The online poker debate in California is beginning to resemble the well-known scene from the Peanuts comics where Lucy holds the football for Charlie Brown. The state of California (playing the role of Lucy in this production) continues to hold the football while the poker world runs up to kick out – with predictable results. It appeared that progress was being made when California’s online poker bill AB 431 cleared another important hurdle as it continues to navigate unchartered waters. But on the flip side, two California Gaming Control Commissioners left their positions, and the debate over bad actors went…

The rhetoric surrounding California online poker continues to intensify, dampening the state’s chances of passing a bill to regulate the industry in 2015. Latest to the fray: a radio ad campaign from the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians that paints an aggressively negative picture of both PokerStars and the brand’s new owner Amaya. The campaign comes on the heels of the California Gaming conference where a tribal coalition (including Viejas) that opposes the participation of horse tracks and PokerStars in regulated online poker was consistently branded as obstructionist by those who support inclusion of tracks, PokerStars, or both. The version…

Amaya Inc based out of Canada, was a relatively unknown company until it surprised everyone in the poker industry in June 2014, when it confirmed that it had successfully acquired PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. PokerStars is the biggest online poker website in the world and has upheld that status after being acquired by Amaya Gaming for $4.9 billion. Since then the company has continued to stay in the news as it rolled out a number of strategic and operational changes. The billion dollar acquisition drew a lot of attention from the authorities who wanted to know if the proper…

Amaya-owned online gaming brand PokerStars has launched its new internet sports betting service in the UK market. Powered by the PokerStars 7 software, the new operation was open in time for customers to place bets on Saturday’s English FA Cup final between Arsenal and Aston Villa. The service is currently only accepting bets on football, tennis, basketball, ice hockey, rugby union, volleyball and handball, but adverts on the site suggest that this will be expanded to other sports in the near future. Customers are able to access the sports betting service through the PokerStars 7 client on desktop as well…

Earlier this year NetEnt started to deliver online casino games and services to Full Tilt. As a step further in the partnership with Rational Group, NetEnt today announces that a selection of its renowned game portfolio is now also live and available in PokerStars.com’s new casino offering. NetEnt continues to expand its customer base and the launches with Rational Group’s well-known poker sites PokerStars and Full Tilt enables distribution to a new group of players. The poker segment represents a significant share of all online gaming in Europe. NetEnt’s growth strategy includes expansion on regulated markets, making PokerStars a great…

PokerStars is bringing the big guns to California. Two of the site’s most recognizable faces (at least for the American audience) will be in California’s capitol city this week, as Jason Somerville and Daniel Negreanu will host a live demo at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento on May 21 from 10am – 12pm. The demonstration, which will include the chance to play against the pros (play-money, of course), will come just one day after a joint Senate / Assembly informational hearing for online poker. The demonstration will occur in parallel with the Capitol Weekly California Gaming Conference, which OPR will…