Here’s a quick rundown of what’s going on in one of the hungriest industries out there, and, game of skill or not, the parent biz of our beloved little poker world:

ALABAMA — A small little gambling fight is going down in the land Spencer Bachus represents, over a matter of semantics, technology, and the millions of dollars bingo machines represent. Bingo is legal in ‘bama … but should video bingo be? The fight is a dirty — complete with one agency repeatedly trying to raid a well-monied operation that believes it’s on the right side of the law.

CHINA — After a slow start, gambling revenues in Macau are reaching record levels.

IOWA — The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission’s computer system got hacked, and they’re blaming China:

Chinese foreign ministry officials strongly disputed the report, issuing a statement calling it “full of bias and ulterior motives.”

Personal information in the breach included names, Social Security numbers, home addresses and dates of birth. Most of the people in the licensing database are Iowa residents, but it also includes residents of Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin and other states, Ketterer said.

The list includes workers such as card dealers, slot machine technicians, jockeys, trainers and owners of horses and greyhounds.

LOUISIANA — The New Orleans-to-Shreveport casino-biz is in a definite recession, one not planned for when the state planned on becoming the central-coast alternative to Las Vegas and Atlantic City. They blame Texans for not gambling enough Oklahoma and Mississippi for cutting in on their action.

NEW JERSEY — Big fight going on over laws related to the building of Revel — the east coast’s $2.5 billion version of CityCenter. Should be an interesting development to watch go up (or down) as New Jersey fights to stay competitive with the smaller casino operations set to open shop in Delaware and Pennsylvania, but not Maryland.

MARYLAND — Gov. Martin O’Malley is saying Maryland’s not gonna jump into the gambling expansion fray, despite assertions that his state is gonna lose out as neighboring locales up their casino offerings to include table games + poker.

OHIO — As we know, Lyle Berman has effectively bought himself a piece of all the newly legalized action to come in Cincinatti, Cleveland, and Toledo. But he’s run into some blowback over the location of a new casino in Columbus. The constitutional amendment voters approved in November called for a full-blown casino-resort downtown, but now a referendum on a May ballot will decide if the Penn Gaming development should be moved to a blighted part of the city.

Related: “It’s Lyle’s Ohio Now”

UNITED KINGDOM — Once upon a time, Great Britain was leading the world in all things online gambling. But regulations and tax issues are messing that up — and it’s turning into a battle of Labour vs. the Tories for the UK’s gambling future. Good rundown on some British gambling-law history and where the different parties stand on gambling in the UK … as the rest of Europe catches up.

Pokerati sources embedded in Atlantic City are reporting that the Caesar’s-AC poker room recently paid off the biggest bad beat jackpot in East Coast history … only to have that followed by some more bad beat jackpots hit at other poker rooms nearby:

The biggest bad beat jackpot in AC history went off 3 days ago for over $ 550,000. Quad threes vs Quad Aces. then on the same day 2 other bad beats went off in other casinos. Total of almost $ 1,000,000 issued.

Here’s the ESPN E:60 segment in case you missed it. His first job: flipping burgers at McDonald’s. Parents briefly felt like failures when his life turned all-casino. He’s been technically homeless, sleeping under a bridge in Atlantic City. Built his bankroll by taking his last $50k and turning it into 2 Months $2 million. And eventually, he was the MVP helping “The Corporation” felt Andy Beal for 8-figures +.

Great stuff from a non-pokery ESPN reporter who gets to find out firsthand what it’s like being the craps cooler Ivey believes cost him more than $240k.

A big poker-related legislative battle is going on right now in Pennsylvania. In fact, state representatives debated the matter well into the night on Sunday — an unusual move for the Pennsylvania House.

At issue is the inclusion of table games — blackjack and poker specifically — in Pennsylvania “slot machine parlors”. Doing so would bring in $242 million … and yesterday’s overtime debate revolved around 170 amendments to the bill.

It’s definitely not all about poker though, or gambling for that matter … Pennsylvania apparently has been at a legislative impasse and operating without a state budget for 97 days!

It does seem, however, that the expanded gambling measure could make or break the budget as a whole.

