Card Player – There are currently two bills on the table that could bring online poker to California and obviously, PokerStars wants in. California has a population of 38 million, roughly 14 times that of Nevada. With a state by state patchwork of online poker legislation in the works, the Golden State is one of the most sought after markets in the country. The site has reportedly entered negotiations with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, who operate the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon. While the Morongos may be the best way to get PokerStars’ foot in the…

California Tribal Business Alliance – Recent accounts in the media indicate that PokerStars is in partnership negotiations with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and three large Southern California Card Clubs to offer online poker in California. The news accounts come at a particularly opportunistic time, when the California State Legislature will be debating two measures that will authorize the play of online poker within California’s borders. One of the most significant issues in the legislative discussions is who will be allowed to offer online poker in California.  From the California Tribal Business Alliance’s (CTBA) perspective, only entities that adhere to…

Calvin Ayre – PokerStars’ parent company, Rational Entertainment Enterprises, Ltd. (REEL), or more commonly known as the  Rational Group, won itself a decision against a class action lawsuit in Illinois from a group of poker players who claim to have lost money from illegal gambling. Chief Judge David R. Herndon of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois ruled in favor of granting Rational’s motion to dismiss the complaint filed by Kelly Sonnenberg. Sonnenberg’s complaint against Rational centered on her attempt to recover damages incurred by Illinois poker players from playing online poker using the state’s…

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…

From iGaming Business Online poker operator PokerStars has introduced an SMS validation service in a bid to protect account-holders against fraud. Customers who opt in to the service will receive a text message if PokerStars’ security system detects any account irregularities. If such an alert is received, PokerStars will suspend all financial transactions on the account until the player provides the code number included in the SMS message. SkillOnNet hails Hot Wheels 3D impact SkillOnNet’s new Hot Wheels 3D slot game became the online casino games developer’s ‘biggest ever release’ in its first two weeks of distribution. “Beating the first…

A new study commissioned by Poker Stars shows huge jump in popularity for both Asian and European poker since the mid-2000s. Over those past several years, China, South Korea, Russia, and countries of the former Soviet Union are identified as having the highest rates of growth compared to other regions around the world. Outside of Asian and European poker growth, Texas Hold’em has also seen a jump in popularity in other regions, although at a lesser rate. South America (particularly Brazil and Peru), along with New Zealand, are producing high participation rates in the game of poker than other countries,…