Weekly News In Brief -- Online Poker Legislation and Sponsored Pro LawsuitA Look at the Major Poker Headlines From the Week |
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Not everyone has the time to stay on top of all of the news that breaks daily in the poker world, but that doesn’t mean you have to be out of the loop entirely. Every week, Card Player will bring you everything you need to know to stay informed about your favorite events, players and industry happenings.
Here’s a look at this week’s poker news.
New Co-Sponsors For Joe Barton’s Online Poker Bill
Late last week Rep. Joe Barton’s (R-Texas) Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2011 (H.R.2366) gained five additional co-sponsors, increasing the legislation’s total to 25.
The new supporters are Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), Rep. John Larson (D-CT), Rep. James Himes (D-CT), Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), and Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA). So far, 19 of the 25 co-sponsors are listed as Democrats. The last major action on the bill occurred on July 29, when it was referred to the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit.
Raymond Lesniak To Re-Introduce New Jersey Online Gaming Bill
Amidst the closing of Perretti Farms, New Jersey’s largest standard-bred horse farm, and serious concerns about the 13,000-job, $1 billion horse racing industry in the state, New Jersey Senator Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) announced in a Thursday press release that he will re-introduce his intrastate online gaming legislation on Aug. 25.
Lesniak plans to tweak the bill, which Governor Chris Christie vetoed earlier this year, in order to “pump over $200 million of profits into the casino industry, add tens of millions of dollars to the state treasury and provide a bridge to self sufficiency for three years through purse enhancements to keep the horse racing industry alive.”
Lock Poker Pursuing Legal Action Against Jose ‘Girah’ Macedo
Less than two weeks after Lock Poker dropped Jose ‘Girah’ Macedo as a sponsored pro, the online site announced it is now “pursuing legal action” against the alleged “Portuguese Prodigy.” Earlier this month, Macedo admitted to defrauding players via Skype and consequently saw his LockPRO contract terminated and his account banned permanently.
Eric Lynch, Lock Poker Room Manager, announced to the poker community: “Lock is currently pursuing legal action against Jose so we are unable to make a substantial comment at this time. We do realize that ongoing silence can lead to people jumping to conclusions. What happened goes against the very core of our player based philosophy and we intend on exercising our legal rights in the most severe degree. We will keep you updated as things progress.”
Germany Delays Gambling Law Reform
On Thursday, Germany missed the deadline to respond to the European Commission over its restrictive gambling reforms. Poker and gambling companies currently operating there now face a likely delay until spring 2012 before the proposed Intrastate treaty is passed and the new licensing regime is introduced.
Elsewhere, Schleswig Holstein, the state which wants to introduce more a more liberal gaming and poker regime has delayed its vote until next month in order to progress discussion further with the other 15 German states.
Delaware Park Poker Room Attempts Guinness World Record
On Saturday, the Delaware Park Poker Room will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the longest, continuously run poker tournament.
The Ironman event is expected to take longer than 36 hours and the players will not be able to take breaks until a winner is crowned. The $550 buy-in event will also be broadcast online and will feature a $100,000 guarantee.
PokerStars Hires Former Microsoft Marketing Executive As New Chief Marketing Officer
Alex Payne, a former Microsoft Marketing Executive, will be moving from the Bing search engine to PokerStars, where he will replace Gabi Campos as the company’s Chief Marketing Officer.
Payne will now take over the responsibilities of all consumer branding for the world’s largest online poker site.
Congress May Approve Online Gambling
According to a story by the New York Post, there are those in Congress who feel that online poker may be licensed and regulated by the end of the year.
The only hurdle, it appears, is getting both sides to agree on how it’s structured. “I think there is becoming a feeling in Congress that this is something that needs to be regulated and be done,” a source close to the discussions said. “I believe there is a possibility a bill will pass towards the end of the year.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Jon Kyl have both recently asked the Justice Department to curb the efforts being made at the state level to legalize online poker. They feel that intra-state regulation will only hurt the progress being made at the federal level.
