Business & Financial
Revolution Gaming Could Overtake Merge Within a Month
The newly branded Revolution Gaming Network, featuring the likes of Lock Poker, Cake Poker and Intertops, the world’s first online gambling website, is expected to rank as the most trafficked US-facing online poker network by the end of June based on current trending data, overtaking what is currently the biggest North American-facing Web poker network, Merge Gaming.
Utah Poker Players Locked Out of Lock: Other State Players Now Welcome
The new Revolution Gaming Network appears to be following the new US model for online poker whereby individual states have been given the green light to offer Web gambling at the local level while others can elect to opt out.
Lock Poker Departure Spells Dramatic Loss for Merge
Preliminary numbers are in and it appears the Merge Gaming Network will see a sharp decline in traffic following the exit of marquee brand Lock Poker.
Lock left Merge May 31, 2012, citing “growing pains”. It has since started a brand new online poker network, combining forces with Cake Poker to develop the Revolution Gaming Network.
PokerStars Changes Rake Structure Again
PokerStars has opted to reduce its rake structure during the first part of this year just as the likes of the new Revolution Gaming Network and Merge Gaming increase theirs.
Fixed limit rake at Stars at $1/2 and $2/4 will be reduced, with the caps at 3-4 handed dropping from 80c to 70c and those at 5+ handed also cut, according to a statement released by the company Thursday.
The size of VIP bonuses will also be reduced along with their corresponding FPP cost. The value itself remains unchanged.
Poker Pro Daniel “Jungleman” Cates Joins Matchbook.com
The popular betting exchange, Matchbook.com, has begun maneuvering itself within the online poker arena. They announced the addition of Poker Pro Daniel “Jungleman” Cates to their roster on Thursday just as the 2012 World Series of Poker got underway.
Matchbook.com already features the likes of two-time bracelet winner JP Kelly, European Poker Tour winner Roberto Romanello, Matt Perrins, James Akenhead and last year’s WSOP “Bubble Boy”, John Hewitt.
Revolution Gaming Network Surpasses Merge in Terms of Worldwide Traffic
The Revolution Gaming Network is just barely 24 hours old yet it still managed to bypass the most trafficked US-facing online poker network, Merge, as of Friday morning.
At 9:30 am ET, Revolution had 585 cash players while Merge had 526. The 24-hour peak was showing Merge a few hundred greater than the Revolution Gaming Network at 1826 compared to 1489 for Revolution. The later site has barely been up for more than 24 hours with many customers still coming on board throughout the day.
Purple Lounge Casino, Poker Customers Likely Screwed
Troubled Purple Lounge Casino and Poker is now in liquidation with customers not likely to see any of their funds returned.
Parent company, Media Corp PLC announced the liquidation on Thursday with all staff being laid off. Media Corp Chairman Phil Jackson claims Purple Lounge had “historical operational and financial failings”.
Lock Poker Launches on the Revolution Network: $4000 Bonus Being Offered
Lock Poker has officially begun operating on the newly branded Revolution Gaming Network, completing major updates as of Thursday May 31, 2012 at 9:45 am ET with most updates complete. MAC customers will be able to play very shortly.
Lock joined forces with the Cake Network to oversee rebranding. The popular online poker room had previously existed on the Merge Gaming Network.
Online Poker Promotions June 2012: Cake Announces Massive Tournament Increase
As of June 1, popular online poker site, Cake Poker is increasing the size and frequency of its Guaranteed Poker Tournaments within an entirely new tournament line-up. To mark this occasion, Cake Poker is featuring two special tournaments on June 3rd – a $100,000 Guarantee and a $75,000 Guaranteed Super Stack. Additionally in June, Cake Poker has increased their first deposit bonus and is launching a $30,000 Gold Champs 2012 Tournament Series which mirrors the Euro 2012 football events.
PartyPoker Investing US$50m Over the Next Two Years in Social Media Site
PartyPoker parent company bwin.party has announced plans to invest US$50m over the past two years in a standalone social media website.
The social gaming unit, called Win, will be headed up by former Mytopia and Amuso CEO Barak Rabinowitz, it was revealed on Wednesday.
Assets from social gaming companies Velasco Services and Orneon Limited have already been acquired by Party to “accelerate our market entry”.
Online Poker Auto Top Up and Auto Buy-In Features Unveiled at Americas Cardroom
Americas Cardroom, known for some of the fastest payouts in the online poker world, has just announced new Auto Top Up and Auto Buy-In features. These are sure to grab the attention of players across the globe.
3D Online Gambling: The Next Big Thing
PKR Poker gets credit for launching what is truly one of the best – not to mention ONLY – 3D online poker sites way ahead of its time. 2012 looks like it will be the year of the 3D online gambling site.
A few have followed in PKR’s footsteps: Among them, Ladbrokes Poker and 888 Poker.
Bingo3X sent out a press release Tuesday describing the virtues of their newly developed 3D online gambling platform:
Revolution Gaming Splash Page Preview
The Revolution is here! Well, it gets underway officially on June 1, 2012. That’s when online poker players around the world will get to take advantage of the new Revolution Gaming, a rebranding of the former Cake Poker Network.
Cake Poker itself will still be on the network. That Gambling911.com endorsed online poker room will be joined by Lock Poker, which is overseeing the new Revolution Gaming Network.
Poker rooms on the network, including the first ever established online gambling website Intertops.com, will offer various promotions and tournament schedules.
World Series of Poker to Have its Own Live In-Game Scoreboard
At this year’s World Series of Poker, the game will join the ranks of professional sports by offering fans a live in-game scoreboard.
The company tasked with providing this new technology is PageMail. The new software to be used by dealers is called ChipTic.
Bracelet events will feature dealers handling a Blackberry- tablet inputting various data.
Merge Poker Moves Into Number 7 Place for First Time
Merge Gaming has moved into the number 7 position of the world’s most trafficked online poker networks for the first time ever. Merge has sat in the number 8 position for the past few months. Winamax.fr moves down a notch.
In an ironic twist, Merge will be losing one of its biggest licensees June 1 when Lock Poker forms its own network, which will essentially be a rebranding of the Cake Network. Cake is currently ranked as the 21st most trafficked in the world, according to PokerScout.com.
PokerStars Ranked Among UK Top Employers
PokerStars has been selected as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces by The Great Place to Work® Institute, the world’s largest consultancy specialising in workplace assessment and enhancement. In order to establish the best workplaces, the Institute annually surveys employees and performs a cultural audit of some 5,500 organizations around the world representing 10 million employees. Companies are grouped and ranked in their respective countries on workplace values of credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie.
Pinnacle Sports Obtains Alderney Gaming License (Video)
One of the largest and sharpest online sports betting firms, Pinnacle Sports, confirmed it has obtained a license from the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC). Scroll Down to Watch Video...
Zombie Swipeout: Zynga Zombies Seen Rising From the Depths of New York City Subways
Just as Zynga’s trading came back from the dead last Friday, now we have Zynga zombies rising out of the New York City subway system and terrorizing what are usually tough New Yawkers.
The Zombie sightings were first observed on the streets of San Francisco yesterday.
It’s all part of a promotion introducing the social game maker’s newest iPhone-compatible entry, "Zombie Swipeout".
Payback: Spain Wants Back Taxes From Online Poker Operators
In order to obtain an Internet gambling and poker license in the country of Spain, operators must pay back taxes on the business taken in from Spanish citizens over past years. The Spanish Government began regulating the sector this year.
Some have taken the bait.
888 Holdings expects to pay a back-tax bill for its Spanish operations of less than $10 million.
Revolution Gaming Network, Lock Poker Full Online Poker Tournament Schedule Unveiled
In exciting news Wednesday, the Revolution Gaming Network has unveiled its full online poker tournament schedule. You can join Lock Poker here to enjoy these great tournaments.
The newly branded Revolution Gaming Network is set to debut June 1, 2012 and includes Lock Poker, Cake Poker and Intertops.com among others.
Malta has Yet Another Black Eye Following Purple Lounge Shutdown
The online gambling jurisdiction of Malta has said there is little it can do about the abrupt closure of Purple Lounge Casino and Online Poker Room.
New Facebook Casino RocketFrog Offers Real Cash Winnings: MySpace Founder Behind App
Tuesday marked the beginning of the first ever real winnings Facebook online casino, RocketFrog, and the names behind this venture are fairly well known.
Zynga Shares Tumble After Trading Resumes: ‘Real Money’ Online Poker a White Knight
Following a halt in trading Friday, Zynga shares continued to tumble with trading once again available Monday, leading many to pray harder for real money online poker to surface in the US.
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Pennsylvania Leads U.S. in Gaming With Tax Windfall
(Bloomberg News) - - Ralph Attarian, a 47-year-old caddy, puffed cigarettes as he played a penny slot machine in Philadelphia’s SugarHouse Casino, adding to the pot of money that has helped Pennsylvania reap more tax revenue from gambling than any state for three years running.
“I just come here to kill some time,” he said one weekday morning as he tried his luck 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from the Las Vegas Strip. Players such as Attarian are proving a windfall for Pennsylvania, which is using the revenue to diversify its tax base and ease property levies.
AFL Star Tony Smith Back on Mermaid Beach: Once Sold Mega House to ‘Rat’ Daniel Tzvetkoff
AFL star Tony Smith is making a comeback on Mermaid Beach on Australia’s Gold Coast. He just purchased a 1,220-square-metre holding on Surf Street, which runs off Albatross Avenue.
Poker Pro Brian Hastings Blasts The Cosmopolitan Poker Room in Vegas
Brian Hastings, a popular poker player who has enjoyed great success online, is not exactly thrilled with The Cosmopolitan poker room in Las Vegas.
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Last year, Vegas Inc. suggested the Cosmopolitan was “too big to fail”.
Hastings pushed the “fail” button this weekend following play with the likes of Doyle Brunson, who snapped the accompanying photo of Brian.
He tweeted:
Intertops Poker Anticipates ‘Significant Increase in Ring Game Liquidity' with Revolution
Intertops Poker has expressed excitement over the rebranding of its current network to Revolution Gaming on June 1. The world’s first online gambling website, Intertops.com said it was “expecting a significant increase in ring game liquidity, increased player-rewards and a much richer tournament schedule” as part of the changeover.
Revolution Gaming was formed after Lock Poker entered into a deal to buy certain assets of the Cake Poker Network. Cake Poker will continue to operate on the newly branded network.
Zynga Trading Halted After Facebook Debut Sparks 13 Percent Drop
SAN FRANCISCO -- (Market Watch - Shares of Zynga Inc. were halted in morning trades Friday after the stock fell by more than 13 percent.
Trading was halted after Facebook Inc. began trading in its much-awaited initial public offering.
Mark Zuckerberg was Wearing WHAT Friday as Facebook Went Public: Hoodie and Suit Odds
Bookmaker has released odds on what Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg will be wearing Friday as his company begins trading. (find odds here)
Facebook Closing Price on Opening Day Odds Released: Betting Available
Bookmaker has released odds on the Facebook closing price at the end of opening day May 18, 2012 (find odds here).
Facebook has priced its IPO at $38 million ahead of Friday’s opening bell.
