UPDATE: The Las Vegas Sun has retracted their original article. They now claim the Reid Bill is still on the lame duck agenda. The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that the Bill is in fact still a work in progress. Follow PAS on Twitter @PokerAM for the latest news on the Reid Bill. The Las Vegas Sun published an online article today at 3pm CST stating that the Harry Reid online poker bill is dead. The Sun wrote "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the Las Vegas Sun after a press conference this afternoon that despite a flurry of last-minute lobbying, he would not be adding legalization of online poker to his list of objectives during the lame duck." The article includes a quote from Harry Reid after his press conference this afternoon: “We’re still working on that, we’re not able to,” Reid said. It's hard to read too much into the quote. But one could assume Reid is saying that they are still trying to get a bill to go through but it won't be during the lame duck session. This is the only source I can find that discusses the news of the bill being taken off of the agenda. I find it very strange that the Las Vegas Sun would break the news of the Reid bill dying. When you consider all of the major media sources who are covering the Bush Tax cuts, it seems odd that the Sun would be the one to break the news. Of course given the money and power behind the bill (Las Vegas), the news does affect the Las Vegas community more than most communities around the US. There is still a lot of speculation swarming around the web on the death of the Reid Bill. Pokerati's DC reporter Scarlet Robinson recently tweeted "hearing from ppl in DC that the bill is NOT dead". Also keep in mind that hours before the UIGEA went through there were multiple reports out of Washington that the UIGEA was dead in the water. So who really knows at this point. I will be updating the PAS blog if more sources come out to back up the Las Vegas Sun story. Until then, you can find me hitting F5 on 2+2 and Twitter
Updated 12-09-2010 at 01:48 PM by TimPAS
Updated: December 8th Speculation about online poker legislation in the USA reached a fever pitch over the weekend. On Friday December 3rd, the Wall Street Journal released a report that Harry Reid was attempting to attach pro-poker regulation to must-pass legislation before the end of the lame-duck session (December 31st but likely before the Christmas break). I really hesitate to make a blog post about this topic because there seems to be a lot of noise and the situation is very fluid. In the end I thought I could get everyone up to speed on where things currently are, since online poker affiliates who cater to USA players could profoundly be affected (good and bad). This thread on 2+2 is probably the best place for general chatter if you want to follow on a minute by minute basis. You can guarantee within 1 minute of news breaking it will be there. We will also keep everyone updated at PAS. According to some of the more “in the know” posters from the 2+2 thread, the bill’s chance of passing is around 30%-50%. It looks as though if it passes, it will be attached to must-pass legislation, similar to how UIGEA was passed, possibly as part of a package in the Bush tax-cut extensions bill that has been getting a lot of attention in the United States. Because the end of lame duck session is fast approaching, we should know within the next two weeks one way or the other how this will shake out. In 2011, it is believed that the legislative environment will be notably less friendly to poker. This might be regulated poker’s last chance for years in the US. Major Parts of the Bill As it Currently Stands Below I have compiled a run-down of the important points of the bill as I currently understand the legislation. Obviously, there is going to be much more to a bill that will have dozens of pages, but this hits home on the basics: --The bill would clarify UIGEA and make it illegal for any site to accept USA players without a license. --There will be a 15 month blackout period from the time the bill is passed until sites could accept USA players with a license. There were rumors that this may be lowered but it’s still included in the most recent drafts of the bill. --Although not a part of earlier draft bills, sites that leave the USA market within the allotted time may reenter the market after the blackout period (they previously had to wait an additional time frame). This is widely believed to include PokerStars and Full Tilt, which will almost definitely abide by the temporary ban. UPDATE: This has changed again, and probably wont be changed back. They will likely have to wait additional time, along with other foreign operators before reentering. --There is a 20% tax on collected rake and tournament fees that the poker site would have to pay. This bill does not appear to add any additional tax burdens on the player. --At first, the bill would only allow Americans to play against other Americans, although the possibility is left open that this will be addressed again at a time in the future. This would be similar to the French and Italian models. So, for now, no international player pools. --A handful of states will automatically be opted in based on if they currently offer live commercial poker. States can opt-in if they are not in the list and can also opt-out. The relevant part of the