It has taken almost two years of hearings and studies. The proponents who remain very influential and generous political contributors believe that their chances are greatly expanding and that everything is working out as hope. The California Senate leader this year is putting forth their support in co-sponsoring legislation for state treasury funding ranging in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Obama has also stated that Federal Law does not prevent states from allowing some forms of internet gambling, allowing more freedom in the movement towards online poker.

“It gives California lawmakers a green light,” said Whittier Law School professor I. Nelson Rose, an expert on the gambling industry.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s opinion has given impetus to states on the issue of online poker wagers. It is estimated by experts that more than $40 billion could be received annually from the U.S. taken from overseas companies not regulated or tax imposed.

Bills to legalize online poker have already surfaced in Iowa, New Jersey, Hawaii, Mississippi and Florida. Nevada has also recently passed legislation that would allow internet poker as soon as federal permission is passed.

“We’re seeing a momentum building,” stated John Pappas, the executive director of the Poker Players Alliance (national gamblers group).

The gambling industry currently sees California as the hot ticket when aiming for online internet gambling. It is estimated that 2 million state residents play Internet poker, according to the California Online Poker Assn., which remains as a coalition of 46 casino operators who are leading the charge towards the legalization of internet poker gambling.

“Today, the state of California is the leading Internet gaming market in the world,” said Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood), co-author of the legalization bill. He made his statements during a USC conference on gambling in March. “The only thing is, we make no money and we have no (consumer) protections for our citizens who play.”

Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) said that their joint proposal is aiming to raise at least $200 million for the budget year that begins in July 2012. He also stated that legalization “s worthwhile only if it’s a means to generate significant revenue for the state.”

No real significant push has been made towards nation legislation despite states taking a piece of the action.

Source: LA Times

There are also growing signs of new direct visitors, with a widespread clean of the area in order to introduce new members. Sidewalks have been power washed and crosswalks freshly painted as well as hiring of over 1,600 people to iaugerate the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland which took place on Monday.

Despite the possible implications of the casino in this location, they will not take similar methods as Las Vegas has with large fountains or themed attraction. The project for Cleveland’s casinos will not take the same road but rather attempt to produce an image of no0nonsense Midwest values to appeal to the wider audience.

“It almost makes you want to get dressed up, put on a tuxedo or ball gown and come here,” stated Jeff Cohen, a principal of Rock Gaming and also a partner in the casino with Caesars Entertainment.

Alongside this there is also the main premise that the location will be used to bring in gamblers and despite this there are still some critics who are unsure of the direction that the casino will take in the nearing future with regards to business.

“I think there’s no doubt that any time gambling is expanded or has expanded around the country, you’ve seen an increase in problem and addicted gamblers,” said Rob Walgate, the vice president of the American Policy Roundtable which has fought on the move for expanded gambling in Ohio.

Ohio has opened its doors to allow casino gambling with the four casinos approved in 2009. This came amidst previous scepticism with the previous 20 years receiving only decline for the proposal of new casinos.

The win was the 5^th attempt by the city and passed with a 53 percent margin, all on the back of the project promising more jobs for the citizens, extra tax revenues for the cities that are struggling such as school districts. It was however opposed by church groups who were concerned about trouble gamblers and the accompanying social ills.

The Cleveland Casino currently has a total of 2,100 slot machines, 63 tables and a 30 table World Series of Poker room as well as a VIP establishment which provides a location for the higher end gamblers. Amidst the expansion project, there are also talks of helping to integrate the new casinos into online poker if the reforms go through.

The casino also has an illustrious selection of foods and banquet dinners. Whilst critics are unsure of the future prospects of the casinos, they are touting the helpfulness of improving state revenue and also introducing new jobs.

Source: State Journal

Current online poker reforms are underway although there is heavy pressure on officials to get it right this time. Previously online poker was legal until a precedent which saw its banning on a day dubbed “Black Friday”. Many online poker services abruptly closed down which saw the freezing of multiple accounts and creation of many disgruntled former players.

