It’s almost here! The flair and craziness of the WSOP returns in one week for the 43rd edition of the consummate live poker event in the world. Card-Players from every section/fragment/nook-and-cranny of the globe will gravitate upon the bright, neon lights of the ‘City in the Desert’ - Las Vegas, NV. The hoopla begins at the Rio Suite Hotel and Casino on May 27th with Event #1, the customary $500 buy-in Casino Employees tournament. This year, 61 championship events will be contested – three more than in ’11. Over $192 million in prize money was awarded in 201111, with this year’s prize pool expected to be even more massive. The notable events during the 2012 WSOP include the 50K buy-in Poker Players Championship and the $1 million buy-in ‘The Big One for One Drop’. The WSOP concludes with the prestigious finale, the 10K No Limit HE Main Event. It should be fun! For those embarking to Las Vegas, it’s a great time to make the trek and promote your brand and product. Hoards of poker players and fans will be on-hand to view and take-in everything the industry has to offer. Whether vending, or spectating, there are connections and leads to be generated. As you know, word-of-mouth is an exceptional advertisement means, and with the scores of poker-addicts (not to mention Pokeraddict) present, it will be a favorable convenient moment to acquaint your niche to the poker populace. Associating a face with your affiliate brand will instill a repertoire and trust with your members, aiding long term loyalty. If you’re playing in an event(s), there’s nothing as good as the felt to correspond with your core audience. Table-time can be monotonous so starting up a discussion may give a primer into what you offer. When navigating the crowded bowels of the Rio, make sure to wear merchandise with your logo. This can make for a good conversation starter between you and other players. WSOP Online Satellites Satellites to the ME are bustling online, with many opportunities to qualify available. Below is a list of the various Main event Satellite information for poker networks featured on PAS. Much luck if you’re tussling on the felt attempting to win a tournament package! iPoker: ME Main Satellite: $500+25 When: Wed., Sun. 20:30 GMT Feeders: $4+.40, $8+.80, $9+.90, $10+1, $12+1.20, $15+1.50, $40+4, $60+6, $90+9, $100+10, etc. Party Poker: ME Main Satellite: $700+50 When: Sun. 14:50 ET. Feeders: FR, $2, $4, $9, $75+5 888: ME Main Satellite: $500+25 When: Tues., Sun. 20:05 GMT Every other week. Feeders: $1+.10 Rebuy/Add-on, $5+.50, $23+2, $105+10 OnGame: ME Main Satellite: $300+20 When: Sundays at 20:00 GMT Feeders: $2.20, $5.50, $11, $22, $54 Merge: ME Main Satellite: $530 When: June 10th at 16:00 GMT Feeders: $11, $60 Bodog/Bovada: ME Main Satellite: $470+$30 When: Sundays at 16:45 ET Feeders: $1+0.10, $5+0.50 ,$10+1 , $35+3.50, $69+6 Cake Poker: ME Main Satellite: $200+15 When: Sun. 17:00 PM ET Feeders: $.20+.10 Rebuy/Add-on, $3+.10RA, $20+2, $60+5 PKR Poker: VIP Experience Package Main Satellite Event #59: When: Weekly/Monthly Feeders: PPs, $1, $2.64, $4.60, $11.70, $22, $53.50, $105, $245 Boss Network ME Main Satellite: €300+20 When: Sunday at 16:00 GMT Feeders: €3.30, €11, €35, €55 Winning Poker, Enet, Everleaf, IGT, Microgaming: N/A
Proposed changes to the United Kingdom's gambling laws, an update from Alderney on the ongoing Full Tilt Poker license suspension and a successful World Series of Poker -- it's all part of this week's PAS Weekly Industry Update. UK Plans to Announce Reforms: Under the new proposals, the UK would make significant changes to the country's gambling laws in the wake of issues at Full Tilt Poker. According to the plan, the changes would add additional protections to British consumers. Any operator offering games would be required to receive a license from the UK Gambling Commission. Member of Parliament John Penrose said in the official release that "overseas operators get an unfair advantage over UK-based companies, and British consumers who gamble online may have little or no protection depending on where the operator they deal with happens to be based." Currently, any gaming operator serving British customers must be licensed or regulated in an European Economic Area state or through one of the states approved by the DCMS and placed on the UK "White List." Full Tilt Poker Update: The initial reports from the LA Times that Full Tilt Poker had been sold to European investors now seem to be premature, with Subject Poker reporting that Full Tilt Poker had simply agreed to "Exclusive Negotiations." According to the report, the