direct the IRS to formulate guidelines for reporting income from online poker prior to commencement of play,” D’Amato wrote.
Citing increased competition as a solid foundation for Internet poker, the PPA is concerned that the current federal online poker proposal threatens the sovereignty of Indian tribes. The PPA also feels that state lotteries should be allowed to seek Internet poker licensing. Many tribes and state lotteries have vocally opposed the Reid-Kyl draft and the PPA is attempting to placate those groups by suggesting that an amended proposal need to ensure equitable treatment.
Finally, the PPA is against a "bad actor" provision in the bill that forbids licensing for five years of any online poker providers who serviced the U.S. marketplace following enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006. In other words, PokerStars and Full Tilt, who benefited tremendously by remaining in the marketplace. D’Amato calls the five-year ban "arbitrary, unduly unfair and possibly unconstitutional." He further states that such a ban "will exclude some of the largest and most recognizable brands that have the deepest experience in offering Internet poker services from competing in the U.S. market."
PPA Seeks Changes to Reid-Kyl Online Poker Bill
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Having been stopped at the door, Las Vegas pro Nick DiVella has gone online with his petition to ban former Full Tilt Poker owner Howard Lederer from Aria.
Yesterday he posted an open letter to the “Executive Management of Aria Casino/Poker Room.”
“This movement goes for Bellagio & any other poker event around the world,” DiVella wrote on Twitter. “Aria is my favorite place to play, wish I didn’t pick on them.”
His efforts have already gained traction around the world, with both support and backlash from the poker community.
“I think players should feel free to make him feel unwelcome and I think it takes some real audacity on his part to show up, but I hope Aria doesn’t give in to the pressure of the petition,” pro Isaac Haxton said. “Casinos are not in the habit of barring white collar criminals and as of now Howard isn’t even convicted of anything.”
Pro Tim West told DiVella, “great job on taking initiative Nick. Can’t believe that fkr has the balls to frequent Aria/Bellagio. Playing Festa (al Lago) just ridic.”
World Poker Tour Host and pro Tony Dunst, who occasionally plays in the same live cash games as DiVella, pointed out that players should have the right to speak up when they’re upset.
“It is the casinos job to cater to their customers, so why can’t those customers come together to socially self-regulate their industry and communicate their wishes to the casino?” Dunst said. “It doesn’t surprise me that people would make the choice to frequent a different poker room instead of bumping into someone they despise at their usual room, so what’s wrong with telling the casino staff how you feel about it in writing?”
In an exclusive interview with pokerfuse, DiVella said he wasn’t surprised that his effort to petition inside Aria was stopped. After collecting only a few signatures, he was pulled into a meeting with poker room staff, who told him they must remain “neutral on the situation,” though they would present the concern to upper management.
“The point of the petition was to get it into the hands of upper management and get national attention, and it did within hours,” he said. “The debate is great for poker and its long term effects. Hopefully some big named players will chime in with their opinions but more importantly a solution.”
MGM officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the petition which has amassed 128 signatures prior to the publishing of this article.
If Aria and other MGM properties continued to allow Lederer to play, DiVella said he would start grinding at Venetian.
Last month, as Lederer returned to the enclosed Ivey Room at Aria and glass-encased Bobby’s Room at Bellagio, both casinos planted security guards in front of the doors. He played at Aria as recently as Sunday.
Lederer has been implicated by the US Department of Justice in the Black Friday fraud and money laundering scheme, though he has not been criminally charged. Before playing live, DiVella earned his living at Rush tables on FTP. He won’t say how much he has stuck on Full Tilt, and insists his efforts are more about principle than the money.
The DoJ has a civil suit against Lederer for more than $40m, and he has implied that some of his bank accounts may have been frozen by the DOJ as part of the ongoing case.
DiVella believes Lederer’s presence at the poker tables threatens the integrity of the game.
“In some aspects poker has a bad reputation and there are no repercussions for those who tarnish that reputation,” DiVella said. “I don’t know what will come of this petition, but yes a governing body or something to that effect would be ideal. I haven’t put much thought into what my role would be in the governing body. This is bigger than him and bigger than Aria but it has to start somewhere.”
Lederer Petition Posted Online | Pokerfuse Online Poker News
Yesterday he posted an open letter to the “Executive Management of Aria Casino/Poker Room.”
“This movement goes for Bellagio & any other poker event around the world,” DiVella wrote on Twitter. “Aria is my favorite place to play, wish I didn’t pick on them.”
His efforts have already gained traction around the world, with both support and backlash from the poker community.
“I think players should feel free to make him feel unwelcome and I think it takes some real audacity on his part to show up, but I hope Aria doesn’t give in to the pressure of the petition,” pro Isaac Haxton said. “Casinos are not in the habit of barring white collar criminals and as of now Howard isn’t even convicted of anything.”
Pro Tim West told DiVella, “great job on taking initiative Nick. Can’t believe that fkr has the balls to frequent Aria/Bellagio. Playing Festa (al Lago) just ridic.”
World Poker Tour Host and pro Tony Dunst, who occasionally plays in the same live cash games as DiVella, pointed out that players should have the right to speak up when they’re upset.
“It is the casinos job to cater to their customers, so why can’t those customers come together to socially self-regulate their industry and communicate their wishes to the casino?” Dunst said. “It doesn’t surprise me that people would make the choice to frequent a different poker room instead of bumping into someone they despise at their usual room, so what’s wrong with telling the casino staff how you feel about it in writing?”
In an exclusive interview with pokerfuse, DiVella said he wasn’t surprised that his effort to petition inside Aria was stopped. After collecting only a few signatures, he was pulled into a meeting with poker room staff, who told him they must remain “neutral on the situation,” though they would present the concern to upper management.
“The point of the petition was to get it into the hands of upper management and get national attention, and it did within hours,” he said. “The debate is great for poker and its long term effects. Hopefully some big named players will chime in with their opinions but more importantly a solution.”
MGM officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the petition which has amassed 128 signatures prior to the publishing of this article.
If Aria and other MGM properties continued to allow Lederer to play, DiVella said he would start grinding at Venetian.
Last month, as Lederer returned to the enclosed Ivey Room at Aria and glass-encased Bobby’s Room at Bellagio, both casinos planted security guards in front of the doors. He played at Aria as recently as Sunday.
Lederer has been implicated by the US Department of Justice in the Black Friday fraud and money laundering scheme, though he has not been criminally charged. Before playing live, DiVella earned his living at Rush tables on FTP. He won’t say how much he has stuck on Full Tilt, and insists his efforts are more about principle than the money.
The DoJ has a civil suit against Lederer for more than $40m, and he has implied that some of his bank accounts may have been frozen by the DOJ as part of the ongoing case.
DiVella believes Lederer’s presence at the poker tables threatens the integrity of the game.
“In some aspects poker has a bad reputation and there are no repercussions for those who tarnish that reputation,” DiVella said. “I don’t know what will come of this petition, but yes a governing body or something to that effect would be ideal. I haven’t put much thought into what my role would be in the governing body. This is bigger than him and bigger than Aria but it has to start somewhere.”
Lederer Petition Posted Online | Pokerfuse Online Poker News
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2006/12/07
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Current licensees of the Bodog Network include:
Bodog.ca
Bodog Asia (bodog88-com)
Bovada.lv
Recently, we reported that TLC88-com, the Asian facing community-based gaming site, will add poker to its casino and sports betting product via the Bodog Poker Network.
However, through the ups and downs faced by the gambling operator it has always remained a respected and reputable brand constantly vying for the top spot as an online casino, sportsbook and poker room.
Bodog Canada is the most sought out online gambling operator in Canada making it the place to be for slot players, poker players and straight up, “Ballin Playa’s!”
The Bodog Network makes use of an international client base with millions of registered players. You’ll gain access to more then 100,000 tournaments per month, offering its partners a premium poker product.
Backed by top notch software, customer service, and a reputation that proceeds its mass appeal, Bodog.ca offers players bonuses and promotions that are innovative as well as exciting.
Eligible players can claim a match of 100% up to $400 to play their favorite slot games and 100% up to $200 on their favorite table games. Players are eligible to claim both codes totaling $600 in bonuses!
So if your looking for an exciting, fun and rewarding online gambling experience then give Bodog.ca a spin!
CS Report Reviews Bodog Canada, Premier Online Gaming Operator | CS Report
Bodog.ca
Bodog Asia (bodog88-com)
Bovada.lv
Recently, we reported that TLC88-com, the Asian facing community-based gaming site, will add poker to its casino and sports betting product via the Bodog Poker Network.
