On the road again! J Todd has landed in Houston after his time in Barcelona, and this week he reports on the wildfires in Texas, the smouldering remains of Full Tilt Poker, and how their players are getting burned!
This week’s online gambling headlines indicate a move toward regulation in the United States. J Todd takes a look at the history of our industry, and how what’s happened in our past is affecting our future.
Full Tilt Poker finds some cash to pay their obligations! Unfortunately, their players were not included! Also, online gambling news from Greece, California, and Fair Play USA.
The United States is moving closer and closer to regulated online gambling, with powerful Las Vegas casinos supporting political action. Plus, more talk of legal internet wagering from Florida, California, and Washington, DC
Online gambling bills from Congressmen in Texas and Washington State are ready to follow in the success of Barney Frank’s efforts! Plus, Internet betting is almost ready to launch in Washington DC while a major software provider gets some support in California!
Online gambling news that really sucks includes updates on from Quicktender, affiliate program closures, and the FBI giving away our money to local cops! Plus, an update on a story from Vancouver and a shout out for a friend.
Watch the episode below:
This week’s online gambling news comes from New York City, where a “Black Friday” defendant has been denied bail. Plus, is legal Internet betting in Washington DC in jeopardy? Also, updates from Merge Poker, Intertops, and QuickTender.
This week’s online gambling news includes stories from Canada, Australia, and the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas! we also have our interview with Professor I. Nelson Rose about his expert opinions on Black Friday! Also, J Todd makes friends wherever he goes… even at the top of the mountain!
This week’s online gambling news sucks! More fallout from “Black Friday” has resulted in the seizure of ten more domain names from poker rooms, bingo sites, and sports books. Also, major payment processor QuickTender has been forced to shut down and leave customer deposits in question. Plus, affiliate program Best Casino Partner is leaving the market.
Raids at the Absolute Poker offices in Costa Rica, and big Las Vegas casinos are now in favor of regulating online gambling? Also, J Todd interviews Betfair about the future of online gambling!
Rumors of layoffs and bankruptcy from at least one online poker site targeted on “Black Friday”. Also, ESPN makes plans for this years World Series of Poker.
I’m not sure I really get the lawsuit, but Tiger Woods and Roger Federer have gotten caught up, by proxy, in some sort of big-time shady gambling allegations, where a printing company claims the owner of Woods’ and Federer’s management company, IMG, placed millions of dollars of bets, sometimes against his own clients, based on “inside” information. And somebody owes someone shares of the company to pay off debts?
Hmm, again, not claiming to really get these non-poker lawsuits, but sounds like it could all be as inconsequential as Crispin Leyser vs. Jamie Gold. Possibly truly scandalous, maybe not, but either way, don’t these guys understand real gamblers have a lot pending on gambling matters these days … and we don’t need douchebag pro athletes screwing things up for us by making gambling look “shady” or “bad”!
Jeesh … if you’re gonna bet against a friend, colleague, or client — especially with potential match fixing perceptions in play — you gotta at least tweet about it. Friggin’ non-poker amateurs.
At least they didn’t do whatever they did online.
While poker seems to like what tweeting from the field of play brings to the table, tennis people — specifically the Tennis Integrity Unit (wow) — do not want to see anything on twitter saying, “returning serve. whoa! that was close!” because of fears the communications will be misappropriated by gamblers.
The signs, written by the Tennis Integrity Unit, point out that Twitter messages could violate the sport’s corruption rules. Tennis appears to be the first sport openly concerned about Twitter’s possible effect on gambling.
The signs say tweeting is not allowed on court during matches. They also warn about using Twitter away from the court, saying sending “certain sensitive information†could be considered passing along inside information.
As Kevin pointed out … great story (like true narrative from a non-poker person who kinda gets poker) in the New York Times Magazine about a mother trying to come to grips with her son’s extensive online poker play … and the transition from successful scholar-athlete to internet poker pro.
(What’s a mom to do when cutting a 19-year-old kid off financially carries no weight — other than follow his chipstack online while he’s playing live in the EPT?)
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.â€
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.
It's much more important to immerse players in a rich fiction which allows you to improvise enjoyable scenarios [/rant] #MTGDND
@skputts the only difference between Madonna and Keith Richards is that I could interpret the words she was singing.
