Poker forum archive

It’s official. It’s finally over. Online poker, as a business, is legal in New Jersey.

Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill Tuesday that authorizes casinos in struggling Atlantic City to eventually offer Internet versions of casino games intrastate — and one day beyond.

Christie’s action comes after he decided to conditionally veto the measure earlier this month, sending it back to lawmakers to vote on his proposed changes. They agreed with the governor, voting Tuesday to make the amendments and end years of debating the issue in Trenton.

What Christie wanted was considered very minor, and thus it was easy to get the bill back to him just a couple of weeks later. Now it’s up to state gaming regulators to figure out precisely how to license and oversee the complex new industry.

However, it could take quite some time for the first New Jersey-based sites to offer real-money games. Nevada legalized online poker in June 2011, but still hasn’t allowed any of its online gaming licensees to bring a product to the market. Just last week, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a bill that tweaked his state’s Internet gaming rules.

In addition to New Jersey and Nevada, Delaware has legal online betting. That state could see its first real-money games debut this fall, probably following a Nevada move.

“It’s off to the races for New Jersey,” Sen. Ray Lesniak, sponsor of the bill, told Card Player on Feb. 7. “This is a huge lifeline for Atlantic City — a big win for the state.”

The news is also great for PokerStars, which is looking to buy a casino in Atlantic City.


BREAKING: Online Poker Now LEGAL In New Jersey

It started with a needle and turned into a challenge between the faces of PokerStars and Full Tilt that’s expected to be played out in a six-player, multiple heads-up match during EPT London next month.

Last week, Gus Hansen, one of the faces of the new Full Tilt Poker, tweeted at Daniel Negreanu, the outspoken voice and face of PokerStars.

Hansen reminded Negreanu of a $575k pot the two played together on High Stakes Poker in 2006, when Hansen turned quads against Negreanu’s full house. “Wonder if I ever get another chance to take your money,” Hansen tweeted.

Negreanu shot back.

“I was going to congratulate you on your graph for 2013 but then realized I was looking at it upside down,” Negreanu tweeted. “Ouch!”

Hansen offered a High Stakes Poker rematch.

The Twitter banter continued for a few days, and Negreanu ultimately decided to offer a heads-up match of sorts.

In a vlog posted Tuesday, Negreanu offered a “Proposition for Gus Hansen and Company.”

Negreanu said he gets asked about the famous hand against Hansen “in every single interview I ever do.”

“Let’s settle this over the felt, if you will.”

Negreanu suggested Hansen, Viktor Blom and Tom Dwan play a series of battleship-style heads up matches against Negreanu and two other PokerStars Pros. The challenge calls for the matches to be played live but on laptops to facilitate multi-tabling.

The details have yet to be worked out, but Negreanu proposed playing on Day 1A of EPT London which runs March 5-16.

Negreanu rattled off some of PokerStars biggest names as his possible teammates—Vanessa Selbst, Jason Mercier, Eugene Katchalov, Elky and Isaac Haxton—and solicited suggestions on Twitter.

“I think it’ll be a lot of fun, and I think it’ll be good for poker,” Negreanu said.

And in a day, the match was set.

On Wednesday morning, Full Tilt Poker tweeted that Gus Hansen had accepted a heads up challenge from Negreanu and that “The Professionals” will battle Daniel and two other PokerStars Pros.

Negreanu is expected to announce his teammates within a few days.

“Let’s gamble buddy,” Negreanu said in the vlog. “Come on. Bring it.”


Negreanu Challenges the Full Tilt Crew | Pokerfuse Online Poker News

As pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson, Newman laid it on the line: “Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.” That philosophy might also be behind recent heavy betting on Zynga Inc. ZNGA +4.76% , built on a hunch the online social gaming company is about to cash in on moves to legalize Internet-based gambling in Nevada and New Jersey.