United States DOJ, the Alderney Gaming Control Commission and the ARJEL were all involved in the discussions. Meanwhile, the AGCC released a statement July 12th that a public hearing would be held in London on July 26th at 10 AM local time. WSOP Seen as Success: After Black Friday, many assumed that attendance at the World Series of Poker would be way down due to a combination of U.S. players not able to qualify online and bankrolls being tied up at Full Tilt Poker and to a lesser extent, Absolute Poker and UB.com. That fear turned out to be unfounded as traffic during the entire series has been much better than expected and up from last year. The 6,865 players that entered the Main Event this week was the third highest in the history of the event. PAS shares thoughts on what this years attendance figures may tell us about online poker. The Main Event will conclude on July 19th. Rakefree Promos-- Good or Bad?: As we reported in the PAS forum, there are couple notable "rake-free" promotions running this month by PAS partners. Party Poker is waiving the buy-in fees on ALL multi-table tournaments, while iPoker sites are slashing rake on cash games up to 50%. In a recent blog post, Pokeraddict outlined how he believes the rake reduced promotions are great for players and affiliates. The Vice President of Bodog weighs in with some thoughts on why the promotions may not be a good idea. Jottings: One of the longest supporters of online poker, Ron Paul has decided not to seek another term in Congress, will focus on presidential election instead...Reid/Kyl letter seeking clarification on DOJ online poker stance...California Senate Committee hearing on online poker, Correa says "Authorize Online Poker This year"...More co-sponsors for Barton Bill...Segregated player pools for Spain, international players welcome to join
It was an up and down week for Full Tilt this week. On Monday, they disappointed many by announcing that they would be further delaying payments to US players. This came on the heels of a report that an Irish based account was unfrozen by the DOJ. Then on June 1st, Phil Ivey dropped a bombshell announcing that he would be suing his former online poker home. In this week's Industry Update, we take a look at these stories as well as Merge Gaming's surprise announcement that they would be suspending new US sign-ups. Full Tilt Accounts Frozen or Not? Late last week, EGR reported that the DOJ had unfrozen an Irish bank account belonging to Full Tilt Poker. After a denial from the DOJ, Full Tilt Poker reiterated that the funds were unfrozen. The unfreezing of Full Tilt Poker accounts is important as it believed those funds could be used to repay US players what they are owed. Meanwhile on Monday, Full Tilt Poker released their latest statement to players on 2+2. 2011 WSOP Gets Underway: The 2011 WSOP has officially launched with the $25,000 No Limit Hold'em Heads-up event with the Final Four to be held today. The Main Event is scheduled to start on July 7th. On the marketing side of the Series, PokerAffiliateSolutions's Pokeraddict was on hand for the $1500 Omaha Hi/Lo event and notes that logo patches are way down, presenting some unique marketing opportunities for motivated affiliates. Phil Ivey Sues Full Tilt, Full Tilt Lashes Back: Phil Ivey dropped a bombshell on the first day of the World Series by announcing that he was suing Full Tilt Poker, the company he has been the face of for over 6 years due to factors "related to the unsettled player accounts." In a statement released on this official website, he stated that he was "deeply disappointed and embarrassed that Full Tilt players have not been paid money they are owed." Full Tilt Poker responded with a harsh statement calling the lawsuit "frivolous" and that Ivey was "helping only one player- himself." Merge Ends Rakeback for New Sign-Ups, Suspends New US Sign-Ups: Many affiliates were prepared for Merge ending rakeback for new sign-ups on June 1st. What players and affiliates did not see coming was Merge's suspension of new US sign-ups on Thursday night. The word from Merge is that the changes are meant only to last 4-6 weeks while the company catches up with the backlog of US cashouts and customer service inquiries, among other challenges that have presented themselves since the room became the number #1 US-facing site in the days immediately following Black Friday. Jottings: Blue Monday seizure funds being given to police departments...Spain publishes law in official Gazette....Victory Poker players have been moved to Cake Poker...Payment Processor may be charged in Australia....Baltimore Sun says shutting down online poker invades privacy, destroys jobs... Partnerlogic rebrands as Interpartners...Poker players and families affected by Black Friday
