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The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, or OPPAGA, recently submitted a 12-page report on how Florida can manage online poker in the state. Basically, the report suggests that the state can sit back and wait for Congress, completely outlaw online poker or it can legalize and regulate it on its own. Each option has its own issues and the OPPAGA is urging the state to look at them intently before making a decision.

The first option is to wait on Congress. Though this is what a lot of states are doing, many believe that this is the worst financial decision legislators can make. One analyst called ignoring the issue, a way for the state to “proactively let money slip out of its hands.”  There are billions of dollars being sent to offshore online casinos since players can’t play in the US.  That money is being channeled directly away from the state where it could be used to fund a wide range of public works plans. 

The other option is to outlaw online poker. This also is like encouraging Florida players to put their billions into other countries that allow them to gamble. One thing that is apparent is that people will gamble online—whether it is allowed in their jurisdiction or not. The UIGEA does not thwart people from gambling, it only thwarts them from gambling in the US and using banking institutions to fund wagering accounts. There are many other options and ways to still gamble online and most avid gamers have found them.

Finally, the option is for Florida to legalize and regulate online poker play itself. The OPPAGA suggests that legalizing it could raise upwards of $90 million a year for the state. The OPPAGA statement concludes that “…while Florida law does not expressly prohibit Internet Gambling … according to [Attorney General] opinion, the Wire Act provisions, in combination with state law, prohibit an individual from placing a bet or wager by wire communication or via the Internet.”

Only time will tell what the state does, but one thing is for sure: people will gamble online. There are billions to be had in online gaming and if states don’t start capitalizing on the money, people will channel their funds elsewhere out of the country.

“Most of my friends are widows and at our age there is not much to do. For years now we organize afternoon tea parties at our houses each week, on a rotating basis. We get together, drink tea and play cards. We only gamble a few Euros and it’s all just for fun. The only thing police achieve by doing such raids is to ridicule women of a certain age,” said one of the 87-year-old ladies. The raids the woman is referring to is a recent act done by Cyprus police. They are under much criticism for the move due to the ladies seemingly innocuous weekly games. Some citizens’ groups in the country are gathering and using the arrests as a way to ridicule the police force.

The police department stands by the move however, based on local legislation that renders poker play illegal—even if it is being played by a group of senior citizens. In total the police took 42 elderly women to jail this week for playing poker in the privacy of their own homes. Most ranged from 75 to 85 years of age, with the oldest being 95 and the youngest being 50.  The women had an organized poker club and rotated homes each week for hosting the events. Unfortunately, though the women may not be harming anyone with their gaming, they are still breaking Cyprus law.

Police confiscated 530 playing cards and about 550 poker chips that the women supposedly played for at about 100 Euros each. They were booked and released and most likely will only receive a fine if found guilty, however is the action really sending the right message to the community?  Police believe it is. A spokesman for the police said, “Gambling and poker play is illegal. It is unfortunate that the women were elderly and that does create more empathy for their situation in the community. However, the law states we cannot sit idly by and let organized home-based poker tournaments occur without stepping in.” This issue brings to light the growing need for more laws regarding poker play. Many judisdictions are in the process of legalizing and regulating gaming. Hopefully Cyprus will join in on the debates and find a clear cut way to handle gambling.

The largest online pot was played for a grand total of $1.3 million! That’s a huge number and it’s indicative of where the online poker market is heading—to huge payouts!  Although just a few short years ago online poker was not half as popular as it is now, things have changed quickly. In fact, if you look at the development of the WSOP you can see how much the industry of online gambling has changed.  In 1976 when it first began, there were a few players who loved the game gathered around the table. Now, thirty-some years later, the WSOP is a huge tournament held worldwide. Thousands of players vie for the top prize and this year it was a pot of over $8 million.  To add to the popularity of the game was the WSOP’s list of corporate sponsors. No longer is the game looking for small-name sponsors to donate a few thousand. Now the tournament has high-profile supporters and ad campaigns. It’s even broadcast as a special event on ESPN every year.

The latest winners of a huge pot are Patrik Antonius and the player called “Isildur1.” This past Saturday night the two were in the middle of a 3-table, $500/1,000 pot-limit Omaha match on Full Tilt Poker’s website. Antonius hit it big with a pot of about $1.2 million from his initial $200,000 buy-in. Isildur1 held a pot of $678,000 after the same buy-in amount. They played each other brilliantly and eventually the pot grew to an overwhelming amount.

