Gambling News
$125,000 Guaranteed Freezeout Online Poker Tournament has First Winner
CarbonPoker player Lachance222 won the first ever Sunday $125,000 Guaranteed Freezeout Tournament.
Lachance222 Walks away with $26,842. Dfsdfasdfs won $17664. Two other Carbon Poker players won four figures.
Everyone who finished 144th and above cashed out with a minimum win of $206.
PayPal Founder Donates $1.7 Million to Ron Paul Campaign
The co-founder of the popular online payment platform PayPal, Peter Thiel, donated $1.7 million last month to a super PAC supporting GOP Presidential hopeful Ron Paul.
In total, Thiel has donated $2.6 million to the Endorse Liberty super PAC created last year to aid the Paul campaign.
All four Republican candidates are in the process of filing fundraising reports for the month of January along with their super PACs. These must be submitted to the Federal Election Commission today.
The Texas Congressman has long been an advocate for one’s right to gamble online.
Daniel Negreanu Makes Final Table of LAPT Brazil 2012
Poker pro Daniel Negreanu has made the Final Table of the Latin American Poker Tour Brazil 2012.
His Vlog from a few days ago indicated he would be heading down to Brazil during Carnival.
“Made the final 8 with 702k resume tmr 12pm Brazilian time. Going to be a good boy tonight and get some much needed rest.”
The top prize will be US$187,348.
1. Daniele Nestola (Germany) 1,892,000
2. Carlos Ibarra (Chile) 1,297,000
3. Gasperino Nicolas (Venezuela) 1,190,000
4. Jonathan Markovits (Ecuador) 991,000
5. Daniel Negreanu (Canada 702,000
Iowa Online Poker Bill to be Fast Tracked Through Committee This Week
A bill to legalize Internet poker in Iowa is anticipated to be fast tracked through the legislative committee over the coming days.
Iowa could potentially become a Midwest hub for online poker should a system be put in place similar to that of the multi-state Powerball lottery.
Jonathan Duhamel’s 2010 World Series of Poker Bracelet Recovered
The bracelet won by Jonathan Duhamel at the 2010 World Series of Poker and later stolen during a brazen home invasion this past December has now been recovered.
The website PrincePoker first broke the story over the weekend:
Odds to Win Best Director – 2012 Oscars: Michel Hazanavicius a ‘Lock’
At -1000 odds to win Best Director at the 2012 Oscars, Michel Hazanavicius should win for his direction of “The Artist”. (all the latest Oscars betting odds can be found at Bookmaker.eu here)
Daniel Negreanu Talks Coming Out and Blasts Individuals Behind Full Tilt Poker
Poker pro Daniel Negreanu is now producing his own video blogs and providing terrific content for sites like Gambling911.com.
Negreanu’s latest Vlog talks fellow poker pro Jason Somerville’s decision to come out of the closet and he’s also come out himself swinging against the folks behind Full Tilt Poker including the likes of Raymond Bitar and Howard Lederer.
Over 200 Sports Fixing Probes in Last Four Years
The Daily Star this weekend reports that there were over 200 sports match fixing probes in the United Kingdom in just the last four years.
From The Daily Star:
Of 210 cases probed by the Gambling Commission since September 2007 nearly all have been over sporting fixtures.
And the majority involve football, horse racing, tennis and snooker.
But they also show that very few cases ever get to court.
Jamie Gold Poker Room Opens at the Tropicana
2006 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Jamie Gold kicked off the opening of the Tropicana poker room, which is named after him, Friday February 17, 2012.
Wall Street Analysts do Not See Federal Online Poker in U.S. Until 2013
Macquarie Securities analyst Chad Beynon has issued a statement that it does not believe federal legalization of Internet poker will happen until next year. Instead, states like Nevada, which are about to begin licensing intrastate Web card rooms, will begin to reap the rewards.
Daniel Negreanu Claims $61k Rip-Off: Says PokerStars Account Hacked
Poker pro Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu claims in his latest blog post that his Poker Stars online betting account was hacked and he was robbed of $61,000!
Writing in his blog at www.cardplayer.com, high school dropout Negreanu, who's won more than $10 million playing live tournament poker, reveals that a "hacker did get into my account" and he stole "$61,000 of my money."
Patrik Antonius Coming to PartyPoker….Sort of
Finnish poker pro Patrik Antonius may be on his way to finding a new home…if only for a brief moment.
Following the shutdown of Full Tilt Poker late last year, Antonius and over a dozen other poker pros have been left without promotional deals.
Sheldon Adelson Pumping Another $10 Million Into Newt Gingrich Campaign
CBS News has learned that billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson is pumping yet another $10 million into GOP Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich’s faltering campaign.
Maine May Not Have Been a Win for Romney
It is beginning to look like yet another state got it wrong in the Republican primaries/caucuses.
First it was Iowa where one time Senator Rick Santorum was the eventual winner after several days of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney being touted as the victor. Now we have Maine where it appears Texas Congressman Ron Paul may have beat out Romney.
Harry Reid: ‘No Internet Poker in Payroll Tax Extension Bill’
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday put an end to rumors that a measure to legalize Internet poker might be attached to a Payroll Tax Extensions bill.
He declared Thursday that the bill does not contain any such Internet poker attachment.
From the Las Vegas Review Journal:
As details of the payroll tax bill were being unfurled, Reid, the Senate majority leader from Nevada, said online poker was not in there.
