Gambling News
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.
Hedge Fund Tycoon Talal Shakerchi Loses £850,000 in Poker
A London tycoon, Talal Shakerchi, has lost more than £850,000 in a poker game held over the past weekend.
The 49-year-old head of hedge fund, Meditor, staked 500,000 euros (£424,112) along with five other players for an unofficial game at the European Poker Tour in Monaco this past weekend.
Jason Mercier Leads at Final Table of 2013 Super High Roller EPT Grand Final
Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier, who bust the Main Event in seventh place two days ago for €137,000, is chip leader for the final table of the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final €100k Super High Roller.
Mercier, who also won the Open Face Chinese tourney for €48,000 at the start of the festival, leads a star-studded final which includes PCA Super High Roller champion Scott Seiver, Vladimir Troyanovskiy, who was runner-up in the PCA $25k High Roller and EPT Barcelona Super High Roller finalist Mike Watson.
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.
Blue Monday’ Online Gambling Beneficiaries Jailed, Forced to Resign
It’s been nearly two years since close to a dozen online gambling domain names were seized as part of a payment processing sting operation.
Jason Mercier Leads Super High Roller EPT Grand Final 2013
Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier, who bust the Main Event yesterday in seventh place, is chip leader in the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final €100k Super High Roller at the end of Day 1. Mercier has 1,183,000 with Sorel Mizzi currently second with 885,000. There were 41 players today, with seven re-entries. 30 players made it through Day 1 but those who were eliminated today have until play starts tomorrow at noon to re-enter.
Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke Revealed as Part Owners of Defunct UB.com Poker Site
Shocking revelations have come out over the past week regarding poker pros Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke’s affiliation with shuttered UB.com. While both were well known as the faces behind the company, taped conversations released in recent days shows that the two players actually had part ownership in UB.com.
Spate of Casino Kidnappings has Officials, Gamblers Worried
The number of casino crimes in Macau jumped during the first quarter of 2013. These include a rise in kidnapping reports.
From Macau Business Daily:
Crockford’s Claims Phil Ivey Exploited Cards: Won’t Pay £7.8m in Winnings
Following news that poker pro Phil Ivey has sued London’s oldest casino, Crockford’s, that establishment has fought back claiming that Ivey won £7.8m by 'reading' the back of cards.
Crockford’s refuses to pay out the £7.8m. Ivey insists he did nothing wrong.
The Daily Mail explained how the alleged scheme transpired:
John L. Smith: Allowing Sports Betting Investor Groups in Vegas Carries Some Risk
John L. Smith, a columnist for the Las Vegas Review Journal, offered his assessment of a planned move to allow investment groups or syndicates to place large wagers in the state of Nevada.
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.
Steve O’Dwyer Wins EPT Grand Final Main Event 2013 and €1,2 million
Steve O’Dwyer has won the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final Main Event for a massive €1,224,000 first prize after what many consider to be the best final table in history.
EPT Grand Final High Roller 2013 Winner Will Receive €1,211,600
The winner of this season's PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final €25k High Roller will receive a whopping €1,211,600 first prize. There were 121 players in the event which, combined with 37 re-entries, means a total of 158 entries - creating a €3,871,000 prize pool.
As well as their cash prize, the winner will also receive a stunning bracelet worth €8,000 from Shamballa Jewels, Official Bracelet Sponsor of EPT Season 9.
Daniel Negreanu, Jason Mercier at Final Table of EPT Grand Final 2013
Two of the biggest names in poker, Daniel Negreanu and Jason Mercier, will represent the final table of the EPT Grand Final 2013.
Andrew Pantling Leads for Day 5 of EPT Grand Final
Canadian player Andrew Pantling won a massive pot against Norwegian Team PokerStars Pro Johnny Lodden in the last few moments of Day 4 to take the lead in the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final. He has 2,248,000 and Lodden is down to 1,352,000. Pantling, 30, from Ontario, won the €5k heads-up tourney here at the Grand Final three years ago, and was third in the 2009 Irish Open.
Heartland Poker Tour Schedules Record Year
Nationally-Televised Event Announced at Indigo Sky Casino in October
Gus Hansen Approaching $10 Million Lifetime Losses on Full Tilt Poker
Gus Hansen is nearing the $10 million mark in poker, but unfortunately he’s in negative territory.
Data goes back to 2007. Full Tilt Poker was shut down for nearly 9 months this past year.
From CardPlayer.com:
Chris Moneymaker Back on Top
Former World Champion Chris Moneymaker last night won the €1,100 8-Game for €12,000 and a lovely shiny PokerStars trophy. Okay, it's not the $2,500,000 that he won back in 2003, nor is it going to boost his $3,488,787 in live winnings radically, but a win's a win.
Moneymaker, whose WSOP win is partly credited with kicking off the online poker revolution, topped a 1-2-3 podium finish for Team PokerStars Pro beating Matthias De Meulder and Chad Brown to the trophy.
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.
5WPR Finalist for American Business Awards 2013 PR Agency Of Year
A longtime friend to Gambling911.com and oft-used source 5WPR has been named a finalist in the Public Relations Agency of the Year category by The 2013 American Business Awards. The 5WPR Nomination was entitled Re-writing the Rules of PR: 5W Builds an Agency for a New Media Landscape.
Additionally, Ronn Torossian, the founder of the firm was named a finalist in the Communications, Investor Relations, and PR Executive of the Year category.
Large Number of Skrill Payouts for Lock Poker Players Thursday: CEO Speaks
Good news for Lock Poker players following quite a bit of anxiety in recent weeks as several customers outside the US have reported receipt of Skrill payouts, some of which were several thousand dollars, others of which were requested only within the past two weeks.
Daniel Healey Wins First US Legal Real Money Online at Ultimate Poker
Flagship $10,000 Sunday Tournament featured 200 players on Sunday, May 5
LAS VEGAS, NV – On Sunday, May 5, amateur poker player Daniel Healey of Las Vegas, NV came in first place at Ultimate Poker’s first $10,000 Sunday Tournament at UltimatePoker.com, making history as the winner of the first legal, real money online poker tournament to be held in the United States.
The historic $10,000 Sunday Tournament capped at 200 players, with Healey taking home a first place prize of $4,173.
Lock Poker Clarifies P2P Transfer Withdrawal Policy
Curacao May 9th, 2013
Through a detailed investigation over the past few weeks the Lock security team uncovered a large group of persons that were abusing the P2P transfer policy and creating a large network of mule accounts to move and withdraw funds without any play at all taking place.
Win Big with the 100 Billion Hands Celebration at PokerStars
Yesterday morning if you just so happened to be passing by a certain €10k tournament in Monaco you would have seen a big booming presentation. Was it a trailer for this year's summer blockbuster? No, but it certainly could have been mistaken as such.
It was an explosive teaser about the upcoming 100 Billion Hands Celebrate PokerStars are giving away a whole load of stuff up to and including hand #100,000,000,000.
Gambling911.com Exclusive: Lock CEO to Address Player Concerns
Lock Poker Founder and CEO Jennifer Larson has agreed to a sit down interview with Gambling911.com to address recent player concerns revolving around its new player-to-player transfer policy and payment processing issues.
Various media outlets and posting forums have expressed concerns over the solvency of Lock in recent weeks. Larson insists her company is in top financial standing and hopes to have payment processing issues resolved in the coming weeks.
In a precursor to the upcoming interview, Ms. Larson elaborated on the player-to-player transfer controversy.
