Cereus Asking DOJ for Approval to Liquidate and Re-Pay Players

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) quietly posted an Advisory Notice yesterday regarding a plan to liquidate Absolute Poker and UB:

"Over the past several weeks, we were advised of a potential solution prepared by Blanca
and its representatives, establishing a process to liquidate Blanca’s assets and distribute
proceeds to players. We understand that this process has been presented to SDNY for
consideration and approval

The Commission’s foremost concern in this matter has been, and remains, the
reimbursement of both US and non-US players, as quickly and completely as possible.

To avoid further prejudice to affected players, the Commission has demanded that all
parties complete their discussions and implement a reimbursement solution without further
delay."

It is very unclear how this would result for the players, even if approved by the DOJ. Blanca/AP/UB were believed to be very close to insolvent, so it's unknown if even through liquidation they could acquire the full amount of funds needed to re-imburse their players. A Subject:Poker report in June showed that Cereus debts to players were $53.7 Million, however they only had about $5M - $6M on hand.

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Absolute Poker Claims to Still be Negotiating with the DOJ, and KGC Contact

A spokesman from Absolute Poker released their first statement since May to PocketFives:

“As previously stated, the distribution of funds to our U.S. players remains our highest priority. However, we are still in discussions with the DOJ in order to facilitate player payments and, consequently, can make no further comments at this time. We will provide an update at the appropriate time.”

Multiple players who contacted the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) received the following email:

Thank you for contacting the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC). I apologise for the delayed response.
The KGC has continued to work tirelessly to achieve a financially beneficial solution for players. In order not to jeopardize the ongoing negotiations, we have not been able to provide the regular updates we would have liked to.
Since the April 15 indictments concerning Blanca (UB and AbsolutePoker), the KGC has continually monitored the overall situation. Special emphasis has always been placed on the player funds at Blanca.
We are pleased to advise you the legal negotiations are nearing completion, we expect to provide a formal advisory very shortly, as always player balances are the Commission's highest priority.
The KGC will post advisories on www.gamingcommission.ca as information becomes available for public release.

Regards
Micki
Dispute Management
Kahnawake Gaming Commission
www.gamingcommission.ca
Email: complaints@gamingcommission.ca
Phone: +1.450.635.1076

Players with funds frozen on Absolute or their sister-site UB should file a complaint with the KGC if they have not done so already.

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Merge Network Traffic Up 21% Since Re-Opening US Signups

Merge Gaming Network has seen an overall increase in poker traffic of 21% since re-opening signups to US players. Last week their traffic jumped 13% after increasing by 7% the last three days from the previous week after re-opening US registrations on October 13th. Merge has moved back into the Top 10 of poker network traffic after being out for eight weeks.

Carbon, Black Chip, and Overbet (I recommend them in that order) are among the Merge sites taking US players.

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Everleaf Poker Network Reduces Rake Cap to $1 on USD Tables for Rest of Year

The sites on the Everleaf Poker Network will have their maximum rake cap per hand lowered to only $1 on US Dollar tables. The rake decrease will take place beginning November 1st, and running until at least December 31st. Network reps are already hinting the promo could be extended much longer. The collection increment will remain at "$0.01 is raked for every $0.20 in the pot" but will never exceed USD $1. In the case of the lowest microstakes No Limit and Fixed Limit games that had a max rake lower than $1, those will remain at their previous lower rake rates. Most of Everleaf's tables are € now but this may shift traffic to the lower-rake USD ones. 

This is an incredible promotion for high volume players, which is unmatched anywhere at this time. For Everleaf rakeback check out room BKR Poker, which has no deductions from the 40% gross rakeback they offer, takes players from the United States, and has better-than-average cashout times.

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New Jersey Referredum on Sports Betting Could Impact Poker and States Rights

November 8, 2011 the state of New Jersey will hold a non-binding referendum vote during the elections asking voters if they support the State Constitution being amended to allow sports betting. The ballot question will ask if "it shall be lawful for the Legislature to authorize by law wagering at casinos or gambling houses in Atlantic City and at current or former running and harness horse racetracks on the results of professional, certain college or amateur sport or athletic events." Polls the past few weeks in NJ show that there is heavy support and little opposition. The next step would be for the state to pass a law expressly authorizing betting on sports events.

