Pennsylvania Introduces Online Gambling Bill in Senate: PokerStars Exclusion
Pennsylvania lawmakers on Wednesday introduced Bill 1386 in the Senate. The bill, drafted by State Sen. Edwin Erickson, would legalize online gambling in the Keystone State.
A newer version of the legislation co-sponsored by Republican Bob Mensch allows for an expanded number of casino games whereas Erickson’s bill focused almost exclusively on poker. Mensch also wants to charge a $5 million licensing fee along with a 14% tax on gross gaming revenues.
PokerStars Buyer Will Begin Talks With New Jersey Casino Regulators to Enter Market
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) - A Canadian company buying the PokerStars website will begin licensing talks with New Jersey casino regulators aimed at letting the world's largest Internet poker site operate legally in the state, the state's top casino regulator said.
41 Players Confirmed for Big One For One Drop: Approaching 56 Cap
The World Series of Poker has confirmed that 41 players are signed up to take part in the upcoming Big One For One Drop, which could ultimately pay out over $20 million.
World Cup Highlights Asia’s Illegal Gambling Boom
HONG KONG (Associated Press) — As teams battle for football glory at the World Cup in Brazil, the biggest winners from the tournament may be illegal bookmakers in Asia.
Since kickoff, Chinese officer worker Chen has already wagered 2,000-3,000 yuan ($320-$480) through black market online bookies and plans to gamble more on big upcoming games.
Dreyfus: Online Poker is Coming to California
In his blog this week, Alexandre Dreyfus of the Global Poker Index writes that California dreaming is about to become a reality with Amaya’s acquisition of PokerStars last week and the ability for the world’s largest online poker room to now re-enter the California market.
A number of the powerful state tribes have offered up resistance when in comes to allowing PokerStars to re-enter the US market. They claim an unfair playing field since Stars operated in the States long after federal prohibition had passed.
Gambling Addiction: It’s All About Bad Genetics
A study conducted by the National University of Singapore has found that genetics play a role in determining whether a person is willing to take strategic risk. And while individuals with these genes are likely to exhibit a higher degree of belief learning and, as such, anticipate the actions of others, such genes can also result in increased reinforcement learning.
And these genes can also regulate the way dopamine – a chemical released in the brain that signals pleasure and motivates people to seek rewards.
Enter gambling addiction.
PokerStars, Asia Pacific Poker Tour Debuts Beijing Millions
PokerStars and the Asia Pacific Poker Tour will host the inaugural Beijing Millions, scheduled for July 18th to 27th. It is the first foray into the Chinese Mainland market for both PokerStars and the APT.
While rare, a sanctioned poker tournament is not unprecedented in China.
In 2012 and 2013, the World Poker Tour did hold a US$1,500 event in Sanya, on the Chinese island of Hainan.
Elizabeth Warren Endorses Tierney: Wife Served Time in Offshore Gambling Case
Massachusetts Senior Senator Elizabeth Warren has endorsed eight-time Democratic incumbent Congressman John Tierney, who is expected to fight a tough primary this upcoming November.
Gambling911.com readers became familiar with Tierney after his wife Patrice was charged for her role in the operation of her brother Robert Eremian’s offshore gambling enterprise. She served as an accountant for the long established Antigua-based gambling business, Sports Off Shore.
2009 World Series of Poker Champ Joe Cada Wins Second Bracelet
Team PokerStars Pro Joe Cada has just won the WSOP Six-Handed No Limit Hold'em Championship for $670,041. His previous WSOP Bracelet was the 2009 WSOP Main Event, making him the first Main Event winner since Carlos Mortensen (2001) to subsequently win a WSOP bracelet.
The $670,041 that he won here takes his total live earnings to $10,296,221, which will propel him to 24th on the all-time money listing, just ahead of T.J. Cloutier. It was his second largest live cash (behind the 2009 WSOP Main Event).
Mobster Matthew ‘Matty’ Guglielmetti Released From Prison After 10 Years
A New England mob associate, Matthew ‘Matty’ Guglielmetti, was released from prison last week after serving 10 years. He will now be under house confinement according to reports.