This is just one of the new ways that poker online is making headways into the mainstream world of gaming. If you are a fan of poker, try out some online poker websites. For example, Full Tilt Poker online casino has some great deals. Not only can you get a sign-up bonus, but you also can find some great tournaments to enjoy. It will give you the chance to win big from the privacy of your own home as you log in. Whether you’re an avid player or a new player, you are sure to find an online tournament that you can have hours of at.

The union is studying Station Casino and what they are finding, isn’t good. The Culinary Local 226 is requesting the casino’s creditors demand funds from insiders who profited from their buyout earlier this year. The casino is seeking bankruptcy protection but the Union is focusing on investor funding as a means of managing debt. Station Casinos is not happy about the demand and reportedly called it “silly” and “just more of some corporate harassment by the union leadership that has been going on for years due to their frustration over not being able to persuade our employees to join the union.”

The union has been trying for years now to help the casino reorganize its assets. Those assets include 18 properties that employ about 13,000 people. The union has also sent letters to creditors requesting that they lean on the company’s insiders to return money they made individually from the buyout. In the statement the union wrote: “Station Casinos could have averted bankruptcy if not for the substantial debt it took on largely to enrich a small group of company insiders.” The union said the amount was close to $1 billion of the $5.4 billion buyout price. They also assert that the company’s debt tripled and reached $5.2 billion between 2005 and 2007 and most of the debt being used to buy back shares and fund the buyout. They believe that Station Casinos could have avoided bankruptcy if they had reworked their debt and buyout differently.

The statement added, “You would think that in these difficult economic times, when thousands of union members have lost their jobs, that the Culinary union leadership would have something more productive to do with their members’ dues than to create and distribute this silly report concerning a bankruptcy proceeding in which they have absolutely no involvement.”  The report was released just prior to Station Casinos’ next bankruptcy date. They are scheduled to appear in front of the judge and answer question on their actions.  Boyd Gaming Corp will also be in attendance and request that a third-party examiner be allowed to review the gambling company’s financial records over the past five years. The casino is seeking a four-month extension from the November 25^th deadline to file a proposal.

More and more land-based casinos are having a difficult time managing in the economy. Although the recession is over, it has left a longstanding aftermath that has yet to be sorted out. Many casinos turned to bankruptcy protections as a means of regrouping and reorganizing debt to make it more manageable. Part of the problem is that almost all casinos are struggling under heavy debt structures and with the economy’s down fall, they were hard-pressed to find the cash to continue paying for debt.  Analysts at the Global Gaming Expo said that casino operators under a substantial amount of debt are choosing the bankruptcy option more and more.

Despite the negative connotation of bankruptcy, some casino operators are heralding the legal option for a restructure.  Tropicana Entertainment Chief Scott Butera stated, “You can have a viable business if you have the appropriate capital structure. Bankruptcy allows you to get a second chance. There’s a huge advantage in being able to reduce debt.”  Eric Browndorf, partner in the law form of Cooper and Levenson, stated that “The gaming world is painfully aware of the current economy and of operators becoming less hesitant to try to restructure their debts either in bankruptcy court or out of it.” He added, “Unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcy filings have increased exponentially. Casinos operating all over the country are experiencing restructuring and Chapter 11. With supply increasing and demand waning, positive cash flow has been difficult to maintain.” The Tropicana recently filed for bankruptcy protection and eliminated about $3 billion in debt. Without the legal move, there were few options to save the company.

Although bankruptcy can save a casino’s operations, there is a downside. When lenders see the word, they can automatically have preconceived notions about the company’s financial viability. Financial adviser Alex Calderone stated, “[Bankruptcy] is not good for business. Market share slides 10%. It’s a terrible thing to have to do, but oftentimes these companies have so much leverage, debt and obligations that the only logical solution is to file for bankruptcy protection.” If a company is in the position of having to file bankruptcy, experts warn that the key ingredient to the mix is to play a good public relations campaign around it.  Butera said, “Play your public relations well. I have found it to be a very effective tool so long as you plan ahead.”

Don Cheadle, Annie Duke and Norman Epstein formed “Ante Up For Africa” in 2006. Their initial hope was that the poker event would bring an awareness to the problems in the Sudan and help bring funds to the area. They were hoping the funds would be channeled into bringing peace to a war-torn nation.  The three visionaries expected to raise a few thousand dollars with the charity, but instead have raised over $2.5 million dollars for the country.

