Harvard Study Reports No Increase in Gambling Addiction
A new research study gathered by Harvard Medical School’s Addictions Department and European gambling group bwin has reported that gambling addiction has remained virtually static over the past few decades despite the major increases in online betting.
The study primarily focused on the connection between increasingly accessible gambling and its impact on addiction. The main purpose was to try to identify what makes a gambling addict, how to prevent gambling addiction from occurring, and major steps that need to be taken to prevent gambling addiction from ever forming in the first place. Surprisingly, reports have revealed that problem gambling has declined slightly from levels taken in the 1970s from 0.7% to 0.6%.
Dr. Howard Shaffer, the director of Harvard Medical School’s Addictions Department, stated that the results of the study clash with the common belief that greater accessibility of online gambling would lead to increased incidences of gambling addiction.
“In this research we provide additional evidence in support of our previous research showing that most subscribers who gamble on the Internet do so moderately”, Shaffer said. “In fact, correlation analyses indicated that as Percent Lost increased, Duration, Total Gambling Sessions, and Total Amount Wagered all decreased, suggesting that individuals moderated their behavior based on their wins and their losses — exhibiting rational betting behavior.”
Two subgroups were identified in the study based on data from 3,445 bwin customers over a two-year period. Ninety-five percent of the sample was male and the average age of the group was 27.9 years old. Approximately 95% of the sample wagered a median of €13 at each of two poker sessions per week during a median duration from first to last bet of six months. A smaller subgroup (5%) of involved poker players wagered €89 at each of 10 sessions per week during a median duration from first to last bet of 18 months.
The study also proves that the more time players spend at a table, the better they get. The 5% subgroup had a smaller percentage lost than the sample majority, suggesting that skill is a factor in poker play and that players are able to improve their performance compared with chance. It is possible that the combination of all of these findings will present important evidence toward the legalization of online gambling in the United States.
“In our intention to replace speculation with scientific evidence, this study takes us a big step closer towards understanding the behavior of online poker players”, said Manfred Bodner, Co-CEO of bwin. “Ultimately we are interested in developing algorithms capable of identifying behavioral patterns or identifying risk patterns associated with disordered gaming.”
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
Scott Clark Comments on Quitting the Best Damn Poker Show
The turning point of Season 2 of Fox Sports Net’s “Best Damn Poker Show” was the abrupt departure of contestant Scott Clark. Patrick Karst, a member of Team Annie Duke, ultimately won the series, which was in its second season. Clark sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss his experience and quitting the show.
Poker News Daily: Tell us how you became involved with the “Best Damn Poker Show.” What was the sign-up process you went through and what was asked?
Clark: At the World Series of Poker in July, Ultimate Bet held auditions at the Rio over two days. First, you filled out a lengthy questionnaire and hoped they’d call you back for an on-camera interview with a panel of judges who asked about your poker experience, your style of play, and personal achievements. They also asked you to name as many WSOP Main Event Champions as you could in ten seconds. I rambled off seven or eight quickly. I finished my answer and Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon said, “Have you ever heard of a guy named Phil Hellmuth?” I replied, “I heard he has a few WSOP cashes!”
After the on-camera interview with judges, hundreds of contestants hoped to be called back for the final on-camera interview with Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke. Thousands of hopeful applicants also sent in online video submissions. I received word that I had been selected in August and I was very excited to play the game I love on television.
PND: What’s a typical day like on the show? Take us for a behind the scenes tour.
Clark: So many people worked hard on the “Best Damn Poker Show.” We had a lot to get done and a small window of time to do it in. There were also egos, personalities, and talent within the contestant pool and very little gossiping, jealousy, or personality clashes. In my opinion, the biggest egos in the contestant pool exited the show early, with the exception of yours truly. The minor disagreements between Annie and Phil were the only drama. Duke and Hellmuth team members often intermingled socially after hours. It was a very interesting time on and off the set.
PND: What was Phil Hellmuth like, in your opinion?
Clark: I think we are similar in many ways. Phil and I are egomaniacs, poker players, and the same age. I use words like “generous” and “thoughtful” when I speak of Phil, much to the surprise of those who inquire. I thought he was an amazing poker mind. I understand Phil and I think he got me. Often, Phil told me what he was thinking with just a glance or facial expression. I like Phil and, ultimately, I failed Phil. I really do not feel good about it.
PND: Phil Hellmuth told Poker News Daily that he found out about your departure while he was in his trailer. Do you regret quitting the “Best Damn Poker Show?”