The 65-year-old Guglielmetti is a high ranking figure in the powerful Patriarca crime family of La Costa Nostra. He plead guilty to drug trafficking over a decade ago but was also said to be active in the family’s gambling and loan sharking business.
A Pete Rose Induction Into Baseball Hall of Fame Looking Brighter
Former Major League Baseball great Pete Rose expressed optimism that he could some day be inducted into the Hall of Fame following a lifetime ban for gambling on Baseball games.
"I've waited 25 years, but I've done so because I was the one who screwed up," Rose told ESPN.com. "And if I were given a second chance, I would be the happiest guy in the world."
Gus Hansen World Series of Poker Debut Interrupted by Pool Party
A Vegas pool party at some unknown location resulted in Danish poker pro Gus Hansen missing the World Series of Poker #35 $5,000 buy-in 8-handed No-Limit Hold'em event.
This was to be his debut at the 2014 WSOP.
“Pool party on Friday nite ruined my debut at the 2014 WSOP. Maybe 5k 8 handed will be my first event” he tweeted.
Or maybe not.
GTECH in Talks to Buy IGT
MILAN (Reuters) - Italian lottery operator GTECH is in preliminary talks to buy Las Vegas-based International Game Technology (IGT) in a cash and shares deal that would make it a significant player in the casino slot machine business.
GTECH said on Monday it had hired advisers to help it negotiate a deal, confirming what sources told Reuters last week. It gave no value for the potential bid.
A Bunch of WSOP Main Event Finalists on Verge of Making Final Cut in Event 32
Since winning the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event in 2009, 26-year-old Michigan native Joe Cada has come close to winning his 2nd bracelet. He finished 2nd in Event 31 at the 2012 WSOP and 4th on two occasions at last year’s World Series of Poker.
Poll Finds New Jersey Would Stick With Atlantic City Casinos
(Associated Press) - A new poll finds most New Jersey gamblers would continue to play in Atlantic City even after four new casinos are built in New York.
But the Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll also has some bad news for the seaside gambling resort: at least 12 percent of customers who now gamble in Atlantic City would take their business to New York.
The poll released Monday finds 57 percent of New Jersey residents prefer to gamble in Atlantic City.
New York is in the process of adding four new casinos to the 14 it already has.
Bitcoin Community Fears 51 Percent GHash Control: Others Say It’s Armageddon
On Friday for a period of nearly 12 hours, mining pool GHash had surpassed the 51% controlling share mark in the anonymous digital currency bitcoin and that has many watchers worried….perhaps with good reason.
Back in January GHash had 42% control and even then there were concerns mounting.
Golden Nugget Does Not Have to Pay $1.5 Million Won in Mini-Baccarat Game
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) - A casino does not have to pay $1.5 million won by a group of gamblers who realized the cards had not been shuffled, and can move to recover more than $500,000 it already paid them, a judge ruled Friday.
The Superior Court judge ruled that because the cards had been unshuffled, that made the game of mini-baccarat in April 2012 illegal under state casino rules.
Palms Casino Closes Poker Room
The Palms Casino in Las Vegas has shut down its poker room on Thursday.
According to Brian Pempus of CardPlayer.com, the room likely had trouble getting enough cash game players to sustain a healthy venue.
From CardPlayer.com:
Amaya Would Become Largest Online Gambling Company, Pave Way for California
With word that publicly traded Amaya Gaming Group has agreed to the $4.9 billion purchase of PokerStars.com, the company will become the world’s largest online gambling business. It will also potentially help to usher in legalized online poker for the state of California.
Amaya Agrees to Acquire PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker for $4.9 Billion
MONTREAL, CANADA & ONCHAN, ISLE OF MAN –Amaya Gaming Group Inc. (TSX: AYA) (“Amaya” or the “Corporation”) and privately held Oldford Group Limited (“Oldford Group”), the parent company of Rational Group Ltd.
