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Hundreds More Sites Blocked in Russian Online Gambling Crackdown

 The official registry of domains blacklisted in Russia saw a substantial update earlier this month, with hundreds more online gambling domains added.

Published in the official registry on April 11, more domains of Rational Group and bwin.party, plus other big European domains, have been appended.
ISPs are already blocking customers accessing the listed domains, players have reported.
The Roskomnadzor
The registry, known as the “Roskomnadzor,” was first established in 2012. Today it contains nearly 4000 domain names, many of which are pornographic websites, online pharmaceutical companies, “illegal” political videos, and other sites promoting criminal activities.
Late last month, approximately 50 online gambling domains were added to the list. This included PokerStars.com, TitanPoker.com, and a Russian PartyPoker domain.
Three weeks later, the list was substantially upgraded. FullTiltPoker.com was appended, along with all of PokerStars' main dot-country domains.
partypoker, Ladbrokes and Unibet saw their main dot-coms added on April 11, to join Russian-specific sites added in the first wave.
888 is one new addition. Its poker, sport and casino sites, as well as its Pacific Poker brand, have all been added.
Betfair, William Hill, Bet365 and Winner.com, all iPoker skins, were also appended, as well as Betsson and the US-facing Intertops.
Withdrawal Symptoms
ISPs are required to block access to domains on the blacklist, and players quickly reported that the new domains were inaccessible soon after the April 11 update.
Following the first wave of online gambling domains added to the Roskomnadzor, multiple poker rooms took steps back from the market. Betfair decided to “cease acquiring” new customers, citing “recent developments” in the Russian market.
Days later, pokerfuse revealed that Everest Poker—which remains off the blacklist—chose to withdraw from the market.
Recent reports indicate that Unibet has informed affiliates that it too would stop new Russian sign-ups.
“Business as Usual”
Poker’s major operators, however, continue to serve the market. In a statement issued to pokerfuse, a Rational Group representative said business would continue as usual.
“At this time we do not believe recent developments in Russia changes our ability to offer services to Russian players. As such our operations continue as usual,” reads the statement.
While access to primary domains are blocked, the game servers are still accessible. Players with the client downloaded can still log in and play, and payment processing has not yet been affected.
“Our terms and conditions make it clear that our services are not for use in jurisdictions where it is illegal to do so, but the measures taken by Roskomnadzor … does not affect players’ ability to continue playing at Full Tilt Poker or PokerStars,” the statement from Rational Group concludes. Players are assured that their funds remain safe.
bwin.party is another operator that continues to serve the Russian market, despite its addition to the blacklist. The group has stated to investors in the past that it is focusing on key regulated markets. It withdrew marketing from many grey markets in 2013—but Russia was not one of them.
A spokesperson for bwin.party chose not to comment on the developments.
Author: Ekaterina
22 . 04 . 2014 y.
Paddy Power Irish Poker Open Down to the Final 9 Players

 Today's Day 3 of the Paddy Power Irish Poker Open started with 59 players – some short-stacked, some with a lot of ammo, but all of them looking to make it over the first barrier. With 411 initial entries, it meant that 47 players were going to cash, and, in turn, it meant that twelve players had to hit the rail first. Nobody likes bubbling, but someone had to receive this bitter honor eventually.

After we had a couple quick eliminations at the start of the day, play slowed down a bit before picking up some pace again. After 11 players busted, including John Eames, David Docherty and Philip Hardy, it was bubble time. Once again, play got slower as no one seemed willing to go out. After a decent amount of back and forth, it was Konstantinos Tsikopoulos finishing 48th and being the last player to leave the Irish Poker Open empty-handed.
Once the bubble had burst, shorter stacks in the room were ready to go for bust-o or robust-o and a few more fast eliminations ensued. At times it looked like it was going to be a short day, but once again it would be a wrong assumption. The original plan for today was to play until the final table of eight was formed, but the tournament director realized that it could drag on into the night so it was decided to play through Level 27 and wrap up for the day regardless of the number of players still in. As it turned out, it was just enough time to form the unofficial final table of nine, but the official one will have to wait for another elimination tomorrow.
Some players were looking good throughout the event but fell short of making the final nine, including Geard Harraghy, who ended up finishing in 30th, Steven John Warburton, who hit the rail in 36th, David Masters in 19th, and the last standing Fin, Ville Sissonen, who was eliminated in 12th.
Jessie May, widely known as the Voice of Poker, was a story of the tournament as many were rooting for him to go deep. His run sadly finished in 17th place, but it is his biggest live cash to date and certainly a run to be proud of.
Of the nine remaining, Dave Pollock will be returning as the chip leader with 1.7 million in chips. Liam Chevallier is in close second with 1.65 million. Sitting in third is Barry Donovan with 1,565,000 – an interesting development for him as he was announced out of the tournament in 14th due to confusion at the table, which was, apparently, set straight by Jonathan Lundy, who will return tomorrow with 1,500,000. He is only slightly behind Patrick Clarke on 1,550,000.
Oliver Lynch returns with more than 1.2 million, while Michael Gilligan is on 1.1 million, only slightly ahead of Thomas O’Shea. The only player returning tomorrow not in the million-club is Antoine Smits with 720,000.
Play resumes tomorrow at 2 PM local time. Of the nine remaining players, seven actually hail from Ireland, so there is a good chance that the Irish Poker Open will have an Irish champion. That is, if Lundy or Smits do not run away with the title and €200,000 first prize money. Either way, we will know soon enough as the tournament will be played until we have a final winner tomorrow. There will be a live stream of the final table at www.PokerTube.com with cards uncovered (and the usual delay due to fairness considerations), and we will be bringing you up to speed here and on the Paddy Power Poker official blog page. 
Author: Ekaterina
21 . 04 . 2014 y.
Gibraltar Fire Disrupts Easter Sunday Betting

