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Lawyers contested classifying online poker as gambling rather than a game of skill, but a judge in the PokerStars and Full Tilt case ruled the argument irrelevant, Canadian-poker reports



-(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Canadian-poker (canadian-poker.ca) reports that the debate over whether online poker constitutes gambling or a game of skill has been deemed irrelevant in the U.S. government’s prosecution of Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars. The skill vs. luck debate has long been a contentious topic but this week Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled the debate irrelevant as a defense strategy in trials resulting from Black Friday’s online poker shutdowns.

“The judge stated that he was ‘surprised’ that lawyers had attempted to use this debate as a defense for people involved in Black Friday”

“The judge stated that he was ‘surprised’ that lawyers had attempted to use this debate as a defense for people involved in Black Friday”, explained Canadian-poker spokesperson Leon Daniels. “I don’t believe the judge was dismissing the relevance of the debate to the online poker community,” Daniels continued, “but he certainly dismissed its relevance to the charges in question.”

“The problem wasn’t the game – it was how American players’ deposits were processed,” added Daniels. “When the UIGEA passed in 2006, most payment processors closed their doors to U.S.-facing online poker sites. Sites that continued accepting Americans had to find ways to process payments without classifying them as online gaming transactions. The charges are about the ways PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Ultimate Bet processed players’ transactions, which understandably raises questions about how these organizations work behind the scenes. A public company wouldn’t risk working with processors who could be charged with fraud, and for our readers, this means additional security.”

“888 Poker is highly recommended by readers for this reason,” Daniels said. “In addition to being safe and completely uninvolved in Black Friday lawsuits, 888, as a publicly traded company, provides secure processing methods that are subject to the strictest requirements.” More details: canadian-poker.ca/888-poker.

“Party Poker also offers secure payment methods, and is also considered trustworthy by our readers,” added Daniels. “Secure transactions and transparent processing methods are some of the most important factors when choosing an online poker room, and we consider them to be a top priority when making recommendations.”

The Golden Nugget casino has announced a partnership with Chiligaming to launch a free-play online poker site.

A press release about the online poker site said that it is expected to launch “within the next quarter.” The creation of the Golden Nugget online poker site and the partnership with Chiligaming is “in anticipation of the legalization of online gaming in the United States,” according to the press release:

Chiligaming’s proprietary iGaming platform, which enables it to connect to any poker platform or gaming content provider, is a central feature of its US proposition and is designed to both facilitate swift entry into the market and maximize options for the Golden Nugget as the US regulatory and vendor landscape takes shape.

The Golden Nugget is the latest Nevada gaming interest to begin positioning itself for a potential regulated online poker market in the United States. Legislation that would regulate online poker has been introduced in the U.S. Congress.

Golden Nugget chairman Tilman J. Fertitta has this to say on the partnership:

“We started an intensive process approximately nine months ago and looked at more than a dozen internet gaming companies and selected… Chiligaming because they were experienced in online gaming in Europe and demonstrated incredible passion, talent and knowledge which our team found to far exceed their competitors. We believe that online gaming is inevitable in the United States and that the Golden Nugget will be well positioned to compete when US laws allow for online gaming.”

The United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held its second hearing on internet gambling in slightly less than three months, this time focusing on the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) opinion released in December that interpreted the 1961 Wire Act as applying only to sports wagering and how that would effect Indian tribes and their gambling interests.

The Senate debate, entitled “Oversight Hearing on the U.S. Department of Justice Opinion on Internet Gaming: What’s at Stake for Tribes,” started 30 minutes later than its scheduled time and ran for about one and 1/2 hours. Perhaps the most noteworthy testimony was delivered by well-known gambling expert and Senior Professor at Whittier Law School, I. Nelson Rose, who made it clear that the DoJ’s clarification of the Wire Act allows internet gambling to proceed on an intrastate and interstate basis.

“There is no Federal statute that would prevent a state from legalizing virtually any form of internet gambling other than sports betting,” Rose testified. “States can legalize it, they can form compacts via interstate and even international to form pools of players.”

However, what is not clear at this time is whether or not Indian tribes can legally accept wagers and bets from gamblers located off of tribal gaming reservations or lands. That difficulty in interpreting current gambling laws and structuring new regulations that permit certain Indian tribes to offer internet gambling and how those laws may be viewed in conjunction with the unlimited reach of the worldwideweb is something that still needs to be debated and codified.

