After a Golden Era, Poker’s Stack Is Down, By Steve Friess - The New York Times - 7th November 2008
In a few days, the multimillion-dollar set would begin to take form, the players and their posses would arrive in town, and the hype machine surrounding one of the biggest gambles in the history of card games would kick into high gear.
But before then, a small thin man who wears pinstripe suits and paisley ties and doesn’t look anything like a gambler peered out from a barren stage at the empty 1,000-seat theater in early November and nodded his approval.
“We’re a long way from Benny’s Bullpen, huh?” said Jeffrey Pollack, 44, the commissioner of the World Series of Poker, referring to the squalid smoky room at a dump of a Las Vegas casino where, in 1970, seven grizzled card players held a little tournament to crown one of them a world poker champ.
“This is a lot different.”
But as calm and collected as Mr. Pollack and his team appear — these are poker people, after all — they have a problem. Poker’s status as pop phenomenon, a game that burst from insular casinos to become a fixture of cable television and attracted Hollywood card sharks like Ben Affleck and Tobey Maguire, is in trouble.
Poker is drawing fewer television viewers, and it is drawing fewer low-stakes players inspired by the big names to visit Las Vegas. Television ratings for the poker world series on ESPN peaked in 2005, with last year’s event drawing 32 percent fewer viewers than the previous year. The number of players entering the world series, the game’s most prestigious tournament, hit a high of 8,773 in 2006. Only 6,844 entered this year, a 22 percent decline. (The championship is to be played on Monday.)
Poker’s golden era of growth was highlighted here by the $7-million refurbishment of the poker area at the Bellagio hotel and casino in 2005. But now poker rooms around Las Vegas are contracting; the one at the Las Vegas Hilton was replaced last year by 36 Wheel of Fortune slot machines, and the one at the Excalibur was replaced with dealerless electronic poker tables.
“Poker became this cultural phenomenon, and since then it’s certainly leveled off,” said Jeff Haney, a gaming columnist for The Las Vegas Sun. “I don’t think I’d call it a crash, but there were clear signs the market was oversaturated with goofy poker shows on TV.”
Enter Mr. Pollack, an executive with experience promoting Nascar and the National Basketball Association, who decided that this year the World Series of Poker would halt midway through the tournament to allow for four months of building suspense before the finals. So in July, once the thousands of entrants were whittled down to nine players, those finalists left to promote themselves as poker ambassadors. They have now returned here for a two-day finale to compete for a $9.1-million top prize.
In years past, the tournament was completed all at once and broadcast on ESPN in the fall, by which time most enthusiasts already knew who had won. This time, the so-called November Nine are to play down on Sunday to two competitors, who face off Monday.
ESPN plans to edit a two-hour show about the final two days of play, which will be broadcast on Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern time. (Nevada law prohibits broadcasting live gambling events in progress.)
“I don’t know how it winds up being received, but I think they’re really smart,” said Steve Lipscomb, chief executive and founder of a competing poker series, the World Poker Tour, which puts on high-stakes tournaments around the world. “I don’t think it’s a market changer — that all of a sudden everyone does it,” he said, referring to the four-month timeout in the world series. “Then it gets silly. But any innovator has to cringe and do something different.”
Mr. Pollack learned much of what he knows about developing sporting franchises at the knee of the N.B.A.’s legendary commissioner, David Stern, for whom he worked in marketing. He later spent five years as chief of broadcast and new media for Nascar.
“The goal is to make the World Series of Poker more popular than ever and more relevant,” said Mr. Pollack as he gave a tour of the trailers backstage, where, he said, 90 ESPN technicians will handle the final feeds.
This year’s schedule has been controversial. Explaining the logic behind it, Mr. Pollack said of the event: “It was developing a level of awareness in the pop culture that was very significant. But we stopped to ask, ‘If this were taking place on a basketball court or football field, how would we grow it?’ ”
The pause is aimed in part at turning the final nine players into poker-world celebrities, which has not been the case in recent years. The starting field of players is now large, and it has been seven years since a well-known poker star has made it to the Final Table, leaving poker fans without a Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan to root for.
“You’ll never see a real pro win the tournament again — a recognized pro, let’s put it that way,” said poker’s elder statesman, Doyle Brunson, 74, who has won more than $5.3 million in tournaments, including 10 different world series events. “I just go in and try to play well. But the magnitude of the numbers makes it impossible. It’s like I got a bull’s-eye on me. Every one of those players wants to break me. I have to overcome so many obstacles that it’s not realistic to think I can win.”
The nine finalists this year have each approached their break differently. All have landed sponsorships from Internet poker sites and the like, with the chip leader, a 53-year-old truck salesman named Dennis Phillips, of St. Louis, also landing a deal with Ford. The company is believed to be the first automotive sponsor of poker. Mr. Phillips and his opponents, four of whom are from foreign countries, have all been profiled by their local newspapers and TV stations and have been invited — expenses paid — to play in tournaments around the world.
For making it this far, they have each won at least $900,670, which they have already received. One of the final group is Kelly Kim, currently in ninth place with such a low number of chips that he acknowledged he is likely to be knocked out early when play resumes. He said the four months in limbo have been nerve-wracking but also financially rewarding because he is enjoying attention that usually comes only to the champion.
“I understand why they’re doing this, and I’ve probably benefited more than anyone considering where I am, but I’m really sick of my situation,” said Mr. Kim, 31, a poker pro from Whittier, Calif.
Mr. Pollack views the lack of transcendent poker stars at the Final Table as the charm of the tournament, not a problem. “You can’t buy your way onto an N.B.A. court,” he said. “You can’t buy your way onto an N.F.L. field. You can, however, enter the World Series of Poker and potentially walk away as a world champion.”
His organization recently wrapped up its second year of a European edition, with offshoots planned for Latin America and Asia. The World Poker Tour, too, is expanding overseas, having recently struck a deal with the Chinese government to produce a televised nongambling version of tractor poker, a popular Asian card game, as “a means of getting people comfortable to do card games on TV,” Mr. Lipscomb said.
“It’s a big world,” he said. “An awful lot of places are exploding right now. Just not as much in the U.S.”
(Credit: The New York Times)
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Sunday, November 09, 2008
Ryan Fee Wins LAPT San Jose - Poker News Daily - 8th November 2008
In San Jose, Costa Rica, 20 year-old American Ryan Fee emerged victorious from a pack of 219 players to win the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) San Jose event. Players made the pilgrimage to San Jose from five continents and 33 countries around the world, manifesting the unique flair of the tournament series. Let’s check out all of the action from the Ramada Plaza Herradura Conference Center, which played host to the event.
On the final hand, Fee defeated Joel Micka in a coin flip. Fee held A-10 offsuit against Micka’s pocket fours in a classic race situation. The K-7-Q-8 board looked promising for Micka, but Fee hit lightning in a bottle and spiked an ace on the river. After taking home the $285,773 first place prize, Fee commented to LAPT tournament officials, “I want to be home for Thanksgiving. But after that, I am going to play as many LAPT events as I can. This victory feels just great.” Amazingly, Fee and Micka were first and second in chips, respectively, when play began at the final table.
The LAPT San Jose boasted a buy-in of $3,700, which was $1,000 more than the cost to enter in 2007. Tournament officials claimed that the increased price tag meant that the Costa Rican tournament “was one of the highest buy-in events ever held in Latin America.”
The eight-handed LAPT San Jose final table played out as follows:
1st Place: Ryan Fee (United States) - $285,773
2nd Place: Joel Micka (United States) - $148,993
3rd Place: Brent Sheirbon (United States) - $109,913
4th Place: Jesus Bertoli (Venezuela) - $80,603
5th Place: Andrew Chen (Canada) - $61,063
6th Place: Jeff Patronack (United States) - $43,965
7th Place: Claus Rasmussen (Denmark) - $34,195
8th Place: Maria Stern (Costa Rica) - $24,425
Glenn Cademartori, President of the LAPT, commented in a press release distributed after the event, “Ryan Fee is a great young champion and was quite taken aback having won our biggest first prize to date. He is a sharp guy and has certainly made his mark in the poker industry with this win. We look forward to seeing him in Mexico next month.”
The San Jose stop was the first on Season 2 of the LAPT. Last year, the tournament series attracted 1,063 players in just three events. PokerStars, which is the presenting sponsor of the LAPT, expects the total number of tournaments to double during Season 2, including additional events in Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. Only two more events are listed on the LAPT’s website for Season 2:
LAPT Nuevo Vallarta (Mexico): Marival Resort & Suites Main Event
December 5-7, 2008
$2,500 + $200 buy-in
LAPT Punta del Este (Uruguay): Mantra Resort
March 18-20, 2009
$3500+200 buy-in
The Main Event of the Nuevo Vallarta stop is capped at 500 players. A second chance tournament is maxed out when the number of entrants reaches 300. Qualifiers on PokerStars will allow members of the online poker room to compete for an LAPT prize package that includes a Main Event buy-in, four night’s accommodation, and money for expenses.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
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In San Jose, Costa Rica, 20 year-old American Ryan Fee emerged victorious from a pack of 219 players to win the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) San Jose event. Players made the pilgrimage to San Jose from five continents and 33 countries around the world, manifesting the unique flair of the tournament series. Let’s check out all of the action from the Ramada Plaza Herradura Conference Center, which played host to the event.
On the final hand, Fee defeated Joel Micka in a coin flip. Fee held A-10 offsuit against Micka’s pocket fours in a classic race situation. The K-7-Q-8 board looked promising for Micka, but Fee hit lightning in a bottle and spiked an ace on the river. After taking home the $285,773 first place prize, Fee commented to LAPT tournament officials, “I want to be home for Thanksgiving. But after that, I am going to play as many LAPT events as I can. This victory feels just great.” Amazingly, Fee and Micka were first and second in chips, respectively, when play began at the final table.
The LAPT San Jose boasted a buy-in of $3,700, which was $1,000 more than the cost to enter in 2007. Tournament officials claimed that the increased price tag meant that the Costa Rican tournament “was one of the highest buy-in events ever held in Latin America.”
The eight-handed LAPT San Jose final table played out as follows:
1st Place: Ryan Fee (United States) - $285,773
2nd Place: Joel Micka (United States) - $148,993
3rd Place: Brent Sheirbon (United States) - $109,913
4th Place: Jesus Bertoli (Venezuela) - $80,603
5th Place: Andrew Chen (Canada) - $61,063
6th Place: Jeff Patronack (United States) - $43,965
7th Place: Claus Rasmussen (Denmark) - $34,195
8th Place: Maria Stern (Costa Rica) - $24,425
Glenn Cademartori, President of the LAPT, commented in a press release distributed after the event, “Ryan Fee is a great young champion and was quite taken aback having won our biggest first prize to date. He is a sharp guy and has certainly made his mark in the poker industry with this win. We look forward to seeing him in Mexico next month.”
The San Jose stop was the first on Season 2 of the LAPT. Last year, the tournament series attracted 1,063 players in just three events. PokerStars, which is the presenting sponsor of the LAPT, expects the total number of tournaments to double during Season 2, including additional events in Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. Only two more events are listed on the LAPT’s website for Season 2:
LAPT Nuevo Vallarta (Mexico): Marival Resort & Suites Main Event
December 5-7, 2008
$2,500 + $200 buy-in
LAPT Punta del Este (Uruguay): Mantra Resort
March 18-20, 2009
$3500+200 buy-in
The Main Event of the Nuevo Vallarta stop is capped at 500 players. A second chance tournament is maxed out when the number of entrants reaches 300. Qualifiers on PokerStars will allow members of the online poker room to compete for an LAPT prize package that includes a Main Event buy-in, four night’s accommodation, and money for expenses.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Casino News And Online Casino Business Booming Says Media Man
Despite the worlds financial crisis, the casino news reporting and online casino business is booming, at least that's the word from Sydney based media and gaming entrepreneur, Greg Tingle.
Tingle, founder and director of both Media Man Australia and Casino News Media, says that the worlds financial crisis has resulted in a number of positives for his enterprises.
Tingle said, "Primarily we are a media, publicity and portal development company and in times of crisis, companies often seek positive news media attention and wish to maintain and build their reputation. We do a lot of work in the casino, resort and lifestyle sector and in the past few years we're ramped up our casino news and online casino b2b operations. We've experienced a positive cumulative effect in recent months where companies seek positive news and gamblers are spending more time at online casinos, as apposed to frequenting bricks and mortar casinos. We recently made the finals of the Hitwise Australia Top 10 Awards again and this is further evidence of the popularity of casino and online casino themed websites. This past month we experienced record revenues from the b2b online casino side of the business. Some of the online casino and online betting operators who are impressing us the most include Virgin Games, PKR, TAB Sportsbet and JackPotCity.com".
Many industry analysts say that the Australian betting and casino sector has never seen so many changes in such a short span of time. For the record:
James Packer steps down from PBL Media to primarily focus on casino businesses, including Crown Casino, Burswood Casino and Crown Macau.
