Poker News – Over the weekend, Ultimate Poker released a highly anticipated software upgrade. The upgrade included changes to the site’s virtual tables, the lobby, tournaments, an addition of an online merchandise store, and a player awards program. In terms of the table and lobby changes that have been made, the first thing that will stick out are the updated graphics. From there, you’ll notice that the tables are now resizable, as are the avatars, the cards are larger, and preset betting buttons have been incorporated. The newly resizable tables, preset betting buttons, and upgraded server will each serve the…

888Poker has announces the signing of poker professional, JC Tran, to their Team 888poker. JC Tran was born in Vietnam and now resides with his family in Sacramento, CA. With a long-standing poker career, Tran has accumulated over 8 million in cashes and accomplished numerous achievements, including:  2 World Series of Poker bracelets, 8 WPT final tables, WPT Player of the year, Star in NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, etc. Most recently, Tran is getting headlines for being the 2013 WSOP November Nine chip leader. Tran will join fellow team players, Jay Farber and Michiel Brummelhius at the final table…

iGaming Business – Online gaming operator 888 Holdings has updated the mobile phone application for its 888 Poker brand to give players access to a full range of multi-table tournaments. According to Pokerfuse.com, the app had previously restricted players to cash games and ‘sit and goes’, but players will now have an expanded selection of poker gaming options. The newly updated app will also be accompanied by a promotional campaign, which will include a television advertisement. Users will also receive a free tournament to ticket to a freeroll with a $50,000 (€38,500) prize pool. Freerolls will run twice per week…

This Week in Gambling – The August 19th, 2013 broadcast of Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny, guests include PPA Executive Director John Pappas. Discussion revolves around the Full Tilt Poker remission, the state and federal legislative efforts, and all that’s going on in the fight for poker. Following Mr Pappas was a  terrific panel discussion featuring Jay Todd of This Week in Gambling, Robin Jones of On Tilt Radio, and poker columnist Shari Geller. Listen to the full podcast HERE or visit On Tilt Radio.

iGaming Business – A bill for the potential legalisation and regulation of online poker in the US state of California will not be considered until next year, according to the Poker Players Alliance lobby group. The alliance posted a message on twitter that said that sources had confirmed that the Correa bill will not be brought up before the end of the current legislative session, which finishes on September 6. Authorised by state senator Lou Correa, Senate Bill 678 is the ‘Authorisation and Regulation of Internet Poker and Consumer Protection Act of 2013’. It would authorise internet poker as a…

New York Daily News – You got to know when to fold’em. Two gamblers charged in connection with an illegal, high-stakes poker and sports betting ring for high-rollers, hedge funders and Hollywood A-Listers plan to enter guilty pleas next month. Justin Smith, 25, and Edwin Ting, 41, are scheduled to cop pleas Sept. 4, according to court papers filed Thursday by Manhattan federal prosecutors. Smith, of Los Angeles, will plead guilty to accepting payment for unlawful Internet gambling, the papers said. He is also charged with operation an illegal gambling business and would face up to 10 years in prison…

Card Player – The Garden City Group, the claims administrator for the Full Tilt Poker money, released an update Friday on its website, FullTiltPokerClaims.com. The firm stated: Starting on September 16, 2013, GCG will email a Notice with instructions on how to submit a Petition for Remission online to all potentially eligible claimants identified by GCG utilizing data supplied by Full Tilt Poker (“FTP”). The deadline to submit a Petition for Remission is November 15, 2013. Instructions concerning the filing of Petitions will be included in the Notice and will be posted on this website. Please continue to check this…

Card Player – It still faces an incredibly low chance of passing, but one of the online gaming bills floating in California’s legislature was amended on Monday. It is now classified as an “urgency” measure. The 2013 legislative session ends next month. The new language in Senate Bill 678 states: “This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are: In order to protect the interests of Californians who play Internet…