Weekly bulletin from OnlinePokerReport.com for the week of July 1st …
STORIES WORTH WATCHING
#1. Bet Raise Fold – Sunday was the worldwide release of the much-anticipated online poker documentary that has – so far – garnered an overwhelmingly positive response from advance viewers. Buy your copy here. If you supported the KickStarter campaign, you should have already received your link to view the movie via email.
#2. Kentucky – After successfully extracting a cool $15mm from bwin.party, Kentucky looks set to continue their litigious ways against other operators that took online bets from the state (and have some resources to target). I’ve been told to expect a significant legal filing related to Kentucky’s actions this week.
#3. PokerStars vs ACC – The ACC filed their response last week to Stars’ application for interlocutory appeal. While we don’t have a firm deadline for a ruling, I can’t imagine the courts are interested in letting this battle drag on much longer, especially given that it clouds the ability of the ACC to pursue an alternative sale. The holiday may result in a delay, but a decision could still be forthcoming in the next few days.
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OPR OUTPUT
On this week’s Rabbit Hunt, Mark and I cover the One Drop action at the WSOP, debate the best way of responding to Adelson and try our best to read the tea leaves of PokerStars’s battle with the ACC.
QuadJacks ran an article of mine imploring people to Stop Writing Responses to Sheldon Adelson. Finally, I offered up some thoughts on the Online Poker Compact Conundrum in the regulated U.S. market.
PICKS
#GoodRead – Brad Polizzano penned an informative and concise rundown of the 2013 NCLGS at QuadJacks.
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Get in touch
Chris Grove / [email protected] / @OPReport / Google + / Skype: chrisgrove404
Weekly bulletin from OnlinePokerReport.com for June 24th …
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STORIES WORTH WATCHING
#1. New Jersey – With a weekend deadline for potential licensees to announce partnerships, expect a flurry of activity – and possibly even the announcement of a casino sale agreement – in the next few days. Keep a close eye on Station / Ultimate Gaming, who have hinted they’ll be live in New Jersey at launch, and also the Trump properties.
#2. DiCristina – The general sense of observers is that the DiCristina hearing went well for poker players. Read a synopsis of the hearing at TwoPlusTwo (start at post #18) and at Diamond Flush, and then read Grange’s sober assessment of exactly what impact a favorable ruling would have on the legal status of online poker in the United States. There is no firm timeline for a decision, which could come as early as this week.
#3. Sheldon Adelson – The LVS CEO raised the hackles of online poker players with an opinion piece at Forbes slamming online gambling regulation and a follow up interview with Bloomberg. Expect more information / insight in the days to come into why Adelson is choosing to publicly attack an industry he once embraced at this particular point in time – and perhaps another blast from Adelson.
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OPR OUTPUT
On this week’s Rabbit Hunt, Mark and I cover Adelson’s slam of online poker, WSOP happenings of note and the DiCristina hearing.
And here’s the latest installment of OPR’s comprehensive Online Poker in the States, providing regulatory updates for all relevant states in the U.S..
PICKS
#GoodRead – Kim Lund articulates the Migratory Patterns of Online Poker Players in an interesting piece over at QuadJacks.
@Follow – Great land-based casino coverage from David McKee over at @StiffsGeorges.
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Get in touch
Chris Grove / [email protected] / @OPReport / Google + / Skype: chrisgrove404 |
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STORIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK
#1. PokerStars filed a request for interlocutory appeal late last week in connection with their attempt to purchase the Atlantic Club Casino. This week could bring a response from either the ACC or the NJ courts, moving us closer to a final resolution. Read an in-depth analysis of PokerStars’ filing on OPR here.
#2. New Jersey regulators recently set a deadline of June 30th for casinos to ink online gambling partnerships . With more than half of the state’s potential operators still unaffiliated, the new deadline could spark a series of deals in the brief window that remains. A deal involving Trump and an as-yet-unnamed partner could come this week.
#3. Illinois lawmakers will convene for a special session this week to address the state’s pension crisis. Gambling expansion and pension reform have been joined at the hip politically in Illinois, meaning that if pension reform is on the table, gambling expansion probably is too. Movement on online gambling is a long, long shot, but not completely implausible in a session that could potentially produce unexpected results.
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OPR OUTPUT
On this week’s Rabbit Hunt, Mark and I talk PokerStars’ appeal, Scheinberg’s settlement and controversy over the the growth of hold’em at the WSOP. And I offered what I see as 5 Reasons Rep. Peter King’s Online Gambling Bill is DOA.
Finally, I have a new article in the June issue of CEM – “Player Segregation in Online Poker: Fad or Future?”
PICKS
#GoodRead – Missed this one while I was on vacation, but Grange95 has the most in-depth writeup of thePokerStars Purchase Agreement with the Atlantic Club Casino that I’ve seen anywhere.
The OPR Weekly Bulletin is delivered directly to subscribers and appears first at OnlinePokerReport.com. To connect with Chris Grove:
[email protected] / @OPReport / Google + / Skype: chrisgrove404.
