Gambling News
Situation Looking Bleak Again for Those Owed by Full Tilt Poker
Hopes appear to be dashed that French investors Bernard and Laurent Tapie can save shuttered online poker room Full Tilt Poker, at least where payment to customers is concerned.
Defense Attorneys for Man Named in Full Tilt Poker Case Say Poker is not Gambling
The defense attorneys for a Utah banker and businessman indicted as part of a probe into the online poker firm Full Tilt Poker are trying to convince a federal judge that playing poker on the Web is not a form of gambling.
Lawyers filed their arguments in a Manhattan federal court on Friday and Monday in hopes of having charges against their clients John Campos and Chad Elie dismissed.
Betfair Scandal: Critical Credit Card Hacking Data Withheld From Players
The world’s largest betting exchange, Betfair, has found itself in the middle of a major scandal that resulted in the firm’s Head of Security stepping down.
More than three million customers were affected by a massive credit card hacking scheme. The company made the situation worse by failing to advise customers. The hacking incident in question occurred over 18 months ago.
Full Tilt Poker Acquisition Right Now Just a Prelude Stresses Attorney
An attorney for the embattled online poker company Full Tilt Poker stressed to the New York Times Friday afternoon that a potential sale of the company was still in the initial stages.
It was “merely a prelude to a formal acquisition, pending resolution of the civil suit”. Players waiting since April 15 to see their funds will likely still have to endure a long wait and there are no guarantees this deal will not ultimately fall through.
Still, affected customers have more to grasp onto than they did yesterday.
French Business Tycoon Bernard Tapie Agrees to Buy Full Tilt Poker on Condition
French business tycoon Bernard Tapie has agreed to buy Full Tilt Poker on condition that it settles legal concerns in the US. Executives of what was once the world’s second largest online poker room were indicted on April 15, charged with money laundering and bank fraud.
Full Tilt has also said there is a plan in place to repay deposits of players worldwide, which suggests that any winnings will not be paid.
Canadian Gaming Association Welcomes Changes to Allow Enhanced Sports Wagering in Canada
Chili Poker Moves Into US Market
Chili Poker is the latest European-based online poker site to delve into the US market.
No, they won’t be offering real cash poker. Chili will be opening a free to play social networking online poker venture.
Players will be able to utilize a virtual currency system.
Obviously, Chili Poker is positioning itself to gain a solid foothold in the US market should the activity become legal at the federal level as it applies to real cash play.
Alderney Revokes Full Tilt Poker License
The Alderney Gambling Control Commission as expected as revoked the license for Full Tilt Poker.
The AGCC had yanked the license on June 29 after Full Tilt Poker failed to pay its US customers following indictments against two executives by the US Justice Department. They were charged with money laundering and bank fraud.
Since that time Full Tilt Poker has failed to pay players across the world including Europe.
Online Poker White House Petition Meets Goal in Less Than One Week
The Obama Administration asked those with ideas to boost the US economy to take part in a petition drive. Any petition with 5000 signatures would automatically be reviewed by the White House for inclusion in an upcoming jobs bill.
Well, in under a week (3 days to be exact), those 5000 signatures were gathered.
San Francisco Chronicle: Full Tilt Poker a Game Changer…We Say Not Really
The San Francisco Chronicle featured an interesting piece on the current crisis surrounding Full Tilt Poker and its impact on the Internet gambling sector as a whole.
Last week, US Feds accused Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson and Rafael Furst of defrauding thousands of poker players out of more than $300 million.
Nevada Moves Forward With Online Poker
Lawyers, consultants and gaming industry representatives packed a room in Carson City, Nevada on Monday to discuss that state’s move forward to legalize online poker.
Regulations were released just over a month ago and this group was looking to make a few changes that will allow Nevada to become the hub of Internet poker in the US once federal legislation is passed.
"I think we have a solid foundation for regulations," board Chairman Mark Lipparelli said.
