How about a Pets.com ad? The United States sports betting market is booming and there is still room for growth. With the boom has come a deluge of advertising for sportsbooks. If you watch sports or sports-related programming, you have undoubtedly had your eyes seared by sports betting commercial after sports betting commercial. Telecasts of… Read more »
Month: January 2024
UK Gamblers Getting Around Crypto Casino Bans By Purchasing Accounts
Crypto casinos are booming Crypto casinos have become increasingly popular over the last couple years. Living on the outskirts of regulation, online casinos that deal exclusively in cryptocurrencies appeal to those who really want to gamble, but either want their financial transactions harder to track or need to get around regulations that make traditional avenues… Read more »
Konstantin Held Wins WPT Cambodia Main Event
Konstantin Held won the inaugural WPT Cambodia championship on Monday, claiming the top prize of $361,310. It was the first Main Tour stop outside of North America since back in 2017. Nagaworld Integrated Resort had previously held WPT Prime events, but this was the first time for a full-fledged WPT Main Tour event in Cambodia.… Read more »
Anthony Zinno Accused of Stealing $19,000 From Poker Player’s Backpack
Surprising accusation Poker scandal time. This is an unexpected one (though are any scandals “expected”?) and nothing has been confirmed 100%, but it has legs, so let’s talk about it. Poker pro Anthony Zinno, one of the most successful tournament players of the last decade, has been accused of stealing a backpack, and most of… Read more »
Tropicana Las Vegas to Close April 2 to Prepare for A’s New Stadium
Happy Death Day The next step in the Oakland A’s relocation to Las Vegas will happen in about two months. Bally’s has announced that it will close the Tropicana on April 2 to prepare it for demolition to clear the way for the A’s new stadium. The date is one day before the Tropicana’s 67th… Read more »
PokerStars, FanDuel Parent Begins Trading on NYSE
Big decision Flutter Entertainment, the parent company of PokerStars, FanDuel, and Betfair, among many other brands, began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Monday. As of the writing of this article, shares in FLUT are at $207.00, up 0.98% on the day. Flutter doesn’t plan on stopping there, though. Currently listed on… Read more »
David Peters, Dylan Weisman Capture Early Events in 2024 PokerGO Cup
If it is January, it must mean that the PokerGO Tour is off on another series of high-roller tournaments (then again, this could be said about every month!). This time around, it is the latest running of the PokerGO Cup, a tournament series that is in its fourth year. Two events out of the scheduled… Read more »
Wynn Las Vegas Introduces New Poker Festival for Players
For many casinos, especially in Las Vegas, there is at least one marquee poker event that they hang their hat on. In the case of Wynn Las Vegas, that tournament is the season-ender for the World Poker Tour, the WPT Championship, which brings the players in droves to the popular casino. Now, Wynn Las Vegas… Read more »
Handicapping the NFL Championship Games for Sunday
On Sunday, the National Football League will determine the two teams that will take part in the “Big Game,” the 2024 Super Bowl. It’s been a long season for the four teams that will battle it out for the respective National and American Football Conferences, but this is the goal that they set out back… Read more »
The Race is ON! Players Start in Pursuit of 2024 Player of the Year Races
With the advent of a new calendar year, that also brings a new tournament poker season for the poker world. Around the world, players will square off over the baize to battle it out for massive amounts of money (of course), but some of these combatants will also be in a fight to determine the… Read more »
Hearts Afire: Raminder Singh Captures Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Main Event
It may not be a part of the World Poker Tour’s schedule anymore, but the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL, is still holding its high-profile events – and getting power-packed fields to go along with it. Last week the Foxens, Alex and Kristen, ravaged the $25,000 High Roller event, and the… Read more »
Feds Have a Forest of Evidence Against High Stakes Poker Player Gal Yifrach in Illegal Gambling, Money Laundering Case
Just a little light reading High stakes poker player and 2018 World Series of Poker bracelet winner Gal Yifrach seems to be in quite a bit of trouble. In a case that dates back to 2022, the federal government has nearly 143,000 pages of evidence that Yifrach and four co-defendants operated an illegal gambling business… Read more »
GPI Reveals 5th Annual Global Poker Awards Nominees
Following two rounds of preliminary voting by an industry panel, the Global Poker Index has revealed the nominees for the 5th Annual Global Poker Awards. Several awards not listed below have already been determined. Bin Weng has won GPI Poker Player of the Year, Kristen Foxen picks up her fourth GPI Female Poker Player of… Read more »
