Here’s a best-of list of links, tweets and general brooding from over the weekend:

The cold anniversary was, of course, trending on Twitter Twitter hashtag #BlackFriday … From Ben Lamb wondering if anyone would tweet about it to Dan Fleyshman posting this sad picture http://instagr.am/p/JcjU9BJT1C/

The legal landscape

Reminding people they really do represent the players (especially since Black Friday) the PPA urged them to continue to contact their political representatives. http://www.lvrj.com/business/poker-lobbying-group-marks-black-friday-anniversary-147424325.html

As legislators grapple with the future of online poker, Nevada officials want to host the first legal sites. http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/13127-black-friday-the-day-that-changed-online-poker

Poker affiliates reflected on lessons learned since being forced to admit that the whims of authorities are a legitimate risk for anyone doing business in a legally gray world. http://www.casinoaffiliateprograms.com/blog/black-friday-lessons-learned/

On the casino side, Frank Fahrenkopf, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, pushed for amendments to the Wire Act and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) that would “unambiguously eliminate illegal Internet gambling.” http://www.americangaming.org/newsroom/press-releases/statement-on-the-anniversary-of-black-friday

And FairPlay USA has Greg Raymer reminding you to sign their petition while former FBI Director Louis Freeh cites the anniversary of Black Friday as a call for federal action and continue the fine worl of the DOJ. http://fairplayusa.com/blog/fairplayusa%E2%80%99s-judge-louis-freeh-statement-black-friday-anniversary

Meanwhile, lawyers of all stripes took note, with a new class-action lawsuit filed against Full Tilt filed just before any anniversary parties. 
http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/04/13/45602.htm

Thanks for the memories, DOJ

QuadJacks.com did a special anniversary live podcast, which included “original Black Friday audio.” Ah, the memories.
http://quadjacks.com/poker-radio/

Short-stacked Shamus gives a thorough write-up of the drama to that would befall so many in different ways. http://betting.betfair.com/poker/poker-news/black-friday-one-year-later-130412.html

Wicked Chops Insider talked with poker industry leaders about where they were when they heard the news for an oral history of that fateful day (worthy of free distribution). http://insider.wickedchopspoker.com/543/an-oral-history-of-black-friday/

Many pros, like Shane Schleger here, had to share their thoughts and perspective from a day they won’t forget. http://shaniaconline.blogspot.com/2012/04/black-friday-one-year-later.html

Like a moment frozen in time, here’s the original 2+2 Black Friday thread, which received more than 6,000 replies in the first 3 days: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29/news-views-gossip/reuters-full-tilt-poker-pokerstars-absolute-poker-charged-illegal-gambling-1020606/#post26050483

The guys at pokerfuse.com produced a bomb-ass timeline, tracking all the major events since that dark day, including their own birth. http://pokerfuse.com/features/in-depth/one-month-black-friday-timeline/

Michael Gentile, a former online pro, interviewed Poker Players Alliance board member Patrick Fleming to (re)assess the online poker legal landscape in the US. http://pokerfuse.com/features/in-depth/us-legal-landscape-one-year-after-black-friday/

Here’s another sharp timeline at PokerStrategy.com. http://www.pokerstrategy.com/news/world-of-poker/One-Year-Since-Black-Friday:-The-Complete-Timeline_58551/

And another by-the-minute timeline at PokerNews.com. http://www.pokernews.com/news/2012/04/the-black-friday-timeline-one-year-without-online-poker-12445.htm

Poker still has a future

A bunch of pros, like Matt Waxman, told PokerStrategy.com that this year’s WSOP Main Event should hold steady. “It’s like so prestigious and like world renowned, you know, so everybody’s gonna just make it out cause this is the one tournament that like if you’re the guy who plays the nightly home game for 100 bucks, you’re gonna splurge your 10k just so you can play in the main event,” he said. Like riiiight. http://www.pokerstrategy.com/news/world-of-poker/Daily-Rewind-Black-Friday-Anniversary,-New-Gambling-Film,-WSOP-2012-Thoughts_58570/

CalvinAyre.com looked at the companies “making noise” about bringing online poker back to the United States. http://calvinayre.com/2012/04/15/poker/how-to-make-it-in-america/

QuadJacks put out a new music video by Sonny Caine and Dennis Rybaczewski (DRybes) to inspire a little hope for the future.

