Poker News

Poker News in Brief Jan. 18-24, 2010

The 2010 Aussie Millions main event kicked Sunday with hundreds of players looking to strike Australian gold.

You can read all about the tournament in our news section or live tournaments area, but as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature we’re going to take a look at a few lesser-known poker stories below.

This week we’ll look at Annette Obrestad crushing an Aussie Millions prelim, David Singer falling fourth on the Heartland Poker Tour, Phil Galfond doing some TV work and more.

Obrestad Wins Aussie Millions Pot-Limit Omaha Event

Annette Obrestad wasted no time getting busy at the 2010 Aussie Millions.

The former World Series of Poker Europe Main Event winner won the $1,000(AUD) buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha event for $40,000(AUD) this week.

Obrestad outlasted 159 players including a couple of veteran rounders in Emad Tahtouh and Tony Bloom.

Although Obrestad continues to find success online, the win in the Aussie Millions was actually her first live victory since winning the WSOPE.

Obrestad did, however, finish second at EPT Dublin in 2007 for €297,800.

This year, Obrestad will make her first appearance at the WSOP after finally turning 21 this past September.

Alec Torelli Moves to Victory Poker

Online star Alec “traheho” Torelli has parted ways with Doyles Room to sign a sponsorship deal with the up-and-coming Victory Poker.

Torelli was hand-picked by Doyle Brunson this summer to be a member of the Brunson 10.

The team has never come close to approaching 10 players, however, and currently Chris “Moorman1” Moorman, Zachary Clark, Amit Makhija and Dani “anksy” Stern are its only members.

Victory Poker has yet to be released, but it will be a part of the Everleaf Gaming network, which includes Red Cherry Poker and Poker Royale.

Torelli will join a Victory Poker team that is rumored to include Antonio Esfandiari, Brian Rast and Paul Wasicka.

Rousing Final to HPT Vegas

The blue-collar Heartland Poker Tour ventured into Vegas for the second time this week and the final table did not disappoint.

It included a bona fide pro in Full Tilt’s David Singer, an HPT veteran in Theodore Kearly and an inspirational story in unemployed Cambodian refugee Kimbo Ung.

Ung managed to outlast all five opponents at the final table and take down a first place prize of $125,901.

Singer finished fourth for $29,377, which brings his lifetime tournament winnings up to just over $4.3 million.

The event, which drew 433 players, was an overwhelming success according to organizers.

“We didn’t how the Vegas market would respond to our brand,” said HPT President Todd Anderson. “It turns out we blew the roof off.”

PKR TV Showcases Phil Galfond

Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond does not have a major poker room sponsor, but will be doing some work for PKR TV.

Galfond will be doing commentary on some of the best ring game action on PKR.com and footage from the special “Galfond TV Cash Game,” which saw some of the elite PKR players take him on.

“We are thrilled to have Phil in the studio to become a PKR TV commentator,” said PKR marketing manager Erika Schwartz. “It will be fantastic for our players to get someone of his reputation watching the action and giving some advice on their play.”

PKR TV and the Galfond TV Cash Game will be broadcast on The Poker Channel in 13 countries across Europe. Air dates have yet to be confirmed.

Police Raid South Carolina Poker Game

Police busted yet another poker game in South Carolina last week.

Officers confiscated more than $64,000 in cash, chips and tables from a Greenville County home.

Twenty-seven people were charged for unlawful betting after a citizen’s tip led deputies to the house.

The raid is nothing new for the region. In 2007, a game was busted in neighboring North Carolina that included noted poker pros Mike Gracz and Chris Bell.

PartyGaming signs with Danske Spil to provide online gaming in Denmark

More positive news for online poker in Europe: Denmark's state-operated Danske Spil has signed a five-year agreement with PartyGaming, which will use its expertise and know-how to offer online gaming to the Danish market.

Denmark's relationship with gaming, particularly online gaming, has been patchy through the years. While live poker tournaments were considered perfectly legal, online poker was frowned upon by the Danish Supreme Court until very recently. The Danish gaming system, Danske Spil, enjoyed a lengthy virtual monopoly while all foreign gaming companies were forbidden to enter the Danish market for most of this decade, which sparked a number of disagreements with the European Commission regarding free trade agreements within the European Union.

In 2009, Denmark finally relented and put forth a draft legislation to partially open the Danish poker and casino market, which is expected to pass as law in 2011. Denmark further showed its commitment by allowing Danish people access to Hollywood Poker's online gaming facilities. Now in early 2010, the state's former monopoly, Danske Spil, is partnering with one of the world's largest online gaming providers to prepare for the upcoming competition.

The partnership between Danske Spil and PartyGaming has everything needed to make it successful: while the Danske Spil group is one of the largest in Europe, with over 500,000 registered customers and a reported turnover of €1.47 billion (about $2.13 billion) in 2008, PartyGaming bills itself as " the world’s leading listed online gaming company" thanks to its very successful brands that include PartyPoker, PartyCasino, and PartyBets.

Jim Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of PartyGaming, was understandably glad to announce this new partnership:

This is a landmark B2B deal for PartyGaming and validates our strategy to become a leading provider of B2B services to both corporates and governments around the world.  Danske Spil is widely recognised as one of Europe’s leading gambling businesses, one that is pre-eminent in the Danish market.  We are delighted that Danske Spil has recognised our expertise and high standards of business practice and we look forward to building a significant and profitable enterprise as soon as the newly regulated Danish online gaming market opens.

Ryan has every right to be delighted. Danske Spil researched the market for seven months to find a partner that met its exacting standards for security, ethics, and, of course, quality. Their choice of PartyGaming is an endorsement of the highest possible level of the company's expertise and capability.

H.C. Madsen, CEO of Danske Spil, said of this new partnership:

With some of the world’s leading products in online poker and casino as well as a large international customer base, PartyGaming is definitely a strong business partner for Danske Spil. Combining this with Danske Spil’s unique and strong position in the Danish market with more than 500,000 Danish online customers will guarantee that together we will deliver a highly attractive customer experience to players in Denmark.

One issue that remains to be clarified is how the notoriously strict Danish taxation system will treat new gaming providers as they enter the market. Taxes on poker winnings are remarkably high on Denmark. For example, 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Peter Eastgate could only spend $2.5 million out of the $9.1 million he won with his bracelet, the rest going to the government's arks. Companies willing to offer online poker will have to jump through hoops to be on the government's exclusive no-tax list, meaning that players will not be taxed over their winnings on those sites. Hollywood Poker currently enjoys no-tax status and it is to be expected that Danske Spil's upcoming online poker venture will enjoy it too.

PartyGaming's shares (LSE: PRTY) last traded at 279.3 pence per share in London today.

South Carolina Attorney General Appeals Poker Skill Game Ruling

The fight for five poker players in South Carolina is far from over. According to the Associated Press, the state’s Attorney General will appeal the October ruling that Texas Hold’em, the world’s premier poker genre, is a skill game.

It’s a familiar debate as the poker industry enters 2010. Is Texas Hold’em a game of skill or is it ultimately determined by chance? South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster filed an appeal with the state’s Supreme Court, the Associated Press explained on Thursday: “McMaster's appeal says he doesn't think whether there is skill or just chance involved has anything to do with lawmakers' attempt to ban gambling. The attorney general skipped the Court of Appeals and filed with the state Supreme Court, saying the question deals with the constitution's wording on gambling.”

Five poker players were charged in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina back in 2006. According to the favorable ruling by Judge Markley Dennis in October, the buy-ins for a weekly home game in the South Carolina town varied between $5 and $20. The small blind was $0.25 and the big blind was $0.50, with pots ranging between $5 and $10. Fifty cents was taken from several pots in order to provide food and drink for players, but the “house” did not profit from the game.

The game got ugly on April 12th, 2006, when police officers raided it and began arresting participants on the grounds that they were playing in a “house used as a place of gambling.” The defendants, under the guidance of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), argued that poker is a game of skill, not chance, and therefore did not constitute illegal gambling. The trial court heard the case in February, which featured World Poker Tour (WPT) host Mike Sexton recap hands played on the roving tournament series to demonstrate poker’s skill component.

Dr. Robert Hannum was also brought in to testify last February. The October ruling explains, “Dr. Hannum also testified that a statistical analysis of professional poker players demonstrated that past performance was a reliable indicator of future success, establishing that the skill of the player was the predominant factor in determining wins and losses.” The lower court ruled that poker was a game of skill. However, because South Carolina’s laws were vague on whether that mattered, the five defendants were found guilty.

An appeal was filed, setting up October’s ruling. Judge Dennis candidly explained, “This Court agrees with Appellants that the South Carolina Supreme Court, if faced with the question, would adopt the dominant factor test for the purpose of defining gambling.” He added, “It should also be noted that the South Carolina Attorney General has consistently applied the dominant factor test when providing opinions about whether certain activities are legal.”

Judge Dennis harped on the overwhelmingly broad nature of South Carolina’s gambling statute, which could be construed to mean that nearly any game played with cards or dice is illegal. Judge Dennis specifically called out Bunco, Go Fish, and Solitaire as possible infractions of state law, saying, “Simply put, [the law], as written, has the potential to make criminals of virtually every man, woman, and child in the state of South Carolina.” Twenty of the original defendants pled guilty to gambling charges, while five fought against the state.

According to the Charleston Post and Courier newspaper, the filing by the Attorney General was 57 pages long and McMaster is a Republican candidate for Governor. The Courier revealed, “No timetable has been set on when the case will be heard, and more rounds of legal filings are expected. The legislature is expected to take up a bill legalizing social card games next year.”

GigaMedia Announces Quarterly Reports, Details on Everest Poker Sale

Fresh off the announcement of its partial sale of Everest Poker earlier this month, GigaMedia announced its second and third quarter 2009 financial results. In addition, the company provided insight into the sale.

During a recent investors’ conference call, many of the major players in GigaMedia were present to offer information on the company's second and third quarter financial results. Most of the thoughts of those gathered were focused on the sale of 60% of Everest Poker, the popular online poker room that is currently the on-felt sponsor of the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Arthur Wang, Chief Executive Officer of GigaMedia, stated he was there to present the overview of “where the company is and where it is going,” but first stepped up to offer reasons for the sale of Everest Poker.

