Eunice Yoon reports on efforts to promote poker in China.
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Last December, the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) filed a formal complaint with the European Commission alleging discrimination by the United States in its internet gambling practices. The complaint centers around European internet gambling companies being shut out of the U.S. market while the United States “allows domestic online gaming operators, primarily horse betting, to flourish.” Poker News Daily has learned that the European Commission is scheduled to visit Washington, D.C. this month.

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The recent case of Police v Jones, Police v Ravesi [2008] SAMC 62 confirms that poker involves skill and is not merely a game of chance. Although the outcome of this case was dependent on the specific wording of the South Australian statute, it confirms the view taken by most Australian authorities that poker should be treated differently from other games when considering whether unlawful gambling has taken place.

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Members of the Czech Association of Poker Clubs are pushing the Finance Ministry to recognize the game as an official sport, and have enlisted legal representatives from Ernst & Young to aid in their campaign.

As a result of these discussions, ministry officials say they are preparing to introduce a new “lottery act” that will streamline national regulations for gambling, which is currently prohibited outside of casinos. At present, it is unknown whether poker game restrictions will be altered as part of the new legislation, which officials expect to release for government approval late this year.

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Online poker is a pastime rapidly gaining ground among Italian gamblers, it seems from a survey conducted recently by the Consumers Defense and Orientation Association (ADOC) and reported this week by the Agipronews agency. The survey found that Italians punters annually spend an average of Euros 600 each on Internet gambling, making a total yearly spend of Euros 350 million.

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Siobhan Grennan learned how to play poker to please a man. She was then just old enough to count the pennies from her paper route, and the man – her brother, three years her senior – was sufficiently bored that he was prepared to spend a few hours with his sis. But the hours added up, and by the time Siobhan was 14, her big bro figured she was ready for the big leagues: playing with his friends.

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A former United States Senator and the Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, Alfonse D’Amato has extensive experience with and insight into both US politics and online gambling. At the opening keynote of the Next Generation in Gambling Conference in Montreal, he offered some insight into how the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was made into law.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two U.S. lawmakers have urged the U.S. Justice Department to suspend its investigation of European Internet gambling companies for possible criminal violations that occurred before Congress passed a law in 2006 to crack down on online gambling.

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A new deadline has been put in effect for Antigua and the US to reach an agreement concerning the ongoing online gaming dispute.

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Just one week away from a scheduled meeting with the European Union about current online gaming regulations, the U.S. has postponed the trade talks. The EU requested the meetings because they feel the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) is in violation of a treaty laid out by the World Trade Organization (WTO).

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