October 05 2011, Elaine Chaivarlis

On Sept. 30, the Commonwealth of Kentucky filed a Verified Claim and Statement of Interest or Right in Property Subject to Forfeiture In Rem in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York. The claim was filed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, on behalf of J. Michael Brown, Secretary Justice and Public Safety Cabinet (“the Commonwealth”).

The statement of interest claims “all right, title, and interest in the following Internet domain names: pokerstars.com, fulltiltpoker.com, absolutepoker.com, and ultimatebet.com.” It also claims “the proceeds from any sale or disposition of said domain names.”

The Commonwealth of Kentucky declares that is “is the true and bona fide sole owner of the property and entitled to possession, and that no other person is the owner of or entitled to possession of the property.”

In 2008, the Kentucky filed an in rem forfeiture action in the Franklin Circuit Court against 141 Internet gambling domain names, including PokerStars.com, FullTiltPoker.com, and UltimateBet.com. The action was filed to “stop illegal Internet gambling that is occurring within the Commonwealth, in blatant disregard for and violation of Kentucky anti-gambling law and public nuisance law.”

Kentucky seized the domain names in the 2008 forfeiture action “by reason of its having been victimized, both in its capacity as a sovereign state and in its parens patriae capacity with statutory authority on behalf of its citizens, by Defendants’ actions, including those actions as pleaded in the Amended Complaint filed herein by the United States, and as pleaded in the Kentucky Forfeiture Action.

In the Sept. 30 claim and statement of interest, Kentucky is requesting:

1. Reinstatement of its rightful interest in the aforesaid defendant property
2. That it be allowed to defend the instant forfeiture action;
3. That the domain names be ordered restored and released to the commonwealth; and
4. That the commonwealth be awarded such other and further relief as the court may deem just.

Dockets.Justia.com has the full claim.

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Follow Elaine Chaivarlis on Twitter – @LaneyLV

September 28 2011, Brett Collson, Elaine Chaivarlis

The seemingly endless rumors and speculation surrounding Full Tilt Poker calmed on Wednesday. But we don’t expect that to last long. In the meantime, we bring you the latest online poker traffic numbers, an opportunity to play poker with the gorgeous Lacey Jones (in real life!), and more.

In Case You Missed It

Season 2 of the 2011 PokerStars Estrellas Poker Tour ended over the weekend with the conclusion of the Ibiza stop. If you’re wondering who took down the event and pocketed “92,100, then check out the Ibiza recap.

Did you miss ESPN’s coverage of the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event? Maybe you want to live it all again. Either way, our WSOP on ESPN recap will help you out.

The online poker petition that was started last week has already met its goal of 5,000 signatures, but that doesn’t mean that’s all that are needed. The Poker Players Alliance is urging players to tell everyone and get more players to sign.

We’re sure your brain was wrapped around the Full Tilt Poker drama for the last week, but you should know that there are other things going on in the gaming industry. Inside Gaming has the scoop on Caesars hotel in China and new laws for Denmark.

Now that the 2011 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker is officially over, we decided to take a look at some of the interesting statistics that emerged from the series. Check out our break down of the 2011 WCOOP.

Online Poker Traffic Numbers

The online poker traffic numbers from last week have been released. PokerScout reports that traffic stayed mostly steady, with a decline of just 0.1 percent. However, eight of the top 10 sites and networks saw decreases in traffic.

PartyPoker was the biggest climber of the week as the 2.5 percent traffic increase moved the site up one spot to No. 2 in the rankings. PokerStars held firm at No. 1, while iPoker dropped to No. 3 after spending five weeks in the two-hole. PokerScout reported that PartyPoker’s rise could have been a result of the Accelerator promotion that ends on Sept. 30.

As for year-over-year numbers, PokerScout’s ACES indicator reports that online poker traffic (with the exception of Italy) has decreased by 34 percent in the last year. PokerStars has seen a 24 percent drop over the past year due in part to Black Friday, while 888poker (up 109 percent) and Bodog (up 54 percent) have seen significant increases since September 2010.

Check out the complete online poker traffic report at PokerScout.com.

Meet and Play With Lacey Jones

Gaming company IGT is offering the chance to go one-on-one with the stunning Lacey Jones at its first online poker tournament during the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas next month.

On Oct. 4 through 5, Jones will be on hand in the IGT booth as the company unveils its new poker platform. Tournaments will run every hour on the hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sands Expo & Convention Center.