On Wednesday alone, Zynga’s shares climbed almost 5%, to $3.52 a share, a day after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed into a law a bill that lets Atlantic City casinos run Web sites that allow betting on games such as blackjack and poker.

New Jersey’s move came five days after Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a similar bill legalizing interstate gambling online, which could take everyone a step closer to making Internet-based gambling, especially poker, accessible nationwide. And since Sandoval signed off on Nevada’s online gambling law, betting on Zynga has surged. The company’s stock is up more than 20% in less than a week.

For now Zynga, best known for its games “Farmville”, “Cityville” and “Zynga Poker,” can’t crank up the slot machines and take actual online bets in the U.S. [It is, however, set to launch so-called “real money” poker online in the UK via a partnership with Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment in the second quarter of the year]. But that isn’t stopping investors, or industry analysts, from betting Zynga will eventually see a payoff from the nascent market for legalized online gambling.

On Wednesday, Joseph Stauff of Susquehanna Financial Group said Zynga is “likely to attract strategic interest over the next year” as a U.S. online gambling asset. He points to the fact that the company already has about 15 million U.S.-based online poker players, many of whom could be converted into paying gamblers if the opportunity arises.

“We view significant value in its U.S.-based stable of players where scale is necessary,” Stauff said, in a research note. “And only Caesar’s and Zynga have ‘current’ databases of online players.”

Stauff also called that potential opportunity for Zynga “significant” because most casinos claim a “rake,” or percentage, of all the money put into poker pots of between 5% and 10%.

Of course, since gambling is the subject, the odds on Zynga being able to offer legalized online betting are not set in stone. The New Jersey law, for instance only allows bettors that are physically present in the Garden State to gamble online. And the law legalizes only the online gambling services of Atlantic City casinos. Then again, the law signed by Gov. Sandoval sets up Nevada to enter agreements with other states to make online poker available, and it will charge companies a $500,000 licensing fee to offer gambling over the Internet.

And since anyone could at least theoretically pony up the cash for such a license, analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities said the potential for many players to get into the market may hinder Zynga’s ability to immediately become the king of legal gambling online. Pachter estimates that between all the other major online poker sites like PokerStars, Party Poker and Bodog, and existing casinos, “the market will be fragmented.”

“I think that the opportunity is $1 billion to $3 billion annually, but don’t see them capturing much market share,” Pachter said. “Ultimately, I think Zynga ends up with less than 10% of category.”

Still, given how investors have piling on Zynga of late, it seems the sweetness that could come from a winning bet on the company is one many are willing to make.

Betting on Zynga and legal online gambling - Rex On Techs - MarketWatch

Poker fans from across the world come together through a central community hub via the PKR website every day - posting messages of support to one another in their mutual quest to win as much money as possible.

PKR has paid out almost half a million dollars to its "All Time Money" leader, Rocken1900. This particular member's stats are available to view on PKR's "Rankings" tab, while updates about the player behind the Rocken1900 avatar are posted to the "News and Events" page too.

This interlinking community section of the website has been designed to bring all members closer to the pros and effectively learn from or get inspired by the best.

Full reports on any PKR events are shared here too, complete with images and videos for members who want to get to know the live side of the game in more detail.

Players can use the multimedia feed to live vicariously through its stars or even aspire to join them in the next live tournament. The pulsing community is fast-becoming the meeting place for all PKR members, pros, semi-pros and casual players alike.

A spokesperson for PKR commented:

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"It's a nice platform for Team PKR Pro to connect with fans too and even share the odd trade secret. The support some of the big players get through the comments feed alone is unbelievable - they all love it."

PKR TV is also part of the community package, offering members the chance to check out some monster hands from the big online poker tournaments, the latest PKR promotions and even interview-footage from live tournaments like the World Poker Tour.

Just by scanning this community page, players can keep up to date with the biggest and most exciting PKR events in 2013.

To find out more and to become part of the seemingly massive PKR family, visit pkr-com today.