Until recently, there seemed to be no reprisal of online poker until late December 2011, when the Department of Justice released a memorandum that shed some light on the issue of online poker with regards to the Wire Act 1961. The memo had declared that forms of online gambling extended to sports betting and gambling as the only illegal methods, offering a chance for online poker to be revived.

Since the release of this memorandum, there has still not been any change in the issue of online poker however several states are pushing to legalise state reform and reintroduce online poker state by state as opposed to a federal bill.

Recently, severely online poker companies are being bought out as a result of looming optimism for the online poker industry and possible reintroduction of online poker to the United States, which is known to generate a large amount of revenue and successfully hold a large number of players.

In a press release on the joint venture, Jim Ryan and Norbert Teufelberger, co-CEOs of bwin.party stated:

“California is the largest state in the US in terms of population and is known to have a significant number of poker players who like to play poker online. Combining our own significant assets and resources with those of UAIC will create a strong partnership that is well-placed to seize the opportunities that will arise if appropriate online poker legislation is enacted.”

The Tribal Chairman of UAIC also commented:

“We see the legalisation of internet poker and other internet gaming as being inevitable. Having met with representatives from a number of different online gaming companies, bwin.party was our first choice as partner. With its unrivalled expertise in online poker, proven technology and player loyalty, we are confident of being able to maximise the revenue opportunity from a regulated online poker market in California and to continue to enhance the long-term prosperity of our community.”

Source: MoneyExtra

In an email from GBT to G-Poker which was leaked to the public earlier this week, GBT had claimed that they would be offering refunds to all of the Full Tilt Poker plays who had still not received any notification of change in their frozen accounts and are waiting for repayment. This reimbursement does come at a bit of a cost, where players who are repaid must agree to play the game on their site.

“It’s unlikely this email was ‘accidentally’ leaked,” stated G-poker spokesman Jeremy Taylor. “This news will generate positive interest in GBT’s proposed site. But what puzzles everyone is why public companies like 888 or Bwin.Party didn’t try to acquire Full Tilt Poker, as its database will be invaluable once the U.S. permits online poker. Both 888 Poker and Party Poker are set to begin operating in the U.S. once online poker is legalized — in fact, they’ve already reached agreements to that end with reputable casinos in Vegas. Perhaps they believe this position is strong enough to dominate the future U.S. online poker market even without Full Tilt’s database.”

“888 Poker recently partnered with Caesars Entertainment,” Taylor added. “Re-entering the U.S. market with Caesars will be a big boost for 888, and I bet Caesars’ player database outshines Full Tilt’s. Meanwhile, online poker is still legal in Canada and 888′s stable reputation and ground-breaking Poker 6 platform is attracting players from other sites that find it hard to compete with 888 — another reason 888 doesn’t need to invest in a sinking ship like Full Tilt Poker.”

“Party Poker is on a similar path, partnering with MGM and Boyd Gaming. Party Poker is also strategically positioned for when online gaming legislation occurs,” Taylor also said.

“Our Canadian readers understand these developments,” Taylor continued. “Canadian online poker players prefer competition with Americans, and because 888 Poker and Party Poker will be the first to welcome American players back, Canadians want to be ahead of the game by having an account with these sites.”

America Online Poker has been banned and is still currently being considered for re-introduction as a result of the Department of Justice memo earlier this year. Many politicians have been attempting to push forward the legalization of online poker, citing the economic benefits that it can have, as well as wanting to reimburse those who were affected the worst by the closing of several poker sites and freezing of accounts.

Source: MarketWatch

Not only that but the king pin asset of the casino gambling establishments also concluded deal last month that would help to give it a hold on the ever growing online poker market which has already proved fruitful in providing untapped opportunity and potential for many gambling entities.

The company had signed an agreement to a pact which would see it buy Ongame Network from bwin.party Services, where it paid a staggering $25.7 million in cash, with an additional $13.2 million proposed as a possibility in the following five years from the deal, contingent of the legalization of real money in online poker games within the heavily regulated United States.

