The legalization of the bill came about despite warnings and disagreements from opponents that the computer-based gaming initiative is highly addictive and would bring about complete online gambling that would be easily and readily available to all Iowan through various hand-held devices created to access them.

Family Leader Official and former state lawmaker Danny Carrol said This is just the beginning.”  Having asked the three-member Senate panel to give consideration towards the Iowan families that this bill would impact, the senators had voted that the Senate Study Bill 3164 would be sent to the Senate State Government Committee and would be considered as early as Wednesday.

“The people of Iowa do not want it,” Carrol further stated, citing that the state of Iowa, through national polls had indicated a plurality of opposition to the legalization of online poker.

Carrol further continued by stating that the state would take a much better initiative by declaring that online poker is a dangerous game and the state would offer and hold a much better standing if it were to guarantee that the online poker would not be found there, gaining a positive influence amongst families.

Senator. Jeff Danielson, D-Waterloo, said, however, that prohibition has resulted in a failure of other areas and that a much better approach would be to bring forward regulation to illegal wagering activity. This activity is estimated at between $30 million and $100 million annually and is needs to be regulated in order to protect the people of Iowa in an attempt to curb underage players away from gambling and contributing to a large amount of revenue lost through the illegal activities.

“Today the policy is do nothing by default,” Danielson said, noting the “wild, wild West” environment of unregulated online poker and that there is further complication as a result of a vague federal approach to the topic, which seems to be given little consideration.

Through the proposed legislation there is the authorization of the an online poker network to provide a regulatory structure which would help in the implementation, operation, organisation and taxation of the initiative. Furthermore, the bill would allow for intrastate, interstate and international arrangements. The expansion of the bill would also operate under the current state gaming fee structure, as stated by Danielson.

Many other senators also agree that there is a serious need for regulation and control of illegal gambling activities first before anything else. “We have it out there. It needs to be controlled,” said Sen. Wally Horn, D-Cedar Rapids.

Sen. Rick Bertrand, R-Sioux City also said “I agree something has to be done at this point. I see this as an opportunity for Iowa to get out in front of this.”

[Source: Quad-City Times]

John Pappas, the executive director of Poker Players Alliance (PPA) was asked if online poker was being considered during the process of extending the payroll tax cut. Due to the long held belief by many that the legislation legalizing and regulating internet gambling could be the answer to paying the extension of the payroll tax or funding another measure due to the fact that the internet gambling business can generate up to $40 billion over a 10-day period. Pappas answered this by saying, “The process by which a bill gets done will be determined by the lawmakers, and any outside speculation is just that, speculation. The PPA will let the lawmakers focus on the process and we will do what we can to ensure that the policy is in the best interest of the poker community.”

However, PPA Director of Grassroots and External affairs Drew Lesofski said that the inclusion of online poker in the payroll bill in unlikely. Lesofski was an involved in the fight of online poker on Capitol Hill and he was told by that the payroll tax bill was “probably not the correct vehicle” because House Speaker John Boehner and Reid want the final product to be as clean as possible. Lesofski’s talk with the Nevada Congressional Delegation also revealed that most likely, the target would be the Unemployment Extension Bill instead of the Payroll Tax Bill.

The above statements weren’t put to stone just yet though and the PPA Vice President of Player Relations, Rich Muny, gave an update on the legislative process. He said, “We’re certainly hearing a lot more chatter overall about online poker legislation. It’s clearly something that has the attention of Capitol Hill. They wouldn’t be talking about it if it weren’t going anywhere. The fact it’s up for discussion means it could be discussed for various bills where it’s a logical fit.”

In the lawmaker’s perspective, the payroll tax extension if the logical fit but Muny said that In terms of the payroll tax cut, poker players have been reaching out to the payroll committee heavily via social networking. “It’s obvious that they’ll be discussing the online poker bill’s existence. We’ve worked hard for the legislation, trying to guide it through an appropriate path.”