Online Poker Community Expands Beyond Virtual Tables

888 shares rise on the London Stock Exchange after online poker is legalised in the US state of New Jersey
Shares in the European gambling company 888 Holdings have risen following the announcement that online poker has been legalised in the US state of New Jersey.

On the London Stock Exchange, shares in 888 rose by around eight per cent during trading.

The reason for the dramatic rise in shares for 888 is due to its partnership deals with casinos in New Jersey.

Governor Chris Christie passed a bill on Tuesday to make online poker legal in the state of New Jersey.

While the bill initially allows for online poker within the borders of New Jersey, it also allows for agreements to be made for the casino games to become available to players in other states in the future.





888 shares rise after New Jersey online poker legalisation - 777 Casino News

It's about time for online poker !

Last week, Governor Brian Sandoval signed a new law that fully legalizes interactive gaming in Nevada, something lawmakers hope will create jobs and generate millions of dollars in revenue.

Now the questions is when will online gaming become reality?

I sat down with Suzanne Lynn the chief operating officer of 3G Studios for my weekend show Face the State. She said they are busy acquiring the license now. They plan to launch online poker with The El Dorado this summer, but there are some concerns, like the brick and mortar casinos.

I asked Lynn what about the casino operators that say we have buffets, bars, clubs and all these entertainment options that we might have to start shutting down because people are staying home and gambling online.

"Well, they're already struggling to get people in. The younger people are the ones coming in for the buffets, the clubs. Those are the people who aren't doing much gaming on the floor itself. So, this is potentially, going to attract some of that audience."

Lynn said the new online gaming bill also requires those companies providing and operating the software, to team up with a casino to offer online gaming. She said because of that provision, it's not like they will be competing against the casinos anyway.

She said it will provide another service casinos don't currently offer.

I asked Lynn how much money will online gaming generate for the state of Nevada.

"It's really, completely dependent upon how successful the governor is in creating online compacts with other states. We don't have a huge population in Nevada to contribute to the online gaming."

To see the complete interview, tune in to Face the State Saturday at 4:30am and 3:30pm or Sunday at 6:30am.



How Soon Will Online Poker Become Reality? - KTVN Channel 2 - Reno Tahoe News Weather, Video -

Phil Ivey, widely regarded as poker’s best all-around player, lost $1.1 million last month, according to tracking data from HighstakesDB.

Ivey was once a Full Tilt Team Pro, but after returning to the software now owned by PokerStars he has been playing under the screen name “Polarizing”. Despite some upswings since coming back, Ivey has fared poorly overall. It’s unusual since with more than $19 million in online profits prior to Black Friday Ivey won more than any other player on the site over the years.

February was also cruel to Viktor “Isildur1” Blom, who lost more than $1.5 million and saw most of his winnings on the year evaporate. On the flip side, Tom “durrrr” Dwan won more than $2 million won over the past four weeks. Trailing Dwan on the leader board was Alex “Alexonmoon” Luneau ($1 million) and Alex “PostflopAction” Kostritsyn (nearly $1 million).




High-Stakes Online Poker: Phil Ivey Loses $1.1 Million In February

An online poker bill has been taking shape in the state of Iowa and legislatures have now advanced the bill one more step. Senate Study Bill 1068 has been approved by the Iowa Senate subcommittee and will now advance to another committee for approval.

The Iowa Senate State Government Committee must now take a look at the bill and expectations are high that this committee will approval the measure as soon as next week. If this takes place, the bill would then head to the Senate. In the state of Iowa, legislatures have the ability to create a study bill, which essentially means the bill will be on a trial run to see how well it will be received by other legislatures.

It is believed that the new bill in the state will be received well by the Democratic Party but the Republican Party is another matter. The republicans hold the House and did not move forward a similar bill last year. The sponsor of the bill, Senator Jeff Danielson, commented that the legislation is a way for Iowan residents who play online poker to be protected.