Jones began her career as a model before turning to poker and becoming sponsored pro at Absolute Poker and Full Tilt Poker. She has also served as the official hostess and bracelet presenter of the WSOP and has appeared on the cover of dozens of poker publications.

We know. Blah, blah. Here’s what you really want to see:

Find out more about the G2E convention at IGT.com.

EPT London Kicks Off This Week

Season 8 of the PokerStars European Poker Tour resumes this week with the London Festival of Poker from Sept. 29 to Oct. 6 at the Hilton London Metropole. PokerNews will be on site providing live coverage of the £5,250 Main Event until the next EPT champion is crowned.

Several members of Team PokerStars are already confirmed to be playing the Main Event, including Daniel Negreanu, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Viktor Blom, Jason Mercier and Liv Boeree, as well as Team PokerStars SportStars Boris Becker and Fatima Moreira de Melo.

Last year, David Vamplew outlasted a field of 848 players to collect his first major title and a payday of £900,000. Vamplew defeated poker pro John Juanda heads-up for the win; the loaded final table also included Kyle Bowker, Tom Marchese and Per Ummer.

Other past champions of the EPT London Main Event include Aaron Gustavson, Michael Martin, Joseph Mouawad and Team PokerStars member Vicky Coren.

This year’s London stop is also offering a £20,500 High Roller event, a £2,150 8-Game European Championship, a £5,250 Heads-Up event and the £550 Women’s Event.

For more information, visit EuropeanPokerTour.com.

Phil Hellmuth Has Bieber Fever

And, apparently, lousy eyesight. The Poker Brat never shies away from an opportunity to rub arms with A-list celebrities, but this is just getting ridiculous. Tony G first had a run-in with the “Justin Bieber of poker” at the WPT Vienna stop in March, and Hellmuth found time to discuss private jets and girls with the youngster this week.

The person posing as Justin Bieber is actually Austrian poker player Thomas Brauner, who took 20th place at WPT Vienna. Only 10,000 or so more min-cashes before Brauner approaches the estimated net worth of his American doppelganger.

Visit Tony G’s blog for more shenanigans.

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Follow Elaine Chaivarlis on Twitter – @LaneyLV

September 23 2011, Elaine Chaivarlis

Our brains are officially fried. There have been so many news stories this week, we almost didn’t know what to do with them all – but we figured it out. We’re definitely glad it’s the weekend. Be sure to check out the top poker news stories of the day, like the online poker petition, and T.J. Cloutier’s thoughts on Full Tilt Poker, and then go grab a beer or something. Oh yeah, and while you’re railing the football games on Sunday, be sure to rail the PokerStars WCOOP action, because we’ll be live blogging the Main Event.

In Case You Missed It

We know that sometimes it’s easier more fun to listen to news than read it, especially when the PokerNews hostesses are bringing you the update. In the latest PokerNews Weekly, Kristy Arnett and Sarah Grant discuss Full Tilt Poker, and more.

The World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open set its final table on Day 4. Who led the way going into the final table on Day 5?

The remaining players from both Day 1 fields were merged on Thursday at the World Poker Tour Malta. The money bubble didn’t burst on Day 2, but it was close. By the end of play on Day 2, Cecilia Pescaglini had overtaken the top spot on the chip leaderboard.

There are only a few days left in the 2011 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker. If you read the Day 19 WCOOP recap, you’ll find out how a two-day event turned into a one day.

Sunday is almost here and that means football. If you can’t figure out which teams to bet on or who to play on your fantasy team, you should probably read the latest Pigskin Diaries.

The spotlight has shone brightly on Full Tilt Poker this week. On Friday, we obtained the arrest warrant in rem from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York that calls for the seizure of bank accounts held by Full Tilt’s board members.

This week’s amended complaint against Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, and Rafe Furst probably left you wondering whether players will get their money back. Here’s a look at the impact that the allegations have on player reimbursements.

With the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker running, one might think the high-stakes online cash games might be a little light. Wrong. The Online Railbird Report fills you in on this week’s biggest winners, and losers.

We’re not legal experts. We never claimed to be. But we found one who is well versed in the gaming industry and Ponzi schemes – Maurice “Mac” VerStandig. He broke down the allegations against Full Tilt Poker for us.

