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…

Poker News – After an attempt to regulate online gaming last November did not succeed, the Portuguese government has already pledged that it will be ready to approve a new piece of legislation by the end of February. Público, Portugal’s leading newspaper, reports that the changes were anticipated in a memorandum of understanding that Portugal’s government sent earlier this week to Europe’s troika (European Commission, European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund) for presenting some of the measures planned to help the country’s growth. Although it is still unclear how the government intends to regulate Portugal’s online gaming and betting markets,…

Card Player – There likely won’t be any passage of legislation that would legalize nationwide — or ban nationwide — forms of Internet gambling. For one, a few states are already realizing those revenues and Congress would surely not put an end to those revenue streams. Since the states are already venturing out on their own, there is less of an impetus to push through a bill to make it legal nationwide. Not to mention, the issue is pretty controversial and there have always been more pressing matters for Congress to look at. Despite all of this, one group led…

Digital Journal – In April 2011, the FBI and the Department Of Justice changed on-line poker for good. Where do we stand nearly three years down the line? Poker has changed dramatically since the Black Friday domain seizures; true, there have been winners as well as losers, but some of those losers have literally disappeared. Among those that are no more are UltimateBet and its sister site Absolute Poker. The site where the stars come to play is now the site where the stars came to play. The collapse of Hollywood Poker does not appear to have been related to…

Former Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman Mark Lipparelli knows online gaming as well as anyone. After being appointed to the Board in 2009, Lipparelli eventually was at the forefront of the Silver State’s charge into the Internet gaming business. In late 2011, Nevada became the first state in U.S. history to adopt regulations for online poker. Lipparelli stayed on the Board until September of last year, stepping down because he had chosen not to serve another term. Thanks to leaving his position as a regulator, Lipparelli has returned to the private sector and has been working on a couple of…