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New Jersey Foreign Wager Bill Advances in Senate

 Proposed legislation that would allow New Jersey to issue online gaming permits for wagers outside the state was referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on Monday—a required step to certify the bill for a fiscal estimate.

Sponsored by Senators Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) and Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic), bill S980 seeks to make New Jersey an internet gambling hub by empowering the Division of Gaming Enforcement to issue foreign Internet wagering permits to operators which would authorize them to offer online games to customers located in jurisdictions in which internet gaming is legal. Eligible jurisdictions must also have a written agreement with the state of New Jersey.
Under the bill, the operators looking to offer online casino and poker games to other countries or states are required to partner with one of the state’s land-based casinos and maintain a presence in the state including the housing of its gaming servers and all records. Sport wagers are not allowed under the proposed legislation.
The bill was introduced in January of this year and referred to the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee. Once moved to the floor, the bill could be brought up for a full vote of the Senate. Amendments to the bill could be proposed along the way.
An identical bill in the State Assembly—A2540—was referred to the Assembly Tourism and Gaming Committee last month.
Author: Ekaterina
26 . 03 . 2014 y.
Borgata and Partypoker to Offer NETELLER Services to Online Poker Players in New Jersey

 Optimal Payments has announced that it has entered into an agreement with the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in New Jersey allowing online gaming customers at BorgataPoker.com, BorgataCasino.com and nj.partypoker.com to use Optimal’s NETELLER products to complete financial transactions.

Difficulties in funding online gaming accounts and challenges associated with geolocation technologies have caused frustrations for players and are seen as the major reasons revenues from internet gambling in New Jersey have fallen short of expectations so far.
Borgata and partypoker will be offering customers instant access to their funds via NETELLER and Net+ Card services.
“Our innovative new payment service provides these market leading brands with our new advanced secure payment option that will support their growth in New Jersey,” said Neil Erlick, executive vice-president business development, Optimal Payments.
Hugh Turner, vice-president of finance, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa highlighted the strategic importance of the deal with Optimal Payments: “With Optimal Payments’ NETELLER service, we can increase conversions while delivering an enhanced customer experience, securely and confidently.”
WSOP.com and 888poker began offering NETELLER services on their New Jersey internet gaming sites earlier this month marking Optimal Payments’ return to the US market after its US operations were shuttered by the US Department of Justice in early 2007.
Seth Palansky, Caesars’ Vice President of Corporate Communications, told pokerfuse, “it’s the PayPal for the gaming set so to speak, and we think it will help folks, in particular anyone who has had trouble depositing with credit cards.”
Optimal Payments expects to continue to expand its services to other non-gaming merchants across the US.
 
Author: Ekaterina
26 . 03 . 2014 y.
WSOP New Jersey Confirms Sports Deal with NY Rangers

 WSOP New Jersey has confirmed that it now has a promotional relationship with the New York Rangers National Hockey League (NHL) team.

Last week the online poker room launched a promotion for their New Jersey players which offered the chance to have a “Blueshirt legend” come to their home to watch the April 12 game against Montreal.
Other prizes in the draw include tickets to Rangers’ games and autographed jerseys.
The promotion runs until April 7, and takes the form of a prize draw, with entry via tickets awarded to players who make deposits on the New Jersey site. The small print of the promotion explains that “free entry is available” by emailing WSOP.com account details to the organizers.
The promotional web page stated that the WSOP was the “official online gaming partner” of the NY Rangers. WSOP confirmed the new sponsorship to PokerNews.com on Monday.
The Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA and the New Jersey Devils in the NHL were the first US professional sports teams to enter into a multi-year marketing agreement when they signed a deal with partypoker, WSOP’s main competitor in the New Jersey market, in January.
The full details of the WSOP and NY Rangers deal have not yet been announced.
Author: Ekaterina
25 . 03 . 2014 y.
Today’s Nevada Online Poker Market Smaller than Ultimate Poker’s Monopoly Days

 With the Nevada online poker market declining to new lows, the gap between the two major players in the market is shrinking.

