Poker Update – Apart from being cold, Norway is a country known for its economic prowess and progressive attitude to most things. Most aspects of gaming, however, have long been illegal in the northern European country, with lotteries and sports the only types of gaming allowed there. That is set to change under an initiative by Norway’s government to legalise, expand and regulate the country’s gaming market. Poker would be one of the games that would benefit under the proposed reforms, although only to a degree. While poker tournaments would be legal in Norway under the newly elected government’s planned…

Card Player – MGM, Boyd and Golden Nugget have all officially filed to get another extension on their respective Internet poker plans in Nevada. The firms — which were all approved for Internet gambling last fall — appeared on the agenda for the October meeting of the state’s three-member Gaming Control Board. According to the rules on the book in Nevada, firms apparently must move forward with their business plans within six months of being approved for the activity by state regulators. However, given the extensive testing and preparation that is needed to debut Internet gambling and poker some firms…

Poker Update – The online poker industry saw a rise in player traffic of 5% last week, the largest weekly increase since the “Road to 100 Billion” promotion at PokerStars in June. All but one of the top ten poker rooms and networks on PokerScout’s ranking of global poker sites saw a rise in cash game action for the week. Those 10 top sites retained their positions, except for Winamax grabbing the eighth slot and knocking Bodog into ninth. Reasons for the overall market rise may be cool and damp weather throughout much of Europe, which typically has a tendency…

Press of Atlantic City – Online global gambling giant PokerStars plans to make a big splash in the Atlantic City market by building a $10 million poker room as part of its Internet partnership with Resorts Casino Hotel. Company spokesman William J. Pascrell III said construction would start on the poker room immediately after PokerStars is awarded a New Jersey license for Internet gambling. “As soon as the license is in hand, they’re ready to start building,” Pascrell said. “It will be the PokerStars poker room at Resorts.” PokerStars and Resorts are looking to create synergy between their online betting…

Salon – The 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event opened to a pastiche of landmark tournament moments from the last decade starting with, of course, Chris Moneymaker’s serendipitous Main Event win in 2003.  Moneymaker – a then 27-year-old poker hobbyist with an easy going  countenance – won an online satellite tournament for a $10,000 entry fee to the Main Event, then navigated an 839 person field, “eliminating” various heady professional players on his way to a $2.5 million first place payday. The “Moneymaker Effect” was poker-prozac and ESPN replayed the 2003 Main Event highlights in multiple-hour blocks at all…

iGaming Business – PartyPoker, operated by online gaming giant bwin.party, has reported a rise in cash game traffic in the wake of a new software update launched last Thursday. According to the PokerUpdate.com website, PartyPoker claims that traffic has increased by 3% since the update was launched. The focus of the new software launch in early September was on recreational players, offering achievements, missions and social interaction. SOURCE