Archive for June 2011

The dust is just beginning to clear, after it was announced yesterday that Full Tilt Poker has had its license suspended by the Alderney Gaming Control Commission.

We all saw it coming, but none of us expected it to happen so soon – Full Tilt Poker has had its online gambling licenses suspended. The website’s regulator, Alderney Gambling Control Commission, has suspended Full Tilt Poker’s license, stating that the website has violated the jurisdiction’s online gambling laws.

Representative Joe Barton has introduced the new Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection and Strengthening of UIGEA Act. For weeks, the bill had been rumoured and now Congress has actually been presented with a new online poker legislation.

After 50 days of wreaking havoc on the online world, hacking group LulzSec has announced that it will be disbanding – but not before one last data dump. Following the announcement of its termination, LulzSec released data from the FBI, NATO, AOL and the Navy.

PlayTech has entered into a deal with the California Online Poker Association, which will see the online casino games developer provide software to residents of California. The state has been one of the most vocal in the fight for legalized online gambling, so it is no surprise that California is pushing ahead with offering poker online.

Tobey Maguire, of Spiderman fame, is going to court over his alleged involvement in an illegal gambling ring. Howard M. Ehrenberg has filed a lawsuit of Maguire and 21 other Hollywood actors, who he claims owe him over $4 million.

Mega Moolah is the most popular progressive online slots machine in the world. Having paid out millions dollars over the past couple of years, players are always trying their hand at this generous online slots game. The game was previously only available online, but now players can access it from their Android smartphones.

Amidst all of the controversy in the American online gambling market, politicians throughout the country are still attempting to legalize online poker and online casino games. Rep. Jim McDermott from Washington has just introduced a new bill that seeks to tax regulated online gambling.

E3, the world’s biggest gaming trade show, took place last week and mobile gaming seemed to be massive area of focus this year. The new Sony handheld, the PSVita, was a hot topic, but after the dismal sales of the 3DS, gamers are wondering if there’s any hope for the new device. Sony and Nintendo are indeed working hard to keep players interested in their handheld devices, but it seems that they just can’t compete with the mobile gaming services provided by smart phones.

Recently, technology news has been focused on Lulzsec, a hacker group that has targeted some of the biggest gaming companies in the world. Their biggest attack has been on Sony, which forced the company to shut down its online gaming network for over a month, and smaller attacks have been made on Nintendo, Minecraft and Bethesda. But, who are Lulzsec, and what do they really want?

Thousands of American poker players lost their means of income in April, when the Department of Justice began cracking down on online poker rooms. They are now struggling to make a living, as the online poker websites available to them do not present as prosperous an outlook as they could expect when playing at Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars.

Full Tilt Poker is facing serious legal issues with federal authorities in the United States regarding illegal gambling activities and now it seems more legal trouble is headed its way, much to the satisfaction of disgruntled American players still waiting for reimbursement of money from the online poker website.

From day one, France’s online gambling regulation was the subject of much controversy. Operators and other industry professionals felt that the tax schemes and laws imposed by the legislation were unfair. Now, French regulator AFJEL (L’association Francais du Jeu en Ligne) has published a white paper that addresses these concerns.

Marriot has become the first company to use Facebook games to recruit employees. A new game called “My Marriott Hotel” requires players to operate their own hotels; the results are monitored by the company, which then contacts the highest scoring players.

Recent studies show online gambling is on the rise particularly among young males who experience some of the same negative effects from online gambling as their adult counterparts.

The now infamous cyber crime group Lulzsec has struck again. This time, the group has returned to its roots, turning its attention back to Sony. It was just last week that LulzSec hacked into Sony’s servers again and published the emails and passwords of over 50 000 users.

In August of last year, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Announced that it would launching its own online gambling website. Since then, the company has spent months deciding how to execute its plan of action, which seems to include enlisting in the help of a wide range of experience gambling operator to help with the construct of the site. Sports Gaming Limited will be the first company to assist the OLG, consulting with the corporation about the launch of the new government-regulated online casino.

This year’s NBA finals are exciting as ever, as powerhouse Miami Heat are up against the Dallas Mavericks. The series was expected to be a wash, spectators thought the combination of Dwayne Wade and Lebron James was going to wash the floor with whomever their competitors. However, the recent games between the two finalists have been tight, causing sports bettors and sportsbooks to rethink their strategies.

Last week, professional poker play Phil Ivey announced a lawsuit against Full Tilt Poker, his former sponsor. The lawsuit was in response to Full Tilt’s inability to refund players their cash, after the website was shut down during the Black Friday indictments. He was the first player to speak out on the issue and now another poker pro has approached the soap box: Daniel Negreanu.

A 5-year-old girl is the brains behind a new online video game that is capturing the hearts of players all over the world. Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure is the latest browser-based video game to go viral, endearing players with its hilarious dialogue and hand-drawn graphics. According to the Toronto Star, Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure has been played 150 000 times in just one week.

The 42nd World Series of Poker begins today in Las Vegas hosted by the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino and runs until mid-July, the first WSOP event ever televised by ESPN in addition to daily coverage by WSOP.com.

Full Tilt Poker has had a tough time refunding its players after being shut down to the American online gambling public. After waiting over a month for any sign of a refund, the site’s former players are beginning to lose their patience. Now, one of Full Tilt Poker’s biggest customers has filed a lawsuit against the online poker operator, seeking payment.