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Bwin.Party Stocks Rise Amid Split Speculation

 Bwin.party saw almost a 4% rise in share prices following a rumor that the company would split its holdings between regulated markets and those operating in areas where online gambling regulation is considered "grey," the Financial Times reported.

Though this has yet to be confirmed by company representatives, some credence must be given to the speculation considering that bwin is preparing to enter the U.S. market via its partnership with Boyd Gaming and MGM in New Jersey. State gaming regulators are likely to scrutinize all facets of bwin's operation and a company spin-off distancing itself somewhat from the unregulated side of its endeavors may be looked upon more favorably.
Just three months ago, Bwin.party made a move toward focusing on regulated markets by announcing that no new signups would be entertained from 18 European countries that were categorized as grey markets. A complete pull-out from those regions was not on the agenda, as players who had signed up previously were allowed to continue playing at PartyPoker.
Bwin.party CEO Norbert Teufelberger stated in March that the company's New Jersey partnership that will run online gaming via the Borgata casino has the chance to grab a huge market share in the state. Bwin.party's first quarter results for 2013 were not encouraging and the company hopes that brighter days are ahead in a regulated U.S. online gambling market. Yesterday's stock increase was a step in the right direction.
Author: Ekaterina
02 . 08 . 2013 y.
Greek Government Leaks Blacklist of Online Gaming Sites

 Greece is setting up a blacklist of banned online gaming sites and gaming providers.  A thread on 2+2 showed a leaked list of banned online gaming sites.  This list was put on a Greek government site for a short amount of time before it was removed.. The speculation is that this list will be posted once more and be made official.  The list contains 402 sites ranging from blogs, to actual poker and gaming sites.  Notable sites not actually on the leaked list include: Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, and 2+2.  Not as lucky though is PokerStarsblog.net, which is even more confusing considering its mother site wasn’t included on the list.

What makes this even more concerning is the Greek government is going to try to get ISPs to block these sites as well.  It’s still unclear if any of the ISPs will comply, and it will probably be a while until anything official is said by those companies because this information is still in the leaked stage and not official yet.  Even when this information does become official, expecting any kind of quick movement by these private companies is not something that should be expected. 
This is just the lastest chapter in the Europeans movement on poker.  The movement and regulation of poker has been going at different speeds in different countries.  Interstate poker is banned in Spain, France and Italy, and is not legal in Germany and Belgium.  The Nordic countries also have many restrictive tax laws that make it problematic to play on some sites, especially those that are not registered in a European Union country.  Other countries also have laws that restrict gaming in one way or another, but those countries are the most restrictive in general. Luckily for poker it has found a niche that is carved out in many countries and has enjoyed great success in many of the countries where they have a government that overall looks down on gaming.
There is also fear that the United Kingdom is going to jump on poker regulation next, because they want a piece of the pie.  This is still in the beginning stages of happening though, and any major moves by the government are expected to take some time to take effect.   Considering this, it’s not something that grinders in the United Kingdom should be super scared about.  Making your voice heard is still going ot be important though, and not getting involved can cause something to happen like what has happened in so many countries already.
Poker on a global scale though is getting squeezed in different spots.  Pokerupdate ran an article a bit ago that talked about the Australian government removing all mobile poker clients from its app stores, and everyone is more than familiar with what has happened in the United States with black Friday.  Asian and South American countries have always had a tenuous relationship with online games, and that is another hot bed that has to be approached with care.  This of course is better than how Middle Eastern countries feel about online poker, and gambling in a more general sense.
Not all of these crackdowns are bad for the players though, as poker becomes more regulated and must become more responsible, so must the sites and how they deal with players.  If some regulation can help avoid another Microgaming, Full Tilt, or Lock Poker, there are bright spots to be taken from all of this.  Additionally, with strong regulating bodies overseeing sites, less players have to worry about being treated unfairly, because there will be proper enforcement and agencies to oversee activities.  One of the things that many people have pointed out regarding many of the scandals is there is no legal jurisdiction in which to pursue these case of negligence,, discrimination and outright theft.  It is not something that many players really think about though, as they just see the game that they love being squeezed by overzealous governments.
This move shouldn’t be exceptionally surprising for anyone following global politics though.  Greece has a very high unemployment rate and has been running into many financial problems for the last couple of years that have crippled the country.  Anything the government can do to collect more taxes, avoid having money leave the country, and putting up the appearance of doing something is going to be well within their playbook, and it’s perhaps more surprising that this hasn’t happened sooner.  Greece has long since forgotten what the people want, and in reality, the people they have to appeal to most are actually other countries that hold the purse strings, or in Greece’s case, the loans.
This blacklist might change as they realize they missed sites, or it could just be made official and then left alone for months or even years.  What actually happens from this point forward is going to be something that needs to be monitored and could have an impact on other countries that are on the fence about what role poker should play in their society.  Check back here for updates to the story as things develop. 
Author: Ekaterina
02 . 08 . 2013 y.
U.S. Regulation News: New Jersey, Michigan, and FTP

