Last month we reported on our site that the Full Tilt Poker and Group Bernard Tapie deal might be at a standstill. GBT made it very clear that Full Tilt Pros were part of the reason why the deal was being held up. We talked about Full Tilt Pros owing unpaid debt to Full Tilt Poker and that if the debts weren’t paid back there would be a problem getting the deal finalized.

We’re almost coming up on the one year anniversary of Black Friday (black Friday was when a few US facing poker sites were forced to close their doors to American players) and it would be nice to have a deal finalized before April 15^th, but apparently the deal has been delayed again. Behnam Dayanim (GBT’s Lawyer) stated a few weeks ago that the deal would need more time before it could be finalized, as there were still obstacles preventing the deal from getting done.

Initially the deal had a deadline of March 16^th 2012 to be finalized, but nothing has been released this week. The GBT deal looks to be stalled again and many poker players are starting to wonder about the sincerity of the GBT deal. GBT has been receiving free press for almost a year now and it doesn’t seem like they’re prepared to close the deal on the Full Tilt Poker room.

Full Tilt Poker Pros Debts
We reported in February that Full Tilt Poker Pros owed the company roughly $16.5 million in unpaid debts. In the past month it has been reported that most of the poker players in debt are willing to repay what they owe. The FTP Pros debts were one of the biggest factors preventing the GBT deal from being finalized, but apparently this issue has been taken care of now.

Poker pro Barry Greenstein has debt to Full Tilt

GBT in Talks with the AGCC
Rumours started flying this week when it was reported that GBT was in talks with the Alderney Gambling Control Commission. It has been stated that GBT is trying to receive approval to be re-licensed by the AGCC. GBT has also expressed interest in receiving a license to operate online poker games in Spain.

Spain is one of the biggest regulated poker markets and GBT is testing the waters to see if they’ll be able to receive licenses to operate in regulated poker markets before closing the deal. Since US players wouldn’t be able to play on the new Full Tilt it’s very important that GBT has access to international player pools or else this deal is never going to be finalized.

GBT Has Outside Investor Lined Up
Part of the GBT – Full Tilt Poker deal is that GBT is responsible for paying back international poker players while the US DoJ will be responsible for paying back US poker players. This isn’t good news for US poker players that have money on Full Tilt. It has been estimated that US poker players are owed about $150M while international players could be owed up to $300M.

GBT apparently has lined up an outside investor that would help fund paying back international players. As soon as a new FTP reopens international players would be able to withdraw the money in their wallet if they wish. Having to pay back up to $300M is another factor that’s holding the deal back.

Recent research reports have shown that Full Tilt Poker might be able to make about $70M gross annually without US players on the network and with only a percentage of international players staying with the network. $70M may seem like a lot, but that’s only gross revenues and you have to remember that this deal has a lot of upfront costs involved.

GBT would need to come up with the $80M to pay the US DoJ plus they would need up to $300M in order to pay back players in countries outside of the USA with funds on Full Tilt Poker. An initial investment of up to $380M is a lot of money considering the poker room may only make up to $70M in gross revenues annually without US poker players.

New Full Tilt Poker Investor
Earlier this month it was also reported that a new investor may be interested in Full Tilt Poker. An unnamed investment firm in the United Kingdom has apparently stated that they would purchase the FTP software assets for $30M cash. The deal is much smaller and the company is only interested in the software and not the actual company.

In my opinion paying $30M for the Full Tilt Poker software assets is a steal. It would also mean that there would be no other vital assets worth much that could be sold. $30M is a far cry from what poker players are owed in the USA and around the world, so I don’t see how this new potential deal is going to work out.

If anything, it should spark interest in the FTP sale again and might push GBT to finally make a decision. GBT has continually been back and forth with the FTP deal for months now and I’m sure everyone just wants an answer. In my opinion GBT is getting cold feet and are unsure about whether a new FTP (FTP2?) would become profitable. We’ll make sure we keep you guys updated.

By now most American poker players have already heard about the recent Calvin Ayre indictment. On February 28^th 2012 prosecutors in Baltimore, Maryland unsealed an indictment against Bodog Entertainment Group S.A. and four individuals. The four individuals that were indicted include Calvin Ayre, David Ferguson, James Phillips and Derrick Maloney. The Bodog.com domain was also seized by US Immigration & Customs Enforcement (Homeland Security) on February 28^th 2012.

Why Was Calvin Ayre Indicted?
Rod Rosenstein is the US Attorney in Baltimore that indicted Calvin Ayre and the three other individuals mentioned above. Ayre was indicted on two separate charges that I’ve outlined below.