Be sure to follow the Poker Affiliate Solutions Twitter feed for the latest updates. It’s almost hard to believe it’s been a month since Black Friday. In our four week anniversary update on Black Friday, we take look at the Department of Justice confirmation of the Absolute Poker statement released a day prior, comments from WSOP officials about the 2011 World Series of Poker and the latest traffic updates. DOJ Releases Statement on Agreement with Absolute Poker: On Wednesday night, the Department of Justice released a statement confirming an agreement with Absolute Poker regarding the return of funds to US players. The agreement will provide “assurances to third parties working with Absolute Poker in its legitimate efforts to return player funds.” Unlike PokerStars and FullTilt Poker, the sites will NOT receive their domain names back as part of the agreement. The terms of the agreement also state that US players can not engage in real money play on either site. The compromise also expressly allows for Absolute Poker and UB.com to continue to do non-US business. An independent monitor has been appointed to ensure Absolute Poker’s compliance to the terms of the agreement. At the time of this writing, some US players were still seen playing at the tables. WSOP Director discusses WSOP 2011: World Series of Poker Executive Director Ty Stewart said in a conference call on Wednesday that he didn’t see reason why this year’s field of players won’t meet or exceed last year’s figures. The World Series of Poker Main Event attracted over 7,300 players. Not only do many US poker players win their entries through online poker sites each year, but many still have funds tied up at Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker (Poker Stars players have been paid). Stewart did acknowledge, however, that they are “concerned about players not getting funds back in a timely fashion….that could be a salient factor.” There doesn’t appear to be any new major policy on logos at the WSOP event. In some respect, the problem has fixed itself by operators who have terminated agreements with pros or have asked them not to wear logos at American events. This will be an interested sideshow to witness during this year's World Series of Poker. Traffic Update: With the dust settling a bit since Black Friday, traffic shifts on a day-to-day basis haven't been as significant, according to PokerScout. Traffic at Merge Gaming is taking a breather. Still, the site did have their 2nd highest peak traffic number in their history on Wednesday (2982) and 3rd highest on Thursday (2889). On the other end of the spectrum, the Cereus Network’s 530 players seen on May 11th was their lowest recorded since Black Friday. Jottings: LVRJ reports on a new push for legalized poker, this time from the AGA…PPA director John Pappas estimates $100-$500 million in player funds has been held up by the Black Friday domain name seizures…Costa Rican newspaper reports on last week raids…In non-Black Friday news, Spain is one step closer to regulation. Feel like you’re behind on the developments?: You can also check out our Twitter feed where we provide you with the latest daily minute developments. For your convenience we have also provided an archive of previous updates: PAS Statement on DOJ Announcement 4/15 4/16 Cliff Notes: Details of indictment, when US players were shut out, Player funds, canceling of B&M partnerships, Initial statements from PokerStars, Full Tilt and the PPA DOJ Domain Name Agreement 4/20 4/21 Cliff Notes: DOJ agreement, A new not guilty plea, AP/UB.com new message for US players, statements from gaming commissions of Kahnawake, Isle of Man and Alderney Incredible Black Friday Promotions: We lay out the best of the best 4/22 Cliff Notes: Online poker traffic update, Antigua weighs in, Absolute Poker statements, collection of statements since 4/15 4/25 Cliff Notes: Merge gaming Breaking traffic records, Arizona credit union shut down, comments from Steve Wynn. 4/26 Cliff Notes: PokerStars Making US Cashouts, Merge Gaming now up 60%. 4/28 Cliff Notes: Jon Kyl Change of Heart? Merge Gaming Ending Rakeback -- for New players who sign-up after June 1st. 5/3 Cliff Notes: Full Tilt cashouts coming soon? Mixed Signals at AP/UB 5/6 Cliff Notes: Cereus Network Bankrupt?, Eric Holder says DOJ case was "appropriate" Absolute Poker/DOJ Agreement
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