Under The Boardwalk
From OnlinePokerReport.com for the week of May 20th
STORIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK
#1. PokerStars came out on the losing end of last week’s legal battle with the Atlantic Club Casino. But given the latest statement from PokerStars, and the fact that they’ve sunk $10mm+ into the deal to date, I expect PokerStars to file new litigation in the days ahead.
#2. iPoker has given skins until May 20th to verify the identity of all players referred by certain affiliates. Sources report the action is linked to suspected VPN play from banned countries – including the United States.
Watch iPoker’s traffic – and the traffic of major US-facing sites – this week for clues to the scope of the issue. Based on back-channel chatter, it’s potentially huge.
#3. Iovation will continue to be a story to follow. Nevada regulators are reportedly planning to take a closer look at the company, which has been linked directly to the cheating scandal at Ultimate Bet, most recently in secret recordings released by Travis Makar.
+ THE WEEK THAT WAS
- Lock Poker’s CEO gave an “interview” that failed to resolve player questions. And the room’s cash out rating continued to trail far behind industry standards.
- NV Gov Sandoval suggested Texas as a potential poker partner.
- A draft of Illinois’ standalone online gambling bill was released.
- Merge Network further segregated player pools.
- The DHS took action against the world’s largest Bitcoin exchange.
- A consortium of CA tribal gambling interests released an online poker bill proposal.
- WSOP.com announced plans to launch by summer 2013.
OPR OUTPUT
The latest edition of poker news podcast Rabbit Hunt (sponsored by CardRunners) is now available on iTunes.
PICKS
#GoodRead – Interesting commentary on the relative wisdom of buy in spreads from Kim Lund at QuadJacks. And PokerFuse has a fascinating take on The Rising Concern of Forced Disconnection Attacks.
More from Chris Grove: @OPReport / Google +