• Count One – Conducting an Illegal Gambling Business (June 2006 – January 2012)

• Count Two – Money Laundering Conspiracy (June 2006 – January 2012)

The indictment that was filed by Rosenstein states that Calvin Ayre and the three other men worked together to operate an illegal online gambling business, which is violating Maryland law. The Feds say that Ayre conspired to pay at least $100M in sports betting winnings to US bettors and that Bodog hired a media company to promote the Bodog brand in the USA.

In the indictment it states that Ayre worked with processors in the US and abroad to transfer funds to US bettors. It has been alleged by the Feds that JBL services and Zip Payments processed $43M and $57M respectively in payouts for Bodog.

In 2008 the IRS in the United States seized over $20M of Bodog’s cash assets including cash from the two processors mentioned in the indictment, so I find it odd that the Feds are only going after Ayre now. Calvin is confident that he isn’t going to be in any trouble and he even made some bold comments on his personal gaming blog.

The indictment goes into brief detail about how the investigation was conducted. According to the indictment filed in Maryland undercover agents in the state used Bodog.com accounts to gamble on sports. The agents would withdraw winnings through Checks or Western Union.

Apparently federal investigators also had a former employee work as a C.I. (Confidential Informant) in July 2010. The former employee helped piece together top management and also how the inside of the company operated.

What Does the Seizure Mean?
The Feds seized the Bodog.com domain, but the domain hasn’t been in use since May 2011. Bodog completely left the US market at the end of 2011 when they didn’t renew their brand license agreement with the MMGG. It should be noted that Bodog UK, Bodog Asia and Bodog Europe have never been in the US market or accepted a single bet from the USA.

Calvin Ayre expressed that the indictment was an “abuse of the criminal justice system”. He stated that the documents were filed with Forbes before anywhere else and that the indictment is strictly for the media to chew up. The seizure of Bodog.com won’t have any affect on players in the USA, as the MMGG moved their operations to Bovada at the end of 2011.

Is Bovada Poker going to be Fine?
If it isn’t clear to US poker players yet, the Feds are trying to do everything they can to disrupt online gaming. We definitely can’t guarantee that Bovada Poker isn’t going to be hit with an indictment in the United States. However, we feel safe recommending US poker players to Bovada Poker still despite the current indictments.

Bovada Poker is owned by the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group and has nothing to do with Bodog. The MMGG operates on the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory, which might make it more difficult to try and seize. Bovada also uses an .lv domain extension, so I can’t see Bovada Poker being seized in the near future or they probably would have been when Bodog.com was seized.

Recently Bovada Poker had some issues with payouts in four states, but it was because of a payment processor deciding to stop processing transactions in four states and nothing to do with Bovada. MyPayLinQ decided to block transactions from players in Maryland, New York, Washington and Utah last week.

Bovada Poker is still accepting poker players from the four states, but players need to find a different deposit method to use, as you’ll no longer be able to use MyPayLinQ. Bovada also accepts credit cards, prepaid cards and Rapid Transfer in the USA.

What’s next for Bodog & Calvin Ayre?
You can bet that Calvin Ayre has been with his legal counsel discussing his options since the indictments were unsealed. In a PR from the Bodog Brand, a representative of the company stated that Ayre is seeing if he has any options to get the domain back. No arrests have been made yet and most people don’t think the US would be able to extradite any of the individuals anyways.

The race to regulate online poker in the US is still heating up across the nation. It has become clear that online poker is unlikely to become regulated at the federal level in 2012. With the elections coming up later this year chances are online poker won’t be on the radar at the federal level until next year at the earliest. Regulation at the state level is still heating up and three new states have introduced online gambling bills that would legalize online poker.

Iowa Bill SSB 3163

Iowa introduced bill SSB 3163 last week and the bill was passed through the Senate and will now appear in front of the Iowa House although it’s unlikely the bill will be passed. Governor Branstad stated that the bill probably won’t get through the Legislature and that’s not good news for poker players in the state of Iowa.

The proposed bill would legalize and regulate online poker in Iowa and allow operators from anywhere to apply for a license. Iowa would earn between 22%-24% in tax based off of the gross receipts of the poker rooms. Studies have shown that Iowa could earn anywhere from $3,000,000 to $13,000,000 in tax revenues every year, which would definitely help the state financially.

Iowa’s poker bill would allow poker networks to take wagers from anywhere within the state or anywhere else where online poker is legalized. Poker networks in other regulated jurisdictions around the world would be allowed to operate within the state of Iowa if the bill is approved and the operator was awarded with a license to operate.

Mississippi House Bill 1373

Mississippi also joined the race to regulate online poker in the USA this past week. Mississippi released House Bill 1373 last week on Wednesday and if the bill is passed online poker could be legalized by July 1^st 2012. The bill stresses that the state needs to act soon in order to ensure Mississippi residents have safe places to play online and to earn the state revenue.