Ongame, which is based in Stockholm, Sweden, is a currently operating online business-to-business poker network and also one of the largest providers of poker to online gaming operators.

The acquisition of Ongame by Shuffle Master is considered shaky in some respects. Shuffle Master currently only deals with lease, licenses and the selling of gambling tools ranging from card shufflers to chip sorters, as well as slot machines and also electronic versions of table games.

There are licenses of online versions of popular titles to regulated online operators overseas, though Shuffle Master doesn’t provide a poker platform. Spokeswoman for Shuffle Master, Julia Boguslawski has stated that this is because the poker platforms are very complex and time consuming to build.

The intended purchase of Ongame is to provide Shuffle Master a more effective way of tapping into the legalized online market and allow Shuffle Master a poker platform as a result, according to Boguslawski.

“This provides us with a way to participate in the European iGaming market,” said Boguslawski. “Given our many licenses, the potentially larger opportunity for us is in the U.S., where we believe it’s only a matter of time when, not if, online poker and other forms of online gaming are legalized.”

Under the provision of the Wire Act 1961, all forms of online gambling have been prohibited. However in a recent opinion revision by the Department of Justice, the act was revised to only extend to online sports betting and to allow the way for some forms of online gambling, though this has not settled tensions surrounding online poker.

It is still unclear when the door to online poker will be opened for United States citizens.

Source: Investors Business Daily

Yes, charity. It sounds contradicting to “throwing” money away in gambling but now is the time to gamble and not feel bad about it when you lose.

The L.A. Cafe Poker Room, which since early March has been under the new ownership of Stephen Rogers and Ryan Isenhower, hosts charity poker tournaments four days a week. Located at the L.A. Cafe, 4460 W. Maumee St., Adrian, the business helps numerous local nonprofits raise money for their various endeavors.

Last week’s tournament, the Britton-Deerfield School District benefitted from L.A. Café’s poker players. And it’s one among the many that is supported by the poker room.

“It’s enabled us at the district to purchase a lot of things I can’t buy,” said the district’s superintendent, Charles Pelham while he watched the poker players in action one evening.

The proceeds of the card game also goes to musical instruments, wireless Internet access for the district, a rewards program for middle-school students and scholarships for graduating seniors. “It goes on and on,” Pelham said.

The tournament starts to work when nonprofits get four licenses from the state per year, with each license good for four days. Rogers and Isenhower can help the group obtain a license if needed, and will book the tournament dates.

Not all of the proceeds go to the charity of course or else only noble players would be left and there are quite a few of them so in the case of L.A. Poker, the figure is 25 percent — goes to the charity. But players have the chance to walk away with cash too, because the rest of the proceeds get paid back to tournament winners. The amount of a player’s buy-in depends on the tournament, but it ranges from $5 to $30. Mainly, the game is Texas Hold ’Em.

“People come in here to play and they’re pretty serious about it,” said Isenhower.

In fact, typical nights see a packed house, with all seats quickly filling up.

Tournaments run from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays and 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Mondays through Wednesdays. Registration is open for one hour past the opening time for all tourneys.

Both new owners said they enjoy running the poker room. “The nights get really late, but it’s a fun business,” Isenhower said.

“It’s a good gig,” Rogers added. “I’m happy with it. And it’s a fun crowd. Even when people lose, you hear, ‘Well, it’s for the charity.’ ”

Source: www.lenconnect.com

Earlier this month, a New Jersey Senate committee approved a bill authorizing online gambling. This move is the first of many but it is still not known if the state has a shot in becoming the first state to legalize online poker.

Nevada is the one expected to be the first, quite obviously as they are pretty formidable when it comes to anything related to gambling be it online or not. Therefore, Nevada is New Jersey’s biggest foe and Nevada isn’t lulling regarding the online poker race. They are moving rapidly toward the goal and industry insiders think that they should be up and running by the end of the year.