The last step is what could have far reaching implications for future battles over states' rights. Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Senator Raymond Lesniak can take back up their lawsuit against the federal government charging that the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PAPSA) violates the US Constitution. A judge ruled previously they had no standing until a sports betting law was passed in state. The 1992 PAPSA banned sports betting across the United States except for the four states grandfathered in: Nevada, Delaware, Montana, and Oregon.

If New Jersey is successful it could have far reaching implications for restoring states's rights across the United States. NJ lawmakers believe the law blantantly violates the Tenth Amendment which states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." If successful this is likely to embolden other states to pass various legislation prohibited by controversial federal laws. If NJ does succeed in overturning the 1992 PAPSA, it could very well lead to many states beginning to legalize online poker and online gambling.

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WSOP Final Table to be Broadcast Live by ESPN

The WSOP Main Event "November 9" will return to Vegas on Sunday, November 6th to begin final table play. Live coverage will begin on ESPN2 that day at 3:30 PM Eastern. They will play down to three players remaining on Sunday. The final three will play down to a winner beginning Tuesday, November 8th at 9:00 PM Eastern on ESPN.

Due to gaming regulations the coverage will be broadcast "virtually live" on a 15-minute delay. Hole cards will be shown preflop for any player who enters the hand. Both days of coverage can also be watched from ESPN3.com, WSOP.com, and any smartphone using the WatchESPN app.

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Everleaf Traffic Up as Euro Sportsbook Joins Network

The Everleaf Network has seen a large spike in traffic since October 4th, when the 21 FENPLAY sportsbetting sites moved from the Enet Poker Network to the Everleaf Gaming Network. FENPLAY's brands include well-known Italian betting sites like CBMSport, ScommettiQui, BetClock, and MorganBet.

Since that date Everleaf has not only shown a noticeable spike in traffic, but the tables also no longer die down as much after European peak times. PokerScout shows that peak time traffic is up about 150% since October 4th. Enet's traffic has not shown a comparable decrease.

A previous surge in Everleaf's traffic lasted only a short time following the July 7th, 2011 merger of the three networks on the former Everleaf Platform. Two of the component networks, the Italian-centric ITA and U-Poker ones, had been among the most profitable online poker networks in the world.

The Everleaf Euro NLHE tables have also seen a rake increase (schedule) from 5% to 6%, with the cap remaining at €5 per hand. The No Limit Capped tables have 6% rake with a higher per hand cap of €7. Rake at the less-plentiful pot/NL USD tables is 5% to $4.

Everleaf poker room BKR Poker takes players from the United States, has no deductions from the 40% gross rakeback they offer, and has better-than-average cashout times.

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NBC Cancels 2012 National Heads-Up Poker Championship

NBC has confirmed that the National Heads-Up Poker Championship will not be held in 2012. This event was among the most popular poker events on television, and becomes the latest high profile poker programming to exit the airwaves in the aftermath of Black Friday. Which has already cost viewers High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark.

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Merge to Begin Taking New US Sign Ups

The Merge Network will begin taking new player signups from the United States, beginning October 13th at 1:00 AM Eastern Time, according to a report. Players from New York, Kentucky, Washington state, Louisiana, Missouri, and Washington DC will continue to be blocked from creating new accounts. Although the Merge Network is allowing licensees to take new US signups, it is unknown how many skins will do so. Update Oct. 15: Carbon, Black Chip, and Overbet (I recommend them in that order) are among the Merge sites taking US players.

Posters on 2+2 message board also report being told the same today by support of two skins.

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AmericasCardroom Takes Over DoylesRoom

AmericasCardroom has acquired fellow Yatahay Network skin DoylesRoom. Existing players will be transitioned to AmericasCardroom and will retain their usernames, login info, and balances. In the deal they have acquired the player and affiliate databases, the player liabilities, and the support staff.