New Jersey Sees Sharp Decline in Online Gambling During Month of May
(Associated Press) - Internet gambling has hit a wall in New Jersey just six months after launching.
Figures released today by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement show the casinos' online operations took in $10.4 million in May, a decline of $1 million from April. Internet gambling revenues have now declined for two straight months in New Jersey.
But there was some good news in the numbers: Including Internet gambling revenue, and excluding the Atlantic Club, which closed in January, the casinos' total revenue was up nearly 1.3 percent.
Florida Prosecutors Want Ex-FBI Agent Conviction in Murder of Gambling Exec
MIAMI - (Associated Press) — Florida prosecutors are asking an appeals court to reconsider its decision to toss the murder conviction and prison sentence for a former FBI agent in a mob-style killing linked to jailed Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger.
Did Actor Ben Affleck Get Kicked Out of Canadian Casino?
It supposedly happened twice in less than a month. Hollywood actor Ben Affleck has been disciplined by yet another casino, this time in Canada, or so say rumors that were circulating this week via the Toronto Star.
The 41-year-old star was reportedly asked to leave the Caesar Windsor Hotel and Casino in Ontario by that establishment’s security on May 31. Affleck was playing $5,000 hands at a card table.
South Carolina Wants Legalized Gambling, Marijuana
South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham won in a landslide Tuesday to retain his long held seat, much to the disappointment of online gambling fans, most of whom were probably hoping for a Cantor-like defeat. Virginia Republican Congressman and Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his seat Tuesday in what was being touted as the biggest political campaign shocker in more than a century.
Can Casinos Save Detroit?
Detroit's shaky foundation of recovery may be backed by placing bets behind its local casinos. A trial to approve Detroit's plan to exit its $18 billion bankruptcy, the largest municipal crash in U.S. history, begins in late July. Revenue projections needed to stave off bankruptcy may be too ambitious. Even though Detroit gambling taxes are a stable source of money, casino revenue has declined recently in Detroit in the face of competition with traditional gambling hubs like Nevada and New Jersey as well as relative newcomers to the wagering scene.
‘Simpsons’ Creator Sam Simon ‘Tremendous Spirit’ in Cancer Battle Says Tilly
In an extraordinary interview conducted by Elaina Sauber of CardPlayer.com Wednesday, actress and poker player Jennifer Tilly opens up about her ex-husband’s fight with cancer.
PokerStars.NET to sponsor 2014 Beijing millions
Event sanctioned by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, will form part of APPT
BEIJING, CHINA – PokerStars.NET will sponsor the 2014 Beijing Millions from July 18-27, and the event will form part of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT). This represents the first event in mainland China to be held as part of the APPT.
As part of this sponsorship, PokerStars will provide a tournament director and staff training, ensuring that this landmark event delivers an outstanding experience for players from China and beyond.
William Hill Takes £400,000 Bet on Whether Scotland Leaves the UK
The United Kingdom’s largest bookmaker, William Hill, has offered odds on whether Scotland will leave the UK. The odds are a bit steep at 1-4 for Scotland to vote against independence.
One man, said to be English, has wagered £400,000 on the “No” with the payoff being £100,000. It is the largest political bet in William Hill’s long history.
US Support of Gambling at All Time High Says Pol
(Associated Press) - Americans' support of legalized gambling is at all-time high, according to a new poll prepared for the casino industry's main trade group.
The report for the American Gaming Association also supports an assertion the gambling industry has long held: that casinos should be treated like any other business and not subjected to vastly higher taxes.
The poll finds 57 percent favor casino gambling, and 87 percent say gambling in general is an acceptable activity.
Dubai Businessman Iraj Parvizi Sues Les Ambassadeurs Casino for Allowing Collusion
A Dubai-based businessman, Iraj Parvizi is suing London’s Les Ambassadeurs Casino for failing to prevent collusion and cheating in its establishment.
And the amount he is suing for?
£10,000,000.
The 48-year-old was a regular in weekly high stakes cash games held at the casino until he lost £185,000 in one session and refused to pay back for the chips he received on credit.
