Poker News – Massachusetts is one of nearly a dozen states showing interest in following Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware into the realm of online poker. On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is holding a forum on Internet gambling, weighing the positive and negative impacts the industry could have on the state. According to the Associated Press, Massachusetts lawmakers are seeking guidance from the commission on how to approach Internet gambling. Among the topics on Tuesday’s forum agenda include Demonstration and discussion of Internet games and a comparison to social gaming; Risks to Internet Gaming: Money Laundering, Problem Gambling and…

Calvin Ayre – Beleaguered UK-licensed online bookmaker Canbet appears to be finally doing what many have suspected all along. it’s in deep financial trouble, and in an effort to repay its outstanding debts , Melbourne-based Interactive Gaming and Sports Group (IGSG), which owns Canbet, is ready to sell the troubled sportsbook. This is the first time Canbet has hinted on problems within the company that are deeper than IT glitches. If you recall, the sportsbook had been using the “IT glitch” excuse as the reason why it hasn’t been able to pay out on any of its customers in the…

iGaming Business – Online gambling trade organisation the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) is “disappointed” at the European Parliament’s decision to single out internet gambling in a new Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD). The European Parliament recently announced that it would adopt amendments to the European Commission’s proposal for a new AMLD. While the RGA said it “strongly supports” the objectives of the Directive, it is disappointed that online gambling has been identify as the one form of gambling where due diligence measures might have to be applied to all customers as soon as a business relationship is established. The association said…

iGaming Business – UK bookmaker Coral has completed the acquisition of multi-games provider Cool Games in an effort to further strengthen its interactive business. According to the Intergameonline.com website, the deal will include a library of exclusive gaming titles and an additional partnership that will deliver two social gaming applications. Angus Nisbet, gaming director at Coral Interactive, said that the company had recorded an increase in demand for multi-channel gaming and the purchase of Cool Games would help to boost its own service offering in this sector. “Since the launch of Coral’s digital platform just over a year ago, the…

Sacramento Business Journal – State lawmakers have introduced competing legislation to legalize online poker. California has seen several attempts to legalize the game over the last five years, but the state’s powerful tribes opposed the legislation out of fear that online gaming would encroach on their brick-and-mortar casinos. The bills never made it out of committee. But in a development that is similar to the anti-marijuana lobby’s can’t-beat-them-then-join-them attitude, the tribes are coming around, said one Capitol staffer. It isn’t difficult to sign up for online poker today — the U.S. has seen a proliferation of illegal digital gaming from…

Des Moines Register – Iowans sounded off on a range of issues under discussion by lawmakers this year for The Des Moines Register’s latest Iowa Poll, revealing widely shared views on several matters. Substantial majorities, for instance, support enhanced enforcement of the state’s ban on texting while driving and favor expanded access to state-funded preschool. Iowans are more divided about ending dog racing at casinos in the state. On Internet gambling: RESULTS: Just a quarter of Iowans want to legalize Internet gambling. ISSUE: Lawmakers in recent years have discussed the possibility of legalizing — and taxing — Internet poker, which…