However, through the ups and downs faced by the gambling operator it has always remained a respected and reputable brand constantly vying for the top spot as an online casino, sportsbook and poker room.
Bodog Canada is the most sought out online gambling operator in Canada making it the place to be for slot players, poker players and straight up, “Ballin Playa’s!”
The Bodog Network makes use of an international client base with millions of registered players. You’ll gain access to more then 100,000 tournaments per month, offering its partners a premium poker product.
Backed by top notch software, customer service, and a reputation that proceeds its mass appeal, Bodog.ca offers players bonuses and promotions that are innovative as well as exciting.
Eligible players can claim a match of 100% up to $400 to play their favorite slot games and 100% up to $200 on their favorite table games. Players are eligible to claim both codes totaling $600 in bonuses!
So if your looking for an exciting, fun and rewarding online gambling experience then give Bodog.ca a spin!
CS Report Reviews Bodog Canada, Premier Online Gaming Operator | CS Report
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2006/12/07
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As Nevada moves toward launching real-money online poker, there are several concepts to keep in mind about the complexities of the emerging industry.
Consider:
• It is unclear whether Congress will approve Sen. Harry Reid’s Nevada-friendly plan to limit American online gambling to player-to-player poker, horse racing and lottery tickets or whether legislators will favor a more comprehensive federal plan.
By limiting the scope of play online, Reid hopes to protect Nevada’s casinos from Internet competition while also boosting the state as a leader in the development and regulation of the national online poker industry.
Keep in mind: player-to-player poker is the game played at the World Series of Poker. It’s not video poker.
• Without federal action, Internet poker likely will be approved and regulated on a state-by-state basis, like the lottery. Poker operators likely will face different rules and taxes by state. There will be no federal oversight, and Nevada regulators may not play the important regulatory role Reid envisioned.
• While the American Gaming Association, like Reid, is pushing for limited online gambling, some casino and lottery industry executives already are advocating for more online games. They hope to see Internet play expanded to online video poker, slot machines and blackjack. Internet casinos with such games already operate in Europe. Advocates see them as the next logical step in the United States.
• It is unclear how Nevada’s existing brick-and-mortar casinos would be affected by online competition. Some analysts say as many as 9,000 jobs would be created here if limited online gaming is legislated and Nevada regulators take the lead in supervising it and its expansion. Nevada would be cemented as the center of the U.S. online poker industry.
On the flip side, experts differ in opinion about how the development of online casinos would affect visitation to Las Vegas’ resorts.
• It’s unclear whether the launch of Nevada’s intrastate online poker at the end of this year or early next year will be a big money maker. Some analysts say California and other populous states would have to authorize it and allow Nevada-based sites to serve those players in order for online poker to be a big business here.
The political situation
Nevada regulators have approved or given initial approvals to 16 companies that want to participate in intrastate online poker. But Congress so far has been reluctant to limit online gambling to just poker.
That means that while Nevada may start with online poker, other states could move forward with different types of Internet gaming. In fact, some already have, with online lottery ticket sales in Illinois and the approval of online casinos in Delaware.
States were given the right to legislate online gambling late last year when the Justice Department issued a new interpretation of a federal law that until then had blocked online poker and casinos, even in Nevada.
Critics see efforts to limit online gambling to poker as an attack on state authority.
“We urge you again to involve the states collectively in the development of possible legislation to regulate Internet gaming,” the National Governors Association wrote to Reid. “We oppose the draft Senate legislation in its current form as an unnecessary preemption of state authority.”
Gov. Brian Sandoval bucked his colleagues on the issue and issued his own letter supporting Reid’s approach.
“While many states have long-standing proficiency in regulating brick-and-mortar gaming within their boundaries, the advent of Internet gaming has introduced a borderless element that state regulation alone cannot address,” Sandoval wrote.
Sandoval’s position falls in line with most of the casino industry, represented by the American Gaming Association. They argue a federal solution is needed to keep minors from gambling online, prevent fraud and money laundering, address problem gambling and ensure that players aren’t being cheated.
“Without a federal overlay, there will be a patchwork quilt of rules and regulations that will prove confusing for customers and difficult for law enforcement to manage,” AGA officials said.
Some states see Reid’s plan as unfairly benefiting Nevada.
“This proposed legislation will primarily benefit the state of Nevada and the casino industry. The federal government should not encroach on states’ rights to implement and regulate Internet gaming within their own borders,” Kentucky officials argued.
“We can only assume that the act is a blatant, unwarranted and inappropriate attempt to secure first-mover advantage in the online gaming space for Nevada,” Massachusetts representatives wrote.
Casino executives, recognizing the political climate, have in recent weeks discussed with increasing frequency the likelihood that Internet poker will be adopted on a state-by-state basis with states potentially teaming up via compact and creating larger money pools to attract online players.
The expectations
Projections differ markedly about how Nevada’s intrastate player-to-player poker industry would perform once it launches.
Caesars Entertainment executive Jacqueline Beato called it insignificant in terms of profits.
“We think Nevada will be fairly insignificant to our results, but there’s more excitement about proof of concept and the fact that this can be done,” Beato told investors during a recent conference. Caesars expects online poker to go live in the first quarter of 2013. “Similar to land-based casinos, we think Nevada being first to market and showing this can be done is really going to help those other states that will likely provide more profits, like California and New Jersey. Those are big states that will have meaningful impact on the online gaming world.”
But Bob Boughner, a Boyd Gaming executive, told Nevada gaming regulators his company sees online poker as potentially doubling the state’s player-to-pla
Consider:
• It is unclear whether Congress will approve Sen. Harry Reid’s Nevada-friendly plan to limit American online gambling to player-to-player poker, horse racing and lottery tickets or whether legislators will favor a more comprehensive federal plan.
By limiting the scope of play online, Reid hopes to protect Nevada’s casinos from Internet competition while also boosting the state as a leader in the development and regulation of the national online poker industry.
Keep in mind: player-to-player poker is the game played at the World Series of Poker. It’s not video poker.
• Without federal action, Internet poker likely will be approved and regulated on a state-by-state basis, like the lottery. Poker operators likely will face different rules and taxes by state. There will be no federal oversight, and Nevada regulators may not play the important regulatory role Reid envisioned.
• While the American Gaming Association, like Reid, is pushing for limited online gambling, some casino and lottery industry executives already are advocating for more online games. They hope to see Internet play expanded to online video poker, slot machines and blackjack. Internet casinos with such games already operate in Europe. Advocates see them as the next logical step in the United States.
• It is unclear how Nevada’s existing brick-and-mortar casinos would be affected by online competition. Some analysts say as many as 9,000 jobs would be created here if limited online gaming is legislated and Nevada regulators take the lead in supervising it and its expansion. Nevada would be cemented as the center of the U.S. online poker industry.
On the flip side, experts differ in opinion about how the development of online casinos would affect visitation to Las Vegas’ resorts.
• It’s unclear whether the launch of Nevada’s intrastate online poker at the end of this year or early next year will be a big money maker. Some analysts say California and other populous states would have to authorize it and allow Nevada-based sites to serve those players in order for online poker to be a big business here.
The political situation
Nevada regulators have approved or given initial approvals to 16 companies that want to participate in intrastate online poker. But Congress so far has been reluctant to limit online gambling to just poker.
That means that while Nevada may start with online poker, other states could move forward with different types of Internet gaming. In fact, some already have, with online lottery ticket sales in Illinois and the approval of online casinos in Delaware.
States were given the right to legislate online gambling late last year when the Justice Department issued a new interpretation of a federal law that until then had blocked online poker and casinos, even in Nevada.
Critics see efforts to limit online gambling to poker as an attack on state authority.
“We urge you again to involve the states collectively in the development of possible legislation to regulate Internet gaming,” the National Governors Association wrote to Reid. “We oppose the draft Senate legislation in its current form as an unnecessary preemption of state authority.”
Gov. Brian Sandoval bucked his colleagues on the issue and issued his own letter supporting Reid’s approach.
“While many states have long-standing proficiency in regulating brick-and-mortar gaming within their boundaries, the advent of Internet gaming has introduced a borderless element that state regulation alone cannot address,” Sandoval wrote.
Sandoval’s position falls in line with most of the casino industry, represented by the American Gaming Association. They argue a federal solution is needed to keep minors from gambling online, prevent fraud and money laundering, address problem gambling and ensure that players aren’t being cheated.