Players in Mississippi would need to complete a wagering agreement before they could play for real money. It would become illegal to play with any unlicensed poker room in the state if the bill is passed and there would be fines in place. Poker operators would need to apply for a license with the Mississippi Gaming Commission if the bill is passed.

The state would earn money through tax revenue plus the initial licensing fees. Poker operators would be required to pay $200,000 upfront to apply for a license and renewals would cost $100,000. Poker operators would also be required to put $100,000 into the State General Fund and $100,000 into the Mississippi Gaming Commission Fund every year.

House Bill 1373 would regulate and legalize online poker plus other forms of internet gaming. Most states are focusing on online poker only right now, but Mississippi is trying to legalize all forms of internet gaming at the state level. There is support for the bill in Mississippi and it should be interesting to see if the bill is passed or not.

California SB 1463

On Friday of last week California finished an eventful week off by introducing SB 1463. The bill would initially legalize online poker for two years and afterwards other forms of internet gaming would be considered. SB 1463 is an emergency bill and that means the new laws would become effective immediately if the bill is passed.

California was bound to work towards regulating online poker sooner or later and I’m surprised it took this long. If online poker is regulated in California it could earn the state a lot of money. Licensing fees alone in California are $3,000,000 annually and each of the poker operators that want a license need to pay $30,000,000 upfront to cover the 1^st 10 years of licensing fees.

There would be other fees on top of the licensing fees, which mean not many operators are going to be applying for a license in the state of California at first in my opinion. Poker players would need to confirm their identification before being allowed to play in the state of California and playing with a poker room that isn’t licensed would be against the law.

Poker rooms that want to operate in California would need to have employees within the state to create jobs. All of the employees that operate the day-to-day operations and support reps would need to be hired in California. This would create quite a few jobs in the state and I have a feeling that California will pass this bill.

We have been following the US online poker news closely and will always update our visitors with the latest information. Out of the three new states to introduce online poker bills it appears that Iowa will have the hardest time passing the bill. I expect California and Mississippi to pass their online poker bills this year, as both states would benefit tremendously.

Other US Gambling
There is no real news as far as legalizing online casino games or online sports betting. I would expect at some point in time the government may look at this also, but it appears that poker will get done years before anything else. Until then you can see what online casinos still accept US players, or you can have a look at the US friendly online sportsbooks.

Everleaf Gaming Network made a change to their terms and conditions on February 9^th 2012 and one of the terms stated that poker players in the United States won’t be able to play on the network anymore. The terms were changed without any notice to players and the Everleaf Gaming Network still hasn’t made an official announcement regarding the banning of US poker players.

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Everleaf Gaming Network Changes Terms & Conditions

• Term 18 – “No person who is resident in Malta, France and USA may open an account, play, or in any other way participate in the ELG offerings and/or services.”

Poker players in Malta were never allowed to play on the Everleaf Gaming Network, which is common for poker networks that are licensed by the Lotteries & Gaming Authority in Malta. Term 18 now bans US and French poker players from the network.

Neil from Minted Poker Speaks Out On 2+2 Forums
Neil from Minted Poker made a post on February 9^th on the 2+2 Poker Forum (Link) that stated US poker players won’t be able to play on the network anymore. Neil stated that the reason the network had to exit the market without notice is because Everleaf received a C&D from the Department of Homeland Security in the United States.

According to Neil one of the network’s processor’s was seized and the funds held by the processor were seized as well. Neil stated that the Everleaf Gaming Network, LGA and the Department of Homeland Security will work on an agreement to ensure that the seized funds can be sent to the US players with funds on the network.

Jennifer Winter from Luvin Poker Emails Luvin Poker Clients
The story so far hasn’t been adding up and there has been a lot of speculation. Jennifer Winter from Luvin Poker sent an email out to poker players at Luvin Poker stating that the Everleaf Gaming Network suspended real money action in the USA. Jennifer also said that the US DoJ didn’t come after the network and that no funds have been seized.

Jennifer also said that poker players in the USA would be able to play on the network for real money again. This email obviously conflicts with the story from Neil. I have no idea how much truth is behind each story, but I can draw the conclusion that the network is clearly in trouble and the poker skins on the network have even been kept in the dark for the most part.

Everleaf Gaming Network Sends Email to Network Skins
The Everleaf Gaming Network sent out an email to network skins that was leaked and it stated that funds were seized in the USA and that the network won’t be allowing US poker players to play for real money on the network anymore. Everleaf Gaming told the poker skins on the network that the rest of the network won’t be affected and only US accounts would be closed immediately.

Everleaf Gaming Network Silence to Players a Major Concern
Poker players in the United States have now been waiting nearly a week for an official response from the Everleaf Network. Players have been patiently waiting to hear news about how they can withdraw the funds on their accounts, but the network hasn’t made an official statement yet and it speaks volumes about how the network is operated.

