Poker Legislation News
On Monday, the “lame duck” session of Congress kicked off in Washington, DC. The period may mark one last hoorah for the internet gambling industry in the United States, which will see a Republican-led House of Representatives convene in January. Also this week, the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative has been touting the budgetary… Read more »
New Jersey is one step closer to becoming the first state to regulate, license, and tax the internet gambling industry within its borders. With the prospects of a Federal scheme still on the horizon as part of a Congressional “lame duck” session, a bill introduced by State Senator Raymond Lesniak in New Jersey cleared the… Read more »
Party Gaming has filed a motion to dismiss a complaint against it in the Kentucky internet gambling case. According to court documents obtained by Poker News Daily, Party Gaming argues that “insufficiency of service of process, failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, and lack of standing” warrant the complaint against… Read more »
In breaking news, Full Tilt Poker announced that it will no longer accept real money action from players in Washington State. The announcement follows a similar decision from PokerStars six weeks ago. In an FAQ posted on its website, Full Tilt officials explained, “Due to recent legal developments, Full Tilt Poker has announced it will… Read more »
On Saturday afternoon, a fundraiser for Congressman John Campbell (R-CA) was held featuring “Grade A” poker pros like Barry Greenstein and Chad Brown, both PokerStars sponsored players. Later on in the day, Campbell headed to the Rio’s Penn and Teller Theater to check out play in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, which… Read more »
On Tuesday, voters in the United States went to the polls for midterm elections. The entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate were up for grabs and, when the polls closed, internet gambling champion Barney Frank (D-MA) was reelected by a 54% vote. However, with Democrats losing control of the House, Frank will… Read more »
There’s more bad news for online poker players in Washington State. Just a few weeks after the State Supreme Court upheld a law that makes playing online poker a Class C felony, the payment processor Secure Money found itself in hot water. According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer newspaper, officials in Washington State are moving… Read more »
On Monday, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the 1.2 million member strong lobbying voice for poker players in the United States, welcomed a new Board member into its ranks. Patrick “Skallagrim” Fleming, who manages the PPA’s Litigation Network, will bring insight to the Board as the organization heads into 2011. PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato commented… Read more »
A lawsuit in Kentucky previously targeting Full Tilt Poker and Party Gaming has been amended to include Microgaming, Poker News Daily has learned. The complaint was re-filed a few weeks ago in the legal matter, which is numbered 10-CI-505. In addition, existing defendants in the case have been recently served. The lawsuit details that Microgaming… Read more »
On Thursday, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the major lobbying voice for poker players in the United States, released a list of 58 Congressman that its Poker Political Action Committee (PokerPAC) is endorsing in the general elections next month. The list includes incumbents and non-incumbents alike and consists of both Democrats and Republicans. Former Senator… Read more »
The South Carolina Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday regarding a 2006 case involving a home poker tournament. The discussion centers on whether the state’s gaming laws were violated and/or whether poker is a game of skill or chance. The five justices sitting on the South Carolina Supreme Court – Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal and… Read more »
In a lawsuit that has popped up on both PocketFives.com and TwoPlusTwo in recent days, a Florida resident seeking to recover “illegal poker gambling losses” is suing six online poker players from Illinois. The lawsuit includes nearly 190 pages of tournament results and is numbered 1:10-cv-06543. Targeted in the case are six top players from… Read more »
After filing for voluntary dismissal of its claims against Tiltware LLC, attorneys for Deliverance Poker were met with stern demands from Judge James Nowlin of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. In documents filed on Tuesday, Nowlin laid out several tasks for Deliverance Poker to complete and threatened “civil contempt… Read more »
In breaking news from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Deliverance Poker has dismissed its claims against Tiltware LLC, the owners of Full Tilt Poker. The case centers on Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, a member of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine, jumping ship from… Read more »
A proposed law to monitor cross-border electronic money transfers has U.S. online poker players concerned about their future this week. The proposal was the subject of a recent New York Times article. In an attempt to prevent terrorist financing and money laundering from taking place in the United States, the Treasury Department proposed regulations that… Read more »
In an article in one of the leading online gaming magazines in the industry, it was stated that Denmark will be opening up its online gaming market come the early part of 2011. In an article written by Stephen Carter at eGaming Review, there was both good news and “not-so-good” news for Danish citizens. Carter… Read more »
London-based Sportingbet PLC has agreed to pay $33 million to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to keep the online gambling operator out of court in the States. Sportingbet was under investigation for illegal internet gambling operations between 1998 and 2006. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said that Sportingbet offered… Read more »
In breaking news, the Washington State Supreme Court has upheld a law that makes playing online poker a Class C felony. Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Washington State Director Lee Rousso, a lawyer by trade, sued to declare the harsh law unconstitutional on the grounds that it violated the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution.… Read more »
In a decision rendered by the Kentucky Supreme Court on Thursday, the case involving the seizure and potential forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domain names will return to the trial court and Judge Thomas Wingate. The decision read in part, “Because the trial court has not had the opportunity to address Petitioner’s claims, both as… Read more »
Democratic Representative Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Congressman who has been pushing for the legalization and regulation of online gaming in the United States, has stated in an interview that he is “not optimistic” regarding the passage of his legislation prior to the 2010 midterm elections. The bill known as HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation,… Read more »
In a 2008 article in The Independent, the United Kingdom was dubbed the “litigation capital of the world” primarily as the result of many high profile cases finding their way to British courts. Never fear, Americans, the United States may yet wrest that title away from its kin across “The Pond.” Last week, notices of… Read more »
Goldwater Bank in Scottsdale, Arizona has agreed to forfeit $734,000 in assets tied to money laundering and illegal online gambling operations, the FBI said on Friday. The one-branch bank was accused of transferring funds for several online gambling sites, including PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker room. At least $13 million was transferred in the… Read more »
In breaking news from California, State Senator Rod Wright has been indicted on eight counts, including “false declaration of candidacy, voter fraud, and perjury beginning in 2007, when he changed his voter registration to run for the legislature,” according to the Los Angeles Times newspaper. Officials allege that Wright did not live in the district… Read more »
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide, released its 2010 Congressional Ratings Guide this week. The guide provides ratings for every member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate on their stances on poker issues. According to PPA Chairman and former Senator Alfonse… Read more »
In breaking news from New York, Intabill head Daniel Tzvetkoff has been released on bail, according to the Courier-Mail newspaper in Australia. In April, he was arrested in Las Vegas on charges money laundering, gambling conspiracy, and bank fraud as part of his role with the internet gaming payment processor. According to the Aussie news… Read more »