“Without a federal overlay, there will be a patchwork quilt of rules and regulations that will prove confusing for customers and difficult for law enforcement to manage,” AGA officials said.
Some states see Reid’s plan as unfairly benefiting Nevada.
“This proposed legislation will primarily benefit the state of Nevada and the casino industry. The federal government should not encroach on states’ rights to implement and regulate Internet gaming within their own borders,” Kentucky officials argued.
“We can only assume that the act is a blatant, unwarranted and inappropriate attempt to secure first-mover advantage in the online gaming space for Nevada,” Massachusetts representatives wrote.
Casino executives, recognizing the political climate, have in recent weeks discussed with increasing frequency the likelihood that Internet poker will be adopted on a state-by-state basis with states potentially teaming up via compact and creating larger money pools to attract online players.
The expectations
Projections differ markedly about how Nevada’s intrastate player-to-player poker industry would perform once it launches.
Caesars Entertainment executive Jacqueline Beato called it insignificant in terms of profits.
“We think Nevada will be fairly insignificant to our results, but there’s more excitement about proof of concept and the fact that this can be done,” Beato told investors during a recent conference. Caesars expects online poker to go live in the first quarter of 2013. “Similar to land-based casinos, we think Nevada being first to market and showing this can be done is really going to help those other states that will likely provide more profits, like California and New Jersey. Those are big states that will have meaningful impact on the online gaming world.”
But Bob Boughner, a Boyd Gaming executive, told Nevada gaming regulators his company sees online poker as potentially doubling the state’s player-to-pla
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Brand new to the poker training site Tournament Poker Edge is a new podcast called the Chirp Herm Show featuring Mark Herm (pictured), better known in online poker circles as Dipthrong. The show is a little bit different from your standard podcasts that talk about poker news and strategy. Instead, the Chirp Herm Show investigates the poker lifestyle and the issues surrounding it.
Herm commented in a press release distributed by Tournament Poker Edge in recent days, "The show is about poker, but more just my life. I am a recovering alcoholic/addict in the poker community and have been involved in internet poker and backing for as long as it has been around. I talk a lot about my battles with addiction and how it has given me a new lease on life and tons of other stuff. I'm interested in poker gossip and relationships in general."
We told you this podcast from Tournament Poker Edge was a little different than normal. Tournament Poker Edge Co-Founder Derek Tenbusch added in the same release, "I was really excited when we first started talking to Mark about this podcast. However, when I heard the first episode that he sent me, I knew we had something really special on our hands. And based on the early response from listeners, it seems like we were right."
Four episodes of the Chirp Herm Show have been released over the last two weeks. The inaugural show featured an introduction from Herm about his battles with substance abuse and previewed what listeners could expect in the episodes to come. It was released on November 5 and runs for 46 minutes.
The second episode of the Chirp Herm Show featured Amanda Musumeci, a former Bodog pro who bantered about her various poker accomplishments, differences between live and online poker, and her relationship with poker pro Ryan Eriquezzo. The latter is the featured interviewee on the most recent edition, which was released on November 19. Eriquezzo, like Herm, has battled substance abuse and talks about it candidly and openly on the Chirp Herm Show.
The fourth installment of the Chirp Herm Show came out on November 13 and starred Paul "paulgees81" Volpe, a former #1 ranked player on PocketFives. Volpe has over $4 million in tracked online MTT cashes in his PocketFives profile and spoke about his deep run in the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event. Apparently, Volpe also spoke about Match-com in his appearance.
Herm formerly backed a host of poker players and has over $3 million in tracked online MTT cashes in his PocketFives profile. He has exactly 90 tracked wins on the site, including victories in the PokerStars Sunday Million and Full Tilt $750,000 Guaranteed for $229,000 and $147,000, respectively. He also tasted victory in the PokerStars $250,000 Guaranteed way back in 2008 for $91,000.
We should probably spend a few minutes talking about Tournament Poker Edge. The poker training site focuses primarily on providing MTT instruction for poker hopefuls. A subscription to Tournament Poker Edge will run you $23.95 per month and, unlike other training sites, there is no signup fee. You can also opt for a $69.95 quarterly subscription (a savings of $25.85) or a $239.95 annual subscription (a savings of $47.45).
Tournament Poker Edge's stable of pros includes brand names like Casey 'bigdogpckt5s" Jarzabek, Mike "goleafsgoeh" Leah, and Justin "looshle" Pechie. Learn more by visiting Tournament Poker Edge. Make sure to catch the Chirp Herm Show while you're there.
Tournament Poker Edge Launches Chirp Herm Show Featuring Mark Herm
Herm commented in a press release distributed by Tournament Poker Edge in recent days, "The show is about poker, but more just my life. I am a recovering alcoholic/addict in the poker community and have been involved in internet poker and backing for as long as it has been around. I talk a lot about my battles with addiction and how it has given me a new lease on life and tons of other stuff. I'm interested in poker gossip and relationships in general."
We told you this podcast from Tournament Poker Edge was a little different than normal. Tournament Poker Edge Co-Founder Derek Tenbusch added in the same release, "I was really excited when we first started talking to Mark about this podcast. However, when I heard the first episode that he sent me, I knew we had something really special on our hands. And based on the early response from listeners, it seems like we were right."
Four episodes of the Chirp Herm Show have been released over the last two weeks. The inaugural show featured an introduction from Herm about his battles with substance abuse and previewed what listeners could expect in the episodes to come. It was released on November 5 and runs for 46 minutes.
The second episode of the Chirp Herm Show featured Amanda Musumeci, a former Bodog pro who bantered about her various poker accomplishments, differences between live and online poker, and her relationship with poker pro Ryan Eriquezzo. The latter is the featured interviewee on the most recent edition, which was released on November 19. Eriquezzo, like Herm, has battled substance abuse and talks about it candidly and openly on the Chirp Herm Show.
The fourth installment of the Chirp Herm Show came out on November 13 and starred Paul "paulgees81" Volpe, a former #1 ranked player on PocketFives. Volpe has over $4 million in tracked online MTT cashes in his PocketFives profile and spoke about his deep run in the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event. Apparently, Volpe also spoke about Match-com in his appearance.
Herm formerly backed a host of poker players and has over $3 million in tracked online MTT cashes in his PocketFives profile. He has exactly 90 tracked wins on the site, including victories in the PokerStars Sunday Million and Full Tilt $750,000 Guaranteed for $229,000 and $147,000, respectively. He also tasted victory in the PokerStars $250,000 Guaranteed way back in 2008 for $91,000.
We should probably spend a few minutes talking about Tournament Poker Edge. The poker training site focuses primarily on providing MTT instruction for poker hopefuls. A subscription to Tournament Poker Edge will run you $23.95 per month and, unlike other training sites, there is no signup fee. You can also opt for a $69.95 quarterly subscription (a savings of $25.85) or a $239.95 annual subscription (a savings of $47.45).
Tournament Poker Edge's stable of pros includes brand names like Casey 'bigdogpckt5s" Jarzabek, Mike "goleafsgoeh" Leah, and Justin "looshle" Pechie. Learn more by visiting Tournament Poker Edge. Make sure to catch the Chirp Herm Show while you're there.
Tournament Poker Edge Launches Chirp Herm Show Featuring Mark Herm
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Instructional site IveyPoker-com just announced that top pro Cole South had joined its team of professionals, which also includes Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Jennifer Harman, and 2012 WSOP Main Event winner Greg Merson.
The 24 year-old first started playing online poker back in 2005, having depositing $50 into his account and hitting the small stakes cash tables. A year later he had run his bankroll up to $13,000 and then after moving onto the high stakes online games, South’s bankroll exceeded $2 million by the end of the following year.
Not surprisingly, Cole South is well experienced in the swings associated with playing against high stakes players, such as Tom Dwan, Illari Sahamies and Viktor Blom. The former Full Tilt Poker Red Pro, for instance, won more than $3.5 million in February, 2010, before losing $2.6 million the following month. In addition, South has won $1.1 million in a single day’s play, only to later lose $1million over a similar amount of time.
Interestingly, the cash game specialist doesn’t tend to play tournaments, and a quick glance at his live results show that he has cashed in just two live events. However, both those events were the WSOP Main Event, where in 2009 he finished 162nd out of 6,494 entries for $40,288, and in 2010 in 365th out of 7,319 players for $36,463.
Cole South will undoubtedly prove a valuable addition to IveyPoker-com, as he is not only a talented player but also has a deep knowledge of the game. His past entrepreneurial endeavors include being co-owner of Cardrunners-com, as well as being the author of the excellent NL cash game poker book “Let There Be Range,” albeit with a $1,850 price tag.