Famed G911 Reporter, Former Colts Cheerleader Lisa Perry Wants Your Vote
Our good friend Lisa Perry will be competing in an upcoming fitness contest here in our stomping grounds of Miami Beach, Florida. Ms. Perry once served as a writer for the Gambling911.com website and was captain of the Indianapolis Colts cheerleading squad.
The event is the 2011 NPC National Bodybuilding Championships, scheduled November 18-19. Come on down and support our girl Lisa!
How did you get in to the fitness industry?
Full Tilt Poker French Investors Look to be Out $800M Should They Go All In
News that mysterious (or not so mysterious) “French investors” are looking to acquire Full Tilt Poker had the folks from WickedChopsPoker.com doing the math, mostly subtraction…and folks, it doesn’t look good by any stretch of the imagination, even using Mickey Mouse calculations.
• As of March 31st, Tilt owed players around the world approximately $390M…but only had approximately $60M in bank accounts, leaving a short-fall of about $330M.
Today’s Full Tilt Poker BS or Not: We Weren’t Running a Ponzi Scheme
Even though the US Attorney’s Office out of the Southern District of New York has declared Full Tilt Poker a “ponzi scheme”, the powers-that-be at the now shuttered online poker company say otherwise, going as far as to issue a press release condemning the US Attorney’s accusations.
In today’s installment of Full Tilt Poker BS or Not, Gambling911.com reviews their latest statement. As Anderson Cooper of CNN would say, “We’re keeping them honest”.
Bodog Claims PokerScout Tried Extorting Company Out of One Million Dollars
The CalvinAyre.com website on Tuesday reported that PokerScout.com founder Dan Stewart attempted to blackmail Bodog Poker. Pay $1 million or remain on the PokerScout.com website, the CalvinAyre.com website alleges.
The news portal making the allegations is owned by Calvin Ayre, who just happens to be the founder of Bodog.
Gambling911.com to Visit BetOnline, Lock Poker
Gambling911.com has announced its October 2011 schedule, which includes visits to Panama City, Panama (home of BetOnline.com) and a meeting with Lock Poker executives and poker pros in London next week.
“We are very excited to be visiting with two of the industry’s fastest growing brands,” noted Payton O’Brien, Senior Editor of the Gambling911.com website.
PokerStars Tough Time Gaining Ground
The world’s largest online poker room is still the world’s largest online poker room but a substantial margin, but the company has lost a significant amount of its customer base since exiting the US market on April 15 even after a slight summer surge.
Two Stars executives were indicted in mid-April for alleged money laundering and bank fraud.
PartyPoker Takes Over Number Two Spot
PartyPoker has recaptured the number two spot for the world’s largest online poker rooms after iPoker’s reign for the past few weeks.
Both networks have been engaging in a tug-of-war for that coveted ranking since Full Tilt Poker went offline the end of June.
The reality is that both sites have essentially the same average number of real cash players over the past week with Party trending upwards only slightly more than iPoker.
Chris Christie Confirms He Won’t Be Running
Despite the GOP’s pressure to get New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to join the race to run for US President, Christie confirmed once again he will not be running.
Fox News broke the story Tuesday afternoon.
The GOP has expressed concerns over the current pool of candidates, in particular Texas Governor Rick Perry, who was widely panned for his performance at last week’s Republican debate.
Gambling911.com Debuts New Subsection: Full Tilt Poker BS
Mysterious European investors, bizarre posting forum identity theft, and denials that any ponzi scheme ever took place at Full Tilt Poker, Gambling911.com frankly is getting a little tired of all these other media outlets getting hoodwinked by what was once the world’s second largest online poker room.
We’ve decided to devote an entire section here at Gambling911.com to Full Tilt Poker and we are aptly calling it “Full Tilt Poker BS”.
PokerScout Says it is Unaffected by Bodog Poker Software Update
Last week Gambling911.com broke the news that Bodog Poker had implemented new software that is supposed to prevent data mining. The public objective was to protect recreational players.