The payroll tax committee hasn’t released a statement regarding the bill and online poker. Muny said that he hasn’t heard anyone speak in terms of how it would fit with the payroll tax cut bill. Although they have heard feedback like, ‘We’ll keep your thoughts in mind’ and, ‘The tribes haven’t been heard enough,’ but they haven’t heard a lot in terms of the specifics of how it would fit within the payroll tax committee’s work.

Muny said that online poker will find the best “vehicle” for it. However, at this point, their focus is not on the vehicle but in trying to make online poker go forward.

[Source: PocketFives]

Entitled “Oversight Hearing on the U.S. Department of Justice Opinion on Internet Gaming: What’s at Stake for Tribes,” the Senate debated began half an hour later than scheduled and concluded one and a half hours later. Nelson Rose, Senior Professor at Whittier Law School and gambling export stated that the DoJ’s clarification of the Wire Act allows for internet gambling and also the implementation of intrastate and interstate operations on the basis of the internet gambling.

“There is no Federal statute that would prevent a state from legalizing virtually any form of internet gambling other than sports betting,” Rose testified in the hearing. “States can legalize it, they can form compacts via interstate and even international to form pools of players.”

Despite the hearing agenda, there has been no clarification made on whether or not wagers and bets from gamblers located off of tribal gaming land or reservations to be received by the Indian tribes. The reach of online poker extends farther than Indian Tribes and creates an issue on how tribes can regulate outside their range of control, where they operate on tribe owned land.

“For many Indian tribes that have state compacts, internet gambling would be legal under these compacts,” said S.J. Quinney College of Law professor Alex Skibine. “However, for other tribes, that may not be the case. Those tribes would have a very hard time amending their compacts… Even for those tribes for whom it is legal, they may be restricted to wagering originating on Indian land. This limitation makes no sense when it comes to internet gaming since internet gaming is borderless.”

Through the legalization of online poker is the enormous revenue expected. Indian tribes as a result want to further benefit from the legalization by becoming involved in gaining this revenue.

“In recent years, big gaming and state regulatory interests in Nevada and New Jersey have pushed for Federal legislation that would give them monopolistic control of internet gaming in the USA,” Seneca Nation of Indians President Robert Odawi Porter testified. “They are determined to shove Indian gaming away from the table. Indian nations not only demand a seat at the table, we insist we already own a table and should not have it stolen from us.”

Senate has concluded its discussions but no official statement has been made as to any further progression of hearings.

[Source: Poker News Report]

• Provides access to the fast growing Australian online market;
• Represents a solid platform from which to invest further and gain market share;
• Positions Unibet well for the anticipated opening of live betting products in Australia at some stage in the future;
• Provides Unibet with horse racing capability which can be leveraged further across the group.

According to Henrik Tjärnström, the CEO of Unibet, “This strategic acquisition gives Unibet immediate access to the regulated Australian market, which is currently open to sports betting and horse racing. We intend to rebrand the business quickly to Unibet. Betchoice already has a strong offering and market position in horse racing and through Kambi, Unibet has the opportunity to enhance the quality and performance of Betchoice’s sports betting offering and so to deliver revenue growth and margin improvements.”

Tjärnström also added, “In addition to benefit from the already existing Australian product offering, the acquisition of Betchoice will provide Unibet with a platform to facilitate other gambling services and opportunities should market conditions continue to improve.”

Unibet will acquire Betchoice for AUD$20 million (GBP 13.6 million) as stated in the deal that would be signed by the two companies. Mark Morrisey, the co-founder and chairman has an earn-out included in the money that will be paid by Unibet and the best thing is that he is slated to stay after the deal’s completion.

Morrisey said that they are delighted to be part of the wider Unibet Group. “There is a substantial market opportunity in Australia and with Unibet’s expertise in marketing and risk management, together with its market-leading sports betting offering, I am confident that we can increase substantially our market share and establish Unibet as one of the leading brands in Australia.

Unibet will rebrand the Betchoice platform to Unibet after a short transition period, and will “invest significantly in improving the Australian product portfolio and in marketing to establish the Unibet brand in the fast growing Australian market.”