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The Business Week article about the Asian poker boom referenced here also has a photo-sidebar about the 20 Biggest Casinos in the World. Pretty cool, and interesting. I’ve listed them in order below — a few surprising results — but click here to check out the pics and for all sorts of other interesting data about the largest gamble-gamble joints (in terms of gaming floor space) on the planet.

UPDATE: BW left out WinStar (Oklahoma), which is bigger than many might think.

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A bunch of us media folk got an update recently, of all the good-fun WSOP Circuit times ahead … Caesars Atlantic City, San Diego (Rincon), Harvey’s Lake Tahoe, Caesars Las Vegas, Harrah’s New Orleans … and one “trend” of interest: an increase in Omaha tournaments.

Really, the entire state of Nebraska Iowa should be ashamed that in 2008, at the WSOP Omaha Circuit event (OK, technically it’s “Council Bluffs” … which is just across the river from the PL-namesake city) featured no Omaha tournaments! This year they added two — a $345 Omaha Hi-Lo, and a $345 PLO. But in New Orleans, there’ll be five Omaha events, with buy-ins ranging from $235 (w/ rebuys) to $1,070.

Don’t know what it means, or if it’s just coincidence that I’ve started playing Omaha. The Atlantic City circuit event that gets underway this week still has no Omaha tournaments on the schedule. Maybe the desire for four hole cards instead of two simply increases as you move west?

Straight from the mainstream press, the gambling industry has fallen on hard times, following the trend of…well…just about every other industry there is. According to Bloomberg, Atlantic City has seen a significant drop in revenue for the second year in a row. New casino projects are on hold or canceled, and thousands of casino employees in AC have lost their jobs.

In the article, one expert predicts that Atlantic City will continue to sink:

James Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, said the casino industry is vital for the economy of southern New Jersey and for the tax revenue it generates.

“It’s possible Atlantic City is past its peak,” said Hughes, who predicted the situation may worsen next year. “It could never go back to its past glory. It’s a much tougher game now.”

But another analyst predicts a recovery in 2010:

The U.S. gaming industry will “remain under significant pressure in 2009, with a recovery unlikely until 2010,” Michael Paladino, a Fitch Ratings analyst in New York, said in a Dec. 16 report.

In other news, the Wall Street Journal reported that gambling in general is in a downward spiral that will never be the same. *Insert Debbie Downer sound here.* In fact, one survey specialist who clearly doesn’t follow poker trends at the University of Pennsylvania thinks that A) poker is a fad, and B) it has peaked.

Meanwhile, despite the fact that ESPN’s poker-tournament coverage has become ensconced in the culture, card-playing for money among college-age youth declined in 2007 for the first time, according to a survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. “The fad has peaked,” survey director Dan Romer said.

Ummm, Mr. Romer, please note that that ESPN card-playing thingie to which you referred enjoyed its most righteous numbers ever just last month. Methinks we need another survey.

The World Poker Tour dropped another tournament from its already-trimmed Season 7 schedule, and it just happens to be a player favorite – the Borgata Winter Poker Open. Even players who hate Atlantic City love the Borgata, and while the other event stayed on the schedule in September, the January tourney is no longer a WPT event.

A press release from the Borgata noted that the main event is now a $3,000 buy-in, reduced from the going WPT rate of $10,000. Thus, the drop from the WPT schedule could have been a result of indicators that player turnout would be low. Economy? Damn right.

Almost all major tournaments, with the exception of the WSOP main event, have been lower in 2008, the most sad embarrassing obvious was the 2008 U.S. Poker Championships in September that only brought 52 players to the $10K main event, as compared to 164 players in 2007 and 261 players in 2006. Turns out that when the lights and cameras go away, not to mention people’s IRAs, stocks, and day jobs, people are less willing to plunk down $10K for a poker tourney.

