Gambling News
Sportingbet Looking to Re-enter US Market After Paying Fine to US Government
Reuters was reporting that Sportingbet, one of Europe’s biggest online gambling firms, has made a final payment of $6 million to the U.S. Justice Department, as per a settlement reached in 2010 over alleged illegal Internet gambling, and said that it was exploring opportunities to re-enter the market.
Sportingbet to Appeal Spanish Injunction
* Expects licence from Spanish gaming regulator by May 25
(Reuters) - British online gaming firm Sportingbet Plc said it would appeal an injunction against it sought by Spanish casino group Codere, aimed at restricting online betting and gaming in that country.
In December, the Spanish company had sought several injunctions against companies operating in the online betting and gaming industry citing unfair competition before licences under new laws were about to be issued.
San Francisco Murder Victims Identified: Suspect was Supposed to Have Been Deported
San Francisco medical examiner identified five victims in a grizzly early Friday morning slaying as Hua Shun Lei, 65, and Wan Yi Xi, 62, who were married, and their children Vincent Lei, 32, and Ying Xue Lei, 37. The other victim was Chia Huei Chu, 30, the girlfriend of Vincent Lei. All were found brutally murdered in an Ingleside district home.
Davide Andreoni Leads 2012 EPT Campione Day1a
178 players have taken part in the 2012 European Poker Tour Campione, an event held in a small town that borders Switzerland and Italy. Campione is both an Italian enclave and a Swiss territory.
It’s an interesting little town that takes advantage of its EU VAT exempt status by operating a famous the Casinò di Campione, as gambling laws are less stringent than in either Italy or Switzerland (also a legacy of the pre-World War II era).
Relative unknown Davide Andreoni led the EPT Campione event after Day 1a.
Chad Elie Pleads Guilty in Full Tilt Poker, Black Friday Case
(Bloomberg) - Chad Elie, a Las Vegas man who processed payments for online poker companies, pleaded guilty to a scheme to deceive banks into processing hundreds of millions of dollars in Internet gambling transactions.
Elie, 32, was one of one of 11 people charged last April by prosecutors in the office of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in a revised indictment against the founders of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker.
Oh The Irony: Rick Santorum Banner Ads Appearing on Poker Site
GOP Presidential candidate Rick Santorum is opposed to pornography, contraception, heavy metal music and most forms of gambling, especially the Web kind, yet shockingly his banners began appearing on the popular TwoPlusTwo.com poker forum in recent weeks, right along side a thread questioning why members of that forum should be asked to support someone who supports Internet poker prohibition (which is precisely what the tower banner we saw was asking the forum community to do)
Gambling Debt May be at Center of Brutal San Francisco Quintuple Murder
Authorities in San Francisco now believe that a gambling debt could be the motive for a brutal quintuple murder that occurred in the Ingleside district Friday morning (March 23, 2012).
Laurent Tapie Relocates to Dublin to ‘Take Over Full Tilt Poker’
Laurent Tapie, the man behind the supposed deal to acquire shuttered Full Tilt Poker, has reportedly moved to that company’s Dublin base where he will reopen FTP for European players. Tapie’s firm, Group Bernard Tapie, operates out of France.
Full Tilt Poker is now going on one year owing customers millions of dollars after it had several bank accounts seized by US authorities. An indictment was handed down against two company executives charging them with bank fraud and money laundering. Full Tilt’s licensing arm eventually pulled the plug on the company last summer.
Poker Pro Phil Galfond’s $4 Million NYC Penthouse for Sale: Features Helical Slide (Video)
Poker pro Phil Galfond has relocated to Canada following the events of last year whereby his sponsor, PokerStars, had to exit the US market. Enlisted pros were given the opportunity to relocate and Galfond did just that.
This has left his double-condo conversion in New York City up for sale.
Gordon Huntly Wins 2012 ANZPT Sydney
Gordon Huntly is the winner of this year’s Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) in Sydney with a sweet US$238,524 first place prize.
“This is an incredible feeling,” said Huntly. “I have loved playing this event and I am just so elated to have come through such a tough field.”
Illinois Lottery Tickets Now Sold Online: First State to do so
Illinois became the first state to begin selling lottery tickets online Sunday.
Chris Moneymaker Talks ‘All In – The Poker Movie’
The documentary “All In – The Poker Movie” debuted in theatres this past week to mixed reviews. Its star, the man who essentially helped generate interest in a fledgling online poker industry back in 2003, Chris Moneymaker, was prominently featured in the film. That year, Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event as an unknown who entered via an Internet card room satellite.
32 Player Remain at 2012 LAPT Chile
Daniela Horno led the pack after Day 2 of the 2012 Latin American Poker Tour Chile.
Horno finished sixth in the LAPT Chile Main Event last year. This event featured a $651,840 prize pool that included a $129,470 first-place prize.
LAPT Season 4 Player of the Year Pablo Gonzalez failed to make the money at this year’s event.
Daniela Horno 767,000
Estrellas Poker Tour 2012 Coming to Valencia
From March 26 until April 1, the second stop of the 3rd season of the Estrellas Poker Tour will take place in the Casino Valencia.
