change100's blog

Poker Stars, Neteller to Stay in Business with U.S.

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 23:05:11 +0100

Card Player is reporting this afternoon that both Poker Stars and Neteller have decided to remain in business with their American customers despite the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. President Bush will likely sign the bill into law this Friday, the 13th.

"Card Player has learned moments ago that PokerStars has made a decision to continue accepting U.S. customers even if the President signs the current legislation...We have strong reason to believe that this afternoon, PokerStars customers will receive answers to their e-mails stating that Poker Stars will remain doing business in the United States."

Citing reports in the Wall Street Journal, the article also confirms that Neteller will continue to serve U.S. customers.

A NETeller PLC executive said the British company, which handles payments for online gambling companies and others, will continue to operate in the U.S., despite the recent passage of antigambling legislation.

"We are staying in the U.S.," said Bruce Elliott, Neteller's executive vice president, marketing and sales, told a online gambling conference in Barcelona. "I don't think we have a very big problem."

**Updated- 5:45 PM PDT**

The full text of Poker Stars' official announcement follows the jump:

The End of Online Satellites to Major Events?

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 20:59:50 +0100

In yesterday's ESPN Radio broadcast "The Poker Edge" with Phil Gordon and Andrew Feldman, Gordon revealed that Harrah's has informed the online sites that they will not be accepting third-party registrations for this year's World Series of Poker. Gordon puts it in layman's terms:

"If you go to one of the online sites and win a seat to the WSOP, they will not allow the site to buy you in. You're gonna have to buy yourself in."

While some may point out that sites could simply award such prizes in cash instead of the actual tournament buy-in, Gordon points out a major problem most players would still face:

"All these guys that win the $10,000 or $12,000 satellite? It's a big deal to convince your spouse to let you take that $12,000 and go gamble it again... if you don't have a choice, what can they say?... But it's a completely different thing for you to win a seat on 'Site X' and for them to send you a check, say for $12,000, which is kind of the normal package price, and then you take that check, you cash it, and then you buy your ticket to the WSOP. There are a lot of things that can intervene between the time you get that check and the time you actually go to Las Vegas."

Additionally, Full Tilt Poker just sent the following email to recent winners of their "Winner's Choice" $12K WPT/WSOP-Cicuit Event super satellite (full text follows the jump):

A Libertarian Take on the Anti-Gambling Legislation

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 18:46:31 +0100

The op-ed page of the unapologetically right-wing Washington Times is last place I thought I'd find a well thought-out article denouncing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act. Penned by the Cato Institute's Clyde Wayne Crews, Jr. the piece provides a more libertarian analysis of the legislation and its potential economic consequences. Most of all, it condemns the manner in which this legislation "runs roughshod over individual freedoms" by allowing the government to make choices for its citizens about how they spend their own hard-earned money.

"One gets the impression the real motive behind the legislation is not to protect against crime or terrorism but to legislate behavior" says Crews.

Crews also contends that the legislation's very definition of "gambling" is subject to interpretation. "Even investing can be a 'gamble' in the sense that 'the opportunity to win is predominantly subject to chance' -- as the legislation defined 'gambling,'" he writes.

Check out the entire piece "Gambling with Freedom" here.

High-Speed Chase Ends in Shootout at Commerce Casino

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 00:05:09 +0100

At around 2:00 AM Sunday morning, the clatter of poker chips at the Commerce Casino was interrupted by an eruption of gunfire near the building's main entrance. A suspect in a high-speed freeway chase abruptly pulled off the 5 freeway and drove his vehicle into the valet parking area of the casino, plowing his black Toyota Scion into the rear of a Porsche. With the police right behind him, the suspect realized that he didn't have anywhere to go and he fired multiple gunshots at the cops. The officers returned fire, killing him instantly. The suspect had a female passenger in his car and she was taken in to custody.

St. Louis radio host Paul Harris was playing poker at the Commerce at the time of the incident and offers up an execellent first-hand account on his blog. According to Harris, most players and dealers hit the deck as the shots rang out, diving under the poker tables for cover. Thankfully, no one was hurt. The police later cordoned off the entire valet area with crime scene tape and everyone at the casino who had valet-parked was unable to retrieve their vehicle that evening. Some grumbled and complained, others accepted offers of comped rooms at the casino's Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Most, though, just kept on playing.

Daniel Negreanu Responds to Online Gambling Ban

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 01:23:34 +0100

In one of the first public responses from a high-profile poker pro on the passage of the online gambling legislation, Daniel Negreanu just offered his two cents about the law in a stinging post on his blog. Here's the most scathing excerpt:

"The weasel (remember, that's Bill Frist), claims that online gambling is a way in which terrorists go about laundering money. Come off it? How do you say that with a straight face? Weasel, do you have any proof whatsoever that any terrorist group has used online poker accounts to launder money? Any at all?

The weasel is a self-righteous douche bag who has decided to push upon us his moral agenda by claiming that online poker is "bad." Has he ever played poker? Probably not. Does he even understand that it's different from slot machines? Probably not. Does he even realize that many Americans put food on the table by playing online poker? Probably not, and I doubt he cares. He thinks "gambling is wrong" so we all have to have the same view of it as he does."