“About one year ago, we began a strategic review of this business unit, an evaluation of where the market was moving and where we were positioned in relation to such movements,” Wang stated. “We determined that, despite our rapid growth and position as the fourth largest poker site in the world, a strategic move was necessary.”

Wang then ticked off a list of reasons for the divesture of a majority ownership of Everest Poker to Mangas Gaming. He cited current trends in the regulation of online gaming in Europe, where individual nations are setting up their own regulatory rules, which Wang stated is “limiting player pools to single country players and requiring heavy in-country investments in infrastructure and personnel.” This type of regulation, Wang noted, challenges the ability of a company such as GigaMedia to run an operation that encompasses the entirety of Europe.

Wang next said that the necessity to have an all-purpose operation - to not just offer online poker, but also the full range of products such as a casino, sports book, and other gaming outlets - was another reason behind the sale. Mangas Gaming, through its majority ownership, will be able to provide those operations. Finally, Wang stated that the continued presence of “poker competitors operating illegally in the United States” and the hundreds of millions they earn continued to hamper those companies that operate exclusively in Europe.

With the discussion of the partial sale of Everest Poker to Mangas Gaming complete, the presentation of the second and third quarter 2009 fiscal reports was made. Quincy Tang, Chief Financial Officer of GigaMedia Limited, presented a report that showed a drop in performance over the second and third quarters of 2009.

The consolidated results of both quarters was “worse than expected,” according to Tang. “Second and third quarter revenues were $37.7 million and $37.2 million, respectively; second quarter net income of $128 thousand and third quarter net loss of $2.4 million,” he said. Some of the reasons for the decline were attributed to the continued global economic downturn and its effects on player spending and the competitive nature of the industry, including the challenges faced from those companies that accept American action.

The partial sale of Everest Poker to Mangas Gaming will give GigaMedia an influx of $100 million early in 2010. After the deal was announced, GigaMedia stock rose to $4.24 on the NASDAQ exchange, where it can be found under the acronym “GIGM.” At the close of business for the Christmas holiday, GigaMediastock was trading at just $3.18, near the bottom of its 52-week range.

Everest Poker Acquired by Mangas Gaming

While rumors are flying left and right about potential buyouts and mergers in the European online gaming market, news broke that Everest Poker and Mangas Gaming will join forces.  Mangas plans to buy out Everest in early 2010 as part of a deal worth in excess of $100 million.

The deal will be finalized in the first quarter of 2010.  Mangas Gaming will pay $100 million to Everest’s parent company, GigaMedia, in exchange for 60% of the shares of the company.  A Dow Jones article also stated that the final portion of the deal would be paid out after the company’s fair market value is reassessed in 2012.  There is also an option that allows GigaMedia to buy back Everest Gaming in 2013 should it see fit to do so.  GigaMedia is a publicly traded company on NASDAQ Stock Exchange, where it can be found under the symbol “GIGM.”

While the name Mangas may not sound familiar, the sites it owns and operates are well-known within the online gaming market: BetClic, Expekt Poker, and Bet-At-Home.  The French-based company appears to be taking more interest in poker as of late.  In addition to brokering the Everest deal, the company also signed World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Scotty Nguyen as an Expekt spokesman earlier this year and debuted former Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle Mercier as a BetClic spokeswoman at the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio.

The increased efforts of Everest Poker to heighten its profile in the French marketplace make even more sense in light of this deal.  The company, which is the official on-felt sponsor of the WSOP, signed a deal with November Nine member Antoine Saout after he made the Main Event final table and added Fabrice Soulier to its roster of pros last month.

Mangas Gamings Chief Executive Officer Isabelle Parize commented on the deal in an official press release announcing the acquisition: “We are very proud that Everest is joining our group.  It is a great company; it is a brand with an outstanding awareness in the world of poker, well-known for its know-how, its platform reliability, and its strict policies. Mangas Gaming is reinforcing its position as a major European player in both the online poker and sports betting markets.”

GigaMedia’s CEO, Arthur Wang, expressed similar sentiments in his statement.  “We were looking for a reference partner with complementary activities to ours,” Wang explained.  “Our strategy is to participate in the growth of this innovative and dynamic industry in Europe. We are glad to do it alongside the French leading sports betting and online gaming group.”

Poker News Daily has learned that once the deal is complete, players on Mangas’ other online poker rooms will be shifted towards Everest.  Expekt is expected to disappear entirely before the end of 2010 and all of the company’s customers will be shifted over to Everest.

Since the announcement of the deal, shares of GigaMedia saw a spike in trading value.  After trading as low as $3.53 on December 11th, stock prices shot up as high as $4.24, an increase of 20%.

CNBC Illegal Gambling Feature to Air on Wednesday

On Wednesday night at 9:00pm ET, CNBC will air a one-hour exposé entitled, “The Big Business of Illegal Gambling.” The report from CNBC’s Melissa Francis will put the multi-billion dollar industry into focus and include a segment on internet gambling.

Wednesday’s show marks one of the most high-profile television programs about internet gambling since “60 Minutes” aired a feature on the cheating scandals at the online poker rooms Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker one year ago. According to a preview found on CNBC’s website, the show will “take viewers inside this high-stakes business that brings some people immense wealth, while others pay the ultimate price.” Francis is co-anchor of the CNBC show “The Call,” which airs for one hour beginning at 11:00am ET during the week.

The CNBC description begins, “The one-hour program delivers an in-depth look at just how mainstream illegal gambling has become.” Francis will speak with a bevy of industry representatives, including a bookmaker simply named “Paul” and a professional gambler named "Vegas Runner." Among those CNBC will speak to with a first and last name is Nick Sarillo, whom the show describes as “a restaurant owner who freelances as a bookie [and] crosses the Mob and pays a heavy price.” These three will likely be offline gamblers.

Then, Francis and company will explore the world of internet gambling. The preview of the CNBC special explains, “Technology has made illegal gambling much more accessible and the same computer used for work or to connect with family and friends can also be used to wager outside the law.” Among those to be interviewed is Jay Cohen, the co-founder of the World Sports Exchange who was found guilty of violating the Wire Act of 1961. He was sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined $5,000; World Sports Exchange boasted revenues of $200 million and he was freed in 2004.

Also featured is Scott Damiani, the Executive Director of the Outreach Foundation. The show’s website explains, “Illegal gambling costs Scott Damiani is home, business family... and almost cost him his life. After hitting rock bottom, he picked his life back up and now devotes his time to helping other gambling addicts as the Executive Director of the Outreach Foundation.”

Poker News Daily has also learned that Tokwiro Chief Operating Officer Paul Leggett filmed an interview for the CNBC program. The two Tokwiro-owned online poker rooms, Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, were at the heart of a ten-minute feature by the CBS news program “60 Minutes” over Thanksgiving weekend in 2008. The report questioned why no one had been prosecuted in the case and ended with segment reporter Steve Kroft calling Russ Hamilton’s home in Las Vegas. Hamilton, who won the 1994 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, was fingered as the main man responsible in the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal. To date, no one has been convicted.

Finally, Francis will dive into a high-spirited internet gambling debate featuring Congressmen Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). Online poker players can thank the latter for helping to bring the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) to life back in 2006. McDermott, meanwhile, has authored legislation seeking to extract 2% of deposits from licensed internet gambling companies in the United States under legislation proposed by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA). Curiously, Frank’s name does not appear on the preview for the CNBC program despite being legalized internet gambling’s number one proponent on Capitol Hill. Also absent is the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the industry’s main lobbying group.

Poker News Daily will have a recap of the show after it airs on Wednesday night. Video clips, slideshows, and even an illegal gambling quiz can be found on CNBC’s website.

Bwin Downplays Party Gaming Merger Talks

Party Gaming and Austria-based gambling group Bwin are allegedly involved in merger discussions, according to stories published in The Times and Sunday Times over the weekend. The move would potentially create a £2 billion online poker, casino, and sports betting company.

Shares of Party Gaming and Bwin jumped 2.5% and 4.1%, respectively, on Monday morning after the reports broke. Both companies have similar market value; Party Gaming is worth £1.1 billion, while Bwin is valued at about €1.3 billion.

Party Gaming and Bwin have refused to confirm the story, according eGaming Review. Bwin, Europe's biggest sports betting provider, said it wanted to take part in sector consolidation, but added that it is in talks with everyone in the industry on an ongoing basis and was not in advanced talks with Party Gaming. The Austrian group also told Reuters that it is not in advanced merger talks with anyone.

Party Gaming, meanwhile, has been looking for a major sports betting platform for years despite acquiring Gamebookers in 2006 for £102 million. The company has openly stated its determination to hunt for a bigger target in order to become a leading sports book operator and complement its online poker, casino and bingo platforms.

James Hollins at brokerage Daniel Stewart said a Bwin-Party Gaming merger would be “exceptionally strategically compelling," adding, "the combined groups' poker operations would drive clear scale economies and liquidity to compete squarely against the U.S.-facing giants of PokerStars and Full Tilt.”

Analyst Nick Batram at KBC Hunt is confident that a large deal is in the near future: "There was lots of press comment over the weekend suggesting that Bwin and Party Gaming have held informal merger talks. This doesn't come as a surprise, as online groups frequently talk informally. However, we believe that the recent sector consolidation will gain momentum through 2010 and it is only a matter of time before we see further sizable deals."

Party Gaming has been busy in deal making talks as several countries are in the process of regulating online gambling, most importantly the United States. In November, Party Gaming purchased the World Poker Tour (WPT), with many believing the company was attempting to set itself up for a return to the U.S market. Party Gaming’s Chief Marketing Officer, Chris Welch, later verified that idea: “This is the first step toward us returning to the United States."

WPT announcer and PartyPoker spokesperson Mike Sexton agreed, saying, “We all think [the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act is going to be reversed] at some point. It’s just a matter of when. I’m convinced we’re going to see another poker explosion like we saw six years ago. It’ll be second to none.”

Party Gaming was reportedly involved in buyout talks with GigaMedia Limited earlier this year, but nothing developed. GigaMedia is the company behind the online poker site Everest Poker. Party Gaming purchased Cashcade, owner of the Foxy Bingo website, in July to enhance its own online bingo site, PartyBingo.

Internet Gambling Discussed in House Financial Services Committee

On Thursday morning, the subject of internet gambling took center stage in an informative hearing in the House Financial Services Committee, Chaired by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA). Seven witnesses participated.