bill that addressed automatic state opt-ins: Section 101(7) "Currently, no law permits the offering of poker online; however, at least 15 states permit licensed commercial gaming or, at a minimum, poker, including California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia." Section 8204: "Any State not identified in Section 101(7) of this Act shall be deemed to prohibit the bets and wagers authorized under this chapter" Some Thoughts It seems odd that in a bill like this they would have such loose language in Section 101(7). At the very least, the language of "at least 15 states" indicates there might be more automatic opt-ins. Granted, I don't have much faith in a bunch of states opting in on their own, but maybe the draw of increased tax revenue will be enough for cash-strapped states. One purpose of this bill is to "clarify" UIGEA. What it does is make internet poker sites that accept US players after the bill passes 100% illegal under the law. If the past is any indication of future results, PokerStars and Full Tilt will leave the USA market in hopes of coming back 15 months later (or less if the language changes). Without any inside knowledge, my guess is that Merge and Cake are coin flips to leave (may depend on how likely they think they can get a license) and Cereus and Bodog will probably stay (I'm mostly using each site's previous handling of state issues to come up with these estimates). A site like Bodog or Cereus should be HUGE benefactors until the license system is in place. This alone would be a great argument for a decreased blackout period. FWIW, reports from the 2+2 thread indicate that Poker Stars and Full Tilt are actively supporting this bill (the benefits of offering online poker in a regulated market far outweigh the loss of revenue for up to 15 months). The reports of Howard Lederer's pro-Harry Reid robocalls before the November elections make a bit more sense now. This bill "as-is" is definitely not ideal. Between state opt-ins (opt-outs are preferable) and a possible wait of up to 15 months, a lot of players are going to be shut out and better off under the status-quo. This will apply for at least the short term, and possibly long-term in states that have no hope of ever opting in (Utah, for instance). As I said above, I think some states were erroneously not included in the automatic opt-in list, but maybe there is something I am missing. That being said, there does seem to be a consensus that this is a fairly player-friendly bill and pretty close to the best that players could reasonably expect without a victory in the courts. Affiliates will have some interesting questions to ask themselves if this passes. Do you continue to accept USA players during the blackout period? Will you get your Full Tilt players back under your tracker if/when they get a license? Do you get your old American players back from sites such as Party Poker if they come back? Will there be rakeback? Will affiliates even exist? We can speculate but I don’t know if anybody knows the answer to these questions yet. The only thing I can suggest is to “Buckle up” if this thing passes.
Currently, the most popular Javascript framework for designers and developers is jQuery. It is used by countless websites (including every PAS publisher site). Here are 5 reasons (part II with 5 MORE reasons here) to use it: 1. Cross Browser Compatibility Supports: IE6+, Firefox 2+, Safari 3+, Chrome, Opera 9+ With the variety of browsers and their related quirks, Javascript can quickly get frustrating. With jQuery, these inconsistencies are abstracted away and you can focus on the task at hand with a certain amount of confidence that it WILL work across browsers. This is much more rewarding than spending extra time debugging Javascript in Internet Explorer. 2. Documentation Documentation Main Page: here It doesn’t matter how great some piece of code is if you have no idea how to use it. The jQuery team addresses this with extensive Documentation. It is packed with useful sections: Tutorials, plugin repository, reference library, active forum and FAQ. Also, they have done a nice job organizing the site. Given the vast amount of information, it is still easy to navigate. 3. Lightweight Footprint Size of 1.2.6 used on PAS sites: 30.3 KB On most sites, an additional 30KB will not drastically affect page load. Also, developers have the option of accessing the library via Google: PHP Code: <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.2.6/jquery.min.js"></script> This not only can improve page loads, but reduces server load. Since many sites use this method, users may already have the file cached. 4. Plug-ins: Extensible & Modular Not only are there a LOT of plugins but there are a LOT of EXCELLENT plugins which I use frequently. Whether you need a banner rotator, modal window (for popups) or a dropdown menu, there are a variety of solutions the community has created. Many of these plugins have options you can easily change without hacking the core plugin, very nice indeed. The way that these plugins add functionality via modular design is one big reason jQuery is so great. It allows you to load the basic library and progressively add functionality with plugins as needed. This reduces “code bloat” which slows page load times. Use only the code you need and no more. 5. It’s FREE Free as in beer AND the freedom to edit/modify. Need I say more?