The poker skins have been trying to deal with the mass incoming complaints without much help from the network. Everleaf has done a very poor job handling this issue and Everleaf must have known that this problem was going to present itself. Once the network makes an official statement we’ll update this news post with the details.

Once the terms were initially changed US poker players on the network were still able to play. Eventually a message popped up when US poker players tried signing into their accounts stating that “the username/password combination wasn’t valid”. This is hardly a sufficient message to present US poker players when they try signing into their accounts.

Everleaf Gaming hasn’t sent an email to US poker players stating that the network has exited the market and there is no way for US poker players to even know about the problem until they search the internet. US poker players’ funds are currently frozen and there hasn’t been any news about how poker players will be able to withdraw their money in the future.

If the Department of Homeland Security or the US DoJ is involved with the seizure of funds it could be a long process before poker players in the USA receive any funds. Traffic on the Everleaf Gaming Network has been dropping and many poker players are starting to worry that the network is going to shutdown completely due to liquidity issues although this is only speculation.

For reviews of sites still accepting US players, see our Bovada page or our Intertops page.

Last week we reported that the Full Tilt Poker deal was almost complete, but now it seems that isn’t the case. This past week there have been several exclusive interviews released that shed some light on the status of the current deal. Behnam Dayanim is one of the attorneys representing GBT and he stated that the current deal has some new obstacles that need to be addressed.

Poker Pros Owe Debts to Full Tilt Poker
The biggest obstacle to overcome right now is new information that poker pros owe Full Tilt Poker roughly $16.5M. Based on a few reports from insiders a few of the players that owe Full Tilt money include Phil Ivey, Erick Lindgren, David Benyamine, Layne Flack, Barry Greenstein, Mike Matusow, John Juanda and Tom Dwan.

Dayanim stated that two players were currently working on a repayment deal with GBT. Insiders have stated that the two players who have expressed interest in repaying their debts are Juanda and Dwan. Other players that owe money either haven’t contacted GBT yet or they have stated that they don’t want to deal with GBT.

On February 2^nd Barry Greenstein made a post on the 2+2 Forum stating that he owed Full Tilt Poker $400,000. Greenstein has said that he will pay his debts back, but that Greenstein wants to deal with the US DoJ and not GBT. Greenstein wants to ensure that his money is used towards paying back US players, but he could also prevent the deal from being completed.

GBT Deal May Not Be Finalized
Behnam has stated that the poker pros debt with Full Tilt Poker isn’t the only thing holding the deal back, but he didn’t want to get into specifics. Behnam also stated that the deal may not be pushed through if the pros don’t work out a payment deal. Insiders on the deal have said that Juanda and Dwan are the only two players working towards a repayment plan.

I wish more poker pros would follow the lead of Juanda and Dwan. Dayanim just stated in an interview that if other poker pros in debt don’t want to work out a payment plan with GBT like Greenstein it could prevent the deal from going through. Dayanim also said that the pros that didn’t want to work out a payment plan on debts they owe would be responsible for the deal not finishing.

What Other Problems Are Affecting the GBT Deal
Lots on insiders have been releasing tidbits of information about the deal and it appears that there are some other problems apart from the pros debts that need to be resolved. None of the issues below have been verified by anyone with GBT, but most people close to the deal feel that these problems are valid and a major concern at this point.

• The biggest issue apart from the pros debts are other liabilities that don’t involve player funds. Lawyers in Europe that have been following the deal feel that GBT would be on the hook for vendor and service provider liabilities. It isn’t clear if GBT would have to worry about these extra liabilities, but lawyers have estimated it could cost GBT an extra $15M.

• Concerns have also started to surface about the financial stability of the company. Not many investors are eager to have Full Tilt Poker reopen, as the brand is a complete mess right now. It has also become apparent this past week that Full Tilt may only have less than $20M cash in the companies accounts rather than the estimated $40M.

None of these issues have ended the deal by any stretch of the imagination. Laurent Tapie was interviewed this past week and he confirmed that these issues are holding the deal back at this time. If the pros would sign a contract to repay GBT there would no longer be an issue, but according to Dayanim GBT doesn’t want to purchase assets that they need to be litigated over. Sources surrounding the deal have also said that trying to litigate the debts would be “extremely difficult”.

Laurent Tapie and Behnam Dayanim have expressed that one single issue won’t hold the deal back, but the number of issues that have been building up is becoming a serious detriment to the current deal. US players will be paid back by the US government and no details have been released on how any payments will be paid out. However, the $80M that GBT would pay the US DoJ for the assets of Full Tilt Poker would go a long way towards paying back US players.