Former Iowa State Football Players Accuse Investigator of “Warrantless Search” in Sports Betting Probe
So he just went ahead and did it? The attorney for former Iowa State University defensive lineman Isaiah Lee has accused an agent of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) for targeting college athletes in a sports betting sting without a valid reason. Calling the beginning of last year’s gambling investigation a “warrantless search,”… Read more »
Poker Pro and Original Tiltboy Perry Friedman Passes Away at 55
Perry Friedman, far and away one of the most beloved poker players this century, passed away on Sunday at the age of 55 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. One of founding members of the “Tiltboys” poker group, Friedman was a math and computer genius. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Stanford University,… Read more »
France’s FDJ Makes $2.7 Billion Acquisition Offer to Kindred Group
French gambling company La Française des Jeux SA (FDJ) has announced that it has made an offer to acquire Unibet parent Kindred Group. In a press release, FDJ stated that the offer is for SEK130 ($12.43) per share; Kindred said that the all-cash proposal totals SEK27.951 million ($2.7 billion). The offer is a 24% premium… Read more »
PokerStars Changes Satellite Policy to Give Players Flexibility
Player-friendly change PokerStars has announced a change to its policy governing online satellites to live regional events, designed to provide players with more flexibility. Previously, if a person won a seat in a tournament on a regional tour, like the UKIPT or Eureka Poker Tour, that was it. They couldn’t play in any more satellites.… Read more »
“American Idol” William Hung Admits to Gambling Addiction
For many, he will be remembered for an ill-advised turn in front of the television cameras. But for William Hung, known for his audition for (then) one of the States of America’s most popular television programs, the limelight was fleeting. In an attempt to regain that adulation, Hung dived into the professional poker circuit. Now,… Read more »
Fox(ens) On the Run…Kristen and Alex Make Lucky Hearts High Roller Final Table
We are only a few weeks into the 2024 tournament poker season, but one thing is quite evident – two players are looking to put their stamp on the upcoming season. Kristen and Alex Foxen have been doing well in the initial action of 2024, with Kristen picking up a tournament win at the PokerGO… Read more »
Why Sports Betting? States Crushing Tax Revenues from Industry
One of the big questions asked by many in the online poker community is “Why isn’t online poker being embraced by states as they have sports betting?” You may think that answer is a complex one, but it comes down to a simple explanation. According to reports from the states themselves, their tax revenues are… Read more »
Jonathan Little Unveils “100 Essential Tips to Master No Limit Hold’em” in New Book
To paraphrase the line made famous by comedian Garrett Morris’ ‘Chico Escuela,’ “Poker’s been berry, berry, good” to Jonathan Little. Not only has Little been about to parlay his skills on the felt into over $7 million in career earnings (and two World Poker Tour titles), but Little has also added to the plethora of… Read more »
New York Online Poker Bill Not Included in Governor’s Budget Plan
Not dead, not really alive It looks like it could be another year without online casino and online poker in New York. At least so far. Though state Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. introduced a bill to legalize online casino, poker, and lottery games last week, none of those were included in Governor Kathy Hochul’s… Read more »
Arizona Department of Gaming to Issue Additional Sports Betting Licenses
A few open slots The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) has announced that it will take applications for at least two more sports betting licenses. The application window will be open from February 16 to March 4. According to the ADG’s press release on Tuesday, one license will go to an Arizona tribe and “no… Read more »
Kasey Mills Wins Two Rings in a Row at WSOP Circuit Choctaw Durant
It has got to be exciting to achieve the biggest cash of your poker tournament career, be it $100, $1,000, or $1 million, but getting another top five career cash a couple days later, now that’s quite a week. It happened to PokerNow ambassador and poker commentator Kasey Mills over the weekend, as she won… Read more »
American Gaming Association Speaks Out Against Federal Bill to Fund Problem Gambling Programs
Boosting needed funding The United States’ leading gambling industry advocacy and lobbying group has come out in opposition to federal legislation that would earmark a portion of sports betting taxes for problem gambling services. The Gambling Addiction Recovery, Investment, and Treatment (GRIT) Act was introduced by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Oregon)… Read more »