As Cole South lines-up with the other pros at IveyPoker-com, the site has already begun accepting sign-ups and recently announced it was “in the final stages of developing an innovative social poker game that also provides poker training content from some of the world’s top pros.”
Cole South Joins IveyPoker-com
The 24 year-old first started playing online poker back in 2005, having depositing $50 into his account and hitting the small stakes cash tables. A year later he had run his bankroll up to $13,000 and then after moving onto the high stakes online games, South’s bankroll exceeded $2 million by the end of the following year.
Not surprisingly, Cole South is well experienced in the swings associated with playing against high stakes players, such as Tom Dwan, Illari Sahamies and Viktor Blom. The former Full Tilt Poker Red Pro, for instance, won more than $3.5 million in February, 2010, before losing $2.6 million the following month. In addition, South has won $1.1 million in a single day’s play, only to later lose $1million over a similar amount of time.
Interestingly, the cash game specialist doesn’t tend to play tournaments, and a quick glance at his live results show that he has cashed in just two live events. However, both those events were the WSOP Main Event, where in 2009 he finished 162nd out of 6,494 entries for $40,288, and in 2010 in 365th out of 7,319 players for $36,463.
Cole South will undoubtedly prove a valuable addition to IveyPoker-com, as he is not only a talented player but also has a deep knowledge of the game. His past entrepreneurial endeavors include being co-owner of Cardrunners-com, as well as being the author of the excellent NL cash game poker book “Let There Be Range,” albeit with a $1,850 price tag.
As Cole South lines-up with the other pros at IveyPoker-com, the site has already begun accepting sign-ups and recently announced it was “in the final stages of developing an innovative social poker game that also provides poker training content from some of the world’s top pros.”
Cole South Joins IveyPoker-com
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2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
A bill to legalize online poker that is being written in Congress and that Nevada senators are trying to pass by the end of the year could be challenged in court and found unconstitutional, according to a legal analysis by a former top government attorney.
The bill would set up a framework to license and regulate Internet poker companies, and to nourish a U.S.-based online poker industry. But former U.S. solicitor general Paul Clement said he found flaws in segments of the bill that seek to punish overseas providers that ran games in the United States and continued to take bets from U.S. players even after Congress passed online restrictions in 2006.
The so-called "penalty box" provisions would prohibit those companies from applying for an online poker license for five years, and from selling their trademarks or software to others seeking a license.
Clement said the bill being formed by Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., "raises serious due process concerns."
He said it would deprive the providers of "significant property interest," and could be considered an unconstitutional "bill of attainder" because it effectively singles out a group for punishment without adequate protections for their rights.
Clement said he found similar flaws in an online poker bill that Reid and Kyl proposed late in 2010.
"In my view, the 2012 act suffers from the exact same problems as the 2010 act, and in some instances, the 2012 act's constitutional infirmities are even more pronounced," Clement said in a five-page memo sent to Kyl on Oct. 31.
Neither Kyl nor Reid commented Tuesday on the Clement analysis. Similarly, Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who is involved in efforts to get the bill passed, was silent. In response to previous questions, a Reid spokeswoman has emphasized the bill is a draft version that was still being written.
Clement, who specializes in constitutional law, served as U.S. solicitor general from June 2005 until June 2008, representing the government in more than 60 cases argued before the Supreme Court.
Now in private practice, Clement analyzed the draft bill at the request of the Poker Players Alliance, which supports making it legal to play poker online but which also has called for changes in the Reid-Kyl draft. Among them: relaxed restrictions on overseas providers, and broadening the landscape so U.S. players can compete against counterparts from other countries.
The legal objection is one more potential obstacle facing proponents of the gaming bill as Congress nears the end of its 2011-12 session. While it would legalize online poker and benefit the state of Nevada and its casino companies that are at the front of the Internet poker line, it would clamp restrictions on most all other forms of Internet gaming.
Groups including the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures have raised objections to the draft, seeing it as limiting states' opportunities to raise revenue from online lotteries and other forms of gambling.
Reid said last week he was still looking for an opportunity to move the legislation through the Senate.
"We don't have a path forward right now, but we're working" on it, he told a National Journal reporter.
The "penalty box" was aimed at companies like PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker, whose owners were arrested and had their sites shut down on April 15, 2011, what became known in the poker world as Black Friday. The executives and the companies were charged with money laundering and evading federal gaming restrictions.
Under an agreement reached with the Justice Department on Aug. 1, PokerStars agreed to pay $731 million to the government and to buy and operate Full Tilt, which had gone out of business. A portion of the settlement will be used to pay back U.S. players who are owed money by Full Tilt.
The deal allowed PokerStars to reopen for business in the United States if and when online poker becames legal. In a separate agreement, Absolute Poker forfeited its assets to the government.
Anticipating legal challenges, the Reid-Kyl draft includes a boiler-plate severability clause that says if any provision is declared unconstitutional, the remainder stays in effect.
The penalty box provisions enjoy support from the American Gaming Association, the government affairs arm of the U.S. commercial gaming industry whose president, Frank Fahrenkopf, said there was a reason for restrictions.
"A key strength of this draft legislation is its focus on eliminating illegal Internet gambling and penalizing those who violate U.S. law," Fahrenkopf said in a statement Tuesday. "The draft clarifies and restores federal laws, giving law enforcement communities the tools necessary to prosecute illegal online gambling operators and keep them out of the U.S. market once and for all."
New questions raised on Internet poker bill - Business - ReviewJournal-com
The bill would set up a framework to license and regulate Internet poker companies, and to nourish a U.S.-based online poker industry. But former U.S. solicitor general Paul Clement said he found flaws in segments of the bill that seek to punish overseas providers that ran games in the United States and continued to take bets from U.S. players even after Congress passed online restrictions in 2006.
The so-called "penalty box" provisions would prohibit those companies from applying for an online poker license for five years, and from selling their trademarks or software to others seeking a license.
Clement said the bill being formed by Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., "raises serious due process concerns."
He said it would deprive the providers of "significant property interest," and could be considered an unconstitutional "bill of attainder" because it effectively singles out a group for punishment without adequate protections for their rights.
Clement said he found similar flaws in an online poker bill that Reid and Kyl proposed late in 2010.
"In my view, the 2012 act suffers from the exact same problems as the 2010 act, and in some instances, the 2012 act's constitutional infirmities are even more pronounced," Clement said in a five-page memo sent to Kyl on Oct. 31.
Neither Kyl nor Reid commented Tuesday on the Clement analysis. Similarly, Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who is involved in efforts to get the bill passed, was silent. In response to previous questions, a Reid spokeswoman has emphasized the bill is a draft version that was still being written.
Clement, who specializes in constitutional law, served as U.S. solicitor general from June 2005 until June 2008, representing the government in more than 60 cases argued before the Supreme Court.
Now in private practice, Clement analyzed the draft bill at the request of the Poker Players Alliance, which supports making it legal to play poker online but which also has called for changes in the Reid-Kyl draft. Among them: relaxed restrictions on overseas providers, and broadening the landscape so U.S. players can compete against counterparts from other countries.
The legal objection is one more potential obstacle facing proponents of the gaming bill as Congress nears the end of its 2011-12 session. While it would legalize online poker and benefit the state of Nevada and its casino companies that are at the front of the Internet poker line, it would clamp restrictions on most all other forms of Internet gaming.
Groups including the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures have raised objections to the draft, seeing it as limiting states' opportunities to raise revenue from online lotteries and other forms of gambling.
Reid said last week he was still looking for an opportunity to move the legislation through the Senate.
"We don't have a path forward right now, but we're working" on it, he told a National Journal reporter.
The "penalty box" was aimed at companies like PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker, whose owners were arrested and had their sites shut down on April 15, 2011, what became known in the poker world as Black Friday. The executives and the companies were charged with money laundering and evading federal gaming restrictions.
Under an agreement reached with the Justice Department on Aug. 1, PokerStars agreed to pay $731 million to the government and to buy and operate Full Tilt, which had gone out of business. A portion of the settlement will be used to pay back U.S. players who are owed money by Full Tilt.
The deal allowed PokerStars to reopen for business in the United States if and when online poker becames legal. In a separate agreement, Absolute Poker forfeited its assets to the government.
Anticipating legal challenges, the Reid-Kyl draft includes a boiler-plate severability clause that says if any provision is declared unconstitutional, the remainder stays in effect.