I understand where Greenstein is coming from in a way, but he should simply pay the debt or work out a payment plan. If the deal doesn’t go through because of the pros that don’t pay back their debts the US players are going to be enraged with the pros. Barry only owes $400K and I’m not sure how he thinks his $400K is relevant to the overall picture of paying back US players. He should make good on his gambling debts instead of coming up with excuses that will tarnish his reputation in the poker world.

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Recent reports have started to surface about the Groupe Bernard Tapie and Full Tilt Poker deal. The deal may be completed soon although there have been some reports circulating that state Chris Ferguson and his attorney Ian Imrich may try stalling the deal.

Quick Summary of the GBT – Full Tilt Poker Deal

• On November 17^th 2011 the US DoJ and GBT signed an agreement. The agreement stated that GBT would be able to purchase the assets that Full Tilt Poker forfeits to the US DoJ for $80M. GBT would also need to payback over $150M to non-US poker players that still have funds sitting in their Full Tilt account.

• On December 15^th 2011 GBT and Full Tilt Poker came to an agreement that would allow the transfer of Full Tilt assets to the US DoJ. Full Tilt owners voted on the deal and agreed upon the terms. Owners would be able to buy minimal shares of the new Full Tilt Poker although the shares won’t have voting privileges.

• The US DoJ stated that the previous board of directors at Full Tilt Poker wouldn’t be able to purchase any shares in the new company. At this point Chris Ferguson and his attorney Ian Imrich have requested to see the accounting of Full Tilt to determine if money has been spent unwisely after Black Friday.

Chris Ferguson May Stall GBT – Full Tilt Poker Deal

Chris Ferguson and Ian Imrich have requested to see the accounting of Full Tilt Poker. Ferguson wants to recoup roughly $14.3M that was used towards Black Friday expenses such as paying out US poker players. Subject Poker recently released a report that shows Ferguson not only received $25M in payments to his US bank account, but that he also funnelled $60M into a bank account held for him by Pocket Kings Ltd.

The US DoJ knew about the $25M Ferguson was in control of in his personal US bank account, but they weren’t aware that Chris was also controlling a bank account held by Pocket Kings Ltd. from 2007 – 2011. The US DoJ is suing Ferguson for roughly $25M at the moment because they could only recover roughly $300K from him. Ferguson and Imrich were experts at funnelling money around the world and the US DoJ can’t even seem to track down most of the money.

According to the report released by Subject Poker, Ferguson was able to spend or withdraw roughly $45M from the bank account held for him by Pocket Kings Ltd. The remaining amount of roughly $14.3M was used towards Black Friday expenses and Chris is now stating that he wants the money since he can no longer receive $14M in stocks of the new company.

Reports have stated that Ferguson and Imrich are considering filing for injunctive relief and a constructive trust. This would delay the current GBT – Full Tilt Poker deal and poker players have been outraged by the recent reports. Many poker players can’t believe that Ferguson would consider delaying the deal for his own personal greed, but he’s obviously only worried about himself.

Is the GBT – Full Tilt Poker Deal Going to Get Done?

It doesn’t appear that Ferguson or Imrich have filed a suit that would stall the deal yet. Even if Ferguson did try filing a suit it isn’t clear whether or not that would affect the deal that’s already in place with Full Tilt owners, GBT and the US DoJ.

A few days ago there were several reports that began circulating on poker sites stating that GBT had found 1 or possibly 2 new investors that are interested in getting the deal finished. Right now GBT just needs to send the US DoJ $80M to purchase the forfeited Full Tilt Poker assets plus have $150M+ available for non-US players with money stuck on Full Tilt.

Individuals that are connected to the deal have recently stated that the deal is almost done. GBT just needs to find investors that can put up enough cash to get the deal through the final stage. It has also been reported that Full Tilt Poker could be open again by the 1^st quarter of 2012, but I personally think that’s a bit optimistic.

Poker players with money on Full Tilt Poker are still skeptical about the deal getting done anytime soon, which is easily proven by reading some of the online poker forums. None of the new potential investors have been named and until concrete details come out that state there are real investors ready to get the deal done I’m sure a lot of players will be sceptical.

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January 25th, 2012  By Scott Jack

This week many of the world’s best poker players are down under in Melbourne, Australia. The 2012 Aussie Millions is running right now at the Crown Casino in Melbourne and therefore there hasn’t been much going on in the poker world. We’re going to take a quick look at the top stories from the past week to catch everyone up on the latest US poker news.

Dan Smith Wins the 2012 Aussie Millions $100K Challenge
Six of the events at the 2012 Aussie Millions in Melbourne are now in the bag and the main event is currently underway. The only American that has won a tournament thus far at the Aussie Millions is Dan Smith. Dan Smith picked up $1,012,000AUD for winning 1^st place in the 2012 Aussie Millions $100K Challenge this week against a tough field of 22 players.