“For many Indian tribes that have state compacts, internet gambling would be legal under these compacts,” said S.J. Quinney College of Law professor Alex Skibine. “However, for other tribes, that may not be the case. Those tribes would have a very hard time amending their compacts… Even for those tribes for whom it is legal, they may be restricted to wagering originating on Indian land. This limitation makes no sense when it comes to internet gaming since internet gaming is borderless.”

One of the themes coming from the tribal faction was the desire to be included in any online poker and gambling legislation and not to be left out of the enormous revenue expected from legalization.

“In recent years, big gaming and state regulatory interests in Nevada and New Jersey have pushed for Federal legislation that would give them monopolistic control of internet gaming in the USA,” Seneca Nation of Indians President Robert Odawi Porter testified. “They are determined to shove Indian gaming away from the table. Indian nations not only demand a seat at the table, we insist we already own a table and should not have it stolen from us.”

I think its quite clear that Indian tribes will be included in any online poker and gambling legislation. After all, that is the reason that these Senate hearings are being held. To make sure that Indian gaming interests are recognized.

As the largest lobbying group for poker players, the Poker Players Alliance received an invitation to present testimony at the hearing via Patrick Fleming in his role as Litigation Support Director for the organization. Fleming expounded on the fact that online poker legislation would not be detrimental to the revenues of Indian tribes.

“Internet poker is not a threat to tribal gaming interests,” Fleming said. “Poker itself only represents 1% of tribal gaming revenues. It’s clear that, at the very least, internet poker is not a threat to tribal operations.”

Another important theme of yesterday’s testimony came from Kevin Washburn, the University of New Mexico’s Dean of the School of Law Administration. Washburn echoed the sentiments of many insiders in the poker industry by urging Congress to enact Federal legislation, as opposed to the mishmash of regulations by individual states that we are bound to see if Congress does not act soon. Washburn said that the recent DoJ ruling has “created a chaotic atmosphere” that can only be remedied by Federal online poker and gambling legislation.

An important court ruling has given aggrieved ex Full Tilt Poker (FTP) players in the US an opportunity to file cases against FTP in court. FTP is believed to owe its ex players in the US some $150 million. On April 15, 2011, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) cracked down on three large online poker rooms—Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and PokerStars, seized their domain names, and indicted key people associated with these companies on multiple counts of bank fraud, illegal gambling, and money laundering. Later, the DoJ amended its civil complaint against FTP to include that the company is actually a Ponzi scheme in the guise of an online poker room and that it has cheated online poker players of millions of dollars. The DoJ also filed criminal cases and issued arrest warrants for key people associated with FTP. The federal government also filed a civil complaint seeking to force FTP and its chief executive officers to surrender assets allegedly acquired through illegal ways. Owing to all these developments, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC), which had issued licenses to FTP revoked those licenses, forcing FTP to close operations in Europe.

Besides, a group of ex FTP players in the US filed a class action complaint against FTP and various companies and individuals associated with it in June 2011. The case, titled Segal vs. Bitar, had the plaintiffs claiming more than $150 million, which they stated that they had lost in online poker accounts that they could no longer access. According to their allegation, they cannot withdraw their funds despite the fact that the DoJ had not frozen accounts held by individual players. The plaintiffs feel that FTP ought to refund players, particularly because FTP is displaying a message on its website that the FBI had seized its domain name, but has permitted it to continue using it in the US to enable its ex players in the US to withdraw their poker funds.

The defendants of the case sought to dismiss this class action complaint in August. They had argued that the court has no jurisdiction over them and that the allegations made against them were baseless. While New York Southern District Judge Leonard Sand rejected the former argument, he also dismissed the class action suit against most of them. He simultaneously ruled that the case can proceed against some of the defendants, although the plaintiffs will have to modify it.

Churchill Downs has purchased a multimedia poker company, along with the company’s registered domain sites, in a transaction that signals the company will move more aggressively in lobbying to support a federal proposal to legalize online poker.

