AVP Weekly: fake news, UK iGaming growth, PokerStars adds more games plus more news

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Author Jennifer Newell's poker week in review March 25-31: news on US iGaming updates, UK's iGaming growth, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker's new games and the best fake news of the week.

Poker to the Point: Week ending March 31

Our consolidation of the week's news is quick and to the point, seven of them to be exact. Let's go.

#1 - No Progress for iGaming in Some States

While some states recently legalized online gambling and others move in a positive direction, other states are not so willing to follow the lead. Illinois lawmakers recently put iGaming on the drawing board by adding it to a large budget proposal that included live casinos. However, Governor Pat Quinn is not keen on the idea. "I think that's problematic," he said. "It's a brand new idea and there hasn't been much review on that at all. Anytime you have something brand new it shouldn't just be thrown into a bill at the last minute." As of yet, online gambling has not been removed from the proposal.

The Florida legislature may try to outlaw online gambling completely. The bill is aimed at making Internet cafes illegal, but the broad language could be interpreted as making all Internet gambling illegal. It refers specifically to electronic devices that accept currency, coins, accounts numbers or codes, and anything that rewards a player with extra credits, cash, prizes, or anything of value over the Internet. The House already passed the bill by a 108-7 margin.

#2 - UK iGaming Growth Solid, POC to Capitalize

New statistics from the United Kingdom shows exponential growth in its online gambling industry. Currently worth more than £2 billion, the growth rate has been staggering, up 80 percent in revenue from 2008. A further breakdown of iGaming shows that sports betting is the largest part of the market with 44 percent of it, which is a 102 percent growth since 2008. Online casinos take up 23 percent of the market with a 79 percent rise since 2008, and bingo is next with 17 percent of the market and a 155 percent increase. Poker is the lowest on the list, with 15 percent of the market and only an eight percent increase in recent years.

Even so, the UK seeks more growth and stricter regulation. The new and controversial Place of Consumption bill looks to be implemented as early as 2014, more than six months earlier than planned. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has given the thumbs-up for arrangements to begin to launch the framework for the new tax for offshore online gambling operators.

#3 - Online Poker Site Challenges

Smaller online poker sites continue to experience difficulties in tough economic times and with many large markets like the United States currently restricted. Fortune Poker, which operated under the International Poker Network and was owned by Boss Media, shut down after nine years of business. The message to players said, "With many changes in the online gaming industry, it has been a struggle to continue to support our players and affiliates to the fullest." Players can withdraw funds through the day on April 2, and they then have until April 15 to contact customer service.

The payment delays revolving around Revolution Gaming have been no secret, and they are now beginning to affect associated online gaming sites. AdamEve Poker announced that it is suspending all poker withdrawals, though gaming can still continue. The site notes that players will be paid "as soon as network covers all due settlements with AdamEve Poker." Operators of AdamEve have not been quiet about their frustrations with Revolution, even recently calling for players to file official complaints with the oversight commission.

#4 - More Games, Changes for PokerStars and Full Tilt

In an effort to diversify their online poker options even further, PokerStars recently announced the addition of several Omaha variants. The new games were 5-Card Omaha, 5-Card Omaha Hi/Lo, Courchevel, and Courchevel Hi/Lo, and all are available for real or play money, with the former offering stakes from $.10/$.25 to $200/$400.

Full Tilt Poker recently added Irish Poker to its roster, but even more changes came within the past week. The site announced the return of the Black Card loyalty program, which was a favorite of many poker players. In addition, VIP Amnesty is being offered to players throughout April, so that transferring your business to Full Tilt will result in the awarding of equivalent VIP status. Black Card members can convert all FTP points to cash instantly at full value, as well as take part in a results-based sponsorship program.

Initial tracking numbers haven't shown a substantial spike in traffic for either site based on the new offerings and promotions.

#5 - Online Poker Tournament Season Heats Up

PokerStars announced a preliminary schedule for its ever-popular Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP). There will be 42 events, two more than the previous year, and will run from May 23 to May 26. New additions to the schedule include Zoom tournaments, along with some of the new games like Courchevel and 5-Card Omaha. Last year's SCOOP awarded more than $65 million in prize money.

PartyPoker has its Pokerfest series scheduled for April 21 to May 5. There will be four events per day and a cumulative prize pool of $4 million for the 64 events, including $1.5 million alone for the $640 buy-in Main Event. The tournaments will mostly consist of Hold'em, with two days only of Omaha events.

The iPoker Network announced the fourth running of its iPoker Online Poker Series (iPOPS) for April, starting on the 21st and running through May 5. There will be a mini and major series to include all players, and there will be a total of $1.2 million in guarantees over the course of the series, with 15 events daily. The mini series will run through the 27th of April, with the major series taking up the rest of the days through May 5, all culminating in the $215 buy-in Main Event on May 5 with a $500K guarantee.

#6 - Microgaming Jackpot Starts Paying

The newly-formatted bad beat jackpot at Microgaming Poker Network hoped to pay out more frequently, and it has happened. After a brief shutdown of the promotion and its recent relaunch, three jackpots have been triggered in just four days. The first was worth €554K, with €371K of it going to the player who lost the bad beat hand, and the second jackpot was worth €377K in total. The third was worth €227K. Some of the players involved in the hands did not get paid, however, because they did not choose to participate in the promotion, as only one player in the qualifying hand must be a participant.

#7 - Best Fake News of the Week

A story on BonusCodePoker.com had the poker community laughing last week, straight from the headline that read, "AGA Accuses PokerStars of Being 'Totally Rigged'." In a spoof on the war of words between PokerStars and the American Gaming Association with regard to the former's attempt to purchase a New Jersey casino, the fake news story read, in part:

“WTF,” the brief opens, “we have NEVER scene [sic] such a OBV SCAM SITE.”
“UNREAL the COOLERS, BEATS. SO rigged.” the brief continues. “EVRY TIME the money all in THIS RIGGED SITE n it defys MATHAMATICAL PROBABILTYS.”

Other allegations made by the fake AGA document included:

"PokerStars’s RNG is 'BUSTO'"
"It is “[expletive] IMPOSSIBLE to win with [expletive] ACES on this [expletive] [expletive] piece of [expletive] [expletive] site."
"People should “just FOLD sets” because they are “gonna LOSE BIG your gonna see.”

And in conclusion, the article noted, "PokerStars responded to the news with a brief statement:
'Whatever, dicks.'"

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