Business & Financial
Bitcoin Online Poker Room Infiniti Poker Launch Pushed Back to August
Infiniti Poker has delayed its launch another few months after originally targeting an early spring debut. The room will allow US players via the digital currency Bitcoin.
Infiniti Poker released the following statement this weekend:
Is This the Beginning of the End of MCC 7995 for Online Gambling in Regulated States
The new Ultimate Poker, Station Casino’s online poker property, is now accepting Mastercard transactions, making them the first licensed poker room in the United States to do so.
Judge Rules That Atlantic Club Casino Can Seek New Buyer
(Associated Press) - After paying an $11 million advance to a struggling Atlantic City casino it intended to buy, the parent company of the world's largest online poker website was left with nothing for its troubles Friday when a judge ruled the casino had the right to scrap the deal.
Superior Court Judge Raymond Batten said The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel could terminate the contract it signed with The Rational Group, the British parent company of PokerStars, when the company failed to get New Jersey's preliminary approval by April 26 to own a casino.
iGaming Super Show Amsterdam 2013 Lands GCB’s AG Burnett as Speaker
iGaming Business have announced that AG Burnett, Chairman of the Nevada State Gaming Control Board (GCB), will be speaking at the iGaming Executive Conference. This C-level, invite only event is one of the seven concurrently-held conferences that take place on June 12th as part of the iGaming Super Show, which is being held in Amsterdam on the 11th – 14th June 2013.
Paul Leggett, Phil Hellmuth Absolved From Wrongdoing in UB.com Poker Scandal
On the surface, it would appear that both former UB.com COO Paul Leggett and poker pro Phil Hellmuth have been absolved from any wrongdoing in a much publicized UB.com online poker insider cheating scandal.
Lock Poker Accelerates Payouts
Following an exclusive Gambling911.com interview with Lock Poker CEO Jennifer Larson this week, Lock Poker has begun to accelerate payouts to customers after a prolonged period of what it deemed to be “processing delays”.
Skrill payouts for those residing outside the US began coming in even for the maximum amount of $10,000. There were even reports of Skrill payouts being received within one week of the initial requests.
Partouche Online Poker Parts Ways, Closing Shop
France online poker venture, Partouche, is shutting down.
The company announced plans to cease existence effective next month (June 2013).
Partouche cited France’s stringent tax code, combined with a limited player pool, as reason for its failure.
Atlantic City Revel Casino Gets Reprieve
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) — Revel was given a second chance Wednesday from New Jersey casino regulators, and now it’s seeking the same thing from customers.
In winning a reprieve, the bankrupt casino acknowledged several big mistakes, including preventing its guests from smoking; not paying enough attention to slots players; and booking too many hip acts at the expense of other forms of entertainment.
Macau New Resort Casino Approved
HONG KONG (Associated Press) - Macau casino operator SJM Holdings has received official approval to build a new resort in the world's biggest gambling center.
SJM said its contract for land in the Cotai district was published Wednesday in the official government gazette. The company is racing to catch up with rivals like Wynn Resorts and MGM.
The new projects are centered on the Cotai Strip, a patch of former swampland intended to be Asia's version of the Las Vegas Strip.
DOJ Freezes Accounts Between Bitcoin Exchange and Dwolla: Maryland Center Stage
The US Department of Justice on Tuesday froze accounts belonging to one of Bitcoin’s most prominent exchanges, Mt. Gox.
Iovation Investigated by Nevada Officials: Company Linked to Poker Cheating Scandal
Nevada State Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett has stated in an email that regulators are looking into identification verification firm Iovation and its relationship to licensed online poker company UltimatePoker.
Iovation had ties to an insider cheating scandal at UB.com, a now defunct online poker site.
Minted Poker Moves to Fledgling Plutos Poker Network
Everleaf Poker Network’s flagship room, Minted Poker, has jumped ship to the newly started Plutos Poker Network.
Minted has offered a 100 rakeback deal to long time Minted Poker players who have been unable to play as a result of Everleaf’s reported insolvency. The company claims that Everleaf owes it a substantial amount of money.
Verdict Reached in Las Vegas Sands Case
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — A Las Vegas jury has reached a verdict in a Hong Kong businessman's breach-of-contract lawsuit against the Las Vegas Sands, potentially bringing nine years of litigation to an end.
Richard Suen sued the casino giant run by multibillionaire Sheldon Adelson for $328 million in 2004. He says the company owed him for his help securing a lucrative gambling license in the Chinese territory of Macau, the only place in that country where casino gambling is legal.
Paul Leggett Hiring by Amaya Under Review by Nevada Gaming Commission
Former UB.com COO Paul Leggett has been tagged as the next head of gambling firm Amaya but the Nevada Gaming Commission might not be too happy.
UB.com closed shop following a 2011 indictment by the US Government owing millions of dollars to players.
The website LegalPokerSites.com begged the question, with so many other folks from the online gambling sector unemployed, why bring on Paul Leggett?
Atlantic Club Claims it Knew Nothing About PokerStars Running Afoul of US Law
Responding to a lawsuit filed by PokerStars, Atlantic City casino The Atlantic Club insists it knew nothing about PokerStars legal problems in the United States despite extensive mainstream press surrounding the matter.