The senator commented on how players already play online at unregulated offshore sites and they have unprotected funds. Danielson wants to see measures put in place which will safeguard players. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has reported that anywhere from $3 to $13 million could be made in state revenues from online gambling options such as poker.

However, like always, there are those who are against this bill. Senator Randy Feenstra is an opponent of the bill and he thinks the new bill is proliferation of gambling and will create even more problems that will contribute to the downfall of society. So, there are people on both sides and it will be interesting if legislatures will be able to make the measure work or if it will be extinguished during its next stop.


Iowa Senate Subcommittee Online Poker Bill Approval Advances Measure

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March Means Money at Bodog - Gaming - Onlinecasinoreports-com

Is Phil Ivey running out of steam? The man considered to be the greatest online poker player in history reportedly lost over $1 million at internet poker sites in the month of February, making it one of the worst time periods for the pro. Tracking data research revealed that Ivey was down $1.1 million last month, continuing on his generally downward trend since Black Friday, in April 2011 when his home base, Full Tilt Poker was shut down by US authorities.

When Full Tilt Poker reopened last year, Ivey, who was once a member of the site’s prestigious Full Tilt Team Pro, decided to keep low and played under his screen name Polarizing. However it seems that the steam has been blown out of the pro and he’s been faring quite poorly overall. Ivey did have one good week about a month ago, when he won $750,000 over a period of one week at the end of January but this didn’t help offset his overall loss.

If it’s any consolation, Phil Ivey wasn’t the only online poker pro who fared badly at the table in the last few weeks. Isildur 1, aka Vicktor Blum, lost over $1.5 million, essentially kissing goodbye most of his profits made this year playing online.

Tom Dwan was top player in February, earning himself a hefty $2 million after some hugely successful poker sessions.

Ivey is doing better on the entrepreneurial front, however. His December-launched Ivey Poker online poker room recently acquired the online training site, Leggo Poker. The Ivey League team of pros who make up Ivey Poker will be joined by the instructors of Leggo Poker to make up one of the best teams in the business.

Speaking of the acquisition, Ivey said: “In my opinion, Leggo Poker is one of the best teaching sites on the market. They are a great match with IveyPoker and together we will offer a top-notch educational poker destination in the Ivey League.”



Bad Month for Ivey at Online Poker Sites

You can not only win.

When the Nevada Legislature passed a bill allowing the state to proceed with online poker, it stepped into the world of Internet gaming — a growing international phenomenon that could be a boon or bust for Nevada.

Gov. Brian Sandoval, in pushing for the legislation, said Nevada could become the Silicon Valley of Internet gaming.

“The potential is extraordinary,” Sandoval said of a bill passed in just four hours that allows the state to enter into agreements to participate in online poker with other states.

Nevada’s leaders — and perhaps employers — have high hopes for the future of online gaming. But to be successful, Nevada will have to form compacts with other states to create a large enough pool of poker players and significant hurdles remain.

Still, experts said Nevada’s law has the potential to improve Nevada’s economy in three areas.

First is Nevada’s casino-resort industry, whose brand and credibility will be tied to the online gaming portals.

Second is the service and technical industry that will design the technology for the sites, dealing with issues of geolocation, player protection and age verification.

And third are gaming manufacturers that will produce the machines on which to play the games. International Game Technology — one of Reno’s largest private employers — is expected to be a major player in online gaming, experts said.

IGT and rival Bally Technologies Inc. are already a step ahead, receiving state licenses last year for online poker, as outlined in Nevada’s online gaming bill of 2011, according to news reports.

“This is definitely going to be a big part of the future of gaming,” said Gary Carano, president of Eldorado Resorts and general manager of the Silver Legacy. “And Nevada has shown its great tradition of leadership in gaming by passing this bill.”

A.G. Burnett of Sparks, chairman of Nevada’s Gaming Control Board, sees online poker as something that expands Nevada’s gaming footprint, can be responsibly regulated and can bring good-paying jobs to a state still crawling out of a recession.

