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 Poker Night in America (PNIA) has entered into a sponsorship agreement with 888poker, according to PNIA Creative Director Nolan Dalla.

The official sponsorship agreement with the All-American Poker Network (AAPN) will target the regulated US online gaming market.
This agreement represents the perfect symbiosis between poker as televised entertainment, and the growing market of online gaming led by one of the world’s premier providers,” commented Poker Night in America founder and president Todd Anderson.
“With 888’s deep poker experience and AAPN’s strong US-market positioning, we can bridge from live-action to a much larger market of players, consumers, and viewers.”
888poker is one of the premiere online poker rooms in worldwide market and is the second largest network behind PokerStars. It has also managed to maintain its cash game seat traffic over the past year at roughly 2,000 per day according to data presented on pokerfuse PRO provided by PokerScout.
PNIA recently announced an exclusive broadcast deal with CBS Sports Network. The first episode aired June 29 with 25 additional episodes set to be aired on Sunday nights.
“Instead of watching tournament final tables with anonymous players hidden beneath hoodies and silenced by ear-phones, PNIA is stacking the deck in favor of fun by using hand-picked pros joined by amateur players in a real cash game environment at select venues throughout the U.S.,“according to the press release.
“In addition to poker action, behind-the-scenes comedy and drama promises to make PNIA compelling must-see television for all poker players and fans of the game.”

 Online poker revenues in the state of Nevada picked up slightly during the month of May—increasing 8.84% to $862,000.

According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, the daily online poker income generation figures for May were 5.53% higher than in April, with $27,806 of daily revenue.
The numbers are 6.7% less than the $924,000 reported for March 2014.
Summer Poker Festival Provides Seasonal Boost
Online poker in Nevada has picked up momentum during the 2014 World Series of Poker.
The WSOP is offering online deposits into WSOP.com accounts from designated cage areas within the Rio while placing more focus on a combined online and live poker experience during the Series.
There are currently three licensed online poker operators in Nevada: Ultimate Poker which opened April 30, 2013, WSOP.com which launched in September 2013, and Real Gaming, which has been in operation since February of this year.
According to data presented on pokerfuse PRO and provided by PokerScout, WSOP Nevada is now the largest regulated online poker site in the US with average cash game seat traffic of 142 per day.
Parent company, Caesars Interactive Entertainment has been anticipating a traffic increase for WSOP.com Nevada due to the sheer amount of newcomers estimated to be in Las Vegas during the marquee events.
Nevada is well ahead of Delaware when it comes to monthly online poker revenue, but is still far behind the state of New Jersey, which reported $2.27 million in online poker revenues for May.
 

 Online gaming operator Ultimate Gaming has announced a number of enhancements and new features for its Ultimate Poker and Ultimate Casino internet gambling services.

The operator said it has improved the geolocation process for players in the regulated markets of Nevada and New Jersey, with Wi-Fi services having been strengthened in both US states.
Nevada players can now access Ultimate Poker via Wi-Fi without the need for mobile phones, while the same access has been extended to those in New Jersey that wish to access Ultimate Casino.
The operator has also strengthened its Ultimate Casino offering with the addition of 25 new games from Amaya Gaming, in addition to launching a new mobile application that has been specifically designed for iOS users.
For its Ultimate Poker service, the operator has added a number of new features such as ‘hand history’, which allows players to see a direct link to the hand history of the previous hand, as well as a ‘time bank’, enabling players to access more time when making in-game decisions.
In addition, Ultimate Poker customers can now colour code their opponents, view tournament re-buy and add-on displays in the lobby and access an auto bonusing feature that enables them to gain, track and receive bonuses in real-time.
Ultimate Gaming also confirmed that waitlists have now gone live in Nevada and will be launched soon in New Jersey, while Nevada players now have the option to deposit and cash out using an Ultimate Prepaid Debit Card like their New Jersey counterparts.
Tobin Prior, chief executive officer of Ultimate Gaming, said: “These software releases mark a significant initial step forward in terms of our company’s focus on responding to our customers’ needs and making steady progress on improving the online gaming experience.”