This week they are hosting their second annual event at the San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino in California, who have donated $500, 000 of their own to the cause.  There is a $150 buy-in amount and celebrities from Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Cheryl Hines, Marlon Wayans, Ron Livingston and George Lopez are all slated to participate in the event. They all see the charity event as not only a public duty to contribute to, but also as a way to bring notoriety to the cause of suffering in Africs. The object isn’t just about playing poker its learning about the cause, and the countless other charities benefitting some of the most desperate places in the world. Cheadle, Duke and Epstein hope to bring that awareness to the community and garner additional financial support from viewers of the event.  All three organizers have huge names in the world of entertainment and poker and hope their own celebrity will add to the support of the event.

This event is just another example of how poker is being used as a way of raising money for charity. It all began in basements with bingo games, lotteries and give-a-ways being used to bring in money for schools or churches. Communities were accustomed to the annual or bi-annual charity drive that included some form of poker play to bring in cash resources. Now that activity has moved to a bigger scale and millions of dollars are being generated by poker games and tournaments worldwide.  The move to legalize and regulate gambling in the near future will only add to the use of gambling as a way to contribute to charities.  In the months to come it will be interesting to see how poker is used now that it is gaining mainstream appeal and tournaments such as the WSOP are sponsored by corporate entities.

The Belgium Open Poker Championships have already attracted some huge names in the business.  If you tune into the tournament that began November 21st and will last until the 29th, you’ll see everyone from Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Arnaud Mattern, Johnny Lodden, Noah Boeken, Joep Van Den Bijgaart, Marcel Luske, Pieter De Korver, Thierry Van Den Berg, and Marion Nedellec, plus PokerStars sponsored players Adam Lounis, Kool Shen, Julien Lang Van, Jose Da Silva, and Yohann Azoulay participating.  You’ll also see Ludovic Lacay, Davidi Katai, Aurelien Guiglin, Surinder Sunar and Guillaume De La Gorce in attencance at the event.

This is the sixth year the event is being held and more than 1,000 players are expected to join in on the tournament fun. It’s a heads-up team event that kicks off November 23rd.  There are still two chances left to qualify for the mainevent at PokerStars.com. Thre is a $25+$2 buy-in satellite tournament with $1,000 additional. This event offers one seat for the last $200 + $15 buy-in monthly final satellite for every $215 in its prize pool.

Today there is a EUR100 buy-in rebuy at 2.30 p.m. .  Last year player Sijbrand Maal beat everyone to take away a EUR 315,875 for first place. This year, the event is expected to be even bigger and have a greater payout. Be sure to watch the fun and root for your favorite player throughout the tournament. In addition to the main event, there will be No-Limit Hold’em Heads Up Team event, No Limit Hold’em Freezeout Event, No-Limit Hold’em, and a No-Limit Hold’em Ladies event.  The main event will take place over nine days including four starting days, and two day 2′s. It will be streamed live on the Internet and filmed for broadcast. Sponsors logos are allowed. Hold’em cash games will also be running daily during the festival. It’s a great poker tournament and a testament to how far poker has come throughout the past few decades. The Belgium Open Poker Championship is a newer competition, but it is just another step for the sport of poker in the right direction. It is adding to poker’s mainstream acceptance and bringing a new public awareness of the sport to the world. Tune in and see for yourself how much fun poker and tournaments can be.

A few weeks ago on October 22nd, two lucky players professed their love of 7Sultans Casino. The reason was because they managed to walk away with more than $180,000 in winnings for just that one day of online play at the casino! First there was “Entesar N.” This player managed to walk away with a huge win of $141,030 at the online casino.  She was playing the website’s feature slot game “Fortune Lounge” when she hit it big. Although this is a great payout, it is hardly a unique one in the world of 7 Sultans.  The website has handed out a consistent payout to many players throughout the past few months. ”Nancy S.” was another winner who claimed two large bonuses from two bonus slots games, “The Glory of Rome” and “Magic Spell.”  She won the same dan “Entesra N.” did. “Nancy S.” walked away with $39,090.  She won $16,750 from the Magic Spell Bonus Slot and $22,340 from two separate sessions in the Glory of Rome Bonus Slot Game.