5,000 in 30

A petition was created on Sept. 22 to bring online poker regulation to the Obama administration’s attention. We the People, is a way to get the public’s voice heard in the government. At the moment, the minimum number of signatures needed on a petition to be reviewed is 5,000 signatures in 30 days.

The online poker petition wants the Obama administration to “protect consumers, create jobs, and generate revenue by licensing and regulating online poker.” At the time of writing, 2,932 signatures have been collected.

“Appropriate regulation of online poker will put the U.S. in charge of safeguarding responsible adult players, prevent underage participation and protect those with excessive gaming habits. The current, unregulated U.S. marketplace does not guarantee a single consumer protection,” the petition says.

The petition continues, “U.S. regulation of this global industry will also mean the creation of American jobs and billions in new revenue without raising taxes. Licensed U.S.-based horse race wagering sites have proven that online betting sites can be successfully regulated. It is time to allow online poker the same opportunity.”

Be heard. Sign the petition.

Cloutier Speaks

Earlier this week, Covers ran an interview with T.J. Cloutier regarding the recent allegations against Full Tilt Poker.

Cloutier told Covers, “From what I understand, Full Tilt never had any intention of repaying these people. This whole thing is ridiculous.”

He continued, “Why would they ever try to get more than they should get out of it? To me, it’s greed. You know that television program, ‘American Greed?’ They ought to have this thing on there. I heard point blank that none of the players on Full Tilt are going to get their money. The feeling now is if there’s any money left, the government is going to get it.”

He even touched on who had ownership in the company, saying, “Phil Ivey in no way had the power that Howard [Lederer] did. Of the poker players, Howard was by far the biggest. They all bought 1 percent pieces of it. Howard had a bigger slice, Phil had a slice, Ferguson had a slice and the rest were 1-percenters. That was just a business deal for them, an investment. The only one who played at the WSOP this year was Erick Lindgren. The rest stayed completely away from it. They didn’t want to have to answer all these questions and face the heat.”

Cloutier’s thoughts on the government weren’t exactly flattering either. “As far as I am concerned, the government is stupid,” he said. “They could have been making all this money on taxes and stuff all along (since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed in 2006). There was money there. All these poor homeless people and the troops that come home and can’t find jobs … some money could be going to them that they could have been collecting from this.”

If you wanted to check out the entire interview, go to Covers.com.

Duplicate Poker and The Table

The International Federation of Poker announced the details of two new tournaments on Wednesday. The events will take place from Nov. 17 through 20 in London.

On Nov. 17, the inaugural Duplicate Poker Nations Cup will kick off at the EDF Energy London Eye (you know, the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe). The Nations Cup will pit 12 different countries against each other for the championship trophy, medals, and of course bragging rights.

“The Nations Cup will be a genuine celebration of all that is best in intellectual sports. Some of the world’s best players playing for pride and the honor of representing their countries in an intense competition with the added spice of international rivalry. Poker is played by millions around the world and Duplicate Poker is the game in its purest form. Players compete against each other based on skill, without any fluctuation in chance,” IFP President Anthony Holden said.

What is duplicate poker? It’s a poker variant where “each table is dealt an identically shuffled pack of cards, which means that each player holds the same hand as those in the equivalent seat on other tables.”

The IFP also launched The Table tournament, where 130 of the world’s best will play against each other in a freeroll with a $500,000 prize pool.

Find out more about the launch of these two tournaments at UK.PokerNews.com.

There is Something Cool About Being Good at Poker

On Sept. 22, 4th Row Films uploaded a teaser trailer for its poker documentary on YouTube. All-In: The Poker Movie features Howard Lederer (yup), Matt Damon, Scotty Nguyen, and plenty of other notable players.

We’ll let you come to your own conclusions about this one.

Is That…No, It Couldn’t Be

In the midst of our flurry of work on Friday, we came across our favorite thread of the moment on TwoPlusTwo – Phil Hellmuth Riding a Giant Hotdog on Water. Yes, you read that right, and yes, it’s literal – well, almost. We aren’t sure if it’s Hellmuth on the hotdog, but if it’s not, the guy in the photo is a dead ringer for the Poker Brat. The initial image is gold in and of itself, but as you’re all aware, there are some Photoshop masters on TwoPlusTwo.

This thread is a must read.

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Follow Elaine Chaivarlis on Twitter – @LaneyLV