 The government’s decision to legalise online gambling came in for praise with Jorge Armindo, President of the Portuguese Casino Association, backing the move even while adding his members were still considering their reaction in comments to Lusa News Agency.

“It is good that online gambling is getting regulated and becomes a legal form of gambling,” Armindo said before adding that “the means chosen may not have been the most appropriate.”
The Casino Association president said the legislation in question was still under analysis but that the association had long since backed exclusivity in the gambling concessions.
“Our position has always rested on the right of concession holders to exclusivity in online gaming, indeed, in alignment with the concession that was attributed to us in 2001 and for which we paid many millions of euros at the time”, said Armindo before accepting that the situation was now different and thus “requiring a lot of attention to that presented on Thursday and which we still remain unaware of.”
The government described its own legislative proposal for Internet based gambling, and still subject to parliamentary approval as “an open regime, by licensing, without any concession of exclusivity.” 
At Thursday’s press conference announcing the measure, State Secretary for Tourism, Adolfo Mesquita Nunes promised the legislation would be enacted by year end and was based on best European practices, European Commission recommendations and a study of comparative legislation. 
Operators would be “granted a licence on meeting certain technical, financial and reputational requirements that shall be subject to pre-definition,” said the state secretary. 
Questioned about the future of Santa Casa da Misericórdia, the charitable institution that runs the state lottery, Nunes said “sporting bets within the territorial framework would be granted to Santa Casa thus leveraging its already acquired experience.” 

 Massachusetts State Senator Michael F. Rush presented a budgetary amendment to the state senate recently which would have expanded online gambling in the state, but this amendment was rejected by the Senate during budget deliberations. The Local Aid Lottery Expansion by Rush would have allowed the lottery commission to authorize and direct the implementation of online games of skill.

The amendment would have included but not been limited to “fantasy sports, so-called, poker, so-called, and other games of skill.” According to a recent report by Steve Ruddock at Bluff, with the rejection by the Senate, the state of Massachusetts would most likely be at least a year from expanding online gaming options. Advocates of online gambling were hoping that the state would be able to begin to compete with neighboring states including Delaware and New Jersey.
Hopes were high in the state for expanded gambling as back in March the gaming commission of the state had an online gaming hearing and forum that provided optimism on the subject. However, once the hearing was over, those involved began to speak for caution with the option. The Budget Amendment by Rush was a last minute attempt to offer extended gaming in the state. However, the amendment would have had to move through the State Senate as well as the House, and then made the compromise budget which was produced by the senate and the House.
This is not the first bill to have been introduced in the state over the past year or so and is not the first to be rejected. From bills seeking all out legalization for online gaming to state lottery and more, nothing has been able to gain footing in the state. For now, the state of Massachusetts will be taking the approach of waiting to see how the industry develops in the United States. The state will also be working on their live casino gaming options before moving into the iGaming industry.

 Gareth Davis, chairman of bookmaker William Hill, has issued a warning on the amount of state intervention in Great Britain, despite the improving health of the country’s economy.

Speaking to the Financial Times newspaper, Davis said since the 2008 financial crisis, there has been “a lot more intervention on many, many more areas of business than we were ever used to”.
“If you look at the spread of industries…and the focus on governance issues, particularly the remuneration issue…I’d have to conclude that in my 40 years of working life this is the most intervention I’ve seen,” Davis said.
“Most foreign observers would find that staggering, but we are where we are.”
Great Britain’s economic recovery currently faces a number of political risks, such as this year’s Scottish referendum, a possible referendum on European Union membership and the general election in 2015.
William Hill and other UK bookmakers are also under pressure from the main political parties over a number of issues, including the number of betting shops in the UK, the potential harmful effects of fixed-odds betting terminals and the amount of gambling adverts currently being broadcast on UK television.
Many industry observers believe bookmakers only have themselves to blame for failing to lobby effectively to combat the threat of greater regulation.
Davis admitted that bookmakers have not addressed the concerns of politicians quickly enough.
“The problem is people start lobbying once an initiative has been launched,” Davis said.
“The time to really be lobbying is well before any initiative.”

 The Portuguese Council of Ministers has announced that it has approved the text of a draft bill which would liberalize its online gaming market.