The penalty box provisions enjoy support from the American Gaming Association, the government affairs arm of the U.S. commercial gaming industry whose president, Frank Fahrenkopf, said there was a reason for restrictions.
"A key strength of this draft legislation is its focus on eliminating illegal Internet gambling and penalizing those who violate U.S. law," Fahrenkopf said in a statement Tuesday. "The draft clarifies and restores federal laws, giving law enforcement communities the tools necessary to prosecute illegal online gambling operators and keep them out of the U.S. market once and for all."
New questions raised on Internet poker bill - Business - ReviewJournal-com
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2006/12/07
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For a long time, Spain has witnessed the proliferation of Internet-based gambling. All the gambling sites have operated without license from the central government. That was until May 2012 when Spain enacted the Spanish Gambling Act. Since then, the industry has been regulated, resulting in a commendable growth. As a result, Spain is now a leading market for online gaming operators.
The above Act was first enforced in June. Four months later, the government has collected an upwards of €77 million. Generally, a 25% tax is levied on revenue earned from gambling. Of the €77 million collected after the enactment of the new regulation, €27.5 million was for the month of September.
These figures are a reflection of the enormous growth registered by the online poker industry. The number of online Spanish players is on the rise. The same is true for the amounts players have placed at stake. For instance, there is a monthly growth rate of around 100,000 players for people who gamble using money. Presently, it stands at approximately 700,000 players which is around 1.5% of the Spanish population.
In June, online bets for poker alone amassed €87 million. This rose to €114 then €119 and finally €131 million for the period July to September. As a result, poker represents a 36% share of the internet gambling industry. However, sports’ gambling still leads with a 42% share. Casinos and other betting games have an 18% share of the entire stakes placed.
As a result, the Spanish poker market has become extremely lucrative. Operators of online gaming sites, poker in particular, are getting good money. For instance, PokerStars had an industry growth of 30% three months ago. Presently, they are at 70% making them a dominant force in the online Spanish poker industry. PokerStars has an upwards of 1,450 players who bet with real money. The numbers show an increase of 40% from June when the regulation was enacted.
Online poker has become a huge success and shows a huge potential for growth in Spain and worldwide. The Spanish poker story heralds the benefits an economy can enjoy as a result of regulating the gambling industry. Under such conditions, players feel safe when placing bets. Companies can make use of healthy business strategies that will bring in more players to their online games, while at the same time amassing tax revenue for needy governments.
Gaming Regulations Boost Online Poker
The above Act was first enforced in June. Four months later, the government has collected an upwards of €77 million. Generally, a 25% tax is levied on revenue earned from gambling. Of the €77 million collected after the enactment of the new regulation, €27.5 million was for the month of September.
These figures are a reflection of the enormous growth registered by the online poker industry. The number of online Spanish players is on the rise. The same is true for the amounts players have placed at stake. For instance, there is a monthly growth rate of around 100,000 players for people who gamble using money. Presently, it stands at approximately 700,000 players which is around 1.5% of the Spanish population.
In June, online bets for poker alone amassed €87 million. This rose to €114 then €119 and finally €131 million for the period July to September. As a result, poker represents a 36% share of the internet gambling industry. However, sports’ gambling still leads with a 42% share. Casinos and other betting games have an 18% share of the entire stakes placed.
As a result, the Spanish poker market has become extremely lucrative. Operators of online gaming sites, poker in particular, are getting good money. For instance, PokerStars had an industry growth of 30% three months ago. Presently, they are at 70% making them a dominant force in the online Spanish poker industry. PokerStars has an upwards of 1,450 players who bet with real money. The numbers show an increase of 40% from June when the regulation was enacted.
Online poker has become a huge success and shows a huge potential for growth in Spain and worldwide. The Spanish poker story heralds the benefits an economy can enjoy as a result of regulating the gambling industry. Under such conditions, players feel safe when placing bets. Companies can make use of healthy business strategies that will bring in more players to their online games, while at the same time amassing tax revenue for needy governments.
Gaming Regulations Boost Online Poker
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2006/12/07
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The Poker Players Alliance has asked Sens. Harry Reid and Jon Kyl to change their draft bill which would regulate online poker. The alliance wrote to the senators and expressed support for the bill, in particular praising its “strong consumer protections” and “solid framework” for regulation. However, they have also asked for a number of changes.
The group wants to see a shortening of the 15-month delay on legal poker site operation required by the bill, they also want to make it easier for states to states to opt in and for Americans to play against people from other countries.
The draft outlines plans to create an Office of Online Poker Oversight within the Department of Commerce and ban all other forms of internet gambling. It would also prevent any state-level effort to offer different forms of gambling.
The alliance is unhappy with the provision in the draft that requires state legislature vote to opt into the federal poker system and a prohibition on participation by Native American tribes if they states don’t opt in.
The alliance also argued that the 15-month delay outlined in the bill is asking too much of poker enthusiasts.
Furthermore the group argued against the provisions which stopped Americans playing on sites based offshore and foreigners playing on American sites.
Poker Players Alliance Requires Amendments to Draft Poker Bill - Online Casino Archives
The group wants to see a shortening of the 15-month delay on legal poker site operation required by the bill, they also want to make it easier for states to states to opt in and for Americans to play against people from other countries.
The draft outlines plans to create an Office of Online Poker Oversight within the Department of Commerce and ban all other forms of internet gambling. It would also prevent any state-level effort to offer different forms of gambling.
The alliance is unhappy with the provision in the draft that requires state legislature vote to opt into the federal poker system and a prohibition on participation by Native American tribes if they states don’t opt in.
The alliance also argued that the 15-month delay outlined in the bill is asking too much of poker enthusiasts.
Furthermore the group argued against the provisions which stopped Americans playing on sites based offshore and foreigners playing on American sites.
Poker Players Alliance Requires Amendments to Draft Poker Bill - Online Casino Archives
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2006/12/07
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We have entered the lame-duck legislative period that has been pointed to all year as the best chance to pass legislation to license and regulate Internet poker.
Likely heating up following Thanksgiving and going until shortly before Christmas, there will be a short window for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ari.) to attach their bill to must-pass legislation.
The election unfolded in the best possible way for poker, with the status quo of Obama remaining president and the legislative branches split between a Democratic majority in the Senate and a Republican majority in the House. This status quo should foster an atmosphere of compromise conducive to getting legislation through during the year-end session.
"I don't think anything happened that is going to make a bill impossible during the lame duck," said John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance. "That certainly doesn't mean it's a slam dunk. We've got a lot of work to do. As Congress returned, we've spent a lot of time trying to get back in touch with staff and others to see what they are going to be working on. The key for us is to find a legislative vehicle to be part of. It's still unclear what they intend to accomplish between now and Christmas."
As will always be the case until it happens, getting poker legislation through this year appears to be a long shot. The issue doesn't have much momentum right now, but deals are made quickly during the lame-duck session and there are more positive factors than ever before.
Two years ago, Reid's poker proposal came out of nowhere to be mentioned for consideration during the lame-duck session. This time a summary and then first draft of the legislation has been out there for concerned parties to get to know it and address any issues they may have with it.
The Justice Department's decision late last year that The Wire Act applies only to sports betting opened the door for Internet gambling to progress at the state level. The Reid-Kyl bill is worded in a way that allows for poker while prohibiting most forms of Internet gambling. This could make the bill agreeable both to lawmakers who support an individual's right to play online poker and to the moral police who want to curtail Internet gambling as much as possible.
This is the last chance for Kyl, who is retiring, to strengthen the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act before he leaves office. It's also the last chance for one of online poker's original champions, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), to help through legislation before he retires.
If federal legislation doesn't pass before the end of the year, some states are sure to move forward with online gambling on their own. Nevada is poised to be the first state to go live with online poker, having already awarded licenses to such casino companies as MGM, Boyd Gaming, the Golden Nugget, South Point and Bally Technologies. Delaware passed legislation this year that will include all forms of Internet gambling being offered through its state lottery. Illinois is moving ahead with online lottery tickets, which have little difference from slot machines. More are likely to make their move next year, creating varying rules and regulations covering online gambling between states.
These are all reasons for federal lawmakers to make a move now. Reid and his recently reelected Senate counterpart in Nevada, Republican Dean Heller, appear to have put their campaign negativity behind them. They will need to work together to get support from both sides of the aisle on attaching the bill.
"I think what happened before (between Reid and Heller) was electioneering and not an indication of a real disconnect between the two Senators," Pappas said.