 While the wagers of many a punter often go up in flames, a fire yesterday on the island of Gibraltar kept many of those punters from placing bets with online bookmakers.

Betting firms that included Stan James, Betfred, Ladbrokes, Betfair and William Hill were affected by a mid-day blaze that knocked out power. The fire was attributed to an explosion at a power station, causing an untold number of missed wagers, the Express reported.
There will be those who will claim they would have backed a winner but there will be others who have been saved from backing a loser," a William Hill spokesman told AFP.
A back-up generator allowed BetVictor to continue with business as usual while many of their competitors lost operations. However, indications are that power has by and large been restored and that the downed sites are once again up and running.
Gibraltar is the choice of many online bookmaking operations due to favorable tax rates. The British overseas territory is home to roughly 30,000 residents.
Author: Ekaterina
21 . 04 . 2014 y.
Tiger Woods and World Poker Tour to Host Charity Poker Tournament

 Tiger’s Poker Night will take place on May 16, as part of an annual Tiger Jam charity event hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation. The World Poker Tour (WPT) will film some of the poker action for broadcast in a later episode.

This will be the third annual poker event, and Tiger Woods will be playing poker luminaries including Phil Helmuth Jr, Antonio Esfandiari and WPT presenter Mike Sexton in the charity tournament.
Naturally, the prizes are more than cash—a round of golf with Tiger Woods himself, “Pro-Am playing spots in premier PGA TOUR events” and other speciality prizes are all up to be won.
The following day, OneRepublic will headline a concert for day 2 of the event which is being held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
“This unique and entertaining event gives so much to my foundation, helping us grow our programs and providing even more young people with a shot at college,” said Tiger Woods.
The $10,000 buy-in for the poker night will surely help. Less ambitious tickets to other parts of the charity event are available from $55.
Author: Ekaterina
18 . 04 . 2014 y.
WSOP Increases Deposit Optionsv

 WSOP is providing customers with new ways to fund their online poker accounts in New Jersey.

Mazooma and PayNearMe have been added to the cashier giving New Jersey players new ways to get money online. WSOP owners Caesars Interactive say that customers continue to have “deposit issues” and expect the new options to help remove one of the choke points for their potential growth.
Mazooma is an online banking transfer system. Money is transferred directly from a player’s bank account to the site. PayNearMe is a “cash voucher system in conjunction with 7-Eleven and Family Dollar stores.”
Both options are deposit only.
Last month WSOP New Jersey added NETELLER and the Net+ card to its cashier options and just last week WSOP Nevada also added NETELLER services. NETELLER can be used for deposits and withdrawals. Other withdrawal options are paper checks, ACH, and the Caesars Atlantic City cage.
“It was clear we needed more payment options to meet demand and we are optimistic our new trifecta of offerings will help serve our users’ needs,” said Marco Ceccarelli, Ceasar’s Chief Technology Officer.
Efficient payment systems have been slow to come on line, partly because they require regulatory approval, and perhaps partly because the scale of the problem was larger than had been anticipated. The roll out of convenient options at WSOP and other US state regulated sites is seen as essential for the market to achieve its full potential.
 
Author: Ekaterina
18 . 04 . 2014 y.
Swedish Poker Fraudsters Jailed

 Eight people have been convicted of fraud and computer hacking in Sweden after using information stolen from Svenska Spel and other operators to steal money from players.