The company, Bluff Media, is based in Atlanta and publishes Bluff Magazine, which Churchill called “the industry-leading poker periodical,” along with the magazine’s online counterpart. In addition, the transaction includes the web-site domain names of bluff.com and bluffpoker.com, two assets that would be essential for a company seeking to grab a large stake of the initial market share if on-line poker is legalized.

Churchill said that it would not disclose the terms of the transaction.

Churchill has been quietly lobbying for a lifting on a federal ban on on-line poker for several years. The company has spent more than a hundred-million dollars over the past several years building the U.S.’s largest account-wagering site, twinspires.com, mostly through acquisitions of leading account-wagering companies.

Last year, with the support of the American Gaming Association, the casino industry’s largest lobby, a bill was advanced in the House of Representatives that legalized online gambling. The bill died shortly after advancing out of committee, but supporters of a relaxation of the ban remain confident that a bill that lifts the ban on on-line poker will pass in the next couple of years.

Blog for the Chance to Win Cash and Prizes!


The World Blogger Championship of Online Poker (WBCOOP) is back for 2012, and you can get your share of prizes that include thousands of dollars in cash, live event packages and online tournament tickets, by submitting your entry now.

This year’s series runs from Feb. 23 through March 4, with more tournaments than ever across a huge selection of games, ending with the $5,000 Main Event. There are also cash prizes up to $5,000 for the Best Blogger, the Best Live Tweeter, and for players that score big on the WBCOOP Leaderboard!

Here’s how the 2012 WBCOOP works:

Submit — Send either a 500-word blog post or short video, explaining what you would do with $5,000 if you won the WBCOOP Best Blogger prize. The entry page can be found at the WBCOOP site.
Share — Next you have to share it with all your friends and followers.
Free ticket — Entrants will be credited with 10 tickets to play any of the 30 WBCOOP tournaments (see full schedule here).
Prizes — Every tournament awards Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) tickets to the highest finishers, and everyone who cashes will also be invited to play the 2012 WBCOOP Main Event. There will also be $5,000 awarded to the Best Blogger, $1,000 awarded to the Best Live Tweeter, plus there’s also a WBCOOP Leader Board with additional prizes for the players with the most points scored across the series.
Main Event — The WBCOOP Main Event takes place Sunday, March 4 at 10 a.m. ET, with a prize pool of $5,000!

If you're a blogger and want to see if you're eligible for this year's events, head on over to the WBCOOP entry page. Make sure you read the WBCOOP Terms & Conditions before submitting your entry.

Sign up for a PokerStars account now and remember that by entering the marketing code UKPOKERNEWS and the bonus code STARS600 you will be able to claim a 100% match up to $600 first deposit bonus, be able to compete in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker, and be eligible for any future promotions we have on PokerStars.

Barnaul, Russia, February 12, 2012 --(PR-com)-- Enterra poker is introducing new possibilities for online poker. The famous Enterra Poker system now offers a mobile client, which drastically enhance the overall capabilities of the system. Leveraging the all-round Enterra expertise in poker software development, the mobile version offers all the best features of Enterra Poker, including:

- Different types of poker: Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha H/L, 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud H/L
- Various tournament types: Sit-and-Go, Scheduled
- Various types of game: no limit, pot limit, fixed pot
- Advanced user interface with chat & avatars support
- … and much more.

The mobile version can be played on your desktop/notebook (IE, Chrome and Firefox are supported) and on various mobile platforms (iPhone/iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone). It doesn’t require Silverlight, Flash or any technologies other than HTML, so the only things you need are Internet connection and any browser. Enterra Poker Mobile is built using the latest HTML5 platform and available in pure HTML5 and PhoneGap variants. Moreover, Enterra Poker Mobile is highly customizable to meet your special requirements (both the functionality and design can be tailor-made for customer’s wishes).

Now players all over the world will be able to meet at the tables for playing poker right from their mobile devices. Enjoy poker games wherever you are.