 The United States Legal sphere has been busy lately with poker stories coming out.  Some of them are good, and some of them are not quite as good.  We are going to cover all the news here though so you can be up to date on where things stand in Online Poker in the United States.

New Jersey Receives 37 Timely Applications for Regulated Online Poker
Diamondflushpoker.com reports that the New Jersey Gaming Commission has received 37 timely applications to offer regulated online poker within the states borders.  The official date was this past Monday, and most of the major players got their applications in as to be considered for approval and being able to open on the first day possible, which is going to be sometimes in early November. 
This does not mean that there will be 37 different sites operating, because each party in an operation must turn in an application to be considered. As PokerXanadu on 2+2 explains, Caesars Entertainment, WSOP.com, and 888 must all put in an application for the site to be approved and made functional.  So getting to the 37 isn’t near as outlandish as it sounds when you consider all the processors that also applied and other behind the scenes parties that players do not normally think about.
The only site that was really surprising with no application was PokerStars.  They had initially combined with Revel Poker Club, but a major falling out happened and they terminated their relationship.  This leaves PokerStars with no land based casino partner, which is needed to become regulated in New Jersey. On a similar note Revel Poker Room also didn’t apply for a license and has announced that it is going to close no later than August 15th, as covered on PokerUpdate.com.
Michigan Clamps Down on Charity Poker Rooms
According to reports by MLive Michigan has passed new regulations delivering a huge blow to the charity poker rooms which are exceptionally popular in Michigan.  The new regulations state that a room may only have relationships with 3 charities at a time, must be closed by 12 am, and also must limit themselves to $45,000 in chip sales.  These are all significantly more strict rules than what had been in place previously.
Currently there are 45 of these rooms in Michigan that raise over $15 million a year for different charities.  The way the operation works is by taking out a portion of the prize pool to pay staff, the poker room and the charity.  The amount taken out is normally around 10%, with a very small percentage going to the rooms and staff and a majority of the money going to the charity.
The major casinos in Detroit are being looked at for pushing for these regulations, and the Governor is being blamed for caving to the pressure.  Many parties are unhappy about this on many different fronts.  People will need to be fired or have their hours reduced, places will have to be closed, and significantly less money is going to be going to charities.  The only bright spot here is if you support major casinos and want to see the games get bigger at them.
PPA Looking to Pressure Congress to Help with Full Tilt Remission Process
The PPA is once again looking to rally the troops to pressure congress to help the remission process for funds from Full Tilt Poker.  There is a letter posted on 2+2 that you can send your elected official if you would like to make your voice heard about your unhappiness with the speed in which the process has been moving, or the lack of speed in which absolutely everything with this process has not been moving.  There is also a letter that you can send if you want to try to help a friend receive their funds faster as well.
This is a welcomed move by the United State poker community as a whole, and the fact that the PPA is taking the initiate with it means that there is the potential for some serious movement to actually be made.  It is hard to organize players many times and even harder to get them to all work together for a common goal.  Very little information has been released about the remission process and players are starting to get very restless after the DOJ handed the money over to the Garden City Group many months ago.  Any pressure that can be put on this company is sure to help the process at least a little bit and using the government’s power could go a long way.
So whether you are someone who has money locked up on FTP, or you know someone who does, sending a letter and quick and easy and can make a world of difference.
Author: Ekaterina
02 . 08 . 2013 y.
Atlantic City's Revel Poker Room to Close

 'As one door closes, another one opens,' is a term most frequently associated with life's opportunities as perhaps orchestrated by a higher power. With regards to poker-playing opportunities, the term comes into play in the state of New Jersey where the Revel casino has announced that its live poker room will be shutting down by mid-August.