The hearing began with Frank candidly stating, “It is nice to be able to think legislatively about other things besides the financial crisis, which has consumed this Committee since September of 2008.” It was over one year ago, just before the world’s economy crumbled, that internet gambling was last discussed in the Committee. Frank added, “There are a whole range of things on the internet that we would not like underage people to use. The notion that because some people abuse something, you prevent everyone from doing it is as great of a threat to the individual as any cause I have ever seen.” He went on to cite smoking, video games, and dieting as activities that people abuse.

The Committee’s Ranking Member, Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL), summed up many of the opposing arguments for legislation like HR 2266 and HR 2267. The former delays compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by one year, while the latter establishes a comprehensive framework for licensing and regulating the industry in the United States. Bachus asserted, “I believe that internet gambling is, has been, and will continue to be a substantial threat to our youth. Any economic benefits from taxing internet gambling would be more than offset by the harm it causes young people.” He then sourced a New York Times Letter to the Editor from a mother lamenting her son’s turn to internet gambling.

Bachus expressed remorse that the regulations of the UIGEA had not been fully implemented, citing last week’s six-month delay of their compliance: “These regulations should have been finalized and implemented more than two years ago. The House voted by an overwhelming number to stop illegal internet gambling. Chairman [Frank], it’s time for you, the Treasury, and the Fed to stop delaying the will of the great majority of this Congress and the American people.

Bachus noted that the Treasury and Federal Reserve, who granted the six-month compliance reprieve, should have been a part of Thursday’s witness panel. The Alabama Congressman quoted a letter from the FBI he received in November stating, “The FBI warns that technology exists to manipulate online poker games. The FBI rejects claims from vendors that they can validate age and location.” Frank retorted that he had not received a request from Bachus for the Treasury or Federal Reserve to be present, but later recanted his statement, referencing an e-mail from the Ranking Member’s staff late Tuesday afternoon. Both agreed that the Federal Reserve and Treasury should testify at a future hearing.

Seven witnesses each spoke for about five minutes, offering different viewpoints on the issue. Robert Martin, Tribal Chairman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, noted that tribes were not consulted in the extension of the UIGEA deadline and “By following the law, we are now facing unfair competition because of these bills. Allow the regulatory scheme [currently in place] to protect what we have built.”

Parry Aftab, Executive Director of Wired Safety, candidly explained, “It’s ironic that I am sitting here today saying that the only way to protect consumers is by legalizing it. If we don’t legalize it, we can’t regulate it.” She referenced a study by Professor Malcolm Sparrow from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, who explained, “Legalization with regulation would provide U.S. authorities the power to grant or deny licenses.” He added that HR 2267 is an “adequate framework” in which to operate.

Keith Whyte, Executive Director for the National Council on Problem Gambling, remarked, “While participation in internet gambling by U.S. residents appeared to decline after the passage of the UIEGA, we did not see a decrease in indicators of gambling problems, such as help line calls.” A chart submitted by Whyte showed that help line calls instead gradually increased every year since 2006, when the UIGEA was approved.

Jim Dowling from the Dowling Advisory Group lent his insight into fraud, money laundering, and terrorism, while Mike Brodsky, Executive Chairman of YouBet.com, discussed the presumably legal online horse racing market. The legality of online horse racing was discussed at length, with Frank noting that the Department of Justice said it was against the law in 2006. Brodsky added that 88% of online horse racing wagers are transmitted across state lines electronically, which Frank also questioned the legality of.

Also speaking was Samuel Vallandingham, Chief Information Officer and Vice President for The First State Bank in West Virginia. Interestingly, Vallandingham was the only financial services industry representative present and explained, “The added burden [of enforcing the UIGEA] would drain our resources… The law doesn’t define unlawful internet gambling. As a result, the burden rests solely on financial institutions.”

After 90 minutes, the hearing adjourned, with Frank noting that the Committee would take up the issue again in 2010. No markup vote on HR 2266 or HR 2267 was scheduled.

Brandon Cantu to be tasered by Clonie Gowen

WPT and PartyPoker begin fight for poker supremacy

"That's our stated aim," PartyGaming's chief marketing officer Chris Welch told PokerListings. "And until that time we will leverage both the World Poker Tour and PartyPoker as best we can to take that challenge to our competitors."

Before the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was signed into U.S. law in October 2006 and PartyPoker effectively pulled out of the U.S. market, it was the number one site in poker.

Since that time, PokerStars has emerged as the industry leader with more than 28 million players worldwide.

A major catalyst for PokerStars' growth has been the emergence of the European Poker Tour. While the WPT has always been credited with helping spur on poker's boom, it has since been surpassed by the PokerStars EPT, which boasted a total prize pool in excess of $55 million over 11 events last season, making it the largest poker tour in the world.

However, Welch says PartyGaming subsidiary Peerless Media Ltd's $12.3 million purchase of the WPT, approved by shareholders earlier this month, now has the organization primed to compete in Europe and across the globe.

"We think there is certainly room for two big tours in Europe," said Welch. "And the World Poker Tour, we believe, is a global brand while the European Poker Tour exists only in Europe."

Particularly in Italy and France, the WPT plans on embarking upon an aggressive growth strategy to begin competing with the EPT.

"We're looking forward to more global expansion, more International expansion," added newly appointed WPT president Adam Pliska.

Welch said part of that expansion will include offering more online satellites into WPT events worldwide.

"It's a great opportunity to offer our European players more tournaments and land based events and of course we are going to run satellites on PartyPoker," Welch said. "But we are also going to encourage other online sites to do the same."

While sites other than PokerStars once ran satellites for EPT events, many stopped after PokerStars forced its competitors to use the site's branding.

Welch says the WPT and PartyPoker will be taking a different approach.

"PokerStars have gone down the route of it being the PokerStars EPT and you've got to have that on your site to run satellites or freerolls," he explained. "That's not our strategy. Our strategy initially will be that it's the World Poker Tour and you can come and qualify from any online site or direct buy in.

"What they are trying to do is leverage their brand. They have the biggest tour in Europe and they are trying to get other people to mention their brand name. We have an opportunity here to grow the World Poker Tour by offering other online sites a chance to get in there without necessarily mentioning PartyPoker and that's what we are going to do."

But the battle for online poker supremacy will not just be fought on European soil.

In April of this year, PartyGaming entered into a $105 million settlement with the U.S. Attorney's Office to avoid prosecution for providing Internet gambling services to U.S. customers prior to the enactment of the UIGEA.

Under the terms of the agreement, PartyGaming agreed to stay out of the U.S. Internet gambling market under current legislation and is hoping, should the legislation change, it would be in a prime position to move back in.

Welch said the purchase of the WPT is yet another way PartyGaming is paving its road back into the United States.

"Should the United States open up, it's going to put us in a preeminent position, way ahead of the competition," he said. "We've taken the long view while some of the other players have taken the short view, and should the United States open up, we are going back to being number one again."

However, until U.S. Lawmakers get on board, Welch said the front lines of this fight will remain on the other side of the Atlantic.

"This provides us with a massive platform to bring PartyPoker back into the hands of millions of Americans," he said. "But in Europe, we can do that from day one."

The public face of both brands, 2009 Poker Hall of Fame inductee Mike Sexton, believes with PartyPoker and the WPT coming together, the sky is the limit.

"I think it can be a huge entity and a worldwide brand," he said. "Hopefully when online gaming becomes legalized in the United States, PartyPoker can come in and retain its status as the number one poker site in the world."

UltimateBet relaunches as UB.com

The poker room will henceforth be known as UB, a nickname originally coined by players on the site.

Company directors said the UB label better represented the site's current focus on the next generation of poker players.

"The launch of UB.com represents a turning point for our company," said Paul Legget, Tokwiro's Chief Operating Officer.

"We have assembled a great group of professionals who are passionate about poker to build the UB brand. Our goal is to create products and services that poker players really want."

The new site features a streamlined interface, a user-friendly lobby, improved game filters and new UB branding.

In addition, the tournament schedule has been revamped and there are over 30 new tournaments a month, which offer over $1 million in guarantees.

"In the 10 years since I have been involved with the UB brand, I have never been prouder to represent the company as much as I am right now," said UB Pro Phil Hellmuth.

"We have great people captaining the ship, we have a great vibe and some serious swagger. I look forward to the day when we are the largest poker site on the planet."

Earlier this year the CEREUS poker network, to which UB belongs, also released a Mac poker client and a software upgrade that featured synchronized tournament breaks.

UB also enhanced their team of poker pros by adding PokerRoad president Joe Sebok and resigning reality TV star Tiffany Michelle.

Although UB now offers the UB.com domain, users will still be able to access the site through the older UltimateBet.com.

Keikoan takes Tahoe title

The 41-year old outlasted a field of 64 players and a pro heavy final table to take the WSOPC title and its $110,346 first-place prize at Harvey's Lake Tahoe just before 3 a.m.

"I'm excited, but I'm very tired," said Keikoan. "This comes at a good time for me."

After a day and a half play down to the final nine, fellow 2008 bracelet winner David Woo actually came into the final table with the chip lead, but bowed out seventh when online pro "Bodog" Ari Engel managed to suck out on him.

Engel, who already owns two WSOP circuit rings from Atlantic City prelims, had taken to three-bet shoving almost every time Woo raised and when Woo finally caught him, calling with queens against Engel's ace-nine, Engel rivered an ace anyway.

One of the hottest players in poker, following a deep run in the 2009 WSOP Main Event and a win at WPT Festa al Lago in Las Vegas less than one month ago, Tommy Vedes flirted with the chip lead for most of the two-day tournament.

However, he could get further than fifth after 68-year-old John Goodger called all in against him with K♠ Q♠ claiming he just wanted to go to bed, but managing to suck out a flush against Vedes' A♦ J♦.

A suddenly short stacked Vedes was out soon after.

Engel's loose-aggressive style eventually caught up with him when he ran eights in to Keikoan's queens to hand him the chip lead.

He busted not long after handing the rest of his stack to Keikoan when he shoved with king-eight and missed against Keikoan's pocket fives.

"With him you sort of have to have a hand because he was pushing a lot," said Keikoan. "Queens against him, that's like having aces. You are never ever folding to him with queens.

"Even the fives, I'm raising the button, I know he's shoving a lot of hands so I have to call with fives there."

Goodger eventually got his wish, getting sent to bed in third place when he got it all in with top pair against Keikoan's bottom two and failed to improve.

