Thinking about hosting a home poker tournament night at home with a few mates this weekend? It may be wise to consider not posting your plans all over Facebook, especially if you’re from Tasmania. A Tasmanian man has dodged conviction over an illegal invite-only poker tournament organized via Facebook this week. The ABC reported David Desmond Bowen invited 25 friends to his home poker tournament, which was held in Norwood last October. Each player was asked to chip in $150 to the prize pool. The 32-year-old pleaded guilty in Launceston’s Magistrates Court to one count of using a place for…

iGaming Business – WSOP.com, the online poker platform of Caesars Interactive Entertainment, has agreed to become the official gaming partner of NHL ice hockey franchise the New York Rangers. According to the Pokernews.com website, the deal emerged last week when a promotion was posted on the WSOP.com website. Until April 5, WSOP.com players in the US state of New Jersey can use a promotional code to be automatically entered into a draw to win one of four grand prizes including a home visit from a former Rangers player. Other prizes on offer include match tickets to selected home games and…

Poker News – As February came to a close, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Delaware Gov. Jack Markell made history by inking a poker-only interstate compact. It was the first of its kind, and both Sandoval and Markell were eager to welcome more states as online poker is legalized throughout the country. There were only two issues with the signing; New Jersey was self-excluded, and there was to timeline for implementation. “I’ve had conversations with New Jersey,” Sandoval said when asked about a partnership with the third and final state offering legalized and regulated online gaming. “We’d love to have…

Russian authorities have updated the country’s Internet blacklist nearly 600 different websites, including online poker sites, in an operation that some consider to be the first step of a major crackdown on online gambling. With a standard procedure that is usually adopted for censoring websites promoting child pornography and illegal drugs, on March 21, Russia’s Internet Service Providers (ISPs) blocked access to a large number of online gambling sites including international giants like PokerStars, partypoker, Unibet and Titan Poker. “The request came straight from the prosecutor office,” said Maxim Ksenzov, the deputy head of Russia’s federal telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor, when…

Malta Today – Dragonara Gaming Limited, the operator of the foremost casino in Malta, and Poker Travel Israel, one of the leading international poker group travel operators, have signed a long-term collaboration agreement through which poker and casino players from Israel and Central Europe will be visiting the Dragonara Casino to participate in various organized events. The collaboration between Dragonara and Poker Travel started earlier last year and has already seen hundreds of players from Israel visiting Malta, especially during the tourism shoulder months. The collaboration will now be extended for players from central Europe as special ‘travel’ packages have…

Card Player – There are currently two bills on the table that could bring online poker to California and obviously, PokerStars wants in. California has a population of 38 million, roughly 14 times that of Nevada. With a state by state patchwork of online poker legislation in the works, the Golden State is one of the most sought after markets in the country. The site has reportedly entered negotiations with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, who operate the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon. While the Morongos may be the best way to get PokerStars’ foot in the…

Online poker players in Nevada and Delaware may get Interstate poker and be competing against each other as early as this summer. After forging the nation’s first interstate agreement last month, Delaware Governor Jack Markell and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval are aiming for the new online poker scheme to be up and running in just a few months. Previously, the end of 2014 had been mentioned as the target, but that projection has been shortened. Both states could use the increased liquidity, as both are in the lower third of the nation in population. Delaware ranks nearly at the bottom…

Las Vegas Review Journal – Early projections of a massive swell of cash from legalized online gaming may have been overly optimistic, but regulation launched a breakthrough in the gambling world, Ultimate Gaming’s top executives told a crowd of about 200 on Thursday at the iGaming North America 2014 conference. In a joint keynote speech at Planet Hollywood, the company’s chairman Tom Breitling and CEO Tobin Prior pushed for extended legislation across the country. While creating new jobs, the sites can be trusted and taxed, they said. “Regulation now means victory,” Prior said. The two highlighted lessons the company learned…