The problem is that the future of Internet gambling could get lost in the worry of resolving the fiscal cliff. Of course, regulating online poker never was going to be a focal point in the lame-duck session. It's a secondary issue that could be bargained on to must-pass legislation if enough key players want it there. But the bills needed to avoid the fiscal cliff, which would include increasing the debt ceiling and extending tax cuts, could me deemed too important to haggle over attaching what the legislature would consider a small matter.
Powerful opponents also remain in Indian tribes, state lotteries, state governors and the religious right.
But if Kyl and Reid are willing to push strongly to get their bill attached, anything can happen. These are two influential Senators who know how to play the political game. Reid seems willing to do what he can for his Nevada casino constituents. It could all come down to how much Kyl really cares about strengthening his baby, the UIGEA, before he leaves office.
"I think this bill will be on the table in any substantial legislation to be passed in the lame duck," Pappas said. "Our chances improved with the election, but we're still an underdog."
Read more: What are Online Poker's Chances During the Congressional Lame-Duck Session? | PokerNews
Likely heating up following Thanksgiving and going until shortly before Christmas, there will be a short window for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ari.) to attach their bill to must-pass legislation.
The election unfolded in the best possible way for poker, with the status quo of Obama remaining president and the legislative branches split between a Democratic majority in the Senate and a Republican majority in the House. This status quo should foster an atmosphere of compromise conducive to getting legislation through during the year-end session.
"I don't think anything happened that is going to make a bill impossible during the lame duck," said John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance. "That certainly doesn't mean it's a slam dunk. We've got a lot of work to do. As Congress returned, we've spent a lot of time trying to get back in touch with staff and others to see what they are going to be working on. The key for us is to find a legislative vehicle to be part of. It's still unclear what they intend to accomplish between now and Christmas."
As will always be the case until it happens, getting poker legislation through this year appears to be a long shot. The issue doesn't have much momentum right now, but deals are made quickly during the lame-duck session and there are more positive factors than ever before.
Two years ago, Reid's poker proposal came out of nowhere to be mentioned for consideration during the lame-duck session. This time a summary and then first draft of the legislation has been out there for concerned parties to get to know it and address any issues they may have with it.
The Justice Department's decision late last year that The Wire Act applies only to sports betting opened the door for Internet gambling to progress at the state level. The Reid-Kyl bill is worded in a way that allows for poker while prohibiting most forms of Internet gambling. This could make the bill agreeable both to lawmakers who support an individual's right to play online poker and to the moral police who want to curtail Internet gambling as much as possible.
This is the last chance for Kyl, who is retiring, to strengthen the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act before he leaves office. It's also the last chance for one of online poker's original champions, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), to help through legislation before he retires.
If federal legislation doesn't pass before the end of the year, some states are sure to move forward with online gambling on their own. Nevada is poised to be the first state to go live with online poker, having already awarded licenses to such casino companies as MGM, Boyd Gaming, the Golden Nugget, South Point and Bally Technologies. Delaware passed legislation this year that will include all forms of Internet gambling being offered through its state lottery. Illinois is moving ahead with online lottery tickets, which have little difference from slot machines. More are likely to make their move next year, creating varying rules and regulations covering online gambling between states.
These are all reasons for federal lawmakers to make a move now. Reid and his recently reelected Senate counterpart in Nevada, Republican Dean Heller, appear to have put their campaign negativity behind them. They will need to work together to get support from both sides of the aisle on attaching the bill.
"I think what happened before (between Reid and Heller) was electioneering and not an indication of a real disconnect between the two Senators," Pappas said.
The problem is that the future of Internet gambling could get lost in the worry of resolving the fiscal cliff. Of course, regulating online poker never was going to be a focal point in the lame-duck session. It's a secondary issue that could be bargained on to must-pass legislation if enough key players want it there. But the bills needed to avoid the fiscal cliff, which would include increasing the debt ceiling and extending tax cuts, could me deemed too important to haggle over attaching what the legislature would consider a small matter.
Powerful opponents also remain in Indian tribes, state lotteries, state governors and the religious right.
But if Kyl and Reid are willing to push strongly to get their bill attached, anything can happen. These are two influential Senators who know how to play the political game. Reid seems willing to do what he can for his Nevada casino constituents. It could all come down to how much Kyl really cares about strengthening his baby, the UIGEA, before he leaves office.
"I think this bill will be on the table in any substantial legislation to be passed in the lame duck," Pappas said. "Our chances improved with the election, but we're still an underdog."
Read more: What are Online Poker's Chances During the Congressional Lame-Duck Session? | PokerNews
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If Congress did manage to pass a poker bill, could it be the next law headed for a constitutional challenge in the courts?
Yes, says Paul Clement, who knows a thing or two about high-profile constitutional challenges: He was the U.S. solicitor-general under former President George W. Bush, and just so happens to be the lawyer who argued against the the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, on behalf of 26 unsatisfied states before the Supreme Court earlier this year.
This time, though, his qualms about constitutionality were raised in response to a request by the Poker Players’ Alliance for his legal opinion on the draft online poker bill currently kicking around the U.S. Senate.
In Clement’s memorandum, passed along to Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl on Oct. 31 and first reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he warns that the draft bill is plagued with several “constitutional infirmities” that make the 2012 draft more of a nonstarter than the 2010 version of the online poker bill, which died during that year’s lame duck congressional session for lack of political support.
Clement’s argument centers on the stepped-up measures the bill takes to ensure that no bad actors enter the online poker market. Like the previous iteration of the poker bill, the 2012 draft gives a mandatory timeout to online poker companies that had been serving U.S. clients and processing their bets despite the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act that made those transactions illegal.
That makes it a bill of attainder, Clement says, and unconstitutional.
Bills of attainder are laws that single out individuals or finite groups and declare them guilty of breaking the law without trial. Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution bans them outright.
“It was difficult to view the 2010 act’s exclusion of those who previously provided Internet poker services as anything other than punitive, and thus the legislation may have amounted to an unconstitutional bill of attainder,” Clement wrote, concluding that the 2012 bill had the same problems, only worse. “Indeed, increasing the initial market exclusion and property restrictions ... only magnifies the adverse economic impact of the market-exclusion and property restriction provisions.”
In the 2010 draft bill, online poker companies that were operating unlawfully were forced to sit in the “penalty box” for 540 days before they could secure an operating license; in the 2012 draft, the cool-off period is five years.
Part of the political hurdle in popularizing an online poker bill have been the moral problems many lawmakers have with gambling. But the safety of the market has been a far greater political problem.
Lawmakers on the fence want to be sure that when endorsing an online poker bill, there are safeguards in place to make sure that operators don’t go after young people or facilitate gambling addiction.
There is also the recent reminder that bad apples in the industry do run afoul of the law: last year, online gaming outfits PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker were charged with bank fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling in New York federal court for running games outside the reach of the law.
Those cases never went to trial, but only because gaming operators struck deals with prosecutors.
There is also the matter of making the bill palatable to the rest of the would-be online poker operating market. The companies who stayed out of the online poker market because it wasn’t legal lost a potentially significant cut of a $25 billion industry; there has been an expectation, across these draft online poker bills, that they will be rewarded for their patience, or at least not snubbed by being put on equal footing with those companies that flouted the law.
Clement isn’t alleging that there aren’t bad actor companies out there who ran afoul of the law. He just says it isn’t fair those companies to box them out of the new poker market without the due legal process, as PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker were given.
“Cutting off prior providers from the newly regulated market deprives them of the expectation that they would have been able to participate in that market, raising serious due process concerns,” Clement wrote. “No notice or hearing is required to accomplish that deprivation — the 2012 act’s passage completes the task.
“In all other contexts, some sort of process would be required in order to deprive the prior providers of their property interests,” Clement continued.
Clement’s argument isn’t singularly focused on the presentation that the draft poker bill amounts to a bill of attainder and a violation of due process, although those are his chief complaints. He also argues, if all else fails, that the 2012 poker draft is illegal because it tramples on states’ rights.
States’ rights have, in a way, been at the heart of this poker bill debate for about a year. Last December, the Department of Justice released its reading of the 1961 Wire Act, finding that gambling online, save for sports betting, was in fact, legal. That opened the floodgates to states looking to legalize online gambling ventures within their borders.
It has also proven to be an incentive to some lawmakers; proponents such as Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and Dean Heller have stressed that part of an online federal poker bill would be concerned with walking that Wire Act reading back.