Clark: I have mixed feelings about it based on the fact that I allowed myself to get into a situation and lost all creative input after the fact. I did not expect Fox Sports Net to be kind. Based on the edited show that aired, I do not regret leaving based on the trust issues I had with its producers after the incident.
PND: The incident was defined as a turning point for Team Hellmuth. Do you agree?
Clark: Yes. Team Hellmuth undoubtedly had the better team. Annie is probably the better coach in a format like this, but Phil possesses a greater poker mind and assesses talent better. Had I returned, I feel Team Hellmuth was a 60/40 favorite at that point. Team Hellmuth member Jason Lee played magnificently after I left. He nearly won an Aruba package in my absence when he shoved in the dark versus Karst.
PND: How has this experience changed your poker career?
Clark: I have not played on Ultimate Bet since the show. I play tournaments online and prefer to play No Limit Hold’em cash games live. I have been concentrating on my live play at Lumiere Place. I play tournaments part-time on Full Tilt Poker and compete in Omaha High-Low home games around St. Louis. I do miss playing at Ultimate Bet. I stated during the auditions, “UB has been very good to me,” and it had been. My online tournament fees and rake dollars are spent in many poker venues, but UB will have to pay me to play there.
PND: Would you consider returning for the Best Damn Poker Show Season 3 if asked?
Clark: I would consider it “unfinished business.” I hated watching Annie celebrate a victory I effectively handed her. I never considered that aspect when I decided to leave the taping of the “Best Damn Poker Show” and it makes me ill. I really do not know the answer to your question. I suppose it is one of those decisions that an individual would have to actually be faced with in order to speculate “what if.”
PND: Are you recognized now as a result of the show? What are people’s reactions?
Clark: I remain pleasantly surprised by how many people actually watched it. I think I put on a good show and assured Annie during the auditions that I would. Most people ask about Phil and his off-camera personality. Overall, they all seem to have enjoyed the show.
PND: Tell us about your 2009 World Series of Poker plans.
Clark: I will be in Las Vegas during the WSOP. Live tournaments do not rank very high on my list of things to do, but the WSOP is a festive atmosphere. You really cannot plan life, Vegas, the WSOP, or poker!
Check out Scott Clark’s blog to learn more.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
Annie Duke Comments on Being Compared to Hitler, Mussolini
This week on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice, comedian Joan Rivers compared World Series of Poker bracelet winner Annie Duke to Hitler. It’s a comment that has not sat well with one of the top female players in the game. Duke sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss her reaction.
Poker News Daily: In an interview with Amanda Leatherman during the World Poker Tour Championship, you stated that you were surprised Joan Rivers didn’t recant her comments after watching them unfold on television. Instead, she apologized to Hitler on Twitter.
Duke: We’ve all been in situations where we’ve been in heated arguments. There are things we wish we hadn’t said. You have a camera on you 15 hours a day on Celebrity Apprentice. You say things that you wish you could take back. I watched the first two episodes and the producers cut the aggressive parts together. I was trying to be aggressive and my perception was that I was spreading it out enough such that it wouldn’t be an issue. I wish I had laid back a little bit and thought about the editing.
In the cold light of day, after you are away from the weird emotions that come with the game, you see some of these things and you feel bad. When you see Joan saying that I have 16 faces, comparing me to Hitler, or insinuating that my friends are in the Mafia, I wouldn’t expect her to feel bad. Especially since she’s Jewish, I felt like comparing me to Hitler was the one thing she’d regret. Referencing Hitler trivializes the Holocaust. Instead of regretting it, she went one step further.
PND: Talk about the ongoing feud between Joan’s daughter Melissa and Playboy Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick.
Duke: I wish I had seen what was happening between Brande and Melissa. After Episode 3, I was always away from Brande. I allowed what I was hearing from Melissa about Brande’s performance to influence me and I believed her. I felt Melissa was the better and stronger player and deserved to be there more than Brande. Instead of fighting Melissa, Brande just allowed others to make decisions and move along. I wish I had figured that out earlier. I felt bad that, as a poker player, I couldn’t read that situation better. I wish I had seen what Melissa was doing. She is very petty, talks behind people’s backs, and has a weird dynamic with her mom.
PND: Watching the Schwan’s episode, I felt as if you stuck your neck out campaigning for turkey meatballs more than you should have, especially coming off a win. How did you see the situation at the time?
