What’s the deal? Should we refer to the industry as Gaming vs. Gambling… and who decides? I think we all know the casino industry would prefer we call it “gaming”, but for poker players that’s sometimes kinda hard when you see your heroes on the TV holding second pair and a gut shot only to be shouting “gamble gamble!” after an all-in call. While some suggest gaming and gambling have already virtually converged, and others contend that no matter, the customers are different, there has been little definitive work to confirm what the Nevada Gaming Commission (and Gaming Control Board)…

Card Player – The prostitution-related charges against Greg Raymer in the state of North Carolina have been dropped, according to media reports over the weekend. The poker pro was arrested back in March. Raymer reportedly completed 75 hours of community service. Police said that Raymer responded to an online advertisement posted by undercover police. He was arrested at a Wake Forest hotel along with five other men. Raymer won the 2004 World Series of Poker main event for $5 million. Over his lengthy poker career he has cashed for around $7.5 million in tournaments. He is from Connecticut. The 49-year-old…

iGaming Business – The Norwegian government’s plans to legalise the country’s gaming market will only lead to relatively small stakes being wagered during poker contests, according to a report. The PokerUpdate.com website, citing a government report on gaming, said that while poker tournaments would be legal in Norway under the newly-elected administration’s planned reforms, those tournaments would only be allowed to feature “low stakes”. “The government will continue to pursue policies that take account of gamblers and ensure that revenues from gambling in Norway shall accrue profit purposes,” the government report said. “[The] government will examine the issue of licensing…

Macau Business Daily – PokerStars Macau has announced that PokerStars LIVE at the City of Dreams will host the 20th instalment of the Macau Poker Cup in January. The schedule will include an HK$8 million (US$1.03 million) guaranteed prize pool for the Red Dragon main event. The tournament will run from January 10 to 21 at Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd’s City of Dreams resort on Cotai. The buy-in for the Red Dragon event is set at HK$11,000. That, combined with the size of the guaranteed prize pool, means 800 players will be needed to cover the prize money. In April…

Poker Fuse – Those that were registered with Full Tilt Poker as affiliates are now able to submit a claim to be considered for remission, according to the Garden City Group. Until now, affiliates were among those groups that were excluded from participating in the remissions process put in place by the US Department of Justice to reimburse victims of Full Tilt Poker after it was discovered that the site did not have sufficient funds to cover player deposits. Other groups that remain ineligible include, past or present employees and members of Team Full Tilt. Affiliates that meet the standard…

Full Tilt Poker – The Full Tilt Poker Montreal Festival has succeeded to the hilt. After a mouth-watering 1,625 entries, a Playground Poker Club record, only the champion, Henri Balcazar of Kitchener, Ontario remained, holding an oversized cheque written out to the amount of $194,044. Seven days of poker has been witness to countless unbelievable plays, stacks amassing as if in a fast-forward time-lapse, only to blow away, dust in the wind. The big names came out, and fell, one by one. From Gus Hansen to Gavin Smith, Tom Dwan to Martins Adeniya, Antonio Esfandiari to Dermot Blain, Sin Melin…