Poker News – Another online poker bill has been introduced in New York. Five weeks after Republican State Sen. John Bonacic introduced S 6913, a bill that would allow certain interactive poker games, to the New York Senate, State Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow (D-Mt. Vernon) has introduced A09509 in the state assembly. The purpose of the bill, which is strikingly similar to its Senate counterpart, is “to authorize the New York State Gaming Commission to license certain entities to offer for play to the public certain variants of internet poker which require a significant degree of skill, specifically ‘Omaha Hold’em’…

Poker Fuse – Ultimate Poker released a new version of its online poker software for players in Nevada last week bringing it closer in line with its New Jersey counterpart. The update included several changes, the most significant of which may be the improvement of the geolocation services. Details of the upgrade claim that the new geolocation is more accurate, but that currently the software is presenting a dialogue box telling all players that they are “not location verified” when they first log in. Ultimate Poker’s advice is to ignore the banner and “try sitting at a table.” If this…

Casino News Authority – GTech’s International Poker Network has announced that it will be closing shop later this month, shutting itself down, except for in areas in which it works in nationally regulated markets. The network is set to cease operations on May 28th, and will impact the poker sites: PAF Diamond, Digibet, Paradise Poker, Poker Heaven, and Casino Club Poker. The group will continue to be active in Canada, Austria, Spain, and Sweden. Casino Listings will keep on this story, and update as more developments arise. SOURCE

Cards Chat – Charles Coppolani, the new president of ARJEL, the French online gambling regulator, has declared that online poker in France is a “fad” that is “over”. Speaking to Les Échos in his first interview since taking up the post, Coppolani stated bluntly: “The fad is over. Basically, the online poker market may be mature.” It’s a worrying attitude from the man in control of an online poker market that desperately needs to adopt liquidity sharing with other European nations in order to thrive. France chose to regulate and ring-fence online poker and online casino gambling in 2010, closing…

The Guardian – Usually when poker makes headline news it tends be alongside the word “addiction” or “gambling”, a precautionary tale of why this card game of skill and temperament should be avoided at all costs. So when Victoria Coren Mitchell became the first person to win two European Poker Tour (EPT) titles, garnering a significant amount of press interest among broadsheets and the more reputable media outlets, the whole poker community breathed a sigh of relief. The truth is that poker has suffered greatly over recent years, particularly in the US where online poker was ostensibly banned in April…

Las Vegas Review Journal – Slot machine provider Multimedia Games said Wednesday it spent $13 million to acquire electronic table game company PokerTek. The transaction was announced as part of Multimedia Games’ second quarter earnings, in which the manufacturer said it grew both profits and revenue in the quarter that ended March 31. Multimedia Games is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with a sales and marketing office in Las Vegas. PokerTek places electronic poker, blackjack and baccarat tables in casinos throughout the U.S. and Macau. The deal requires regulatory approval. In a 12-month period, PokerTek generated total revenue of $5.5 million….

My News 4 – Ultimatepoker.com turns one-year-old on Wednesday. The first regulated, real-money online poker site in the United States led Nevada’s charge into online gaming. Online gaming in the Silver State is booming. Since the first regulated pay-to-play poker website in America launched a year ago, two more operating real-money poker websites have also started. ““Ultimate was the first,” said Nevada State Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett. “Right now, the three internet poker websites collected $926,000 is revenues for last month.”  The Nevada State Gaming Control Board said the numbers keep growing. “For the first 11 months of operation,…

Card Player – A bill (Senate Bill 0878) favorable to charity poker operations passed the Michigan Senate last week. It now moves into the House for consideration. As MLive.com reports, the measure would allow charity gaming operations to do business 365 days a year. The bill would be better for the charities than what is currently being planned by the state Gaming Control Board, which is looking to implement stricter rules next month. Basically, it’s a race to try to stop the Board’s rules before they go into effect. Michigan regulators have been giving charity poker and blackjack a hard…