Baltimore Sun – The Northern Virginia couple throwing down $100 tokens at Maryland Live casino last month may have looked like aspiring high-rollers, but police say they were gambling with fake chips. Maryland State Police have charged a husband and wife from Annandale, Va., with conspiracy and theft after determining that they were using counterfeit chips at the Hanover casino. Authorities are looking for two other suspects in a similar, but unrelated, case. According to police, Rosa A. Nguyen, 36, purchased $150,000 worth of counterfeit casino chips — which had been altered to appear to be Maryland Live chips —…

Some in Pennsylvania have been pondering the idea of legalizing online gaming that would be offered from state-sanctioned sites, while at least one elected official now wants the act of playing online poker to be criminalized, according to an article on Philly.com. A state lawmaker is pushing a proposal that would make the “first violation a summary offense that carries a possible $300 fine and up to 90 days in jail”, while “a second violation would be a misdemeanor bringing a chance of a $2,500 fine and up to a year in jail.” Those penalties apparently wouldn’t be for running…

Poker News – As Italy’s economy keeps being one of the most troublesome in the European region, the latest numbers show that the country’s online poker industry is still far from recovery. Right now while the House of Representatives votes for Italy’s 63rd government in 68 years, welcoming former major of Florence Matteo Renzi as the country’s youngest Prime Minister, industry data from newsagency Ansa / Agimeg show a significant decline both for cash and tournament poker. During 2014’s first month, cash games Gross Gambling Revenue (GGR) generated €12,200,000, showing a 20% decline compared to January 2013, and an even…

Las Vegas Review Journal – The Supreme Court will not disturb the criminal conviction of a New York man whose underground poker game ran afoul of a federal anti-gambling law. The justices on Monday rejected an appeal from Lawrence DiCristina, who said his twice-a-week games of Texas Hold ‘em should not be covered by the federal Illegal Gambling Businesses Act. DiCristina said the law targets games of chance, like lotteries, slot machines and dice, but not poker, which is a game of skill. Bridge and Scrabble players weighed in on DiCristina’s behalf, worrying they could be targeted under a federal…

An agreement for Delaware and Nevada interstate online poker has been reached. State leaders signed a landmark agreement Tuesday that will join their states for web based poker, potentially increasing jackpots for residents who gamble while aiming to model how states might collaborate on an emerging economic opportunity. A “Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement” signed by Gov. Brian Sandoval of Nevada and Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware establishes a legal framework for the first authorized interstate Internet gambling. The deal aims to expand the marketplace for online poker in the small states that by themselves are not seen as having significant populations…

IGB Affiliate – The media world was buzzing on January 9, 2014, when the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA (locally known as the Sixers) and the New Jersey Devils of the NHL became the first major US-based professional sports teams to sign a sponsorship deal with an online gambling company, PartyPoker. To learn more about the story behind this ground-breaking deal, and what it means for the future of online gambling in the United States, iGB Affiliate spoke exclusively to Scott O’Neil, CEO of the Devils and Sixers. How will the PartyPoker brand be integrated into the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers teams,…

Online Poker Report – On the day of the session deadline for the introduction of bills, two efforts to regulate online poker in California surfaced from the legislature. The first is effectively a re-introduction of SB 678, which was backed by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The bill number is listed as SB 1366. No sponsor is identified on the bill but I assume it’s State Sen. Lou Correa (D-34), who authored SB 678. AB 2291 is supported by a wide-ranging consortium of tribes, including the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians,…

iGaming Business – MPN, the online poker network of internet gaming software provider Microgaming, has announced the launch of its inaugural MPN Poker Tour (MPNPT). The MPNPT will debut in London this spring before moving on to visit a number of other locations around Europe. Each festival will feature a deep-stacked €550 ($756.7) Main Event as well as a number of lower-value Side Events. In addition, the MPN said it would also bring a number of exclusive online innovations to the live poker environment, such as giving players the chance to earn achievements for taking part in events and enabling…