Poker
Playtech’s Billionaire Founder Teddy Sagi About to See Huge Payday
With online gambling software provider Playtech entering into deals with Ladbrokes and a yet-to-be-named US casino partner, company founder Teddi Sagi is in for another big payout thanks in part to William Hill.
From the London Evening Standard:
US Former Customers of Full Tilt Poker Closer to Getting Paid
The US Justice Department has finally appointed a claims administrator to begin paying former customers of Full Tilt Poker.
The DOJ froze accounts tied to Full Tilt Poker on April 15, 2011 – a day that would later be referred to as “Black Friday”. FTP eventually shut down. Late last year, the US Government settled with Full Tilt Poker.
$159 million is owed to approximately 1.3 million people.
The DOJ released this statement on Wednesday:
Pasi Sormunen Leads for Day 4 of 2013 EPT London Main Event
Pasi Sormunen from Finland leads final 32 for Day 4 of the £5,250 EPT London Main Event. He has 1,578,000. Team PokerStars Pros Jason Mercier and Theo Jorgensen are also still in contention for the £700,000 first prize. There were 647 players from 58 countries competing in the event which started on Sunday, creating a £3,137,950 prize pool. As well as their cash prize, Sunday's winner will receive a stunning watch from Slyde, the Official Watch Sponsor for EPT9 Main Events. 96 players will get paid.
EPTLive will restart at noon tomorrow (Day 4).
Claire Renaut Wins Bodog Anonymous Poker Series 2013 First Live Event
The first live event of Bodog’s Anonymous Poker Series (APS), held last night in London, was won by the French – other than that it was considered a huge success! Former 888Poker pro, Claire Renaut took the event, the trophy, the champagne and the first seat at the $100,000 Grand Final of the APS in Manila.
Equity Poker Network Launches
Online poker network Equity Poker Network (EPN) launching with a bang, a non-profit poker network promising to bring operators, players and affiliates a fairer future.
San Jose, Costa Rica – Online Poker Operators looking to profit even more from the game can now count on Equity Poker Network, a new cooperative non-profit poker network. EquityPokerNetwork.com, announced that operators can now sign up to a fairer future where profit and cross cage is balanced ensuring even Sports, or other operators, with mostly losing players will be winners.
Mantas Visockis Leads at 2013 EPT London Main Event
Lithuanian Mantas Visockis is chip leader with 113 players going into Day 3 of the £5,250 EPT London Main Event. There were 647 players from 58 countries competing in the event which started on Sunday, creating a £3,137,950 prize pool. The winner on Saturday will receive a massive £700,000, as well as a stunning watch from Slyde, the Official Watch Sponsor for EPT9 Main Events. 96 players will get paid.
Glu Mobile Launches Real Money Gambling, Shares See 27 Percent Jump
(Reuters) - Mobile games maker Glu Mobile Inc launched its first real-money mobile gambling game through UK mobile betting game designer and operator Probability Plc, sending the U.S. company's shares up as much as 27 percent.
Online gambling is growing in popularity in the UK. Zynga Inc and Facebook Inc are also looking to tap the market through partnerships.
Zynga plans to offer real money casino games in Britain, and Facebook has said it will allow users in the UK to wager real money on its site.
Yahoo Acquisition of Zynga Rumors Diffused Somewhat After Monday Surge
Rumors that Yahoo may be looking to purchase the world’s biggest provider of free online poker have Zynga’s shares soaring in recent days.
While down around 4 percent in midday trading Tuesday, the price of Zynga’s shares had risen 10 percent during Monday’s trading.
From the Wall Street Journal:
UKIPT London Main Event Champ Sergio Aido Leads at 2013 EPT London
Spanish player Sergio Aido, 24, is enjoying a phenomenal London Poker Festival! Aido won the UKIPT Main Event on Saturday, beating a field of 1,099. He also chopped a £1,000 side event the night before the UKIPT final - and is now chip leader for Day 2 of the EPT London Main Event. Aido, who also won the World Poker Tour National Series in Barcelona last October, has 215,200 - some way ahead of last night's chip leader Marc-Andre Ladouceur.