Star City Hotel and Casino, based in Sydney, announces $475 million expansion.
Lasseters Online Casino, based out of the Northern Territory, closes its doors.
EzyBet teams up with the Gold Coast Titans to create TitanBet, online betting on Australia's NRL.
Family First, InterChurch Gaming Task Force and Senator Nick Xenophon, pro actively lobbying Kevin Rudd about the effects of problem gambling on Australia.
and
CAP Down Under (a Casino Affiliate Programs entity) which is hosting its casino and gaming forum in Sydney from 26th to 27th November 2008.
Websites of reference:
Media Man Australia
Casino News Media
CAP Down Under
Despite the worlds financial crisis, the casino news reporting and online casino business is booming, at least that's the word from Sydney based media and gaming entrepreneur, Greg Tingle.
Tingle, founder and director of both Media Man Australia and Casino News Media, says that the worlds financial crisis has resulted in a number of positives for his enterprises.
Tingle said, "Primarily we are a media, publicity and portal development company and in times of crisis, companies often seek positive news media attention and wish to maintain and build their reputation. We do a lot of work in the casino, resort and lifestyle sector and in the past few years we're ramped up our casino news and online casino b2b operations. We've experienced a positive cumulative effect in recent months where companies seek positive news and gamblers are spending more time at online casinos, as apposed to frequenting bricks and mortar casinos. We recently made the finals of the Hitwise Australia Top 10 Awards again and this is further evidence of the popularity of casino and online casino themed websites. This past month we experienced record revenues from the b2b online casino side of the business. Some of the online casino and online betting operators who are impressing us the most include Virgin Games, PKR, TAB Sportsbet and JackPotCity.com".
Many industry analysts say that the Australian betting and casino sector has never seen so many changes in such a short span of time. For the record:
James Packer steps down from PBL Media to primarily focus on casino businesses, including Crown Casino, Burswood Casino and Crown Macau.
Star City Hotel and Casino, based in Sydney, announces $475 million expansion.
Lasseters Online Casino, based out of the Northern Territory, closes its doors.
EzyBet teams up with the Gold Coast Titans to create TitanBet, online betting on Australia's NRL.
Family First, InterChurch Gaming Task Force and Senator Nick Xenophon, pro actively lobbying Kevin Rudd about the effects of problem gambling on Australia.
and
CAP Down Under (a Casino Affiliate Programs entity) which is hosting its casino and gaming forum in Sydney from 26th to 27th November 2008.
Websites of reference:
Media Man Australia
Casino News Media
CAP Down Under
Saturday, November 08, 2008
ESPN ups ante on WSOP coverage - Network to air poker on same day as tourney,
By Mike Flaherty - Variety - 7th November 2008
With "you are there" programming the coin of the TV sports realm and the once-ubiquitous poker craze getting a little long in the tooth, ESPN's trying to, um, up the ante on its Texas Hold 'Em coverage.
This year the cabler will offer its first-ever same-day airing of the World Series of Poker.
That's "same-day," not "live."
Here's the plan: Play between the WSOP's final two contestants will begin on Monday, Nov. 10 at 10 p.m. PST from the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The sports net will begin its broadcast at 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Thus, the live event technically begins Nov. 11 in the Eastern and Central zones, and since play will likely extend past midnight Pacific, the broadcast will also count as same-day on Mountain and Pacific time.
Got that?
(Credit: Variety)
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By Mike Flaherty - Variety - 7th November 2008
With "you are there" programming the coin of the TV sports realm and the once-ubiquitous poker craze getting a little long in the tooth, ESPN's trying to, um, up the ante on its Texas Hold 'Em coverage.
This year the cabler will offer its first-ever same-day airing of the World Series of Poker.
That's "same-day," not "live."
Here's the plan: Play between the WSOP's final two contestants will begin on Monday, Nov. 10 at 10 p.m. PST from the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The sports net will begin its broadcast at 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Thus, the live event technically begins Nov. 11 in the Eastern and Central zones, and since play will likely extend past midnight Pacific, the broadcast will also count as same-day on Mountain and Pacific time.
Got that?
(Credit: Variety)
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UIGEA Regulations Inch Closer to Being Finalized, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 7th November 2008
After an article was published by the Dow Jones Newswire, word spread like wildfire through the online poker world that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had received the final regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) on October 21st. The regulations may be enacted before the end of the 2008 calendar year. The UIGEA was signed into law on Friday, October 13th, 2006 by outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush.
The UIGEA was passed in the waning moments of the 2006 Congressional session and attached to the Safe Port Act, an unrelated measure dealing with port security. The bill was not voted on in the United States Senate and instead passed by unanimous consent. In a move reminiscent of the 2006 actions by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who pushed the UIGEA through at the last minute, the Bush administration is urging for these regulations to be enacted before it departs at the end of 2008. The Dow Jones Newswire article states, “It’s standard practice for outgoing administrations to finalize controversial regulations before leaving office, a practice known as a midnight drop.”
Regulations drafted last year, which were open to public comment, lacked clarity as to what the phrase “unlawful internet gambling” meant. John Pappas, President of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), told Poker News Daily that although the organization does not have a copy of the final regulations given to the OMB by the U.S. Treasury, to his knowledge this concern was still not met. In addition, he commented on why there is a renewed interest in the UIGEA just three days following the 2008 general elections: “The rush is that the Bush administration is trying to put a final stamp on public policy before they leave much in the way that the UIGEA was passed in the dark of night.”
The final UIGEA regulations reached the OMB on October 21st. Agencies had a deadline of November 1st to submit any pending measures. Pappas gives a glimpse into the forthcoming timeline: “The key date is to finalize the rules before November 19th. That way they go through the standard 60 day review process, after which they can be implemented.” The reason for the date of November 19th is that newly elected President Barack Obama will be inaugurated on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009, just outside of the 60 day review window. This means that he will not be able to intervene in this or any other regulations that are finalized before November 19th.
According to the Dow Jones story, Pappas is scheduled to meet with OMB officials today. He told Poker News Daily, “The rules themselves do not comply with the standards and rules of our government.” The PPA has been actively campaigning against the regulations since they reached the OMB two and a half weeks ago.
Ed Leyden, President of the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA), whose organization is suing to declare the UIGEA unconstitutional, noted that even if the final regulations included a clear-cut definition of what is legal and illegal under the UIGEA, the process of defining what is acceptable is the responsibility of Congress, not the Executive Branch: “The legislature writes the law, not the Executive Branch. The UIGEA does not change existing law. They would be rewriting a new federal statute that defines what ‘unlawful internet gambling’ is and would be violating the UIGEA itself in the process.” The UIGEA defers to existing internet gambling law to determine what is and is not legal.
Formal statements by the PPA and Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) may be released this afternoon. We’ll have more information on this developing story as it unfolds right here on Poker News Daily.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
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After an article was published by the Dow Jones Newswire, word spread like wildfire through the online poker world that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had received the final regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) on October 21st. The regulations may be enacted before the end of the 2008 calendar year. The UIGEA was signed into law on Friday, October 13th, 2006 by outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush.
The UIGEA was passed in the waning moments of the 2006 Congressional session and attached to the Safe Port Act, an unrelated measure dealing with port security. The bill was not voted on in the United States Senate and instead passed by unanimous consent. In a move reminiscent of the 2006 actions by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who pushed the UIGEA through at the last minute, the Bush administration is urging for these regulations to be enacted before it departs at the end of 2008. The Dow Jones Newswire article states, “It’s standard practice for outgoing administrations to finalize controversial regulations before leaving office, a practice known as a midnight drop.”
Regulations drafted last year, which were open to public comment, lacked clarity as to what the phrase “unlawful internet gambling” meant. John Pappas, President of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), told Poker News Daily that although the organization does not have a copy of the final regulations given to the OMB by the U.S. Treasury, to his knowledge this concern was still not met. In addition, he commented on why there is a renewed interest in the UIGEA just three days following the 2008 general elections: “The rush is that the Bush administration is trying to put a final stamp on public policy before they leave much in the way that the UIGEA was passed in the dark of night.”
The final UIGEA regulations reached the OMB on October 21st. Agencies had a deadline of November 1st to submit any pending measures. Pappas gives a glimpse into the forthcoming timeline: “The key date is to finalize the rules before November 19th. That way they go through the standard 60 day review process, after which they can be implemented.” The reason for the date of November 19th is that newly elected President Barack Obama will be inaugurated on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009, just outside of the 60 day review window. This means that he will not be able to intervene in this or any other regulations that are finalized before November 19th.
According to the Dow Jones story, Pappas is scheduled to meet with OMB officials today. He told Poker News Daily, “The rules themselves do not comply with the standards and rules of our government.” The PPA has been actively campaigning against the regulations since they reached the OMB two and a half weeks ago.
Ed Leyden, President of the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA), whose organization is suing to declare the UIGEA unconstitutional, noted that even if the final regulations included a clear-cut definition of what is legal and illegal under the UIGEA, the process of defining what is acceptable is the responsibility of Congress, not the Executive Branch: “The legislature writes the law, not the Executive Branch. The UIGEA does not change existing law. They would be rewriting a new federal statute that defines what ‘unlawful internet gambling’ is and would be violating the UIGEA itself in the process.” The UIGEA defers to existing internet gambling law to determine what is and is not legal.
Formal statements by the PPA and Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) may be released this afternoon. We’ll have more information on this developing story as it unfolds right here on Poker News Daily.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Small Starting Field For Day 1A Of WPT World Poker Finals - Poker News Daily - 6th November 2008
The World Poker Tour kicked off action on Wednesday for its seventh visit to the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut and was greeted with a smaller than usual crowd.
While attendance at the tournament has seen a decline in the past couple of years – from its apex in 2005 of 783 players to last year’s 575 runners – it looks as though it will be difficult for the final total to reach even last year’s figures. 162 players signed up for Day 1A but, even with this said, the champion of the event should still take away a $1 million payday, as Hoyt Corkins did in 2003 when the field was 313 players strong.
For such a small gathering, there were still many notable names from the tournament poker and online poker worlds. The ladies were represented at the tables by PokerStars player Vanessa Rousso, Kathy Liebert and East Coast poker powerhouse Svetlana Gromenkova. Top male players on the tables included David “The Dragon” Pham, T.J. Cloutier, Full Tilt Poker’s Erik Seidel, defending champion Mike Vela and Poker News Daily’s own columnist Bernard Lee. Finally, top online players Shaun Deeb, Thayer Rasmussen, Kevin Saul and defending WPT Player of the Year Jonathan Little were in action on the tables in Foxwoods.
The field for Day 1A started with 30,000 chips and 90 minute levels, scheduled to play through five levels. Typical of play when the chip stacks are deep, there was very little action through the first two levels with only a handful of players departing and none of the top names. As the evening wore on, however, the pros began to drop and a familiar name emerged to the top of the Day 1A leader board.
Vela will be unable to defend his title as he was eliminated before the final level of play of the evening. He was joined on the rail by not only the aforementioned Liebert, Cloutier, Deeb and Rasmussen but also professionals Tony Ma and Joe Sebok, who was cruelly eliminated just before the end of the night’s play.
On the other side of the ledger, pro Jason Potter – who has over $400,000 in career earnings and made a WPT final table this year at the World Poker Challenge in Reno – ran roughshod over the field. He used two key double ups – one in a set over set situation and the other when he out-flopped Jason Young’s pocket Queens – to build his stack to 183,825, good for the chip lead at the end of the day. Other familiar names in the Top Ten include Vadim Trincher (163,600), Saul (135,350), Little (134,400) and Pham (109,200).
With Day 1B action already underway with its noon Eastern Time start, the field may still crack the 400 mark. 244 players, including Daniel Negreanu, Chris Ferguson and Phil Ivey have made appearances on the second starting day and the survivors from today’s action will join the remaining 99 players from Day 1A tomorrow for the continuation of the tournament. Poker News Daily will have a full recap of today’s action and keep you posted of all the action as the WPT’s Foxwoods World Poker Finals continues to its final table on November 11th.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
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The World Poker Tour kicked off action on Wednesday for its seventh visit to the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut and was greeted with a smaller than usual crowd.
While attendance at the tournament has seen a decline in the past couple of years – from its apex in 2005 of 783 players to last year’s 575 runners – it looks as though it will be difficult for the final total to reach even last year’s figures. 162 players signed up for Day 1A but, even with this said, the champion of the event should still take away a $1 million payday, as Hoyt Corkins did in 2003 when the field was 313 players strong.
For such a small gathering, there were still many notable names from the tournament poker and online poker worlds. The ladies were represented at the tables by PokerStars player Vanessa Rousso, Kathy Liebert and East Coast poker powerhouse Svetlana Gromenkova. Top male players on the tables included David “The Dragon” Pham, T.J. Cloutier, Full Tilt Poker’s Erik Seidel, defending champion Mike Vela and Poker News Daily’s own columnist Bernard Lee. Finally, top online players Shaun Deeb, Thayer Rasmussen, Kevin Saul and defending WPT Player of the Year Jonathan Little were in action on the tables in Foxwoods.
