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More Growth for Macau Gaming Sector in January

 Gamers in Macau kicked off 2014 by spending a lot of money, but not as much as was expected by economic analysts.

Revenue from gaming in Macau totalled US$3.6 million in January, which heralded a seven percent increase in growth. While seemingly a positive result, the growth was the lowest experienced by Macau’s gaming industry in 14 months.
It was also below estimates given by most analysts, which was between 11-15 percent for the month of January. There was little surprise in the lower-than-expected growth, however, as the Chinese New Year holiday period began at the end of January.
That led to a number of Chinese, who form the largest contingent of visiting gamers in Macau, choosing to stay at home ahead of the important holiday.
It was not all negative for Macau’s gaming sector, however. Poker went from strength to strength in the gaming enclave in the first month of the year, something evidenced by the popularity of last month’s Macau Poker Cup.
A record field of 995 players turned out to the Cup’s main event, known as the Red Dragon, which was won by Mongolian player Buyanjargal Bold. The field was substantially higher than the previous record field of 891 players that was set in January 2013.
While poker is not the largest gaming stream in Macau, it likely made a significant contribution to overall gaming revenue due, in part, to the popularity of the Macau Poker Cup.
It is likely that the next few months will yield greater revenues for gaming in Macau, which will need to happen if it is to see growth in its yearly revenue. That will not be an easy task since total gaming revenue for 2013 was $45 billion and China’s economy is currently experiencing a slowdown.
However, Macau’s ever-growing reputation and popularity as a global gambling centre could help make this year an even stronger one for Macau’s gaming sector.
Author: Ekaterina
10 . 02 . 2014 y.
Netherlands Regulator Fines Mansion and ONISAC €150k

 The Dutch Kansspelautoriteit (DGA) has fined Mansion Online Casino Limited and ONISAC Limited €150k for the activities of their Casino.com site in targeting the Dutch market.

The fine was levied in November, but the companies complained to a court in the Hague were granted a temporary injunction. The injunction was lifted on February 4 and the fines have now been published. The companies have the right of appeal.
The DGA gives as background: “Offering (online) gambling without a license in possession is prohibited in the Netherlands.” New laws which will regulate online gaming are expected to be implemented in 2015.
An appeal on the grounds that the current Dutch laws breach European Treaties may be backed by substantial legal argument.
Mansion operates MansionPoker as a skin on the iPoker network. It has five gaming brands, including Casino.com which it acquired in 2007. The company sponsored the Poker Dome Challenge, 26 episodes of which were broadcast by the Fox Network in the US and internationally.
Between 2005 and 2010 Mansion was the official sponsors of Tottenham Hotspur, one of the biggest European football brands.
Author: Ekaterina
07 . 02 . 2014 y.
Senior Citizen Turns to Fraud to Satisfy Penchant for Online Poker

 A 74-year-old highly-respected former school teacher and part-time accountant entered a guilty plea in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, admitting to pilfering money via his position as an accountant at Eddie Rockets in order to fund his online poker play.

While employed by the fast food chain, John Carlos altered cheque amounts and forged signatures from 2005 and 2008 to the tune of €135,000, depositing the ill-gotten gains at Paddy Power Poker. His addiction to poker on the virtual felt apparently developed in his sixties following a successful career teaching school children, the Irish Independent reported.
A resident of Galway, Carlos's misdeeds caught up with him in 2008 when his employer, Eddie Rockets franchise owner Peter Fortune, received a letter from government offices requesting a tax audit. An independent accounting firm hired by Fortune to unearth bookkeeping discrepancies discovered the suspicious cheque activity perpetrated by Carlos.
Carlos' guilty plea comes on the heels of an armed robbery charge levied against a senior citizen in the U.S. about three weeks ago for attempting to hold up a bank in order to make up for losses playing poker and betting on horses. John A. Dougherty, 73, faces nine counts related to a failed bank robbery in Florida in January.
Carlos will be sentenced on June 5.
Author: Ekaterina
07 . 02 . 2014 y.
Timing Out in Tournaments: PokerStars Clarifies Policy

 A PokerStars spokesperson has responded in a long-running thread regarding their policy on players repeatedly timing out in tournaments.

