11.22.2008 02:20 PM Dutch Justice Minister Hirsch Ballin is trying to bully the country's bankers again, this time over his attempt to enforce a UIGEA-inspired initiative that involves the banks refusing to process financial transactions with online gambling companies. Ballin gave notice that the Ministry of Justice intended targeting financial institutions involved in 'illegal' financial transactions with unlicensed Internet gambling companies.
The Netherlands Bankers Association (NVB) fired back and formally advised Ballin that his plans were impossible to implement and unworkable in a practical sense. The NVB told the Minister that his plan to use Dutch financial institutions to police online poker and Internet gambling sites is neither practical nor legal, and that the role of policeman is not part of the banking industry's responsibilities.
11.21.2008 02:19 PM EverestPoker.com has announced the launch of the 3rd Everest Poker European Cup (EPEC), the largest Pan-European freeroll offering a blend of live qualifiers with online tournaments.
Over 27 live events will take place in 11 European countries from November to February and online qualifiers will take place at Everest Poker from February to April 2009 - all for free. Everest Poker’s flagship promotion will culminate in a three-day live final tournament in a secret location in May with a 100,000 Euro prize pool up for grabs.
The Everest Poker European Cup has been running for three years and is one of Europe’s most popular promotions for European poker enthusiasts. Thousands of Europeans have enjoyed Everest Poker’s exclusive events which allow players to try their hand at poker for free and experience the thrill of playing live during the final.
Go to Everest Poker for more information.
11.19.2008 12:52 PM
Party Poker, in a scramble to halt downward-spiraling revenues, has announced real money players from Malaysia and Thailand will now be accepted on the site. PartyPoker.com will not, however, be accepting any real money sign-ups or conversions on PartyBets.com and GameBookers.com.
PartyGaming reported flat quarterly revenues and a 15% decline in poker earnings, prompting their stock to slide as much as 10 percent in recent trading. The company blamed sites that still accept players from the U.S., such as PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, of luring Party Poker players away even though it was PartyGaming's decision to restrict players from the United States.
11.18.2008 05:27 PM Peak Group Malta, the parent company of Sun Poker, has announced that its online poker site will be moving to Playtech’s ever-expanding iPoker Network in the middle of December. Should they choose to, players will be able to remain on the CryptoLogic Network until January 31st, 2009. Players will have new accounts opened for them on the iPoker Network and will need to download the software in order to play. It will be necessary for players to transfer their balances over, but that can be accomplished directly within their accounts on Cryptologic.
MPPs will not be transferable to iPoker, but Sun Poker will be hosting special promotions after the move which will be based on the number MPP’s a player has accumulated on the Cryptologic network.
In 2007, iPoker integrated Tribeca into a network that now includes online poker rooms such as Expekt Poker, Titan Poker and VC Poker.
11.17.2008 03:17 PM Players trying to access T6 Poker last week were greeted with an unexpected notice on the online poker website that read:
Dear Players,
We have an important announcement to make. We will be changing network and will be offline for a short time period until we reopen on the new network. It was a hard decision, but by doing this we will have more players, which is important for you.
Please notice that all funds will be transfered and we are looking forward to see you at the tables again. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Meanwhile we are proud to announce that we are launching our new bingo and casino stay tuned for further information.
Best Regards
T6poker
T6 Poker is owned by Torben Hübertz, a 31-year-old Danish entrepreneur who was funding T6 through multi-level marketing scheme in which individuals investing would collectively share 63 percent of profits generated by rake.
It is not known at this point whether or not T6 will return, however, other sites such as Tropical Poker, used a similar ruse in order to allow the owners sufficient time to make a clean getaway, taking player's funds with them.
11.16.2008 12:05 PM The Court of Appeals of Kentucky has granted a motion to stay a forfeiture hearing for 141 Internet domain names. Kentucky Gov. Stephen Beshear had sought the seizure of the domain names, most related to Internet gambling, in order to protect the state’s own gambling industry from competition by online gambling sites.
The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA), an Internet trade association in Washington, DC, asked the appeals court to stay the forfeiture hearing ordered by district court Judge Thomas Wingate scheduled for Dec. 3rd, until the appeals court had an opportunity to consider iMEGA’s petition to have the lower court seizure ruling overturned. A hearing to consider that petition has been scheduled for Dec. 12th in Louisville.
“This matter has generated concerns across the online world about abuse of governmental power,” said Joe Brennan Jr., iMEGA’s chairman. “Kentucky is opening the door for any government - state and local, foreign and domestic - to use what amounts to blackmail to achieve its ends. If this precedent is allowed to stand, it’s not hard to imagine a government like China utilizing this kind of seizure power to prevent free media, like the New York Times, from reaching their citizens.”
11.14.2008 12:41 PM Several parties involved in the Kentucky domain name seizure case filed briefs yesterday in the Kentucky Court of Appeals, in opposition to the Franklin County Circuit Court’s October 16 ruling. The Court of Appeals is scheduled to review the case on Monday, November 17. Among those who filed briefs are the Kentucky office of the ACLU, Network Solutions, Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Democracy and Technology and the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).
The addition of the ACLU, along with some of the world’s most influential Internet freedom public interest groups, to the list of those in opposition to Kentucky’s action is further evidence of the far-reaching and potentially damaging implications this action could bring. The PPA filed its brief because they believe the court made a gross error in judgment when it ruled that the “essence” of the game of poker was chance. While the State offered no evidence to prove that chance is the essence of the game of poker, those representing the online poker industry and its players provided substantial evidence to the court showing poker to be a game of skill.
This evidence was apparently ignored by the court and the court failed to conduct an evidentiary hearing—a fundamental principle of legal due process. The judge simply ruled on the point of fact, without the state offering any facts contrary to the substantial evidence submitted by PPA. The issue of whether poker is a game of skill, and thus legal in Kentucky, has support in case law and in science.
In summary, the PPA believes that the Franklin County Circuit Court is proceeding quickly toward an incorrect decision that will be costly to the citizens of Kentucky and poker players across the country. The PPA has submitted this brief in support of the request that the Kentucky Court of Appeals prohibit the Franklin Circuit Court from further proceedings that will create irreparable harm to residents of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
11.13.2008 02:27 PM Due to recent events in the Commonwealth of Kentucky Cake Poker will no longer be accepting players from the state of Kentucky. There are no issues or restrictions regarding any other US states.
11.12.2008 02:16 PM There has been some confusion regarding Microgaming and its availability to US residents. As of yesterday, Microgaming will no longer be accepting new signups from the United States. Players with existing accounts will not be affected unless they are residents of the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Kentucky.
Additionally, some Microgaming sites are also locking out players who reside in states neighboring banned locations such as Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri. Players in these states need to contact support and provide proof of identification in the form of a Utility Bill or other identification documenting their residency. The respective players will then be able to continue gaming with us as usual.