Author Jennifer Newell's poker week in review for July 29-August 4.

Our consolidation of the week's news is quick and to the point — seven stories, to be exact — for the week ending Aug. 4. Let's go.

No. 1 — Full Tilt Poker Repayment Process to Begin

Not long after a representative of Garden City Group told a poker media outlet that it could take more than a year to begin the claims process to repay United States players who were victims of Full Tilt Poker, the claims administrator changed the story.

"The claims process will begin shortly," read a statement from GCG, and players were told to expect e-mail instructions on how to complete their claim forms.

The company, which was appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice, also revealed that it will use a calculation formula that is based on the players' final balances on Full Tilt Poker as of Black Friday, which was April 15, 2011. Even so, it should be noted that there is a finite amount of money set aside for repayments, so the distributions may be prorated based on that amount versus the number of players and the amounts they are owed. The first step in the process is to tally the claims from players, so it will be important for players to register with the FullTiltPokerClaims.com website in order to receive updates and instructions as soon as they are made available.

No. 2 — Everleaf Gaming Licenses Suspended

Players and others in the online gaming industry have been filing complaints with the Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority for nearly two years regarding the Everleaf Gaming Network of online poker sites. LGA reportedly began an investigation 16 months ago but failed to take action until last week, when it revealed that all gaming licenses held by Everleaf were suspended, effective July 26.

The majority of complaints came from players regarding payouts. Players located in the United States were mostly ignored with regard to any type of requested withdrawals, and others around the world were subject to inordinate delays of many months. According to Pokerfuse, the LGA noted in February that most players had been paid, but subsequent complaints proved that to be a false statement. Everleaf’s license suspensions are a long-awaited action, though there is still no recourse for the players around the world who are owed money by Everleaf sites.

No. 3 — New Jersey Readies for Online Gaming

According to David Rebuck, Director of the Division of Gambling Enforcement in New Jersey, three online gaming operators are prepared and ready to launch their services before the end of 2013. The interview appeared in Global Gaming Business magazine and was paraphrased by Pokerfuse, and it stated that he expects Station Casinos and Caesars — and at least one other — to be ready for the estimated November launch.

News from New Jersey last week also revealed that there were a total of 37 applicants for Internet-gaming-related licenses. The end-of-July deadline brought a number of companies to the table, the most of which came from the category of Casino Service Industry Enterprise licenses. Three of those 21 applicants were letters of intent. Twelve of the applications were in the Ancillary Casino Service Industry Enterprise category, and four were Vendor Registrants.

No. 4 — Nevada Poker Sites Inch Closer to Launch

South Point, which is planning to operate its Nevada online poker site under the Real Gaming name, has been making strides toward an actual site launch. While it was the first operator to obtain an Internet gaming license in Nevada, delays have pushed the company to refrain from any timeframe estimations. However, last week, the Real Gaming website revealed that players were able to create their accounts, whether inside or outside of Nevada, and compete their identity and location verification. No deposits are being accepted yet, but the process indicates that the site is closer than previously assumed to an actual launch.

Meanwhile, Caesars Interactive Entertainment's WSOP.com online poker site has provided few updates to the media regarding its long-awaited launch. Players expected real-money online poker in Nevada at the start of the World Series of Poker at the end of May, but they have received no updates after the WSOP-long summer marketing campaign to register players. In an earnings call last week, Caesars CEO Gary Loveman said that he expects the site to launch in the summer of 2013.

No. 5 — Blocking and Blacklisting Online Gaming Continues in Europe

While online gaming is prevalent throughout most of Europe, many countries' laws and regulations are limiting the number of Internet gaming websites allowed for their residents. Greece has long been struggling to find an operational structure that agrees with European Union laws, but last week, it surprised the industry by offering a look at a soon-to-be-released blacklist of online gambling websites that are currently unlicensed in Greece. The blacklist has 402 names, including operators like 888, Betsson, Unibet, and bwin.party. Internet service providers are being instructed to block residents from accessing all of the sites on the list.

Bulgaria has been continually adding to a blacklist for many months, and another 10 online gambling websites were added to the list last week. The new names include BetVictor and sites associated with Betsson's affiliate program, and they join a list that already includes PokerStars, William Hill, PartyPoker, 888, Betfair, and Ladbrokes. Internet service providers are instructed to block access to the sites per Bulgarian law, and operators are without recourse due to the absence of updated regulations that would allow them to apply for operating licenses.

No. 6 — Ultimate Poker Deals 10-Millionth Hand

The first and only current operator of online poker in Nevada, Ultimate Poker, hit a milestone last week when it dealt its 10-millionth hand. The site offered a promotion that ran for several weeks to award cash to players involved in specific hands leading up to the 10-millionth one, and the winner of the 10-millionth hand itself won $5,000 extra for the hand.

PocketFives immediately examined the PokerScout report for game traffic surrounding that Ultimate Poker milestone hand versus the recently-dealt 100-billionth hand at PokerStars. That analysis showed that PokerStars received a boost of 30% in traffic at the time of its promotion, but the traffic surrounding other relevant milestones was not significantly higher. Ultimate Poker, on the other hand, saw severe traffic boosts during milestone hands, but traffic was uncharacteristically low afterward. That meant that the average cash-game traffic on Ultimate Poker didn't change for the promotion, while PokerStars saw more of a boost.

No. 7 — Oklahoma Tribes Push for Internet Gaming

Two Oklahoma Indian tribes took a stand last week regarding online gambling. According to Indian Country Today, the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes requested that the Obama Administration refrain from allowing a potential federal law to interfere with their intention to offer international online gaming sites from their native lands. Tribal leaders intend to create their own regulations in coordination with the state of Oklahoma, which will keep the profits for the tribes and state government.

The Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes signed a pact with Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin in April to allow the tribes to run and market their online gaming sites to players outside of the United States, and the state was set to receive 20 percent of the revenue. The pact will require legislative approval, and the tribes have been using advertisements to urge lawmakers to respect their wishes and ignore the intentions of tribes in other states, as well as lawmakers and industry executives fighting for federal oversight of online gaming.