The big step by Unibet will surely make them earn bigger revenue due to the huge market acquired by the company. The acquisition is expected to be a huge success provided that both of the companies will function as one, complimenting each other with their current strengths. Unibet is already looking forward to serving the Australian market with great deals.

[Source:  Poker News]

He also said the same thing in an interview with journalist Jon Ralston when asked if he is a supporter of legalizing the activity. Romney said, “No, no I’m not. Gaming has a social effect on a lot of people. I don’t want to increase access to gaming. I feel that we have plenty of access to gaming right now through the various casinos and establishments that exist.” Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and a Mormon, isn’t alone with his stance in online gaming. A Utah lawmaker introduced a bill just a week ago that would preemptively ban online gaming in that state.

The federal government is still mulling over online gaming but some states are already looking at the possibilities of its legalization. Nevada, complete with regulations and licensing just close by, is the furthest state among the others that consider the industry. However, others say that Romney’s position isn’t that relevant with the progress of online gaming’s legalization. “Ultimately, I don’t think any presidential candidate’s current position on online gaming is going to matter much, since many states are going to take it upon themselves to legalize online gaming within their own borders,” UNLV’s Dr. David Schwartz told Card Player. “Just as with Indian gaming in the late 1980s, Congress will likely be forced to act.”

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) stood up to denounce Romney, saying that the latter is unaware and misinformed regarding the safeguards they intend to place on any upcoming internet poker legislation. PPA said that the legislation will be created so that consumers and players are protected from addictions to gambling.

The main lobbying group on behalf of poker players said that Romney was perhaps not properly educated on the direction of the online poker legislation. Governor Romney’s statement seems to be based on a misperception of regulation and the status quo,” said PPA Executive Director John Pappas. “We hope to educate him that regulation will mean strong enforcement and meaningful consumer protections, while doing nothing will only exacerbate any perceived problems he has with gaming.”

This opposition didn’t affect in the Nevada caucuses however as he swept victory in the state. “This isn’t the first time you gave me your vote of confidence, but this time I’m going to take it to the White House,” he said as he thanked his supporters at his campaign headquarters in Las Vegas, alluding to his win in Nevada in 2008.

[Source: Poker News]

The Department of Justice (DOJ) backed away from their strict enforcement of the Federal Wire Act last year without giving a lot of explanations – a vital information needed by those who are backing up the wire act, leaving them clueless and in strife. One of the big questions left unanswered in this multi-billion dollar equation is the role of American Indian gaming interest in the process.

Are Indian tribes impacted negatively by online gaming or do they profit greatly from it? That is the multi-billion dollar question that is yet to be answered. The Mohegan in Connecticut, one of the larger tribes have come out in favor of the online gaming business because they have the resources needed to manage and maintain a big gaming operation however, small tribes might not have the same kind of resources meaning not all Indian tribe is in favor of online gambling.

That said, smaller tribes like the Tulalip in Washington State are expressing their concerns over the legalization of online gambling. One of their main concerns is that online gambling might take a chunk out of their land based business. It would be good to have both operations but if a tribe isn’t financially capable, the new online gaming technology might rob the income of brick and mortar casinos.

The issues of online gaming and tribal casinos were addressed last November wherein the Mohegan Tribe Chairman Bruce Bozsum gave his statements regarding the issue. He expressed that he wanted tribal gaming revenues to remain tax exempt and also limit the geographic restrictions on players. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy said that online gaming is inevitable. It’s not surprising that Malloy would be with the sides of the pro online gaming due to the fact that Foxwoods generate more than $200 million income for the state annually.

However, Indian tribes are not yet very keen with the idea of competing with large gambling companies both domestic and foreign since online gambling does exactly that. The idea of them catering with a large market is a hopeful idea, though.

The talk at the hearing would also be about the poker online business being available outside the home states of a player. But the spotlight would be on taxation and player geography. Although there is no clear information on who will be testifying, it is greatly anticipated that Bozsum would be there as well as former US Senator and now Poker Players Association President, Alfonose D’ Amoto.