The field for Day 1A started with 30,000 chips and 90 minute levels, scheduled to play through five levels. Typical of play when the chip stacks are deep, there was very little action through the first two levels with only a handful of players departing and none of the top names. As the evening wore on, however, the pros began to drop and a familiar name emerged to the top of the Day 1A leader board.
Vela will be unable to defend his title as he was eliminated before the final level of play of the evening. He was joined on the rail by not only the aforementioned Liebert, Cloutier, Deeb and Rasmussen but also professionals Tony Ma and Joe Sebok, who was cruelly eliminated just before the end of the night’s play.
On the other side of the ledger, pro Jason Potter – who has over $400,000 in career earnings and made a WPT final table this year at the World Poker Challenge in Reno – ran roughshod over the field. He used two key double ups – one in a set over set situation and the other when he out-flopped Jason Young’s pocket Queens – to build his stack to 183,825, good for the chip lead at the end of the day. Other familiar names in the Top Ten include Vadim Trincher (163,600), Saul (135,350), Little (134,400) and Pham (109,200).
With Day 1B action already underway with its noon Eastern Time start, the field may still crack the 400 mark. 244 players, including Daniel Negreanu, Chris Ferguson and Phil Ivey have made appearances on the second starting day and the survivors from today’s action will join the remaining 99 players from Day 1A tomorrow for the continuation of the tournament. Poker News Daily will have a full recap of today’s action and keep you posted of all the action as the WPT’s Foxwoods World Poker Finals continues to its final table on November 11th.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Friday, November 07, 2008
ESPN Senior Director Comments on WSOP Main Event Broadcast - Poker News Daily - 1st November 2008
The World Series of Poker is one of the marquee events to air on ESPN. New episodes currently air on Tuesdays and are replayed numerous times throughout the week on its family of networks. On November 11th, just a few hours after it concludes, the WSOP Main Event final table will air. In a move that sent shockwaves across the industry, a delayed final table was announced just before the 2008 WSOP began. It is just one of the topics Poker News Daily discussed with Doug White, Senior Director of Programming and Acquisition for ESPN.
Poker News Daily: What feedback have you received regarding the move of the final table from July until November, a 117 day gap?
White: Everyone has been buzzing about it and the controversy of moving it out of the summertime and into the fall has been high. We see that as good because it gets people talking about poker. The comments have been positive and we have some great stories about some of those who have made the final table. Ivan Demidov, for example, made the final table of the World Series of Poker Europe.
PND: Were you involved in the move of the final table? What are your thoughts on it in general?
White: I came to ESPN at the back end of it and took over late in the spring. I had some dealings with it and think it is positive for poker. It helps shake up the community.
PND: We understand that WSOP ratings are the highest since 2006. What other information can you share?
White: The movement of the final table has definitely helped in terms of creating buzz. We also did some things scheduling-wise that have helped our cause. We aired all of the bracelet events up front and did all of the Main Event programming at the very end. It’s similar to the way most sports leagues air their seasons, with the regular games first and then a championship.
PND: Talk about the importance of the hole card cam, whose creator is about to be enshrined in the Poker Hall of Fame, and how that’s become not only a basis for the booming popularity of poker, but also an important marketing tool.
White: It revolutionized the game. It let poker players and poker fans in on the game. That was the turning point for poker. Being able to see what a player had in their hands allowed fans to learn by seeing the strategy behind each player’s move. It was the missing piece. The hole card cam is also another device to sell to advertisers. It keeps advertisers interested in the sport.
PND: Talk about the editing of the Main Event before it airs on ESPN. We understand that you edited over 7,000 hours of film into the episodes that have aired until this point. How challenging is it to film, edit, and have the show ready to air to a primetime audience in such a truncated window of time?
White: Typically it’s not that hard to do what we call in the business “short turnaround,” but in dealing with this particular sport, our normal production takes quite a bit of time. You have to edit hundreds of hours of footage. Our production company is going to be charged with weaving a story out of the hours of footage it has. It’s really complex and is going to be an extreme difficult challenge, but we’re up for it.
PND: Do you foresee the Main Event being pushed back again in 2009?
White: We want to finish out this year and see how things go. It’s been pretty successful so far and we’ll evaluate when it’s over. We have had very preliminary discussions on it, but we’re going to wait and see how everything wraps up.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
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The World Series of Poker is one of the marquee events to air on ESPN. New episodes currently air on Tuesdays and are replayed numerous times throughout the week on its family of networks. On November 11th, just a few hours after it concludes, the WSOP Main Event final table will air. In a move that sent shockwaves across the industry, a delayed final table was announced just before the 2008 WSOP began. It is just one of the topics Poker News Daily discussed with Doug White, Senior Director of Programming and Acquisition for ESPN.
Poker News Daily: What feedback have you received regarding the move of the final table from July until November, a 117 day gap?
White: Everyone has been buzzing about it and the controversy of moving it out of the summertime and into the fall has been high. We see that as good because it gets people talking about poker. The comments have been positive and we have some great stories about some of those who have made the final table. Ivan Demidov, for example, made the final table of the World Series of Poker Europe.
PND: Were you involved in the move of the final table? What are your thoughts on it in general?
White: I came to ESPN at the back end of it and took over late in the spring. I had some dealings with it and think it is positive for poker. It helps shake up the community.
PND: We understand that WSOP ratings are the highest since 2006. What other information can you share?
White: The movement of the final table has definitely helped in terms of creating buzz. We also did some things scheduling-wise that have helped our cause. We aired all of the bracelet events up front and did all of the Main Event programming at the very end. It’s similar to the way most sports leagues air their seasons, with the regular games first and then a championship.
PND: Talk about the importance of the hole card cam, whose creator is about to be enshrined in the Poker Hall of Fame, and how that’s become not only a basis for the booming popularity of poker, but also an important marketing tool.
White: It revolutionized the game. It let poker players and poker fans in on the game. That was the turning point for poker. Being able to see what a player had in their hands allowed fans to learn by seeing the strategy behind each player’s move. It was the missing piece. The hole card cam is also another device to sell to advertisers. It keeps advertisers interested in the sport.
PND: Talk about the editing of the Main Event before it airs on ESPN. We understand that you edited over 7,000 hours of film into the episodes that have aired until this point. How challenging is it to film, edit, and have the show ready to air to a primetime audience in such a truncated window of time?
White: Typically it’s not that hard to do what we call in the business “short turnaround,” but in dealing with this particular sport, our normal production takes quite a bit of time. You have to edit hundreds of hours of footage. Our production company is going to be charged with weaving a story out of the hours of footage it has. It’s really complex and is going to be an extreme difficult challenge, but we’re up for it.
PND: Do you foresee the Main Event being pushed back again in 2009?
White: We want to finish out this year and see how things go. It’s been pretty successful so far and we’ll evaluate when it’s over. We have had very preliminary discussions on it, but we’re going to wait and see how everything wraps up.
(Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Listen to the World Series of Poker Final Table Live - Bluff - 5th November 2008
Bluff Media, the official digital media partner of the World Series of Poker, will be broadcasting live from the historic Main Event final table this Sunday and Monday as a new World Champion is crowned.
Hosted by Nick Geber and current BLUFF Magazine cover girl Lacey Jones, the broadcast will be available via WorldSeriesofPoker.com beginning at 10 am PT. The pair will be joined by special guests throughout the broadcast.
Along with the live audio feed poker fans will be treated to an onscreen display including live chip counts and the most in-depth real time statistics available.
To listen to the live feed visit www.WorldSeriesofPoker.com beginning Sunday morning.
(Credit: Bluff)
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Bluff Media, the official digital media partner of the World Series of Poker, will be broadcasting live from the historic Main Event final table this Sunday and Monday as a new World Champion is crowned.
Hosted by Nick Geber and current BLUFF Magazine cover girl Lacey Jones, the broadcast will be available via WorldSeriesofPoker.com beginning at 10 am PT. The pair will be joined by special guests throughout the broadcast.
Along with the live audio feed poker fans will be treated to an onscreen display including live chip counts and the most in-depth real time statistics available.
To listen to the live feed visit www.WorldSeriesofPoker.com beginning Sunday morning.
(Credit: Bluff)
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PKR's Oktoberfest comes to an end - 5th November 2008
LONDON, England - (PRESS RELEASE - The second annual Oktoberfest has come to a climax with lucky winners of the 12 hot events staking claim to their share of over $318,000 in prizes.
The curtain fell on the richest PKR.com poker festival to date with the guaranteed prize pool for every single event smashed! The most prestigious of the series, the $100,000 Guaranteed PKR Masters, was won by 'keepsmiling' who will be living up to his username following a display which earned a huge $27,360 payout.
Community stalwarts took charge and dominated the Oktoberfest leaderboard – the title eventually scooped by 'Zeorbok', who topped the chart just out of reach of PKR.com hot-shot 'Discomonkey'. Rounded off by the 'Tournament of Champions', the series served up some memorable action – especially for 'sourshark' who took home the top prize of the final event for a cool $5,000.
Asides from bragging rights, fat payouts and 'champions' titles, final tablists of the most exciting tournaments will gain their moment of fame on PKR Tournament TV. In-game footage will be broadcast with expert commentary to millions of homes across Europe and episodes can also be viewed on demand via PKR.com's dedicated online channel, PKR.tv.
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LONDON, England - (PRESS RELEASE - The second annual Oktoberfest has come to a climax with lucky winners of the 12 hot events staking claim to their share of over $318,000 in prizes.
The curtain fell on the richest PKR.com poker festival to date with the guaranteed prize pool for every single event smashed! The most prestigious of the series, the $100,000 Guaranteed PKR Masters, was won by 'keepsmiling' who will be living up to his username following a display which earned a huge $27,360 payout.
Community stalwarts took charge and dominated the Oktoberfest leaderboard – the title eventually scooped by 'Zeorbok', who topped the chart just out of reach of PKR.com hot-shot 'Discomonkey'. Rounded off by the 'Tournament of Champions', the series served up some memorable action – especially for 'sourshark' who took home the top prize of the final event for a cool $5,000.
Asides from bragging rights, fat payouts and 'champions' titles, final tablists of the most exciting tournaments will gain their moment of fame on PKR Tournament TV. In-game footage will be broadcast with expert commentary to millions of homes across Europe and episodes can also be viewed on demand via PKR.com's dedicated online channel, PKR.tv.
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Thursday, November 06, 2008
Poker News, Casino News and Hitwise News
Media Man Australia, the parent company of Casino News Media, won the Hitwise Australia top ten award again yesterday. Media Man Australia placed #7 in the Entertainment - Personalities industry.
As a result of this we have also registered our Casino News Media website for Hitwise, in addition to further ramping up of our poker celebrities, poker babes and casino babes website content.
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Media Man Australia, the parent company of Casino News Media, won the Hitwise Australia top ten award again yesterday. Media Man Australia placed #7 in the Entertainment - Personalities industry.
As a result of this we have also registered our Casino News Media website for Hitwise, in addition to further ramping up of our poker celebrities, poker babes and casino babes website content.
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Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
Poker News Media Achieves Sign Off From Poker News Daily - 2nd November 2008
The Poker News Media blog, edited by Media Man Australia and Casino News Media, has achieved official approval from Poker News Daily to include some of their news, with credit of course, in the updated. This marks another significant step in the growth, reach and news media coverage from Media Man Australia and Casino News Media. We're most impressed with Poker News Daily and MMA and CNM is confident that this marks a mutually beneficial arrangement. Poker News Daily has also achieved cross over media coverage into the mainstream media spectrum in the process. It may even warrant a mention at the upcoming CAP Down Under, put on by our friends at Casino Affiliate Programs.
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The Poker News Media blog, edited by Media Man Australia and Casino News Media, has achieved official approval from Poker News Daily to include some of their news, with credit of course, in the updated. This marks another significant step in the growth, reach and news media coverage from Media Man Australia and Casino News Media. We're most impressed with Poker News Daily and MMA and CNM is confident that this marks a mutually beneficial arrangement. Poker News Daily has also achieved cross over media coverage into the mainstream media spectrum in the process. It may even warrant a mention at the upcoming CAP Down Under, put on by our friends at Casino Affiliate Programs.