Birth of Woo Baby Could Happen ‘Black Friday’
Not since the birth of Christ has there been such anticipation and mystery surrounding a newborn about to make her presence known on this planet. Unlike Jesus’ mom, Mary, Gambling911.com’s Senior International Correspondent is anything but a virgin. But like Mary, Jenny is unwed.
Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, UB.com Given Extension by US Attorney
The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York has given online poker sites Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and UB.com an extension deadline of May 14, 2012 in which to respond to an amended civil complaint.
$1 Billion Wagered Online by Canadians Annually
A report this week claims that $1 billion is wagered by Canadians over the Web with sites that are not even based in the country.
Sites like 888.com have proliferated throughout Canada while PokerStars enjoys a decent chunk of the online gambling market as well.
Everest Poker Sees Sharp Decline
Everest Poker, the world’s 19th largest network, and 7th if combining its French website, reported a sharp decline in revenue over the past year.
Women, Young More Likely to Gamble Online
ATLANTIC CITY (AP) — A new survey has found that online gambling appeals more to women and the young.
Of 3,000 people surveyed from the Northeast Corridor and other major markets in the eastern half of the country, between 16 and 25 percent said they would play electronic versions of blackjack, craps, slots, baccarat, poker and roulette.
Forty percent of females favored Internet poker compared to 13 percent of males. Nearly one in four people under 30 told pollsters they would gamble online. That rate fell to one in 10 for people aged 30 to 49.
‘All In – The Poker Movie’ Reviews: Archival Footage Run Through Washing Machine
An advance screening of “All In – The Poker Movie” was held Wednesday night and the reviews are out.
Variety Magazine had this to say:
No Dash Poker From Merge
There is no Dash Poker coming to the Merge Gaming Network as previously reported on this website and elsewhere, Gambling911.com can now confirm.
2012 Australia New Zealand Poker Tour Leader Tobin Ryall
Tobin Ryall was the leader of the 2012 Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) after Day 1a.
Like Ryall, the second place chip leader Nabil Edgtton has had relatively limited success on the live poker tournament circuit to date.
Fred Wallin Becomes Sports Handicapper for Gambling911.com
Thomas Somach announces Gambling911.com’s new sports handicapping platform and the introduction of picks expert and sports commentator Fred Wallin to our team.
You asked for it, and now you've got it!
Our readers have been asking us for a long time to provide them with sports handicapping selections from a top sports handicapper who is honest, successful and consistent, and now we've got them, just as March Madness is heating up!
Daniel Negreanu Calls Full Tilt Poker CEO Ray Bitar a ‘Weasel’
Last week, we were told for the umpteenth time that a deal was about to be finalized (the next day, supposedly) for the purchase of “dead weight” Full Tilt Poker, a company that has not paid its US customers in almost a year.
Days later, no announcement.
A French company, Groupe Tapie, was expected to acquire the firm (what’s left of it). Some of the ASSets (no typo with the CAPS) include the very folks that ran Full Tilt Poker into the ground in the first place - Raymond Bitar being one. We say this because he is still said to be actively involved in the sale of FTP.
Court Sketch Drawn of Online Poker Kingpin Turned Informant Daniel Tzvetkoff
An online poker payment processor turned informant, Australian Daniel Tzvetkoff, is due to become the US prosecutor’s star witness in a case against two defendants tied to the one-time “big three” Web cardrooms, Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and UB.com.
A trial date is set for April 9 in New York City with defendants (and former colleagues of Tzvetkoff’s) electing not to enter into a plea bargain. Should this case not settle before the April 9 date, this could prove to be the "Trial of the Century", at least as far as the poker community is concerned.
Online Poker Store Launched by Americas Cardroom
Forget all those dumb hats and hoodies….The new online poker store launched by Americas Cardroom features such items as a 2012 Vegas Jackpot custom cruiser motorcycle with a Freedom 106 V-Twin engine and high-end electronics. And, yeah..you can still purchase the hats and hoodies.
Unibet to Introduce Fast Poker in Coming Month
Leading European online poker room Unibet is set to launch the new fast-paced poker platform aptly named Fast Poker within the next 30 days (April 2012).
Frank Fahrenkopf on Why There Needs to be Federal Legislation for Online Poker
President and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA), Frank Fahrenkopf, was interviewed by Quadjacks.com Radio Wednesday to discuss the need for legalized online poker at the federal level.
UK Internet Gambling Tax Structure Restructured: Sin Tax Based on Consumption
Sinners in the UK, you’ll have to pay! At least if it is at online casinos and poker rooms where you play.
Internet gambling aficionados find themselves caught up in George Osborne’s budget tax increases.
A new tax will be introduced for Internet gambling that is based on the place of consumption. Previously, that tax was levied on a 'place of supply' basis.
George Osborne UK Chancellor of the Exchequer:
California Legalized Internet Poker Update (Video)
Sports Book Review analyst Natalie Rydström interviewed California State Senator Roderick Wright on the hot topic of legalized online gambling.