He did not elaborate on a quick comment made to a reporter as he entered a Senate elevator.
Poker Pro Jason Somerville: ‘I’m Gay!’
Jason Somerville has become the first high-profile professional male poker player to admit he is gay.
Writing this week in his blog at http://jcarver.badbeatscrew.com, Somerville, 24, of Stony Brook, New York, USA, states: "I always knew I wasn't straight, but I never spoke a word of it...And here we are now, writing this post...Open in my personal life, in an amazing relationship that means a great deal to me, and bottom line, I’m honestly happier now than I’ve ever been."
Belgium Brutal Clampdown on Internet Gambling: Players to Face Fines of €25,000
Belgium is the latest country to clamp down on unlicensed Internet gambling operations, some of which are now appearing on a blacklist.
Operators stand to pay fines from €100 to €100,000 while players could be fined as much as €25,000. Players must check to determine if a website is licensed or else face a visit from local police, who will have access to the nation’s blacklist.
Jason Mercier Overtakes Erik Seidel on 2012 Global Poker Index
Who’s the best poker player thus far in 2012? The honor now goes to Jason Mercier, who managed to overtake Erik Seidel on the 2012 Global Poker Index.
From PokerNewsDaily.com:
New Harry Reid Cyber-Security Bill a Likely Vehicle for Internet Poker
After two controversial Internet piracy bills were shelved last month, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is back with a revised bill that could potentially include an amendment to strengthen the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) while legalizing Internet poker. Gambling911.com should stress that there is no confirmation of such plans to tie the two bills at this early stage. That may all change shortly.
Ladbrokes Punters Bet £13 billion in 2011: Poker Revenues Down 25 Percent
Ladbrokes reported strong returns for 2011 with punters staking £13 billion in 2011 and profit per shot increased 6.9 percent over 2010.
Gaming machines drew almost £10.5 billion, up 13.7% on a year earlier while over-the-counter betting enjoyed £2.5 billion in bets placed.
Alabama Casino Exec Apologizes for ‘Breasts Exposure’ Bonus
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A casino developer who has pleaded guilty to offering bribes to legislators testified Wednesday he was joking when he proposed having his female lobbyist expose her breasts to a state senator for his vote for a pro-gambling bill.
New Hampshire Amendment Allows for Four Casinos
CONCORD, N.H. — (Associated Press) - New Hampshire gambling proponents are doubling down in an effort to avoid potentially losing revenue to Massachusetts.
Amendments to a bill in the New Hampshire House to legalize gambling include licensing four casinos with 14,000 slot machines and 420 table games, as well as lowering the business tax.
Carbon Poker Largest Guaranteed Online Poker Tournament Increases From $100k to $125k
Carbon Poker has announced that its largest guarantee online poker tournament will be increasing from $100K to $125 this weekend. Get full deals at Carbon Poker here.
125 Seats to $1125k
Zynga Stocks Fall After 4th Quarter Disappointment
NEW YORK (AP) — Investors sold off shares of Zynga on Wednesday after the company behind the most popular Facebook games fell shy of high expectations for its first earnings report as a publicly traded company.
Zynga Inc. of "FarmVille" and "CastleVille" fame reported better fourth-quarter results than what Wall Street was expecting, at least according to the average estimate compiled by FactSet. But Barclays analyst Mark May said the results fell short of some recent, more bullish expectations.
PokerAddict.net Warning: Do Not Deposit on Everleaf Poker Network
PokerAddict.net is the latest industry news site to blast the Everleaf Gaming poker network for its sudden withdrawal from the U.S. market, suggesting it has more to do with liquidity issues than with a seizure of funds confirmed this past October.
Manny Pacquiao to Retire? Finds God, Stops Gambling
The long awaited Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fight may never happen after Manny Pacquiao has revealed his newfound faith may lead him to retire from boxing, though he hasn’t come out directly and used the “R” word.
Everleaf Poker Should Never Have Been Allowing Washington State Citizens to Play
We have finally learned after days of speculation that Everleaf Poker’s woes come from transmitting funds for online poker to and from the state of Washington. It is the only state in the U.S. to make playing Internet poker a Class C felony and has done so since 2009 when the investigation into a payment processor utilized by Everleaf had commenced.
Title 18 U.S.C 1084(b) was cited in the seizure affidavit issued by the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.
U.S. Secret Service Targeted Everleaf Poker Payment Processor in Washington State
The news website Diamond Flush Poker confirmed that the U.S. Secret Service field office out of Seattle, Washington had been monitoring a payment processor utilized by Everleaf Poker since early 2009.
The Seattle entry into the investigation into online gambling payment processors is nothing new.
Nevada Casino Tax Hike Would Result in 7500 Lost Jobs
(AP) CARSON CITY, Nev. — An initiative to raise the top tax rate on Nevada's highest earning casinos is not economically sustainable by the industry and would lead to thousands of direct and indirect job losses, according to one gambling analyst who called the proposal a "wolf in sheep's clothing."
"We estimate the gaming tax increase would result in 7,500 or more lost jobs in Nevada, a notable step backward," Bill Lerner of Union Gaming Group said in a client's note.
Nevada leads the nation in unemployment, bankruptcies and foreclosures.
Bingo Slot Machine Hybrid Slingo Announced by Zynga for Facebook
Zynga has licensed the rights to make Zynga Slingo, a Bingo slot machine hybrid, which will bring the game to Facebook effective immediately, Wednesday February 15, 2012.
