Author Jennifer Newell's poker week in review for August 5-11.

Our consolidation of the week's news is quick and to the point — seven stories, to be exact — for the week ending Aug. 11. Let's go.

No. 1 — Lock Poker Ends 2+2 Forum Support

Revolution's Lock Poker has taken a virtual beating in the 2+2 forum for quite some time, as payout problems have plagued the online poker site for more than a year. The forum section was a dedicated place for players on Lock to air frustrations and attempt to receive answers from a site representative who monitored the feed. However, not long after 2+2 stopped promoting Lock through advertising, the site announced that it will no longer answer or address questions on 2+2.

The alternative was to establish a forum on Lock Poker, which requires a Lock Poker account to access. Even further, players must have accumulated more than $100 rake in their lifetime account activity to be able to access the forum. Online Poker Report investigated the forum and noted that all comments are subject to moderation, and specific questions in reference to cashouts must be e-mailed and will not posted in the forum. Writer Steve Ruddock commented that the forum was quiet in the first few days, and the answers that were posted were relatively vague.

No. 2 — 888 Secures New Jersey License

European company 888 entered into several partnerships with large United States casinos in the past year, with the intention of entering the legal online gaming market in states that have legalized it, such as Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware. The latest development in that ongoing venture was announced last week via a deal between 888 and Caesars Interactive Entertainment to offer online poker and casino products under its own brand in New Jersey. According to Casino Choice, this is likely to happen before the end of 2013. Caesars signed the 888 deal through its All American Poker Network venture with Avenue Capital Group.

CEO Brian Mattingly spoke about the deal in the 2013 second-quarter-earnings call, saying that the regulator was very confident that the Internet gaming entity would be ready to launch in New Jersey by November 28, 2013. Despite concerns that it is an ambitious goal, Mattingly confirmed that all submissions and applications are complete and current, with the goal of reaching further milestones toward the official late-2013 launch.

No. 3 — MGM CEO Predicts Nevada/New Jersey Compact

The Borgata in Atlantic City is one of the many casinos located in New Jersey that will participate in the upcoming online gaming launch. Owner MGM Resorts has already partnered with bwin.party to make it happen, apply for a license, and begin the process of preparing for online gaming. In addition, it seems that MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren has hopes of an eventual compact between New Jersey and Nevada for online gaming expansion. He recently commented that he expects to see it happen in 2014.

Murren also said that MGM has been investigating the issue of compacts between the states and with others, as well, relying on a "big team" to prepare for compacts to be entered and finalized in the coming years. As reported by US Poker, the Nevada State Gaming Control Board Chairman — A.G. Burnett — agrees with Murren, saying that "Nevada is striving to do what it can in regards to compacts."

No. 4 — Court Says Bitcoin Equals Money

Many people in the world of technology have been involved in — or are at least interested in — the growing popularity of Bitcoin as a virtual currency. The use of Bitcoin in industries like online gaming may open doors that current federal law has closed to Internet gambling transactions. While some remain skeptical of the currency's validity, a Texas judge made a ruling in Bitcoin's favor last week.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Amos Mazzant was ruling on a case that had to do with the founder of Bitcoin Savings and Trust, who allegedly drew people to invest in the company via what prosecutors called a Ponzi scheme. In order for the case to move forward, the judge had to rule on the company's owner's argument that Bitcoin is not money and could not be regulated by the U.S. government. The judge ruled against that argument, however, stating that "Bitcoin is a currency or form of money."

No. 5 — Nevada Online Gaming Companies Granted Extensions

Ultimate Poker has been offering online poker in Nevada for several months, even having passed its field trial test and preparing a second version to be released soon. Other sites, like Caesars Interactive Entertainment’s WSOP.com, have yet to announce launch dates — in the case of CIE, despite having promoted the online poker site heavily during the summer's World Series of Poker. Meanwhile, three companies have admitted to running out of time on their licenses and have requested extensions in preparation for eventual launches.

The Statosphere's ACEP Interactive, South Poker Poker, and Reno's Monarch Interactive (in connection with the Atlantis casino) all have requested six-month extensions on their Internet gaming licenses, which were preliminarily granted by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The three companies reportedly want to take their time with the roll-out of their respective sites in order to comply with all of the detailed state regulations and move forward without issue.

No. 6 — US i-Gaming Credit Card Debate

Since U.S. Representative Joe Barton introduced his Poker Freedom Act this summer, the online poker legalization and regulation bill has gained little traction. One of the sticking points has been that the bill would prohibit the use of credit cards for online poker deposits, though players may be able to garner a credit line through the gaming company instead of a credit card. One organization that has taken issue with the clause is the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative.

A representative of the lobbying organization, Michael Waxman, released a letter sent to Rep. Barton requesting that credit cards be allowed for Internet gaming websites, primarily due to the security that credit-card companies provide. In addition to protection against fraud and identity theft, the large companies like Mastercard and Visa are able to detect unusual activity and institute provisions that exclude underage cardholders from gambling. SSIGI noted several additional reasons, all tied to the security inherent in credit cards that e-wallets do not provide.

No. 7 — California Online Poker Chances Slim

Card Player reported this week that the two bills introduced to the California legislature this year with regard to legalizing and regulating online poker in the state are likely going to fall from the schedule as the current session comes to a close. By mid-September, there must be movement on SB 51 or SB 678 lest they lose all traction for 2013, though a special session could be called in favor of the passage of one of the bills. Otherwise, the bills will remain untouched until 2014.

A spokesperson says that the typical disagreements between Native American tribes and other Internet gaming interest continue to stand in the way, leading to a standoff regarding the entire topic. However, one source did tell Card Player, "Anything is possible." Almost all predictions regarding online poker in California have been wrong to date.