Keikoan then went into heads up with 33-year-old Sacramento Police officer Justin Hallstrom holding an almost 5:1 chip lead and made short work of the amateur to grab the WSOPC title.

"I've been coming up here my whole life, I'm comfortable here," added Keikoan. "I grew up two hours from here so I feel good here.

"I'll be back here next year for sure."

WPT, Party Gaming Officials Discuss Acquisition

Recently, PartyGaming, the parent company of PartyPoker, completed the acquisition of the World Poker Tour (WPT). Despite a last-minute proposal from Mandalay Media, a mobile gaming company, WPT shareholders rubber-stamped the sale for $12.3 million plus a percentage of future gaming revenues.

Poker News Daily sat down with WPT General Counsel Adam Pliska, WPT Host and Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton, WPT Founder Steve Lipscomb, and PartyGaming Chief Marketing Officer Chris Welch to break down the sale.

Poker News Daily: Talk about why the WPT is a good fit for PartyGaming.

Pliska: Party Gaming was an initial tour stop sponsor of the WPT. We’ve had a long relationship starting from the beginning that was mutually beneficial.

Welch: PartyPoker wouldn’t have been the success it is today without the WPT. The fact that Mike Sexton was a PartyPoker ambassador and WPT host shows you the depth of the relationship.

PND: A last-minute proposal submitted by Mandalay Media was dismissed. Talk about the offer.

Pliska: As defined in our proxy statement, I can attest that there was an analysis of the offers. I can tell you that the company was pleased with the offer on the table from PartyGaming. When you look at the up front parts of it and the future revenue part parts of it, it made it very attractive. Throughout this process, I have come to never be surprised and I’m pleased with the results.

Lipscomb: The process was driven by our Board of Directors. They carefully did what they needed to do based on their duties to shareholders. It was an honor to have multiple parties that were interested. The final result, which was being with PartyGaming, really was the best for us.

PND: Will WPT regulars see any changes when Season 9 begins filming next year?

Pliska: What you’re going to see in Season 9 is business as usual. We’ll continue to be creative and innovate. I think, for the most part, you’re not going to see any interruptions.

PND: PartyPoker does not accept customers from the United States. Talk about being able to expose the WPT brand to the site’s customer base.

Sexton: One of the primary advantages of this whole situation is that we can expand the WPT brand worldwide. It’ll be in many more countries than it is now.

Welch: We are very excited by the partnership with the WPT. We are predominantly a European business, but we view this as one of the steps to coming back into the U.S. PartyPoker has 12 million members in the U.S. that we can cross-sell Club WPT to.

PND: Why is it important to be able to cross-sell to U.S. players?

Welch: We’re set up to take advantage of any U.S. developments. You can bet that when the market opens up, we’ll be at the forefront of it. The acquisition of the WPT will give us a substantial asset that we can leverage in the U.S.

Club WPT is a very successful subscription service and PartyPoker gets 2,000 to 3,000 downloads a day from the U.S. even though we don’t market there. As you would expect, we have a powerful marketing scheme that we will use to leverage the WPT brand across Europe.

PND: Will it be tough to bring more land-based tournaments to Europe, where you can already find series like the European Poker Tour (EPT)?

Lipscomb: We’re far from a new tour. There was no such thing as a poker tour since we launched the first once. We’ve been global since Season 1. If you are trying to launch one of the many additional tours starting to spring up in the marketplace, I wouldn’t want to be in that position, but I wouldn’t lump us in with that crowd.

Sexton: Recognize that the WPT is on television worldwide. People know who we are and what we do.

PND: Talk about the ongoing eighth season of the WPT.

Lipscomb: Seldom in the world of television do you have an eighth season of anything. It’s uncommon to have an eighth season when you’re working with the same people and they all still like each other. I truly believe that the joining of the WPT and PartyGaming is pretty exciting. Mike is the voice of poker and to have him in this great new synergy is an opportunity we’ve dreamed of.

PND: What does the future hold for WPT Enterprises, now Ante4?

Lipscomb: What we’ve announced is that we’re going to be looking for an opportunity as a publicly traded company to find businesses to join, acquire, or merge with to maximize shareholder value.

Erik Seidel Appears on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm

Normally, poker players are seen on television only within their element, in a poker tournament or cash game. Recently, however, a top pro took the time to appear on one of the most popular programs on cable television.

In last Sunday’s episode of the HBO comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm” entitled “Officer Krupke,” Erik Seidel appeared in a non-speaking role on the show. Seidel was seated behind “Curb” star and creator Larry David and his on-screen wife, Cheryl Hines, as the couple dined in a restaurant. David and Hines discussed her auditioning for a role on the “Seinfeld” reunion, which has been a prominent part of this season’s storyline. Seidel’s prominence in the shot – he is framed by both David and Hines as they perform the scene – has led many to discuss how he got on the program.

On the poker forum TwoPlusTwo, some answers are given on how Seidel got his “moment in the sun.” A tweet from Seidel himself that was posted on the site admits, “Yes, that was my ugly mug on Curb. From a charity auction, I’m a huge fan of the show.” Also noted in the discussion on TwoPlusTwo were the appearance of actor/poker player Ben Affleck and that Daniel Negreanu will have a spin on another HBO program, “Entourage,” also because of a charitable cause.

Seidel’s charitable actions have been quite apparent over the past year. When poker pro and friend Annie Duke battled her way to the final two on the past season of the NBC reality series “Celebrity Apprentice,” Seidel was prominent in several of the tasks. Not only did he appear during the final episode pitting Duke against eventual winner Joan Rivers, but Seidel also contributed to one of the early tasks on the program. In that episode, Seidel was among several poker players that donated to Duke’s cupcake drive. Seidel purchased one of the cupcakes created by Duke’s Athena teammates for $5,000, helping the team to victory.

The latest sighting of Seidel on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” continues a long-running theme of poker players appearing in mainstream television, movies, and magazines. In addition to Duke’s “Celebrity Apprentice” appearance this year, the team of Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho on the current run of “The Amazing Race” has drawn attention to poker personalities. After battling valiantly through several difficult physical stunts, the duo was eliminated two weeks ago, finishing in sixth place on the Emmy Award-winning program.

Negreanu has been able to parlay his poker stardom into a cameo role in one of the top films of this year, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” where he played poker against the character Gambit. Fellow poker players Scotty Nguyen, Jennifer Harman, and Phil Hellmuth joined Negreanu in the recent “Body Issue” of “ESPN: The Magazine.” In addition, popular recent poker films and television series such as “The Grand,” “Lucky You,” and the highly controversial ESPN series “Tilt” have featured some of the biggest names in the game such as Doyle Brunson and Antonio Esfandiari.

It is good to see poker players such as Seidel in an arena outside of the poker table and even better that Seidel was able to parlay his appearance on the program into a charitable cause. The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode with Seidel appears nine more times between now and November 15th, so there are plenty of opportunities for poker fans to check out his turn on one of the most popular programs on cable television.

Harrah’s Earns Seven Awards for Sustainability

The continued greening efforts by Harrah’s have paid off, as the resort company recently earned seven gold medals from Travelife, an organization that promotes sustainability in tourism.  Gold medals were doled out to several of Harrah’s Las Vegas properties, including the Rio, Caesars Palace, and Bill’s Gambling Saloon.

The medals are designed to reward properties that make an effort to minimize negative impact on the environment, take advantage of locally-based companies when selecting vendors, and make a concerted effort to hire locally based individuals to better the social lives of people within the community.

Travelife is an organization set up by the European Union through the Federation of Tour Operations to advise travelers on companies and hotels that make efforts towards greening their company.  Harrah’s was the only gambling-related company to receive accreditation for multiple Las Vegas resorts, taking home eight total medals.  The gold medals went to the Rio, Caesars Palace, Bill’s Gambling Saloon, Flamingo, Paris, Bally’s, and Harrah’s, while Imperial Palace received a silver medal.

Gary Loveman, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Harrah’s, commented on the honor in an official press release from the company: “I’m proud that each of our resorts in Las Vegas achieved this distinction. We’ve invested heavily in sustainability at Harrah’s and made it a core business principle that drives business strategy and operations.”

According to numbers found in Harrah’s press release, the company has launched more than 110 conservation projects across its numerous properties.  These efforts have resulted in the reduction of 77,850 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.  Some of the projects include the installation of water filtration systems in Harrah’s restaurants to cut down on bottled water use and the implementation of a new Las Vegas laundry facility that severely cuts down on the number of gallons of water used each year.

Even the Harrah’s-owned World Series of Poker (WSOP) is taking part in sustainability efforts.  An eco-friendly poker table designed by EGM Green was put on display as part of the 2008 WSOP festivities.  The table was made of 98% sustainable materials and was awarded to that year’s Main Event Champion, Peter Eastgate.  The table was auctioned off for charity this past July at the Friends of Eastgate fundraiser.  Casinos that install the EGM table can earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits.

Harrah’s has also received several other green honors over the past year, including an Environmental Quality Award, which is the highest level of recognition bestowed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Harrah’s partnered with the EPA last year to take part in the Climate Leaders project and recently teamed up with the organization again for the Water Wise project.

In September, the casino conglomerate announced it would be joining forces with Dell, SC Johnson, Starbucks, and Wrigley to form “Team Earth.”  Run by Conservationists International, the team is designed to bring together corporations, non-profit organizations, scientists, and educators to discuss environmental issues.

PIC Club, Merge Gaming Network Dissolve Relationship

When the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 was enacted, the goal was to prevent online gaming enthusiasts from financing their accounts. With credit cards unusable and online processors such as Neteller no longer accepting gaming transactions, online poker players looked for other outlets to finance their accounts. In the time since then, PIC Club has stepped up to fill that void.

PIC Club is an online payment processor created last year that allows a player to invest in the company while playing poker at several different sites at the same time. One dollar is deducted from each deposit and put in a special account and represents the player’s investment in the company. A player can put their bankroll on PIC Club and, depending on where the best games are, move their money to different rooms with little or no delay. Over 130 different sites accept transfers from PIC Club for players to use in cash games and tournaments. In addition to offering a deposit option, the service also boasts Team PIC Club, a group of top professional poker players such as former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion and recent Tournament of Champions victor Tom McEvoy, the legendary T.J. Cloutier, and Poker Hall of Fame member Barbara Enright.