Read More: www-rgj-com/article/20130303/NEWS11/303030053/

There have been rumbling before in the news indicating that poker may have lost it appeal and has gone into serious decline. The internet has been a major source of the new poker player’s focus over the last several years with millions of hands being played online in every corner of the world.

The obvious and most significant impact on online poker popularity is the crack down on the game in the USA by the Department of Justice which set a shudder of fear and retreat after some of the world’s largest online poker operators offering their services to Americans were seized and swallowed whole by the government. When the dust settled online poker in the States had become a virtual sink hole for players money with not a shred of trust left in the process. Playing and paying for anything online requires a measure of trust and when the Department of Justice issues a statement that the Full Tilt online poker room was a very large Ponzi scheme, players decided they would not take the chance to be caught up in the trap again. Players in Europe have responded in a similar way with distrust of the operators making them think again about registering for the big tournaments such as the European and World Poker Tours.

This may be just an adjustment in terms of market realities with European countries having their difficult financial times not to mention America’s own financial meltdown. Poker requires the skill of tenacity and courage and when money is tight participation in games of chance may be met with second sober thought. Some professional poker players were shaken to their cores in the USA and have ventured to other jurisdictions to keep their bread on the table. The fear factor has created the domino effect as prize pools have been diminished the players are finding the risk for reward equation too hard to handle. This may just be a temporary decline with hope for legal online poker in the USA still on the horizon.


Online Poker Suffering Interest Decline

In an unprecedented intervention in a state licensing case, the trade group for the U.S. casino industry has asked New Jersey regulators to bar a well-known online gambling company based in the British Isles from returning to the U.S. market.

In a brief filed Monday with New Jersey's Casino Control Commission, the American Gaming Association says the panel should reject a petition by PokerStars, a closely held Isle of Man operator of online gambling web sites, for interim authorization to buy a small, real-world casino in Atlantic City.

A law signed in New Jersey last week allows companies with physical casinos in the state to offer online betting as well. PokerStars, which for years accepted bets from U.S. customers in violation of U.S. law, now hopes to operate legally in the country, a prospect that alarms American Gaming Association members such as MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment Corp, which have their own plans for online poker sites.

For years, U.S. residents were the biggest players in a global online poker market that the trade group said produced nearly $7 billion in annual revenue. PokerStars and rival Full Tilt Poker, were the clear market leaders, operating from what they thought were safe havens abroad.

But two years ago the Justice Department sued both firms for fraud, saying they used false billing codes to process wagers from U.S. residents after Internet betting was explicitly barred by Congress in 2006. Prosecutors filed related criminal charges against several principals at the companies and temporarily seized their web sites.

The New Jersey showdown could end up deciding what sorts of past transgressions will disqualify a company from handling online betting in the United States. Three states, including Nevada and New Jersey, have legalized online gambling in the wake of a 2011 decision by the U.S. Department of Justice giving states broad latitude on the matter. In July 2012, PokerStars agreed to forfeit $731 million to settle the case and to take over the accounts at Full Tilt, which did not have the cash to refund customers on its own.

The Gaming Association, which acknowledged it had never previously intervened in a state regulatory proceeding, noted in its filing that criminal charges are still pending against two fugitive former PokerStars officers, including founder Isai Scheinberg, whose son is the acting chief executive.

"Allowing PokerStars to be licensed would send a damaging message to the world of gaming and to the world beyond gaming, that companies that engage in chronic lawbreaking are welcome in the licensed gaming business," the 18-year-old trade group wrote.

PokerStars spokesman Eric Hollreiser said that many of the claims in the brief were "false and defamatory" and that PokerStars did not admit to wrongdoing in its settlement.

"PokerStars is one of the world's largest and most respected Internet gaming companies because we work closely with regulators and are in good standing with governments around the world," Hollreiser said.

"We will continue to work with authorities, including the New Jersey regulators and other interested state regulators, to discuss our qualifications."