The thread was started last month by a high-volume tournament player who posted an email he received from support which states “punitive measures will be introduced, up to and including a loss of playing privileges,” if the player continues to stall during the tournament.
It spawned a 500-post heated debate among players discussing issues of legitimate timing out vs. strategic stalling, and maintaining good “game quality” for recreational players.
Twenty days after the thread was created, PokerStars representative Steve Day clarified the poker room’s position and hinted that there was no policy in place to punish players slow to act.
“It is not current PokerStars policy to take action against players who are regularly acting slowly at tournament tables. I sat down with the lead of our poker specialists team to review the topics discussed in this thread and ensure future support responses are aligned with current policy,” he wrote.
However, it was conceded that if players did continue to use stalling as a strategic play to maximise winrate, without concern for the overall detriment to game quality for other players, then new policies may be introduced.
“If current game conditions are such that optimal immediate financial results are achieved by behavior that is disruptive to the overall playing conditions on the site, and players do not choose to moderate their behavior for the greater long term good of the poker environment, then we at PokerStars will need to change the playing environment through policy/rules change and effective rule enforcement,” he cautioned.
Author: Ekaterina
06 . 02 . 2014 y.
Tracking Software Comes to New Jersey

 PokerTracker 4, a hand tracking database tool, has announced that it has added support for the regulated New Jersey market.

The updated software will now automatically detect Borgata Poker and partypoker clients, the two skins on the PartyPoker New Jersey network, using the Setup Assistant tools.
Players can track their results and use heads up displays overlayed onto their tables. Omaha and Hold’em games in cash and tournament format are supported.
The press release also announces that the tool “is compliant with the regulatory framework provided by the New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).”
Prior to the update players were able to change partypoker settings to save hand histories locally and use the software. The update automates the process and makes it available to players unaware of the workaround.
Competitor Hold’em Manager 2 has not officially announced New Jersey support, but their rep on 2+2 pointed out that “both HM1 and HM2 will work if properly configured since they use the same software as the other party skins. If you previously played on another party skin you will need to use the Table Finder to get the HUD started the first time.”
Author: Ekaterina
06 . 02 . 2014 y.
Online Gaming Coalition Promotes Consumer Protection and States Rights

 A new organization to promote the political position of online gaming proponents is set to begin its campaign against those that seek to ban the activity in the US.

Lead by a team of political pundits including former Congress members Mike Oxley (R-OH) and Mary Bono (R-CA), the Coalition for Consumer and Online Protection (C4COP) will advocate for the regulation of online gaming to protect consumers from the pitfalls of unregulated igaming and the erosion of liberty that would accompany an igaming prohibition.
C4COP argues that the use of technology and regulation to protect consumers will be far more effective than outlawing the popular activity which would result in an increased risk as consumers seek out black market alternatives.
“Millions of Americans are currently engaged in online gaming. A congressional ban would essentially ensure they are playing on an unsafe black market without the strong consumer protections that all Americans deserve,” Oxley stated in a press release.
“Congress can neither legislate the Internet away, nor consumer demand for online products. We need to do all we can to make sure that the Internet is a safe place for businesses, consumers, families and children,” Bono added.
C4COP is tasked with neutralizing the efforts of igaming opponents and educating the general public on the advantages of regulating internet gaming in the US.
The group will spend $250,000 disseminating its message to consumers and lawmakers over the coming weeks according to a report in Politico.
Sheldon Adelson, billionaire CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. and staunch online gaming opponent, began a lobbying group to establish a prohibition on online gaming. The Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling (CSIG) has created a media blitz of its own making no secret of the fact it intends to combat proposed online gaming legislation on the state level as well as pursue a ban of igaming on the federal level, even though three states have already regulated and launched online gaming within their borders.
C4COP points out that not only have Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey spent valuable resources implementing online gaming in their states, but several other states have also initiated online lottery sales and removing the revenue generated from those programs could adversely impact “essential public services such as education and health care.”
Author: Ekaterina
06 . 02 . 2014 y.
Italian Senate Votes to Ban Poker Advertisements

 The Italian Senate has passed an amendment to a government finance bill that will ban radio and television gambling advertising. The amendment means that the bill now returns to the Italian House of Representatives for a third reading.