The speed is due to the fact that Nevada didn’t run into any hurdles and big corporations like Ceasars unlike New Jersey and they are already in the licensing process. There is already another big plus in the gambling state as there is a possibility that poker refugees would take camp in Nevada, thanks to the real estate crash of 2008, housing prices in that state are dirt cheap and they don’t have state income tax. The number of people wanting to move is rising and it may help boost up Nevada’s poker application.

The efforts brought by New Jersey’s push for online gambling and sports betting aren’t only for themselves but for Atlantic City as well, to shore up its weak revenues. However, it is not known how big intrastate online poker could be when poker is already legal in Atlantic City.

The weakened city is because of nearby state Pennsylvania which had siphoned on much of their business. Pennsylvania has also the possibility to offer their own version of online gaming; they have already given offers for online wagering for horse races and have always been gaming friendly in the past. Money may move toward the opposite direction New Jersey had expected because of this.

Maybe it’s true that revenues would rise in New Jersey because of online poker, it’s possible and can be reached. However, the state’s dreams to become the Silicone Valley of iGaming seem far-fetched. When you come to think of it, this is the same state that had struggled in terms of land based gaming and while it’s true that they can earn something out of online poker, the first and the best one seem unlikely. New Jersey has nothing to lose and a lot to gain; it’s definitely worth it to keep the fight going. Who knows?

Source: Casino Affiliate Programs

The independent research firm AMR had conducted their survey from a net of 1,212 people regarding their views and opinions on the proposal to combat gambling addiction. This was on conducted on behalf of the anti-gambling campaigners known as “Stop the Loss Coalition”.

The survey showed that 70% of participants supported the introduction of mandatory recommitment technology. Through this there was also a 67% support for labour from those who support the scheme.

An independent MP, Andrew Wilkie has changed his mind on his support of the Labor government after Prime Minister Julia Gillard had reneged on her initial promise of a 2014 introduction of trial technology to the Australian Capital Territory.

Of the survey conducted another 70% supporter MP Wilkie’s decision not to support Ms Gillard’s government change of policy decision.

The propose technology would provide gamblers with an electronic card that would set a limit on their budgeted gambling amount, where high-loss machines such as pokies can envelope $1,200 in an hour of gambling.

When supported by Mr Wilkie, his claim was that it would cut losses by $120 an hour however Ms Gillard did not support and was no longer in favour of the scheme.

In continuation of the survey, 83% of people supported the $1 limit and of this amount 90% were committed to voting for the Labor party.

Initially these gambling reforms for maximum limits and mandatory precommitment technology were started by the Productivity Commission.

Reverend Tim Costello, the current face of the “Stop the Loss Coalition” exemplified that the survey showed support for support for consistent reform and that the government is avoiding then necessary schemes to enact change, also stating that their current efforts are not taking the right direction forward.

“These figures underline the overwhelming support and the strong resolve in the electorate for real poker machine reform,” he says.

“They put a lie to the deceitful campaign run by the clubs that suggested there was not majority support for reform.”

Currently there is scandal surrounding Speaker Peter Slipper, with Mr Wilkie claiming that he could use this as a method for regaining some political clout  from his loss of speakership from the introduction of an extra vote in the lower house rom Labor.

This has been further fuelled by Community Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin in talks with Mr Wilkie in an effort to propose stronger reforms, with both conversing about the current demands on the pokies issue.

“I am now considering Minister Macklin’s response and taking advice in light of the uncertainty and changing circumstances in the parliament,” Mr Wilkie said in a statement today.

Ms Macklin has claimed that government has received the legal advice that the gambling reform will adhere to the intentions of Mr Wilkie.

Source: Herald Sun

The hearing is said to take place in Braye Beach Hotel in Alderney on Thursday, May 3 at 14:00 local time.

Orinic Limited applied for a Category 2 online gambling license with the AGCC on March 23, 2012. The FTP subsidiary previously owned a Category 1 license with the AGCC but it was suspended for six months when the AGCC revoked Full Tilt’s license last September. Orinic was able to avoid a license revocation because it hadn’t hosted any games and was not in violation of any AGCC regulations.