See the info on Enterra Poker Mobile web-page: Enterra Poker. Mobile Version

You can try to play in your browser right now at demo-enterra-poker-com/html5/index-html or get Enterra Poker Mobile from iTunes here: App Store - Enterra Poker

About Enterra Poker:

Enterra poker is a poker gaming software system developed and maintained by Enterra Inc. Implemented as a client-server software and featuring all the benefits of this type of software, it is packed with a number of exclusive features and supports 5 different types of poker. Under the hood of Enterra Poker system there is a state-of-the-art server backend and 4 different clients – desktop (a standalone Windows application), Flash (used inside a web browser), social network (for integrating in social networking sites such as Facebook etc.) and mobile (for playing poker on mobile devices). Enterra Poker is a turnkey solution allowing to start your own poker business right after the purchasing without any additional expenses or time wastes. Create your own poker empire you were dreaming of.

Official Enterra Poker website: Enterra Poker. Buy Advanced Flash and Desktop Poker Software. White Label Solution.

About Enterra:

Enterra Inc. is a leading gaming software developer headquartered in Russia. Founded in 2001, currently Enterra is an international and multi-profile software development company employing over 60 specialists of highest qualification. Being specialized in gaming software, Enterra offers its main product – Enterra Poker – an integrated turnkey solution for starting and managing internet poker business.

Official Enterra website: Enterra Inc. Software Development Company: Mobile applications development. Web and business software. iPhone, Android, .NET developers. Dedicated teams.

Scott,

I have been having a bit of trouble in my local no-limit cash game. I haven't been losing, but I feel like I could be winning tons more than I currently am. It's $2-$5 no-limit hold 'em with 10 players at the table. The game is generally pretty solid -- no pros, but nobody who's clueless either. However, on the weekends there are two complete morons who play with us. Problem is, I never win one cent from either of them. Can you give me any tips that may help me build a better strategy for when the donators sit down?

lennY

Dear lennY,

There are some very minor adjustments that will help you, along with some more drastic measures that will also reap rewards. If I had detailed information about your table image and your natural playing style, I could much more easily feed you some impenetrable advice. Without those specifics, I'll simply give you a few tips/tricks that I use when I'm facing a situation like yours.

First thing, figure out what seat (positionally) will be the most beneficial to you. Ideally, you do not want to be to the immediate left of the fish, contrary to popular belief. Your plan is to "attack the attacker." Simply put, you'll be targeting the guys in the game who have adjusted their strategy in order to exploit the weaker players. You will need to be the brick wall that this "attacker" slams into when he tries to outplay the fish.

One of my favorite tactics is the "donkey magnet."

Study the body language of the donators in an attempt to figure out which hands they're planning on playing before it's their turn to act. This will serve you well if you're to the right of the fish and will usually have to act before them pre-flop. Weak players have a habit of telegraphing the fact that they will be entering the pot. When you see this sign, you should enter the pot first, usually with a limp. This will ensure that the weak player will limp behind you.

This is precisely when the attacker likes to strike. His goal is to raise and isolate the fish in the pot with him in a heads-up scenario. The attacker should initially view your limp as weakness and expect that you will usually fold after his raise, leaving him alone versus the donkey with the positional advantage. When you feel comfortable that your reads are correct and you see this pattern emerging often, it's time to strike back. A limp re-raise from this spot will be effective and should help you increase your winnings. Remember, you don't have to be taking the donk's money for your gameplan to be effective. Often you'll be taking the money of the good players instead. It will probably take some trial and error before you start winning, but keep experimenting with these new strategies and find out what works for you.

Your question illuminates a major aspect of the game -- the part of poker that is a mind game. Part of being a winning player is your ability to read opponents. That doesn't just mean their physical tells when they play a hand -- you need to be able to get in their head. Figure out their strategy and counteract it.

In the type of situation you described, the good players don't really have a way to disguise their intentions. The adjustments they're making are obvious. Instead of sitting there hoping to win money off the weak players, focus on punishing the good players, because you know exactly what they're thinking.

(Scott Fischman is a professional poker who has won two World Series of Poker bracelets and has accumulated more than $2 million in career earnings. He is also the author of the poker book "Online Ace." Send your poker questions to him at [email][email protected][/email].)

Online gaming company 888 Holdings has reported record full year revenues of $331 million, up 26% on the previous year, with its online poker operation leading the way. Revenue from poker rose 58% to $61m from $38m in 2010. Figures from online tracking website Pokerscout.com show 888 Poker as among the strongest performers in 2011, and one of the few sites to buck the generally downward trend in online traffic.