Interview With Lock Poker CEO Jennifer Larson Part II
Gambling911.com continues its interview with Lock Poker CEO Jennifer Larson, who addresses the departure status of two pros. Additionally, Ms. Larson responds to concerns over Lock’s communications process, which she describes as a “work in progress”.
In case you missed Part I of this interview, you can find it here.
Lock Poker Exploring Bitcoin Options
One of the largest US-facing online poker rooms has confirmed they are exploring a Bitcoin payment platform. This is the biggest online gambling company to date that has announced plans to offer the digital currency.
“We are indeed looking at Bitcoin as an alternative (payment solution),” Lock Poker Founder and CEO Jennifer Larson tells Gambling911.com.
Gambling911.com World Exclusive: Lock Poker CEO Jennifer Larson Interview
In her first ever sit down interview, Lock Poker Founder and CEO talks about recent concerns surrounding her company and the strategy moving forward.
Lock Poker last year migrated to the newly formed Revolution Gaming Network and the growth pains have been felt ever since. Compounding these growing pains is the lack of payment processing available. This has led many to question the company’s financial stability.
Nevada Gambling Revenue Up 7 Percent in March
CARSON CITY, Nev. (Associated Press) — Three-quarters of the way through the fiscal year, gambling revenue at Nevada casinos is running nearly 3 percent ahead of last year.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board said Friday casinos statewide won more than $914 million in March, a 7 percent gain over March 2012. That pushed the fiscal year-to-date total to nearly $8.4 billion, 2.8 percent more than last year.
Chris Moorman, Paul Volpe Removed From Lock Poker Site
Lock Poker pros Chris Moorman and Paul Volpe both announced they will not be renewing their endorsement contracts for the site.
Google Glass to be Banned From Caesar’s Casino
Google Glass, a wearable computer with a head-mounted display that can take pictures and videos, will not be permitted in Caesar’s Palace Casino.
A Caesar’s Palace representative released the following statement:
Lock Poker Pro Told by Angry Customer His Baby Should Have Been Stillborn
Some customers of Lock Poker angry over a new player-to-player transfer policy have resorted to attacks on the company’s elite pros including the likes of Melanie Weisner and Annette Obrestad.
One individual, according to Lock Pro Matt Stout, even resorted to telling another pro that he wished his baby would have been stillborn.
US Sees Biggest Increase in Casino Gambling Since the Recession
Good news for the US casino industry as figures show gambling revenues across the board have increased the most this past year since the start of the recession in 1998.
Court Order Blocks Sale of Atlantic Club Casino to PokerStars
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - (Associated Press) -- The behind-the-scenes battle between an Internet poker giant and the struggling Atlantic City casino it wants to buy burst into the open Monday, with a court order, accusations of bad faith, and the revelation of an eye-poppingly low sale price.
Absolute Poker Frontman Paul Leggett Resurfaces at Amaya
Former Absolute Poker COO Paul Leggett has been maintaining a low profile ever since “Black Friday”, a day in which the US Government cracked down on AP and two other big name US-facing online poker firms.
Two years later Liggett has emerged as the new head of Amaya’s online poker venture.
Casinos Brace for Internet Gambling
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) — With legal gambling now moving beyond the casinos and onto the Internet, the industry is bracing for the most far-reaching changes in its history.
A Las Vegas firm, Ultimate Gaming, on Tuesday became the first in the U.S. to offer online poker, restricting it, for now, to players in Nevada. New Jersey and Delaware also have legalized gambling over the Internet and expect to begin offering such bets by the end of this year.
Lock Poker Payment Processor: ‘Things Will Get Better Soon’
Lock customers in Europe and the rest of the world outside the US have wondered why payouts might be slower than the industry average, a la Skrill and Neteller.
A customer representative routinely posts on the TwoPlusTwo.com forum that “rest of the world payment processing is adversely affected by Lock’s willingness to accept US customers”.
We know Lock well and we know they are not going anywhere any time soon BUT…. the whole payment processing puzzle still has us (and many others) a bit baffled.
First Real Money US Online Poker Room UltimatePoker.com Averaging 100 Players
With all the talk of the first ever real money online poker room launching within the United States, we now have a clearer picture of just how many people are beginning to play.
Heading into the weekend, Station Casinos backed UltimatePoker.com was seeing approximately 100 players on average in a day with peak real money players at just over 200, according to PokerScout.com.
Breaking News: PokerStars Attempts to Salvage Atlantic Club Deal
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey — (Associated Press) - The British parent company of the PokerStars website says it still wants to buy an Atlantic City casino, even though a deal to obtain it fell through on Wednesday.
The Rational Group said Thursday night it wants to try to save its deal to purchase The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel. The casino said Wednesday the purchase deal was dead, but declined to say why.
Eric Hollreiser, a spokesman for the Isle Of Man-based company, said it had expected the closing deadline for the sale to be extended.
Illinois Gambling Expansion Measure Approved: Online Language Removed
The Illinois state Senate voted 32-20 in favour of SB1739, a measure that would allow expansion of gambling within the state’s borders. Language related to legalized online gambling had been removed in recent days.
