iGaming Business – New Jersey online poker revenue levels hit a new low in May after the US state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) reported a second consecutive monthly decline in internet poker revenue. The DGE posted online poker revenue of $2.3 million in May, a decrease of about 12.3% compared to the previous month. In April, the state also suffered a 19.3% month-on-month revenue drop to $2.6 million, but the May figures place online poker revenue at its lowest since it became regulated in New Jersey late last year. Total internet gaming win for May was $10.5 million, down from…

Canadian gaming provider Amaya Gaming is set to acquire Rational Group, the parent company of the world’s leading online poker site PokerStars, for US$4.9bn (€3.6bn). Amaya struck the deal with Oldford Group Limited, the holding company for Rational Group and will acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Oldford Group in an all-cash transaction for an aggregate purchase price, which includes certain differed payments and is subject to other customary adjustments. The transaction will be financed by a combination of cash on hand, new debt, and a private placement of subscription receipts, common shares and non-voting convertible preferred….

Poker News – As every poker player knows, there’s nothing quite like a tournament. Every participant in the field — from the underdogs to the overwhelming favorite — begins play with the same sense of hope and optimism, knowing that few fortuitous plays and a little good fortune can fuel them to a run at the title. For forty-five years this maxim has been proven true under the searing heat and summer sunshine of Sin City, as the World Series of Poker brings the game’s greatest players together to test their mettle in tournament play. And while the WSOP is…

Poker Fuse – WSOP.com in Nevada has surpassed the combination of partypoker and Borgata in New Jersey to become the largest online poker site regulated in the US. With a 7-day moving average of 144 cash game players, WSOP.com NV has moved into the top spot ahead of the 141 cash game seats filled on the partypoker network in New Jersey according to data provided by PokerScout to pokerfuse PRO. The steady rise in traffic for the Nevada site began in mid-May as cash game traffic rose from an average in the mid-nineties to a 7-day average of 111 just…

News Maker – Poker machines accounted for 60% ($9.8 billion) of the $16.3 billion spent by Australians on gambling in the 12 months to March 2014, well ahead of race betting and lotteries according to the latest results from the Roy Morgan Gambling Monitor. Australians spent $2.5 billion on race betting and $1.7 billion on lotteries, or 15% and 10% of the annual gambling spend respectively. The other forms of gambling make up the remaining 15% — including sports betting ($0.9 billion or 5%), casino table games ($0.6 billion or 4%), Keno ($0.5 billion or 3%), and scratch tickets ($0.3…

4Flush – Legal online poker is currently available in three US states, Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey, and it may soon be coming to a state near you thanks to the 2011 reversal of their interpretation of the Wire Act –after declaring the Wire Act applied to all forms of online gambling back in 2002, the DOJ now feels it only applies to sports-betting. This new interpretation opened the door for states to pass online gambling legislation, and with the federal government unlikely to take action either way, it appears online gambling will be left up to each state for…