Duke: I protected myself really well. The food was judged on taste and originality, but you also had to produce a marketing plan. Even if the food wasn’t good, the lack of a marketing campaign was going to be blamed. In the boardroom, there was a very long discussion about our lack of a marketing campaign, which was the responsibility of Melissa Rivers and Jesse James.
I was trying to get them to understand that originality was important and I was the only person on the team who could cook. Melissa has never cooked a thing in her life and Jesse wanted to do the marketing. I agreed to make three dishes and then let them choose. I made a batch of whole wheat pasta and a batch of regular pasta and had my team do a blind taste test. I said if the gluten-free pasta didn’t win the taste test, we wouldn’t do it; all three team members chose it. Now how am I going to get into trouble?
We walked into the boardroom and had no marketing plan, but won anyway. They don’t show me in my private interview freaking out that I hadn’t seen a marketing plan. We walked into the boardroom and Donald Trump asked how we did. Melissa hadn’t cooked and said, “If we lose, I think it’s because of the food.” The next think out of Trump’s mouth was, “Jesse, why didn’t you produce a marketing plan?” The food won us the task.
PND: Talk about the previous boardroom, which saw Joan Rivers defend an auction strategy of pooling the team’s money together to make a hefty profit margin on one item.
Duke: The poor quality of her auction came down to the decision to put all of the bidders on one item, which ensured there would be pieces that wouldn’t sell. I felt that it was disrespectful to Ivanka Trump, but Joan said the task was about making money. Trump jumped to her defense, which was interesting, but she raised the least amount of money on her team. If she wants to argue that it’s solely about money, then the person who raised the least amount should be fired. Joan raised $8,000. I think that it says a lot about Joan’s relationships with other people. It explains why she keeps disparaging my friends. How else can she explain it? She disparages her own friends for not coming out to bid for charity and disparages my friends for coming out with ulterior motives.
PND: Melissa Rivers and Joan Rivers ardently defended each other despite being on different teams. Is that fundamentally against the rules of business?
Duke: This is a business task and it’s like competing corporations. There have been cases where brothers or fathers and sons are heads of different corporations. It would be grounds for removal by a Board if one person helped the other out. Do you think for a second that my brother (Howard Lederer) has ever called me up and said, “Full Tilt Poker is doing something big that is going to hurt Ultimate Bet?” Of course not. You can’t do that, which was Piers Morgan’s point. In business, you can’t do that. The fact that they’re doing it across the aisle is grounds for removal.
PND: Is being a good fundraiser enough to win Celebrity Apprentice?
Duke: Clearly, I’m a good fundraiser. Over the course of two years, I’ve helped raise $2 million for the crisis in Darfur with the help of Don Chealde, Norman Epstein, and the amazing poker and celebrity communities. I know how to get people to understand the importance of an issue. While that looks like the most salient thing about me, I think there’s more. I’m someone who works their ass off. You saw Melissa lying on the floor. You saw Jesse staring at his computer. I’m someone who’s very good at making sure my ideas are heard because I believe in them. The turkey meatballs idea is a good example. Managing the kitchen during the cupcake challenge is another example. I’m someone who is willing to take risks when I believe in an idea.
During the show, I’m not always right. During the ACN task, I didn’t have any ideas I believed in, so I didn’t speak up. I’m selective when I speak up and I’m willing to risk colossal failures if I believe in an idea. I’m also banking on my professionalism in the boardroom to win, but I think that’s a given. I happen to have someone who isn’t acting professionally acting as a foil.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
PokerRoad Producer Justin Shronk Passes Away at 27
At the beginning of Day 2 of the ongoing World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship, a moment of silence was held for PokerRoad producer and poker player Justin Shronk, who passed away tragically last weekend at age 27.
Late last week, Shronk was admitted to a Las Vegas hospital and diagnosed with pancreatitis, according to his Twitter page. On the night of April 16th, he wrote, “Have to stay overnight for observation so they’re sure my pancreas levels are ok. No tv either.” His second to last entry is dated April 17th at 5:46pm and reads, “Home from hospital. They did manage [to] lose my clothes, shoes, and wallet, but at least I feel better (came home in paper scrubs and socks).” Day 2 of the WPT Championship occurred on Monday after the remaining players from the two starting days were combined for the first time.
