In the first move of its kind –to my knowledge that is—South Africa has not only made it illegal for online poker sites to offer games to South African residents, but has also made it illegal to play online poker! This is a bold move where players could now face prosecution for participating in an online poker game –Penalties include fines of up to R10 million and 10 years in prison, so you better make sure that you get yourRead Full Article

It’s kind of hard to imagine that the free-thinking Dutch would ban something that could be potential harmful, but at the moment online poker does fall into the illegal category, something that may change after the government sponsored Online Gaming Advisory Committee findings. First off, the committee states how ineffectual the current laws and restrictions are concerning online poker. The reasons the committee found in favor of legalizing online poker were: Holland currently has state sponsored lotteries and sports-betting, andRead Full Article

The latest victim of the United States crackdown on online gambling payment processors was Ahmad Khawaja, who ran the payment processors Allied Wallet and Allied Systems. The case began over a year ago when federal prosecutors seized some $13.3 million in funds from the companies account at Goldwater bank in Scottsdale Arizona. The funds were traced back to the popular online poker room PokerStars, and from there the case was made. For their part in the fiasco PokerStars issued theRead Full Article

One of the biggest opponents of any type of online gambling legislation making its way through Congress has now stepped aside. The NFL has decided to end its opposition to HR 2267, The Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act, thanks to an amendment added during the markup process by Peter King (R-NY) that expressly forbids any licensed Internet gaming site from offering sports-betting to its customers. The NFL, and other professional sports leagues, has long had concerns aboutRead Full Article

In a court ruling straight out of the Wild West, Samuel McMaster struck a deal with New Mexico authorities that allows him to remain free provided he makes monthly payments of $7,500 to the 20 victims he swindled in a securities fraud scheme. And the method McMaster will use to make restitution: POKER! The 59 year-old stockbroker/poker player will still be forced to have his day in court and could face up to 12 years in prison for the 26Read Full Article

Gambling 911’s Jenny Woo recently scored an interview with Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) whose proposed online gambling bill HR 2267 recently passed its first hurdle; clearing the House Financial Services Committee by a vote of 41 to 22. During the interview, Frank urged poker enthusiasts to stay active, and ramp up their pressure on their state and local representatives: “… I will say this – and your audience should know this – what’s more important than my estimate of theRead Full Article

Despite a 41-22 vote sending HR 2267 out of the House Financial Services Committee, the bill that seeks to legalize and regulate online gambling still has a long way to go before becoming law. Even more troublesome could be the rhetoric being “quoted” by the opponents of the bill. As most poker players will tell you, “show me the data.” However, opponents of the bill that find gambling morally reprehensible just need a so-called expert to state something, and itRead Full Article

A sweeping expansion of gambling in Massachusetts seemed like a foregone conclusion just a few months ago, but now appears to have hit a roadblock as Gov. Deval Patrick has threatened to veto the bill in its current form. Patrick, one of the initiators of adding casinos in Massachusetts is upset over the inclusion of two slots parlors that will be added to area racetracks. Patrick is in favor of full casinos, but not racetracks as they do not addRead Full Article

It’s sort of a double-edged sword for both Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars when it comes to legalizing online poker in the United States. On the one hand the sites would see an increase in traffic and the chance to move out of the legal “Gray-Zone” they now inhabit, but perhaps outweighing these plusses comes the realization of increased competition and declining revenue due to licensing fees and taxation. Despite the seeming downside the two sites would face, in recentRead Full Article

After this week’s hearing on Barney Frank’s (D-MA) bill HR 2267, Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act, which seeks to legalize and regulate online gambling, a markup hearing has now been scheduled for Tuesday July 27th. A markup hearing is where the committee makes amendments and changes to a piece of legislation and then votes on whether it will be brought to the floor of the House of Representatives for a full vote. There is still a longRead Full Article