888 Deputy Chairman Brian Mattingley said “Strong trading was led by an excellent performance in our B2C [Business-to-Customer] Casino & Poker, and is the successful result of an increased strategic focus on our core competencies.” The site boasted 318,000 active poker customers in the last quarter of 2011, a figure 58% higher than the same period in 2010. Across all its platforms, poker, sports betting, casino and bingo, 888 now has more than 10.6 million customers, an increase of 22% on the previous year.

Last week 888.com announced a business partnership with Caesars Interactive Entertainment that would see it offering online gaming in the United States should there be changes to the current legislative position. A number of online gaming companies have announced partnerships with existing US gaming companies to allow immediate access to the US market if it is opened up.

Analysts were divided as to the future prospects for the company. In a report in the Financial Times Ivor Jones of Numis stated: “Following excellent recent performance the shares are likely to pause for breath. The next 12 months hold some uncertainty, the impact of the Olympics and the Euro 2012 competition on players in particular.” There are also fears that profits may be hit by changes in tax systems across some of the twenty-five countries in which 888 operates. However, in The Guardian, Nick Batram of Peel Hunt said of the figures: “We believe the fourth quarter figures show that the improvement at 888 is sustainable. Our confidence comes from a view that the technology has clearly proven itself, there is much greater management focus and these factors should also enhance the group’s strategic position in a rapidly evolving market.”

The winner of the WPT Venice Grand prix hasn't been announced yet but the organization moves fast. Starting this Friday, the World Poker Tour returns to Florida for the debut of the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open. It goes down at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood. The $3,500 buy-in tournament runs through the 14th and features a re-entry option on Day 1B. Because it takes place in Florida and this is February, lots of top talent have said they're going to be there, including Andy Frankenberger, Jason Mercier and the 2011 WPT Player of the Year, Will Failla.

This event's not going to be part of FoxSportsNet's coverage of the World Poker Tour, but it will be streamed through the WPT website starting on Tuesday. Tony Dunst and a special guest will provide expert commentary and analysis for viewers. WPT commentator Mike Sexton and the Royal Flush Girls will also be in attendance.

However, if you don't like to watch poker on your computer when you're not playing poker on your computer, the World Poker Tour is coming back to FoxSportsNet on Sunday, February 12 with the first episode of 37 comprising a look at Season X. In addition to the usual high-class coverage, they're offering a new segment called "Ones to Watch" where the game's rising stars get a special focus both in and out of the poker room as well as a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making a World Poker Tour telecast.

If all this talk about poker on TV makes you want to play some, then check out online poker at Bovada! You can get a deposit bonus of up to $1,000 while getting the best player support in the industry!

The recent clarification of the Wire Act (pdf) has led to rampant speculation, about who would throw their hat in the ring in the online gambling arena. Finally, in the aftermath of the Nevada Gaming Commission's subsequent ruling (pdf), we have some answers courtesy of Vegas Inc as to the applications that are in the pipeline.

Here are some of the initial applicants - bound to be major players, should they get approved by the Commission. The list includes four publicly traded companies, including one that IPOd this week.

Personally, I feel the multiples here leave something to be desired, but I suppose it's possible that that's the industry. The only one of the lot I like is International Game Technology (IGT). It is already a decent player, its existing products are good (it makes top-notch video slot machines), and its multiples are under control.

IGT also recently acquired a software company, Double Down and last year acquired the Swedish company Entraction. On the negative side, like most of the major players it was also caught up in several shareholder lawsuits last year, and like all the Vegas players it has financials that may involve some sleight of hand, if these lawsuits are to be believed.

I'll admit, Shuffle Master (SHFL) may have potential for small-cap growth investors, but I'm not familiar with its products. I'm unimpressed by Bally Technologies (BYI) and the recent Caesar's Entertainment (CZR) IPO as a result of value indicators.

1. Cantor Gaming
Cantor Gaming is a subsidiary of Cantor Fitzgerald.

2. Shuffle Master
Shuffle Master is a publicly traded small cap on NASDAQ.
24.97 P/E
3.33 P/B
780.54M Market Cap

3. International Game Technology (IGT)
IGT is an S&P 500 company on the NYSE. Video Slots.
17.32 P/E
3.21 P/B
4.64B Market Cap

4. Bally Technologies
Bally is another video slots player, like IGT. Listed on NYSE.
23.04 P/E
9.25 P/B
1.92B

5. Caesar's Entertainment
IPOd on NASDAQ on February 8.

6. The South Point

Privately owned.