In a recent e-mail to members, PIC Club stated that its business arrangement with the Merge Gaming Network would be terminated. The Network is made up of over 40 poker rooms, including Carbon Poker, Poker Nordica, and ACED, and is currently the 17th most populated worldwide according to PokerScout.com. According to PIC Club, “Transactions to or from the rooms on the Merge Network will cease at 11:59PM (Eastern Time) on October 18th, 2009.”

The e-mail, signed by PIC Club Chief Executive Officer Chuck Kidd, addresses several issues that may face players who remove their money from Merge Gaming Network rooms: “If you choose to withdraw funds from any Merge Room back to PICClub, they will remain in a pending status, subject to review and approval by Merge management and if approved will only be released from the pending status when we receive the funds from the Merge Gaming Network to cover your withdrawal.”

No reason is given in the e-mail for the ending of the relationship, but Kidd’s statement seems to put the onus on the Merge Network: “We regret the dissolution of this business relationship. However, we believe it is in the best interest of PICClub and our Valued Members.” Kidd also states that PIC Club will enter negotiations with the individual rooms on the Network to provide PIC Club’s services to them directly.

Emilio Gomez Steps Down from Party Gaming Board of Directors

Party Gaming lost a member of its Board of Directors last week, when Non-Executive Directors Emilio Gomez stepped down from his post for personal reasons.  The official statement from Party Gaming announcing his resignation made no mention of a future replacement and noted a balance between Executive and Non-Executive members of the Board in the wake of Gomez’s departure.

Now that Gomez has moved on, the Board consists of seven members, including Chief Executive Officer Jim Ryan, Non-Executive Chairman Rod Perry, and Finance Director Martin Weigold.  Gomez first began his tenure as one of the group’s Non-Executive Directors in December of 2007 and served as the representative for Party Gaming co-founder Anurag Dikshit.

In December of 2008, Dikshit became the first online gambling mogul to face legal action in a U.S. Court when he agreed to forfeit $300 million in earnings from the company after admitting to breaking laws related to the Wire Act in conjunction with Party Gaming.  In exchange for the monetary settlement, Dikshit avoided jail time until at least December of 2010 and continues to reside in Gibraltar, where Party Gaming is based.  Dikshit stepped down from the Board of Directors in 2006 to serve as the company’s Head of Research and Special Projects.  There has been no announcement as of yet as to how Gomez’s departure will influence Dikshit’s influence on the Board.  Party Gaming can be found on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol “PRTY.”  It is the parent company of the popular online poker site PartyPoker.

Gomez’s resignation is just the latest in a long list of changes for Party Gaming this year.  The company’s purchase of World Poker Tour Enterprises (WPTE) in August as well as numerous business-to-business ventures like the purchase of the online bingo company Cashcade and the launch of an Italian online poker site in tandem with Intralot have headlined a busy 2009 for Party Gaming.  In its mid-year financial report, Ryan said the company would continue to pursue these profitable business-to-business deals and invest more time and effort in Party Casino, its online casino business.

In the week following Gomez’s announcement, PRTY shares have seen a slight drop in value, falling from a high of $282 on September 23rd to a low of $263.80 towards the end of day on the 24th.  At the close of the business day on Friday, shares were trading at $267.60. Despite the slight drop this week, Party Gaming stocks have been on a rise as a whole in 2009, increasing in value from $195 in January to a high of $283 in May to its current trading price of $267.60.

WSOP Extends Contract with IMG Sports and Entertainment

Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment (HIE) announced Thursday that its World Series of Poker (WSOP) brand would be renewing its contract with IMG Sports and Entertainment for five more years through 2014.  The two groups have worked together since 2005 and IMG has helped to bring major non-gambling sponsors like Jack Link’s Beef Jerky and Planters Peanuts to the popular tournament series.

Within a press release distributed by HIE, the company also placed emphasis on its efforts to grow the WSOP brand internationally into something larger than just an annual series of poker tournaments.  “We are looking to emphasize the ‘World’ in World Series of Poker as our vision of the brand extends beyond the annual events in Las Vegas and London,” explained HIE Chief Executive Officer Mitch Garber.  “By tapping the global reach and expertise of IMG, we are confident that together we can take the brand to new levels on the international stage through new international bracelet events and other WSOP licensed poker events.”

IMG has long been a power player in the representation game and has a client roster that includes Hollywood celebrities, Olympic and professional athletes, and several major athletic brands like Major League Baseball, the Ryder Cup, and the PGA.  With offices in over 30 different companies, HIE is hoping IMG’s global presence will serve them well in the next five years.

“The World Series of Poker is an impressive property that we believe is well positioned to expand successfully into international markets given the increased activity in the online and offline poker business in key international markets,” said David Abrutyn, Senior Vice President and Global Managing Director of IMG Consulting.

Harrah’s has been taking steps to position itself for this transition into the international poker markets.  First, it launched HIE earlier this year and hired former PartyPoker CEO Garber to run the operation.  Earlier this month, HIE also announced it would be teaming with 888 Holdings’ business-to-business venture, Dragonfish, to develop online content for the casino conglomerate.  Although the legality of online gambling remains up for debate in the United States, Dragonfish will supposedly create online gambling ventures branded for WSOP and Caesars Palace in European and other global markets.  The WSOP’s longstanding relationship with ESPN was also renewed recently, with a contract guaranteeing coverage of the event on the ESPN family of networks through 2017.

HIE and the WSOP are not without their critics, though.  Despite plans to make a grand entrance and participate in this weekend’s WSOP Europe, 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth recently spoke out against the company on the Hardcore Poker Show because of the steps being taken to expand the brand into online poker ventures.  Hellmuth, like many other top pros, has a sponsorship deal from an online poker site and fears HIE’s attempts to create a WSOP-branded room will jeopardize lucrative television logo deals that players use to subsidize their income.

“You know, there’s going to be some mistakes made by Harrah’s and just mark my words - they’re going to risk losing the World Series of Poker, which is estimated at $200 million,” Hellmuth said in his interview.  “It may actually become worth nothing if they force the players and all the great internet sites to say, ‘Look, we’re going to start our own deal because Harrah’s is restricting logos.’ They’re actually taking logo use out of the picture, or trying to press their position as a site owner.”

To date, there has been no official announcement of a WSOP-branded online poker site, but the hiring of Garber and recent steps taken by HIE lead many to believe that is the direction the brand is heading.

Tokwiro COO Paul Leggett Offers Thoughts on KGC Report

More than a week has passed since the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) issued an 11-page report documenting its lengthy investigation into the cheating that transpired on the online poker site Ultimate Bet between 2003 and 2007.  Tokwiro Enterprises, the company that currently owns and operates both Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, issued its official statement last weekend, but earlier this week, the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Paul Leggett offered his personal thoughts on the matter in his official UB blog.

Like many of Ultimate Bet’s customers, Leggett was pleased to see that the report included the list of screen names connected to the scandal.  While the report failed to mention any people directly except for former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner Russ Hamilton, the long list of screen names was perhaps the most anticipated component of the report and something that those affected by the scandal had been requesting for months.

Obviously, Leggett also expressed enthusiasm that his company, Tokwiro, was not found liable for any of the cheating that transpired, with the bulk of the blame going to Ultimate Bet’s previous owners.  “It is very important to us that everyone understands that our company had nothing to do with the cheating on UltimateBet,” Leggett wrote in his Tuesday blog entry.  In an effort to clear up any confusion regarding other information released in the KGC report, Leggett dedicated the rest of his post to discussing his own thoughts on the findings.

He began by trying to put the scope of both UB’s internal investigation and the one conducted by the KGC into context.  Leggett claimed most avenues the investigation explored resulted in dead ends, in part, because the KGC lacked resources of a law enforcement agency since it is simply a regulatory body.

“This limited the Tokiwro and KGC investigations because the only evidence available was data,” Leggett explained, before he moved on to address the data itself.  The COO claimed he did not know definitively who the other 31 people listed in the report are, but he said he could “make a very educated guess as to which names were included.”

Many who have read the report chided the KGC for releasing only Hamilton’s name and suggested he is being made to be the scapegoat for the actions of many.  Leggett agrees with the KGC’s assertion that Hamilton is the person who masterminded the operation:

“In my opinion, the KGC released his name because there was an overwhelming amount of evidence that showed he was the person using the software and accounts to cheat, that his close associates helped facilitate the changing of usernames and the movement of monies, and that he was the main beneficiary of the proceeds from the cheating,” wrote Leggett.

As for any potential legal action that may be taken towards Hamilton and others in the future, Leggett remains skeptical and blames the lack of regulation of online poker in the U.S. for the difficulty inherent against pressing charges and opening up a legal investigation.  He explained, “The current legal environment in the United States, relating to online poker, makes it very complicated for the proper authorities to work with us and for us to bring a claim against individuals in the United States.” He then went on to make his own case for pushing for online gambling regulation in the coming months.

Leggett concluded his thoughts by expressing his own personal frustration and sadness dealing with the investigation over the past several months.  He even acknowledged his de facto role as bad guy to several members of the online poker community, but concluded by suggesting the worst is behind Ultimate Bet and the $22 million reimbursement and $15 million settlement with UB’s previous owners are two big steps towards proving that the site is a safe and fun place for people to play poker online.

Tokwiro Responds to KGC’s Report

Online poker room Ultimate Bet (UB) issued an official response to the Kahnawake Gaming Commission’s (KGC) 11-page report discussing their conclusions about the UB cheating scandal. The report, issued on Thursday, claimed former World Series of Poker Main Event winner Russ Hamilton and 31 co-conspirators used 117 screennames and 23 different Ultimate Bet accounts to cheat users on the site out of over $22 million from 2003-2007.

On Friday, Tokwiro Enterprises, the company who currently owns both Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, released their response to the report in which they highlighted some of the major points made by the KGC, especially those that expunged doubts that anyone from Tokwiro or currently affiliated with UB had anything to do with the cheating activity. Paul Leggett, the Chief Operating Officer for Tokwiro offered his thoughts on the KGC’s findings as part of the company’s official response:

“The welfare of our players is our top priority and we are very pleased they now have access to the details of the fraud and all the facts and findings released by the KGC included in their report,” he stated. “A lot of our players have been patiently awaiting the release of the full list of usernames involved in the cheating incidences, and we can now answer any of their outstanding inquiries related to their refunds.”

