Heartland Poker Tour Launches HPT500 League
Fargo, ND - To mark their tenth season, the popular tour and TV show Heartland Poker Tour is rolling out a new opportunity for poker enthusiasts to play on TV. HPT will launch HPT500, a league concept with players accumulating points towards a seat at a nationally televised Final Table where they will play for a lucrative sponsorship package. The program will be tested in a few select markets as early as April 1.
Police: Graham, Chaffetz Online Gambling Bill Would Lead to Increase in Crime
Last week, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Utah Republican representative Jason Chaffetz introduced the Restoration of America’s Wire Act, which seeks to strengthen current federal online gambling prohibition. The legislation also would prevent individual states from legalizing the activity, including those like Nevada and New Jersey that already offer real money Web gambling.
G911 Talks to Math Whiz Who Helped Art Chu Win $300k on ‘Jeopardy’
It's no secret among gamblers that having good mathematical skills can help when gambling.
Whether it's counting cards at blackjack, handicapping the horses or figuring out the pot odds in poker, a math whiz has an edge.
Oleksii Khoroshenin of the Ukraine Wins EPT Vienna for €578,392
Ukraine is celebrating its first ever EPT champion with Oleksii Khoroshenin’s €578,392 win in the EPT Vienna Main Event in the stunning imperial Hofburg Palace.
Khoroshenin, 27, an EPT regular who currently lives in St Petersburg, has now jumped from #20 in the Ukraine all-time money list to #7. He made a three-way deal with runner-up Anthony Ghamrawi from Austria and German pro Marko Neumann before taking down the €5,300 tournament. It’s by far his biggest live cash and more than double his lifetime tournament winnings to date.
Ravens Ray Rice Marries Fiancee One Day After Indictment for Beating Her
ESPN was reporting Saturday that Ravens running back Ray Rice has married his fiancée a day after being indicted for beating her in an Atlantic City casino.
Rice was indicted Thursday on aggravated assault charge stemming from an altercation with Janay Palmer at the Revel Casino.
Adelson Right Hand Man: 'Poker Player Alliance Twitter Followers are Creepy’
Vice President of Government Relations for the Las Vegas Sands Corp., Andy Abboud, referred to Poker Player Alliance Twitter followers as “creepy” during an Internet gambling conference debate this week, as relayed by noted industry analyst Nolan Dalla.
Sure it was hostile territory at this year’s iGaming North America Conference for presumably the only man in the room who is against legalized online gambling in the US, but Dalla considered the comment a low blow.
Poker News: Online Super Series III Kicks Off With $900,000 in Guarantees
San Jose, Costa Rica – Just a few weeks after sending dozens of players to compete for a million-dollar prize pool in Panama, leading online poker site Americas Cardroom is putting a record amount of cash on the table – this time entirely online. On March 28th, the poker site hosts OSS III, the third installment of their popular Online Super Series.
Nevada Gambling Revenue Falls 14 Percent
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) - State officials say Nevada gambling revenues tumbled 14 percent in February and took an even bigger dive on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board reported Friday that the state's casinos won $926 million in February, down from more than $1 billion in February 2013.
Las Vegas Strip gambling revenues fell more than 20 percent last month to $556 million. The story was happier in downtown Las Vegas, where casino revenue rose 3 percent to $43 million in February.
Paddy Power Takes Bets on Which Animal Will be Killed Next at Copenhagen Zoo
In recent weeks, when one thinks of the word “shameful” throughout Europe, three things come to mind: Putin, Copenhagen and Paddy Power, and not necessarily in that order.
UB.com Head Rubbed Magazine Cologne Strips on Body to ‘Smell Less Like Prison’
Convicted UB.com founder Brent Beckley relayed to Montana Kaimin how he got involved in UB.com/Absolute Poker and ultimately served a prison sentence as a result.
Ndrangheta Mafia has More Money Than McDonalds and Deutsche Bank Combined
A report by the Demoskopika research institute in Rome has determined that Italy’s notorious Ndrangheta organized crime family has amassed wealth that tops that of fast food giant McDonald’s and Deutsche bank put together.
Ravens Rice Indicted for Assault on Fiancee at Revel Casino
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — (Associated Press) - Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has been indicted on a charge he assaulted his fiancee in an elevator at casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
Poker Pro Marvin Rettenmaier: ‘Why I’m Against Implementing a Shot Clock!’
On his blog, noted poker pro Marvin Rettenmaier has offered up a series of reasons as to why a shot clock should not be introduced to live World Poker Tour (WPT) tournaments.
Mobile Online Gambling in New Jersey Makes Up One Quarter of Market
A report this week shows that mobile online gambling in New Jersey has accounted for more than a quarter of the overall market at one of the leading websites, WSOP.com. This includes tablets such as the iPad.
Reuters: Casinos to Vet High Rollers Funds
(Reuters) - U.S. casinos may soon have to vet where their high rollers' funds come from under a requirement being developed by the U.S. Treasury Department, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The move is part of a push to address longstanding regulatory and law enforcement concerns that criminals can use casinos, which have not historically been as closely monitored as banks for compliance with anti-money laundering laws, to convert proceeds of crime into money that appears clean.
California State Senator Charged as Part of Gambling, Murder-for-Hire Case
26 individuals have been indicted in an unsealed criminal complaint in San Francisco with charges that range from drug trafficking to gun running to illegal gambling to even murder-for-hire.