Clement doesn’t trouble himself with states’ concerns in that regard, however; he simply points out that the requirements for states to opt in or out of the 2012 draft online poker bill reach too deeply into states’ decision-making procedures.
“While allowing a state to decide to participate in the federal licensing scheme through the state’s normal legislative process respects state sovereignty and longstanding principles of federalism, mandating that ‘a majority of a quorum of each chamber of the legislature’ i
Yes, says Paul Clement, who knows a thing or two about high-profile constitutional challenges: He was the U.S. solicitor-general under former President George W. Bush, and just so happens to be the lawyer who argued against the the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, on behalf of 26 unsatisfied states before the Supreme Court earlier this year.
This time, though, his qualms about constitutionality were raised in response to a request by the Poker Players’ Alliance for his legal opinion on the draft online poker bill currently kicking around the U.S. Senate.
In Clement’s memorandum, passed along to Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl on Oct. 31 and first reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he warns that the draft bill is plagued with several “constitutional infirmities” that make the 2012 draft more of a nonstarter than the 2010 version of the online poker bill, which died during that year’s lame duck congressional session for lack of political support.
Clement’s argument centers on the stepped-up measures the bill takes to ensure that no bad actors enter the online poker market. Like the previous iteration of the poker bill, the 2012 draft gives a mandatory timeout to online poker companies that had been serving U.S. clients and processing their bets despite the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act that made those transactions illegal.
That makes it a bill of attainder, Clement says, and unconstitutional.
Bills of attainder are laws that single out individuals or finite groups and declare them guilty of breaking the law without trial. Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution bans them outright.
“It was difficult to view the 2010 act’s exclusion of those who previously provided Internet poker services as anything other than punitive, and thus the legislation may have amounted to an unconstitutional bill of attainder,” Clement wrote, concluding that the 2012 bill had the same problems, only worse. “Indeed, increasing the initial market exclusion and property restrictions ... only magnifies the adverse economic impact of the market-exclusion and property restriction provisions.”
In the 2010 draft bill, online poker companies that were operating unlawfully were forced to sit in the “penalty box” for 540 days before they could secure an operating license; in the 2012 draft, the cool-off period is five years.
Part of the political hurdle in popularizing an online poker bill have been the moral problems many lawmakers have with gambling. But the safety of the market has been a far greater political problem.
Lawmakers on the fence want to be sure that when endorsing an online poker bill, there are safeguards in place to make sure that operators don’t go after young people or facilitate gambling addiction.
There is also the recent reminder that bad apples in the industry do run afoul of the law: last year, online gaming outfits PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker were charged with bank fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling in New York federal court for running games outside the reach of the law.
Those cases never went to trial, but only because gaming operators struck deals with prosecutors.
There is also the matter of making the bill palatable to the rest of the would-be online poker operating market. The companies who stayed out of the online poker market because it wasn’t legal lost a potentially significant cut of a $25 billion industry; there has been an expectation, across these draft online poker bills, that they will be rewarded for their patience, or at least not snubbed by being put on equal footing with those companies that flouted the law.
Clement isn’t alleging that there aren’t bad actor companies out there who ran afoul of the law. He just says it isn’t fair those companies to box them out of the new poker market without the due legal process, as PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker were given.
“Cutting off prior providers from the newly regulated market deprives them of the expectation that they would have been able to participate in that market, raising serious due process concerns,” Clement wrote. “No notice or hearing is required to accomplish that deprivation — the 2012 act’s passage completes the task.
“In all other contexts, some sort of process would be required in order to deprive the prior providers of their property interests,” Clement continued.
Clement’s argument isn’t singularly focused on the presentation that the draft poker bill amounts to a bill of attainder and a violation of due process, although those are his chief complaints. He also argues, if all else fails, that the 2012 poker draft is illegal because it tramples on states’ rights.
States’ rights have, in a way, been at the heart of this poker bill debate for about a year. Last December, the Department of Justice released its reading of the 1961 Wire Act, finding that gambling online, save for sports betting, was in fact, legal. That opened the floodgates to states looking to legalize online gambling ventures within their borders.
It has also proven to be an incentive to some lawmakers; proponents such as Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and Dean Heller have stressed that part of an online federal poker bill would be concerned with walking that Wire Act reading back.
Clement doesn’t trouble himself with states’ concerns in that regard, however; he simply points out that the requirements for states to opt in or out of the 2012 draft online poker bill reach too deeply into states’ decision-making procedures.
“While allowing a state to decide to participate in the federal licensing scheme through the state’s normal legislative process respects state sovereignty and longstanding principles of federalism, mandating that ‘a majority of a quorum of each chamber of the legislature’ i
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2006/12/07
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PokerStars has been top online poker room for many years and in that time; many hands of poker have been dealt. The online poker room has been in operation for eleven years and they are now close to dealing 90 billion poker hands. This is an amazing feat and for the past few years, the online poker room has offered cash prizes for those who are involved in special hands along the path to 100 billion hands.
The 85th billionth hand was dealt this summer, so now the site is gearing up for the 90 billionth hand. PokerStars will be giving away $1 million in cash prizes for the players who are involved in the path to the special hand. The 90 Billionth Hand Promotion at PokerStars will see over 300 players earning a cash prize. The online poker room will be giving away a cash prize from the 89,700,000,000 hand to the 90,000,000,000 hand. Every one millionth hand from these two points will collect cash prizes.
The winner of the 90,000,000,000 hand will earn at least $20,000, not a shabby prize for simply playing poker! Players will need to compete in regular ring games at the cash tables next week to see if they can reach this special milestone hand. The site will offer a real-time counter so players can see how many hands have been completed.
PokerStars has a few tips for players to try and win a cash prize. Players should play at multiple tables, play for longer and be involved in more pots. This will help players stay in the running for a milestone hand. To put it simply, players need to compete! Stay at PokerStars as much as you can to be able to have a shot at winning the large cash prize. Head to PokerStars today to check out the counter and get started competing!
PokerStars Getting Closer To 90 Billionth Hand
The 85th billionth hand was dealt this summer, so now the site is gearing up for the 90 billionth hand. PokerStars will be giving away $1 million in cash prizes for the players who are involved in the path to the special hand. The 90 Billionth Hand Promotion at PokerStars will see over 300 players earning a cash prize. The online poker room will be giving away a cash prize from the 89,700,000,000 hand to the 90,000,000,000 hand. Every one millionth hand from these two points will collect cash prizes.
The winner of the 90,000,000,000 hand will earn at least $20,000, not a shabby prize for simply playing poker! Players will need to compete in regular ring games at the cash tables next week to see if they can reach this special milestone hand. The site will offer a real-time counter so players can see how many hands have been completed.
PokerStars has a few tips for players to try and win a cash prize. Players should play at multiple tables, play for longer and be involved in more pots. This will help players stay in the running for a milestone hand. To put it simply, players need to compete! Stay at PokerStars as much as you can to be able to have a shot at winning the large cash prize. Head to PokerStars today to check out the counter and get started competing!
PokerStars Getting Closer To 90 Billionth Hand
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2006/12/07
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Racing industry lobbyists will be keeping a close eye on Washington, D.C., during this year’s lame-duck session because of a push for a bill that would allow states to legalize online poker.
The bill has a decent chance to pass, according to lobbyists. Many supporters believe a bill expanding Internet gambling would only draw enough votes to pass during a lame-duck session, when support for the legislation isn’t likely to damage to election campaigns. In addition, the re-election of Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada to the position of Senate Majority Leader has emboldened supporters. Reid is the sponsor of the bill, in partnership with Sen. Jon Kyl, a Republican from Arizona who is retiring at the close of the session. Bipartisan support for the bill might not last past the 2012 session, so supporters want to strike while the iron is hot.
“Things that had to happen in the election happened,” said one lobbyist who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Obama got re-elected, and Reid is still the majority leader. With Kyl retiring, we might not have a Republican champion next year.”
Reid, a Democrat whose constituents include the powerful casino lobby in his state, will control the bills that get heard in the Senate during the session, and some supporters believe he may attempt to attach the bill to legislation that will be up for quick passage if and when Republicans and President Barack Obama reach a deal on how to address the so-called “fiscal cliff.”
For the racing industry, passage of the bill would mean racing would face legal competition in the online marketplace for the first time. Gambling on horse races remains the sole legal online wagering practice in the U.S. because of a federal carve-out that racing has enjoyed since the establishment of laws prohibiting all other forms of online gambling.