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Sunday, November 02, 2008
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Losing hand for Poker maker - 29th October 2008
Abstracted from The Australian Financial Review
Aristocrat Leisure now expects its profit for the 2008 calendar year to be in the range of $A120m to $A150m, before one-offs. Previously, the poker machine maker predicted a full-year post-tax operating profit of between $A190m and $A200m. The reduced guidance, issued after the close of trade on 28 October 2008, was attributed to a decline in global operating conditions and slow uptake of "Generation 7" games. Aristocrat is currently searching for a new CEO
(Credit: Business Spectator)
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Abstracted from The Australian Financial Review
Aristocrat Leisure now expects its profit for the 2008 calendar year to be in the range of $A120m to $A150m, before one-offs. Previously, the poker machine maker predicted a full-year post-tax operating profit of between $A190m and $A200m. The reduced guidance, issued after the close of trade on 28 October 2008, was attributed to a decline in global operating conditions and slow uptake of "Generation 7" games. Aristocrat is currently searching for a new CEO
(Credit: Business Spectator)
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Experience Excitement of Vegas with New Virgin Casino Game, Vegas Blackjack with 20+ Bonus™
London, 28 October 2008
Virgin Games Casino today announces the launch of its most generous Blackjack game yet, Vegas Blackjack with 20+ Bonus™. Players can enjoy all American Blackjack rules and the chance to win up to 30:1 on a Blackjack!
Vegas Blackjack with 20+ Bonus™ is the ultimate casino game for both beginners and gaming experts. Players can take full advantage of the money-spinning American Blackjack rules, which include the dealer checking for Blackjack at the start of every game meaning players avoid the risk of betting money to spilt or double down.
And if that's not enough, players can double down on any two cards, double down after splits, and the dealer stands on soft-17.
Additionally, players can reap the benefits by cashing in on the 20+ Bonus™ award which pays on the biggest initial two-card hands and can pay up to 30 x if that hand loses or ties with the dealer.
As with all Virgin Casino games, players can also earn V*Points - Virgin Games' loyalty points - every time they play. Offering players the chance to redeem their points for further Virgin rewards, including Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Miles or
cold, hard cash, V*Points can be transferred across Virgin Games portfolio of products, including Virgin Poker and Virgin Bingo.
Premium releases including ELVIS - A Little More Action®, Cleopatra II™ and Da Vinci Diamonds® have already been added to Virgin Casino's portfolio of games in 2008. Further big IGT names will be added to Virgin Games in the coming months, ensuring a constant stream of new and exciting games to keep players' adrenalin going.
Virgin Casino launched under the Virgin Games brand in June 2004. The site was refreshed in June 2006, providing players with a greater choice of games and additional means of earning bonus points and rewards.
Vegas Blackjack with 20+ Bonus™ is available to play now on www.virgingames.com/casino
* Vegas Blackjack with 20+ Bonus™ is a trademark of IGT in the U.S. and/or other countries, and is used with permission. U.S. and international patents pending.
About Virgin Games
Virgin Games, a subsidiary of Virgin.com Ltd, launched in June 2004 and has quickly established itself as one of the leading gaming websites in the UK. Virgin Games comprises three distinct entertainment offerings, giving consumers the chance to play their favourite online games the Virgin way:
* Virgin Casino, part of the Wagerworks network, provides a taste of Vegas online, with classic casino offerings like blackjack and roulette, as well as popular feature slots like Elvis, Cleopatra and Vegas, Baby!
* Virgin Poker, part of the Boss Media network, offers a huge array of games and content for beginners through to experienced pros - as well as the most generous loyalty scheme in the industry. The successful Virgin Poker Festivals, which take place in casinos around the UK throughout the year, now allow gamers to experience the fun of Virgin Poker offline too
* Virgin Bingo, part of the St Minver network, offers cash prizes worth thousands of pounds in the progressive jackpots, as well as regular promotions and an unrivalled loyalty scheme
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London, 28 October 2008
Virgin Games Casino today announces the launch of its most generous Blackjack game yet, Vegas Blackjack with 20+ Bonus™. Players can enjoy all American Blackjack rules and the chance to win up to 30:1 on a Blackjack!
Vegas Blackjack with 20+ Bonus™ is the ultimate casino game for both beginners and gaming experts. Players can take full advantage of the money-spinning American Blackjack rules, which include the dealer checking for Blackjack at the start of every game meaning players avoid the risk of betting money to spilt or double down.
And if that's not enough, players can double down on any two cards, double down after splits, and the dealer stands on soft-17.
Additionally, players can reap the benefits by cashing in on the 20+ Bonus™ award which pays on the biggest initial two-card hands and can pay up to 30 x if that hand loses or ties with the dealer.
As with all Virgin Casino games, players can also earn V*Points - Virgin Games' loyalty points - every time they play. Offering players the chance to redeem their points for further Virgin rewards, including Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Miles or
cold, hard cash, V*Points can be transferred across Virgin Games portfolio of products, including Virgin Poker and Virgin Bingo.
Premium releases including ELVIS - A Little More Action®, Cleopatra II™ and Da Vinci Diamonds® have already been added to Virgin Casino's portfolio of games in 2008. Further big IGT names will be added to Virgin Games in the coming months, ensuring a constant stream of new and exciting games to keep players' adrenalin going.
Virgin Casino launched under the Virgin Games brand in June 2004. The site was refreshed in June 2006, providing players with a greater choice of games and additional means of earning bonus points and rewards.
Vegas Blackjack with 20+ Bonus™ is available to play now on www.virgingames.com/casino
* Vegas Blackjack with 20+ Bonus™ is a trademark of IGT in the U.S. and/or other countries, and is used with permission. U.S. and international patents pending.
About Virgin Games
Virgin Games, a subsidiary of Virgin.com Ltd, launched in June 2004 and has quickly established itself as one of the leading gaming websites in the UK. Virgin Games comprises three distinct entertainment offerings, giving consumers the chance to play their favourite online games the Virgin way:
* Virgin Casino, part of the Wagerworks network, provides a taste of Vegas online, with classic casino offerings like blackjack and roulette, as well as popular feature slots like Elvis, Cleopatra and Vegas, Baby!
* Virgin Poker, part of the Boss Media network, offers a huge array of games and content for beginners through to experienced pros - as well as the most generous loyalty scheme in the industry. The successful Virgin Poker Festivals, which take place in casinos around the UK throughout the year, now allow gamers to experience the fun of Virgin Poker offline too
* Virgin Bingo, part of the St Minver network, offers cash prizes worth thousands of pounds in the progressive jackpots, as well as regular promotions and an unrivalled loyalty scheme
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Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Poker News Media Profiles Updated
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Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
JackpotCity.com Blackjack Tournaments Offer Card Counters the Chance to Win Big!
Press Release
GIBRALTAR, England, October 23, 2008
JackpotCity.com Online Casino http://www.jackpotcity.com now Offers all Online Casino Players the Chance to Enjoy Multiplayer Blackjack Tournaments 24/7
The world of online Blackjack is about to get even more exciting with the launch of JackpotCity.com's eagerly awaited Online Multiplayer Blackjack Tournaments!
These new in software games are specifically geared towards card counting and offer players the chance to compete against one another and not just the house. The Blackjack games consist of tables playing 2, 4 or 6 decks and provide the best Blackjack for beginner, intermediate and experienced players.
All JackpotCity.com Online Casino Multiplayer Blackjack Tournaments are part of a global online network where Daily Freerolls, Scheduled Tournaments and Sit n' Go Tournaments can be enjoyed. Each game is played with up to 7 players and the dealer for a total of 8 competitors with prize money for every tournament guaranteed! Non-Freeroll Tournaments have a buy-ins from $1.
JackpotCity.com Online Casino not only offers some of the internet's best Blackjack and Slots Multiplayer Tournaments, but also provides players with over 300 top rated casino games and highly anticipated monthly promotions.
To take part in the Blackjack Multiplayer Tournaments please go to JackpotCity.com, download the free casino software, open a new casino account and go to the Tournaments section in the software.
About the Carmen Media Group
The Carmen Media Group is a global gaming and entertainment group which was incorporated in Gibraltar and formed in 2002 out of the Demmy Group of companies. Its wholly owned subsidiary Tower Rock Ltd is licensed from Gibraltar to operate casinos and multiplayer poker in the online domain.
Carmen Media owns many of the world's oldest and most respected online gaming sites including The Gaming Club Online Casino http://www.GamingClub.com (founded 1995), Jackpot City Online Casino http://www.JackpotCity.com, River Belle Online Casino http://www.Riverbelle.com (founded 1997) and Lucky Nugget Online Casino http://www.LuckyNugget.com, as well as Cool Hand Poker http://www.CoolHandPoker.com and Jackpot City Online Bingo http://www.JackpotCityBingo.com.
Carmen Media products and online gaming brands are promoted through the industry leading gaming affiliate program ReferBack http://www.Referback.com, thereby affording our partners opportunities to market English, French, Italian, German and Spanish products.
The Carmen Media Group is incorporated and based in Gibraltar. Its products are operated by its wholly owned subsidiary Tower Rock Ltd under a license issued by the Government of Gibraltar, and all of its flagship casino brands have been awarded the eCOGRA seal of approval.
For more information on Carmen Media, please visit http://www.carmenmedia.com.
For more information please visit:
http://www.GamingClub.com
http://www.JackpotCity.com
http://www.Riverbelle.com
http://www.LuckyNugget.com
http://www.CoolHandPoker.com
http://www.JackpotCityBingo.com.
Contact:
Bronson Harrington,
Email: bronsonh@forwardslash.com ,
Tel: +27-21-528-9071;
Justin Kinley Atkins,
Email: justina@forwardslash.com ,
Tel: +27-21-528-9338.
Media Man Australia Profiles
JackpotCity.com
JackpotCity.com Blackjack
Cool Hand Poker
Poker News
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Casino News Media
Press Release
GIBRALTAR, England, October 23, 2008
JackpotCity.com Online Casino http://www.jackpotcity.com now Offers all Online Casino Players the Chance to Enjoy Multiplayer Blackjack Tournaments 24/7
The world of online Blackjack is about to get even more exciting with the launch of JackpotCity.com's eagerly awaited Online Multiplayer Blackjack Tournaments!
These new in software games are specifically geared towards card counting and offer players the chance to compete against one another and not just the house. The Blackjack games consist of tables playing 2, 4 or 6 decks and provide the best Blackjack for beginner, intermediate and experienced players.
All JackpotCity.com Online Casino Multiplayer Blackjack Tournaments are part of a global online network where Daily Freerolls, Scheduled Tournaments and Sit n' Go Tournaments can be enjoyed. Each game is played with up to 7 players and the dealer for a total of 8 competitors with prize money for every tournament guaranteed! Non-Freeroll Tournaments have a buy-ins from $1.
JackpotCity.com Online Casino not only offers some of the internet's best Blackjack and Slots Multiplayer Tournaments, but also provides players with over 300 top rated casino games and highly anticipated monthly promotions.
To take part in the Blackjack Multiplayer Tournaments please go to JackpotCity.com, download the free casino software, open a new casino account and go to the Tournaments section in the software.
About the Carmen Media Group
The Carmen Media Group is a global gaming and entertainment group which was incorporated in Gibraltar and formed in 2002 out of the Demmy Group of companies. Its wholly owned subsidiary Tower Rock Ltd is licensed from Gibraltar to operate casinos and multiplayer poker in the online domain.
Carmen Media owns many of the world's oldest and most respected online gaming sites including The Gaming Club Online Casino http://www.GamingClub.com (founded 1995), Jackpot City Online Casino http://www.JackpotCity.com, River Belle Online Casino http://www.Riverbelle.com (founded 1997) and Lucky Nugget Online Casino http://www.LuckyNugget.com, as well as Cool Hand Poker http://www.CoolHandPoker.com and Jackpot City Online Bingo http://www.JackpotCityBingo.com.
Carmen Media products and online gaming brands are promoted through the industry leading gaming affiliate program ReferBack http://www.Referback.com, thereby affording our partners opportunities to market English, French, Italian, German and Spanish products.
The Carmen Media Group is incorporated and based in Gibraltar. Its products are operated by its wholly owned subsidiary Tower Rock Ltd under a license issued by the Government of Gibraltar, and all of its flagship casino brands have been awarded the eCOGRA seal of approval.
For more information on Carmen Media, please visit http://www.carmenmedia.com.
For more information please visit:
http://www.GamingClub.com
http://www.JackpotCity.com
http://www.Riverbelle.com
http://www.LuckyNugget.com
http://www.CoolHandPoker.com
http://www.JackpotCityBingo.com.
Contact:
Bronson Harrington,
Email: bronsonh@forwardslash.com ,
Tel: +27-21-528-9071;
Justin Kinley Atkins,
Email: justina@forwardslash.com ,
Tel: +27-21-528-9338.
Media Man Australia Profiles
JackpotCity.com
JackpotCity.com Blackjack
Cool Hand Poker
Poker News
Online Casino News
Casino News Media
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Domain Fight: iMEGA Petitions to Block Kentucky Court
Oct. 22, 2008 - iMEGA petitioned the Kentucky Court of Appeals for a writ of mandamus, to block a lower court’s decision allowing Kentucky to seize 141 domain names. Kentucky’s lawyers have sought these domain names, all related to Internet gaming and advertising, in an effort to protect Kentucky’s own in-state gambling operations from competition, and to extract tens of millions of dollars in penalties from the domain registrants.