Tokwiro’s statement primarily reasserted previous claims from Tokwiro that they were unaware of the cheat code housed in the normal code of the UB poker client when they purchased the site from Excapsa Software in 2006. Excapsa and Tokwiro recently reached a legal settlement in which Excapsa paid the company $15 million to go towards reimbursing the players on the site who were affected by the cheating.

The KGC’s findings may have exonerated Tokwiro Enterprises from much of the scandal, but the company is still being required to implement several new measures per the KGC’s request in order to maintain their KGC-issued Client Provider Authorization (CPA). As part of the conditions, KGC is requiring Tokwiro to submit their game logs to independent consultants for review and seeking approval from the KGC before hiring any new managers or executives.

Tokwiro’s statement also disclosed that Ultimate Bet was taking steps of their own from within the company to ensure this does not happen again in the future. Implementation of a new ethics code, new rules about screen name changes, and a revamping of how VIP players are handled are just a few of the changes the company listed.

Tokwiro also commented on the list of screennames. The company stated that because the site used to have a very liberal screen name policy, it is possible that one or more of the screennames now belong to users who are in no way affiliated with the cheating scandal since the site used to allow discarded screennames to be picked up and used by other players.

Along with the official statement from the company, Ultimate Bet representative Kathryn Farrell offered the company’s thoughts on the end of this latest chapter in the scandal story. “With the public release of that decision, we are finally able to close the book on that chapter of the company’s history,” she wrote. “While we vow to never forget, we look to the future as a company with a passion for the game of poker and for providing our players with the safest and most secure poker rooms on the net.”

Poker News in Brief: Sept. 7-13, 2009

EPT Barcelona wrapped up with Carter Phillips winning over $1.2 million for taking down first place while the WCOOP continued to bring some impressive numbers to the virtual felt.

There are always stories that don't make the front page of PokerListings.com, however, and as part of an ongoing feature we've compiled a list of them for you to peruse below.

This week we'll be taking a look at the other major online poker series going on this week, the WPT in Cyprus, a unique tournament at the Commerce Casino, four floor managers who proved crime doesn't pay and a well-known Team PokerStars Pro taking down a WCOOP event.

Frenchman wins in Cyprus

The World Poker Tour's first trip to Cyprus wrapped up this weekend with French pro Thomas Bichon taking the title and $579,165 first place prize.

The $10,300 tournament drew 181 players to the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino in Cyprus and some rather big names made the final ten.

However, Huck Seed, Jonathan Little, Nenad Medic and Layne Flack all busted on the tournament's second to last day before the final table was set.

David and Goliath: MiniFTOPS vs. WCOOP

Not to be outdone by PokerStars' WCOOP event, Full Tilt Poker has gone in a decidedly different direction this September.

Instead of offering a complete Full Tilt Online Poker Series, FTP started running MiniFTOPS XIII on Sept. 9 and it will run to Sept. 20.

MiniFTOPS are almost identical to FTOPS events except for the buy-ins.

Every MiniFTOPS event carries a buy-in that is exactly 1/10 the size of a regular FTOPS event.

Buy-ins for the 25 events range from $11 to $250. Some of the events have some respectable prize pools with the main event weighing in at an impressive $500,000 guaranteed.

Check out the complete schedule over at Full Tilt Poker.

Four Planet ((Hollywood poker)) managers arrested

Four Las Vegas casino floor managers were arrested this week in a scam that saw them take $2,201 in fake jackpots.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, Jonathan Sanner, Jason Peterson, Thomas Kordick and Scott Marshall worked in the poker room at Planet Hollywood and are accused of creating fake identities to award jackpots to themselves.

Surveillance staff at Planet Hollywood noticed that none of the fictitious players had ever played in the poker room.

All four managers were arrested by the Gaming Control Board officers and Las Vegas Police.

Commerce Casino holding Iron Man tournament

The Commerce Hold'em Series, which runs Sept. 10-27, is underway in L.A and there are some very unique events on the schedule.

On Sept. 23 the Commerce will be hosting an "Ironman" tournament, which will give players 10,000 chips, one hour levels and blinds moving at a snail's pace.

The catch? Absolutely no breaks.

The entire tournament will play from start to finish with no interruptions. The casino will provide three meals at the tables, but other than that players are on their own.

The tournament will only be paying the final table and 50% of the prizepool will be going to first place.

For more information check the Commerce website here.

George Danzer wins WCOOP event

The pros continue to perform well at the 2009 WCOOP. Just days after Raymond Davis took down his first WCOOP title in Badugi, Team PokerStars Pro George Danzer accomplished a similar feat by winning the WCOOP Short-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha event.

The German outlasted 975 players and a tough final table that included WPT winner Shawn "buck21" Buchanan to take down a first-place prize of $109,545.

It was Danzer's first WCOOP win and also the biggest score of his career.

The 2009 WCOOP runs all the way until Sept. 20 when PokerStars will host the two-day No-Limit Hold'em main event with $10 million guaranteed.

Harrah’s Interactive Signs Development Deal With 888 Holdings

In a surprise announcement on Friday, Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment, the branch of the company created earlier this year for the eventual foray of the longtime land-based casino powerhouse into the online gaming world, stated that they had entered into a long term deal with Dragonfish, a private business to business enterprise under the 888 Holdings PLC banner.

Earlier this year, Harrah’s - sensing the need to be ready when American laws, particularly the UIGEA, are either changed or overturned - created a branch of their company called Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment. Solidifying this organization, Harrah’s hired one of the most notable names in the online gaming world, former PartyGaming Chief Executive Officer Mitch Garber, to assume the same position with Harrah’s Interactive. With the signing of the deal with Dragonfish, Harrah’s will soon have everything in place for when the legal situation is cleared up in the United States.

The surprise deal will cover every aspect that Garber and Harrah’s Interactive need to have in place for an entry into the online gaming arena. The long term deal with Dragonfish covers the creation of an online poker and casino software, a system that will provide for e-payments, Customer Relations Management software and VIP services. There is no firm date for the debut of a Harrah’s related online gaming portal but, when it does come to fruition, there are two very popular and known commodities that will be the face of Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment - the World Series of Poker and Caesars Casino.

“This is a ground breaking deal for 888 and demonstrates our ability to provide real value to globally renowned, land-based casinos and their leading brands,” Gigi Levy, the Chief Executive Officer of 888, stated during the announcement of the deal. “We have the structure in place to realize our B2B division’s full potential over the next eighteen months and beyond and today’s announcement of our partnership with an industry giant is further vindication of this strategy.”

Garber was equally enthusiastic about the new deal with Dragonfish, adding, “As we develop and roll out our interactive strategy, we have chosen to work with 888, primarily for their world-class technology, scalability, and a strong commitment to compliance and responsible gaming.” As previously stated, there is no further details as to when these Harrah’s branded commodities will enter into the online gaming world.

The announced deal is a windfall for 888 Holdings as they recently had less than stellar news regarding their bottom line. In a report earlier this week here on Poker News Daily, it was revealed that 888 Holdings has seen significant declines in their earnings and revenues for both their online casino and poker room from 2008 to 2009. In their mid-year report to shareholders of the company, 888 saw a 13% decrease in overall revenue, down to $117.9 million midway from 2009 compared to $135.4 million for the same period in 2008. Casino revenues were down 20%, from $69.8 million last year to $55.9 this year, but it was their flagship poker room, 888 Pacific Poker, that saw the biggest drop in numbers. The online poker room saw revenue fall a full 35% in 2009, dropping from $40.2 million in 2008 to just $26.2 million in the period from January to June of this year.

While these numbers may appear bleak for 888, the surprise of the report was the exceptional performance of Dragonfish, which was one of the only parts of the company on the 888 dockets that was in the black. The company, just created earlier this year, signed several important deals that allowed 888 Holdings to report a 42% increase in business to business dealings, from $17 million in 2008 to $24.3 million in the first half of 2009. The signing of the deal between Dragonfish and Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment is a sizeable coup for 888 Holdings and should help not only Dragonfish but also 888 Holdings’ bottom line tremendously.

Mark Seif Joins the Inside Deal Crew for Latest Episode

On the latest episode of ESPN.com’s Inside Deal, Absolute Poker Pro Mark Seif joined Andrew Feldman and Bernard Lee in the Bristol studio to talk about the latest poker news, balancing poker and a family life and even got into some details about the Absolute and Ultimate Bet poker scandals.

Feldman filled in as co-anchor for a vacationing Laura Lane and he and Lee kicked off Tuesday’s show with the announcement that the upcoming Sports Legends Challenge had been postponed until 2010. The event was set to take place in the Bahamas later this month and Lee offered some insight into why the event struggled to get off the ground. “On the surface, the concept sounds like a great idea”, Lee explained. However, he went on to suggest the high cost of attending ($10,000) and the worldwide decline of the poker economy were the major factor’s affecting the event’s success.

Next on the agenda was a rundown of the ruling in the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) case against the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Lee and Feldman discussed the affect the ruling against iMEGA’s case would have on the poker industry and also made sure to point out the upside of the decision, which was the clarification that the UIGEA did not make online gambling illegal and it was primarily up to the individual state laws in order to determine what constitutes an illegal financial transaction under the UIGEA.

For the next segment the two hosts were joined in studio by Seif, who began by giving some insight about what it is like to play on the poker tournament circuit for a living. Feldman ribbed Seif about his recent downswing and Seif had a surprising explanation of who was to blame for his struggles: his two young daughters.

“My beautiful two little girls, Sarah and Ashley, have definitely cost me $10 million”, Seif said with a laugh. He and Lee are both fathers and poker players and the two shared their difficulties finding enough time for their families and how long nights with young kids adversely affected their poker game.

The subject changed to a more serious matter when Feldman began to ask Seif about the scandal at Absolute Poker. Seif summed up the findings of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) for those who weren’t in the know about the incident:

“[The KGC] determined there was a high ranking consultant for a period of about six weeks who abused his power to get into our back end software and was able to manipulate our system”, Seif stated. He went on to add that the company has gone to great lengths to compensate those who were affected by the breach, paying out almost $1.6 million when there was only an estimated $800,000 that was stolen by the individual.

When Feldman inquired about the subsequent Ultimate Bet scandal involving Russ Hamilton, Seif pointed out the key differences between the two incidents, noting that the Absolute Poker problem pertained to a single individual over a short period of time, while the UB problem involved a group of people over a much longer stretch of months. The discussion concluded with Seif assuring Lee and Feldman that, “the company has become very, very transparent.”