An owner and celebrity endorser of Full Contact Poker, Negreanu also states that he believes that business will go on as usual for the smaller, privately owned sites.

"As for the majority of privately owned sites, it will be business as usual. Frankly, as moronic and intrusive as this bill is, there is really no need to panic. The bill states that banks have 270 days to comply with the law. Most banks, especially smaller ones, won't even have the resources to do that as I understand it."

Of course, Negreanu is only a poker player, not a legal scholar or a psychic-- these are only his opinions. An interesting, relevant read nonetheless.

Behind the Horse Racing Carve-Out

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 19:59:27 +0100

So, how did the thoroughbred racing industry ensure their carve-out in the online gambling legislation? As the U.K. newspaper The Independent examines today, they pretty much (a) organized and got their shit together and (b)put money in the right pockets, including those of original bill architect Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who was one of the top four recipients of campaigh contributions from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. The NTRA met with Goodlatte as well as other influential Republicans and "educated" them on all things horsey, ensuring their legal carve-out in the bill.

The article also suggests that the online gaming companies (after tearing their hair out in anguish) have learned a great deal from the racing industry's lobbying efforts and are vowing to mount similar campaigns in the near future in pursuit of their own carve-out, or a new piece of legislation that would fully regulate internet gaming.

WPT Could Care Less About Online Poker Ban

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 02:26:15 +0100

In a just-issued press release, the World Poker Tour declares that (a) THEY'RE the ones responsible for the poker boom, thank you very much and (b)they could give a rat's ass about the passage of the online gambling legislation because they already think American internet poker players are criminals.

Statements to the former:

"WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: WPTE), the company that helped launch the current global poker boom..."

"'It was a wide-spread love of this game and the reinvention of poker as a televised sport that ignited the poker phenomenon,' said Steve Lipscomb, CEO and founder of WPTE. 'And, that is what will continue to drive the future of the sport.'"

"The WORLD POKER TOUR launched the poker phenomenon when it first aired on the Travel Channel on March 30, 2003, and it continues to lead the way in developing poker as a major international sport."

Statements to the latter:

”The Justice Department has been very clear that it believes online gaming to be illegal in the United States and our policies have been always been tailored accordingly,” said Adam Pliska, General Counsel of WPTE. “This law clarifies the rules and makes it possible for everyone to move forward on an even footing.”

So, yeah. Pretty much reiterating what Steve Lipscomb & Co. already said two months ago in their response to the Lederer/Duke/Gordon/Raymer/et. al lawsuit. In laymans terms? "Moneymaker who? And what is this Party Poker? Pshaw!! We created you and we will destroy you!"

Follow the Money

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 21:50:43 +0100

Deep Throat: Follow the money.
Bob Woodward: What do you mean? Where?
Deep Throat: Oh, I can't tell you that.
- All the President's Men

Would it surprise you that Harrah's Entertainment ranked #13 on Bill Frist's list of top campaign contributors' for most of the 1990s? Nah. The way hypocrisy is running rampant in the halls of the United States Congress today, it wouldn't shock me if I found out that Dennis Hastert was running a whorehouse out of the Republican cloakroom.

After reading that statistic (thanks Drizz!), my curiosity was peaked. So I decided to take a look and see which other proponents of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act (H.R. 4411) were stuffing their pockets with the gaming industry's money.

At least 7 of the top 20 recipients of campaign contributions from the gaming industry for the 2006 election cycle voted FOR H.R. 4411 including the following ~~hypocrites~~ representatives:

Gaming in the News: Today's Best Reads

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 00:45:22 +0100

Business Week's article "Online Gambling Still in the Cards?" is definitely worth a read for those seeking an optimistic take on the events of what is now being dubbed industry-wide as "Black Monday." Contending that online poker has not specifically been outlawed and that payment loopholes will likely continue to exist, the piece includes commentary from multiple corners of the industry including original bill architect Rep. Bob Goodlatte who admits that the language that was passed was far weaker than he'd have preferred. It also features some utterly brain-damaged quotes from ~~conservative nutjob~~ Iowa Congressman Jim Leach, who co-sponsored the bill and arm-wrestled Bill Frist into jamming it through:

"Religious leaders of all denominations and faiths are seeing gambling problems erode family values...If Congress had not acted, gamblers would soon be able to place bets not just from home computers, but from their cell phones while they drive home from work or their BlackBerries as they wait in line at the movies."

The New York Times and the L.A. Times both ran in-depth pieces in their business sections today on the $15 billion Harrah's buyout offer.

MSNBC has the word on how gaming shares did in Tuesday's trading. In a nutshell? Not good.

Around the poker blogosphere and the forums, response to the online gaming legislation has run the gamut from cashout hysteria to sober analysis to well, slightly less sober analysis. Check it out after the jump:

(Almost) the Queen of Clubs

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 02:34:24 +0100

BELL GARDENS, CA-- Last night, while a dark cloud moved over the future of online poker in the U.S., live poker flourished at the Bicycle Casino, where 227 ladies bought in for event #4 at Big Poker Oktober-- the $100+25 "Queen of Clubs" NLHE tournament. Yours truly crossed her fingers, downed two mimosas at the complimentary brunch buffet, and bought her donkey self in.

