Card Player – A third Nevada online poker operator is now taking action. Real Gaming, the brand under which South Point Casino has ventured into the online space, has began what is considered its soft launch phase. The firm’s website can be found here. Originally slated to be called “South Point Poker”, the company re-branded last year. South Point was once considered to be the favorite to be the first Nevada site up and operational, but it was leapfrogged to the market by Ultimate Poker — an offshoot of Station Casinos — and the WSOP — owned by Caesars Entertainment…

Atlanta Journal-Constitution – Fifty-five million Americans play poker, but now the Supreme Court could weigh in on whether your basement poker game is a federal crime. Under Georgia law, betting on hands of poker, even around your kitchen table with friends, is illegal. Robert Costner regularly hosts poker parties for as many as 100 people in Virginia, a state where it’s legal to play for cash at home. “Why does the federal government care?” said Costner. “It’s not organized crime. It’s not the mob, it’s just some guys getting together having fun.” But the Supreme Court could soon step in….

Poker News – The Garden City Group (GCG), the firm responsible for overseeing the repayment of money owed to Full Tilt Poker players in the U.S., has posted a new announcement on its website regarding the remission process. According to a Feb. 13 update, the GCG is in the process of preparing payments for Petitioners who timely confirmed their FTP Account Balance. “Beginning on Feb. 13, such Petitioners may notice a zero-dollar transaction in their bank account statement that relates to the Full Tilt Poker Claims Administration,” the update said. “Please be aware that this is a normal part of…

The parent company of Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars is hoping to enter into the world of sports betting. Full Tilt was recently expanded to include roulette, blackjack and other casino games and now the Rational Group is planning on adding a sportsbook to the site. When this is done it will make Full Tilt Poker the first Rational owned site to offer a complete range of gambling options. A spokesperson for the Rational Group said that the company is “exploring opportunities to enter global sports betting markets to enhance our online gaming offerings.” At present Rational is talking to…

The Nordic Page – Solberg government’s declaration law allows poker championship tournaments on Norwegian soil. For years there has been a ban on organized poker games – but Norway’s new bourgeois government will make exceptions for championships, writes Vårt Land. Culture Minister Thorhild Widwey hopes they can have a regulatory framework in time, then a Norway championships in poker can be held in 2015. The proposed regulation includes new rules for type of tournaments, limits for prize money – as well as distribution of good. – We do not add up to a deregulation of gambling in Norway, but we…

Card Player – Despite it being an election year in the Golden State, online gambling expert Chris Krafcik thinks it has the best chance, among other U.S. states, of getting something done in 2014 with regards to web poker. Krafcik is the Research Director (North America) for GamblingCompliance and for years has been monitoring developments there. Right now, just Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware have legal — and operational — online wagering. Others are considering it this year, but in many spots the chances appear low. California is home to the nation’s top tribal casino industry, and Krafcik said that…