Copy: iMEGA Petition to Kentucky Court of Appeals (.pdf format)
“Since the lower court elected to ignore Kentucky law, and instead reached back to a law the current one supplanted to find a rationale justifying these seizures, we have no choice but to go to the Court of Appeals, ” said Joe Brennan Jr., iMEGA chairman and CEO. “This errant ruling affects far more than Kentucky and the domain names currently at risk. If this is allowed to stand, you’ll see other actions like this, targeting other segments of Internet media, at the state and local level, both here and abroad.”
iMEGA has asked the Court of Appeals to intercede due to the lower court’s lack of jurisdiction over the domain names, as none of the names are owned by Kentucky residents, or managed by in-state domain registrars. iMEGA also asked the court to consider the serious constitutional violations by the lower court.
iMEGA’s lawyers included specific grounds for the higher court to intercede, including the misapplication of Kentucky’s own “gambling devices” statute to include domain names; that there is no basis for civil forfeiture in the Kentucky statute, which is a criminal statute; and that Justice and Public Safety Secretary J. Michael Brown lacked the authority to bring this action, instead of the commonwealth’s attorney-general.
iMEGA’s lawyers also outlined the lower court’s constitutional violations, including threatening free speech, by allowing Kentucky to, in essence, seize words, and prevent the domain registrants or private citizens from using them; violating the commerce clause by acting to protect Kentucky’s in-state industries and block competing out-of-state industries; and violating due process in allowing Kentucky to initiate the seizure action against the domain registrants in a secret court preceeding, the records of which were sealed from the public, and not providing any notice of the action to the registrants, even after the judge had ruled their domain names forfeit to the state.
(Credit: iMEGA)
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Oct. 22, 2008 - iMEGA petitioned the Kentucky Court of Appeals for a writ of mandamus, to block a lower court’s decision allowing Kentucky to seize 141 domain names. Kentucky’s lawyers have sought these domain names, all related to Internet gaming and advertising, in an effort to protect Kentucky’s own in-state gambling operations from competition, and to extract tens of millions of dollars in penalties from the domain registrants.
Copy: iMEGA Petition to Kentucky Court of Appeals (.pdf format)
“Since the lower court elected to ignore Kentucky law, and instead reached back to a law the current one supplanted to find a rationale justifying these seizures, we have no choice but to go to the Court of Appeals, ” said Joe Brennan Jr., iMEGA chairman and CEO. “This errant ruling affects far more than Kentucky and the domain names currently at risk. If this is allowed to stand, you’ll see other actions like this, targeting other segments of Internet media, at the state and local level, both here and abroad.”
iMEGA has asked the Court of Appeals to intercede due to the lower court’s lack of jurisdiction over the domain names, as none of the names are owned by Kentucky residents, or managed by in-state domain registrars. iMEGA also asked the court to consider the serious constitutional violations by the lower court.
iMEGA’s lawyers included specific grounds for the higher court to intercede, including the misapplication of Kentucky’s own “gambling devices” statute to include domain names; that there is no basis for civil forfeiture in the Kentucky statute, which is a criminal statute; and that Justice and Public Safety Secretary J. Michael Brown lacked the authority to bring this action, instead of the commonwealth’s attorney-general.
iMEGA’s lawyers also outlined the lower court’s constitutional violations, including threatening free speech, by allowing Kentucky to, in essence, seize words, and prevent the domain registrants or private citizens from using them; violating the commerce clause by acting to protect Kentucky’s in-state industries and block competing out-of-state industries; and violating due process in allowing Kentucky to initiate the seizure action against the domain registrants in a secret court preceeding, the records of which were sealed from the public, and not providing any notice of the action to the registrants, even after the judge had ruled their domain names forfeit to the state.
(Credit: iMEGA)
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Police say money in poker houses 'astronomical' - CTV - 17th October 2008
A Toronto police detective estimates that one of two gaming houses raided earlier this week earned at least $1.5 million per year for the operator.
"It's astronomical how much money they make," Det. Emilio DiPoce told ctvtoronto.ca on Friday. "Anybody who deals in drugs has got to have their head read, when the gambling is so easy for them."
The money is tax free, so that's equivalent to earning $3 million legitimately, DiPoce said.
"The last one we done where we actually got books from, the guy netted $900,000."
DiPoce said such gaming clubs are "popping up all over the place," adding, "it's only going to get worse."
The growth of Texas Hold 'em poker on television has fuelled interest in such clubs, he said. These clubs advertise on the Internet. They provide free food and credit is easy to get, he said.
On one online poker forum, the following message was posted in February 2006: "The game is still going strong since last night everyone. Come get your crazy 1/2 NL action! This game is probably gonna wrap around for a second night as more players continue to fuel the fire. Let's see if we can hit the 48 hour mark. Gimme a call for details if you want in on this."
That message was posted on behalf of the Nuttz poker club, located at 319 Spadina Ave. The name given for the poster was "Kevin." Ctvtoronto.ca phoned the cellphone number listed in the posting, but Kevin said he didn't want to comment. "I'm not going to validate that," he said when told his name was associated with Nuttz.
Police executed search warrants on Nuttz and the Pertutti Bar at 1248 St. Clair Ave. W. They say they seized gaming tables, chips, cards, other equipment and cash.
They have charged seven people with keeping a common gaming house. Fifty-six others have been charged with being found in a common gaming house.
The investigation, led by the organized crime section's illegal gambling unit, is a partnership of various police services across southern Ontario from Ottawa to Windsor.
"The unit is responsible for province-wide illegal gambling investigations pertaining to Part VII of the Criminal Code within the province of Ontario, with an emphasis on organized crime," said the news release.
DiPoce said the establishments raided on Wednesday don't appear to be part of a wider operation.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker News
A Toronto police detective estimates that one of two gaming houses raided earlier this week earned at least $1.5 million per year for the operator.
"It's astronomical how much money they make," Det. Emilio DiPoce told ctvtoronto.ca on Friday. "Anybody who deals in drugs has got to have their head read, when the gambling is so easy for them."
The money is tax free, so that's equivalent to earning $3 million legitimately, DiPoce said.
"The last one we done where we actually got books from, the guy netted $900,000."
DiPoce said such gaming clubs are "popping up all over the place," adding, "it's only going to get worse."
The growth of Texas Hold 'em poker on television has fuelled interest in such clubs, he said. These clubs advertise on the Internet. They provide free food and credit is easy to get, he said.
On one online poker forum, the following message was posted in February 2006: "The game is still going strong since last night everyone. Come get your crazy 1/2 NL action! This game is probably gonna wrap around for a second night as more players continue to fuel the fire. Let's see if we can hit the 48 hour mark. Gimme a call for details if you want in on this."
That message was posted on behalf of the Nuttz poker club, located at 319 Spadina Ave. The name given for the poster was "Kevin." Ctvtoronto.ca phoned the cellphone number listed in the posting, but Kevin said he didn't want to comment. "I'm not going to validate that," he said when told his name was associated with Nuttz.
Police executed search warrants on Nuttz and the Pertutti Bar at 1248 St. Clair Ave. W. They say they seized gaming tables, chips, cards, other equipment and cash.
They have charged seven people with keeping a common gaming house. Fifty-six others have been charged with being found in a common gaming house.
The investigation, led by the organized crime section's illegal gambling unit, is a partnership of various police services across southern Ontario from Ottawa to Windsor.
"The unit is responsible for province-wide illegal gambling investigations pertaining to Part VII of the Criminal Code within the province of Ontario, with an emphasis on organized crime," said the news release.
DiPoce said the establishments raided on Wednesday don't appear to be part of a wider operation.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker News
Bodog’s Fall From Grace Continues, by Anonymous - 24th October 2008
A judgment was handed down requiring Bodog.com to pay $50 million in a lawsuit settlement to 1st Technology LLC. This relates back to Bodog.com violating software contact agreements with 1st Technology LLC. The online gaming giant was given the opportunity to have their day in court. However, there were no representatives for Bodog.com in the courtroom. Therefore the judge was left with no choice but to automatically find in favor of 1st Technology LLC.
In addition to the large scale judgment amount, the two main operating domain names of Bodog.com and Bodog.net were ordered to cease operations as well. Bodog operations responded by creating a new domain name from which to continue daily operations. The new domain name of bodoglife.com was launched and an appeal of the judgment was filed.
Bodog continues to struggle in finding its identity these days following drastic management changes and massive layoffs. The company's founder, Calvin Ayre, is nowhere to be found following his abrupt (and some say "forced") retirement last spring.
Bodog Poker is having trouble paying players. They've bounced a number of checks and it is obvious they are losing market share in recent months. The site had previously peaked at number 10 among "real cash players" and gradually they have dropped down the ranks to number 15.
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A judgment was handed down requiring Bodog.com to pay $50 million in a lawsuit settlement to 1st Technology LLC. This relates back to Bodog.com violating software contact agreements with 1st Technology LLC. The online gaming giant was given the opportunity to have their day in court. However, there were no representatives for Bodog.com in the courtroom. Therefore the judge was left with no choice but to automatically find in favor of 1st Technology LLC.
In addition to the large scale judgment amount, the two main operating domain names of Bodog.com and Bodog.net were ordered to cease operations as well. Bodog operations responded by creating a new domain name from which to continue daily operations. The new domain name of bodoglife.com was launched and an appeal of the judgment was filed.
Bodog continues to struggle in finding its identity these days following drastic management changes and massive layoffs. The company's founder, Calvin Ayre, is nowhere to be found following his abrupt (and some say "forced") retirement last spring.
Bodog Poker is having trouble paying players. They've bounced a number of checks and it is obvious they are losing market share in recent months. The site had previously peaked at number 10 among "real cash players" and gradually they have dropped down the ranks to number 15.
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FHM poker school will rid gambling of 'the smell of old men', by Ciar Byrne - The Independent - 7th February 2005
The men's monthly wants to grab some Vegas glam rather than high street bookie gloom
Girls in bikinis and pub humour are no longer enough to cut it in the world of men's magazines, prompting the leading men's monthly, FHM, to stake its future on the world of poker. Over the next six months, the title will attempt to turn its three million, predominantly 16- to 34-year-old readers into poker aces as well as hosting a "wooden" online poker competition (meaning no money will change hands).
Girls in bikinis and pub humour are no longer enough to cut it in the world of men's magazines, prompting the leading men's monthly, FHM, to stake its future on the world of poker. Over the next six months, the title will attempt to turn its three million, predominantly 16- to 34-year-old readers into poker aces as well as hosting a "wooden" online poker competition (meaning no money will change hands).
The top 10 players will then be invited to London to battle it out for a £10,000 cash prize, before gaining entry to a professional poker tournament where their progress will be filmed for a television show on Bravo.
The campaign is the brainchild of David Pullan, the new managing director of FHM Worldwide, who is responsible for the 28 editions of the men's title around the world.
FHM has teamed up with the US-based online World Poker Exchange as well as Flextech-owned Bravo and the London dance music radio station Kiss FM (like FHM, part of the Emap group) to promote the game.
Pullan deliberately chose a partner in America, where poker has achieved the status of a fashionable rite of passage. "One of the problems with a lot of traditional forms of gambling is the smell of old men associated with them," he says.
"American brands, particularly in poker, have a more aspirational sheen. It's that whole Vegas thing, Ocean's Eleven. The bookie on Streatham High Street doesn't quite impart the same feeling of glamour."
In the magazine, FHM readers will find "non-didactic" poker tips on the etiquette of the game and how to bluff, while online they can view tutorial videos "delivered by a model wearing an evening gown rather than a bloke in a tux".
Pullan says the TV programme following the FHM winners will be a bit like the Channel 4 hit show Faking It. "It's got all that dramatic tension around how our plucky amateurs will get on. But the difference here is you're not trying to win a horse trial or a cooking competition. There's a million-dollar pot."
Formerly head of marketing at Five, he admits that FHM as a brand has "probably not been fully exploited to the maximum effect". As part of his remit to create an FHM brand that stretches beyond the magazine, he is keen to expand further into television, as well as embracing the internet and mobile phones.
In another joint venture with Bravo, FHM has made a half-hour documentary about its popular "High Street Honeys" competition, charting the progress of the winner from girl next door to cover star.
Talks are also under way to create a fully fledged FHM spin-off show based around the magazine's catch phrase "funny, sexy, useful".
"The biggest problem is that replicating magazine content on television is hugely expensive. One feature in FHM is a half-hour documentary on Channel 4. You have to think laterally," says Pullan.
Promoting the magazine across a number of platforms has become more urgent in the face of fresh competition from the new men's weeklies Nuts and Zoo. Pullan insists that FHM has hardly been affected by the success of these titles, thanks to its decision not to take them on in the areas where they excel because of their quick turnaround - sport, topical news stories and entertainment.
"The strategy was to make FHM feel like an indulgence, something you buy because it sits on your table for a full four weeks, with different girls, time-relevant rather than topical information and we really focus on making it funny."