WSOP Nevada, the market leader, is down 25% in the last 30 days, and has dropped below an average of 100 concurrent cash game players, its lowest point since October 2013.
Ultimate Poker Nevada has managed to retain more of its player base this Spring, traditionally a period of the year when online poker interest wains, down 10% in the same period.
Though still behind WSOP with an average of 68 concurrent cash game players, the gap between the two is narrowing and is the closest the pair have been since a brief period in January 2014.
The total Nevada market of an average of 160 players is its lowest point in over six months—in fact, it is lower than when there was only a single poker room in the market. During the five month period of May to September, Ultimate Poker enjoyed a monopoly on online poker in the state, and boasted concurrent cash game traffic of 180-220 cash game players.
Traditionally online poker markets continue to dwindle into summer as the weather improves and the days get longer; however, this should at least be partially offset in Nevada: the World Series of Poker, filling six weeks of the summer months, will draw crowds to Las Vegas and throw the game of poker into the spotlight. The two online poker rooms, WSOP in particular, will have the opportunity to market to many returning players.
The data is based on a seven-day moving average of concurrent cash game seats filled, observed by independent monitor PokerScout.
Author: Ekaterina
25 . 03 . 2014 y.
California Tribal Business Alliance Demands Bad Actor Clause to Exclude PokerStars

 A statement from Leslie Lohse, the Treasurer of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians and Chairperson of the California Tribal Business Alliance (CTBA), includes strong opposition to any California gaming law that would allow PokerStars to receive a license to operate.

She issued the statement in response to press reports that PokerStars was working with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and multiple California card clubs to offer online poker in California.
Citing PokerStars' continued presence in the US market following the introduction of UIGEA, Lohse said of the CTBA, “we will strongly oppose any legislation which allows PokerStars to participate.”
After Black Friday, PokerStars paid a $731 million out of court settlement to the US DOJ, but admitted no wrongdoing. The terms of the settlement expressly permitted PokerStars to apply for a federal gaming license should the law change.
Leslie Lohse was one of the most reluctant to endorse Californian liberalization of online poker at the recent Symposium on the subject. Chris Grove of the Online Poker Report tweeted her position:
"Mindful" and "cautious" are the watchwords from Lohse. She just (incorrectly) attributed a 6% drop in NJ casino rev to iGaming, I believe.
The success of either of the California bills which are currently being considered depends on resolving the competing interests within the state—the views of the tribes are preeminent in securing legislative approval. As evidenced by Leslie Lohse’s remarks, the inclusion of a “bad actor” clause in any legislation will be the subject of much debate.
 
Author: Ekaterina
24 . 03 . 2014 y.
UK Gambling Industry Creates Group to Promote Socially Responsible Gambling

 In advance of the new British gambling laws, the UK gambling industry has established the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG).

The IGRG will formalize arrangements for responsible gambling initiatives and provide a structure to promote socially responsible gambling. It will also “provide a cross-sector forum to consider matters of common interest associated with the three licensing objectives in Section 1 of the Gambling Act 2005.”
The online poker contribution to the group will be provided by the membership of the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) whose members include most of the larger operators offering online poker to the UK market.
RGA CEO Clive Hawkswood has been appointed chairman for a one year term to get the group going. The first work of the group has been announced as a “stock-take” of all of the existing initiatives.
The IGRG will also take responsibility for the industry contribution to a review of the “Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising” following a request to do so from Maria Miller MP, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport. The review was announced in the House of Lords as an amendment to create a statutory review was rejected by the House.
The group may have been inspired by a similar organization in the US. The American Gaming Association (AGA) founded the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) in 1996. The NCRG is funded by the industry and pays for independent research into responsible gambling initiatives in the US.
Author: Ekaterina
24 . 03 . 2014 y.
Tournament Director Software Adds Access to The Hendon Mob to Facilitate Global Data Collection

 The Tournament Director, software used to organize live poker tournaments, has added a new feature that allows users to submit live tournament results directly to the Hendon Mob database.

The software is used by tournament directors in casinos and clubs around the world to manage live events. The Hendon Mob (THM) is owned by Zokay Entertainment, parent company of the Global Poker Index.
In the press release announcing GPI's deal with the Aviation Cub de France and Casino Barcelona, GPI made clear the scope of their ambitions—“The goal is for every poker player, wherever they are in the world, to have an opportunity to be ranked on the Global Poker Index.”
“The Tournament Director will allow more players to be added to THM/GPI and is another step towards the eventual release of the GPID (Global Poker ID) that aims to become, in the next two years, a standard in the poker industry,” according to the press release.
Zokay and GPI CEO Alexandre Dreyfus has integrated live and online tournament results both by buying the Hendon Mob, and then cutting a deal with PocketFives to share data and allow each other’s customers mutual access.
With the control of a substantial proportion of the world’s tournament data, and playing details on players across the world, Dreyfus is creating a resource that can be exploited in countless ways to increase poker’s popularity, attract new players and make the experience more enjoyable for existing players.
 
Author: Ekaterina
21 . 03 . 2014 y.
Russia Moves to Block Online Poker Sites Including PokerStars

 Russian media and poker forums are reporting that the country is extending its crackdown on foreign poker sites. The country maintains a blacklist of sites—including non-gambling sites—and on March 21, PokerStars.com was added.

Some consternation followed on the 2+2 forums from posters concerned that Russian players would soon disappear from the poker room. One poster contacted PokerStars for comment and received a reassuring response:
 
We are aware of the recent situation in Russia. At this time we do not believe this changes our ability to offer services to Russian players. As such our operations continue as usual….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, and the resulting action with the Common Registry of Banned Websites that prevents access to our PokerStars.COM website, does not affect [the] ability to continue playing at PokerStars.
 
 
Last September, a major Russian ISP, Beeline, blocked access to PokerStars “in accordance with the legislation in force.” The move appeared to have little effect, as the use of other Domain Name Systems (DNS) such as Google readily produced links to the site.
The register of blocked sites was established in 2012, and is known as “Roskomnadzor.” It was originally set up to block access to pornographic sites, sites promoting drug use and other criminal activities. In November 2012, a Supreme Court ruling made it illegal to “disseminate information that is restricted in accordance with Russian law, including, but not limited to, on gambling.”
Russian news service tjournal.ru reports comments by the deputy head of Roskomnadzor, Maxim Ksenzova, that the blocking of PokerStars and around fifty other gambling domains occurred at “the request of the prosecutor’s office on the basis of court decisions.” However, Ksenzova did not provide any information about the specifics surrounding the actual court decisions and the law in question according to the report.
Author: Ekaterina
21 . 03 . 2014 y.
Innovation Takes Center Stage at Full Tilt with the Introduction of Flipout Tournaments

 The launch was teasingly trailed on Twitter as a “new way of playing online poker tournaments,” and Full Tilt has now revealed that the innovation goes by the name of Flipout tournaments. The first are expected to be played today.

The first round of the tournament pits players against each other with everyone being put all in. Moments later the winners of each table are in the money and reseated for the next round where a more traditional tournament structure is implemented.
“The Flipout Tournament format ensures that the players who make it into the money do so faster than ever, with the top prizes still to play for, while those who bust out during the first round can move straight on to their next tournament,” the press release reads.
Flipouts are targeted at “time-poor” players who seek “post-bubble action” with a tournament structure that affords plenty of play.
The saving in time, and instant gratification of knowing that money has been won are advantages that will appeal to recreational players.
“You’ll be in the money of a potentially large tournament and nobody has actually played a hand yet. This means the average skill level when you hit the money will be the same as the average skill level at the start of the tournament, which is very different from a standard tournament” said Sarne Lightman, Full Tilt Poker’s Head of Marketing, according to a report in PokerNews.
The concept is being promoted with a four-day Flipout Festival that starts on Friday March 21 and includes $25,000 in added cash and prizes.
Full Tilt’s Rush Poker was the first fast fold game and it has been a wildly successful innovation.
In an interview with pokerfuse, Sarne Lightman explained that innovation was the best tool to compete in the “entertainment space.” He explained “Full Tilt has never been afraid to take risks…. We’re very proud of that heritage and want to take that back.”
While this innovation is not on the technological scale of Rush Poker, it is simple, likely to be effective at giving recreational players a good time online, and represents the philosophy which Lightman wants to promote.
Author: Ekaterina
20 . 03 . 2014 y.
UK Budget Confirms December 1 Date for New Online Gaming Regulations

 The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has announced that the Gaming Duty point of consumption (POC) tax will be introduced from December 1, 2014.

The speech he made to Parliament simply referred to its introduction, but the details of the UK budget published after the speech indicate that the Treasury is resisting pressure to reduce the initial rate from the planned 15%.
The figures appear under the heading “Other HMRC taxes” on page 108 of the report. A note explains that this line item “Consists of landfill tax, aggregates levy, betting and gaming duties and customs duties and levies.”
The POC accompanies the UK Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) bill, which cleared its final stage in the House of Lords yesterday. The two are inextricably linked: The POC will apply to those companies licensed to provide services to UK customers, hence the combined new regime will also be implemented on December 1.
From December 1, all operators accepting wagers, including online poker bets, from UK customers will need to be licensed by the UKGC, and will be subject to a 15% tax on all gross profits made from these wagers.
Though the industry has complained that the levy will strangle the industry, it is below the tax rates of other regulations recently introduced in Europe, including Denmark and Spain.
The experience from Belgium, which has a similar tax rate, suggests that players will not be heavily affected: The player pool will be dot-com shared and the rake will by necessity remain the same; operators may reduce VIP player benefits slightly to UK players to partially absorb the costs of the new tax.
A contrary view was expressed in a report by KPMG, which stated that “due to the high price sensitivity of many online gambling customers,” a 15% tax rate would encourage players to switch to “duty-avoiding offshore competitors.”
UK Politicians who have opposed the new gambling act have shared that view, suggesting that any differential pricing that results will incentivize players to use non-UK licensed sites.
Author: Ekaterina
20 . 03 . 2014 y.
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