The final table was stacked with talent in this event, but only half (4 of 8 ) of the players were going to cash. Smith outlasted players such as Tony G (4^th Place), Joe Hachem (3^rd Place) and Mikhail Smirnov (2^nd Place). If things continue going the way they are right now Smith may be the only American to win an Aussie Millions Gold Ring in 2012.

Dan Jungleman Cates Looking for Action
Many of the best American poker players are in Australia right now including Daniel Cates. Cates has done a lot of traveling on the live tournament circuit this year and is currently looking for heads-up challengers to play against. Tony G has made it his mission to try and find the Jungleman some action in Melbourne this week.

Cates and Tony G were interviewed after the $100K Challenge tournament at the 2012 Aussie Millions. Cates mentioned that he would enjoy playing Tony G heads-up for €100,000 because Tony G is known to “talk a lot of ****”. The two looked friendly during the interview, but with €100,000 on the line it would be a very interesting heads-up match that could have lots of trash talk.

Melanie Weisner Signs with Lock Poker

Melanie Weisner is the biggest up and coming woman poker player in the United States right now and Weisner just recently signed a sponsorship deal with Lock Poker. Weisner has been sporting her Lock Poker apparel this week in Australia at the Aussie Millions, and she is going to be a great ambassador for the US-friendly online poker brand.

Weisner is known on the live poker circuit and the online poker circuit, as she’s been successful playing both. Weisner has earned almost $400,000 in live poker tournaments and even more playing online poker. Weisner was just ranked #74 on the G.P.I. and in the next couple years I can see her being able to break the top 40.

Playtech Eyeing the US Market
Playtech released their fourth quarter financial results today. Playtech recently acquired Geneity, which will instantly bolster the Playtech software suite. Playtech has been busy in most markets that are becoming regulated and the company announced that they have several plans in place to enter the US poker sites market once online poker is legalized in more states.

According to the Playtech CEO Mor Weizer, Playtech has a list of customers that want to utilize the Playtech software suite in the USA already. The market is going to be huge if more states legalize online poker, but online gaming software giants like Playtech may have to compete against social network giants.

US Online Poker Market Worth $100+ Billion?
A recent report revealed that a Facebook insider stated that Facebook could earn $100 billion in revenues if online gambling was legalized across the entire United States. I don’t have any numbers to help make a comparison, but for Facebook to earn $100B+ in revenues from online poker there would need to be a lot of US poker players interested in playing real money online poker.

A couple months ago Facebook announced that they had plans to roll out real money gambling in the UK in 2012. No plans have been announced yet, but several companies have been in close talks with Facebook. The UK market is already regulated and would be a good gauge to determine how successful Facebook can be used as a platform for attracting online poker players.

This should be one of the most exciting years for online poker if you live in the United States in a long time. We’re not even through January yet and there has been a lot of talk about multiple US states looking at legalizing online poker this year. Stay tuned to find out about the latest US online poker news at American Poker Online.

Ira Rubin pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Manhattan today to various online gambling related charges. According to the plea deal that was released, Rubin pleaded guilty to bank fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy charges that are related to violating the online gambling laws in the United States. Rubin can face up to a maximum of 55 years in prison although prosecutors are only going to ask the courts to sentence Rubin to 18-24 months, since Rubin was cooperative and pleaded guilty before trial.

• Read the full Ira Rubin Plea Agreement at Scribd – Ira Rubin Plea Agreement

Who is Ira Rubin?
Ira Rubin is a 53 year old American citizen that isn’t a stranger to law enforcement in the United States. Rubin has faced or is facing charges in New York, Nevada, Massachusetts, Florida, Virginia and Missouri. Rubin has been in trouble with the law dating back to the 1970’s and I’m a bit surprised that prosecutors are only looking for Rubin to serve 18-24 months. Rubin is a repeat offender and has committed fraud in the past before he started processing payments for online poker sites.

What Did Ira Rubin Do?
Ira Rubin is one of eleven individuals that were charged on April 15^th 2011 (Black Friday) by federal prosecutors in the online poker crackdown that saw PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and other poker site closed by the US DoJ. Rubin was charged with various crimes in April 2011, but only pleaded guilty to a few of those charges today, which we’ve listed above.

Rubin was charged with helping PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker process payments in the United States illegally by hiding the actual nature of the transaction. US banks that were processing the payments for Rubin thought the money was from various businesses including a golf store, electronics company and other businesses. Rubin helped online poker sites process illegal payments in the USA from 2008 – 2011.

Ira Rubin Past Charges
Ira was arrested and charged in 2006 for a payment processing company that Rubin ran from 2003-2006. The payment processing company that Rubin owned assisted telemarketing firms in Canada to sell non-existent credit cards in the USA. According to new reports Rubin still owes an $8M judgement against him by the FTC stemming from these charges.