Though poker players who frequent the poker room at the financially struggling Atlantic City gaming establishment will have to find another place to play live poker, their wait won't be long if they are so inclined to transition to online poker. New Jersey regulators anticipate the virtual doors of online poker and gambling sites to open by November 26.
The Revel announced the closing via a 2 + 2 post by Revel poker room representative "Frankie518." The closing is scheduled for August 15, but it could happen sooner if all the funds currently sitting in the Poker Promotional Fund and Bad Beat Jackpot (BBJ) become exhausted beforehand.
Over $200,000 is available in the BBJ and the new qualifying hand needed to win the jackpot is a full house with Aces full of Jacks. Hole cards must be either pocket Jacks or pocket Aces to be eligible. If no BBJ player manages to hit the jackpot at that qualifying hand, the Revel may lower the requirements even further on a weekly basis.
Those who happen to be in the Atlantic City area may want to take a seat in the poker room as a High Hand Bonus of $500 will be awarded every hour. That promo will be ongoing until about $112,000 in cash currently remaining in the Poker Promotional Fund has been doled out to lucky winners. Any money remaining from either fund on August 15 will be awarded via a drawing.
Players receiving rake back are advised to pick up their cash for July as soon as possible after the close of play on July 31.
Meanwhile, the Garden State's online gambling regime is on schedule to launch around Thanksgiving. Yesterday was the deadline to submit online gaming license applications to state regulators in order to be investigated properly prior to the late November launch.
Several applications were received just prior to the deadline from the likes of 2UP Gaming, MGT Capital Investments, and KGM Gaming. The Division of Gaming Enforcement has not made a complete list of applicants available for public inspection as of this writing.
Companies who would like to be providers to the state's 12 land-based casinos can still apply, but their ability to be included in the November launch will be in jeopardy. The dozen Atlantic City casinos all plan on entering the online poker and gambling space in the Garden State. Two of the 12, Atlantic Club and Revel, have not yet named partners who will provide Internet gaming software and/or other services.
The Atlantic Club won't be naming PokerStars as a partner, as bad blood developed between the two following a legal mess in which the Atlantic Club kept $11 million of PokerStars' money after an acquisition agreement was nullified by the casino owners due to a contractual technicality.
The Revel is believed to be in dire financial straits and may be on the shopping block along with the Atlantic Club. Don't be surprised if one or both change ownership hands in coming months.
Author: Ekaterina
01 . 08 . 2013 y.
Poker Returns to TV in America with “Poker Night in America”

 Poker is finally returning to American television in early 2014.  Todd Anderson co-founder of the heartland Poker Tour is teaming with Nolan Dalla, World Series of Poker Media Director and Rush Street Productions to create Poker Night in America.  Filming will commence in September and will culminate in a release in 2014 on a channel yet to be announced.

