Weekly Roundup – June 14th 2013
Two major stories hit the US online poker industry this week. Both involved the largest online poker room in the world.
Mark Scheinberg Settles for $50 Million
Mark Scheinberg accepted a civil settlement with the US Department of Justice this week. He agreed to pay $50 million to prevent any future penalties. The deal was unexpected, as Mr. Scheinberg was not the aim of any previous criminal action by US authorities. Federal law enforcement alleged that these funds were the fruit of ill-gotten gains when PokerStars still accepted US players. Mark Scheinberg is the son of Isai Scheinberg, one of the many indicted in the Black Friday case.
PokerStars Appeals Atlantic Club Case
Players hoping to see PokerStars in the US regulated market have some hope. Rational Group, the parent company of PokerStars, appealed a ruling that gave the Atlantic Club the right to back out of the previous sale agreement. This could interfere with other potential Atlantic Club buyers. A blog post by an experienced online gambling legal analyst explains the many issues facing PokerStars in their attempt to force a sale by Atlantic Club.
Pennsylvania Online Gambling Bill Dead
Players in the second largest casino state will have to wait until at least 2015 to gamble online. Pennsylvania lawmakers tabled a proposal that would have given state residents the right to play online poker and casino games. The neighboring state of New Jersey expects online gambling to be live by the end of 2013.
Google Glass Banned to be Banned by Casinos
Google Glass is expected to be one of the largest technology advances of this decade. Unfortunately for casino gamblers, this new fad will not be allowed inside the doors of most gaming establishments. Nevada is the first of many states that are expected to forbid the use of this new high-tech ware within its properties.
WSOP.com Real Money Launch in Doubt
Online poker players were optimistic that the real money site for the World Series of Poker would be live by the time the Main Event started. This seems to be in doubt. There are a number of regulatory hurdles facing Caesars Entertainment and the WSOP.com launch. The most notable is the fact that the Mac version accidentally launched for real money play before the Nevada Gaming Control Board licensed the state’s next online poker room.
First F Grade for US Online Poker Room in 18 Months
Juicy Stakes, a US facing Revolutionary Gaming online poker room, received the first F grade in over a year on the PAS US Online Poker Payment Processing Report. Players have complained about cashout speeds of six months or more, with one player posting that he received a bad check after waiting 25 weeks. We suggest avoiding Juicy Stakes, as well as Revolution Gaming’s flagship Lock Poker, at all costs.