Poker News – Ever since he first introduced legislation to license and regulate Internet gambling in New Jersey in 2010, New Jersey State Sen. Ray Lesniak has prophesied of the Garden State being at the center of the emerging industry in the United States — the Silicon Valley of online wagering. That explains his frustration Tuesday when he heard that Delaware and Nevada had taken the first step to create an interstate online poker network, announcing an agreement to combine poker player pools. Delaware and New Jersey seem to make the more natural partners. They are neighbors, and they both…

iGaming Business – The Autonomous Administration of the State Monopolies (AAMS) Italian gaming authority has reported that the country’s regulated online poker market is continuing to decline. According to the Pokerfuse.com website, wagers in poker cash games during January 2014 grossed €12.2 billion ($16.7 billion), a drop of 20% on the previous year and a fall of 50% on January 2012. In addition, tournament revenues also declined by 26% in comparison with January 2013. Pokerstars Italy remains the most successful operator in the country as it generates 52.8% of all cash game revenue. It also holds a 54% share of…

Washington Post – Marylanders who host penny-ante poker games in their houses would no longer be breaking the law under a bill that advanced in the Maryland Senate on Tuesday. But then most Marylanders probably have no idea that hosting a friendly game of Texas hold ’em in the rec room is breaking the law, especially since the state has gone all in on casino gambling. Even some lawmakers didn’t know about an obscure provision that prohibits wagering on any game of chance or skill, even in the privacy of one’s home. “It’s illegal to get your Parcheesi game out…

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…