So, if you want a WPT title, you won’t be getting it at the Borgata next month. There are other choices, however, like the Five Diamond event coming up at Bellagio, which will cost you a mere $15K to enter. The rest of the revised WPT Season 7 schedule can be viewed by clicking this handy link below:

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Pure conspiracy theory … inspired by the winner’s pic of “Harold and” Vivek Rajkumar proudly displaying his WSOP WPT bracelet at the Borgata. Without even a rumor to base this on (just circumstantial observations and wild speculation) I called Pauly hoping we could start one. Pauly was in London after covering the entirety of the last WPT event in Atlantic City, and had a brief stop-over in Amsterdam, which I figured put him in the exact right frame of mind to feel the rhymes I was droppin’ … and sure enough, by the time our jam was done we’d have Full Tilt moving in on PokerStars’ brick-and-mortar territory by bailing out Steve Lipscomb & Friends in an effort to challenge the EPT.

So you heard it here first … be sure to spread the word:

Tao of Pokerati: Episode 2.1
WPT Bailout Rumors (7:28)

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This story stinks.

Straight from the Associated Press, a customer was asked to leave the Borgata poker room in Atlantic City on Tuesday because he smelled bad. Evidently, it was my-god-in-heaven-this-is-unbelievable-get-him-outta-here bad after Michael Wax went on a 17-hour poker binge without long-lasting deodorant. (Buddy, I’ve got a hint for you. Check out the casino store. I bet they carry a deodorant or fragrance of some sort. For future reference, of course.)

Wax said he told casino officials: “There’s no question I stink. I’m not denying it. I do have an odor. I’ve been playing for 17 hours.”

He filed a complaint with the Casino Control Commission, and he told AP that he wants an apology from the Borgata.

WinStar: November 25th $300+30 Event
THACKERVILLE, OK – WinStar Casino Poker Room is throwing a 200 player max. $300+30 No-Limit Hold’em tournament on Sunday, November 25th, starting at 1pm. This tournament will have 30 minute levels and players will start with 3000 in chips. Registration begins at 9am day of the tournament. Contact the WinStar Poker Room for more details at 800-622-6317.

Borgata: Illegal Sports Betting in the High Stakes Poker Room
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – 18 people were arrested this week for participating in an illegal sports gambling ring in the high stakes poker room at the Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City. Of those arrested, 6 were casino employees and 4 have ties to the Philadelphia mob.

Foxwoods: World Poker Finals Winner
LEDYARD, CT – Mike Vela won the WPT World Poker Finals at Foxwoods Casino earning $1,704,986, and a $25,500 seat into the Season 6 WPT World Championship in April, 2008. Second place went to Season 4 WPT Foxwoods champion Nick Schulman for $864,652.

Mohegan Sun: Brings Poker Back
UNCASVILLE, CT – Mohegan Sun in has returned to the poker arena by installing 12 new automated PokerPro tables from PokerTek, a precursor to their Summer 2008 grand opening when Mohegan Sun will unveil its $740 million hotel/casino expansion which includes a new live poker room.

South Central Kansas: Destination Casino To Come
MGM Mirage and Foxwoods Development Company submitted an application this week on behalf of their Unity Gaming partnership to the Kansas Lottery Commission to develop and manage the Chisholm Creek Casino Resort.

read daily: Poker Room News

Louis Lee continues to kick arse at the US Poker Championship in Atlantic City. They’re down to three and he’s the middle in chips. Go Louis!

By the way, one hand that deserves mention … Louis knocked out Victor Ramdin, who was previously belittling his play and claiming he would take all of Lee’s chips. From PokerListings:

Sickening!
Louis Lee raises to $68,000 on the button and Victor Ramdin comes over the top all-in for another $205,000 from the small blind. Ed Brogdon gets out of the way in the big blind and the action’s on Lee, who ruminates for a few minutes, saying, “This would be the sickest thing in the world if I called this.”

It is the sickest thing in the world, because Lee calls with and is way behind Ramdin’s . The flop is cruel, coming , and after the turn is the the river is the and Victor Ramdin, who yesterday told Lee he’d take every last one of his chips before the tournament was over, has been eliminated at the hands of the man he’d trash talked.

Ramdin is out in fifth place and will take home $71,586 to add to the coffers.

Awesome. You can see why I am such a big Louis Lee fan.

UPDATE: They’re down to heads-up. Louis is guaranteed $318k … winner takes home $606k. He has 1.6 million chips, to Adam Gerber’s 3.8 million.

