Poker Legislation News
Following the announcement of the decision last week by the U. S. Department of Justice that the Wire Act of 1961 did not apply to online gaming and poker, many in the poker community trumpeted the clarification of policy. That initial positive response, however, has been tempered over the past week as some of the… Read more »
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the million member poker advocacy non-profit organization known for its lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill, released a statement late last week applauding the U.S. Department of Justice’s ruling that online poker does not violate the Wire Act of 1961. While the Fifth District Court determined that the Wire Act only… Read more »
It was expected to be a formality, and it was. In a unanimous 4-0 vote Thursday, the Nevada Gaming Commission approved Regulation 5A, which sets the rules for intrastate online poker, including operator licensing requirements. As it stands now, any operator who obtains an online poker license will be restricted to offering games to customers… Read more »
In a surprise move by the federal government, the U. S. Department of Justice has clarified its stance on internet gaming that could open the doors for intrastate poker to become a reality in the United States. The legal opinion was issued by the DoJ on Friday, but the original decision was made back in… Read more »
According to a report by the Associated Press, Brent Beckley, co-founder of the online poker room Absolute Poker, pleaded guilty Tuesday to the criminal charge of Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud. The charge was one of nine listed in the indictment of a total of eleven principals and financial intermediaries of Absolute Poker,… Read more »
According to a highly respected financial magazine, there is a battle brewing in Europe between one of the member European Union countries and a top player in the online gaming and poker industries regarding proposed regulations for the nation. In an article on the Financial Times website written by James Wilson on November 30, the… Read more »
Online poker’s top ally in the halls of Congress, Representative Barney Frank (D – Mass.) announced Monday that he will not seek re-election in 2012. He has served the people of the Massachusetts 4th Congressional District since 1981 and was the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee from 2007 through 2011, a committee on… Read more »
The website VegasInc.com reported yesterday that the Nevada State Gaming Control Board (GCB) will begin accepting online poker licensing applications in February. The announcement was made by GCB Chairman Mark Lipparelli at the U.S. Online Gaming Law conference last week at the Aria casino in Las Vegas. Any licenses issued would permit operators to only… Read more »
Late this week, two prominent members of the gaming community – one of the top gaming lawyers in the United States and the CEO of one of the major players in the worldwide casino industry – offered differing opinions on the future of legislation that would bring a regulated online poker industry to American players.… Read more »
After a fairly positive hearing at the end of October, a House of Representatives subcommittee will meet again next week to discuss online gambling and poker and any potential legislation. The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade and its chairperson, Rep. Mary Bono-Mack of California, have scheduled more hearings on the issue of internet… Read more »
2004 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Greg Raymer was in a Virginia courtroom on Tuesday, testifying in what would eventually be a failed attempt to overturn laws in Portsmouth, VA, and across the state that make poker “halls” illegal. According to an article by Dave Forster in The Virginian-Pilot, the lawsuit concerned Charles… Read more »
On Tuesday, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a hearing on online gambling entitled “Internet Gaming: Is There a Safe Bet?” The purpose of the hearing was to discuss the state of online gambling in the United States and the concerns (as well as solutions for those… Read more »
We poker players have been shouting to the heavens about our desire to see internet poker become officially recognized as a legal pastime in the United States and for the federal government to establish regulations so that players can be protected. And while many individual voices have been heard, it is nice to see louder,… Read more »
According to an article by Howard Stutz in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley wrote a letter to Senator Patty Murray (D – Wash.) and Representative Jeb Hensarling (R – Texas), co-chairs of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, urging them to remove the legalization and regulation of online poker from consideration… Read more »
Giving a glimmer of hope to the potential revival of significant online poker operations in the United States, a House of Representatives subcommittee is set to hold a hearing next week regarding the legalization and regulation of the online gambling industry, including poker, in the U. S. The hearing will take place in front of… Read more »
The Nevada Gaming Control Board held a public regulatory workshop on Monday to field questions and possible revisions to the new Regulation 5A, which lays out the framework for online gambling in the state. According to several reports, the hearing went extremely smoothly, as attorneys, former regulators, and officials from gaming companies raised few concerns… Read more »
United States District Court Judge Leonard B. Sand of the Southern District of New York signed a warrant last week, authorizing the seizure of assets belonging to the Full Tilt Poker principals named in the amended civil complaint against the once high flying online poker room. The warrant, signed September 19th, authorizes the seizure of… Read more »
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced Tuesday that a motion has been filed to amend the civil money laundering complaint against PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and related payment processors (the Black Friday civil complaint). The amendment adds three Full Tilt Poker principals – Howard Lederer,… Read more »
Adding on to its list of major players in its organization, the poker advocacy group Fair Play USA announced that a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director has joined its Board of Advisors. In a press conference on Thursday, Fair Play USA announced that former FBI director Louis Freeh had joined the organization and… Read more »
With “Black Friday” taking many of the popular online poker offerings away from American poker players, the small “home game” has become a viable alternative to grinding away in front of a computer. In the state of Indiana, the gaming commission has vowed to not target those home games, instead concentrating on large scale gambling… Read more »
In a “Stipulation and Order” document filed this past Friday, September 2nd, in the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), has agreed to release an unspecified amount of previously seized funds back to PokerStars. The funds were seized as part of the $3 billion… Read more »
The proposed launch of the District of Columbia’s intrastate online poker operation may be delayed or even discontinued after three city council members called for a re-examination of the plan. A story in the Washington Post by journalist Jeffrey Anderson reveals that the three D. C. city council members – Ward 2 Democrat Jack Evans,… Read more »
This has certainly been an interesting week for intrastate poker. Phil Hellmuth has commented on Washington D.C.’s plans for district-only online gaming, California shelved its intrastate bill until early next year, and now the Nevada Gaming Control Board has released its first draft of regulations for intrastate “interactive gaming.” New Regulation 5A lays out the… Read more »
Despite widespread support, it appears that intrastate online poker will not be legalized and regulated in California this year. It still seems, however, that it is a matter or “when” and not “if” for online poker in the Golden State. In a letter to stakeholders, including Native American tribes and card rooms, California Senate President… Read more »
In an interview with the Washington Post, Phil Hellmuth expressed the cynicism that many other poker players share about intrastate online poker. Specifically discussing the District of Columbia’s plans for legal online poker, Hellmuth said he just does not see it working. In late 2010, the Washington, D.C. city council approved a budget which would… Read more »
