From OnlinePokerReport.com for the week of May 6th

STORIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK

#1. PokerStars’ apparently failed deal for the Atlantic Club Casino dominated discussion last week. But based on statements from Stars, this story is far from told. Hopefully this week we’ll get some more information about the nature of the contract between PokerStars and the ACC. And if the deal is dead, perhaps we’ll learn more about who is swooping in to buy the ACC out from under Stars. Could it be Station?

#2. Lock Poker. I said last week that the Lock Poker scandal-saga was going to gain momentum, and boy did it ever. Watch Dave Behr, Todd Witteles and Jonathan Aquiar (and me) on Twitter for the latest as it comes, along with the Lock Poker forum on TwoPlusTwo.

#3. Ultimate Poker rode a crush of publicity to a launch that saw reasonable traffic but was riddled with technical trouble. And not everyone thought it was such a big deal. Key thing to watch this week – the performance of next Sunday’s major tournament. It hit the cap of 200 players yesterday, so that’s the bar.

Correction: Last week I wrote that the MA House passed their budget bill with an online poker amendment intact. The amendment was removed prior to passage.

+ THE WEEK THAT WAS

• Rep Peter King announced plans to introduce a new federal online poker bill.
• California may have gotten closer to a passable online poker bill.
• Player pools were apparently further segregated at remaining Merge skins.
• An IL lobbyist suggested a longer timeline for online gambling legislation.
• Motley Fool dissuaded investors from jumping into online poker.

OPR OUTPUT

The latest edition of poker news podcast Rabbit Hunt (sponsored by CardRunners) is now available on iTunes.

PICKS

#GoodRead - Take a look back at the design evolution of PokerFuse over the last two years.

@Follow - Poker pro @MattGlantz runs an informative, balanced and – most importantly – generally entertaining Twitter.

More from Chris Grove: @OPReport / Google +

Caesars Entertainment Corp. reportedly offered to sell the off-Strip Rio and the World Series of Poker to PokerStars, a spokesman for the owner of the online gaming business claimed in an email Tuesday.

The statement by Eric Hollreiser, head of corporate communications for The Rational Group, came a day after attorneys for the American Gaming Association wrote in a legal brief that PokerStars had been a “criminal enterprise for many years.”

The Washington, D.C.-based trade organization wants New Jersey gaming regulators to reject PokerStars’ application to operate the failing Atlantic Club Casino in Atlantic City.

Caesars representatives declined to comment on any “assertions” made by PokerStars.

Hollreiser, who is based at The Rational Group’s corporate offices in the Isle of Man, said PokerStars “declined the offer because we had no plans to acquire another casino in the near term.”

More…

Wall Street is sold on the parent company of online gaming giant PokerStars taking ownership of a downtrodden casino in Atlantic City.

The question that remains is whether or not New Jersey gaming regulators will sign off on the deal.

On Tuesday, Isle of Man-based The Rational Group, which owns PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, filed papers with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, seeking approval to purchase the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel from Resorts International Holdings.

There is now a 90-day period in which the Division of Gaming Enforcement will conduct an investigation and then report its findings to the New Jersey Casino Control Commission. The casino commission will then have 30 days to hold hearings and ultimately make a determination on suitability.

More…