The New Jersey commission is expected to hold a hearing on the dispute next week. A spokesman there did not return a call seeking comment.

The stakes in the battle increased dramatically this month with the passage of the New Jersey law and a revamped law in Nevada. Delaware also allows in-state online gambling, but the Nevada and New Jersey laws both allow for the negotiation of interstate compacts.

Those deals would let allow residents in one approved state play against people in another approved state, which would attract more bettors and increase the pressure on other states to allow their citizens to play. If PokerStars were approved in New Jersey, that might allow it to effectively circumvent a Nevada law which bans companies that took bets from U.S. players after the 2006. Hollreiser said he couldn't talk about any plans beyond New Jersey.

In the meantime, MGM and Caesars are getting closer to making their own online offerings in partnership with PartyGaming owner Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Plc and 888 Holdings Plc, respectively.

Both of those companies were also major participants in the U.S. market prior to legalization, gaining online expertise that Las Vegas casino operators need. But unlike Pokerstars, they pulled out of the U.S. after the 2006 legislation.

The Gaming Association's brief in the New Jersey proceeding acknowledges that many states had declared that online poker was illegal even prior to 2006. At least eight states enacted laws specifically banning Internet gambling, and every state bans gambling without a license, the trade group noted. Thus, "PokerStars violated the laws of every state," it wrote.

By that standard, 888 and Bwin's PartyGaming, with which AGA's members are now allied, would also have been in violation of the laws of every state.

PartyGaming agreed to pay $105 million in a settlement with the Justice Department in 2009. Officials at 888 acknowledged settlement talks but never signed.

On Wednesday, 888 will go before the Nevada Gaming Control Board for a hearing on its suitability for an online license in conjunction with Caesars. If approved, as expected, the two could begin accepting bets by the end of the year.


Casino trade group attacks bid by PokerStars to play in U.S. | Reuters

A new bill that would establish a legal mechanism for “social poker” gaming clubs to operate within the state of Texas has been introduced by Texas State Representative Ryan Guillen.

Guillen, a Democrat from Rio Grande City, located west of McAllen on the Texas/Mexico border, introduced HB 2098 on Friday, tentatively referred to as the Texas Social Poker Gaming Act of 2013.

Guillen’s bill would create a social-club carve-out for semi-private poker games, allowing members of these clubs to participate in games for real money without fear or reprisal or prosecution.

The bill specifically excludes all theoretically related activities that could possibly be construed as poker, excepting the “brick and mortar”, physical dealing of hands itself. Excluded activities include online poker, video poker, other casino games, and other forms of gambling such as bingo, lotteries, raffles, and parimutuel wagering.

Under Guillen’s plan, clubs authorized to offer these semi-private poker games would be licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Hearings on the viability of the bill, which will first be introduced to committee, have not yet begun, If HB 2098 moves out of committee, it would still face a full Texas legislative vote, which would require a two-thirds majority of both the Assembly and Senate for approval.

Texas now has two poker bills to consider. Late last year the Texas Poker Gaming Act of 2013 was introduced which would regulate poker as part of the Texas Lottery Commission. The bill would allow existing pari-mutuel facilities, bingo halls and tribal gaming establishments to offer poker, but does not address the hotly debated topic of online poker.


Texas Social Poker Gaming Act of 2013 Introduced | Pokerfuse Online Poker News

European online gaming operator 888 Holdings Plc cleared a key hurdle in its return to a reopening, regulated U.S. online poker market after the Nevada Gaming Control Board voted to recommend approval of its application for a state interactive gaming license at a hearing scheduled for March 21.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday said it recommended the approval of Gibraltar-based 888's applications, including one as a manufacturer of an interactive gaming system, one as a distributor and another as an interactive gaming service provider.

The company plans to work in partnership with Caesars Entertainment Corp in Nevada and has long viewed the state as a huge growth market. Calls and emails to company officials were not immediately returned.