And our own Dan Michalski summarizes it all as simply a “big, industry changing day” in All In – The Poker Movie, which is available April 24, 2012, on iTunes. http://mashable.com/2012/04/13/online-poker-black-friday/

FWIW: Fahrenkopf’s sway in the overall-world-is-bigger-than-just-poker political discourse extends far beyond gaming, as he currently serves as co-chairman of the Committee on Presidential Debates. So that’s one to grow on, obv.

In this first episode, Mike, aka Lavigne in Austin aka @AustinML, discusses a session titled:

Online Gaming: The Legal Landscape, Part 2

download

It featured Frank Fahrenkopf from the AGA, Caesars’ DC powerhouse Jan Jones (the former mayor of Las Vegas is recipient of this year’s lifetime achievement award), a lobbyist for companies looking to do business with licensed casinos, and a guy representing Native American interests. Here why they all seem convinced that intrastate online poker is going nowhere, but interstate online poker is right around the corner.

Some of you probably remember Mike Lavigne. He’s not much of a player (lol), but the former Texas state director of the PPA and fellow co-founder of the Texas Poker PAC, has been part of Pokerati since way-back. And with my government and public relations cronie in town for G2E … well, it made me think we needed a cheap knock-off of Tao of Pokerati, obv — not just to keep me posted, but to let the busy people out there doing real work get a taste of the wonk-fest and sales orgy going on at the Sands Convention Center this week.

G2E is arguably the biggest annual confab of gaming industry brainpower in the world … and though some may find it hard to get interested in a Las Vegas convention that doesn’t even include a poker tournament … what goes on here will be affecting your poker (and overall casino) experience in the future whether you like it or not.

Check out the lineup for G2E ’11 here.

Just got the press release about what AGA/G2E chief Frank Fahrenkopf plans to speak on in his media address: (Yay. Looking forward to it.)

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE CASINO INDUSTRY, ONLINE POKER TO BE
KEY TOPICS AT FAHRENKOPF’S ANNUAL G2E MEDIA BRIEFING
Preliminary Topline Results of Major Economic Impact Study to be Unveiled

Also got word that this year G2E has very clear “no audio or video recording” rules for their extra-informative sessions. (Crap, there go Pokerati’s plans for recording as many as possible and sharing them with you and others who didn’t pay to attend.)

Either that wasn’t policy last year or I mighta missed the memo. (Oops?)

From Pokerati’s vast archive of yet-to-be-seen-or-heard content … have a listen to Fahrenkop’s 2010 G2E media pow-wow. And hear, now with the benefit of hindsight, what the AGA leader had to say about how some wanted to work with (or against) online poker sites such as Full Tilt and PokerStars … and what the vision was (and presumably still is) for a combination of state and federal regulations being the future path for legalized online gambling in the US.

AGA’s “new reality” (circa 2010): 1. Doing the Macau-rena; 2. “Hey Harry, pull my finger!”; 3. Poker (only) face.

MEDIA BRIEFING: Frank Fahrenkopf at 2010 G2E
40:22

* * * * *

G2E: Fahrenkopf Says Don’t Bet on 2267
But combo state+federal regs a new possibility?

Pokerati: Unpublished, 28 Sep 2010

Frank Fahrenkopf, CEO of the American Gaming Association, voice of America’s biggest casino interests in Washington DC, briefed media at last week’s G2E convention on the state of the gaming industry, the overall economy, and online gambling’s future in the USA.

Prior to cutting the ribbon to kick off the 10th annual Global Gaming Expo, Fahrenkopf briefed the media on the AGA’s recent findings that suggest the casino industry seems well on its way to recovery (fingers crossed the US economy holds) …and in some regions has done well all along. He also spelled out the second biggest issue online gambling.

Specifically, he said, that while HR 2267 is all but dead, “poker only” legislation was the gaming industry’s most likely entree into legalized online gambling and associated money transfers; that a combination of state and federal regulation is possible; the industry would by no means cannibalize itself with online play; and absolutely it would lead to jobs, with the right legislation. He also addressed the spectrum of relevant opinions on “rogue” operators — which the folks at PokerStars, Full Tilt and the like prefer to call “incumbent” operators.

FF QUOTES
>>>
But what do you do with the bad guys, the rogues, position of the justice department. if it became legalized, would those people be eligible for licensing. on one extreme — that they wouldn’t be allowed to operate, or even profit off of it by selling their software to a licensee. others say limit them 3 or 4 years.