Two of the eight, both twenty five years old, have been handed down prison sentences.
The crimes took place over a four year period between 2007 to 2011. The criminals gained access to private account information, and then used the information to log on to player accounts. The accounts were then used to “chip dump” money to other accounts from where the money could be withdrawn.
Having obtained credit card and debit card details, the gang were also able to make additional deposits which could then be appropriated in the same way.
“There are security issues that should be reviewed in light of the approaches that have emerged in the investigation,” said Erik Sjöholm, Deputy Operations Manager of the Swedish Gaming Board.
The convicted hackers are also responsible for paying millions in damages to players, operators and banks.
After the 14 account bot cheating ring on Svensk Spel was discovered last year, over $280k was reimbursed to players. That cheating occurred over just six months, the amount to be reimbursed after this four year case is likely to be much higher.
Author: Ekaterina
17 . 04 . 2014 y.
Delaware Online Poker Revenues Rebound in March

 Delaware online gaming revenue figures for the month of March show online poker rebounding after notching two straight declining months to start the year.

The combined revenue from poker for all three racinos licensed to offer internet gaming was up 14% to $84,392. As a point of comparison, neighboring state New Jersey which also offers regulated online gambling within its borders, has 10 times the population but produced 38 times the revenue—($3.2 million) over the same time period.
Delaware Park owns the majority of the online poker market share with 65%. Dover Downs and Harrington maintain 25% and 9% of the revenue from poker respectively.
The amount bet on table games doubled again for the second straight month, reaching nearly $4.8 million wagered. In February players wagered $2.2 million and just $1.1 million in January.
New players are continuing to sign up for online gaming accounts in Delaware, but operators have realized a significant drop-off since online gaming was launched in November 2013. Though the decline in new signups has begun to flatten out, the 8% decline in March represents the fourth consecutive month in which fewer people registered for online gaming than the month prior.
Overall revenues from online gaming are up 24% on the month, reaching a new all-time high of $206,833.
Author: Ekaterina
17 . 04 . 2014 y.
Winamax Expands to Sports Betting

 Winamax is expected to offer sports betting alongside its French regulated online poker room in the near future.

Online poker in the French regulated market is a business that is hard to sustain with gaming taxes at the equivalent of 37% of revenues.
The company has been advertising for staff in several positions for its “upcoming launch and development of a Winamax sportsbetting center.”
Recruiting interviews start at the end of April, so launch may be a few months off—no public dates for the launch have been released.
Unlike poker, sports betting has been a profitable business line for French operators under ARJEL regulation. Q1 figures for 2014 show 22% year on year growth whereas poker continued to fall—down 12% compared to Q1 of 2013.
Full Tilt has also recently made the move away from being a pure poker site, having already launched casino games, with more to come. For the major gaming operators like Playtech, Betfair and bwin.party, poker revenues rarely represent more than a fifth of their business.
The addition of sports betting revenues, assuming that Winamax can make a success of the venture, can only help with the sustainability of its poker operations.
 
Author: Ekaterina
16 . 04 . 2014 y.
Satoshi Poker Up For Auction
Satoshi Poker, the Bitcoin only online poker site, is for sale by auction. Owner Bart van Oort is holding a 48 hour auction that began on Monday.
According to the pitch, there are 4648 registered players, whose play generated 98.4 BTC in rake in 2013.
The site which opened its virtual doors in April 2013 offers Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha hi/lo, Stud and has the capability to offer cash games, tournaments, Sit & Gos and Fifty50 Sit & Gos.
2014 revenues so far are 7.6 BTC. Bart says the site has suffered from “no marketing budget and no development budget and for the future of SP it is better if somebody with a new vision and a budget steps in and takes over.”
The site comes complete with a $40k desktop client package of the Enterra Poker software, a “custom built additional backend to securely process bitcoin deposits and withdrawals [and] a custom backend for handling referral and affiliate income.”
Operating costs are listed at $118 a month for a dedicated server and VPS webhosting package. The marketing costs to develop the business may be a little higher.
SatoshiDice, the largest Bitcoin gambling site, sold for $11.5m, last July. Starting bids for Satoshi Poker are set to begin at 30 BTC which at the current exchange rate is approximately $15,000.
 
Author: Ekaterina
16 . 04 . 2014 y.
GCG Sets Timeframe for Next Round of Full Tilt Poker Repayments

 Additional payments will be made to US players that were unable to withdraw their account balances following the events of Black Friday three years ago.

The Garden City Group announced on Wednesday that approximately 1,000 claimants that had their cases reviewed by government officials but were not “approved for remission due to obviously incorrect or incomplete information” will have their updated petitions resubmitted for approval in the “coming weeks.”
An email informing these claimants of their approval will go out shortly before the distribution of funds, which will take place “by the end of May,” according to the GCG.
The GCG has also announced that it will send other petitions out to the government for approval, including those that missed previous deadlines for filling, those that withdrew a disputed or duplicate claim, and affiliates that confirmed their account balance.
These payments are expected to be made by the end of July.
There is currently no timeline for payments to those that have disputed their balances on file with the GCG or those that have been classified as “Pros.”
The first payments to US victims of Full Tilt Poker were issued at the end of February. A second group of payments was issued earlier this month.
In total, $81 million has been returned to Full Tilt players in the United States.
Author: Ekaterina
16 . 04 . 2014 y.
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