888 Holdings operates World Series of Poker websites with Caesars in Britain and operates other online gaming sites throughout Europe.

Caesars and 888 have said that once licensed they would launch a World Series of Poker website in Nevada. Caesars' Interactive unit won approval to operate an online poker service in Nevada from gaming regulators earlier this year.

The Nevada Gaming Commission will take up the Control Board's favourable recommendations for 888 on March 21 in Las Vegas.

888 was a major participant in the U.S. market, gaining online expertise that Las Vegas casinos seek, prior to 2006 when Internet betting was explicitly barred by Congress.

The U.S. Department of Justice in late 2011 clarified its stance regarding online wagering, which it had long considered illegal, and this paved the way for states to unilaterally legalize some forms of online gambling.

Late last month, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie approved online gaming in the Garden State, joining Nevada and Delaware in the race to capture what is seen as an online bonanza.

Several other states, including Massachusetts, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa and Mississippi, are weighing some kind of online gambling legislation.

About 85 countries have legalized online gambling and an estimated $35 billion is bet online worldwide each year, including millions of people in the United States through offshore websites, according to the American Gaming Association.


Europe's 888 clears hurdle for offering online poker in Nevada - Yahoo!7 Technology

Legislation that would legalize online gambling in the state of Illinois was approved by a state senate committee on Wednesday with a full Senate vote expected as soon as Thursday.

Just hours before the bill passed through the Senate Executive Committee by a 10-4 margin, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn delivered his state budget address where he announced a staggering $400 million would be cut from the state’s education budget.

During his speech Quinn made it clear that he welcomed gambling expansion under the proper conditions. “Any enhancement that we enact to gaming revenues this year should be dedicated to education.”

He also emphasized his desire that regulatory oversight be increased in any legislation to expand gambling. “It must have tough ethical standards, a campaign contribution ban on casino operators, and no loopholes for mobsters.”

Quinn has vetoed two previous attempts by state lawmakers to expand gambling in the state with the most recent veto occurring on Monday. “This is a bad bill for the people of Illinois,” the Governor wrote. “I will not approve of any gaming expansion without strong ethical standards, comprehensive oversight and dedicated resources for education.”

Lawmakers have tried to appease the Governor with this latest legislation by inserting procedural guidelines and restrictions aimed at curbing corruption and earmarking a substantial amount money for education. The bill allows for additional land-based casinos in the state—including one in the city of Chicago—and slot machines at the city’s airports and Illinois horse racing tracks.

Illinois was the first state in the US to offer the sale of lottery tickets over the internet after it received a favorable response from its request of the US Department of Justice to clarify its stance on the Wire Act.

The DOJ revised its opinion in a letter released in December 2011 stating that it was their belief that the 1961 law only restricted wagering on sporting events. Illinois moved quickly and began selling lottery tickets over the Internet in March 2012.

Two months later, Illinois lawmakers considered adding online gambling but the measure was tabled in spite of strong legislative support.


Gambling Expansion Bill in Illinois Includes Online Poker | Pokerfuse Online Poker News

The posturing for online poker has begun in New Jersey. The casino that takes the early lead could be there for a long time. Here are five keys for online poker sites to be successful in New Jersey.

1. Players

Poker players prefer sites with lots of players. The more players there are, the better the games will be. Atlantic City casinos must do whatever it takes to entice players to register at their sites.

2. Incentives

New Jersey online poker sites have to offer attractive incentives to lure customers. One way to attract them is to offer deposit bonuses. This monetary reward is given when you deposit money and play for a set period of time. Another way to attract players is comp rewards. Online poker players earn lots of comp points and spend these points like cash.

3. Game Interface

Presentation and playability are very important qualities of successful online poker sites. The game interface should be intuitive, simple and fun. It should also offer the ability to play multiple tables at once. There are plenty of examples of good online poker sites. But to reach the most people, casinos must develop mobile apps. The casino with the best tablet and smartphone poker apps will have an edge.