The two hosts also sought out Seif’s insight regarding poker free agency, as his deal with Absolute Poker is up for renewal in just six months. Seif commented on the changing nature of sponsorship deals, saying the growing number of sponsored players is bringing down the potential value of any given deal. The trio got to discussing the expected value of a sponsorship deal for any of the November Nine and Seif suggested one could be worth anywhere from $100,000 to $1.5 million depending on where the player ultimately finished. The subject of Darvin Moon came up once again and Feldman was baffled as to why the man would not consider some sort of final table deal.

The final segment was dedicated to some rapid fire questions for Seif, who addressed everything from his favorite steakhouse to how he feels about Scandinavian poker players. The episode wrapped up with Seif filling viewers in on a charity close to his heart, the Fallen Heros organization, which raises money for the family of police officers and fire fighters harmed or killed in the line of duty.

Within this week’s show Feldman also announced the details of an upcoming charity tournament to raise money for Kent Senter, the 55-year old featured on recent episodes of the WSOP on ESPN who is battling melanoma. Since playing in this year’s Main Event, Senter’s health has taken a turn for the worse. This Saturday PokerStars will be offering a $10 rebuy tournament at 8PM ET to raise money for the Senter family. The winner will receive an entry into PokerStars’ upcoming World Championship of Online Poker Main Event and proceeds from the tournament will go towards covering Senter’s medical expenses.

For more information on Senter and the full episode of this week’s Inside Deal, head on over to ESPN.com.

888 Holdings’ Poker Revenues Down 35% in First Half of 2009

The parent company of online poker room 888 Pacific Poker, 888 Holdings, is the latest online gambling business to release the results of their mid-year financial report.  Like many other businesses within the industry, 888.holdings saw significant declines in their earnings and revenues for both their online casino and poker room from 2008 to 2009.

The report, issued by 888 Holdings on August 27th, documented a 13% decrease in overall revenue, down to $117.9 million midway from 2009 compared to $135.4 million for the same period in 2008.  Casino revenue was down 20% from $69.8 million last year to $55.9 this year, but it was 888 Pacific Poker that saw the biggest drop in numbers.  The online poker room saw revenue fall a full 35% in 2009, dropping from $40.2 million in 2008 to just $26.2 million in the period from January to June of this year.  A statement released concurrently with the report attributed the decline to currency movements and the overall economic downturn, two issues numerous businesses within and without of the gambling industry have become intimately familiar with over the past several months.

While 888’s business to consumer ventures are struggling so far this year, the company saw massive gains in their business to business dealings.  The introduction of a new dedicated business to business company operating under the name Dragonfish has worked out well for 888 Holdings so far.  The official site for Dragonfish claims the site offers, “total gaming service,” and has brokered several major deals so far this year.  Just a few of the big business to business deals recently conducted through Dragonfish include an extensive deal with the Racing Post to develop an online casino and sports book, the development of casinos and poker rooms in the Balkans and partnering with several small online bingo companies.

The revenue for 888 Holding’s business to business dealings were up an impressive 42%, ballooning from $17 million in 2008 to $24.3 million in the first half of this year.  The performance of Dragonfish and a substantial revenue upswing for 888 Holdings’ emergent business offerings helped to temper their losses in their poker and casino businesses.

Chief Executive Officer of 888 Holdings, Gigi Levy, offered his own opinions on the company’s performance during the first half of 2009 in an official press release.  “The first six months of trading for 888 in 2009 have demonstrated the strength of the combined business model that comprises a world class B2C operator and an innovative and comprehensive B2B service provider,” stated Levy.  “While consumer sentiment is still weak and currencies remain volatile, we are trading solidly.”

The report also highlighted some of the recent developments with Pacific Poker over the past six months.  Most notably, the site introduced a new version of their poker client with 25 new features and upgraded the overall design of the site.  Some of 888’s other poker-related projects included the launch of pub poker leagues in the UK and Australia and the launch of a new poker reality show called “Poker Ashes”.  The show pits online qualifiers from 888 Pacific Poker against top rugby players from the UK and Australia like Shane Warne.

The statement from 888 Holdings also looked towards the future of the online poker market, addressing the pending legislation to regulate and tax online poker in the United States.  The company also mentioned the ongoing World Trade Organization as to whether or not the United States discriminating against European gambling companies.  As of now, the European Union and the US have not reached a settlement regarding the issue, but the company cited the case as something it is going to be closely following in the coming months.

Man Shot and Killed in Houston Poker Game Robbery

Many players who opt to spend their time and money at their local home game rather than going to a brick and mortar casino cite the comfort and security they derive from a weekly game with familiar faces as a driving force behind their decision. Recent events in Houston, Texas may have home game players thinking twice about their safety and security after an attempted robbery of a local game resulted in the shooting death of one of the assailants.

In the early hours of Thursday morning three masked men ambushed a card game being held at a shopping center in southwest Houston. The robbers knocked down the door of the game around 2AM and demanded all of the game’s participants hand over their cash and valuables. One of the players pulled their own pistol on the assailants and in the melee of the three robbers trying to get away, one of them was shot and killed. The Houston Chronicle reported that another patron of the game was injured during the attack and was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, the other two unidentified assailants are still on the loose.

When police arrived on the scene they discovered the body of the assailant as well as 9mm bullet casings in the parking lot of the strip mall. Several details about the incident, such as the number of shots fired and possible suspects in the case have not been released by the Houston police department at this time.

The underground card room was located in an unmarked unit of an office park behind the shopping center. In an interview with the Chronicle, Houston homicide detective Sgt. Juan M. De La Cruz referred to the establishment as a “clubhouse” and disclosed that it was a longtime patron of the clubhouse who pulled a weapon on the robbers. The newspaper’s report went on to say that police did not arrest anyone when they arrived on the scene and the vice squad was not called in because they could not determine whether or not it was a legal poker game at the present time. In Texas, like many other states, private poker game and home games are fully legal under the law as long as no party is raking anything from the pots or prize pools.

The Houston vice squad has organized several raids on similar home games over the past five years. In 2005 several owners of local bars and restaurants were fined for hosting Texas Hold’em tournaments in their establishments. Many tournament organizers believed they were operating a legal game since they were not taking any juice from the prize pools, but Houston police contended that because the games were being run in a public place rather than a private establishment like someone’s home they were illegal.

In 2007, Houston’s vice division mounted a series of poker raids on clubs similar to the one involved in Thursday’s shooting. An October 2007 raid of a local illegal poker room known as The Palms was one of the more widely publicized events of its kind. The vice squad sent in undercover police officers to investigate the establishment and determine whether or not it was operating a legal card game. After a lengthy investigation the vice squad and SWAT teams raided the establishment, seized $10,000 in cash plus chips and other poker paraphenalia and arrested 13 people.

At this time no one involved in this week’s robbery has been arrested and the police have not disclosed the identity of anyone involved in the case.

PartyPoker Earnings Down 29%

The mid-year financial report is in at PartyGaming and while earnings are up for the company’s online casino, sports betting and bingo ventures its online poker room PartyPoker saw a 29% dip in earnings compared to this time last year. Overall, PartyGaming profits were down 6.5% from 2008, but in a recently issued earnings report the company remained positive about its future in the online gaming industry.

The report, released on August 28th, cited the overall economic downturn, currency movements and an increasingly competitive online poker market as the three major factors affecting their overall financial performance thus far in 2009. In the company’s year-end report for 2008 PartyGaming Chief Executive Officer Jim Ryan echoed similar sentiments about competing online poker sites, most notably those who continue to serve US customers in the years following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling and Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006. Since it pulled out of the US online poker market in 2006, PartyPoker has struggled to keep up with sites like Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, both of which still accept real money players from the States.

PartyPoker’s net revenue for the first half of 2009 dropped to $102.6 million from $153.9 for the same period in 2008.  The company’s online casino, bingo and sports book also saw drops in net revenue, but their dips were minimal in comparison to the drop for the online poker room.  In fact, the PartyGaming online casino outperformed PartyPoker earnings by more than $10 million.

It was not entirely bad news for PartyPoker as the report highlighted several areas in which the site was making strides. While the poker room did report 20% drops in active users and daily number of customers, it did experience gains in new real money account sign-ups with 250,300 new accounts so far in 2009 compared to 235,200 in 2008.  The report also gave credit to the newly revamped loyalty program for PartyPoker customers for helping to increase player retention rates from last year. However, despite the increased retention the site still saw a noticeable drop in unique users over the period, down to 532,000 players from 2008’s 698,300 players. According to the report, PartyPoker currently holds a 7% market share of the global online poker market, down slightly from 8% in 2008.

The report also lauded the fast success of their Italian online poker venture Intralot. The tournament-only site launched in May of this year and quickly established itself as one of the top Italian poker sites. PartyPoker also expects to be able to offer cash games on Intralot before the year is over, which should lead to an even stronger performance in the second half of 2009.

A statement from Ryan affirmed that PartyGaming would continue seeking out business to business deals like the Intralot deal. In 2009 the company also acquired the European bingo venture Cashcade, inked a deal to develop an online casino for the British television station Five and, most recently, acquired World Poker Tour Enterprises for $12.3 million last month. “Our B2B strategy has delivered four deals so far this year that will start to contribute during the final quarter of 2009”, said Ryan. “With more deals in the pipeline we remain confident that we can continue to grow this important new source of revenue.”

Since the report’s release PartyGaming’s stock, which is publically traded on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol “PRTY”, has dipped. After trading at a monthly high of 276 pence on August 25th, shares were trading as low as 235 pence on September 2nd.

Ultimate Bet Releases Mac Version

While millions of online poker players take part in the game throughout the world, there is a segment of the market that is frequently overlooked when it comes to online gaming. The portion of the populous that runs an Apple computer or prefers the Mac operating system (OS) is left out of many of the activities to be found online, especially poker. The online poker room Ultimate Bet is looking to change that.

It was announced yesterday that Ultimate Bet, the home of 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, top female poker player and Poker News Daily guest columnist Annie Duke, and online pro Adam “Roothlus” Levy (among others), would be offering a Mac version of its popular site beginning today. Called UB Mac, it is a completely compatible version of the full offerings of Ultimate Bet for the Mac OS, something that has been asked for repeatedly by many poker fans.