From OnlinePokerReport.com for the week of May 27th
STORIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK
#1. WSOP.com did not launch real-money poker last week as rumors suggested they would. But it’s a safe bet they will be launching the actual WSOP this week – on May 29th, to be exact. WSOP officials have indicated a desire to run online satellites to the 2013 Main Event (which starts July 6th). If that remains their goal, then there’s a pretty small window remaining for launch.
#2. Massachusetts is returning to the issue of online poker only weeks after a House attempt to insert regulated online poker into the budget was killed at the last minute. Now GOP members of the State Senate are trying the same trick . We should learn the fate of their attempt sooner than later as the clock winds down on MA’s budget process.
#3. Illinois closes their current legislative session at week’s end. It seems unlikely that an online gambling measure will reappear and progress to law before the close. But stranger things have definitely happened. And the larger issue of gambling expansion remains in play during the last days of the session, which could potentially produce prodigious bursts of activity in Springfield.
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OPR OUTPUT
The latest edition of poker news podcast Rabbit Hunt, hosted by myself and Mark Gahagan (and sponsored by CardRunners) is now available on iTunes.
Also on OPR last week: Does the UIGEA apply to bitcoin gambling , Sounding the Iovation alarm, andInternational Gaming Awards accuses critic of tax evasion.
PICKS
#GoodRead – Brad Polizzano surveys the tax models being considered by regulated U.S. markets. And@Grange95 dives into why the ACC was so quick to sling mud at Stars.
More from Chris Grove: @OPReport / Google +
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.
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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 +
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
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 +
From OnlinePokerReport.com for the week of April 29th
STORIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK
#1. Lock Poker has apparently cancelled a substantial amount of cash out requests. A rep from the room blames players “abusing the transfer tool” for the cancellations. Expect the pressure to grow on Lock and its sponsors this week as the situation continues to play out.
#2. Illinois politicians, reportedly set to remove online gambling from the casino expansion bill, will now have to come up with a Plan B to regulate online gambling. With only a handful of working days in the session, I expect we’ll see either a new standalone bill this week or some further tweaking of SB1955, which has a IL Senate committee hearing this week.
#3. Massachusetts is approaching their budget deadline for FY 2014, and online poker is still part of the process. That’s after the MA House passed their version of the state budget with online poker regulation tacked on as an amendment. This week should provide some indications of the MA Senate’s attitude toward the House budget in general, and online poker specifically.
+ THE WEEK THAT WAS
I also wanted to make a special mention of the PokerFusePro launch last week. They’ve put together an excellent product that will likely be of interest to most on this list – click to see more.
OPR OUTPUT
I broke down what I think are the realistic projections for year one online gambling revenues in New Jersey. And the latest edition of poker news podcast Rabbit Hunt is now available on iTunes.
PICKS
#GoodRead – PokerFuse breaks down why their subscription-based news product is worth your consideration.
@Follow – @JoeTall had some great coverage of last week’s GiGse 2013.
More from Chris Grove: @OPReport / Google +
From OnlinePokerReport.com for the week of April 22nd
STORIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK
#1. Pennsylvania representative Tina Davis (finally) introduced a bill to regulate online gambling late last week. Expect more specifics to emerge this week; early word is that the license fee is $5m and the tax rate is 28%.
#2. Illinois members of the PPA just received a survey concerning PokerStars, leading one industry observer to speculate that Stars is considering buying their way into Illinois’ online gambling market. PokerStars wouldn’t need to take over a full casino to get in; electronic gaming license holders and advance deposit wagering license holders are also eligible to apply under proposed online gambling regulation in Illinois.
#3. Caesars is reportedly considering a sale of NJ property Showboat – and the eligibility to apply for a New Jersey online gambling license that goes with it. It will be interesting to follow the story (and reaction from the markets) in the coming days. Will Caesars get a premium for the online component? And, if so, will that spark the sale of more New Jersey land-based properties?
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OPR OUTPUT
I took a look at the state of online gambling regulation across the United States. And Mark & I got our first episode of The Rabbit Hunt in the books. Finally, I joined Rich Muny for a panel discussion on PokerAdvocacy.
PICKS
#GoodRead – Dave Behr is setting the bar with his coverage of the federal indictment that’s reached into the world of high-stakes poker.
@Follow – @CAGamingLawyer had some great Twitter coverage of the Tribal Internet Gambling legal conference in Scottsdale, Arizona last week that’s worth reviewing.
More from Chris Grove: @OPReport / Google +
From OnlinePokerReport.com for the week of April 15th …
STORIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK
#1. Ray Bitar completed the first step of a deal with the US Government last week. Word is his sentencing hearing could come this Friday. Jail time seems unlikely, but isn’t completely off the table …
#2. Illinois state senator Terry Link proposed a new path to online gambling by amending SB1995 last week to allow the Illinois Lottery to offer online “draw-based games,” defined as “games where a series of numbers or characters are determined to be the winning numbers or characters by a mechanical or computerized random number generator at a drawing time specified by the Department.”
In the week ahead I’ll be watching the bill for additional amendments and also for opinions on whether online poker can be crammed into the above definition.
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RECENTLY FROM OPR
I’m happy to announce that I’ll be filling Matt Kaufman’s chair on Rabbit Hunt, CardRunners’ weekly poker news podcast. It’s available on iTunes here.