4. Deposits and withdrawals

Casinos must make it easy for customers to deposit and withdraw money. Games will be continuous if it is easy to deposit money. And poker players always appreciate easy access to their funds.

5. Marketing

With strong marketing, online poker can start strong in New Jersey. Online poker veterans are ready to go, but the poker neophytes might not even know that poker is coming. Casinos need to advertise to all potential online poker players in New Jersey. The success of online poker is directly proportional to the number of online players.

New Jersey is in the process of implementing online poker. Casinos will have to address some critical factors in order to be successful. Simply opening a virtual table will not be enough. Online poker players expect a total gaming experience, probably more so than traditional poker players.



Five keys for online poker in New Jersey - Newark Computers | Examiner-com

Pokerstars online setupWednesday, the Illinois state legislature introduced a bill that would legalize internet gambling, with a committee approving the legislative proposal on a 10-4 vote. The full senate is expected to decide on the landmark legislation in the next few days.

The bill represents Illinois' second attempt at legalizing online gambling, which would enable residents to play poker and other games of chance online. State senator Terry Link, a Democrat, said the gambling expansion will generate between $400 million and $1 billion in new government revenue.

For 2012, the online poker industry totals $33.8 billion around the world, according to industry insider Sam Shefrin in a recent interview with Investment Underground. "The U.S. Department of Justice indicted Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and others in April of 2011 . . . . Online poker enthusiasts are hopeful that the U.S. can soon become like the U.K. and other countries where online poker is legal and regulated," said Shefrin.

If the measure is passed, online poker sites such as Pokerstars (which has bought Full Tilt) and 888 Poker could once again make its way to households, coffee shops, and offices throughout Illinois. Professional players, many of whom have since moved outside of the U.S. since the government shutdown in April 2011, will likely establish residences in Illinois in order to legally wager online.

In March 2012, Illinois became the first state in the United States to sell lottery tickets online after the United States Justice Department ruled that it would not prevent official state-sponsored lotteries from selling tickets on the Internet. In December 2011, the DOJ revised its opinion on the 1961 Wire Act and decided that the law only restricted wagering on sporting events.

As the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Already faced with a weak U.S. economy, Illinois is struggling with its worst fiscal crisis in history. On Wednesday, Illinois governor Pat Quinn presented the state budget which proposed to slash $400 million from education in order to pay for skyrocketing public pensions. Next year, the state, which has long been a bedrock for public unions, expects a backlog of $2 billion in unpaid bills to vendors. Legalizing Internet gambling would be a desperate source of revenue for a state struggling to pay its bills. Gov. Quinn has vetoed previous attempts at legalization but has also signaled that he would welcome any influx of cash to state coffers. In various interviews, Quinn said that under the right circumstances, he would approve gambling expansion in the state as long as the revenues are "dedicated to education" and possibly teacher's pensions.

According to Sen. Link, most of the gaming revenue would be directed towards the state's Education Assistance Fund after local communities receive a share of the profits.

Opponents, including conservative advocacy groups and some GOP lawmakers, argue that Illinois should fix its long-term fiscal crises by reducing unsustainable commitments to public unions, not by expanding gambling activities which would increase the number of personal bankruptcies in Illinois. Others see the revenue share for local communities as benefiting mostly voters of the Democrat base, and a self-interested vehicle for shoring up campaign financing for local Democratic candidates in future elections.

In his March 6 budget address at the state assembly, Quinn added that "gaming expansion has to be done right. It must have tough ethical standards, a campaign contribution ban on casino operators, and no loopholes for mobsters."

The Illinois state legislature isn't just proposing the legalization of online poker and Internet gambling, its measure also allows for the construction of land-based casinos and the placement of slot machines throughout the state. The bill allows for one new casino in the city of Chicago and enables slot machines to be placed at airports and horse racing tracks.


Illinois Bill Would Legalize Online Poker - Page 2 - Technorati Gaming