“Our company strives to make our poker room accessible to as many people as possible and we recognize that Apple computers have a growing market share in the personal computing industry. In response to this trend, we have developed an all-new download poker application specifically for the Mac Operating System,” said Tokwiro Chief Operating Officer Paul Leggett. “As a Mac user myself, the only real limitation I have found is that a lot of poker applications will not run on the Mac OS. With UB Mac, players will enjoy the same incredible user experience that PC users currently have, and we remain committed to ongoing development of our Mac online poker client to ensure it is the best in the business.”

Another member of Team UB and a Mac user, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, was also elated about the latest news from his site. “A few weeks back, I got the news I’ve been waiting for…UB for Mac is ready for beta testing,” Scott stated during the announcement. “I immediately downloaded the application and I was up and running in no time.”

The new software allows Mac players to have access to the most popular features and functionality that UB users playing on Windows-compatible computers have, including ring games, satellites, single and multi-table Hold’em tournaments, and single player blackjack. In addition to both Mac and Windows options, Ultimate Bet also has a no-download option for players who don’t want to bog down their systems with programs. Its sister site, Absolute Poker, also has Mac option.

Other Mac-compatible online poker sites include PokerStars and Full Tilt, both of which boast fully-functional clients for the Mac which can be downloaded and installed with ease. Bodog features a cash game table Instant Play option, which allows for a maximum of one table to be opened at a time. PartyPoker was one of the original innovators of the Instant Play concept. Unlike Bodog, PokerStars, Full Tilt, Ultimate Bet, and Absolute Poker, however, PartyPoker does not accept customers from the United States.

Poker News in Brief: Aug 24-30, 2009

As part of PokerListings' ongoing News in Brief feature, we've compiled a list of those stories below.

This week the Poker Brat is playing for charity, PartyPoker has a new promotion, Titan Poker launches a $1 million guaranteed tournament and more.

Hellmuth antes up for the cops

Phil Hellmuth is set to host the 5th annual Hold'em For Heroes Celebrity Poker Tournament Nov. 19-21 at the Fort McDowell Casino in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Last year, the event collected over $500,000 for the TASER foundation, which raises money to benefit families of police officers that have lost their lives in the line of duty.

"Over the last several years, and especially since 9/11, my respect for policemen, firemen and the people who protect us has risen higher and higher," Hellmuth said.

There will be three tournaments running during the three-day event including a $115 buy-in with unlimited $50 re-buys and a $50 add-on Nov. 19, a $265 buy-in with unlimited $125 re-buys and a $125 add-on Nov. 20, and a high-roller $1,000 buy-in with unlimited $500 re-buys and a $500 add-on Nov. 21.

Half of all the buy-ins, re-buys and add-ons will be donated to the TASER Foundation.

Poker pros Brandon Cantu, Layne Flack, Todd Brunson, Antonio Esfandiari, and Clonie Gowen have already confirmed.

First prize in the high roller event is a seat at the 2010 WSOP Main Event.

The Cash Machine is open

PartyPoker has a new promotion starting Sept. 1.

The "Cash Machine" runs until Sept. 28 giving players the chance to convert PartyPoints into cash.

Players need to earn 10 or more PartyPoints on at least 10 days prior to the 28th.

At the end of the promotion, PartyPoker will look at the PartyPoints collected on a player's 10 highest-earning days and pay the player $1 per point on the lowest of those days.

((PKR)) Live returns

PKR Live will be back in London Nov. 20-22 with $180,000 up for grabs.

This third incarnation of PKR Live is a three-day festival at London's Loose Cannon Club featuring a massive welcome party, a $1,000 buy-in main event and a $200 PKR bounty tournament.

Satellites are already up and running on PKR for as little as $5.25. Direct buy-ins will be available for PKR players.

Titan launches $1 million tournament

Starting in September, Titan Poker is giving players a chance to win their share of one million dollars every month.

The inaugural $1,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Tournament will be held Sept. 13 at 18:00 GMT with a $500+$35 buy-in.

Satellites are also available with buy-ins as low as $1+$0.10.

((PokerStars)) corrects inaccuracies

PokerStars claims a number of recent news reports have included estimates about its market share in the U.S. which are significantly wrong. 

While PokerStars continues to serve customers in the U.S. based on the legal advice it has received, the PokerStars public relations department says, in terms of both player liquidity and revenue, the U.S. market represents substantially less than 50% of its business.

PokerStars also claims that even after discounting the U.S. market, its liquidity and revenues are still more than twice that of any other online poker site.

Mark Mayhew Named CEO of NEOVIA

NEOVIA, an online payment business that operates Neteller, Netbanx, Net+, and 1-Pay, announced that the search for its new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has come to an end. Mark Mayhew will be stepping in to run the company starting in September.

NEOVIA’s previous CEO, Ron Martin, resigned from the position in March citing “family reasons” and ceased working at the end of May. The company’s Chairman of the Board, Dale Johnson, stepped in as the interim CEO while NEOVIA conducted a thorough search to find a replacement. In the end, the company settled on Mayhew because of his extensive background in payment operations. Prior to accepting the position with NEOVIA, Mayhew served as the Head of U.K. Consumer Banking at Morgan Stanley and the leader of CIMS, described by NEOVIA as “the individual membership business of Cendant.” Most recently, Mayhew served as the CEO of Debrett’s Ltd., a company that specializes in social etiquette.

Johnson had nothing but positive things to say about the new CEO in a statement released by NEOVIA earlier this month: “Mark is a very accomplished executive and his proven credentials in strategy formulation, operational development, and Plc governance, coupled with his deep financial services and payments expertise, uniquely qualify him to lead NEOVIA at this exciting time.”

Mayhew was equally enthusiastic when discussing his new position: “The company has a strong track record and also an eventful history, but I am excited by the opportunity to drive NEOVIA’s next phase of growth, building on the Group’s vision to deliver bold payment solutions to selected e-commerce communities.”

One challenge NEOVIA won’t have to worry about is future legal action stemming from processing payments from online gambling sites to U.S. customers. NEOVIA previously faced prosecution from the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006 when it was still operating under the name Neteller. The USAO seized $60 million in Neteller funds in January of 2007 to use as evidence in a pending court case. Eventually, the company reached a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the USAO. As part of the agreement, Neteller consented to pay $136 million and take steps to prevent U.S. customers from transferring funds to and from online gambling sites via Neteller.

In the two years following the DPA, NEOVIA has complied with the terms of the settlement. Accordingly, the USAO announced earlier this month that the agreement has expired and the original complaint filed by the Southern District of New York has been dismissed.

With the last remnants of its legal troubles behind it, NEOVIA can now focus on the future. Customers located outside of the United States still use Neteller and NEOVIA’s other payment services to transfer funds on and off of online poker and other gambling-related sites. NEOVIA’s Neteller brand maintains close ties with the online poker community, most recently sponsoring June’s Poker in the Park event in London.

NEOVIA is a publically traded company on the London Stock Exchange, where it can be found under the symbol “NEO.”

WPT May Face $1 Million Penalty for Canceling Gamynia Limited Sale

As part of an agreement forged between World Poker Tour Enterprises (WPTE) and Gamynia Limited earlier this month, WPTE officials may be subject to a $1 million penalty should the company call off the sale.

On August 3rd, a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) obtained by Poker News Daily notes, “If Buyer terminates this Agreement… within five (5) Business Days after the date of such termination, Seller shall pay the amount of One Million Dollars (US$1,000,000)… by wire transfer of immediately available funds to one or more accounts specified by Buyer in writing.” As revealed in an SEC filing on Tuesday by WPTE, the company had received an “alternative acquisition proposal.” No details of the second WPTE bid were given, although information should be released in the near future.

If Gamynia Limited were to back out of the deal, it would be subject to the $1 million termination fee. Gamynia Limited agreed to purchase several of WPTE’s assets for $9.075 million plus 4% of Gross Gaming Revenue, 5% of Sponsorship Revenue, and 5% of other Miscellaneous Revenue. Gamynia Limited must pay the subsequent revenue monthly, no later than 15 days after the start of each calendar month. Gross Gaming Revenue is defined as money derived from the use of WPTE trademarks in live or online games. Gamynia Limited has solicited the involvement of Hardway Investments, which works with Playtech and Titan Poker, among other internet gambling clients.

As per the terms of the SEC filing, the WPTE agreed to hand over trademarks, brand names, and logos for its popular poker tournaments, including the company’s massive television library. Graphics, artwork, and designs will also be absorbed by Gamynia, which has an address listed on SEC forms in Cyprus. Gamynia will also purchase domain names and intellectual property currently owned by the WPTE.

WPTE will retain its cash and accounts receivable balances as of the closing date. In addition, the WPTE will keep “all rights of Seller with respect to the China Venture, whether arising before or after the Closing Date.” WPTE officials shuttered WPT China in May after the business unit had lost nearly $1 million during the first quarter of 2009. The $9.075 million sale price must be paid via bank wire within 72 hours of the expected date of closing.

On Tuesday, WPTE filed a terse statement to the SEC that read, in part, “The Company’s Board of Directors has received an alternative acquisition proposal and is following the process required by the Purchase Agreement. Until the process required by the Purchase Agreement is completed, the Company will delay the filing of a preliminary proxy statement with the SEC.” No information about the second buyer or what prospective terms would entail was given.

In its original filing outlining the sale, WPTE officials included the following provision applying to two of its executives: “Mr. Rohin Malhotra and Mr. Adam Pliska will each receive 18 months of severance if a sale of the Company’s assets to two specific potential buyers closes in 2009. Gamynia Limited is one of the two specific potential buyers.” The text is part of an amendment to the SEC filing and indicates that WPTE officials likely knew about the second bid when the original sale was announced.

After jumping nearly 20% on Wednesday with the news of a second buyer, shares of WPTE, which are traded on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange under the same four-letter acronym, were trading at $1.01 to close the day, down $0.08, or 7.35%. Prior to Wednesday, the stock had spent the last 10 days trading below $1.

WPTE officials could not comment on rumors of a second buyer due to SEC regulations. Thomas Flahie, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of WPTE, told Poker News Daily that he plans to file a proxy form to shareholders that will likely include the details of the second offer. Then, the shareholders will vote “Yay” or “Nay” on the Gamynia sale. We’ll keep you posted on the latest developments right here on Poker News Daily.