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

In yet another blow to U.S. online poker players, the Everleaf Gaming Network withdrew from the American marketplace, reportedly following a cease and desist order issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

A representative of Minted Poker, one of the skins on the Everleaf Network, said that U.S. authorities have seized funds from one of the major payment processors that provided financial transaction services to sites on the network. Under threat of legal action if poker operations continued in the U.S., Everleaf officials consulted their regulatory body, the Lottery and Gaming Authority of Malta (LGA), for advice on how to proceed. The LGA recommended that services to U.S. players should be discontinued, “due to the nature of the threat and the current climate.”

Recent reports indicate that U.S. player funds at the Everleaf poker network are fully protected and poker players with money in their accounts on the network can expect full reimbursement.

Everleaf also instituted a ban on players from France. The network updated its published Terms and Conditions to read, “No person who is resident in Malta, France and USA may open an account, play, or in any other way participate in the ELG offerings and/or services.”

The prohibition of French and U.S. players at Everleaf comes approximately 10 months after the U.S. Department of Justice indicted the top three poker sites of PokerStars, Absolute Poker and Full Tilt Poker in the Black Friday allegations that completely changed the internet poker industry. PokerStars has reimbursed its U.S. players and maintained its ranking as online poker’s top dog in regards to player traffic. Full Tilt and Absolute Poker have yet to reimburse players anywhere in the world.

There are but a few poker rooms remaining that allow Americans to log on and play. Cake Poker, the Merge Gaming Network and Bovada are still U.S. friendly. The recent decision by Everleaf apparently has no bearing on these poker sites. U.S. players who can no longer play at Everleaf, as well as Americans looking for the best U.S.-facing poker sites, are encouraged to play at Bovada or Carbon Poker, Lock Poker and Pokerview on the Merge Network.

The deposit bonuses offered at the above mentioned U.S.-facing sites are phenomenal! By signing up with Carbon Poker bonus code PNRBONUS you will receive a bonus of 150% up to $750 instead of the normal 100% match up to $600. For the rest of the bonus codes check the other pages on our site.

Week #3 of Bovada's Cash PerSuit program continues to offer players more bang for their poker buck and getting in on the action is as easy as just playing poker like you normally would. Starting February 13th and running through February 19th, players that score a Hearts Flush (because Valentine's day, don't you know) get entry to into an exclusive $5,000 freeroll tournament, even if they don't win! In addition to the Cash PerSuit freerolls, Bovada's also giving players healthy cash bonuses and trips to Las Vegas to the weekly winner!

Here's how the bonus cash works: if you're playing at Bovada, you're already in one of two player levels. Level 1 player earn 10 Bovada Poker Points on four out of seven days and receive a $15 bonus or earn 10 Bovada Poker Points on seven out of seven days to receive $20 extra. More serious players may find themselves hitting Level 2: earn 25 Bovada Poker Points on four out of seven days and you’ll receive a $25 bonus and earning 25 Bovada Poker Points on seven out of seven days can get you $30 in extra cash for your bankroll.

To make it even sweeter, once you've made it to the first prize level, you're automatically entered into the weekly Cash PerSuit draw where you can win a $3,000 trip to Las Vegas.

Let's rewind and look at it all again: $5,000 freeroll entry just for making a flush with this week's suit; extra money for your bankroll just for playing like you normally would and the possibility of winning a trip for Vegas? All in the same promotion? Of course you want more details, so visit the Bovada Cash PerSuit poker promo page and get started today!

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Our big Bovada Casino winners included:

Justin G from NC again! He also won $19,012 while playing Paradise Dreams

Josh M from CA won $10,366 while playing Crystal Waters

Paul C from CT won $9,883 while playing Rain Dance

Michael W from MN won $7,668 while playing Blackjack

Jay K from Mo won $6,948 while playing Joker Poker

Anthony K from AZ won $6,781 while playing Double Double Bonus Poker

Amy M from CT won $6,500 while playing Hydro Heat

Alex B from FL won $5,751 while playing Dragons

David M from TX won $5,747 while playing Cleopatras Gold
***

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Oh that's Great.. what is good news.. its mean that fun is going to begun in Florida....