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.2.6/jquery.min.js"></script>
Updated 12-22-2010 at 05:20 PM by TimPAS
Last week I wrote a blog post on USA Payment Processor options which focused mostly on depositing. You can check out Part 1 here. This entry will center around withdrawing and will also include a chart of current Payment Processors for all major USA-facing poker sites. Hopefully you find this handy. Some of us actually win (unfortunately, not me much anymore) and want to withdraw funds. Understandably, the poker sites are slightly less thrilled with withdrawals versus deposits, but most sites that work with PAS do offer multiple ways to get your money back. Of course, with e-wallets you can also withdraw. This method is excellent for depositing and withdrawing to various poker sites, but when you finally want to receive your funds (bank account, check), it's not as much of a compelling option due to high fees. USA players are unable to even withdraw from an e-wallet such as Click2pay to a bank account or check. Like depositing, the easiest way to get your funds is eCheck or bank wire. With a bank wire a small fee may be levied by your bank. Reports of relatively long days of both processing and receiving the bank transfers are common. Players can even request a check, although direct fees are more frequent. In the case of a check bouncing, contact the poker site and they will work out another option for you. When making a withdrawal to a bank account it is wise to have an account devoted to poker rather than your personal account. If you have an issue making a withdrawal (such as the bank not liking the source of the funds) you can more easily take your business elsewhere. Summary If none of these methods are workable for you, you can always contact the poker site's customer support. Arguably, more than anything they want your deposits and will work hard to get you playing. So when all else fails when trying to make a deposit or withdrawal -- or if you just want more information on the depositing process for a particular option -- email support or contact them via live chat. Below I have provided a chart of available deposit and withdrawal options as well as some additional handy information. This is to the best of knowledge/research. A few general points first: --This information is very much subject to change --Deposit and withdrawal fees are commonly deducted from USA player's MGR (applicable to rakeback players). If there are any applicable out-of-pocket fees, they will be listed below. --With a withdrawal option, the poker site commonly requires that a deposit be made with the option before they will process a withdrawal --ID documentation is often required when making a withdrawal with methods such as checks, eChecks or bank wires. --Deposit and Withdrawal limits can frequently be raised, or even lowered in the case of a problem gambler. As with any of my posts, please let me know of any corrections that you feel need to be made. A red "x" will indicate recent issues with the method.
Updated 12-02-2010 at 03:07 PM by TimPAS
Often times publishers and affiliate managers ask PAS to add a new "hot" room to the network. From the perspective of the outside world this is an easy process, but behind the scenes there are a lot of considerations that we must address before adding a new offer to the PAS network. Question Number One: Is this partner reputable? Before adding any new offer to the PAS network we have to research the company behind the scenes. Are they reputable? Will affiliates be paid? Will we receive the levels of customer support that we expect. Question Number Two: Is there value in adding this offer? There are already 30+ offers on the PAS network. Will a new offer bring value to our publishers, and in turn the players they signup? This is a question we must carefully evaluate as we do not want to dilute any of our existing advertising partners. Each offer is carefully evaluated and the pros and cons are weighted. Bear in mind that some offers we add to the network are done so to target a specific region. A US publisher may not see much value in promoting Betfred, but a UK publisher will be very pleased to add it to his website. Now what happens? After careful consideration and research the PAS team has decided to add a new offer to the network. Now what? Next week I will walk our publishers through the step by step process we follow within the office when adding a new offer to the network. Stay tuned!
Updated 12-02-2010 at 05:15 PM by TimPAS
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