PICKS
#GoodRead – An amicus brief filed by a roster of poker notables makes a compelling argument for poker as a game of skill.
@Follow – @AlexandraBerzon covers the casino industry for the WSJ.
Follow OPReport: @OPReport / Google +
From OnlinePokerReport.com for the week of April 8th …
3 STORIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK
#1. Zynga is now offering real-money gambling in the UK via the bwin.party poker and casino platforms. Early traffic reports aren’t suggesting much of a bump for Party’s poker lobby. This week should provide a better sense of whether Zynga can actually move the needle at a real-money online poker room.
#2. Illinois has been relatively quiet in recent weeks, but negotiations over gambling expansion continue behind the scenes. Expect more of those private discussions to spill over into the media this week.
#3. Apple has yet to reply to an Australian Senator’s demand that Apple remove PokerStars’ real-money poker app from the App Store. How the parties involved settle the matter could have serious implications for the industry as more and more online gambling is routed through third-party platforms like the App Store and Facebook.
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PICKS
#GoodRead – Marco Valerio surveys the post-Black Friday world in a piece for TwoPlusTwo Magazine.
#Neat – Chicago Tribune slideshow of illegal gambling images from Illinois’ past.
Follow OPReport: @OPReport / Google +
From OnlinePokerReport.com for the week of March 25th …
3 STORIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK
#1. Full Tilt Poker’s traffic slide just won’t quit. PokerStars has tried bonuses, splashy promotions and even PR stunts to prop up Full Tilt, so it will be interesting to see how PokerStars reacts this week – if they react at all – to FTP’s recent drop into 4th place (by cash game traffic).
#2. PokerStars & NJ: The online poker giant has yet to complete its NJ application. But the PR war between PokerStars and the AGA continues, and looks set to escalate as NJ marches closer to launching real-money online gambling.
#3. NY will almost certainly abandon their brief legislative flirtation with online poker this week when the state’s budget is finally passed.
A week filled with official holidays should ensure that the legislative lull of last week continues through the end of April.
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RECENTLY FROM OPR
Check out my latest article for Casino Enterprise Management – Five Things Full Tilt Poker Got Right.
PICKS
#GoodRead – CalvinAyre.com published what is sure to be one of many pieces prescribing a remedy for what ails Full Tilt.
Neat – LIFE slideshow of unpublished photos taken around Vegas in 1955 (h/t @BrianPempus).
From OnlinePokerReport.com for the week of March 18th …
3 STORIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK
#1. The Revolution Network is dealing with two unresolved stories – one regarding lengthy payment delays to a skin and one regarding a possible software bug related to hole cards – as the Lock-fronted network continues to lose ground.
#2. Empire (State) Poker: NY’s tentative step toward regulated online gambling will thrive or die between now and April 1st, the deadline for the state’s budget. Gov. Cuomo seems open to the idea, but we should get a good sense of what support the initiative actually has in the days ahead.
#3. IL and PA. This week could pass with no movement in PA, where a few soft deadlines for the introduction of an online gambling bill have come and gone. But the pressure for legislative progress on the larger issue of casino expansion is significant in IL and should result in a quicker timetable for online poker – one way or the other.
+ THE WEEK THAT WAS
RECENTLY FROM OPR
A quick FAQ on Full Tilt repayment. And Marco Valerio’s interview with Salim Adatia, CEO of GLI Interactive – the company behind software testing in Nevada. Plus an update to my Illinois FAQ to reflect last week’s changes to the bill’s “bad actor” clause.
PICKS
#GoodRead – The New York Times has a good write up of the uncertain environment surrounding daily fantasy sports. Much of it should sound familiar to followers of online poker.
@Follow – @Pokeraddictnet. Often first to news on U.S. facing rooms + regulatory developments at the state level.
From OnlinePokerReport.com for the week of March 11th …
3 STORIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK
#1. PokerStars and the AGA threw first punches last week in what could develop into an extended and mutually bruising battle. Are they interested in cooling down, or escalating further? This week should provide some clues. Also: It turns out PokerStars’ NJ application could drag out well into summer.
#2. IL and PA could both take legislative steps toward regulation. PA State Rep Tina Davis “might” introduce her bill mid-week (20% gross tax, no compacts, licenses to existing operators only). As for IL, look for clarification on the next step for online gambling after a planned Senate vote on the combined live/online gambling expansion bill was scuttled late last week. Seems like some IL Dems didn’t like what they saw?
#3. New Jersey was supposed to finish up a first draft of online gambling regulations last week. No word on what shape they’re taking, but with the pace to date I would expect more details – and more launch projections – as we move into the middle of March.
+ THE WEEK THAT WAS
RECENTLY FROM OPR
I offered my quick take on the Illinois gambling bill . And on the timing of the AGA’s petition to bar PokerStars from NJ, which I also discussed on last week’s TwoPlusTwo Pokercast.
PICKS
@Follow – It’s tax time, and U.S. poker players with questions would do well to follow both @QuantPoker and@taxdood.
#GoodRead – …and to check out their respective blogs: quantitativepoker.com and taxdood.com