That's a great news..

Probability plc, a mobile gaming company based in the United Kingdom with more than five years of experience in the mobile gaming industry, applied for a Nevada online poker license, although company executives felt their current chances of obtaining such a license are not highly probable.

In a release issued following submission of its application, Probability’s Chief Executive Officer Charles Cohen admitted that “the difficulty of getting a gaming license in places such as Nevada will also mean significant barriers to entry for smaller companies trying to break into the U.S. from abroad and restrict the market to large established companies such as Probability.”

Nevada gaming authorities have restricted poker licenses to existing brick-and-mortar casinos operating in the state, but companies focusing on gambling technology are also able to apply and partner with a casino. Probability has reportedly already begun partnership negotiations with U.S. companies.

Probability boasts about one million customers in the UK and features a wide selection of casino games such as bingo and slots that are accessible on more than 8,000 mobile phones from the oldest Nokias that were released in mid-1990 to the more modern iPad and iPhone devices.

Although Probability representatives were rather modest in their own assessment of the likelihood of obtaining Nevada licensing, the company’s knowledge and experience in mobile gaming would most certainly be attractive to a Nevada-based casino company. The popularity of mobile casino gambling has been rising quickly. The technology, though its been around for several years now, is considered to be still in its infancy. Many insiders believe mobile gambling will most certainly be the wave of the future. In that regard, Probability should have no trouble finding suitors for a partnership.

Nevada’s poker license application form is said to be voluminous in nature. Probability also mentioned the requirement that all board members of the company must provide fingerprints and ten years of personal and detailed financial information. A posting on the company’s website, which originally had been tweeted, said, “just left the lovely ladies at new Scotland yard with our fingerprints for Nevada licence application, now just 100 pages of forms to go.”

That brings to 13 the total number of applicants who would like to provide internet poker services to Nevada residents on an intrastate basis. The other twelve, in no particular order or license granting probability, include, Cantor Gaming, South Point Poker, IGT, 888 Holdings, Bally Technologies, Shuffle Master, Aristocrat Technologies, Monarch Casino, Caesars Entertainment, Boyd Gaming, Fertitta Interactive, and MGM Resorts.

Allowing wealthy gamblers to play on casino credit is a common business practice among some of Nevada’s Strip casinos. For some high rollers, signing a marker — or casino I.O.U. — is much easier than carrying around enormous sums of cash.

According to an article by Dr. David Schwartz, Director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, it was once estimated that as much as 15 percent of all money wagered in Nevada is on credit. This means, millions in gaming revenue are generated from the practice.

With Nevada now on the verge of entering into the online gaming arena, regulators have been in charge of deciding whether or not extending credit should be permissible in cyberspace.

For now, the answer is no.

Nevada online poker regulations currently forbid the extension of credit to players, but that could change as the industry takes shape, according to Gaming Control Board member A.G. Burnett.

While some of last year’s online poker scandals were continuing to play out in the fall, Silver State gaming regulators were in the midst of hashing out rules for a new era of online gaming. However, it was conservatism on the issues, not the past failures of offshore online poker sites, which helped Burnett.

“My own individual take would be that I don’t think [the rule] directly stems from any past problems regarding credit,” Burnett said. “We were taking a conservative approach on the issue, and assuming we start going forward with intrastate and someday maybe interstate, I think we always reserve the right to amend the regulations. So, if we were to find some comfort in allowing credit to be issued and there was an interest in doing that, we would obviously be amenable to allowing it. In my own opinion, I didn’t have any case in mind when we put that in.”

Schwartz told Card Player that being cautious was the right play. “You want to let [the industry] evolve,” he said. “There’s already a lot of moving parts here, so eliminating the extra level of doing credit is probably a good thing for the start-up.” Earlier this month, news broke of poker players owing about $18 million to Full Tilt Poker. The debt, which includes as much as $4 million for a single person, could stifle a French firm’s efforts to acquire the company and cash out some players.

Burnett said that the crafting of Nevada’s language to ban the loaning of money to customers (as well as that for all Internet gaming regulations) involved Control Board staff working with those in the casino industry.

