888, the largest casino and poker operator on the web, is giving the rest of the industry a clinic in how to prepare for the third (and almost certainly the biggest) wave of online gambling in the US. 888 has inked a deal with Caesars Interactive Entertainment and has already submitted a license application to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Online Casino Reports says "In the event that either the US federal Read More
PPA Publishes Players' Funds Legal Guide
The Poker Players' Alliance has published a players' guide for players with un-refunded balances from Full Tilt and Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet. The guide can be viewed and downloaded here. Read More
My Thoughts on the Barton Bill
I think an online gaming bill will pass in the near future (1-2 years). If Representative Barton's bill passes, it will likely do so only after a significant amount of negotiation and concessions. I have concerns, however, that players and operators aren't going to like whatever new online gambling laws are passed in the US - at least not at first. First of all, while I expect new laws to permit US persons to play Read More
GiGSE – The Rest Of It
Turns out my GiGSE was far busier than I expected and I didn't have time to properly document the second and third day. The key points I took away from it were (1) legalization is coming to the US, and soon; and (2) Europe is moving more and more toward a framework of country by country regulation. In my view, point number 1 is good in that it is a long overdue step in the right direction, however I am not Read More
GiGSE Day One – Morning Session
The morning panels at GiGSE on day one focused on US State and Federal regulation on online gaming. There were a variety of views put forth, however the various panelists and experts were unanimous on one thing: the question of legalizing online gaming in the US is one of when and how, but not if. The venue, The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, is a fantastic venue. My only criticism so far is that they only offer Read More
Black Friday wasn’t about banning poker
April 15, 2011 is now commonly being referred to in the online gaming industry as "Black Friday" (not because of taxes being due, but because of the 11 individuals associated with three prominent Internet poker sites being charged with operating illegal gambling businesses in the US). The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) immediately sprung into action with an email campaign declaring that the U.S. Department of Justice Read More
What does "Five on Sixteen" mean?
"Five on Sixteen" is a paraphrase of a line from a Ray Charles song called "Blackjack". I sat there with two tens I thought I'd have some fun The dealer hit sixteen with a five Just enough to make twenty one Hey hey hey yeah yeah How unlucky can one man be? I find that to be a fitting metaphor for what happened on April 15, 2011 (now being called poker's "Black Friday") to the online gambling industry. Some of the Read More