Gavin Smith had the unfortunate task of informing the 300 players in the field that Shronk had passed away. In addition to PokerRoad, Shronk had also worked with CardPlayer on the company’s “Circuit” show and with PokerNews, establishing himself in the industry. Court Harrington, a Tournament Reporter for PocketFivesLive.com and a voice on PokerRoad, told Poker News Daily, “There is no way to express in words what Shronk meant to the poker community. He was a staple around tournaments and seemed to know everyone. He had built a tremendous number of friendships, which isn’t surprising since he was always the first to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.” Shronk was just 27.
While in the hospital, Shronk’s wit took center stage on his Twitter page. He remarked that his room smelled like Starburst and that he passed the time watching the popular CBS comedy “How I Met Your Mother” on DVD. At a visit to his doctor prior to heading to the hospital, he ran into fellow poker player Adam “A_Junglen” Junglen, noting, “Vegas is weird.” When he arrived home on Friday of last week, he was met with a Parking Solutions van occupying his assigned spot, which he made note of in his final Twitter entry.
According to a post by Joe Sebok on PokerRoad.com, Shronk passed away on Sunday of natural causes. Sebok, who heads PokerRoad, wrote, “The poker community lost a fallen brother this past Sunday when Justin Shronk passed away. It seems he passed away from natural causes and was not in any kind of pain. He had different health problems that he wrestled with throughout the last few years, so I would guess it was from one of these that he succumbed.” Sebok ended his homage to the producer by saying, “We will miss you, Shronkles.”
Sebok added that Shronk passed away in his sleep and likely did not experience any pain. The poker community poured support to Shronk and his family. In a thread that developed on the online poker forum PocketFives.com, Paul “grapsfan” Herzog commented, “Shronk was a good guy and good to have around poker.” Nick “nickc001” Chappell spoke on Shronk’s powerful presence in the poker world: “I never got to meet him, but I feel like I did through his involvement on the various radio shows. I still remember vividly the episode where he interviewed to be the intern a few years ago.”
Shronk will leave an indelible mark on the industry heading into the 2009 World Series of Poker next month. Harrington explained, “For many, Shronk was one of the first people they met coming into the poker world and he happily showed them the ropes and helped them get acclimated. His work speaks for itself, as he has been a driving force behind some of the most popular poker content over the last four years.”
Poker News Daily would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Shronk’s family, PokerRoad, and the entire community.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
Antonio Esfandiari Does 47 Pushups on High Stakes Poker
Although the age-old game typically takes center stage on GSN’s “High Stakes Poker,” a prop bet between Antonio Esfandiari and “The Notebook” director Nick Cassavetes stole the televised cash game show this week.
Sunday night marked the second episode with the second group of contestants. The players have been relatively quiet so far, focusing more on prop bets than poker, but in the second hand of the show, Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu raised to $2,500 with 5-6 of spades. Patrik Antonius made the call with A-10 to see a flop of 4-3-8 with one spade. Negreanu bet out $4,000 and Esfandiari called. “High Stakes Poker” commentator Gabe Kaplan noted on Antonius’ call, “He feels if he catches an ace or ten, he’ll have the best hand and could take down the pot.” Sure enough, the turn was the ace of spades. Holding both flush and straight draws, Negreanu bet $10,000 and Antonius called. The river was the four of spades, giving Negreanu a runner-runner flush. Negreanu checked, Antonius bet $18,000 and Negreanu just flat called, taking down the $71,800 pot.
Several hands later, the two tangled again. Antonius peeked down at pocket sevens and raised to $3,500. Negreanu made the call with K-J of clubs and the flop came J-2-J. Negreanu checked, Antonius bet $5,000, Negreanu raised to $17,500 with trips, and Antonius called. The turn came an ace and Negreanu check-called $27,000. The river was a nine. Negreanu once again checked, but this time Antonius checked right behind him, shipping the $98,000 pot to “Kid Poker.” Negreanu had won two straight pots and was looking to right the ship after losing two buy-ins during the first six episodes of “High Stakes Poker” Season 5.
Esfandiari won $1,000 off Cassavetes in a pushup prop bet. The famed director did not think “The Magician” could perform 35 pushups. After a heated debate as to what constituted a full pushup, three plates were placed underneath Esfandiari and had to be hit each time. Cassavetes was edgy during the contest, yelling, “Your chest has to touch the ground!” If Esfandiari broke a plate, he automatically forfeited the bet. In the end, Esfandiari easily surpassed the 35 pushup mark, ultimately tallying 47 according to an official counter provided by GSN. Other side bets discussed during the show included what rating Cassavetes would give the original “Matrix” movie and at what age Esfandiari was the number one newspaper salesman. Neither bet played out during the course of the one hour show, whose new episodes air at 9:00pm ET on GSN every Sunday.