(Credit: The Independent)
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The men's monthly wants to grab some Vegas glam rather than high street bookie gloom
Girls in bikinis and pub humour are no longer enough to cut it in the world of men's magazines, prompting the leading men's monthly, FHM, to stake its future on the world of poker. Over the next six months, the title will attempt to turn its three million, predominantly 16- to 34-year-old readers into poker aces as well as hosting a "wooden" online poker competition (meaning no money will change hands).
Girls in bikinis and pub humour are no longer enough to cut it in the world of men's magazines, prompting the leading men's monthly, FHM, to stake its future on the world of poker. Over the next six months, the title will attempt to turn its three million, predominantly 16- to 34-year-old readers into poker aces as well as hosting a "wooden" online poker competition (meaning no money will change hands).
The top 10 players will then be invited to London to battle it out for a £10,000 cash prize, before gaining entry to a professional poker tournament where their progress will be filmed for a television show on Bravo.
The campaign is the brainchild of David Pullan, the new managing director of FHM Worldwide, who is responsible for the 28 editions of the men's title around the world.
FHM has teamed up with the US-based online World Poker Exchange as well as Flextech-owned Bravo and the London dance music radio station Kiss FM (like FHM, part of the Emap group) to promote the game.
Pullan deliberately chose a partner in America, where poker has achieved the status of a fashionable rite of passage. "One of the problems with a lot of traditional forms of gambling is the smell of old men associated with them," he says.
"American brands, particularly in poker, have a more aspirational sheen. It's that whole Vegas thing, Ocean's Eleven. The bookie on Streatham High Street doesn't quite impart the same feeling of glamour."
In the magazine, FHM readers will find "non-didactic" poker tips on the etiquette of the game and how to bluff, while online they can view tutorial videos "delivered by a model wearing an evening gown rather than a bloke in a tux".
Pullan says the TV programme following the FHM winners will be a bit like the Channel 4 hit show Faking It. "It's got all that dramatic tension around how our plucky amateurs will get on. But the difference here is you're not trying to win a horse trial or a cooking competition. There's a million-dollar pot."
Formerly head of marketing at Five, he admits that FHM as a brand has "probably not been fully exploited to the maximum effect". As part of his remit to create an FHM brand that stretches beyond the magazine, he is keen to expand further into television, as well as embracing the internet and mobile phones.
In another joint venture with Bravo, FHM has made a half-hour documentary about its popular "High Street Honeys" competition, charting the progress of the winner from girl next door to cover star.
Talks are also under way to create a fully fledged FHM spin-off show based around the magazine's catch phrase "funny, sexy, useful".
"The biggest problem is that replicating magazine content on television is hugely expensive. One feature in FHM is a half-hour documentary on Channel 4. You have to think laterally," says Pullan.
Promoting the magazine across a number of platforms has become more urgent in the face of fresh competition from the new men's weeklies Nuts and Zoo. Pullan insists that FHM has hardly been affected by the success of these titles, thanks to its decision not to take them on in the areas where they excel because of their quick turnaround - sport, topical news stories and entertainment.
"The strategy was to make FHM feel like an indulgence, something you buy because it sits on your table for a full four weeks, with different girls, time-relevant rather than topical information and we really focus on making it funny."
(Credit: The Independent)
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Disgraced Former Cricket Player Now Poker Pro?, by Anonymous - 25th October 2008
Only in the world of poker can someone viewed as a person of low moral character be seen as a hero.
The latest example?
A disgraced former professional cricket player from Australia is holding a charity poker tournament-at a major Australian casino!
According to media reports, retired Australian pro cricket player Shane Warne, along with Australian poker pro and 2005 World Series of Poker champ Joe Hachem, will host a charity poker tournament on Monday, October 27, 2008, at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia.
The tourney is to benefit the Shane Warne Foundation, a charity that benefits sick and underprivileged children in Australia, the media reports said.
But wait a minute!
Isn't Warne a highly-disgraced ex-sports pro, at least in Australia and any place else where people know who he is?
You bet he is!
According to past accounts from newspapers in Australia and England and elsewhere, Warne, who was a top cricket player, was disciplined on numerous occasions by his sport for less than exemplary behavior.
The most serious incident was in 2004, when he was suspended from cricket for a year for using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
In 1995, he was fined thousands of dollars after getting caught passing inside information about upcoming cricket matches to a bookmaker.
In 1999, he got into hot water after making negative comments about a Sri Lankan cricket player. The brouhaha earned Warne a fine and a two-match suspension.
In addition, his sexual escapades and extra-marital affairs have been fodder for the cricket media, and he has been investigated by a British government agency for shilling a shady company that makes a hair-restoration drug.
What a guy!
Let's get him to run a charity tournament for poor and sick kids!
Only in the highly-dysfunctional world of poker.
It's akin to a charity poker tourney being held in the USA by steroid abuser Barry Bonds, wife beater Jose Canseco, gambler Pete Rose or all-around miscreant O.J. Simpson.
Then again, charity poker tournaments in the USA in recent years have featured child molesters Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston Jr. and "Sean" Sheikhan and drug dealer Mike "The Mouth" Matusow.
And just a few weeks ago, Phil "Poker Brat" Hellmuth Jr. was asked to host a charity poker tournament with disgraced former NFL star Paul Hornung.
Hornung was once banned from the NFL for a year for betting on NFL games.
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Only in the world of poker can someone viewed as a person of low moral character be seen as a hero.
The latest example?
A disgraced former professional cricket player from Australia is holding a charity poker tournament-at a major Australian casino!
According to media reports, retired Australian pro cricket player Shane Warne, along with Australian poker pro and 2005 World Series of Poker champ Joe Hachem, will host a charity poker tournament on Monday, October 27, 2008, at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia.
The tourney is to benefit the Shane Warne Foundation, a charity that benefits sick and underprivileged children in Australia, the media reports said.
But wait a minute!
Isn't Warne a highly-disgraced ex-sports pro, at least in Australia and any place else where people know who he is?
You bet he is!
According to past accounts from newspapers in Australia and England and elsewhere, Warne, who was a top cricket player, was disciplined on numerous occasions by his sport for less than exemplary behavior.
The most serious incident was in 2004, when he was suspended from cricket for a year for using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
In 1995, he was fined thousands of dollars after getting caught passing inside information about upcoming cricket matches to a bookmaker.
In 1999, he got into hot water after making negative comments about a Sri Lankan cricket player. The brouhaha earned Warne a fine and a two-match suspension.
In addition, his sexual escapades and extra-marital affairs have been fodder for the cricket media, and he has been investigated by a British government agency for shilling a shady company that makes a hair-restoration drug.
What a guy!
Let's get him to run a charity tournament for poor and sick kids!
Only in the highly-dysfunctional world of poker.
It's akin to a charity poker tourney being held in the USA by steroid abuser Barry Bonds, wife beater Jose Canseco, gambler Pete Rose or all-around miscreant O.J. Simpson.
Then again, charity poker tournaments in the USA in recent years have featured child molesters Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston Jr. and "Sean" Sheikhan and drug dealer Mike "The Mouth" Matusow.
And just a few weeks ago, Phil "Poker Brat" Hellmuth Jr. was asked to host a charity poker tournament with disgraced former NFL star Paul Hornung.
Hornung was once banned from the NFL for a year for betting on NFL games.
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Crown Casino To Host Charity Poker Tournament - 24th October 2008
On October 27th, Australian poker players (and anyone else who wants to make the trip) will have a chance to play poker with PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem as he hosts the "2008 Joe Hachem & Shane Warne Charity Poker Tournament" along with internationally renowned Cricketer Shane Warne.
This $1,000 buy-in tournament (with $500 rebuys) will be fully catered and will have a celebrity (mostly Aussie) at each and every table. Some of the celebrities expected to attend include Jeff Fenech, Brian McFadden, FiFi Box, Kevin Muscat and Billy Brownless. The winner of the event is guaranteed a $25,000 cash first prize.
All proceeds of the event will go to the Shane Warne Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising funds to help underprivileged and seriously ill children in Australia. The Shane Warne Foundation works as a conduit to many smaller organizations, distributing the raised money to help them buy equipment and run programs that benefit Australian kids.
For more information visit www.tswf.com.au.
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On October 27th, Australian poker players (and anyone else who wants to make the trip) will have a chance to play poker with PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem as he hosts the "2008 Joe Hachem & Shane Warne Charity Poker Tournament" along with internationally renowned Cricketer Shane Warne.
This $1,000 buy-in tournament (with $500 rebuys) will be fully catered and will have a celebrity (mostly Aussie) at each and every table. Some of the celebrities expected to attend include Jeff Fenech, Brian McFadden, FiFi Box, Kevin Muscat and Billy Brownless. The winner of the event is guaranteed a $25,000 cash first prize.
All proceeds of the event will go to the Shane Warne Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising funds to help underprivileged and seriously ill children in Australia. The Shane Warne Foundation works as a conduit to many smaller organizations, distributing the raised money to help them buy equipment and run programs that benefit Australian kids.
For more information visit www.tswf.com.au.
Media Man Australia Profiles
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Jeff Fenech
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Saturday, October 25, 2008
Online Poker 60 Minutes News Story
The topics for this Sunday’s edition of the CBS news program “60 Minutes” were revealed on Thursday and noticeably absent from the list was a feature on online poker. CBS News cameras have been scouring the poker community for information on the Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker scandals as well as the recent developments in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, where Governor Steve Beshear has tried to thwart internet gambling by forcing the forfeiture of domain names. The feature had been rumored to air this Sunday, October 26th.
More details as they come to hand.
Media Man Australia Profiles
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The topics for this Sunday’s edition of the CBS news program “60 Minutes” were revealed on Thursday and noticeably absent from the list was a feature on online poker. CBS News cameras have been scouring the poker community for information on the Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker scandals as well as the recent developments in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, where Governor Steve Beshear has tried to thwart internet gambling by forcing the forfeiture of domain names. The feature had been rumored to air this Sunday, October 26th.
More details as they come to hand.
Media Man Australia Profiles
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Online Casino News
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Poker pro urges casino smoking ban, by Liz Benston - Las Vegas Sun - 21st October 2008
A career poker player who pushed for smoking bans in poker rooms and tournaments is now leading a fight to prohibit smoking on casino floors across Nevada.
Tom McEvoy is the public face for a new grass-roots group, Gamblers Against Secondhand Smoke, which is pushing for a ban in the last bastion for smokers.
A Las Vegas man who has spent 30 years playing poker for a living, McEvoy isn’t exactly a mainstream celebrity. But if smoking is banned in Nevada casinos, as some advocates say is inevitable, he may become the gaming equivalent of the Marlboro man who campaigned against cigarettes.
He isn’t a paid advocate but a Stetson-wearing gambler who has hosted poker tournaments and written poker books. He’s on a first-name basis with casino executives. And he is prepared, he says, to fight a culture war with an inherently conservative industry so afraid of change it is willing to risk the health of its patrons and employees.
“I love Las Vegas. I love gaming. I’m not anti-casino. I’m anti-smoking in the casino,” he said. “This is actually going to help the industry in the long run.”
At first, McEvoy was upset about having to quit poker games because of allergic reactions to smoke. His outrage grew, he says, after the deaths of poker friends, including a nonsmoker, from smoke-related illnesses.
McEvoy is outspoken where health groups are careful. He is passionate where groups such as the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association and the Southern Nevada Health District are politically correct.
These groups supported a partial smoking ban in 2006 that exempted casino floors, which was viewed as a first step toward a complete ban.
Health groups have been quiet about such efforts. Though workers have advocated casino bans in other states, notably in Atlantic City casinos, employees have been silent here for fear of losing their jobs.
After the rapid spread of smoking bans in poker rooms, McEvoy set his sights on casino floors.
Gamblers Against Secondhand Smoke is the brainchild of Stephanie Steinberg, a gambler who was instrumental in getting smoking banned in Colorado casinos in January and who pushed for the ban in Atlantic City casinos.
Steinberg, who drafted McEvoy, isn’t a professional lobbyist or advocate either.
Her efforts began several years ago after conversations with casino workers in Colorado who said they didn’t want to work around smoke but were afraid to speak up. She founded Smoke-Free Gaming of Colorado, a coalition of casino workers and residents.
In 1999, McEvoy pushed for the first major smoke-free poker tournament in Las Vegas. He was also involved in an effort to ban smoking at the World Series of Poker, which went smoke-free in 2004. (McEnvoy won the World Series’ main event in 1983.)
Casinos have resisted smoking bans on the ground that they would lose business from gamblers who smoke. But the battleground goes beyond economics. The notion that gambling, drinking and smoking go hand-in-hand, and Nevada’s libertarian, live-and-let-live culture combined with Las Vegas’ escapist image appear to be tough obstacles.
“Casinos are afraid to offend the minority,” McEvoy said. “That’s being shortsighted. They’re on the wrong side of this issue and they know it.”
Attendance at the World Series of Poker and other tournaments has increased, in part because of the smoking bans, poker experts say.
“Tom was ultimately proven right,” said Nolan Dalla, media director of the World Series of Poker.