Some supporters, however, contend the creation of legal poker sites would benefit horse racing, citing the anecdotal evidence that there is crossover between poker players and horse race bettors, unlike lottery or slot-machine players. As the theory goes, the legalization of online poker would allow horse racing sites to market online gambling on horse racing to a new audience.
The bill is supported by the American Gaming Association, the largest group representing gambling companies in the U.S. It is also being pushed by Churchill Downs Inc., which is eager to expand its existing online gambling platforms – twinspires.com and Luckity.com – to a potentially far more lucrative market.
Earlier this year, Churchill purchased a poker media company along with its related websites. In a prepared statement, the company said it is “supportive of federal legislation that would restrict online gaming to licensed, regulated operators.”
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which oversees the Thoroughbred industry’s federal lobbying efforts, has not taken a position on the poker bill, said the NTRA’s president, Alex Waldrop. However, the NTRA has indicated to lawmakers that if the poker bill were to come under consideration, it would need to contain provisions that would protect and enhance Thoroughbred racing, including language eliminating withholding requirements for large winning wagers, an increase to the tax-reporting threshold for large payouts, and clarifications on the legality of both international and interstate simulcasting. The NTRA made a push for similar provisions in 2010, when Rep. Barney Frank began a lame-duck push for a bill allowing for federal regulation of online gambling.
Waldrop said racing lobbyists have told lawmakers the poker bill needs to contain language providing for a “mitigation fund” if racing’s existing online gambling business is negatively impacted by the legalization of poker. It’s unclear how such a fund might be set up, but it could require online poker operators to set aside some of their profits as payments to account-wagering operators if betting through the sites declines after poker is legalized. (One lobbyist said the mitigation fund is a longshot at best, saying the argument behind the provision “is not resonant anywhere.”)
Although the bill would remove federal prohibitions on online poker, it would still reserve the power to authorize the practice to state legislatures. If a state were to legalize it, betting on any site would be restricted to residents of the states that authorized the practice.
The bill includes a restriction that would prevent any company from opening a poker site within 15 months of passage of the federal legislation. The restriction was added to “ensure a level playing field and prevent any one licensee from acquiring a ‘first-mover’s advantage,’ ” according to a summary of the bill circulated by supporters.
Opponents of the bill include the National Indian Gaming Association, which fears an expansion of online gambling would put its members at a disadvantage when competing with huge multinational corporations. In addition, some states that are opposed to the federal government deciding gambling policy have offered some objections, according to lobbyists.
Passage is almost certainly tied to successful negotiations over the fiscal cliff. Legislators are not expected to pass any bill other than general housekeeping issues until such a deal is reached. If a deal is not reached before the end of the session, it’s unlikely that any other legislation will get passed.
“It’s such a fluid situation right now that it’s very difficult to handicap,” said one lobbyist.
A racing official with close ties to lobbyists, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that it’s unlikely the poker bill would be attached to any of the spending or tax bills that might accompany a deal over the fiscal cliff, since the negotiations are supposed to be “clean,” without any horse trading over unrelated issue. But Waldrop said he could not rule out the possibility the poker bill might be attached as a rider to one of
The bill has a decent chance to pass, according to lobbyists. Many supporters believe a bill expanding Internet gambling would only draw enough votes to pass during a lame-duck session, when support for the legislation isn’t likely to damage to election campaigns. In addition, the re-election of Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada to the position of Senate Majority Leader has emboldened supporters. Reid is the sponsor of the bill, in partnership with Sen. Jon Kyl, a Republican from Arizona who is retiring at the close of the session. Bipartisan support for the bill might not last past the 2012 session, so supporters want to strike while the iron is hot.
“Things that had to happen in the election happened,” said one lobbyist who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Obama got re-elected, and Reid is still the majority leader. With Kyl retiring, we might not have a Republican champion next year.”
Reid, a Democrat whose constituents include the powerful casino lobby in his state, will control the bills that get heard in the Senate during the session, and some supporters believe he may attempt to attach the bill to legislation that will be up for quick passage if and when Republicans and President Barack Obama reach a deal on how to address the so-called “fiscal cliff.”
For the racing industry, passage of the bill would mean racing would face legal competition in the online marketplace for the first time. Gambling on horse races remains the sole legal online wagering practice in the U.S. because of a federal carve-out that racing has enjoyed since the establishment of laws prohibiting all other forms of online gambling.
Some supporters, however, contend the creation of legal poker sites would benefit horse racing, citing the anecdotal evidence that there is crossover between poker players and horse race bettors, unlike lottery or slot-machine players. As the theory goes, the legalization of online poker would allow horse racing sites to market online gambling on horse racing to a new audience.
The bill is supported by the American Gaming Association, the largest group representing gambling companies in the U.S. It is also being pushed by Churchill Downs Inc., which is eager to expand its existing online gambling platforms – twinspires.com and Luckity.com – to a potentially far more lucrative market.
Earlier this year, Churchill purchased a poker media company along with its related websites. In a prepared statement, the company said it is “supportive of federal legislation that would restrict online gaming to licensed, regulated operators.”
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which oversees the Thoroughbred industry’s federal lobbying efforts, has not taken a position on the poker bill, said the NTRA’s president, Alex Waldrop. However, the NTRA has indicated to lawmakers that if the poker bill were to come under consideration, it would need to contain provisions that would protect and enhance Thoroughbred racing, including language eliminating withholding requirements for large winning wagers, an increase to the tax-reporting threshold for large payouts, and clarifications on the legality of both international and interstate simulcasting. The NTRA made a push for similar provisions in 2010, when Rep. Barney Frank began a lame-duck push for a bill allowing for federal regulation of online gambling.
Waldrop said racing lobbyists have told lawmakers the poker bill needs to contain language providing for a “mitigation fund” if racing’s existing online gambling business is negatively impacted by the legalization of poker. It’s unclear how such a fund might be set up, but it could require online poker operators to set aside some of their profits as payments to account-wagering operators if betting through the sites declines after poker is legalized. (One lobbyist said the mitigation fund is a longshot at best, saying the argument behind the provision “is not resonant anywhere.”)
Although the bill would remove federal prohibitions on online poker, it would still reserve the power to authorize the practice to state legislatures. If a state were to legalize it, betting on any site would be restricted to residents of the states that authorized the practice.
The bill includes a restriction that would prevent any company from opening a poker site within 15 months of passage of the federal legislation. The restriction was added to “ensure a level playing field and prevent any one licensee from acquiring a ‘first-mover’s advantage,’ ” according to a summary of the bill circulated by supporters.
Opponents of the bill include the National Indian Gaming Association, which fears an expansion of online gambling would put its members at a disadvantage when competing with huge multinational corporations. In addition, some states that are opposed to the federal government deciding gambling policy have offered some objections, according to lobbyists.
Passage is almost certainly tied to successful negotiations over the fiscal cliff. Legislators are not expected to pass any bill other than general housekeeping issues until such a deal is reached. If a deal is not reached before the end of the session, it’s unlikely that any other legislation will get passed.
“It’s such a fluid situation right now that it’s very difficult to handicap,” said one lobbyist.
A racing official with close ties to lobbyists, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that it’s unlikely the poker bill would be attached to any of the spending or tax bills that might accompany a deal over the fiscal cliff, since the negotiations are supposed to be “clean,” without any horse trading over unrelated issue. But Waldrop said he could not rule out the possibility the poker bill might be attached as a rider to one of
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It was November 2011 when Cody signed a sponsorship deal with PKR. Cody signed the deal just after he won his first WSOP bracelet, which gave him the Triple Crown. According to a report by Poker News, Cody spoke highly of PKR at the time of his signing by stating:
“I’m very excited about joining Team PKR Pro. I’ve been patient with sponsorship, waiting for the right deal to come along. When I spoke to PKR I was really impressed with the whole setup and the ideas that they have going forward, and I knew straight away I wanted to be part of it! It’s a great site to be involved with right now and I think I can help take it to the next level.”
PokerNews Ireland and UK spoke with PKR’s Media Manager, Dan Grant, on the subject of Cody and Grant had this to say: “PKR’s one year association with Jake Cody has now come to its conclusion. We are proud to have worked with Jake over the last year and wish him the best of luck for the future both at and away from the felt. He is a huge talent, a class act and a pleasure to deal with.”
Cody has yet to comment on the end of his sponsorship and with his leaving the Team PKR Pro is now down two players this year. In March of this year James Sudworth quit the team when he decided he wanted to travel the world. Cody is now free to sign with any online poker site of his choosing and it will be interesting to see where the young pro decides to go!
Jake Cody Leaves PKR Poker Team