To the surprise of no one, the insider trading charges filed by Canadian regulators against former Amaya CEO David Baazov (Baazov has taken a voluntary leave of absence from his position as CEO and Chairman of the Board) are already having a negative impact on efforts to pass an online poker bill in California, and based on some of the comments coming out of the Golden State, it could lead to a major shakeup among the coalitions that have formed between certain stakeholders. The situation PokerStars is now facing has bolstered the company’s detractors, evidenced by tribal lobbyist David Quintana’s…

Hopes were raised in the U.S. online poker community earlier this week when it was reported the New York Senate included a provision in its budget proposal that would legalize online poker in the Empire State. And now, a recent article by Gambling Compliance has raised hopes even higher. According to Gambling Compliance (paywall), the Chairman of the New York Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee, Gary Pretlow, is ready to tackle the issue, telling the industry trade publication he wanted to make sure the state’s land-based casinos were on board with such a proposal. “I don’t want to throw any…

The CEO of Montreal online gaming company Amaya has been charged after an investigation into insider trading by Quebec’s stock market watchdog. David Baazov faces five charges, including influencing or attempting to influence the market price of the securities of Amaya and communicating privileged information. “These allegations are false and I intend to vigorously contest these accusations,” Baazov said in a statement Wednesday. “While I am deeply disappointed with the (Autorite des marches financiers) decision, I am highly confident I will be found innocent of all charges.” He was charged as part of an investigation by the AMF that resulted…

First Look at Software PokerStars NJ is now accessible for download and real-money play in New Jersey. The site entered a soft launch testing period starting at approximately March 16 at 4:00 pm, and is slated for a full launch at midnight on March 21. Here are some notes, observations, and analysis from my play on PokerStarsNJ.com during the soft launch period. The PokerStars NJ platform is based off the PokerStars 7 software, which is the latest version offered internationally. Although only in a limited launch phase, server response has been generally lightning fast, vastly outperforming existing NJ operators. Login…

Poker is a game of chance and the organiser of a poker tournament can be prosecuted for breaking gambling laws, Amsterdam’s appeal court has ruled in a case which stretches back nearly 10 years. Officially, the Netherlands regards poker as a gambling game, meaning the state owned Holland Casino group is the only organisation allowed to organise tournaments. The case centres on three men who organised poker tournaments in a bar in Bussum between 2005 and 2007 without a licence. Lower court judges in 2010 and 2014 agreed with the defence, which argued poker has become a different game, depending…

Amaya Inc. today announced that it expects to initially launch its PokerStars brand in New Jersey on Monday, March 21, 2016. The launch quickly follows the September 2015 authorization by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) to operate the PokerStars and Full Tilt brands in the State. Amaya currently expects to conduct an interim testing period with the DGE and a beta period for a limited player base beginning in mid-March. “PokerStars is the global leader in online poker and trusted by its customers for its robust and innovative technology, world-class security and game-integrity. We are honored and…