Poker Night in America (PNA) will take a completely different approach to broadcasting poker on American television by filming and focusing on interesting storylines and players in the tournaments.  This focus is a break from the normal focus on the play and only cursory attention paid to the actual humans and stories surrounding the game, which there are plenty of.  The reason they are trying this approach is because Mr. Anderson thinks that viewers will be more willing to watch if you aren’t just telling the same boring stories every week.  He also hopes that people will develop a relationship of sorts with the characters that are covered, and this should bring viewers back on a weekly basis, but also hopefully reignite some of the magic that was seen when Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 Main Event setting off the first poker boom.
This will be a return for non-WSOP poker shows on American television, and could represent a new beginning with a completely different dimension being focused on that viewers have expressed interest in.  Some of the most popular parts of High Stakes Poker and WSOP coverage have been the human interest stories or table-banter amongst players.  If PNA really does focus on this it has potential to be something very different and very promising for poker TV in America.  Also, by including Nolan Dalla as a consultant Mr. Anderson shows good decision making in whom to include on the show to get the best ratings and make the best product.
Todd Anderson is no beginner himself in the poker world.  As co-founder of the Heartland Poker Tour he took the upstart tour and turned it into a well-respected brand that really connected with the common player.  Stopping in smaller areas with more attainable buy-ins players really took to the idea and with the chance to play with some of the world’s biggest names only enhanced this experience.  Before the HPT was bought at auction, following the Epic Poker scandal, it had a strong following and really showed that smaller events can drive interest.
This show appears to be going along with this same thought process as the first event they are going to be really focusing on Empire State Championships at Turning Stone Casino in New York.  This is a $1,650 buy-in and now that people know there will be a chance to be on TV it should be a huge field and should include a few of the really interesting characters that they are really looking to focus on.  The small buy-in though ensures that you will get some better stories, and maybe not the best poker, which seems to be a want and desire for them.
Rush Street productions will film four more events the rest of the year, but those stops have not been announced yet.  With the teaming of Dalla though WSOPC stops open up, because they offer the lower buy-ins at more remote locations that the show appears to really be targeting.  After that, anything else would be pure speculation, but considering the falling out that happened with the HPT, I wouldn’t expect one of the stops to be filmed to be a HPT event.
With Eli Elezra hinting at a High Stakes Poker return sometime next year, it’s really good of PNA to get the word out early and secure the TV deal so that they can get back into the poker TV market first and maybe take some fans, or create completely new fans.  Either way, this venture is sure to be interesting, and with potential upside of changing the way Americans watch poker, this story is sure to change and develop as we see the actual product on TV.
Author: Ekaterina
01 . 08 . 2013 y.
Caesars Entertainment Q2 Casino Revenues Fall

 Casino revenues for Casesar’s Entertainment have declined in the second quarter of this year, according to figures that have been released by the company.

Total casino revenues totalled $116.8 million in the second quarter, which represented a decrease of 7.5 per cent year on year. However, the decrease was largely offset by increases in non-gaming revenues along with lower promotional allowances, which helped result in a total net revenue decline of 0.3 per cent year on year.
The figures also stated that Caesars Entertainment bought back approximately $275 million face value of debt in the second quarter and currently maintains $1.9 billion in liquidity.
President and CEO of Caesars Entertainment Gary Loveman said that the company was not overly bothered by the less than stellar second quarter results. Mr Loveman also believed that the company would fare much better in future quarters due to less testing conditions that should arise for the company.
"While challenging conditions in the gaming industry impacted our gaming revenues during the second quarter, we are beginning to observe positive underlying trends resulting directly from the investments we've made to enhance our hospitality footprint, particularly in Las Vegas," he said. “Our performance also reflects our focus on managing operating expenses without sacrificing service."
"We are excited about our prospects in 2014 and beyond, particularly in light of the improving economic conditions and consumer sentiment, favorable underlying business trends and projects that are scheduled to come online."
The company is known in the poker world as the owner of the World Series Of Poker (WSOP), which was recently held in Las Vegas. The success of this year’s WSOP may help its total net revenue in the third quarter of 2013, but will likely not be enough to make a huge difference to the company's total casino revenue.
Caesar’s Entertainment has also previously outlined its intention to release a WSOP-branded real money online poker service in Nevada, capitalising on the recently established online poker industry there. While such a service has not yet been released, the company is still adamant that it will launch a real money service in the future.
That would also gain more revenue for the company as it will certainly attract players in an industry where Ultimate Poker is currently the only player. While it would attract some revenue, Nevada’s small size will mean the future service will also not attract enough revenue to make a huge difference to Caesars Entertainment bottom line in the future.
Author: Ekaterina
31 . 07 . 2013 y.
Ho Invests in Vladivostok Casino Market

 Japan has been in the news in recent months due to a major push to legalise casinos and gaming in the east Asian nation. There is the potential for legislation for the legalisation and regulation to go through in the country later this year, but if it fails, one group who likely won’t be complaining are the people of Vladivostok.