“Currently there is a wealth (quite literally) of data available on individual players and websites that only benefit professional players to the detriment of recreational player and, equally therefore, to the detriment of the poker industry itself,” a statement from the company read on Wednesday.
Why New Jersey Needs Legalized Sports Betting
Following today's public hearing of the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee, Chairman Jim Whelan emphasized the importance of authorizing sports wagering for the New Jersey's gaming industry.
Some Poker Players Benefit from Full Tilt Poker Ponzi Scheme
A handful of folks claim to have benefited from the Full Tilt Poker ponzi scheme that was revealed by the US Attorney in the Southern District of New York last week. Adam Levy, a 26-year-old from New York is one of them.
He told the Wall Street Journal this weekend that, upon trying to transfer funds to what was once the world’s second largest Internet poker room, he quickly turned $150 into $9000 before the money was even verified in his account. Turns out, that money was never verified in his account.
Customers Will Sadly Get Little in Any Full Tilt Poker Deal
Whether an acquisition or a U.S. Government deal, Full Tilt Poker customers stand a very slight chance at this point of receiving their entire funds from the beleaguered online poker company, assuming history is a parameter.
While it is true that customers of the online gambling payment firm Neteller ultimately received all their monies months after its owners were arrested in 2007, the same did not hold true for customers of BetOnSports.
Feds Move to Seize Assets Belonging to Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson
US Federal authorities have moved to seize assets belonging to Full Tilt Poker pros Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer and Rafe Furst. The three were named as defendants in a civil complaint alleging they were part of an elaborate “ponzi scheme” related to Full Tilt Poker.
The Feds claim that the three men pilfered the company to pay their bloated salaries by removing funds belonging to customers.
Giuliani for US President: He Likes Gambling (Sometimes)
Disenchantment with the current crop of Republican presidential candidates has many in the G.O.P. urging former New York City mayor Rudy Guiliani to get in to the race, but so far he has resisted a repeat run.
Brooklyn-born Giuliani, 67, who was Big Apple mayor from 1994-2002 and before that was a Federal prosecutor and U.S. Attorney, ran for President in 2008.
And at one time during that '08 Republican primary election cycle, Giuliani led in the polls in all 50 states.
Gary Johnson’s Neighbor’s Dog Most Memorable Moment of Republican Debate
A relative unknown among the GOP candidates for US President, Gary Johnson, offered up one of the most famous lines of all the Republican debates thus far.
When asked about President Obama’s economic policy, the former New Mexico Governor responded: “My neighbor’s dog has created more shovel ready projects than this administration has”.
Most of his colleagues on stage had a good laugh at that one.
Johnson hasn’t appeared in many debates and – while we are on the subject of dogs – he’s considered one of the biggest underdogs.
5000 Signatures Needed for White House to Consider Internet Poker
The US Government has created a petition site that automatically will require the White House to consider any issue that spurs job creation and boosts the economy with a minimum of 5000 signatures.
A petition pertaining to the legalization of Internet poker has now been created. In a very short time, the petition has received just over 1100 signatures.
Epic Development: Annie Duke League Suspends Brother
The Epic Poker League has suspended Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson after news surfaced this week that they were named as defendants in a complaint filed by the US Justice Department against Full Tilt Poker. The complaint alleges that both Lederer and Ferguson took part in a massive ponzi scheme.
Barney Franks Wants to Give Full Tilt Poker Monies Back to Players
Sickened by news that surfaced this week that Full Tilt Poker executives squandered millions of dollars of players funds, Representative Barney Frank said he would like to return funds he received from the company back to players.
The Democratic Congressman from Massachusetts has backed measures to legalize online poker in recent years. Frank admits to receiving $18,600 from the board members of Full Tilt Poker since 2007 and another $14,000 from the Poker Players Alliance, a group largely funded by the board members.
