Online poker could be coming to New Jersey much sooner than previously thought while regulated poker officially goes live in Denmark. These stories and more are a part of this week's PAS Industry Update. Online Poker Coming to New Jersey?: After vetoing a poker bill last year, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is now in favor of internet gambling. "I think we should be in that business. I think we should be an epicenter for that business, but I want to do it right." Christie said he feared that signing the bill last year would lead to gambling houses all over New Jersey but thinks a Atlantic City-centric model would work, especially given the Department of Justice's recent position change on the matter. Sen. Ray Lesniak, a longtime proponent of legislation, says it "isn't a question of "if" but "when"" New Jersey gets internet wagering. In a New York Post article, Harry Curtis with Nomura Securities was quoted as saying that California, New York and Illinois could be three more states -- in addition to Nevada and New Jersey -- to regulate online poker. Online Poker In Denmark Goes Live: Regulated online poker in Denmark officially launched on January 3rd. bwin.Party has partnered with the state-owned Danske Spil for poker to be the first site to launch. As a PAS publisher, if you wish to continue promoting Party Poker to Danish players, you must request a new Danish-specific campaign from Jordan. Full Tilt Update: Unsurprisingly, there was little Full Tilt news over the last two weeks after a report from Subject Poker confirmed an agreement between Full Tilt Poker and Groupe Bernard Tapie to transfer the poker room's assets to GBT. The next step in process requires that GBT forfeit certain assets to the U.S. Department of Justice. Latest Traffic Update from PokerScout: In the last week of 2011, online poker traffic was largely flat over the previous week, according to PokerScout. As PokerScout notes in their report, traffic increases in January are typically among the strongest of the year. In their year-over-year report -- which encompasses the entire 2011 -- the biggest gainers were Merge (90%), 888 (86%) and Bodog (57%). Among the top three poker rooms, PokerStars was down 15%, iPoker up 9% and Party Poker up 5%. Entraction and Boss were the biggest decliners among inactive sites with declines of 51% and 42%, respectively. Jottings: Pokerfuse posts an online poker player Bill of Rights...DOJ ruling splits tribes...New year brings new poker rooms in Europe...M Resort's Anthony Marnell comes out against regulation...France to IP block unlicensed sites?
This week the ongoing Full Tilt Poker/GBT deal took yet another step, while the Bodog brand left the U.S. market and Denmark announced that 38 operators had been given licenses to operate in the newly regulated market. Check out these stories and more in PAS's weekly industry update. Full Tilt Update -- Full Tilt Poker One Step Closer: Subject Poker confirmed that Full Tilt Poker and Groupe Bernard Tapie have agreed to transfer the poker room's assets to GBT after Full Tilt Poker ownership voted on the agreement. The next step in the process requires that GBP must forfeit certain assets to the U.S. Department of Justice. At that time, CIVIL charges against Full Tilt Poker will also be dismissed. According to Subject Poker, these steps could take place shortly. In other notable news, GBT was announced as one of 61 license applicants (in Spanish) to operate in the regulated Spanish market. Denmark Announces Licensees: Last week the Danish Gambling Authority announced that 38 operators have been awarded licenses in the newly regulated Danish market, which will go live on January 1st. A total of 180 domain names will be able to offer some form of online gambling to Danish customers. Players and affiliates will be pleased to know that recent reports have suggested that player pools will not be segregated from the international player pool. Check here for a full list of operators. PAS partners on the list include Betfair, Betsafe, Interpoker, Party Poker, Bet365, Paradise Poker, PKR, Unibet and Fortune Poker. Bodog Brand Leaves U.S.: The Bodog brand had decided to leave the U.S. market at least six months ago. On Tuesday, they followed through with the unveiling of the new Bovada brand name, a U.S.