The seizing of Bodog.com and the subsequent indictment of founder Calvin Ayre were the biggest news story of the week. Also making headlines was a surprise announcement of the closure of Chilipoker.com and more indications Zynga is moving towards real money gambling. Check out these stories and more in this week's Weekly Industry Update. Bodog.com Seized, Calvin Ayre Indicted: After a lengthy investigation, the non-operational Bodog.com domain name was seized. A day later, founder Calvin Ayre was indicted on charges of operating an illegal sports betting operation and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Ayre released a statement shorty after the news became public. "It is clear that the online gaming industry is legal under international law and in the case of these documents is it also clear that the rule of law was not allowed to slow down a rush to try to win the war of public opinion." Online poker was not named in the indictment and operations of Bodog and the US-facing Bovada appear to be unaffected at this time. Full Tilt Poker Update: Despite reports reports that the Full Tilt Poker/GBT deal was on the rocks, a GBT lawyer Behn Dayanim has stated in a new interview that "The Tapie Group is committed to make this deal work." Dayanim went on to say that just because people are not aware of what his happening does not mean that nothing is happening. He also theorizes that if this deal doesn't get done, nothing will as no other option is on the table. Chilipoker.com Closes, Focusing on U.S.: Chilipoker made a surprise announcement this week that Chilipoker.com players would be merged to another iPoker site, Poker770. The move comes after recent partnering with Golden Nugget and Bally Technologies. Increasing liquidity of Poker770 and Chilipoker.com as well as market opportunities in the U.S. were cited as reasons for the change. PokerScout Traffic Update: Online poker traffic was down for a third straight week, losing a modest 0.7% with six out the top ten sites seeing declines. Everleaf is the biggest loser of the week down 6%. PokerScout notes that traffic is down only 22% since the network left the U.S. market. PAS News: 888poker revenue share offer has been placed on hold. In new offer News, High Pulse Poker and Genting have been added to PAS. Jottings: Spanish licenses six weeks away, questions remain on player pools...Iowa lawmaker doesn't see online poker bill passing...Las Vegas Sands Sheldon Adelson says he is prepared to testify against internet gambling...Pincus says online gambling a "natural fit" for Zynga...Online poker companies ordered out of Holland...IGT lowers Sit N Go rake, increases No Limit Hold'em buy-ins...Ryan Lang pleads guilty to payment processing charges.
In this week's edition of the Weekly Industry Update, Harry Reid signals a federal bill is making progress and a Black Friday processor pleads guilty in New York. Check out these stories and more in this week's report. Reid: Federal Bill "Making Progress" While Nevada gets ready to regulate online poker and more states follow suit, Harry Reid offered fresh hope that a federal bill could still be in the cards. Harry Reid told a Gambling Compliance reporter that "we cannot have a series of laws around the country related to gambling." Most interestingly, Reid told the reporter that he was "making progress" with Jon Kyl on federal legislation. Jon Kyl has traditionally been one of online gambling's biggest foes but could agree to a internet poker bill if other forms of gambling were barred. Zynga Changes Position on Real Money Poker?: It seems that Zynga, the world's largest social media gaming company, may be softening their position on real money gambling. The company confirmed on Friday that they are now speaking with potential partners to "better understand and explore" the opportunity in real money poker. The entry of Zynga, which has 30 million monthly users, into the real money online poker market would be an undeniable game-changer for the industry. Full Tilt Poker Update: Last week Ira Rubin, one of the payment processors indicted on Black Friday that processed for Full Tilt, pleaded guilt to conspiracy charges in New York. Rubia was alleged to have helped offshore poker companies process billions of dollars in illegal gambling proceeds. As part of the plea deal, Rubia could face 18 to 24 months in prison. In regards to the Full Tilt Poker/GBT sale progress, there have been no major developments since Full Tilt Poker agreed to transfer assets to GBT in the middle of December. PokerScout Traffic Update: Online poker traffic stabilized last week accroding to PokerScout after a large 10% upswing the previous week. PokerScout was the only room in the top five to decline, however. Merge Gaming saw its traffic increase by 3%, likely due to a Bad Beat Jackpot that had increased to $1 million and was subsequently hit hours later. Jottings: Superuser scandal victims sue Ultimate Bet...Internet world rallies behind SOPA opposition, Megaupload seized following day...PokerStars CEO Steps Down...State race for online gambling begins...State profits from internet gambling may be smaller than expected...Iowa lawmaker making push for online poker.
With the Thanksgiving Holiday celebrated in the U.S. last week, news was a bit slow. Still, we bring you the most notable news items from the previous week in the PAS Industry Update. Full Tilt Update: The U.S. Department of Justice has yet to publicly confirm or deny the widely reported (and assumed finalized) agreement between GBT and the DOJ. One interesting detail of the deal that PAS failed to mention last week was a statement from Full Tilt Poker lawyer Jeff Ifrah that the deal contains a concession from the DOJ that expressly allows Full Tilt Poker, under new ownership, to be considered for a license if and when online poker is regulated in the country. Listen to freelance writer and Riding the F Train blogger David Behr discuss the deal. Zynga: No interest in real money games: Zynga Poker, the worlds largest poker site offering play money games stated last week in an interview with PokerNews that they have no interest in offering real money games. General Manager Lo Toney stated, "We have been able to build a very nice business for ourselves with our heads down focusing on our existing business model." For years there has been wide speculation on the potential of Zynga Poker to reach huge numbers of players if the company were to ever decide to go down the path of real money action in a regulated U.S. market. Belgium to Blacklist 100 Gambling Sites: Starting in January, the Belgium Gaming Commission will begin blacklisting illegal gambling sites. The blacklist will be published on the site's official website so players can which poker rooms are forbidden. The article states that only 16% of Belgiums currently play on a regulated site. Latest Traffic Update from PokerScout: Online poker traffic week over week was flat according to PokerScout . PokerStars and the Boss Network both saw 2.5% gains, while Party Poker moved down 4% allowing iPoker to overtake the poker room for 2nd place, the first time they have held the position in many weeks. PAS News: If you have yet to cast your vote for the iGB awards, there is still time to show your support for PAS by voting for us in a variety of categories. We sincerely thank PAS publishers for all your support. Jottings: Phil Ivey returns to tournament poker to play in the APPT Macau main event...Playtech shareholders urged to vote down £100m to fund acquisition opportunities and joint ventures...Service offering U.S. players opportunity to set up foreign bank accounts...Merge Gaming VIP Programs Compared.
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