PokerStars Retaliates Against AGA
Attorneys for the Rational Group, parent company of PokerStars, sent off a scathing 15-page letter responding to the American Gaming Association’s petition to try and prevent Stars from purchasing an Atlantic City casino.
The letter essentially accuses the AGA of attempting to protect its own economic interests.
PokerStars is looking to buy the troubled Atlantic Club Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City.
Hawaii, Iowa Internet Poker Bills Dead Again
Attempts to pass laws legalizing Internet poker in both Iowa and Hawaii have failed for a second time.
Both states tried passing similar legislation last year.
Hawaii’s bill failed to gain enough attention to be heard in the state’s House Finance Committee.
The State Sen. Jeff Danielson-sponsored online poker measure in Iowa failed to clear a full Senate subcommittee.
PokerStars Atlantic City Bid Still has AGA Up in Arms
(Associated Press) - A bid by the world's largest online poker website to buy an Atlantic City casino is touching off a battle with brick-and-mortar casinos that is getting very nasty, very quickly.
The Rational Group, the parent company of PokerStars, wants to buy The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel. If approved, it would mark the first ownership of an American casino by a solely-online gambling company.
Report: Yahoo Could be Looking to Purchase Zynga
Shares in online poker company Zynga surged over 8 percent Monday on news that Yahoo! was possibly considering buying the company.
Zynga’s shares have risen over 50 percent in recent months as the games developer makes plans to enter the real money online gambling market. So far, New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware have legalized various forms of online gambling.
888 All American Poker Network to Become First Based in US
888 Holdings on Monday unveiled its new subsidiary, the All American Poker Network. It will be the first US-based online poker network following 888 obtaining a license to operate out of Nevada last week.
888 has joined forces with investment firm Avenue Capital Group. In addition to its own portfolio of brands, land-based casino Treasure Island will be among the first to offer real money Internet poker on the network.
Ex-Playtech, Asian Logic Man Greg Fermont Joins Bodog Asia
With Bodog Asia growing as both an operator and B2B provider the long search for a COO to join Managing Director, Robert Gustavsson and his team is finally over.
Greg Fermont’s industry experience speaks for itself with stints at Playtech, Asian Logic and most recently Sun City. Greg brings not just gaming knowledge to Bodog Asia but also years of regional experience so vital to success in the area.
Team PokerStars Defeats Full Tilt Poker Pros
Negreanu: “Team PokerStars SCOOPS all three, winning 8 of 9 games!” LONDON, ENGLAND – Team PokerStars crushed the Full Tilt Poker ‘Professionals’ in the Full Tilt v PokerStars Heads Up contest held today at the London Poker Festival with a clean sweep of all three matches.
Kai Chang Wins 2013 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star and Over $1.1 Million
Kai Chang has won the 2013 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star and a grand prize of $1,138,350. Among the finalists for this event was Erik Seidel who, with life time earnings in live tournaments now at just over $17 million, ranks 2nd as poker’s biggest earner to date.
Chang also managed to upset Paul Volpe, who has taken in just shy of $1.6 million at live tournaments to date.
Team PokerStars Pros vs. Full Tilt Poker Pros Pre Match Comments From the Pros
This weekend Team PokerStars Pros take on Full Tilt Poker’s The Professionals in the ultimate heads-up showdown at the London Poker Festival, we caught up with some of the players and spectators for their pre match thoughts...
Gus Hansen – Full Tilt Professional
Online Poker Promotions March 2013 at Cake Include Boost in Ring Game Rewards
March 8th, 2013 – Popular online gaming site, Cake Poker (CakePoker.eu) is continuing its $20,000 Gold Card Match & Win promotion and announcing Turbo Gold Card rewards.
Malta the Next Macau of the Mediterranean
It is already a major hub for online gambling sites. Now Seeking Alpha’s Jonathan Yates has pondered the idea of Malta becoming the “Macau of the Mediterranean”.