In the final hand of the evening, Phil Laak raised to $3,600 with 10-7 of spades and 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe Hachem called with K-3 of hearts. The flop came 2-6-5 rainbow, giving Hachem an inside straight draw. The action between Laak and Hachem went check-check and the turn came a three. Hachem bet $3,000 and Laak raised to $13,200. Kaplan speculated on what went through Laak’s head: “You don’t have a four. I have an overpair and I know it’s good.” Hachem called Laak’s raise and the river came an ace. Hachem tanked before firing out a $20,500 bet. Kaplan added, “I don’t believe Joe Hachem thinks he has the best hand. He knows if he checks and Phil Laak bets, he has to throw his hand away.” Laak folded, giving the $56,100 pot to Hachem.
As part of an ongoing stipulation, all hand winners had to expose one card. In the final hand, Hachem flipped over his king, prompting a bet of $500 from Esfandiari that the other card was a four. Hachem promptly turned over a three, Laak did his best Phil Hellmuth impersonation and angrily walked away from the table, and Hachem added another $500 to his stack.
Next week, “The Simpsons” co-creator Sam Simon leaves the show, prompting the arrival of Tom “durrrr” Dwan, whose willingness to gamble created the largest pot in “High Stakes Poker” history of $919,000 earlier this season.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
Bertrand Grospellier (Elky) Second in WPT Championship After Day 2
On Monday, the second day of play in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship played out at the Bellagio. Sitting with the second largest chip stack when the action concluded was a familiar name in the live poker world: Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier.
A member of Team PokerStars Pro, Grospellier already has wins in the 2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $2 million and the Season VII WPT Festa al Lago Main Event for $1.4 million. His win in the Bahamas saw him blast through a field of 1,136 entrants and defeat Hafiz Khan heads-up. Also at the final table, which played out at the Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island, were David “The Dragon” Phan and online poker pro Christian “charder” Harder, who took fourth and seventh, respectively. Grospellier doubled up through Shawn Cunix on Monday by drawing out after Cunix flopped the nuts. Grospellier sits with a stack of 678,300, trailing Jean-Noel Thorel’s 743,500. He will be flanked by Full Tilt Poker pro Howard Lederer at Table 57 on Tuesday.
Also still in contention is Poker News Daily guest columnist and “Celebrity Apprentice” candidate Annie Duke. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner will have the 87th largest stack when play resumes, 162,900. Comedian Joan Rivers comparing Duke to Hitler highlighted the latest “Celebrity Apprentice” episode. Duke told WPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman on Monday, “She Twittered, ‘I compared Annie to Hitler last night. I’m so sorry; my apologies to Hitler’… In the heat of the moment, it’s terrible to say that. I just assumed that when she saw it, she’d regret it. I think it trivializes the Holocaust, which is terrible.” Rivers’ comments marked her second World War II dictator comparison; she also likened Duke to Benito Mussolini. Joining Duke at Table 63 on Tuesday will be Phil Laak, fellow Ultimate Bet pro Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Matt Glantz, and Phil Ivey.
In a battle of heavyweights, J.C. Tran eliminated online poker legend Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy near the end of play on Monday. Josephy was all-in pre-flop holding pocket eights against Tran’s A-K. The flop came a benign 9-9-5, but an ace on the turn sent Tran into the lead for good. The hand gave Tran 220,000 chips, although he ended the day with just 125,500. In September of 2006, Josephy, at the time an Ultimate Bet pro, finished second in the site’s Aruba Poker Classic for $446,000. Two months later, he was again the runner up, this time in a $4,800 buy-in preliminary tournament held during the World Poker Finals, for $187,000. The winner of that event was none other than Poker News Daily guest columnist Bernard Lee.