Vladivostok is a major city in the far East of Russia. It’s cold, it’s far-flung and it’s run by a Prime Minister in a capital city that is over 9,200 kilometres away. It is also one of just four areas in the largest country in the world to be given the status of an Integrated Entertainment Zone, which allows legalised casinos and gaming to take place.
The status has led to a boost in the building of casinos in the area, with the area’s business potential gaining interest from major global casino figures. The latest of those figures to show interest is Macau’s Lawrence Ho, better known as the son of casino mogul Stanley Ho.
The younger Ho, a casino businessman in his own right, has announced that his two companies will purchase a 51 percent stake in a business building two casino resorts in the area for $630 million. Compared to many of Ho’s casino investments in Macau, the deal is quite small, but is set to make him a major player in the emerging casino market in the Russian city.
Vladivostok sits on the Sea of Japan and is less than 100 kilometres from China’s north eastern borders. A casino and gaming industry in the city and the region surrounding it is likely to eventually gain interest from Chinese in the north of the country, where major cities such as Harbin, Changchun and Shenyang are located.
It is also only two and a half hours flight from the capital Beijing, which would make it an attractive destination for those who live in the capital of the 1.3 billion people country. Vladivostok also has direct flights to South Korea’s capital Seoul, which would make it an attractive option for South Korean tourists and gamers.
Failure of any push to legalise and regulate casinos and gaming in Japan would also make the Vladivostok market attractive to the Japanese, as Japan as in close proximity to the city. That would also significantly boost any casino market that emerges in the Russian city, with many of the Japan’s 126 million population being a significant target for the Vladivostok casino industry.
That could likely make Mr Ho the first of many big name casino owners to have a stake in the new market.
Author: Ekaterina
31 . 07 . 2013 y.
Poker Boom in Eastern Europe?

 The Eureka Poker Tour Bulgaria Main Event is currently in full swing, with that tournament attracting a record turnout for that event. All in all, 407 players took to the felt, which beat the previous record of 307 players who participated in the last season.

In that event, the bulk of the field consists of poker pros from all over Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Macedonia.  The growing player field from a broad spectrum of the region is the latest sign in what looks to be a strong growth of poker in the eastern part of Europe.
Eastern European poker players also had a great degree of success at this year’s World Series of Poker. Bulgaria’s Simeon Naydenov, Hungary’s Norbrt Szecsi and Russian Vladimir Shchemelev all won Gold Bracelet’s at this year’s WSOP. Eighteen players from a number of countries in the region, including Naydenov and Shchemelev also made final tables in tournaments at this year’s series.
The success of Eastern European players at the WSOP was overshadowed by the stellar performance of Canadians at the event, as well as by the number of women who won Gold Bracelets. Despite this, the strong showing of Eastern Europeans shows that the standard of poker from that part of the world is as solid as it has ever been and continues to grow.
The last completed leg of the Eureka Poker Tour, Croatia, also appeared to be indicative of a potential poker boom in that part of the world. The Main Event of that leg, which took place in May in the resort town of Dubrovnik, attracted 283 players from the region, with Hungarian Achilles Bozso reigning supreme.
That was over one hundred more players than the 178 who turned out for season two’s Eureka Poker Tour Croatia event in April last year. While 283 is certainly a fairly small number compared to other professional events, the major growth in participants in that event helps show that poker has no signs of slowing sign in Eastern Europe.
Times in the eastern part of Europe are right for a growth in poker right now. While the economies of Eastern European nations are not growing at a rate they were before the Global Financial Crisis, most countries seem to be recovering quite nicely.
Countries in the region also continue to open themselves up to the world more and more, which helps lead to an increase in poker’s exposure to Eastern Europe. While the popularity of poker seems to have stabilised in other parts of the world, recent signs point to a continuing surge in the former communist nations of Europe.
Increasing numbers of players are jumping at opportunities in the form of major poker events in their region and are using that success to search for poker glory in bigger, more established events all over the world. Poker is still very much in the developing stages in the region but, at this rate, Eastern Europe may soon be a hotbed for the world’s most dominant players.
Author: Ekaterina
30 . 07 . 2013 y.
Bwin.party Signs Sponsorship Deal With Anderlecht

 The major sponsorship deals keep coming in for PartyPoker’s owners, bwin.party. This time, the online gaming service has signed a deal to become the official online gaming and betting partner of Belgian football club RSC Anderlecht.