“They investigate [the stakeholders in the gaming industry] to a certain extent — look at how they work and how they operate. Then our staff goes back and drafts the regulations independently, before sending them to us for our review. After that we have workshops to flush out the issues. Then the [Gaming] Commission has the final say.”

The Commission — Nevada gaming’s top regulatory body — approved the core framework in December, but since new business concerns may emerge, the fine-tuning isn’t over yet. However, for Burnett, a lawyer, he wants to make sure allowing Internet poker markers is sound from a legal standpoint. “There are so many legal implications in doing that, especially from an online perspective, and the law just isn’t clear.”

Schwartz said he doesn’t see such I.O.U.‘s falling into any gray legal area. "I think if they develop their credit procedures, it won’t be too much different than doing it in person. Casinos already make millions of dollars in credit decisions every year, so they obviously have systems to do this — and they do it pretty well."

According to a Nevada Gaming Abstract, casinos lost about $133 million in “bad debt” — or from markers that haven’t yet been repaid — in fiscal year 2011.

Burnett added that, if the practice was ever allowed, player deposits would be segregated from funds used to extend credit.

The online gaming rules state that player funds must be on hand at all times. Other stipulations say that funds in the form of cash must be backed by a federally-insured financial institution and daily accounting must occur.

Schwartz called the reserve requirements “very strict.”

PokerStars has launched a new online poker domain at PokerStars.eu which is licensed by the Malta Lotteries and Gaming Commission.

The company, which has established an office in European Union state Malta, says the move will allow Swedish and Finnish players to operate in a tax-free environment now that they have and regulated presence within the EU.

Other specific countries will be allowed to play on the site in the near future.

Guy Templer, head of business development at PokerStars, said, “Some markets treat European Union-licensed operators differently than other license-holders. Offering our online poker on PokerStars EU Play Free Online Poker Games with a Maltese license provides benefits to players in Sweden and Finland in particular and we are always striving to offer the best product possible to our players, wherever they are located.”

PokerStars.eu uses the same software as the more widely-used .com site and players have access to the liquidity of the larger international site.

Luke Schwartz is better known to many as "Full Flush" the moniker he adopted when he burst onto the high stakes poker scene a few years ago on the now defunct online poker site Full Tilt Poker.

Along with his very aggressive style of play Schwartz quickly gained a reputation for his loud-mouthed antics and astronomically high self-belief often referring to himsself as the best no limit Hold'em player in the world and being extremely derogatory to Tom "durrrrr" Dwan.

Since before Full Tilt Poker was forced to close its doors Schwartz seemed to drop off the radar with one reason being he joined the Father's Club, something which gives most young men a reality check when it happens to them, but others claiming he was a flash in the pan and not as good as he liked to make out.

Although one tournament does not a star make winning the $530 buy-in Sunday 500 goes some way to silencing his critics and will no doubt give Schwartz bragging rights for week, months and even years to come.

A total of 860 of online poker's best players entered the Sunday 500 creating a prize pool of $430,000 that completely smashed the $250,000 guarantee. The prize money was shared out amongst the top 126 finishers, a min-cash being worth $774.00 with the winner walking away with $77,400.

The bubble boy was one of our own, the former EPT San Remo champion Rupert Elder and his elimination paved the way to riches for the surviving players. The likes of gregior (62nd), Jude "j.thaddeus" Ainsworth (59th) and RLOG (47th), dean23price (32nd) all made it to the money places but the UK and ireland had no fewer than four players in the final nine so it was no real surprise when one of them took it down.

Ben "jenbizzle" Jones fell just short, finishing in seventh place for $12,900 whilst David "davidv1213" Vamplew went one better busting out in sixth for $17,200 and by the tournament reached the heads up stage it was Schwartz, playing as lb6121 and Peter "Se7enTr3y" Akery who were the last two standing and they struck a deal that essentially split the remaining prize pool in half and left the necessary $5,000 for the eventual winner. It was Schwartz who eventually took down the Sunday 500 netting himself $68,815.71 in the process, leaving Se7enTr3y to pick up the not too shabby $64,484.29 consolation prize.

It is not the first time Schwartz has won one of PokerStars' major Sunday tournaments as back in 2007 he chopped, then went on to win, the Sunday Million and we are sure that this win certainly will not be the last for Schwartz.