Dalla, a nonsmoker, was one of many gaming insiders who thought business would suffer if players were forced to walk outside for a smoke. So he and hundreds of tournament employees and players endured what observers dubbed “the World Series of Poker sickness” — the coughing, sneezing and weakened immune system that occurred after spending weeks in smoke-filled rooms.
Players — even smokers — complained by writing letters and confronting management.
Casino executives have a standard response to a total smoking ban: They already accommodate smokers and nonsmokers with smoke-free hotel rooms and other areas, such as banks of slot machines and individual tables.
“The industry says don’t mess with success, especially during these economic down times,” Dalla said. “Do we want to implement something that could drive away a certain percentage of business?”
Smoking is more of a problem in enclosed poker rooms, Dallas said, and smoke tends to dissipate better on the larger, high-ceilinged casino floor.
McEvoy said that’s not true for dealers and bartenders who breathe smoky air for hours on end. So, Gamblers Against Secondhand Smoke is spreading its smoking ban message primarily among casino workers — the people most affected by secondhand smoke.
The group has already enlisted the support of several casino dealers on the Strip, including Mario Ragazzo.
“The vast majority of gamblers don’t smoke, and those who do aren’t necessarily our best customers,” Ragazzo said. “But all casinos know is the status quo. Unless you put pressure on people, they’re not going to change.”
(Credit: Las Vegas Sun)
Media Man Australia Profiles
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A career poker player who pushed for smoking bans in poker rooms and tournaments is now leading a fight to prohibit smoking on casino floors across Nevada.
Tom McEvoy is the public face for a new grass-roots group, Gamblers Against Secondhand Smoke, which is pushing for a ban in the last bastion for smokers.
A Las Vegas man who has spent 30 years playing poker for a living, McEvoy isn’t exactly a mainstream celebrity. But if smoking is banned in Nevada casinos, as some advocates say is inevitable, he may become the gaming equivalent of the Marlboro man who campaigned against cigarettes.
He isn’t a paid advocate but a Stetson-wearing gambler who has hosted poker tournaments and written poker books. He’s on a first-name basis with casino executives. And he is prepared, he says, to fight a culture war with an inherently conservative industry so afraid of change it is willing to risk the health of its patrons and employees.
“I love Las Vegas. I love gaming. I’m not anti-casino. I’m anti-smoking in the casino,” he said. “This is actually going to help the industry in the long run.”
At first, McEvoy was upset about having to quit poker games because of allergic reactions to smoke. His outrage grew, he says, after the deaths of poker friends, including a nonsmoker, from smoke-related illnesses.
McEvoy is outspoken where health groups are careful. He is passionate where groups such as the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association and the Southern Nevada Health District are politically correct.
These groups supported a partial smoking ban in 2006 that exempted casino floors, which was viewed as a first step toward a complete ban.
Health groups have been quiet about such efforts. Though workers have advocated casino bans in other states, notably in Atlantic City casinos, employees have been silent here for fear of losing their jobs.
After the rapid spread of smoking bans in poker rooms, McEvoy set his sights on casino floors.
Gamblers Against Secondhand Smoke is the brainchild of Stephanie Steinberg, a gambler who was instrumental in getting smoking banned in Colorado casinos in January and who pushed for the ban in Atlantic City casinos.
Steinberg, who drafted McEvoy, isn’t a professional lobbyist or advocate either.
Her efforts began several years ago after conversations with casino workers in Colorado who said they didn’t want to work around smoke but were afraid to speak up. She founded Smoke-Free Gaming of Colorado, a coalition of casino workers and residents.
In 1999, McEvoy pushed for the first major smoke-free poker tournament in Las Vegas. He was also involved in an effort to ban smoking at the World Series of Poker, which went smoke-free in 2004. (McEnvoy won the World Series’ main event in 1983.)
Casinos have resisted smoking bans on the ground that they would lose business from gamblers who smoke. But the battleground goes beyond economics. The notion that gambling, drinking and smoking go hand-in-hand, and Nevada’s libertarian, live-and-let-live culture combined with Las Vegas’ escapist image appear to be tough obstacles.
“Casinos are afraid to offend the minority,” McEvoy said. “That’s being shortsighted. They’re on the wrong side of this issue and they know it.”
Attendance at the World Series of Poker and other tournaments has increased, in part because of the smoking bans, poker experts say.
“Tom was ultimately proven right,” said Nolan Dalla, media director of the World Series of Poker.
Dalla, a nonsmoker, was one of many gaming insiders who thought business would suffer if players were forced to walk outside for a smoke. So he and hundreds of tournament employees and players endured what observers dubbed “the World Series of Poker sickness” — the coughing, sneezing and weakened immune system that occurred after spending weeks in smoke-filled rooms.
Players — even smokers — complained by writing letters and confronting management.
Casino executives have a standard response to a total smoking ban: They already accommodate smokers and nonsmokers with smoke-free hotel rooms and other areas, such as banks of slot machines and individual tables.
“The industry says don’t mess with success, especially during these economic down times,” Dalla said. “Do we want to implement something that could drive away a certain percentage of business?”
Smoking is more of a problem in enclosed poker rooms, Dallas said, and smoke tends to dissipate better on the larger, high-ceilinged casino floor.
McEvoy said that’s not true for dealers and bartenders who breathe smoky air for hours on end. So, Gamblers Against Secondhand Smoke is spreading its smoking ban message primarily among casino workers — the people most affected by secondhand smoke.
The group has already enlisted the support of several casino dealers on the Strip, including Mario Ragazzo.
“The vast majority of gamblers don’t smoke, and those who do aren’t necessarily our best customers,” Ragazzo said. “But all casinos know is the status quo. Unless you put pressure on people, they’re not going to change.”
(Credit: Las Vegas Sun)
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CBS "60 Minutes" Segment On Online Poker Cheating Scandals To Air Soon!
In addition to the buzz around the seizure of 141 internet gambling domains by the Governor of Kentucky, an upcoming story by CBS’ “60 Minutes” has also been the center of discussion at the CAP Euro Barcelona event. Poker News Daily has learned that the story by “60 Minutes” should air on Sunday, October 26th, just days before the general elections in the United States. The program will likely cover the user scandals at Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, which have made headlines across the poker world in recent months.
The story by the longstanding news magazine will focus on the scandals that have rocked Ultimate Bet and may include the POTRIPPER issues at its sister site, Absolute Poker. In addition, the rumor around the industry is that “60 Minutes” is teaming up with a major newspaper for the story, which may be just weeks from airing. In its last update on the NioNio scandal that rocked the online poker site, Ultimate Bet listed additional user names that were involved: Crackcorn55, WhakMe, GrabBag123, gravitation, Bgroup, H_Curtis, Twenty 1, WacoManiac, Broke_In_L_A, ShaqTack, BlueBerry101, HolyMucker, 55WasHere, Xnomas, dannyboy55, Indy05, and SlimPikins2.
The cheating on Ultimate Bet began back in 2005, one year before its current ownership group, Tokwiro, purchased the site. Also in June, Ultimate Bet was scheduled to begin the refund process for players who were affected by the abuse. The transgressions surrounded the exploitation of an auditing tool which enabled its users to view the hole cards of every player at an online poker table.
In May, Ultimate Bet’s parent company released a statement that included the following: “We would like to thank our customers for their patience, loyalty, and support, as well as for their understanding that we are doing everything we can to correct this situation. The staff and management of Ultimate Bet are fully committed to providing a safe and secure environment for our players and we want to assure customers of our unwavering resolve to monitor site security with every resource at our disposal.”
Since then, one of the accounts in question was linked to a Las Vegas owned home of Russ Hamilton, one of the former owners of the site. However, no admission has been given publicly by Hamilton. Over the summer, Team PokerStars Pro member Barry Greenstein and Joe Sebok traveled to Hamilton’s residence. Greenstein came away from the interview feeling as if, by the time the truth was known, Hamilton would not be one of those indicted.
A $75 million claim filed against a software manufacturer was the subject of an article by MSNBC with the title “Poker site cheating plot a high-stakes whodunit.” The article, which was published last week, seemed to trump any momentum “60 Minutes” would have had, although the television station’s program is likely to be more visible.
The latest move in the Ultimate Bet investigation was the Kahnawake Gaming Commission naming Frank Catania, a former gaming regulator in the state of New Jersey, to lead a formal inquiry into the matter. His website, CataniaConsulting.com, states that he “serves as one of three independent directors of eCOGRA. He served as the first president of the International Masters of Gaming Law, a non-profit association dedicated to the education and advancement of gaming law, vice chair and chair, respectively, of the International Association of Gaming Regulators and past chairman of the Forum of American Casino Regulators.”
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In addition to the buzz around the seizure of 141 internet gambling domains by the Governor of Kentucky, an upcoming story by CBS’ “60 Minutes” has also been the center of discussion at the CAP Euro Barcelona event. Poker News Daily has learned that the story by “60 Minutes” should air on Sunday, October 26th, just days before the general elections in the United States. The program will likely cover the user scandals at Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, which have made headlines across the poker world in recent months.
The story by the longstanding news magazine will focus on the scandals that have rocked Ultimate Bet and may include the POTRIPPER issues at its sister site, Absolute Poker. In addition, the rumor around the industry is that “60 Minutes” is teaming up with a major newspaper for the story, which may be just weeks from airing. In its last update on the NioNio scandal that rocked the online poker site, Ultimate Bet listed additional user names that were involved: Crackcorn55, WhakMe, GrabBag123, gravitation, Bgroup, H_Curtis, Twenty 1, WacoManiac, Broke_In_L_A, ShaqTack, BlueBerry101, HolyMucker, 55WasHere, Xnomas, dannyboy55, Indy05, and SlimPikins2.
The cheating on Ultimate Bet began back in 2005, one year before its current ownership group, Tokwiro, purchased the site. Also in June, Ultimate Bet was scheduled to begin the refund process for players who were affected by the abuse. The transgressions surrounded the exploitation of an auditing tool which enabled its users to view the hole cards of every player at an online poker table.
In May, Ultimate Bet’s parent company released a statement that included the following: “We would like to thank our customers for their patience, loyalty, and support, as well as for their understanding that we are doing everything we can to correct this situation. The staff and management of Ultimate Bet are fully committed to providing a safe and secure environment for our players and we want to assure customers of our unwavering resolve to monitor site security with every resource at our disposal.”
Since then, one of the accounts in question was linked to a Las Vegas owned home of Russ Hamilton, one of the former owners of the site. However, no admission has been given publicly by Hamilton. Over the summer, Team PokerStars Pro member Barry Greenstein and Joe Sebok traveled to Hamilton’s residence. Greenstein came away from the interview feeling as if, by the time the truth was known, Hamilton would not be one of those indicted.
A $75 million claim filed against a software manufacturer was the subject of an article by MSNBC with the title “Poker site cheating plot a high-stakes whodunit.” The article, which was published last week, seemed to trump any momentum “60 Minutes” would have had, although the television station’s program is likely to be more visible.
The latest move in the Ultimate Bet investigation was the Kahnawake Gaming Commission naming Frank Catania, a former gaming regulator in the state of New Jersey, to lead a formal inquiry into the matter. His website, CataniaConsulting.com, states that he “serves as one of three independent directors of eCOGRA. He served as the first president of the International Masters of Gaming Law, a non-profit association dedicated to the education and advancement of gaming law, vice chair and chair, respectively, of the International Association of Gaming Regulators and past chairman of the Forum of American Casino Regulators.”
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Tuesday, October 21, 2008
World Poker Tour Enterprises Ends Relationship With Cryptologic
World Poker Tour Enterprises, the owner of the eponymous landmark poker tour since its inception seven years ago, announced on Friday that they will be terminating their relationship with Cryptologic, who had run their online poker room for slightly over a year.
WPTE filed a notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17th where details of the end of the relationship were offered. In the notice, WPTE announced that they had informed Cryptologic Incorporated and WagerLogic Limited - with whom WPTE had been working for just over a year - that they were terminating their contract and that the room would temporarily shut down on or around November 14th. At this time, WPTE is retaining rights to come back online at a future date but those options have yet to be fully detailed out.
The contract termination will cost WPTE a significant sum of money. The three year contract signed with Cryptologic in 2007 for operation of the poker room was for $750,000 with WPTE picking up any costs not covered by the room’s operation, according to previous SEC filings. Add into the equation the remainder of the contract, which will have to be picked up as well by WPTE, and the total costs for closing the room will potentially be around $2 million, if not significantly higher.
Sources at the WPT were not at liberty to confirm if the site will reopen in another network or independently.
The actual site that the WPTE was using for its online poker operation, WPTonline.com, seemed to have problems from the start. After spending several months trying to develop their own software and program in 2006, WPTE decided to abandon that effort and signed on with Cryptologic. Further adding into the difficulties for the site was the fact that it could not accept American players, as the gray area that is online gaming in the United States could have put WPTE in tremendous jeopardy if American action was accepted.