The ban was proposed by Socialist Party Senator Riccardo Nencini, who triumphantly announced: “The government expressed itself in opposition during the debate, then… changed its mind and shared our arguments.” He continued: “It’s a success for the whole socialist delegation, a battle began in the House by Marco Di Lello and continued and won in the Senate. A direct shot at interest groups.”
In line with other European socialist parties, the Italian party opposes gambling advertising on the grounds that it “induces compulsive behaviors” and contravenes EU rules on the protection of minors. The Spanish Socialist Party has recently proposed several anti-gambling measures in Spain.
Online poker in Italy has been in decline almost since regulation was introduced. Should the proposed ban be implemented, it may further deter the possibility of growth.
Author: Ekaterina
06 . 02 . 2014 y.
Unauthorized Messages on Merge Skin Promotes Bitcoin Scam

 Messages sent out to players on PokerHost, a skin on the Merge Gaming Network, attempted to trick players into sending money to a Bitcoin address to make a deposit.

The message, using the software’s built-in messaging system that is delivered through a system tray popup, told players to “add ballance [sic] by Bitcoin and take a 25% discount.”
Players were instructed to contact a gmail.com address for further details.
Unlike other US-facing sites, most notably its primary competitor WPN, Merge Gaming does not support Bitcoin deposits. The messages were an apparent attempt to scam players to send Bitcoin money to the perpetrator’s address.
A statement from the network sent to players reads: “Merge does not manage cashier or processing services to licensees. No Merge licensee offers Bitcoin. These table messages were unauthorized and Merge has the isolated incident fully contained,”
It is not clear if the issue affected other skins on the network. Pokerfuse has confirmed that players on flagship Carbon Poker were unaffected. The are no known reports of anyone falling for the scam.
There has been no public comment as to how the scammers were able to compromise the system and send such internal system messages.
Author: Ekaterina
05 . 02 . 2014 y.
Former Full Tilt Affiliates Can Claim Rakeback Payments as Part of Their Remmissions

 The Garden City Group provided further clarification regarding the status of rakeback for players identified as affiliates by Full Tilt Poker on Tuesday.

The claims administrator, as instructed by the US Department of Justice, will consider rakeback payments made to players classified as affiliates as part of the recoverable balance.
Following the announcement last week that the GCG had emailed affiliates credentials required to file a remission claim, players discovered that in some cases rakeback payments were being treated as affiliate payments which are not eligible for recovery under the terms set forth by the DOJ.
Players were quick to bring this discrepancy to light, and within days the GCG has modified its stance.
However, if the rakeback payments were not properly labeled as such by Full Tilt Poker, which appears to be the case for rakeback payments made prior to July 2010, players will have to dispute the balance as calculated by the GCG and provide “an explanation differentiating rakeback from Affiliate revenue.”
The deadline for affiliates to submit a petition for remission is March 2, 2014.
The GCG is still in the process of reviewing the circumstances surrounding the accounts of former Pros. An announcement regarding the review is expected in the coming weeks after which any Pros deemed eligible will have 30 days to file their petitions.
Author: Ekaterina
05 . 02 . 2014 y.
ARJEL Combats Gray Market Operators With TV Campaign

 France has stepped up its campaign against gray market gambling operators by airing a TV commercial exposing players’ vulnerability when they leave regulator ARJEL’s protective embrace.

The French system allows operators regulated in France to offer online poker to players in other countries, but it does not allow French players to play online poker other than on sites regulated by ARJEL.
High taxes, which take 2% from every cash game pot whether there is a flop or not, provide an incentive for non-French regulated sites to target players who want to play cheaper poker.
The gray market makes it even tougher for regulated operators to make a profit, and obviously reduces the tax take for the government. The same problem is evident in Sweden which operates a similarly restrictive regulatory regime.
CEO Lennart Käll of Swedish monopoly Svenska Spel wryly commented on the easy availability of advertising from gray market operators last year: “Foreign gambling advertising—now at a bus stop near you.”
ARJEL’s retort to the gray market might best be described as: “Naked gamblers—now at a TV channel near you.”
ARJEL’s advertisement, below, uses naked men clutching sports equipment to cover their “equipment” in public places to symbolize the lack of protection it alleges players have when playing on non-ARJEL sites.
Other measures such as domain name blacklists have had little success in curbing the gray market. In Europe EU treaties permit them to trade anywhere within the EU and that restrictions such as those in France and Sweden are argued to be illegal.
Perhaps the humor of this campaign will encourage players to think more kindly of ARJEL and its regulated sites.
Author: Ekaterina
04 . 02 . 2014 y.
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