AmericasCardroom re-opened in August 2011 (on Yatahay), after closing in 2007 when OnGame blocked US players. Since re-opening, AmericasCardroom has marketed heavily including commercials on ESPN and GSN, openly welcoming players from the United States. DoylesRoom had only moved to Yatahay at the end of January after leaving Cake. It was believed at the time DoylesRoom had been purchased by the backers of the Yatahay Network.

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Sportsbook.ag Migrates Non-US Player Base to Global.Sportsbook.com in Malta

Sportsbook.ag (formally Sportsbook.com) has migrated their entire non-US player base to Global.Sportsbook.com, as of September 28th. Global.Sportsbook.com is operated by WinUnited Ltd who run the low-rated sportsbook YouWin. WinUnited Ltd holds a gaming license from the Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) of Malta. Players balances will now be in Euros instead of US Dollars. Sportsbook.ag will continue managing their US player base out of Costa Rica.

Global.Sportsbook.com currently only offers sportsbetting and a casino. They are reportedly 3 - 4 weeks away from opening their poker room, and it will not be a part of the Merge Network. Sportsbook.ag US players will continue being a part of the Merge Network.

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WSEX.com Still Not Paying Cashouts to Players

Disgraced formally A-rated sportsbook and poker site, WSEX.com continues having major issues paying withdrawals, while the backlog continues to rise. A new deliquency update by SBR shows that 75 players have complaints into them for $501,247 in unpaid cashouts. The cashout requests date as far back as October 2009. The wave of payouts occured at the start of the 2010 football season.

Players continue to file complaints, and add theirs to the list of payouts SBR is trying to get pushed through. SBR previously reported that WSEX has paid some active players with small cashout requests, but have virtually given up on paying any inactive players who have cashouts pending from a year or more.

Nov 16, 2011 Update: The outstanding WSEX withdrawal requests reported to SBR has risen to $610,990 between 93 players. They also report that three requests from November 2010 were just paid out. WSEX continues to blame processing issues as they have for the past two years.

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EuroCake Network Offers EU Licensing on the Cake Poker Network

The Cake Poker Network has a subsidiary called the EuroCake Network Limited, which is incorporated in Malta, and holds a Class 4 license (number LGA/CL4/594/2009) from the Maltese Lotteries and Gaming Authority. This allows residents of the European Union to play taxfree on the EuroCake skins. Also Malta is on the UK "white list" for regulators, which Curacao the regulator of the general Cake Network is not.

The EuroCake Network skins share tables and players with the general Cake Poker Network, however they do not allow US players to signup on their skins. The current skins operating on the EuroCake Network are PowerPoker, EuroClubPoker, ComeOn, and ChocolatePoker.

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Everest Poker Operator Gigamedia Warned by Nasdaq of De-Listing

GigaMedia Limited (NASDAQ: GIGM) receieved a letter from the Nasdaq Stock Market on September 29th, warning them their stock price has been below the $1.00 per share minimum requirement for over 30 days. GigaMedia was allowed a 180-day grace period, up to March 26, 2012. The stock must go above the $1.00 per share minimum for ten consecutive trading days before that date to become compliant. If not, after March 26, 2012, Nasdaq will de-list them.

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$30,000,000 Guaranteed Live Tournament at London's Wembley Stadium Confirmed

The rumored $30,000,000 Guaranteed live tournament at Wembley Stadium in London has been confirmed. It will be the inaugural International Stadiums Poker Tour (ISPT) event. The tournament will run for five consecutive days in September 2012. They hope to draw 20,000 to 30,000 players for the event. The tournament will be broadcast around the world. First prize is $10 million.

Players can either purchase or win a ticket into the tournament. The direct buyin is to be determined, as well as specifics for winning a ticket. Qualification is expected to begin January 2012. Players begin the tournament seated in the stadium seats and playing online from tablet PCs, made by telecom company Orange. When they get down to 3000 players left, they will all move and sit at poker tables on the stadium field.

The event will occur annually at difference stadiums around the world. ISPT is run by Laurent Tapie (son of Full Tilt investor Bernard Tapie), and Prosper Masquelier, who previously worked together for Partouche Interactive. Laurent is who confirmed the tournament, and also that the $30 million was already deposited to a dedicated account.

