From Poker News – It would be difficult to imagine a more tilting hearing for poker players to watch than the one Wednesday in the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance. Internet gambling was compared to pornography, discussed as a hotbed of money laundering by criminal organizations and terrorists, and said to be an avenue for human and drug trafficking. “I think there was some crazy fear mongering at the hearing that really had no basis that we’ve seen,” said Rich Muny, vice president of player relations for the Poker Players Alliance. “I hope that every poker…

From iGaming Business – Beleaguered online poker operator Absolute Poker has finally reached an agreement with the United States Department of Justice that will see it avoid prosecution under the ‘Black Friday’ action of 2011 in exchange for agreeing to forfeit all of its assets. The settlement arranged with the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, and ratified by District Judge Kimba Wood on Monday will see Absolute Poker and its associated companies hand over all of its brands including Ultimate Bet, Absolute Entertainment SA and Blanca Games Incorporated. The settlement was signed by…

From Card Player – American players who are collectively owed millions of dollars from the Full Tilt Poker fiasco should expect to wait at least another year for their dollars. The Garden City Group, a claims adjuster hired by the Department of Justice to distribute $184 million owed to players, hasn’t been able to move past the first step of parsing a massive amount of player data information. According to an unnamed supervisor at GCG, the process will “most likely” take longer than a year, probably longer. In some instances, it’s taken GCG more than two years to process claims….

From Poker Fuse – Winning Poker Network (WPN) rolled out its much-anticipated new software client today, which makes significant design changes and implements a variety of new features. The lobby and tables themselves have seen significant updates. Cash game filters have been added, and many of the tabs and buttons have been reworked. The tables have been completely redesigned with a new layout, colors and animation. Many of the updates bring it into line with existing features available in competing clients. “A lot of blood sweat and tears has gone into this client,” Michael Harris, head of PR at Winning,…

What is Poker Night in America? Well, while Black Friday seriously affected online poker play for millions of American players, it also killed several poker television shows that had gained a loyal following of viewers. Now, with online poker and gambling legislation slowly spreading throughout the country, the time seems right for the launch of a new concept in poker broadcasting. Stepping in to fill the void will be a “one-of-a-kind TV poker experience” entitled Poker Night in America. The brainchild of Todd Anderson, who co-founded the popular Heartland Poker Tour that is aired on Sunday evenings in the U.S.,…

Australian poker company Poker Deluxe has announced that it has raised more than $500,000 for a number of local sporting clubs as a result of poker fundraising initiatives. Headquartered in Melbourne, Poker Deluxe hosts poker events in all major Australian cities for a number of purposes, including fundraising. Poker Deluxe founder and Managing Director Paul Walvisch said the company was delighted that the milestone had been reached and was adamant that it was only the beginning of a major fundraising drive. “Our goal is to raise over one million dollars for sporting clubs around Australia by the end of 2014…