After being charged Rubin violated a restraining order and a judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Rubin. Once Rubin found out about the warrant he fled the United States and went to Costa Rica, which is where he got involved in online poker processing. Ira stayed in Costa Rica and conducted his illegal business until the US DoJ charged Rubin in the Black Friday indictments.

Ira Rubin Black Friday Arrest
Rubin was arrested in Guatemala in April 2011 and has been held without bail since in the United States. According to reports Rubin was caught in Guatemala trying to flee to Thailand. Rubin knew that the heat was coming down on him and he was trying to flee to Thailand where he would have been able to hide most likely with the money that he has hidden in banks around the world.

Initially Rubin was facing nearly 80 years in prison on the charges he was facing, but the plea deal he made with prosecutors will help him receive an incredibly reduced sentence. Sentencing is scheduled to take place on May 17^th 2012 and Rubin is only expected to be jailed for 18-24 months maximum although that sentence may even be reduced more.

Black Friday Convictions
The USA has been trying to convict the individuals charged in relation to Black Friday. Ira Rubin is the 2^nd individual to sign a plea deal, as Absolute Poker co-founder Brett Buckley signed a plea deal with similar charges about a month ago. John Campos and Chad Elie have also been arrested in relation to the Black Friday indictments by the US DoJ. These two individuals are expected to appear in court in March 2012 to begin trial.

I’m sure Elie and Campos are going to try and sign a plea agreement as well, but if they want to sign a plea agreement they’ll need to act soon before the trial begins. Buckley and Rubin received great plea deals based on the charges they were looking at, and I think Campos and Elie would be silly not to try and take a plea deal before going to trial.

Only these four individuals have been arrested out of the eleven individuals that were charged on Black Friday. The remaining individuals are still free and haven’t been found yet. This story will still be developing throughout 2012 and if any of the other people indicted on Black Friday get arrested we’ll make sure we notify our visitors.

Vanessa Rousso and Chad Brown have recently announced on Twitter that they’ve decided to separate. Yesterday (Jan 10^th 2012), both Rousso and Brown made a post on the Twitter social network that basically read the same. Vanessa and Chad both posted on Twitter and the quotes are below.

The 1^st post on Twitter stated “Despite great mutual fondness and respect, Chad/Vanessa and I have separated. We will always be friends and I cherish the memories we have together.” Shortly thereafter both Vanessa and Chad posted “While we appreciate the support of friends and fans, Chad/Vanessa and I ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

You can find the Twitter of Vanessa Rousso here and the Twitter of Chad Brown here.

I don’t know about you, but asking for privacy while tweeting about a breaking seems kind of nonsensical to me. Many of you reading this article may have no idea who in the hell Chad Brown and Vanessa Rousso are anyway. It’s not like we are talking Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake here. We are talking about two poker players who are really only celebrities in their own minds.

Rousso and Brown met each other while playing in a World Poker Tour Event on April 26^th 2006. Both players were playing on the final table and they started dating shortly after meeting. It was a little shocking to see Rousso and Brown dating because of the age difference between the two.

Rousso is over twenty years younger than Brown, but that didn’t stop the “love” for each other from blossoming. Rousso and Brown were engaged to be married in 2008 and in 2009 the couple tied the knot. When the two married they became the first couple to be sponsored by the same poker team, as both players are PokerStars Team Pros.

Chad Brown Battle with Cancer
Last year Chad Brown was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer known as sarcoma. According to reports only 15,000 Americans are diagnosed with sarcoma annually and there haven’t been too many studies on this form of cancer. When Brown was diagnosed with sarcoma he didn’t tell anyone initially, including Rousso.

Brown had the diagnosis confirmed by a specialist. Brown and Rousso spent Valentines Day together and had a great time. Shortly after Valentines Day, Brown was scheduled to have surgery for his cancer. Rousso was going to be teaching at a Poker Boot Camp in Vancouver during the surgery, so Brown told Rousso before she left.

Once Rousso found out about the cancer she was completely shocked and didn’t even believe Brown at first. As soon as she talked to Brown’s doctor Rousso cancelled her trip to Vancouver and stayed with Brown throughout his surgery. News about Chad having cancer broke to the public when Rousso made a tweet on Twitter.

Chad Brown Has Successful Surgery
After Brown’s surgery Rousso made several tweets on Twitter notifying everyone of the horrible news of Brown being diagnosed with cancer. Rousso also stated that the initial surgery was successful in removing a 10Lb tumour from the retroperitoneal area in his abdomen. Brown and Rousso were still awaiting the pathology reports, but the surgery was turned out to be successful.