In total, 7 Sultans Online Casino paid out $180,120 to two lucky players. If any gambler is still wondering if it truly is beneficial to play online, this should help to end the debte. Online casinos are great places to play games and to enjoy big wins. From progressive jackpots to exclusive promotions and events, Fortune Lounge offers top quality gambling on an international scale, where all gambling enthusiasts are invited to test their skill and show off their lucky streak in the best online games available for play. One of the best Fortune Loungs promotions is their new “You Play…We Pay!” promotion. Here you get the chance to win over $80,000 in cash prizes by just playing your favorite games. Of course the online casino has all of the expected conveniences of an online casino– 24 hour access, outstanding games, great promotions, a fantastic VIP program and its history of paying out customers with big wins can’t be debated. If you are looking to find that one lucky casino where you can find a huge payout, check out 7 Sultans Online Casino and see if you too have the luck and skill that Nancy S or Entesra N did.

One thing Quebec has not yet instilled is a plan for problem gambling. With the huge growth set to begin, online gambling operators need to start thinking about the problems that may arise with the process. Loto-Quebec is planning to submit a proposal to the Canadian government that delineates guidelines for problem gamblers. Cousineau stated, “For the time being we are supporting a cooperation agreement with the other five provinces that have already begun offering online gambling—a partnership that could resemble the one we already enjoy with regard to Canada-wide draws such as Lotto Max. Come what may, our proposal will remain true to Loto-Quebec’s history of activities that seek to channel gambling and establish a consumption framework to minimize social costs.”

Studies have shown that Québec casinos are directing their intentions on both the quality of service to the customer and the variety of games offered. Cousineau stated that Québec’s four casinos, Montreal, Charlevoix, Lec-Leamy and Monk-Tremblant, all want to be recognized as providing superior hospitality, ambiance and customer satisfaction. Cousineau added, “We have made significant investments in technology and personnel training as well as improved our operational efficiency. In short, we have made significant changes to gradually refocus our establishments on quality and customer service. Casino operations require a large workforce. We work in a saturated and almost mature market where operational costs rise more quickly than revenue. That is why we have improved our technology and changed our way of operating. Our biggest challenge will be to maintain profit margins without sacrificing service quality because we are in the field of entertainment where customers want extraordinary experiences.”

Cousineau ended his discussion by noting that over the past seven years the Loto-Québec spent over $160 million on assistance programs for problem gamblers under the direction of the Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux, as well as management of VLT access controls, which is the responsibility of the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux. During the same period the lotto has contributed $20.6 million to the Fondation Mise sur toi to support programs that promote responsible gaming as well as the implementation and continuous improvement of prevention tools within the Company’s operations.  Cousineau added, “In total, this represents $180 million committed by Loto-Québec during that period to prevent problem gambling, making Quebec one of the areas of the word where the most money is expended on that issue and we are very proud that Loto-Québec was the first lottery operator in the world to receive the World Lottery Association’s highest international certification for responsible gaming.”

Loto-Quebec’s mission is to assure systematic and lawful operation of games of chance in the province. The agency is in charge of three casinos, a restaurant and hotel, a video lottery network and a network of bingo leagues. Alain Cousineau, President and CEO, described the major difficulties facing the corporation when he spoke to the Montreal Board of Trade. He also added that one of the issues the lottery industry has to review is how to reinvent itself and create a roster of new and exciting games for the gaming public. One of the main problems is that any new game or series of games need to have a certain innovative and unique quality that will se them apart. They need to be an outstanding quality to better reach the young target market that the digital and interactive gaming industry is most akin to. Alain Cousineau added, “Loto-Québec’s new products will, therefore, need to incorporate such factors as competition, decision-making and skill, in addition to the fun of playing. That is a major challenge, but meeting it successfully is critical if we are to maintain our products’ competitiveness.”

Cousineau also discussed the company’s plan to reconfigure the entire video lottery and how it is on schedule and ready to be released. His assessment is that the plan far outreached its hopes. Cousineau added, “In the bar and tavern network, achieving plan objectives resulted in about 11,500 video lottery terminals being managed in some 2,300 sites. It is a supply range that we consider optimal, i.e. it does not encourage problem gambling, while being large enough to discourage anyone from trying to establish an underground network.”

Like many other industry insiders, Cousineau believes that the growth in online gambling is a worldwide trend that will continue throughout the next few years, whether they are legal or not. In Canada alone, for example, the online gambling industry grew 30% every year from 2003 until 2008. It went from bringing in revenues of $184 million to $675 million. By 2012, analysts are predicting gambling will surpass the billion dollar mark. Cousineau added, “Annual revenues drawn from Quebec are conservatively estimated at around $80 million, which is a sharp increase from the $50 million drawn in 2006.”

Part two coming next.