At my first table I was seated two to the left of the vivacious and chatty Timmi Derosa, who captured the California Ladies State Championship on Monday night at Ocean's 11 Casino in Oceanside. I immediately recognized Timmi's studded jacket and Louis Vuitton day planner from a fashion photo I snapped at the World Series of Poker (scroll down to the one with the caption reading "the Queer Eye guys want their hoodies back").

U.S. Banks Comment on Gambling Legislation

Mon, 02 Oct 2006 21:23:36 +0100

The U.S. banking industry just issued some of their first comments on the internet gambling ban in this International Herald-Tribune piece. In a nutshell, despite the ban, banks will still be able to process transactions from Neteller, et. al. since these "online wallets" are not specifically wagering companies. Furthermore, most banks do not currently have technology in place to track deposits in the way the legislation would have them do. Thus, the law is unenforceable.

It's far from a silver lining, but at this point, I think we'll take whatever good news we can get.

Shannon's Final Table

Sat, 30 Sep 2006 22:45:43 +0100

Last night, while we were all freaking out and consequently drinking ourselves into a stupor over the impending online poker ban, Shannon Elizabeth made the final table of the Bicycle Casino's Big Poker Oktober event #2, $200+30 NLHE with rebuys, ultimately finishing 7th. 20% of the prize pool went to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) 171 players came out to the Bike, creating a prize pool of $77,400. Orange County's Kevin Goodling finished first for the top prize of $31,000.

The official standings (as well as most of the online databases) list Elizabeth under her given name, "Shannon Fadal" (Elizabeth is her middle name). Back at the WSOP, I remember her remarking to a crowd of media that she had to get that fixed. Rounders writer Brian Koppleman also made the money, finishing 15th.

Congrats to Shannon, who has been on a rather nice roll this year, including three WSOP cashes.

THIS IS NOT A TEST: Online Poker Ban Could Happen Tonight

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 23:10:02 +0100

The Poker Player's Alliance just sounded the siren to its thousands of members to take action. Apparently, Sen. Bill Frist got his way and the anti-gambling legislation is being attached to a different piece of legislation (not the DoD bill as previously reported, but a Port Security bill) that will be voted on this evening.

It's time to burn up those phone lines. Call your senators NOW.

Here's the text of the PPA's message:

The U.S. Congress is Trying to Ban Online Poker TODAY!!!
THIS IS NOT A TEST -- Call Your Senator Now

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is attaching the Internet Gambling
Prohibition Act to a bill that is expected to be approved by the Congress
early this evening. PLEASE call your Senators today and tell them that
they should oppose the Internet gambling bill being part of Port Security
legislation.

If the Port Security bill passes, with the Internet gambling language
included, your ability to enjoy poker online will be at serious risk.

Each member of the Poker Players Alliance has two Senators which are
listed below. They need to hear from you RIGHT NOW! Let them know
that you care about your rights to play poker.

Please Call!!! Tell your Senators to oppose attaching Internet gambling to
Port Security!

The complete list of U.S. Senators' names and numbers follows the jump.

That's Oktober, with a "K"

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:23:48 +0100

Like our fearless leader pointed out yesterday, major tournament action is spread thin around the Western Hemisphere at the moment, from Tunica to Aruba, to Atlantic City. While there may not be a clear favorite yet as to where the most TV- friendly poker players will end up spending this month (though it appears Aruba has an early lead), the field sizes aren't suffering at all, and hundreds of local pros, from the banks of the Mississippi to the SoCal beaches are getting great opportunities to go for that big score.

As Los Angeles is without a Harrah's property, we don't have a WSOP Circuit stop here, though our neighbors to the south in San Diego will have the tour blow into town in February. We do, however, with the sheer number of world-class poker rooms we enjoy here in the greater L.A. area, have a seriously thriving mid-size local tournament scene. It seems like every month there's some sort of series going on and October is no different.

That's right, people. It's Big Poker Oktober at the Bike. Get yer buyins out, Southern California.

PPT Season 2 Postponed

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 23:44:01 +0100

According to this press release that just found its way into my in-box, it appears that the PPT's second season has been postponed semi-indefinitely. This is not a huge surprise, given the over-saturation of the TV poker marketplace, the crowded tournament calendar, and the numerous difficulties PPT has encountered in selling the second season to a network.

"We regret to inform you that the PPT Season II schedule of tournaments has been postponed. WPT Enterprises is proud to be a part of the ongoing effort to organize a televised league of qualified poker proessionals, and it is with great disappointment that we must delay its progression.

While we continue to negotiate the broadcast of the second season we have decided to delay these tournaments for the benefit of players who need to make long-term travel arrangements as well as the league itself. We expect to resume filming in 2007. As the poker industry expands, and the television marketplace eveolves, we must adapt our business and brand strategies to reflect current market conditons."