A few days ago, the government reserved time in the parliamentary calendar for a debate on the proposals before the end of the current legislative session.
Secretary of State for Tourism Adolfo Mesquita Nunes gave some details of the provisions of the bill to journalists after the meeting on Thursday.
The Council has chosen “an open model,” said the Minister, in which foreign operators will be allowed to apply for licenses if they “meet the requirements, and are in good financial standing in their finances and social security.”
 
Taxes
The taxation system will be similar to that for existing land based gambling operations, which means it will be based on gross gaming revenues but with differential rates by gaming activity and revenue amounts.
The gaming tax (IEJo) on games of chance—that would appear to include online poker—would range from 15% to 30%. Sports betting will attract a rate of 37.5%.
Tax revenues will be distributed as at present between the central government, and regional governments and be used to “encourage sport and for cultural development.”
 
Licenses
The only licensed online operator and current gaming regulator, the Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa (SCML), will have exclusive rights over social gaming, but the Tourism Ministry will act as the regulator for the new laws and licensees.
The Minister expressed the hope that the law could be passed before the end of the year, but this sounds optimistic given the need to obtain advance approval of the proposals from the EU Commission—a process which usually takes at least three months.

 Lock Poker has become a running joke in the industry. The site has average payout speeds of over one year, according to a report compiled by IHasTehNutz at Two Plus Two. The amount owed to Two Plus Two posters is approaching $1 million. It has been two months since any player on the list has reported a payment.

In 2014, you can count the number of players on the cashout report that have been paid on your fingers. At the same time, the list of players reporting unacceptable withdrawal speeds grows with every week.
It is hard to imagine that Lock Poker can ever get out of this tailspin. The site attracts less than 100 players at its daily peak, according to PokerScout. It averages about half that amount.
The cash game quality is extremely high. Chips are thrown around the tables like they are worthless. That is, of course, because they just about are. Players have been swapping Lock Poker chips for cash at a rate of about $.06-$.07 on the dollar for months. That means a player at a $200 NL table is really at a $12 or $14 game.
Lock Poker has little in the way of marketing partners to draw players to the site. Most abandoned them after getting stiffed or seeing players complain of slow cashouts.  A Google search of Lock Poker shows warnings from affiliate sites, a closed Lock Poker support forum full of player complaints, and news stories detailing the site’s struggles.
Same Path as World Sports Exchange
The whole scenario closely resembles the World Sports Exchange, often referred to simply as WSEX. World Sports Exchange was a well respected site in its prime. Sports Book Review started warning players in 2009 that cashout requests were taking longer than the industry average. By 2010, WSEX’s rating had fallen to the D territory. By the end of 2012, more than $1 million was reportedly owed to players.
At the start of the downfall, WSEX management communicated with Sports Book Review and players. As time went by, WSEX fell silent, just as Lock Poker is doing now. WSEX finally went down for good in April 2013.
Lock Poker has several similarities to this. Lock Poker owes nearly $1 million to players at just one poker forum. The company went from one that communicated with players several years ago to one that says little. Its last tweet was over six months ago and its forum presence is nonexistent.
Players are given canned responses when complaining about late payouts. Meanwhile, deposits are still accepted from unsuspecting players that have little or no hope of ever getting paid should they win.
Not only is Lock Poker not generating much in the way of deposits, it is losing a fortune in its guaranteed tournaments. Its weekly $20k Sunday tournament has 100 freeroll entries. The tournament still struggles to make its guarantee. Other tournaments also miss the mark.
Other Offshore Sites Distancing Themselves
Lock Poker is now the poster child for why online poker should be regulated. It is giving the offshore sites, which for the most part pay players in a timely manner, a bad name. The legitimate sites do not want to be associated with Lock Poker but are constantly lumped together with it when offshore sites are discussed by regulated industry representatives.
Time to Throw in the Towel
All evidence points to Lock Poker being insolvent. The company has fallen silent and it would appear that little to no deposit money is finding its way to the site. In the meantime, players are anguished by looking at cashout requests that date back to 2012 with no end in sight. It seems extremely unlikely based on cashout speeds and chip trading prices that Lock Poker can ever find a way out of its quandary. That is at least the perception players have.
If all is hopeless, continuing to operate just makes things worse. If no deal that would add liquidity to the site is imminent, it is time for Lock Poker to do the honorable thing. It is time for it to close its doors.
 

 ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — A Canadian company buying the PokerStars website will begin licensing talks with New Jersey casino regulators aimed at letting the world's largest Internet poker site operate legally in the state, the state's top casino regulator said.

The state Division of Gaming Enforcement will begin the talks Thursday with Amaya Gaming Group, which is buying PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker for $4.9 billion, division director David Rebuck told The Associated Press.
Most importantly, the sale involves PokerStars executives charged with fraud and money laundering resigning from the company. That would appear to clear the way for PokerStars to enter the New Jersey market, something it had tried twice to do before the state suspended it for up to two years, citing the unresolved indictments against the executives.
"We've had discussions with Amaya to reactivate the application, and we plan to begin discussions with them tomorrow," Rebuck told the AP on Wednesday. "We'll look at whatever they bring over."
He said he was "encouraged" by the sale and the licensing talks.
"I think in the long run it will be a good story for New Jersey," he said. "I'm optimistic that they know what the rules are, and I fully expect them to be very aggressive because they want to be here."
Internet gambling has hit a wall in New jersey after just six months. The Atlantic City casinos' online operations posted revenue declines for the past two months.
Since the launch, the casinos have won about $61.9 million online, a far cry from the pace some state political leaders expected. Republican Gov. Chris Christie had estimated they would rake in $1 billion in the first year. Many Wall Street analysts have reduced their estimates to the $200 million to $300 million range, but even those may need to be adjusted downward.
The entry of PokerStars could provide a jump-start to the nascent industry in New Jersey.
Amaya, which has already been approved for Internet gambling operations in New Jersey as the platform for Caesars Interactive, is optimistic about its chances for the PokerStars approval, company lawyer Marie Jones said.
"They are optimistic they will get this done quickly," she said.
No documents have been filed, but Jones said she expected a licensing application to be submitted by next week. Rebuck said he could see Amaya getting approval to operate PokerStars in New Jersey by the fall.
PokerStars tried to buy the Atlantic Club Casino in Atlantic City before that deal fell apart. The casino shut down in January.
PokerStars then partnered with Resorts Casino Hotel, which has been unable to offer Internet gambling while PokerStars was under suspension in New Jersey. A PokerStars spokesman had no immediate comment, and Resorts declined to comment.
The website operated in the U.S. after online gambling was banned in 2006 but exited the U.S. in 2011. It paid a $547 million fine to the Department of Justice but didn't admit wrongdoing.
In a note to investors on Monday, Fitch Ratings called PokerStars' re-entry into the U.S. gambling market "a game-changer."
"The return of the exiled poker giant would inhibit the online poker ambitions of big U.S.- based operators such as Caesars Entertainment, Boyd Gaming and Station Casinos," it wrote. "PokerStars, with its Full Tilt unit acquired in 2012, commanded roughly 70 percent of the U.S. market until authorities shut the sites down in 2011."
New Jersey is one of three states that legalized Internet gambling, along with Nevada and Delaware. But as many as 10 others are considering or recently have considered joining the online market.

 Amid growing debt and downgraded credit ratings Caesars Entertainment ($CZR) continued to streamline its portfolio, and work towards erasing some of its 10-figure debt this week by selling the dormant Atlantic Club Casino in Atlantic City, where the company already owns four active casino properties.

Caesars purchased the Atlantic Club roughly six months ago in a bankruptcy auction, and when all was said and done they seem to have made out pretty good in the deal.
After joining forces with the Tropicana to facilitate the sale, Caesars was able to add the Atlantic Club to its sizable, and seemingly ever-growing list of assets (to go along with a sizable and ever-growing list of debts) in a bankruptcy fire sale that occurred December of 2013 for the price of $23.4 million.
The Tropicana and Caesars picked the property clean of any reusable assets (the Tropicana took all of the gaming equipment while Caesars was left with anything usable from the hotel side of the operation, as well as the property itself, and then promptly closed the hotel/casino, essentially eliminating one competitor from the already saturated AC gaming market.
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