Poker News and Poker Events

The United States faces a token $21 million in annual trade sanctions as a result of its online betting ban, the World Trade Organization said Friday in awarding Antigua and Barbuda the right to target U.S. services, copyrights and trademarks.

The decision is a setback for the Caribbean island nation, which sought the right to impose $3.4 billion in retaliatory measures against U.S. commercial services and intellectual property.

Washington acknowledged its Internet gambling restrictions were ruled illegal by the WTO, but argued that Antigua should only be compensated for about $500,000 for lost annual revenue.

The case has drawn the attention of a number of U.S. industries, partly because of the ways Antigua has proposed retaliating against the much larger U.S. economy. Washington's attempt to escape its legal loss by proposing a revision of the WTO's key treaty on trade in services has also fueled interest.

Now, he will be known for another reason after he is close to striking a plea agreement with the state over an illegal gambling scheme.

The scheme was that Lee used a website for players to make wagers on various sporting events. The website claimed to be overseas, but the reality was that the operation was being run out of Lee's house.

Lee claims that he won $2.7 in the World Series and that is the number that police seized from him when they raided his house.

The bill by Rep. Jose Menendez, a San Antonio Democrat, would allow live or electronic poker gambling at certain establishments as well as charitable poker for qualified groups.

Poker enthusiasts, including some leading national players, are expected at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday for a hearing on the proposal before the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee.

If enacted into law, the measure would put Texas alongside several other states such as California and Montana that created a safe, regulated environment for poker wagering, said Michael Bolcerek, president of the National Poker Players Alliance.

A longtime ban on poker playing in the state of South Carolina will soon be under the legislative microscope if state Representative Wallace Scarborough of Charleston has his way.

The state lawmaker wants to revamp South Carolina's gambling laws to legalise in-house poker games, and is busy drafting legislation to permit the games as long as they are done under the heading of "recreational activity."

Scarborough also said the key to the proposal is making sure that the law would not open the door to organised gambling houses. "That is not my goal and not my intent," he said.

The West Virginia Legislature also has gaming on its agenda, and will be considering whether or not to have a statewide vote to legalise table games at racetracks. The current bill under consideration only requires the four counties that have racetracks to vote, but others want to make it a statewide issue.

The French proposal, launched after the riots in that country in 2005, includes a couple of items referencing online poker. The first, similar to the UIGEA, would require banks to block transactions to online gambling sites. The second would require any online portal with a French facing to post warnings about site content that the French government finds objectionable or face severe fines and imprisonment.

Possibly the most effective method to voice your displeasure is to write a personalized letter to your local representative. While the prospect of writing a letter may seem intimidating and pointless, it is actually the complete opposite - Congressmen take these letters seriously; their job is to serve their local constituents (you), and taking the time out to write a letter shows that the issue is important enough that it could potentially win them a vote during the upcoming election season.

Another good method to reverse this bill is to attract attention through your local media. The PPA has an excellent tool on it's website which makes creating a personalized letter to the editor of your local newspaper quite short and easy. Getting mainstream people informed will help poker players' cause because, frankly, the large majority of Americans are on our side. The problem, however, is that they do not even realize that online poker is in danger. Enlisting their support and educating them about the passage of the bill through mainstream media outlets could provide a huge advantage in getting online poker back on track.

In what seems to be a recurring theme across the United States, East Chicago (Indiana) police broke up what they called a high stakes poker game in an apartment in the city. Twelve people were arrested for gambling and an unspecified amount of cash and nineteen cases of beer were confiscated during the raid.

Neighbors of the apartment called police with suspicions that there was illegal alcohol sales coming from the apartment and, once the police raided the residence last Friday night, it appeared that the only function of the place was to conduct a poker game. Those arrested ranged in ages from 33 to 73 and it was actually a 70 year old gentleman who held the key to a lockbox which contained the most damning evidence, a ledger and a large amount of money. Police also confiscated two boxes filled with money where the poker game was taking place as well.

"The days of open illegal activity in East Chicago are coming to an end," Police Chief Angelo Machuca Jr. said Tuesday.

So, how does this new legislation affect the World Series of Poker and similar events? Well, many Vegas insiders say the World Series of Poker is going to take a tremendous hit, mainly from advertisers and also because the event will not draw the attention it did in the past. With their ability to generate public interest using online poker tournaments cut-off, and the fact that millions of Americans might stop playing poker, the game could quickly fall out of the mainstream, leaving behind only those with a true passion for the game. This will become a huge problem for WSOP promoters because the event cannot thrive on that alone. The event needs new players and spectators each year, as well as confidence from their advertisers.

The letter summarizes the current events taking place in the U.S. with regards to Internet gambling law, outlines the measures it is taking to research and clarify the new legal situation, and assures players that Full Tilt will remain open to U.S. players:

As many people are well aware, the United States Congress recently passed legislation that aims to make it illegal for U.S. banks to process transactions related to online gaming.

We, like all online poker players, are dismayed and saddened by these potential regulations, and are doing our best to determine what these changes will mean to our customers. We are continuing to study this legislation and, until our investigation is complete, believe it would be wrong to comment on how these new rules will impact the ability for players to transfer funds to and from Full Tilt Poker.

In the short term, we assure you that your online experience at Full Tilt Poker will not change. You will still be able to deposit and withdraw money from the site using the same methods and payment processors you have always used, and your money will remain completely safe and secure. We cannot predict how the online poker experience may change in the future, but we do not expect any immediate impact from the legislation, as the banking industry has 270 days to implement new rules after the bill is signed.

It is also important to note that, once signed, the new legislation will not criminalize individuals for playing poker online. Instead, the bill will eventually attempt to prevent the transfer of funds to online gaming. As poker is a game of skill rather than pure chance, we hope that it will not be affected by this new bill. Speculation aside, however, we will continue to work closely with organizations like the Poker Player's Alliance to lobby for an exemption for online poker and for your right to play a truly American game from the privacy of your own home and computer.

While this last-minute congressional move has undoubtedly caused concern among our players, we want to assure you that Full Tilt Poker is legally regulated and licensed to offer its services to anyone around the world and that your day-to-day experience at the site will remain unchanged in all respects.

Full Tilt Poker

Concord – The new state law regulating games of chance -- primarily aimed at Texas Hold 'Em poker -- came under fire from a packed house of people representing charitable organizations yesterday.

The law transfers oversight of the games from municipalities to the Pari-Mutuel Commission, and yesterday's session was held to outline new rules and responsibilities.

Many of the 150 people in the Department of Health and Human Services auditorium said the law asks too much of small organizations composed primarily of volunteers.

"That's the end of Texas Hold 'Em as far as the Bedford Men's Club is concerned," said Bill Burns, the group's treasurer. "It's way too burdensome. What it means is that anybody who wants to comply with the rules will have to go to professional gaming operators."