UPDATE: Rough hand … but Lee couldn’t lay down his boat and he got 2nd place:

Louis Lee limps-in and Adam Gerber pops it to 125,000. Lee makes the call and the flop comes . Gerber checks and Lee bets 200,000. Gerber immediately pops to 500,000 and Lee makes the call. The turn is the and Gerber moves all-in, putting Lee to a decision for his tournament life.

Lee tanks for a good five minutes, standing and pacing and trying to figure out his move. After an agonizing deliberation he makes the call, shoving his stack into the middle and turning up for the boat. Gerber has a better boat, however, with and Lee is drawing dead. After the hits the river it’s official; Adam Gerber is USPC Champ!

While Louis may be rethinking the call for a while, one thing that probably makes it a little more stomach-rumbly is the chop he turned down. When they got to heads-up, Gerber (the 2.5x bigger stack) offered him $450,000 and they’d play for the bracelet and a Rolex. Very fair, he agreed, but Louis wanted to play it out.

Still, nice debut performance on the high-stakes circuit. Big congrats to LL.

For those who are curious, here’s how the USPC has changed over the years, in terms of the size of the main event field, and thereby payouts:

(Top 2 finishers in parentheses)

2002 — 72 players* (John Hennigan beats Erik Seidel)
2003 — 99 players (Toto Leonidas beats Erik Seidel)
2004 — 177 players (John Aglialoro beats Joe Cassidy)
2005 — 226 players (James “Capo” Caporuscio beats Ralph Pecorale)
2006 — 261 players (Alex Jacob beats Jordan Morgan)
2007 — 164 players (Winner TBD / Not Gavin Smith)

Not sure what all this says about the level of competition or the poker world in general, but the numbers are telling of something. This tourney did lose its TV contract this year, which certainly alters the field. But what becomes of it from here remains to be seen.

Click here to see the top-heavy payout structure.

And/or click here to dig into the history of this boldly named event. (Pre- and post-poker boom.) Do you think it’s possible that “struggling” tourneys like this one might change their payout structures to make them more appealing? Because while the 1st Place prize is plenty hefty, pros know how hard it is to actually win one of these things … and I gotta think if they knew a final table provided a bigger ROI it might be easier to put it on their schedule. Just a thought …

* Buy-in in 2002 was $7,500. Raised to $10,000 thereafter.

Louis Lee, sitting pretty at the final table in his first $10,000 event, is no longer being underestimated by his competition. [photo: Dale Perryman]

The story of Louis Lee has made the USPC entertaining for some of us to follow — moreso than, say, Gavin Smith, who busted out in 9th place when his two-pair couldn’t hold up against a flush draw. With eight players remaining, Lee, who has just $4,000 in major tournament winnings prior to this event, is 2nd in chips with 1.35 million. His trash-talking next-door neighbor Victor Ramdin (last week’s cover of CardPlayer, by the way) is 5th with 322k. Fun!

While this tournament hardly qualifies as a “major,” it still offers potentially life-changing money to the winner. $32k to the next player out; $600k to the last man standing. That’s a big-time sit-n-go no matter how you look at it. (Can we say chop?) For a not-so-winning player like yours truly, it’s kinda extra cool to see a guy sitting next to me at a 2/5 table at WinStar just a month ago in this situation.

Louis and his poker buddy Dale were kind enough to keep us updated throughout Day 4. Click below to see how he got to the final table in such a strong position, where he can theoretically weather a bad beat or two, and totally dominate if he happens to get a tad lucky:

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An update on the US Poker Championship at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City as they get near the money bubble. For all you Louis Lee fans out there:

Up to 460,000 chips. 22 players left. Ramdin crippled Bill gaze. Pocket 10 held up to pocket 7. Gaze out. got most of my chips from ramdin.

Excellent. Final table in his sights.

Coverage from PokerPages here.

Coverage from PokerListings here.

UPDATE: From PokerListings:

As we start hand-for-hand play, Victor Ramdin turns to seatmate Louis Lee and tells him, “I promise by the end of the tournament I’m going to take every one of your chips. I promise. And you know why? Because you play bad. You’re playing bad poker. And people who play bad poker, I take all of their chips.”

Awesome … Ramdin sounds like a break-even online player.