Here are the top 10 players on the leader board entering Day 3 on Tuesday:
1. Jean-Noel Thorel – 743,500
2. Bertrand Grospellier – 678,300
3. Steve Billirakis – 672,400
4. Dan Heimiller – 655,700
5. Justin Young – 621,800
6. Fred Berger – 598,500
7. Jimmy Fricke – 583,800
8. Steve Sung – 529,300
9. Joseph Parker – 505,500
10. Jeff Madsen – 479,200
Other notable names in the top 50 include:
12. Nenad Medic – 455,000
16. Johnny Chan – 404,500
20. David Singer – 370,700
22. Vadim Trincher – 365,200
25. Jennifer Harman – 341,300
26. Freddy Deeb – 338,400
28. Mike Matusow – 331,700
38. Kathy Liebert – 282,400
39. J.J. Liu – 281,900
46. Jerry Yang – 255,000
47. Joe Sebok – 253,900
Trincher is fresh off a win in the WPT’s Foxwoods Poker Classic, where he defeated a field of 259 entrants en route to a $731,000 payday. Heads-up at the Connecticut casino, Trincher defeated Amnon Filippi, who busted Phil Hellmuth on Day 1 from the Bellagio after just 15 minutes of play. Liebert took second to Steve Brecher in the Bay 101 Shooting Star event, which played out in March from San Jose, California; Liebert pocketed $550,000 for her runner up showing. Brecher sits with the 113th largest stack at the Bellagio, 136,200, well below the average stack size of 210,000.
Day 3 picks up today at Noon Pacific Time. A winner will be crowned on Saturday.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
World Poker Congress To Hold Annual Meeting In June
As the current worldwide economic situation continues to capture the attention of businesses and governments around the world, it is critical that the gaming industry, whether online or live, continues to adapt to the changes. With this in mind, the World Poker Congress has announced the dates for its 2009 meeting and revealed some of the prominent members of the poker community who will speak during the event.
The World Poker Congress, which has been in existence since 2005, will hold its yearly gathering on June 24th and 25th at the Sheraton Porto Hotel & Spa in the coastal city of Porto, Portugal. The purpose of the conference, which features key players in the poker industry from around the world, is to create better synergy between the online and brick and mortar poker worlds. A look at the topics scheduled to be discussed at the conference and the list of speakers that will be in attendance reflect many of the issues that poker faces nowadays.
What should be some of the most important banter will focus on those markets where poker is still in a growth stage. Discussion on the first day of the World Poker Congress will center on three markets: Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. The trio has extreme potential for growth in both the online and live poker communities. Online poker attendees will be focusing on subjects such as maintaining player trust, the importance of sports books in an online poker operation, and whether there should still be rakeback options available. The live poker segment will focus on subjects such as potential standardization of tournament rules, the operation of a poker room, and the game’s social aspect.
For all of these subjects, the World Poker Congress has drawn some of the best and brightest in the poker industry to lead the discussion. While the list has yet to be finalized, confirmed speakers include the CEO of Devilfish Gaming PLC, Paul Barnes, who will be discussing the rakeback issue, and David Carrion of the Spanish gaming giant Cirsa, who will look at the future of Latin American gaming. The keynote speakers of the event will be the CEO of Party Gaming, Jim Ryan, and the founder and CEO of World Poker Tour Enterprises, Steve Lipscomb.
Lipscomb points out that the conference is critical to both the online and live poker worlds. In a press release distributed recently by event organizers, Lipscomb noted, “The World Poker Congress is simply not like other conferences. In attendance are the decision makers from the most exciting companies in the poker arena – and they are there to do business.” The WPC is also critical in expanding the game around the world, best stated by poker professional and President of the Slovak Poker Sport Federation, Dag Palovic: “The first WPT event in Eastern Europe will be organized in September 2009 thanks to the WPC.”
The World Poker Congress conference in Porto should offer a great deal of information for driving the poker industry forward, not only online, but also in the casino world.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
Bodog Regains Control of Bodog.com After Legal Battle
In breaking news, Bodog has assumed ownership of its original domain name, Bodog.com. The change came as a result of the popular online sports book, casino, and poker room settling a patent infringement lawsuit with 1st Technology, LLC.
At the time of writing, Bodog.com and BodogLife.com continue to operate as independent domain names; one does not forward to the other. According to a press release distributed by Morris Mohawk, which owns the rights to market Bodog in North America, “This settlement ends the series of 1st Technology’s lawsuits addressing the alleged use of patents in the 1st Technology portfolio. The settlement also resolves 1st Technology’s judgment collection efforts.” Patents for what the press release calls “advanced media products” are included in the settlement and deal with transmission of data through mediums such as telephones, WiFi, and cable.
Bodog lost its domain as part of the patent infringement lawsuit back in 2007. As a result, it quickly scrambled to move its operations to an alternate domain. Alwyn Morris, who heads the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, was looking forward to moving on to business as usual after the settlement: “We are pleased to have worked constructively with 1st Technology and its principals to bring an end to this protracted dispute. This resolution will provide certainty and will also allow us to continue to enhance our technology base for online gaming in order to provide our users with unfettered access to the best technology.”