Macua is the largest gambling destination in the world and Yates believes Malta has the potential to some day achieve that coveted position, at least where the Mediterranean region is concerned.
Illinois Latest State to Consider Legalizing Online Gambling
New legislation, approved by the Illinois Senate Subcommittee, is looking to legalize online gambling.
The bill includes expansion of the state’s brick and mortar casinos, including the addition of a casino in Chicago.
Governor Pat Quinn said he would welcome expansion of gambling “under certain conditions”.
Full Tilt Poker vs. PokerStars: Professionals Head-to-Head Stats Revealed
LONDON, UK –It’s just three days until Team PokerStars Pros take on Full Tilt Poker’s The Professionals in the ultimate heads-up showdown at the London Poker Festival, so it’s time to have a look at the key stats...
Americas Cardroom Online Poker Site Announces $200k Guarantee April 7
San Jose, Costa Rica – With the sheer magnitude of the Online Super Series still fresh in the minds of poker players across the country, Americas Cardroom is supersizing its Sunday tournament this April. The US-facing online poker site today confirmed a $200,000 Guaranteed Texas Hold'em tournament is scheduled to take place on April 7th at 7:00pm ET.
888 Holdings Approved for Nevada License
(Reuters) - European online gaming operator 888 Holdings Plc cleared a key hurdle in its return to a reopening, regulated U.S. online poker market after the Nevada Gaming Control Board voted to recommend approval of its application for a state interactive gaming license at a hearing scheduled for March 21.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday said it recommended the approval of Gibraltar-based 888's applications, including one as a manufacturer of an interactive gaming system, one as a distributor and another as an interactive gaming service provider.
Bitcoin Now Accepted at World’s Largest Online Poker Network iPoker
Some of the biggest Bitcoin news yet as iPoker Network online poker skin WinPoker has announced it will begin accepting the virtual currency.
This is the first time a poker room on a major network has begun to accept Bitcoin for deposits and withdrawals. iPoker is the world’s largest online poker network. Bitcoin’s price has enjoyed a staggering rise over the past two months from $14 to $40.
Full Tilt Poker Defendant Ray Bitar ‘Medical Condition’ Suspends Plea Deal Talks
“Black Friday” defendant Ray Bitar, who was named as one of the key executives at Full Tilt Poker, is suffering from a medical condition of unknown origin. The matter has resulted in the suspension plea deal talks.
The story was first reported by FlushDraw.com.
Blake Bohn Wins $3,200 Chicago Poker Classic Main Event
2013 Main Event sees 392 entrants create a $1,200,720 prize pool.
Hammond, Ind. — Blake Bohn from Savage, Minn. won the 2013 Chicago Poker Classic Main Event Monday night in Hammond, Ind. pocketing $288,171. The win, which came in one of the country’s few $3,200 main events, marks the largest score of Bohn’s career.
“It feels great. I work really hard at it,” Bohn said. “It’s really exciting to run deep. That’s why we put in so many hours, to have a victory like this.”
PokerStars was Offered Purchase of World Series of Poker, Rio Hotel
Reports surfaced Wednesday that Caesar’s had offered to sell their coveted World Series of Poker (WSOP) and Rio Hotel properties to PokerStars last month but the later refused.
This news comes on the heels of the American Gaming Association, based out of Nevada, submitting a letter to New Jersey officials urging them not to allow a proposed sale of Atlantic City’s Atlantic Club Hotel and Casino to PokerStars.
Zynga’s Mark Pincus Loses Billionaire Status
While casino magnate Sheldon Adelson ranked number 15 on Forbes newest Billionaire list, Zynga’s Mark Pincus has dropped off of it.
Poor Mark Pincus’ wealth has dropped into the hundreds of millions.
He’s appeared on the list over the past two years Zynga has been publicly trading.
Breaking News: The Ader Group Wins IGT Board Seat
The Ader Group today announced that International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) concluded that Daniel B. Silvers has been elected to the IGT Board of Directors at the Company’s Annual Meeting, based on preliminary vote tabulations.
Jason N. Ader issued the following statement on today’s results:
