Business & Financial
PokerStars Turbo Championship of Online Poker Returns January 2013
LONDON, UK – PokerStars today released the schedule for the second annual Turbo Championship of Online Poker (TCOOP) series, which will take place from January 17-27, 2013 and guarantee $15,000,000 in tournament prizes – $5,000,000 more than in 2012!
Cake Poker Announces Great Online Poker Holiday Promos for 2012-2013
From December 20th through January 1st Cake Poker is running Holiday poker tournaments offering over $40,000 in cash and prizes. The Holiday Gold promotion will include special events including daily Turbo FPPs and Gold Card earning sessions, Value-Added Tournaments as well as exclusive Gold reward buy-in events. Learn More Here
Sports Bettors Fear the Worst as BetIslands Payout Issues Mount
Sports bettors were on edge following reports that tiny BetIslands.com may be on its way to shutting down.
Black Chip Poker Payouts: Some Now Coming in Under a Week
Good news for customers of Black Chip Poker awaiting payouts. With the move to the Winning Poker Network, a few BCP customers have begun reporting payments in under a week’s time.
From the TwoPlusTwo.com posting forum:
Re: ***OFFICIAL BlackChipPoker Thread***
RPM Poker Taken Over by Merge Gaming Network
The Merge Gaming Network has reportedly taken control of RPM Poker, one of the online poker skins on its network. RPM account holders have the option of transferring their funds to either the Sportsbook family of online poker rooms, which includes PlayersOnly, or to Carbon Poker.
Doc Sports Head Morris “Doc” Moseman Passes Away
One of the legendary sports handicappers, Wisconsin-based Morris “Doc” Moseman, passed away over the weekend. Moseman died peacefully at the University of Wisconsin Hospital with his family by his side.
Dismal Outlook for Atlantic City Casinos Good for Online Gambling Prospects
The New Jersey state Assembly is set to vote Monday on a measure that would legalize online gambling. The measure is expected to move through the Assembly and Senate without problem as there is little opposition this second go-around.
Social Gambling & Gaming Summit Kicks Off in LA Today: Gambling911 is in the House
Gambling911.com is here in beautiful Marina Del Rey, California to take part in this week’s Social Gambling & Gaming Summit that kicks off this morning (Thursday December 13) with keynote speaker Niranjan Nagar, Head of Games and Apps for Facebook.
The Social Gaming & Gambling Summit is a conference focused on the intersection of mobile gaming, immersive worlds, real-life brands and social networking.
IGT Poker Network Shuts Down for Good
The IGT Poker Network has shut down its European online poker network for good. The company still plans to offer Internet casino products such as bingo and slots as well as sports wagering.
Zynga Elite Slots Announced Ahead of Real Money Gambling
On Wednesday, the world’s largest free-to-play online poker company, introduced free slots ahead of anticipated real money Web gambling.
The new game will be called “Zynga Elite Slots”.
"We've been very focused on this," said Josh Gause, one of the game’s designers, in an interview with CNET.
"We've taken the visuals very seriously, and we've taken the sound very seriously as well," said another designer Nathan Ratcliffe.
Horseshoe Casino Set to Open in Cincinnati
The highly anticipated $400 million Horseshoe Casino is set to open its doors on March 4. The establishment will employ some 2000 people.
The Horseshoe Cincinnati is the fourth and final casino approved by voters in 2009 via a constitutional amendment. It will be operated by Caesar’s Entertainment.
888 Launches Real Money Facebook Platform
888.com, which operates the 6th largest online poker room in the world, has announced the launch of “real money” online poker on Facebook in the UK. They are the second operator after Bingo Friendzy to do so.
888 Holdings’ shares rose 3.7 per cent to 113.25p in morning trading.
Itai Freiberger, 888’s chief operating officer, said: “888 has long recognised the potential for social gaming. Our Facebook freemium [play for fun] offerings have found a significant audience, and we are very excited by the opportunity that real money gaming on Facebook provides.”
Fox Poker Club in London Abruptly Shuts Down: Will Reopen Spring 2013
Without much advance notice, the Fox Poker Club in London has closed its doors but will reopen next Spring as a newly named Genting casino.
The Fox Poker Club, which is currently operated by Genting, tweeted the announcement at around 5 pm local time.
Fox Poker Club is now CLOSED. Thanks to all of our customers for supporting the club over the past two years.
More announcements quickly followed:
The club may be closed but the location will be refurbished and reborn in Spring 2013 as an exciting new Genting venue
New Jersey Casino Revenue Record Loss From Sandy: State Prepares for Online Bets
The numbers are in and they are terrible. Super Storm Sandy not only ravaged the New Jersey coastline, it also crippled the state's all-important casino sector.
Revel was among the worst hit with revenues down 33 percent from the $9.3 million generated in October of last year.
Revel exhausted most of its mid-August $100 million credit line as of the end of November.
Former Ladbrokes and OpenBet Directors to Launch Locus Gaming in January 2013
Ed Andrewes and Mick d'Ancona have created Locus Gaming and are putting the final touches on their first B2C product to be launched in January 2013. The company are keeping a tight lid on exact details of the forthcoming product but they have received an important boost by gaining a licence from the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission.
Black Chip Poker Move Will Result in Over 1000 Peak Players to Winning Network
The numbers are starting to come in and they are significant as it applies to Black Chip Poker’s move to the Winning Poker Network. BCP switched from the Merge Gaming Network to the Winning Poker Network on Monday.
PokerStars Looking to Buy Atlantic Club Casino in Atlantic City
The Wall Street Journal was reporting Thursday evening that the world’s largest real money online poker room, PokerStars, was looking at potentially buying an Atlantic City casino in anticipation of Internet gambling becoming legalized in New Jersey.
The property of interest is the Atlantic Club Casino, which Stars hopes to acquire from investment group Colony Capital. The casino reportedly took in just shy of $110 million in the past year.
A bill to legalize online gambling in the Garden State could become law as early as the end of this month (December 2012).
Lock Poker Re-Introduces ‘Happy Hour’ With Double Points
Monday, Wednesday and Friday between the hours of 2 pm and 6 pm GMT will be happy hour at Lock Poker. During this time period, double points will be rewarded to qualified customers.
This was previously an enormously successful promotional campaign that Lock has been working to revive since starting its own online poker network over the summer.
“We are excited to be bringing back Happy Hour,” said an ecstatic Jennifer Larson, CEO of Lock Poker.
Baaaaad Actors: Clause in NJ Online Gambling Bill Could Mean Return of PokerStars to US
Online gambling companies that have targeted US citizens up to now could be allowed back in the US if a bill to legalize Web gambling in the state of New Jersey is passed and signed into law by Governor Chris Christie. That means PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, both of which left the US market in April 2011 following a massive crackdown by federal authorities.
The Governor is widely expected to sign the bill when it arrives at his desk some time later this month or early January.
From PokerFuse.com:
Zynga Shares Soar Thursday on News of Real Money Online Poker Move
The world’s largest free-to-play online poker company announced in after hours Wednesday that it had applied for a license to operate real money online poker with the state of Nevada.
Thursday, stocks shot up to 5 percent by mid afternoon Thursday.
Analysts remained cautious regarding the news nonetheless.
Bally Technology Looks to Acquire Online Poker Game Developer 3G Studios
(Reuters) - Slot-machine maker Bally Technologies is exploring a bid for online poker game developer 3G Studios, in what would be the latest deal to combine online gambling and casino gaming on social media, said two sources with knowledge of the talks.
One source said several Bally Technologies executives were scheduled to visit 3G's offices in Reno, Nevada on Tuesday to determine whether to make a formal bid.
Replacement Checks for TopBet.com Customers Now Arriving
Good news for TopBet.com customers as some have reported the receipt of new replacement checks following a series of payouts that resulted in “insufficient funds” (i.e. checks bouncing).
Gambling911.com reported earlier in the week that TopBet.com had lost one of its processors, a common industry problem facing US-based players.
Zynga Applies for Nevada Online Poker License
The world’s largest free-to-play online poker site, Zynga, has applied for a Nevada online poker site that the company said could take up to a year before they are up and running to accept real money from US customers, or at least those in the state of Nevada.
Bwin.party Head Jim Ryan Steps Down
Bwin.party CEO Jim Ryan announced he will be resigning from the world’s largest online gambling firm in January. Norbert Teufelberger, who acted joint CEO, will assume sole responsibilities for that position.
The publicly traded Gibraltar-based betting company, a merger between PartyGaming and Austrian bookmaker bwin, will proceed with a single CEO for the foreseeable future beginning January 15.
Wynn, Sands Fears as China Begins Crackdown on Macau
Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands witnessed a decline in early trading Tuesday as China continues its crackdown on the gambling Mecca of Macau.
In recent months, Chinese authorities have conducted a series of raids aimed at curbing money laundering in the former Portuguese colony.
From Rueters:
Casino Kingpin Sheldon Adelson Spent $150 Million on US Presidential Election
One of the GOP’s biggest donors, Sheldon Adelson, reportedly spent $150 million in an effort to try and get Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney elected, it was revealed on Monday.
Black Chip Poker Now on Winning Poker Network
The migration from Merge Gaming to the Winning Poker Network is now complete for Black Chip Poker.
Top Bet Checks Bouncing Following Loss of Payment Processor
Concerned sports bettors have taken to the message boards complaining of checks issued by online sportsbook Top Bet bouncing (insufficient funds).
The culprit is a loss of their payment processor, which has also prevented most new depositors from coming on board as well.
Montreal Poker Hits The Big Time, WPT Event Breaks Record
Last week’s WPT Montreal demonstrated that there is definitely a demand for big time poker events in Canada, home to Gambling911.com.
ESPN’s Andrew Feldman noted that there wasn’t a whole lot of optimism heading into the 2012 WPT Montreal, mainly because a number of other major poker events had flopped throughout the country even after Canadian Jonathan Duhamel won the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event.
The 2012 WPT Montreal was anything but a flop!
Black Chip Poker Moves to the Winning Poker Network
Black Chip Poker, Merge Gaming and the Winning Poker Network have jointly announced today that effective December 3rd, 2012, Black Chip Poker, its players and affiliates will move off the Merge Gaming poker network. Following that, Black Chip Poker will begin operations on the Winning Poker Network.