[Source: Casino Affiliate Programs]

Citizens of Iowa have been expressing their opinion on last year’s federal crackdown on major illegal offshore poker operations and the introduction of restrictions on forms of internet gambling. This has added strain to the sports betting industry and pressure on the government within Iowa to create regulation to offer more outlets to adults players in an attempt to lower the number of illegal activities in place.

“It was a real surprise when (the U.S. Department of Justice) reversed what’s been a long-standing precedent on that, which I think potentially throws the door for Iowa not only to be one of the early states into the arena but even to go beyond their borders,” stated Tom Coates, an official with Consumer Credit of Des Moines, a leading gambling opponent in Iowa. “I was not worried before, but I am more worried now that it might go and that it will be a viable model and you will damage an increasing number of players and young players.” State regulators who studied the issue last fall were able to verify that illegal online poker is going on in Iowa, but they could not corroborate gambling industry estimates of 150,000 players. The Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission study also projected that legal online poker operations could generate between $13 million and $60 million in yearly activity which could produce an estimated $3 million to $13 million in tax revenue annually.

So far the lack of online poker has resulted in the loss of money, jobs and economic opportunity that could be brought about as a result. Senator Jeff Danielson says he plans to offer legislation as early as February that would allow for more freedom and provide online poker to Iowans via state-licensed casinos who will offer it.

“Over the last year or so we’ve had a tremendous change in the dynamics around online poker and I believe it’s the responsibility for us to have a thoughtful, responsible gaming policy when it comes to online poker,” Danielson said.

Many representatives within Iowa’s government see Iowa moving towards legalization but are unsure as of which path it will take in its progress, with some even questioning the necessity of it.

Tom Coates, official with Consumer Credit of Des Moines (who remains the leading gambling opponent in Iowa) said the argument to legalize because of lack of regulation is “the rationalization and the mantra of the scoundrel,” while Jeff Kaufmann (another gambling opponent) argued that adding another form of legalized gambling will mean an increase in the social and financial problems associated with gambling.

Certain representatives and other officials are still unsure as to how an online poker bill might fare in the Hose of State Government Committee and whether or not it will gather the necessary 26 votes to pass into Senate.

[Source: The Gazette]

Casino gambling so far has been extremely successful, says Mohegan Tribe Chairman Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozsum. “We’re packed all the time — 30- to 35,000 people come through here a day,” he says.

Bozsum’s Casino resort covers 185 acres, features an upscaled 1,200 room hotel which contains night clubs, restaurants with celebrity chefs as well as hosting big name entertainers such as Neil Diamond and Toby Keith. Bozsum believes that whilst the reform for Online Poker is not going to put a dent in revenue despite the circumstances.
“It’s a different market now. People come in, they gamble for a little while,” he explains, but “if they win, they leave immediately. In older times, people would spend a lot more time at a table, more time at a slot machine.”

Governor Chris Christie has stated that he wants New Jersey to become the gaming capital of the world and tied to the presence of the casino industry. Further more, the governor is negotiating a deal that could put Connecticut casino tribes in charge of new gaming enterprises.

Even though there are high hopes and expectations for online poker, some, such as Marquis Jackson believe that whilst prospects are interesting, the casino atmosphere is essential.

“I’m intrigued by it, but nothing like doing the real thing,” he says. “It’s nothing like the real thing. Being on the computer is all right, but at the end of the day, everybody goes to the casino. I like to breathe the air, you know, sip the drinks, watch the people.”

Bozsum said that he agrees with Jackson, but that the introduction of Online Poker will still be a win for the casinos.

“They may play at home, too, on their down time,” he says. “They may play at work. Who knows? There’s no way to tell who’s going to play. But it will introduce a lot of new players to the game of poker.”

For Casino Mohegan Sun, new customers are always anticipated and wanted. The Casino hopes that with the introduction of online poker, they can attract more people to the Casino with the added feel of luxury that is not brought about by sitting at home and gambling.