>>>
it’s clearly seen that poker is different. the public perception is that it’s different, game of skill and chance. viewed differently than other games. what’s doable in congress — you’ve got a better chance of passing a poker-only bill. poker doesn’t have the stigma that exists on the other side of gaming. poker only or poker+casino, everyone is happy with poker.

>>>
leadership in the house is gonna change,the future of the barney frank legislation is clearly in doubt. the lame duck session, not going to hold a hearing in ways and means comm on internet gaming legislation i can assure you.

>>>
i don’t see the barney frank legislation moving in the lame duck session. i don’t see the barney frank legislation moving. whether or not something will happen, i don’t know. there’s a lot of scuttlebutt. i can tell you i dont know. and i don’t know anyone who does. if anyone tells you they know, trust but verify. Reid conceivably could get behind poker-only.

NOTE: The “quotes” above are just notes about quotes, and not necessarily fully transcribed, which probably has something to do with why no one ever pressed publish, semi-coincidentally, one year ago today.

The political arm of America’s brick-and-mortar casino industry is working on its own federal online poker bill, Frank Fahrenkopf, CEO of the American Gaming Association, revealed yesterday at a press conference in Washington DC. The AGA bill will likely be a hybrid between inter- and intra-state, providing federal oversight of independent state regulations.

Joining Fahrenkopf at the press conference were Keith Smith, president of Boyd Gaming; Gordon Kanofsky, CEO of Ameristar Casinos; and Virginia McDowell, president of Isle of Capri Casinos. The lobbying push the AGA kicked off yesterday talked about online poker most immediately, but language used didn’t seem to exclude the possibility of online slots and other casino games becoming part of these efforts.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is holding a lunch today with top Democratic leaders and casino executives to discuss, they say, a broad range of online gambling matters.

Gary Loveman, CEO of Caesars Entertainment (parent company to the WSOP), made note of the importance of online poker yesterday in an SEC filing yesterdayreporting Caesars Q1 2011 financial results. In the positive spin put on losing $147 million in the first three months of this year, he told Uncle Sam:

“Finally, we believe strongly that the recent federal indictments of illegal online poker operators should convince Congress to allow American citizens to play online poker and to allow American companies to compete in a multi-billion-dollar industry,” Loveman said. “By acting now to legalize a game enjoyed by millions of adult citizens, Congress can clarify ambiguous federal laws, generate tax revenues for federal and state governments and bring thousands of jobs to this country.”

Surprising? No. Except the time it took for them to come forth with an official press release.

Frank Fahrenkopf, AGA chieftain, had the following to say:

“This is tough law-and-order legislation that puts in place a solid regulatory framework and legal oversight that will prevent illegal activity and protect the estimated 15 million Americans who already are playing poker online. Ours is a unique industry in that it wants tough regulatory control and strict law enforcement oversight, which ensures the integrity of our business and protects consumers. Current online gambling laws do not provide these safeguards, leaving players and the system open to fraud, cheating and other illegal acts.”

“Without this legislation, players will remain unprotected, law enforcement oversight will remain murky, illegal offshore operators will continue to reap billions from U.S. bettors, and the U.S. will continue to lose out on the significant tax revenues and thousands of jobs that could be generated by this already popular activity. The millions of Internet poker players need and deserve the protections of a strong regulatory structure and law enforcement oversight that this legislation would provide.”

Nothing new here.  Yes, consumer protection is a positive.  But what about this (emphasis added)?

The proposed legislation ensures that Federal and State authorities will now have the ability to control what has, until now, been unfettered access to all forms of Internet gambling.

My takeaway?  AGA is letting *everyone* know they are behind this legislative horse.  Gotta wonder what Fahrenkopf and crew think about Jersey, California, and the District of Columbia‘s push to legalize iGambling on their own.

He won handily — 75 percent — but for him the primary was more a matter of how deep he had to dig into general-election coffers to secure the nomination … as he’ll likely need all the cash he can get come November. (He’s spent $8 million so far, and has about $9 million left, according to the National Review.)

First Lady Michelle Obama came to Las Vegas on June 1, not to bemoan the UIGEA, but to rally support for Harry Reid. The two hiked in Red Rock Canyon, but didn’t even consider stopping by the WSOP, even though Jack Effel totally woulda let either one of them do the shuffle-up-and-deal.

