Casinos didn’t like a copycat In 2019, before online casino games even launched in Pennsylvania, the state’s casinos sued the Lottery. It was a turf war – the casinos believed that though the Pennsylvania Lottery was permitted to offer its own internet-based games, its games were too similar to those the casinos had in their… Read more »
Poker Hall of Famer Chris Moneymaker is suing ubiquitous payment processing giant PayPal. In a press release issued late last week, Moneymaker’s attorney, Eric Bensamochan, said that they will be suing PayPal for breach of contract, unjust enrichment and bad faith, “among other causes of action,” for confiscating more than $12,000 from the 2003 World… Read more »
The ability of states to pass regulations regarding online gaming, especially online poker, have been in existence since 2011. In 2013, three states rapidly passed online poker into law. But it has taken almost eight years for that number to double, with the state of Connecticut becoming the seventh state to pass legislation authorizing online… Read more »
Poker is truly a worldwide game. If you do not believe that, think about this: two of the last three winners of the Championship Event that crowns the World Champion (and five of the last ten) at the World Series of Poker have been foreign players. The fact that poker is a global game will… Read more »
For a long time, many online casinos, poker rooms and sports books have operated in the realm of “gray” legality. They are not necessarily against the law, but many states (and countries, for that matter) are not rushing to lock people out of the sites or prosecute the principals. That will be changing in the… Read more »
Small stake is still against the rules The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the administrative organization for European soccer, has fined superstar Zlatan Ibrahimović €50,000 ($61,000) for his involvement in online casino and sportsbook Bethard. UEFA began its investigation a little over a month ago, appointing an ethics inspector to examine if Ibrahimović violated… Read more »
Take your time When you read this, you might think to yourself, “How can you make that mistake?” I didn’t. I just thought that someone instantly went from having a normal day to having the best day of their life. That’s what happens when you recover a lost million-dollar lottery ticket. According to The Washington… Read more »
FanDuel paying AP for access In a partnership that has raised some eyebrows, FanDuel has inked a deal with the Associated Press (AP) to be the news organization’s exclusive supplier of betting odds for its news content. FanDuel is paying AP for the privilege, though payment terms were not revealed. The Associated Press will use… Read more »
Zero buy-in World College Poker has announced that it has teamed up with PokerStars.net for the 2021 World College Poker Championship Main Event. PokerStars.net – the free-to-play version of PokerStars – will serve has sponsor and host. To compete, players must be students enrolled in university, college, or vocational school and provide a student ID.… Read more »
State and tribes amended their compacts It appears that online casino and sports betting are closer to becoming a reality in Connecticut. On Thursday, the state House of Representatives passed HB06451 easily by a 34-6 vote, sending the bill over to the Senate. On Thursday, Governor Ned Lamont tweeted his thanks to the House for… Read more »
It was apparent from the beginning that it would go at least this long. The date has been set for Part III of the battle between 15-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and fellow Poker Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu. Mark your calendars for June 23, when the duo will square off… Read more »
After more debate than was originally thought, legislators in the state of Florida have ratified the compact between the state and the Seminole Indian tribe of the state. The ratification alone does not mean that the 30-year deal is effective immediately, however. There are still several challenges that loom ahead, including federal approval and an… Read more »
The ribbon has been placed on what has been the longest season in the history of the World Poker Tour. Brek Schutten earned the championship of the delayed final table of the 2021 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, taking home a million-dollar plus payday. In the same event, Brian Altman finished off an outstanding… Read more »
Maryland has legalized sports betting. Governor Larry Hogan signed a bill to make both online and retail (in-person) sports wagering legal on Tuesday, an action which was entirely expected considering state lawmakers passed the legislation last month by overwhelming margins. Under emergency authorization, the law can take effect immediately, but no sportsbooks are expected to… Read more »
Iconic casino gets its due The Plaza Hotel & Casino has been a focal point of downtown Las Vegas for 50 years. If you have ever been downtown, you can’t miss it, as it looms large at the end of Fremont Street, as if looking over all of its children. On Tuesday, the Nevada Preservation… Read more »
An article about PokerStars usually means one thing: another online tournament series. And sure enough, this is one of those times that fits into the “usually” category. PokerStars has released the schedule for its next big tournament series, the Bounty Builder Turbo Series, slated to run May 23 through June 6. The Bounty Builder Turbo… Read more »
Balakrishna Patur won the 2020 World Poker Tour (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic Monday night and now we are all caught up. The WPT L.A. Poker Classic was the last of the three delayed WPT final tables that had to be postponed for over a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And now Mr. Patur is… Read more »
Veerab Zakarian won the 2020 World Poker Tour (WPT) Borgata Winter Poker Open Sunday night, claiming a first prize of $674,840. If it sounds weird that he won a 2020 tournament nearly halfway through 2021, that’s ok. It is weird. The hopefully never-to-be-seen-again confluence of events that created the odd name/calendar pairing were the planned… Read more »
In what would be the largest expansion of gaming in the state in over a decade, the Florida legislature will debate changes to their laws on gaming in the state. Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new compact with Chairman Marcellus Osceola, Jr., and the Seminole Indians of Florida at the end of April, forcing the… Read more »
After missing its scheduled event in 2020 because…well, you know…the high stakes geniuses and others with deep pockets are ready to go at the U. S. Poker Open. The 2021 schedule of events has been announced for this year’s tournament, with 12 events on the roster. The money is serious also, with those 12 events… Read more »
If You Mess with The Bull… There does appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel. A judge in California Superior Court has hammered “alleged” poker cheater Mike Postle with a five figure fine regarding the scandal that has his name on it and a resulting anti-SLAPP lawsuit. Whether there will be… Read more »
After extensive debate, Germany is looking to increase the taxes on internet gaming, in particular slots and poker. The discussion over the increases is not over quite yet, but time is running out to stop the proposed increases. If nothing is done to prevent it, implementation of the new taxes will begin July 1. All… Read more »
MGM got its employees vaccinated With millions of COVID-19 vaccines getting administered every day in the United States, the pandemic statistics are moving in the right direction. Because of this, casinos have gradually been upping their customer capacities. Things are really starting to accelerate in Nevada, as MGM received permission from the Nevada Gaming Control… Read more »
Continues the real estate/operation split MGM Growth Properties has acquired the real estate of MGM Springfield in Massachusetts from MGM Resorts International for $400 million cash. The purchase is a leaseback deal in which MGM Resorts will continue to operate the property and pay MGM Growth $30 million per year in rent. In Tuesday’s announcement,… Read more »
Time to show off the new 888poker platform It’s an embarrassment of riches in Pennsylvania and Michigan! It appears that both states will soon have a third competitor in the race for online poker supremacy. In a recent investor conference call, 888 CEO Itai Pazner said that WSOP.com, which runs the 888poker platform, will soon… Read more »