The arrangement between Bodog and Morris Mohawk for North American marketing rights was forged in September of 2007. One month earlier, Bodog found itself on the losing end of a $48 million default judgment. Bodog promptly launched newbodog.com, which ultimately led to bodoglife.com. Interestingly enough, in an ongoing case involving the seizure and potential forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domain names in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, bodoglife.com is specifically listed, but bodog.com is not. There has been no indication as to whether bodog.com will replace bodoglife.com in the suit, which may head to the Kentucky Supreme Court.
In an article that appeared in the Vancouver Sun newspaper in August of 2007, patents that were violated included “software used by Bodog customers to facilitate its gaming activities.” Bodog did not respond to 1st Technology initially, leading to the multi-million dollar default judgment. Speculating as to why the online poker site chose to ignore 1st Technology’s threats, the newspaper commented, “One possibility is they were scared away by the U.S. Department of Justice, which has declared war on Internet gambling.” Last April, Bodog founder Calvin Ayre left the company to pursue work with his Antigua-based Foundation. The billionaire currently resides in the Caribbean island nation.
Dr. Scott Lewis heads 1st Technology, which is based in Las Vegas. He’s a leading expert in multimedia technology and holds a doctorate degree from Oxford. He also received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard, one of the top business programs in the world. He commented on Monday night, “We are pleased to have finally resolved this dispute and applaud Mr. Morris for his proactive and constructive approach.” Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. However, the squabble between 1st Technology and Bodog appears to have been resolved permanently.
Customers are able to log into the online poker site as normal on Monday night; no additional downloads are required. The news comes less than one week removed from the start of the third Bodog Poker Open, which kicks off on April 26th. The festivities consist of three separate tournament series comprising a total of 26 events, which vary daily by series and include money added tournaments as well as those boasting guaranteed prize pools.
Bodog happily accepts customers from the United States. The independent site is the 15th largest worldwide in terms of cash game traffic with a seven day running average of 700 players, according to PokerScout.com. It is the fifth largest to accept U.S. poker enthusiasts, trailing only PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, CEREUS, and the Cake Poker Network.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
Poker Players Alliance to Spend $3 Million for Lobbying Efforts
In a recent article by the Associated Press, it was revealed that the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the major lobbying force for the poker industry, plans to spend $3 million for lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill during the current Congressional session.
The online poker industry is on the cusp of seeing new internet gambling legislation introduced by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA). It will need to sway a Congress that is engulfed with a struggling economy and ongoing war in Iraq to address the need for internet gambling or online poker legislation. The PPA’s method will be to lay out $3 million during the 111th Congress, which began in January and runs through the end of 2010. According to the Associated Press, The group gets its money from the “Interactive Gaming Council (IGC), a Vancouver, British Columbia-based trade association for online casinos, as well as from its poker player members.”
The PPA has over one million members worldwide, a number that it reached last year, and offers premium versions for a one-time fee of $20. Many of its constituents, however, are of the free variety. Benefits of upgrading to a premium membership include access to the PPA’s extensive Litigation Network, which puts poker players in need of legal counsel in touch with local pre-screened lawyers, as well as a discount program that touts potential savings of over $2,000 per year. Other benefits of the $20 membership include a PPA card protector and window decal, discounts on PPA merchandise, and the ability to donate to the organization’s Poker Political Action Committee (PAC).
The National Football League (NFL) has been among the advocates of continuing the enforcement of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which was passed into law during the final minutes of the 2006 Congressional session. Last month, it was revealed that the NFL had hired lobbyist Jeff Miller, who will serve as its first in-house counsel and keep the pulse of Capitol Hill. In an interview with the Associated Press, when asked whether he would continue to support upholding the UIGEA and Wire Act, Miller responded, “We want to maintain the integrity of the game, and gambling threatens that.”
The UIGEA does not clarify what is legal and illegal under it. Instead, the doctrine defers to existing federal, state, and tribal laws and charges the financial services industry with its enforcement. The Associated Press article notes that half of the $16 billion internet gambling industry is “fueled by bettors in the United States.” The entire industry underwent a makeover as a result of the 2006 law, which sent the largest online poker site at the time, PartyPoker, packing from the market. In addition, payment processors such as Neteller and Citadel Commerce fled. A subsidiary of a publicly traded company, PartyPoker is now the fourth largest site or network worldwide according to PokerScout.com. It has also rebounded to become the second largest that does not accept players from the United States.
NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told the Associated Press, “We understand that illegal gambling currently occurs, but there is little we can do about that. However, we can exercise our right to oppose Internet betting on our games. Gambling on our games – online or offline – threatens the integrity of our games and all the values they represent.” A recent study by U.S.-based PricewaterhouseCoopers noted that up to $52 billion could be raised by taxing and regulating the internet gambling industry over a ten year period. However, that figure relied heavily on professional sports leagues opening up betting on their games, a concept the NFL appears to be ardently opposed to.
Frank told the Associated Press in a previous interview that he plans to introduce internet gambling legislation before the end of April. Congress was on a recess for the Easter holiday last week. The Chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee had originally intended to submit a bill in March, but it was ultimately postponed due to the ongoing economic meltdown. What form the legislation will take is also not yet known.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from Capitol Hill.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags:
WPT Championship Attendance Falls 38%
The second of two starting days in the seventh annual World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship played out on Sunday. When the smoke cleared, just 337 players had entered, a drop of 38% from last year’s tally of 545.
Attendance at the WPT’s Foxwoods tournament, which took place earlier this month, was also down significantly. During this year’s running of the Connecticut tournament, 259 players turned out, representing a 25% slide from Season VI. In the end, Vadim Trincher stole the show, capturing the WPT title along with a $731,000 payday. Now, he leads the WPT Championship field 2,500 miles west at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. In fact, he is the only player with over 300,000 chips, leading the 301 remaining runners. Trincher’s opposition at Table 54 today includes online poker pros Phil “USCphildo” Collins and Brent “bhanks11” Hanks as well as Carlos Mortensen.
Here are the top ten chip stacks entering Day 2, which plays out on Monday:
1. Vadim Trincher – 309,725
2. Johnny Chan – 291,675
3. Burt Boutin – 281,000
4. Shaun Deeb – 269,900
5. Danny Fuhs – 254,200
6. Brian Powell – 254,075
7. Ryhnie Campbell – 239,600
8. Steve Billirakis – 232,450
9. Justin Young – 231,425
10. Bruno Fitoussi – 230,650
Full Tilt Poker pro Allen Cunningham suffered a loss in a 172,000 chip pot late in the day, sending his stack diving to just 22,000. The pot was 72,000 on a board of K-4-3-3-9 with three spades. Cunningham checked, Francois Safieddine led out for 50,000, and the five-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet holder called only to see that he was beaten by the absolute nuts, pocket threes. Cunningham did not survive Day 1B as a result and will look to claim his sixth bracelet when the 2009 WSOP starts on May 27th.
Each winner of a WPT tournament during the season receives a buy-in to the Championship, which represents the final event of Season VII. This season’s champions who turned out for Day 1B on Sunday included Mike Watson (Bellagio Cup), Glen Witmer (North American Poker Championship), Allen “AawwNutz” Carter (Southern Poker Championship), Freddy Deeb (Celebrity Invitational), and Steve Brecher, who took down the Bay 101 Shooting Star event last month in San Jose. All but Witmer survived Day 1B. Others who fell by the wayside on Sunday included WPT investor Lyle Berman, Clonie Gowen, and Team Ladbrokes pro Jon Kalmar.
Dan Heimiller, a WSOP bracelet holder who finished third in the Season VII Borgata Poker Open for $387,000, will hold the 34th largest stack when play resumes. He got off to a healthy start on Sunday by cracking former North American Poker Championship winner Scott “BigRiskky” Clements’ pocket aces with 6-7 of diamonds after flopping both flush and straight draws; the latter finally hit. The hand sent Heimiller to nearly 200,000 in chips, which is nearly the same amount as he’ll start Day 2 with. Clements, contrastingly, did not survive Day 1B.
Notable names remaining in the top 50 at the Bellagio include:
13. Matt “mattg1983” Graham – 222,775
16. J.C. Tran – 218,300
17. Shane “shaniac” Schlager – 215,150
18. David Benyamine – 211,975
19. Freddy Deeb – 210,425
20. Andy Bloch – 208,800
23. Mark Seif – 206,775
25. Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier – 206,275
31. Dan Heimiller – 188,350
36. David Singer – 176,075
39. Scott Montgomery – 170,000
45. Sam Farha – 163,475
49. Brandon Cantu – 157,600
Play kicks off today at Noon local time for Day 2. The tournament will crown a champion on Saturday; its victor will find their bankroll boosted by $2.1 million. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from one of the world’s most prestigious live events.
Categories: Poker Directory Tags: