Top Gambling Stories of 2011 Revealed and Daring Predictions

Gambling911.com has compiled its list of the top 10 stories in gambling for 2011.  Few of our regular readers will be surprised as to what story tops the list.  Additionally, we attempt to offer a few predictions for 2012. 

10 – Italian and French Markets Open Up – The Italian and French markets opened up for real cash online poker play in 2011 and the results were astonishing.  Four of the top ten online poker sites in the world are those targeting either Italy or France.  Seven of the top twenty are targeting either nation.  Our prediction is that this trend should continue.  We are likely to see more countries open up by year’s end…including the US?  We say, HELL YEAH!

9 – Phil Ivey’s Court Battles – Whether it was poker pro Phil Ivey filing a lawsuit against his former employer Full Tilt Poker (subsequently dropped) or the highly public divorce filing by his wife Luciaetta, anything Ivey this year was a pretty big draw.  Our prediction is that we will be seeing more of Phil Ivey in the coming year, but at the tables.  A precursor to this prediction was his appearance in Macau a few weeks back. 

8 – US Justice Department Changes Stance on Internet Poker – In the waning two weeks of 2011, the US Justice Department gave the online poker sector a wonderful Christmas gift by announcing a change of policy as it relates to the Wire Act.  No longer will that Act apply to online poker.  The Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act targets “illegal” online gambling and, with this new policy change, there is some question as to whether Internet poker still fits the “illegal” bill.  Most experts agree that individual states will now be able to set up regulatory framework as it applies to legalized Web poker without the fear of federal intrusion, thus creating an intrastate-based industry that could ultimately expand to include multiple states (in order to build a significant enough player pool).  Think Powerball. 

The big thing to watch for is any change of stance within the banking industry.  Once Nevada becomes the first to begin allowing real cash play online poker, the nation’s banks may begin allowing related transactions with less scrutiny.   Does this decision open the doors more for European companies to enter the US market?  We say YES.  Incidentally, the US DOJ decision would have made our top five for sure had it not happened two days before Christmas.  The industry is still trying to make heads or tails of what all of this means.  Nobody has fully grasped the Friday shocker, especially because everyone is enjoying the holidays. 

7 – Doyle Brunson Throws in the Towel (For Now) – Doyle Brunson finally decided to leave the online poker sector mid year 2011 but Gambling911.com has a daring prediction.  He returns shortly after real cash play begins in Nevada (possibly as early as this summer).  Doyle will live to be 100.  There are no shortage of US-based companies that would like to partner up with the legend of poker. 

6 – Tunica Underwater – The disastrous floods along the Mississippi River this past summer left the gambling destination of Tunica underwater for a few weeks.  Gambling911.com was the first stop for many looking to get the latest on casino closures and re-openings.  Fortunately, the closures were short-lived and many of the casino companies opted to pay their employees during these rough economic times while they were out of work.  Our prediction is that this good deed will put the Tunica casinos in better favor with God than Tim Tebow.  All right, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch.  Let’s just pray for no more flooding in 2012 and beyond. 

5 – Ernie Scherer III Murder Trial – Gambling911.com was front and center of this brutal murder.  Poker pro Ernie Scherer stood trial for the double murder of his parents in their Alameda County, California home and was ultimately found guilty.  The Alameda police initially reached out to G911 in an effort to publicize the brutal murder to a national audience in hopes of finding witnesses. 

4 – Politicians and States Forge Ahead With Plans for Legalizing Online Gambling – The unlikely outcome of sweeping indictments handed down against online poker operators on April 15 was the sudden fast paced action for the federal government and states to get legislation pushed through that would legalize Web poker and other forms of gambling.  The federal push resulted in successful hearings and much optimism for the first half of 2012 to get a law passed.  On the state front, New Jersey residents voted in favor of a referendum to legalize sports betting (65 percent of voters in fact).  Nevada, meanwhile, became the first state to approve legalized intrastate online poker and hopes to become a national hub for the activity once federal legislation is passed.  Nevada could move forward even before such a measure comes to fruition on the federal front now that the US Justice Department has changed its stance regarding the Wire Act only being applicable to sports betting.

3 – Blue Monday – Back in May, nearly a dozen online gambling websites were seized.  Most of them quickly switched over to a .ag or .eu extension without missing much of a beat.  Another, BetED.com, completely shut down.  They all got caught up in an elaborate two year sting operation whereby the US Attorney’s Office Out of Maryland set up a phony payment solutions company.  The Feds seized most of BetED.com’s money in addition to their domain. 

2 – Full Tilt Poker Fiasco – Full Tilt Poker exited the US market as the world’s second largest online poker room on April 15 following the indictment of two executives, charged with bank fraud and money laundering.  FTP suddenly could no longer pay its US customers.  The company ultimately had its license and site yanked at the end of June.  White knights arrived out of France to help rescue this sinking ship but to date, following a bunch of media hype, everyone is still left asking “Show me the money”.  Gambling911.com, like most media outlets, have pretty much held back reporting the latest Full Tilt Poker “news” as some of us haven’t gotten past the concept of how PokerStars (another online poker company that had funds seized as a result of the April 15 indictments) can pay back all of its customers and Full Tilt Poker CANNOT.  Simply put, how can we possibly believe anything coming out of the FTP camp?  Our prediction:  At some point we believe European players, especially those in France, will see their funds.  US players will be left begging the Feds for theirs.  Hopefully we are wrong and everyone gets paid, but we are less optimistic than a number of other industry websites out there.

1 – Black Friday – A no brainer here.  Three of the largest US-facing online poker rooms had their funds seized on April 15 (Black Friday).  Overnight, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker were forced to exit the US market.  Stars remains the biggest online poker site in the world and the only one of the three to pay all its customers.  Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker (the third company named in the indictment) were left for dead and have essentially shut down (at least for the time being).

- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher