Gambling News
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.
Jennifer Larson Lock Poker CEO Happy With Happy Hour Promo
Lock Poker CEO Jennifer Larson has declared the return of their uber popular Happy Hour promo “a massive success”.
Happy Hour returned earlier this month after a brief hiatus after Lock Poker moved from Merge Gaming and started its own network. The promo brings double points to Lock customers Monday, Wednesday and Friday between the hours of 2 pm and 6 pm GMT.
“We are excited to be bringing back Happy Hour,” said an ecstatic Larson earlier in the month.
Judge To Ask Jury About Slaying Amid Philadelphia Mob Trial
PHILADELPHIA (Associated Press) — A judge plans to ask jurors about a suspected mob-linked slaying that took place Wednesday, just hours after prosecutors wrapped up a mob racketeering case.
Fifty-year-old victim Gino DiPietro has been mentioned in the two-month trial of alleged Philadelphia mob boss Joseph Ligambi and six others.
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.
DOJ Forfeits $7 Million in Proceeds From One of First Online Gambling Sites WWTS
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a consent order of forfeiture today ordering the civil forfeiture of $6,976,924 traced to international money laundering of the proceeds from an offshore Internet gambling operation that illegally targeted U.S. residents, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Richard Weber, Chief of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
Swedish Poker Pro Ramzi Jelassi Wins EPT Prague 2012 Main Event
Swedish pro Ramzi Jelassi has won the €5,300 EPT Prague Main Event for a life-changing first prize of €835,000. As well as the title and cash prize, the 26-year-old from Stockholm also receives a stunning watch from luxury Swiss brand Slyde, the Official Watch Sponsor for EPT9 Main Events.
Harry Reid Concedes Federal Online Poker Bill Out for 2012
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) -- Nevada Sen. Harry Reid is declaring congressional efforts to legalize Internet poker dead for the year.
The Senate Democratic Majority Leader said Friday that proponents of an online gambling bill are out of time as the legislative session draws to a close.
Reid says he's disappointed by lawmakers' failure to reach a deal to legalize and regulate interstate gambling online.
He says he'll take up the effort again next session, along with Nevada's Republican Sen. Dean Heller.
EPT9 Prague Main Event Down to Two
The EPT9 Prague final was down to two players, Ramzi Jelassi of Sweden and Greek poker player Sotirious Koutoupas.
PokerStars Stephen Bartley noted that Jelassi was in complete control on Saturday with Koutoupas still capable of a comeback.
He writes:
It's not over yet, and Koutoupas has the chips and the support to pose a real threat. But you also sense that Jelassi is back in control, something that is not as easy to say for Koutoupas. It's now Jelassi's event to win.
Playboy Teams Up With Amaya Gaming for Online Poker Site
The iconic Playboy brand will once again enter the online gambling market, this time through a partnership with Montreal-based Amaya Gaming.
Playboy had previously operated an online casino in parts of Europe using the Cryptologic software platform
EPT Prague 2013 Final Table Determined
The EPT Prague 2013 final table has been determined with Aleh Plauski of Belarus leading the pack. Plauski is best known for finishing 6th at the PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo in April of 2010 where he walked away with $430,354.
New Jersey Online Gambling Bill to be Voted on Monday
A bill to legalize online gambling in the state of New Jersey is scheduled for vote in the Assembly on Monday (December 20, 2012).
The Garden State is looking to legalize most forms of online gambling including sports betting, poker and casino games.
The bill is widely expected to pass and end up on Governor Chris Christie’s desk some time next week.
Super Storm Sandy Could Help Ensure Gambling Expansion in New York
ALBANY, N.Y. (Associated Press) - Anti-gambling forces fear that the economic losses from Superstorm Sandy could help efforts to expand casino gambling in New York.
State lawmakers were already expected to consider a gambling amendment to the state constitution next year before Sandy walloped New York City and Long Island last month. If the measure clears the Legislature for a second time in 2013, voters could make a final decision on whether to OK Las Vegas-style casinos beyond Indian land as early as November.
Ben Warrington Leads After Day 5 of EPT Prague with 21 Players Remaining
Britain's Ben Warrington is leading EPT Prague with 21 players left. He has 2,618,000 closely followed by last season's runner-up, the Dutch banker David Boyaciyan and last night's chip leader Ramzi Jelassi from Sweden. Team PokerStars Pro Johnny Lodden and EPT7 Prague champion Roberto Romanello are also still in contention for the €835,000 first prize.
Online Poker Bill in California to be Reintroduced Next Week Minus COPA
State Senator Roderick Wright plans to reintroduce his bill to legalize online poker in the world’s 8th largest economy of California next week, according to PokerFuse.com.
Changes to language include a “a blanket waiver of tribal sovereign immunity” as demanded by the Tribal casino operators in the state.
Past efforts to get SB 1463 passed have been met with opposition from the Tribes.
Massive Online Gambling Bust Nets Over 400 People in China
Police from China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar shut down a US$1.75 billion online gambling operation based in China’s Hubei Province on Thursday.
The investigation has been ongoing for two years now and involved some 400 individuals of which 37 have been detained thus far.
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.
Fahrenkopf: Unless Congress Acts Now, Online Gambling Could Proliferate
Frank Fahrenkoof, President of the American Gaming Association, sent out an ominous warning on Wednesday as part of an opinion piece for Politico.com. Ominous, if you think the expansion of online gambling at a reckless pace in the United States is a bad thing, and there are, believe it or not, some who believe it is not.
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.
Ramzi Jelassi Leads at 2013 EPT Prague After Day 4
IPT Sanremo champion Ramzi Jelassi from Sweden is chip leader at EPT Prague as the €5,300 Main Event goes into Day 4 with 55 players remaining.
Menikos Panagiotou Wins Eureka Season 2 finale in Prague
Player Menikos Panagiotou from Cyprus has won Eureka Prague, the final event of the second Season of the Eureka Poker Tour. He won €137,100 prize after beating a record field of 651 other players at the Hilton Prague Hotel in the Czech capital, December 5-9, 2012.
Phil Ivey Returns to Full Tilt Poker as ‘Polarizing’: First Time Since ‘Black Friday’
Poker pro Phil Ivey, formerly one of the most prominent faces behind Full Tilt Poker, has begun playing at the site for the first time since the company was forced to exit the US market in April 2011.
PokerStars Welcome in New Jersey: Wants to Purchase Atlantic City Casino
State Senator Raymond Lesniak, who is behind efforts to legalize online gambling in the state of New Jersey, says he welcomes PokerStars. The world’s largest real money poker site is looking to acquire the Atlantic Club Casino in Atlantic City.
Philadelphia Casino Fined Over Banned Gamblers
PHILADELPHIA (Associated Press) — State gambling regulators say the operators of Sugarhouse Casino in Philadelphia have agreed to $15,000 in fines for three cases in which patrons gambled there even though they were banned from entering casinos in the state.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Wednesday announced the fines against HSP Gaming LP, which operates Sugarhouse.
The board says one case happened when a person banned from gambling in the state played table games at the casino from June 29 to July 3.
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.”
Defense: Philly Mob Boss was Rainmaker
PHILADELPHIA — (Associated Press) - A mob lawyer in Philadelphia tried Tuesday to persuade jurors that an alleged La Cosa Nostra boss was a rainmaker at a trash disposal company, not a no-show Teamsters worker.
Miami Police Under Investigation by Feds in Bookmaking Case
At least a half dozen Miami police officers are under investigation by the FBI for allegedly providing protection to a Liberty City sports gambling operation, according to the Miami Herald. At least one officer has been relieved of his duties.
Kyl-Reid Internet Poker Bill Looks Dead Despite Enough Republican Votes
A controversial US federal Internet poker bill drafted by Senators Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) appears to be going nowhere as Reid issued a pessimistic statement late Tuesday.