-only poker site that will be different from Bodog only in name. Existing Bodog links will continue to be valid for non-U.S. players and operate as normal. For U.S. players, they will be directed to a landing page where they can visit the new Bovada poker room. PAS is currently working on a new Bovada review pages with direct links. Bodog will also be disclosing hole cards as an answer to concerns that were raised about the site's new Anonymous tables. Bodog UK CEO stated, "There is only really one criticism that stands up to scrutiny and that is whether the lack of usernames can increase the opportunity for collusion." The change is expected to occur in early 2012. Latest Traffic Update from PokerScout: Online poker traffic had another great week according to PokerScout, up 3.8% from the previous week with seven out of the top sites showing a gain. PokerStars had the largest increase with a 9.3% increase while Bodog saw their traffic drop 9.5%. PokerScout notes that while the fall/winter traffic season has picked up, overall traffic is down 26% from last year, mostly due to U.S. players who stopped playing after Black Friday. Notable gainers for the year are 888 Poker (76%), Merge Gaming (67%) and Bodog (54%); Entraction and Boss are two of the biggest losers with declines of 50% and 41%, respectively. Jottings: Top online poker Christmas promotions...Sale of Ongame Network at advanced stage but unlikely to happen in 2011...New Titan CPA policy change with Spanish and Belgium Regulation Update...PokerStars establishes trust fund for French players...German states approve online gambling regulation
A new House hearing on online poker will be held this week, while Denmark reports more license applications than expected ahead of a regulated market in 2012. These stories and more are in this edition of the Weekly Industry Update. House Committee to Hold Hearing on Online Poker This Week: On Tuesday, the House Energy and Commerce Manufacturing committee will hold a hearing on online poker legislation. Rep. Joe Barton, the Congressman who introduced the legislation earlier this year, stated "It’s a first step to showing why the current law is a lose, lose for everyone — the public, the taxpayer, the banking industry, and the people who want to play poker openly and honestly on the Internet. I look forward to an open exchange of ideas." The Barton bill would allow licensed race tracks, poker rooms and casinos to acquire licenses to set up online poker sites. In related news, Donald Trump has stated that his company, Trump Entertainment, would like to be involved in online gambling if/when regulation occurs in the U.S. Full Tilt Update: This past week was relatively quiet as investor discussions continue. There was a new lawsuit, however, as players filed suit against Full Tilt Poker lawyers. The lawsuit claims that Full Tilt lawyer, Cozen O'Conner, received more than $2 million in fees "from money laundered through a scheme orchestrated by the companies behind Full Tilt Poker." Meanwhile, Subject Poker has reported that the AGCC falsely reported that the U.S. Department of Justice had seized over $330 when the actual number was roughly $159 million. The story is noteworthy because the original figure would be enough to play players in full, while the actual figure -- which is the total amount seized by the DOJ over the last four years -- is roughly only half of what players are owed. The AGCC reacted to the story by making a follow-up. Denmark Receive More License Applications than Expected: In 2012, the Denmark online gambling market will be opening up. According to a report from EGR, the Danish Gambling Authority has received twice the expected number of applications: 68 applications from 43 operators. The DGA will announce the new license owners in December. Cereus Network Dead?: : With players reporting that the Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet cashier is now inaccessible, it appears that the Cereus Network may no longer be operational. Even with the cashier no longer available, cashouts have been extremely slow and sporadic over the last few months. Since Black Friday, the Cereus Network has seen their player base dwindle 99%, down from thousands to less than 100 over the last few months. Latest Traffic Update from PokerScout: PokerScout reports a large traffic increase for the previous week. The industry rose 2.1% due to some strength from PokerStars and a 7% gain from Merge Gaming, who last week began accepting U.S. players for the first time since June. The network regained the top US-facing room spot from Bodog. Jottings: EU urged to respect member state right to gambling...Potential future of online gambling regulation...Everleaf Network sees huge traffic growth after Euro Sportsbook joins network...Bwin setting sights on the U.S...Maryland governor wants online poker off agenda
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