It comes a week after a similar deal was signed between bwin.party and Italian football giants Juventus, in a move that could boost the company's presence in the Italian market. The new deal with Anderlecht – Belgium’s most successful football club – aims to further increase the company’s reach in Belgium and Europe as a whole.
Besides the two aforementioned clubs, the company also has sponsorship deals with Manchester United in the UK, Bayern Munich in Germany and Real Madrid in Spain. This makes the Anderlecht deal the fifth bwin.party has signed with high level European football clubs.
The sponsorship package aims to put the company at the centre of Anderlecht’s promotional activities. Bwin.party is set to undertake a series of fan-based initiatives, integration into RSC Anderlecht’s digital and social platforms, the development of on and off-line co-branding, as well a number of other activities.
Bwin.party CEO Norbert Teufelberger said the latest sponsorship deal was one that would benefit bwin.party’s future business endeavours as well as the those of the 32-time Belgian football champions.
“RSC Anderlecht are a great addition to our elite club of European football partners which already includes the champions of England, Italy, Germany and Europe as well as Spain’s most decorated club,” he said. “We look forward to contributing to RSC Anderlecht’s success both on and off the field over the next few years.”
Mr Teufelberger’s sentiments were echoed by RSC Anderlecht President Roger Van den Stock, who said the deal helped to show football fans that Anderlecht was a top tier football club in its own right.
"The fact that bwin identifies with RSCA is a great honor for the club,” he said. “Bwin is often associated with prestigious top football clubs. We can line up with giants like Juventus, Manchester United, FC Bayern and Real Madrid. Bwin is more than a partner. The partnership is innovative.”
The sponsorship deal may help to give bwin.party a greater stake in a market that has blacklisted a number of online gaming companies over the last few months. As of early July, a total of 78 online gaming sites have been banned by the Belgium Gaming Commission, with sites like William Hill, 888, Betfair and bet365 all being on that list.
Bwin.party was itself banned from Belgium late last year, but has since been unbanned and has received a licence to operate in the European country. By directly aligning itself with the largest football club in a country that loves the sport, bwin.party could capitalise on that situation, which would boost its presence in Belgium.
 
Author: Ekaterina
30 . 07 . 2013 y.
Ladbrokes and Net Entertainment Announce Agreement

 It has been a big year for Ladbrokes so far, with the gaming company undoing a major restructure and announcing a number of new deals. The latest such deal is a partnership agreement between online gaming software develop Net Entertainment.

The agreement will see Net Entertainment supply Ladbrokes’ online gaming area with a number of online desktop and mobile games, which is set to include video poker. It is also believed that a number of video slot games, as well as table games will also be supplied by the company as part of the joint deal with Ladbrokes.
Net Entertainment GMO and MD Chief Bjorn Krantz said that an agreement with one of the biggest players in the gaming industry was a huge step forward for the company and was welcomed by all of those involved.
 “We are very happy that Ladbrokes has selected Net Entertainment as supplier for a selection of our best in class portfolio games to be distributed over their online market channels,” he said. “Ladbrokes is one of the most reputable operators in the UK, and we are confident that our content will be well received by Ladbroke’s player base.”
His sentiments were echoed by Ladbrokes eGaming Head of Product Richard Poole, who said the agreement with Net Entertainment was mutually beneficial, and would help Ladbrokes in its ambitions to become a bigger player in the online gaming market.  “We have made clear our pledge to work with best-of-breed suppliers and Net Entertainment certainly fits into this category,” he said.
Ladbrokes has made a number changes this year as it seeks to alter its business direction. In April, the company announced that it had hired William Hill’s Chief Operating Officer Jim Mullen to be Director of the Digital division of Ladbrokes, which includes its poker site, Ladbrokes Poker. The company also announced in May that it would be cutting 100 jobs from its London office as part of its shifting focus and goals in the gaming industry.
Ladbrokes Israel was also launched by the company in the city of Tel Aviv in the same month following an agreement it had signed with Playtech. Ladbrokes Israel contains the company’s digital division and has become a huge focus of the company as it aims to rebound from a major drop of profits it sustained in the first quarter of this year.
Author: Ekaterina
30 . 07 . 2013 y.
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