Among those arrested, California state Senator Leland Yee.
PokerHost Moves to Equity Poker Network: Leaves Merge Gaming
PokerHost.com, the online poker arm of sports betting website SBG Global, will be leaving the Merge Gaming Network and moving to the newly formed Equity Poker Network, it was revealed on Wednesday.
Equity Poker is currently home to the online poker arms of Heritage and 5Dimes sportsbooks.
Caesar’s to Shut Down Harrah’s Casino in Tunica
JACKSON, MISS. — (Associated Press) - Caesar’s Entertainment said Wednesday that will close its Harrah’s casino in Tunica on June 2 and lay off as many as 1,300 workers.
Las Vegas-based Caesar’s, which owns Harrah’s Reno, Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and Harveys Lake Tahoe, also owns the adjoining Horseshoe Tunica and Tunica Roadhouse in a nearby complex. The company said employees will have preference for openings at those operations and at Caesar’s properties under development in Las Vegas.
Dianne Feinstein Support of Online Gambling Prohibition Bill has Many Baffled
California Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein stunned many folks when it was revealed she would be backing legislation introduced Wednesday to prohibit online gambling.
FBI Raids Net Raymond ‘Shrimp Boy’ Chow: Collected Gambling Debts for Triad
A series of FBI raids in both the San Francisco and Sacramento areas resulted in the arrest of Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow, a former member of a Chinatown street gang and latest member of a Hong Kong-based triad allegedly tied to Hong Kong and San Francisco-based gambling dens.
Russia Placing Sanctions on Internet Gambling Sites: Mostly From UK
Russia has apparently declared war on Internet gambling.
Though the blacklist was implemented some 16 months ago, it has only expanded dramatically in recent days to include the likes of UK-based sites such as Ladbrokes and William Hill along with a number of other European online wagering firms.
This move comes as the European Union has imposed sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Crimea.
Coincidence?
Off Message: Republicans Attack on Internet Gambling Gets in Way of 2016
(Reuters) - Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson became a major player in Republican politics in the 2012 elections, when he spent more than $90 million in an unsuccessful effort to oust Democratic President Barack Obama.
Now the 80-year-old billionaire wants something from Washington: a ban on Internet gambling, a growing industry that Adelson says could hurt the casino industry. On Wednesday, some of Adelson's allies in Congress, including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, plan to propose legislation that would do just that.
Internet Gambling Control Act of 2014 Introduced by Graham, Chaffetz
South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah, introduced the Internet Gambling Control Act of 2014 Wednesday morning. It is a measure that would prohibit all forms of Web gambling in the US at the federal level while enforcing state governments to cease offering the activity as well.
Attorney in Full Tilt Poker ‘Black Friday’ Case to be Denied Lawyer Fees
The attorney for a defendant in the notorious “Black Friday” online poker investigation will be stiffed.
US Presidential Hopeful Rick Perry Wants ‘Time Out’ for Online Gambling
Texas Governor and 2016 US Presidential hopeful Rick Perry, a Republican, has called for a “time out” when it comes to legalizing Internet gambling.
The National Journal calls this a “test of how big money can influence politics at the highest level”.
New Jersey Online Gambling Estimates Cut by 7 Percent
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) — Morgan Stanley has lowered its estimate of the U.S. Internet gambling market to $3.5 billion by 2017, down from a previous forecast of $5 billion.
The Wall Street firm cited worse-than-expected technical issues, but says it's optimistic about the new industry's long-term prospects, with an $8 billion market by 2020.
It also lowered its first full year estimate of New Jersey's Internet gambling revenue from $541 million to $203 million. Fitch Ratings is sticking with its $200 million forecast for New Jersey this year.
888 Holdings Sees Surge in Share Price
888 Holdings, the online gambling firm, was up 8.6% Tuesday in trading.
The company has reported a 30% increase in pretax profit in 2013, driven by a continued strong performance from its core casino and poker products.
It said that pretax profit rose to USD53.2 million in 2013, up from USD40.8 million the year before, as revenues for the year rose to USD400.5 million from USD375.8 million.
WSOP.com Becomes Official Online Gambling Partner of New York Rangers
PokerNews.com is reporting that New Jersey online gambling site WSOP.com has become the official betting partner of the New York Rangers.
New Jersey residents are already eligible for promotions associated with this partnership deal.
From PokerNews.com:
No More Fees for The Beast: Now a Free Online Poker Rake Race
The leading US-facing online poker site announced that starting April 5th, there will be no more jackpot fee associated with The Beast, ultimately turning it into a free weekly points race. What's more, all real money cash tables are now officially Beast tables. Players from all over the world are looking forward to this big change and are already calling it the best promotion in online poker.
Bill to Allow NJ Licensing of Foreign Internet Gambling Firms One Step Closer
(Associated Press) - A plan to let New Jersey casino regulators oversee foreign Internet gambling companies if they move their operations to Atlantic City has moved a step closer to approval.
A state senate wagering committee approved the bill Monday.
The measure is sponsored by Sen. Raymond Lesniak. He says many overseas gambling companies want the stamp of approval that would come from submitting to New Jersey's casino regulators, who are among the strictest in the nation.
The foreign firms wouldn't be able to take bets from anyone in the United States.