[Source: NPR]

The recent monetary injection into Gingrich’s campaign has been brought on by a history of friendship and patronage of the billionaire’s Las Vegas properties, according to the New York Times.

Gingrich has been pushing policy against online poker, a view that is shared with his friend Sheldon Adelson, hence further reasoning behind the generous donation. Despite this large sum of money, some do not believe it will have its intended affect on the campaign progress. Dr. Kenneth Fernandez spoke with CardPlayer.com to discuss this donation. Dr. Fernandez stated that he does not believe that these donations will “have any real influence” on policy decisions were he to become president.

Adelson’s history shows that he has been a significant backer of conservatives, having also made contributions to Republican Senator Jon Kyl in his efforts to support the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006.

Adelson claims his main concerns with online poker is that he believes as a result, underage gambling will be much harder to manage and therefore cannot be prevented. In the past year, Adelson has made an effort however to expand his operations to Asia, adding more casino interest in the East,

Las Vegas Sun editor and president, Brian Greenspun, has harshly criticised the action to expand into Asia by Adelson in December. He stated in his publication that ordinary Nevadans “don’t have Asia to promise them vast riches” and also declared that he believes the fight against online poker is a wrong move for the billionaire. Greenspun said that he hopse the casino big gun can understand “that the technology available on the Internet is very good and uses active measures preventing underage gambling.”

Director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas Dr. David Schwartz has also made his opinion clear that Adelson is only trying to defend his own best interests but at the foresight of this possible expansive opportunity.

“He’s one owner, and there’s a lot of different voices there. I don’t think his opinion invalidates the opinions of other folks — Wynn, Caesars, MGM — who are in favor of [online poker],” Schwartz said. “Obviously if you have an opponent it’s not going to make it easier, but I don’t think it’s insurmountable. If it forces the proponents to take a closer look at the age verification and explain what they are doing, and make a stronger case, in the end I think this is a good thing. I think that ultimately someone will be able to demonstrate age verification to Mr. Adelson’s satisfaction, and he may support it after that.”

[Source: Card Player]

However, it doesn’t mean that Reid isn’t doing this job. It is said that he’s doing his campaigning in private. To back this up, he gave a rare public comment to the website Gambling Compliance when asked about the recent opinion of DOJ on the Wire Act.

This is what he told Gambling Compliance: “It’ll give us an incentive to get something done, we cannot have a series of laws around the country related to [Internet] gaming. I know a lot about gaming. I’m a former chairman of the Nevada [Gaming] Commission, and I think it’s very important that we have a national law.”

Reid’s comments indicate that the lawmakers know that this year should be the time to finally move on and create a federal poker bill. That, or leave it stale, and states can go about their work without a decent and concrete federal framework.

John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) told Poker News, “It’s very positive that someone like Reid is openly talking about the need to get this done this year. We’re hoping we can transfer words into law. It’s preferable for the players, for the business side of things, to have some clear and consistent standards across 50 states instead of a patchwork of state laws and activities that would be legal in one place but illegal somewhere else.”

Gambling Compliance said Reid also publicly confirmed for the first time that he is negotiating with Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz) regarding a federal bill, but Reid refused to give any details on the said negotiation.

“We’re at the table already, we’ve met with their staff. We’ve provided input throughout the process,” Pappas said even though Reid hasn’t introduced a bill yet. Reid and Kyl, the top Democrat and No. 2 Republican in the Senate, are still negotiating but that doesn’t mean that it won’t happen. The poker community hopes that Reid will try to attach poker legislation to the payroll tax bill next month and even though it may seem like it’s only optimism, Pappas said that the PPA is making certain the player whims would not go unheard during the formulation of the legislation.

Assuming that Reid had done a lot of work behind the scenes, he could quickly move a bill anytime. According to sources, it wouldn’t be surprising if all of a sudden a non-existent bill becomes attached to a larger legislation without the public knowledge. Pappas said the PPA is hoping to see some movement in the next few months or else it would be difficult by the end of the year due to election preparations.

[Source: Poker News]