2008 overall hasn’t been kind to WPTE or any of its operations. Since last year, many of the tournaments on the schedule have seen declines in their numbers and the current seventh season of the WPT has actually seen a reduction in the number of tournaments for the first time in its history. This year has also seen WPTE move its tournament broadcasts for the third time, after its long relationship with the Travel Channel and its year long dalliance with GSN, formerly the Game Show Network. The current season, the WPT’s seventh, will be seen on Fox Sports Network in what appears to be a “time buy” situation.
WPTE’s stock has taken a tumble as well. Since it reached its apex at over $27 a share following the rumored buyout by a consortium headed by Doyle Brunson in 2005, the stock has fallen tremendously. Two months ago, NASDAQ sent a delisting notification to WPTE after its shares fell below a dollar and gave then 180 days to return above that $1 level for a ten consecutive day period. As of this writing, WPTE’s stock has continued to drop and sits at $0.46.
WPTE currently has no debts, and its assets total over $11 million, but the organization has only ever had one money making quarter. In that quarter, WPTE turned a profit due to the sale of stock in the electronic poker table company PokerTek in early 2006.
The move by WPTE seems to have no effect on the continuation of its other online poker site, Club WPT. This site, which is membership based and is accessible to American players as well as the world, looks to be the linchpin that WPTE will move on with in the online poker world, as it also is the basis of its latest broadcast efforts on the Fox Sports Network.
WPTE still has their popular Club WPT site as well as their current television deal with Fox Sports Network to stay viable in the poker world. With the temporary shutdown of wptonline.com, however, things could take a turn for the worse. Overall, it would be unfortunate to lose any part of the organization that has been a part of the resurgence of poker in the 21st century.
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World Poker Tour Enterprises, the owner of the eponymous landmark poker tour since its inception seven years ago, announced on Friday that they will be terminating their relationship with Cryptologic, who had run their online poker room for slightly over a year.
WPTE filed a notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17th where details of the end of the relationship were offered. In the notice, WPTE announced that they had informed Cryptologic Incorporated and WagerLogic Limited - with whom WPTE had been working for just over a year - that they were terminating their contract and that the room would temporarily shut down on or around November 14th. At this time, WPTE is retaining rights to come back online at a future date but those options have yet to be fully detailed out.
The contract termination will cost WPTE a significant sum of money. The three year contract signed with Cryptologic in 2007 for operation of the poker room was for $750,000 with WPTE picking up any costs not covered by the room’s operation, according to previous SEC filings. Add into the equation the remainder of the contract, which will have to be picked up as well by WPTE, and the total costs for closing the room will potentially be around $2 million, if not significantly higher.
Sources at the WPT were not at liberty to confirm if the site will reopen in another network or independently.
The actual site that the WPTE was using for its online poker operation, WPTonline.com, seemed to have problems from the start. After spending several months trying to develop their own software and program in 2006, WPTE decided to abandon that effort and signed on with Cryptologic. Further adding into the difficulties for the site was the fact that it could not accept American players, as the gray area that is online gaming in the United States could have put WPTE in tremendous jeopardy if American action was accepted.
2008 overall hasn’t been kind to WPTE or any of its operations. Since last year, many of the tournaments on the schedule have seen declines in their numbers and the current seventh season of the WPT has actually seen a reduction in the number of tournaments for the first time in its history. This year has also seen WPTE move its tournament broadcasts for the third time, after its long relationship with the Travel Channel and its year long dalliance with GSN, formerly the Game Show Network. The current season, the WPT’s seventh, will be seen on Fox Sports Network in what appears to be a “time buy” situation.
WPTE’s stock has taken a tumble as well. Since it reached its apex at over $27 a share following the rumored buyout by a consortium headed by Doyle Brunson in 2005, the stock has fallen tremendously. Two months ago, NASDAQ sent a delisting notification to WPTE after its shares fell below a dollar and gave then 180 days to return above that $1 level for a ten consecutive day period. As of this writing, WPTE’s stock has continued to drop and sits at $0.46.
WPTE currently has no debts, and its assets total over $11 million, but the organization has only ever had one money making quarter. In that quarter, WPTE turned a profit due to the sale of stock in the electronic poker table company PokerTek in early 2006.
The move by WPTE seems to have no effect on the continuation of its other online poker site, Club WPT. This site, which is membership based and is accessible to American players as well as the world, looks to be the linchpin that WPTE will move on with in the online poker world, as it also is the basis of its latest broadcast efforts on the Fox Sports Network.
WPTE still has their popular Club WPT site as well as their current television deal with Fox Sports Network to stay viable in the poker world. With the temporary shutdown of wptonline.com, however, things could take a turn for the worse. Overall, it would be unfortunate to lose any part of the organization that has been a part of the resurgence of poker in the 21st century.
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Monday, October 20, 2008
Internet Gambling Ruling - 19th October 2008
Last week in a monumental ruling, Kentucky District Judge Thomas Wingate refused to dismiss a case involving the seizure and potential forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domains. They include the websites of the largest online poker rooms in the industry that cater to U.S. customers, including Full Tilt Poker, Ultimate Bet, Cake Poker, and PokerStars. Late last week, Governor Steve Beshear, who initiated the seizure, issued his response to the ruling.
Beshear, in part to protect Kentucky’s horse racing industry and state lottery, ordered the 141 domain names in question to be seized. His actions have incited consternation from around the industry, including from industry groups like the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA), and Interactive Gaming Council (IGC). In addition, groups like the Bluegrass Institute have become involved in the issue because of the violations of freedom involved.
Nevertheless, Beshear was elated at the news that Judge Wingate had sided with him on the case. He commented in a press release available on Kentucky.gov, “I am very pleased with Judge Wingate’s ruling. The court validated our concern that there is illegal and unregulated Internet gambling in Kentucky. He has given these parties 30 days to effectively block any access to this illegal activity within the commonwealth of Kentucky or they may be forced to forfeit those domain names to the commonwealth.”
Judge Wingate’s ruling states that if internet gambling sites take action to block users in Kentucky from accessing the site using geo-targeting technologies, then they “shall be relieved from the effects of the Seizure Order and from any further proceedings in the instant civil forfeiture action.” The final forfeiture hearing is scheduled for Monday, November 21st at 10:00am ET.
Beshear reveals his reasons behind his order for seizure: “No one has been willing to step up and do anything about illegal Internet gambling until now. We must protect our people, especially our children, from this illegal and unregulated activity while also protecting our legal and regulated forms of gaming in Kentucky.” Beshear ran on a platform of expanding land-based casino gambling in the State.
Rich Muny, who is the State Director in Kentucky for the PPA, commented, “Judge Wingate’s order is a huge disappointment to the thousands of Kentuckians who play Internet poker. In essence, Governor Beshear and Judge Wingate are denying law-abiding citizens this form of recreation simply because it is enjoyed on the Internet. This is Internet censorship by judicial fiat, plain and simple.”
It’s a case that will set a significant precedent one way or the other. Due to the ruling last week, appeals are expected, although when they will be filed is currently unknown. The case has attracted worldwide attention, including from the Bluegrass Institute, a local organization aimed at preserving the freedoms set forth in the Constitution, and the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR). The latter national organization is led by Grover Norquist, who has been active on Capitol Hill for the last 20 years. The ATR, according to its website, believes “in a system in which taxes are simpler, fairer, flatter, more visible, and lower than they are today. The government’s power to control one’s life derives from its power to tax. We believe that power should be minimized.” The limitation of government is one of the primary reasons that the ATR is involved. The organization has also worked with the PPA on a national level, trying to push through pro-internet gambling legislation.
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Last week in a monumental ruling, Kentucky District Judge Thomas Wingate refused to dismiss a case involving the seizure and potential forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domains. They include the websites of the largest online poker rooms in the industry that cater to U.S. customers, including Full Tilt Poker, Ultimate Bet, Cake Poker, and PokerStars. Late last week, Governor Steve Beshear, who initiated the seizure, issued his response to the ruling.
Beshear, in part to protect Kentucky’s horse racing industry and state lottery, ordered the 141 domain names in question to be seized. His actions have incited consternation from around the industry, including from industry groups like the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA), and Interactive Gaming Council (IGC). In addition, groups like the Bluegrass Institute have become involved in the issue because of the violations of freedom involved.
Nevertheless, Beshear was elated at the news that Judge Wingate had sided with him on the case. He commented in a press release available on Kentucky.gov, “I am very pleased with Judge Wingate’s ruling. The court validated our concern that there is illegal and unregulated Internet gambling in Kentucky. He has given these parties 30 days to effectively block any access to this illegal activity within the commonwealth of Kentucky or they may be forced to forfeit those domain names to the commonwealth.”
Judge Wingate’s ruling states that if internet gambling sites take action to block users in Kentucky from accessing the site using geo-targeting technologies, then they “shall be relieved from the effects of the Seizure Order and from any further proceedings in the instant civil forfeiture action.” The final forfeiture hearing is scheduled for Monday, November 21st at 10:00am ET.
Beshear reveals his reasons behind his order for seizure: “No one has been willing to step up and do anything about illegal Internet gambling until now. We must protect our people, especially our children, from this illegal and unregulated activity while also protecting our legal and regulated forms of gaming in Kentucky.” Beshear ran on a platform of expanding land-based casino gambling in the State.
Rich Muny, who is the State Director in Kentucky for the PPA, commented, “Judge Wingate’s order is a huge disappointment to the thousands of Kentuckians who play Internet poker. In essence, Governor Beshear and Judge Wingate are denying law-abiding citizens this form of recreation simply because it is enjoyed on the Internet. This is Internet censorship by judicial fiat, plain and simple.”
It’s a case that will set a significant precedent one way or the other. Due to the ruling last week, appeals are expected, although when they will be filed is currently unknown. The case has attracted worldwide attention, including from the Bluegrass Institute, a local organization aimed at preserving the freedoms set forth in the Constitution, and the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR). The latter national organization is led by Grover Norquist, who has been active on Capitol Hill for the last 20 years. The ATR, according to its website, believes “in a system in which taxes are simpler, fairer, flatter, more visible, and lower than they are today. The government’s power to control one’s life derives from its power to tax. We believe that power should be minimized.” The limitation of government is one of the primary reasons that the ATR is involved. The organization has also worked with the PPA on a national level, trying to push through pro-internet gambling legislation.
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Push to teach students the odds of pokies, horse racing, by Melanie Christiansen - The Courier-Mail - 20th October 2008
Students would be taught the odds of gambling on the pokies or the horses in the school curriculum, under a proposal from the hotel industry.
The industry wants gambling education added to the national school curriculum.
Responding to concerns about problem gamblers, the Australian Hotels Association has written to a Senate committee suggesting there is a "genuine need" to teach factual information on all forms of gambling in classrooms.
"It is an unfortunate reality that many young people do not understand the odds when gambling, and overestimate their chance of success," the AHA submission said.
"At present, schools throughout Australia teach students about safe sex, the dangers of smoking and drugs and the responsible consumption of alcohol.
"To adequately prepare students for life after school, gambling education needs to be included in the national school curriculum."
The proposal follows a furore two months ago, when a Brisbane school teacher was accused of leading his students astray after taking them to a racecourse to help improve their maths skills.
While teenagers from Mt St Michael's College in Ashgrove spent an afternoon studying form guides, their teacher, Jim Dooley, placed some bets.
Queensland Teachers' Union president Steve Ryan said although most schools did not go to the extent of taking students to races, their maths courses already covered the concepts of probability and chance in data.
He said there was no need to add extra lessons on gambling into an already busy school program.
"Every time there is an issue in our society, it should not be expected that schools can solve it by including it in their curriculum," he said.
(Credit: The Courier-Mail)
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Students would be taught the odds of gambling on the pokies or the horses in the school curriculum, under a proposal from the hotel industry.
The industry wants gambling education added to the national school curriculum.
Responding to concerns about problem gamblers, the Australian Hotels Association has written to a Senate committee suggesting there is a "genuine need" to teach factual information on all forms of gambling in classrooms.
"It is an unfortunate reality that many young people do not understand the odds when gambling, and overestimate their chance of success," the AHA submission said.
"At present, schools throughout Australia teach students about safe sex, the dangers of smoking and drugs and the responsible consumption of alcohol.
"To adequately prepare students for life after school, gambling education needs to be included in the national school curriculum."
The proposal follows a furore two months ago, when a Brisbane school teacher was accused of leading his students astray after taking them to a racecourse to help improve their maths skills.
While teenagers from Mt St Michael's College in Ashgrove spent an afternoon studying form guides, their teacher, Jim Dooley, placed some bets.
Queensland Teachers' Union president Steve Ryan said although most schools did not go to the extent of taking students to races, their maths courses already covered the concepts of probability and chance in data.
He said there was no need to add extra lessons on gambling into an already busy school program.
"Every time there is an issue in our society, it should not be expected that schools can solve it by including it in their curriculum," he said.
(Credit: The Courier-Mail)
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Sunday, October 19, 2008
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