The six-month suspension ended on March 23, the date on which Orinic applied for the new license.

The AGCC announcement stated the following:

In the matter of an application by Orinic Limited for a Category 2 eGambling licence, take notice that the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, pursuant to Section 4 of the Alderney eGambling Ordinance, 2009 and Regulation 23 of the Alderney eGambling Regulations, 2009, will hold a public hearing at which oral representations may be made.

eGr Magazine was told directly by a spokesman for the AGCC that, “The hearing is a routine function, required under Alderney regulations, to permit members of the public to make representations about this and any other licence application.

“It precedes the Commissioners’ review of the application and is intended to inform that process. No ruling or determination will result at the hearing, it is a one-way process of information and opinion collection,” he added.

AGCC has released “The Dean Report“, detailing the regulatory review of Full Tilt Poker, in which the appointed Peter Dean, former Chairman of the British Gambling Commission, conducted the review. Dean served with the Gambling Commission from 1998 to 2007 and was also deputy chairman of the U.K.’s Monopolies and Mergers Commission from 1990 to 1997.

Dean concludes that overall “AGCC fulfilled its statutory obligations in relation to [Full Tilt Poker] and that its actions were appropriate, timely and fair.”

Last year AGCC announced it will be launching an independent external review of its processes leading up to the suspension and eventual revocation of licenses owned by Full Tilt Poker. The AGCC says the decision has been taken in order to provide full transparency of the actions taken against FTP, which had its license revoked on Sept. 29, 2011, and still owes as much as $330 million to customers.

AGCC said that Full Tilt Poker continuously reported funds that were not available because of several problems with payment processors. Rather than audit the online poker site itself, the AGCC had trusted the numbers reported by Full Tilt’s accounting department to be accurate.

Source: Poker News

He continued to state that whilst his hotel establishment Sky City plans to implement more machines, this will not result in more gambling related problems and addictions, due to the problematic public transport system. It is his belief that the difficulty in reaching the hotel casino via a troubling public transport system will be more of deterrence for prospective gamblers.

Currently the hotel casino has almost 1,650 pokies machines available on its premises, and in a deal with the government officials of New Zealand, is set to increase this number beyond that of 200 in exchange for the production of a convention centre.

Many anti-gambling organisations have become outraged over the proposal by increased machines and prospective gambling pokies machines within the city as well as the use of government funds to help provide an easy access to this proposal. Alongside those who are upset with this decision includes the Opposition party, whom says that the Government is selling the country’s laws and that the increase in machines will simply lead to a rise in problematic gambling and have further repercussions than predicted or stated initially.

Mr Morrision of Sky City Hotel & Casino has rebutted arguments against this proposal, stating that the lottery and “mums in South Auckland” that use pokies machines are causing more harm to the country and its funds than his casino and pokies machines do as a whole.

“There is no doubt the incidence of harm is through pokie machines in the community, scattered throughout the community,” says Mr Morrison.

“The reality is public transport in Auckland isn’t that great. You don’t just arrive at SkyCity. You make a deliberate decision to go to SkyCity.

“The incidence of harm cited from Lotto is greater than that from pokie machines in casinos. Getting those facts across is difficult.”

Whilst Sky City makes a strong profit from the dealings of its patrons using its machines, they still deliver 2.5% of their earnings and net profit to charitable trusts. In comparison however, pokies machines in clubs and bars pay back over 37% of their earnings to charitable trusts.

‘There is a very clear correlation between availability of machines and the number of machines and the number of problems,” Problem Gambling Foundation chief executive Graeme Ramsey told Auckland Now last week.

”Research shows for every gaming machine you put in you get 0.8 of a problem gambler, so it’s almost one for one.”

The PG Foundation also says that casinos are a greater influence of gambling problems rather than other methods of gambling.

Source: 3 News