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Cake Poker Adds an Instant Play Option to Lobby

Cake Poker has introduced a new "Instant Play" option in the poker lobby to assist players with finding cash tables and tournaments easier.  CakePoker and additional skins have begun rolling out this option.  It can be accessed by going to the Real Money tab and clicking "Instant Play."

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Court Ruling Against PiggsPeak Makes Online Gambling Illegal in South Africa

A court ruling in the Bloemfontein Supreme Court of Appeals in South Africa against Swaziland-based Casino Enterprises, has made online gambling and advertising illegal in South Africa. The judge's decision states the gambling takes place where the play is, not where the gaming site's servers are physically located.

The ruling came after Casino Enterprises, the operator of PiggsPeak Poker, PiggsPeak Casino, Volcanic Gold Casino, and PiggsPeak Bingo, appealed a ruling by the North Gauteng High Court ruling that declared online gambling illegal in South Africa.

PiggsPeak's website already shows the message at the bottom: "Please note: Our casino will only be acceessible by players outside the borders of South Africa." They will now operate in the other Common Monetary Area of Southern Africa – this includes Swaziland, Lesotho and Nambia.

In 2007 legislation had passed Parliament, but the regulations drafted for comment in 2009 were not supported by the Trade and Industry Portfolio Committee.

[Update 10/12/11]
PiggsPeak says this court decision has cost them a loss of 90% of their player base, and they had to layoff most of their support staff based in Swaziland. Since the decision OPI has observed that poker games on the site have completely died. No more than 15 players have been connected, and no more than two seated, including the first weekend. This is down from a daily average of 80 - 100 players. SilverSands Poker and Casino, the site who markets themselves as "South Africa's Premier Online Poker Room," has not experienced any decrease in traffic since the court decision. Their traffic remains steady at 170 to 200 players a day, although they do take action from many other countres. Both sites use the South African Rand currency at their poker and casino games.

[Update 11/27/11]
The Piggs Peak poker room has now closed down completely. When launching the software players are greeted with the message, "Unfortunately this Poker Room is no longer available. Should you have a positive balance in your Piggs Peak Poker account, please click below to make a withdrawal. www.piggspeak.com/banking/WithdrawalRequest.aspx"

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Alderney AGCC Releases Statement to Full Tilt Players, They Cannot Intermediate

The Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) released the following statement October 3rd:

On-going concerns of Full Tilt’s registered players.
Following the revocation of the licences, AGCC no longer has authority to intermediate or arbitrate on player issues or disputes with Full Tilt (excepting for players registered under a Swiss address).
Players may have the following alternative options:

1. Full Tilt has been requested to provide a specific player contact: this is awaited and will be incorporated here upon receipt.
2. Any player who believes they are a victim of crime, as a result of their dealings with Full Tilt, should in the first instance contact their own local police in their country of residence and report the matter to them. These reports will then be co-ordinated centrally.
3. It is understood that a number of civil actions have been initiated by players against Full Tilt, some as class actions representing multiple players by UK, US and Canadian lawyers. Details of the firms concerned can be found through internet search.

UPDATE: PokerNews got clarification on why the statement said this did not include players with a Swiss address. "The license of Orinic was suspended, not revoked, and therefore we still have jurisdiction over Swiss players. This is due to the fact that Orinic’s license was issued for the sole purpose of operating out of that region."

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Red Star Poker Becomes Latest Cake Network Skin with Private Cashier

Red Star Poker joined an increasing list of Cake Poker Network skins that have segregated their cashiers and are now doing their own processing. The change was quietly made in mid-September, although they had been doing cashouts directly for VIP players for some time.

Other Cake partner skins that do their own processing are Intertops, AllInPoker, BetTheGlobe, Dimeline, BettingChamps, PurePoker, ZetPoker, and NeverFelted. BTG Global N.V. owns and operates the cashier for all the sites. All are open to players anywhere in the world. Players from Kentucky are excluded.

Cake Network skins still using the network cashier are still experiencing cashout wait times of 2 months for EU and Canadian players, and 3 months for United States players. The skins with private processing are able to process cashouts in a couple weeks.

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