National Journal – God wants us to have the right to play poker online. So said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, during a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing Tuesday called to review the state of online gaming in the U.S. The session often had the feel more of an old Western saloon—poker challenges and all—than a stately governmental affair. Barton began the hearing with some cheerleading for his Internet Poker Freedom Act, which he introduced in July. He said that God must want his bill passed because Barton safely traveled from Texas to D.C. this morning, braving two icy storms…

iGaming Business – UK bookmaker Ladbrokes has launched its new mobile sportsbook on Mobenga’s platform, Playtech’s mobile gaming subsidiary. The new sportsbook features a new interface and navigation menu, ‘push’ notices to promote relevant and timely prices, live streaming of horseracing and a quickbet option that allows players to place single bets almost immediately. The full launch follows a limited release in August to a small number of customers to gather feedback and test functionality. The announcement also comes shortly after the formation of an exclusive partnership between Ladbrokes and the mobile technology specialist Chelsea App Factory, which has a…

Boston Herald – A law under consideration in South Korea’s parliament has sparked vociferous debate by grouping popular online games such as “StarCraft” with gambling, drugs and alcohol as an anti-social addiction the government should do more to stamp out. The bill is winning support from parents, religious groups and doctors but has alarmed the Internet industry and enraged gamers. The legislation includes provisions to limit advertising while a separate bill would take 1 percent of the gaming industry’s revenue to create a fund to curb addiction. The uproar over the legislation highlights conflicting social and economic priorities in technology-soaked…

The Hill – Billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson is not known for modesty. So it was fitting the recent announcement of his plans to push for a federal online gambling ban is making headlines. Adelson, who said his “moral standards” compelled him to act, is launching an advocacy group, the Coalition To Stop Internet Gambling, to portray the activity as a threat to vulnerable populations such as low-income players and minors. Not only is he wrong, but his proposed ban would cause harm to the very groups he claims to want to protect. Legalization of US online gambling is gaining…

Press of Atlantic City – David Rebuck, director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, said in an interview that the original total of players for Internet gambling programs was more than 50,000. As of this past Monday, that number has increased by 3,000 daily, for a total of 71,000. The majority of them are from near the borders of New York state and Pennsylvania, Rebuck said in the interview, which will be broadcast at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, on WMGM-TV 40. He also noted that there were thousands more who attempted to play but couldn’t because they…

USA Today – American Indian tribes have 460 gaming facilities in 28 states, but none offers online gambling—at least not yet. Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware are the only states that have legal Internet gambling, but it is spreading internationally. Worldwide, online betting generates almost $30 billion of revenue a year, with Americans spending $4 billion, according to estimates from the American Gaming Association. Some of the 240 Indian tribes in the U.S. are eager for a piece of that market. It’s unclear how much revenue online gambling will bring to U.S. tribes or states. In New Jersey, for example,…