Brown still has a long road ahead of him, but he does appear to be healthy at this time. Chad will still need to go through various treatments, but the cancer has been gone and that’s a good sign.

Marriage Life after Battle with Cancer
During Brown’s battle with cancer Rousso was always by his side. Rousso spent countless hours researching everything that she could on the rare form of cancer that he now ex-husband was diagnosed with. According to interviews with Brown and Rousso, Rousso was always the one asking the doctors tons of questions and she did everything she could to help Brown through his battle.

Rousso stayed strong in front of Brown, but according to interviews with friends, Rousso was having trouble dealing with Brown’s cancer battle. The battle was causing Rousso to fall apart when she wasn’t with Brown and it definitely caused the marriage to struggle in the long run.

Rousso and Brown have just recently separated, but they will both remain friends and be there for each other. Rousso has become a much stronger woman over the past few years and she has opened her eyes up to the world in front of her. I’m sure we’ll see Brown and Rousso on the poker felt in the future and I’m sure we all hope that Brown continues winning his battle with cancer.

We have to give it to Vanessa though, she does have one hot family.

January 4, 2012

By now most Americans know that the state of Nevada has legalized online poker. Lawmakers in other US States have been trying to scramble to legalize online gambling, and it appears that the state of New Jersey may be next to legalize online poker. Last year the state of New Jersey tried legalizing online poker, but the bill was vetoed by Governor Chris Christie.

The reason why Christie vetoed the bill last year was because he felt that the new bill would be violating federal law. Christie also thought the by legalizing online gambling it would create a lot of shady gambling dens throughout New Jersey.

Before Christmas the US DoJ announced that the Wire Act only applied to sports betting. This means that Christie doesn’t need to worry about violating federal law anymore. There have also been a couple other provisions to the new online gambling bill in the state of New Jersey that would prevent gambling dens from operating in the state.

• $1000 Fine per player per day for running an internet gambling parlor in New Jersey
• $10,000 Fine for advertising an internet gambling parlor in New Jersey.

What Does the New Jersey Online Gambling Bill Mean for Poker Players?

The new bill is similar to the gambling bill that was just passed in Nevada. Players would need to be 21 years old or older, and they’d need to confirm their identity before being able to play. Only players that are physically in the state of New Jersey would be able to play in the online poker rooms as well, but you don’t need to be a resident of the state.

It remains to be seen what kind of poker deposit options will be available in New Jersey.  Please note that this law does not apply to online casino games or online sports betting.

Who Would Be Eligible to Receive an Online Gambling License?

In the bill it states that only Atlantic City casinos will have a chance to obtain one of the licenses if the bill is passed. This will make the sign-up process simple for poker players in New Jersey, as they’ll just need to open an online account with the licensed casino.

The casinos that obtain an online gambling license will need to invest in servers to power the online poker room. The new bill states that the servers need to be physically located in the state of New Jersey to ensure no federal laws are violated. I’m sure numerous casinos in Atlantic City would love to obtain a license including Trump Entertainment and Caesars Entertainment.

Will Online Poker Become Legal in New Jersey?

The big question is whether or not the bill will be signed by Christie. Senator Raymond Lesniak announced on Monday that he’s going to do his best to try and quickly push the bill through the Legislature. Today it was announced that the legislators want to find out if Christie is even willing to sign the bill.

If Christie is willing to sign the bill I expect the bill to be pushed through the Legislator in the next few days. The legislation session is over on January 9^th 2012, but the bill could be passed on the final day if Christie makes a decision. There are a lot of supporters for the bill now that Nevada has already taken the step to legalize online poker and I hope Christie signs the bill.

Will the state of New Jersey Benefit from Online Poker?

Many residents in the state of New Jersey want to know what online poker will bring to their state. In the bill it states that licensed online poker rooms would need to pay a 10% tax on revenues, which is 2% more than land-based casinos need to pay. The revenue earned from taxes will help the state of New Jersey at a time when the state is completely strapped for cash.

Each licensee will also be required to allocate $100,000 to fund programs for addicted gamblers every year. Horse racing tracks in the state of New Jersey will also benefit from the new bill because each licensee would be required to pay $20M every year for 3 years. The money will be used to increase the race purses and to get troubled race tracks through rough financial times.

We’re still waiting to find out whether or not Christie will sign the new bill. A spokesman for Governor Christie has been contacted several times, but he hasn’t made any statement on the Christies decision yet. We’ll know in the next few days if the bill is passed and signed by the governor and once we do we’ll make sure we update this article with the pertinent details.

In my opinion I think New Jersey needs to try and pass the bill in the next few days. The state of New Jersey doesn’t want to fall behind other states in the race to legalize online poker. New Jersey is an excellent candidate for online gambling and with the casinos in Atlantic City only allowed to obtain a license it should make the transition fairly simple.