The buzz around Nevada is that Reid’s re-election bid got new life with the late-surge Republican victory of Sharron Angle, a Reno Tea Partyer now being referred to as “wacky” by Nevada Democratic operatives. Supposedly, since Reid can’t boost his own approval ratings, his best chance in November will come from tearing down Angle, and his office saw her as the weak player at the table against whom he most wanted to challenge heads-up. (The article linked to above also suggests that Reid’s office may have played a role in helping Angle win.)

Here’s a Republican ad slamming Angle as a Scientologist-loving nutball (she’s actually a Baptist) that should help Reid deflower her just in time for the November Nine:

Hmm, maybe current online poker leaders might think she’s not so bad after all?

Check out Jim Geraghty’s piece in the National Review for some conservative perspective on the GOP’s horse to unseat Reid:

The Anti-Beer Libertarian
If she wins Nevada’s GOP primary, Sharron Angle will be painted as a nut

Yes, should be interesting awesome … hardcore cut-throat plausibly dirty politics at its finest … to watch a state-level pol who considers herself a Tea Party idealist (but really might be more traditional neocon moralist) go up against Reid, the fourth most powerful man in the country and a pillar of Democratic change Big Casino quasi-corruption … especially with so much on the line for our poker-specific special interest.

And here’s another good article that addresses just how important Reid is to the intensifying internet gambling debate in Washington DC. While Reid’s office continues to downplay his involvements, his spokespeople seem to already be on point:

“Sen. Reid’s priority is to protect the jobs of Nevadans, protect minors, and to continue to position Nevada as our nation’s leader in gaming,” Reid spokesman Jon Summers said. “Taking into account these things will serve as the framework for any potential Internet gaming legislation.”

AGA president Frank Fahrenkopf is obviously aware that Reid staffers have paid visits in recent months to all the Las Vegas casino interests he represents in Washington DC to discuss online gambling issues, but isn’t talking about a possible agenda, other than to acknowledge every bit of any new law related to online gambling rests on Harry Reid. Said Fahrenkopf, speaking to the Reno Gazette Journal about Reid’s role in the future of online gambling:

“He has not told anybody what he is going to do. But he is the key.

“Even if the House were to pass over the Barney Frank bill (which would legalize online gaming and set up a regulatory agency) to the Senate, Reid, as the majority leader, has the say over what gets heard and what gets voted on. So right now, there is a big unknown as to what is going to happen this legislative session.”

Also in this story are hints about current online gambling legislative strategy — at least what Nevada business leaders most affected by it are being told — and it would seem to bode well for supporters of fully legal, taxed and regulated online poker. According to one such CEO: “It is definitely coming. It is just a matter of time. Poker will come first, then Internet gaming.”

Of course all of what may or may not happen in our world now depends greatly on the ability of Harry Reid, the 2009 Mormon of the Year, to beat a fiscal conservative who may well like the tax revenues online gaming provides, but when speaking about legalizing marijuana suggested she only begrudgingly accepts legalized booze (according to that same National Review article linked-to above.) If Reid cannot outshoot Angle, any online gambling plans that have quietly been taking shape behind the scenes could be all for naught.

Without a doubt, get your internet charged up and let the games begin!

As much as we try to resist, about twice a year CardPlayer.com does something uniquely worthy of sending you to them. (See, their spade points up, ours points down … that’s why we’re generally not link-friends.) The first of 2010 come from Stephen Murphy’s interview with Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association. It’s a great getting-to-know one of poker’s most powerful potential allies in Washington DC … and he provides a solid explanation of where, from the Big Casinos perspective, all the current legislation, in DC and the various statehouses, stands.

First thing is that Fahrenkopf acknowledges the AGA has officially changed its position on online gambling. For years the folks at AmericanGaming.org were against, and more recently shifted to neutral. Now, overall, they can be chalked up as for. “Open to the concept” means they’ll get behind it, so long as it’s done the “right” way.

However, Fahrenkopf informs us, the AGA’s voting membership is leaning more towards a state-based regulation model, and are maintaining a neutral stance on Barney Frank’s federal bill specifically. Also, he acknowledges, there actually is a need for the UIGEA if we really want the safe, protected internet gaming that we all purport to be demanding.

Good stuff that you can’t find anywhere else … and something that anyone following how the legislative framework that will shape poker’s future is, er, taking shape … will want to read.

Coverage of the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Interviews with the President of the American Gaming Association, the Executive Director of the Poker Players Alliance (about the possibility of legal online poker in California), and a major industry announcement from the APCW, the GPWA, Affiliate Guard Dog, and Poker Affiliate Listings.