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Thursday, December 3, 2015
Nothing helps beat the summer heat like a long day of online poker, especially when the PokerStars Sunday Million is in the mix. Your proof for this weekend: just over 3,400 players were in their seats, fingers at the ready over mouse buttons, as this week's installment of the world's most famous $215 poker tournament began. Their numbers had swelled to 6,565 by the time late registration closed, a little less than last week's 6,811 but still enough to build a guarantee-smashing $1,313,000 prize pool.
Aside from helping them escape the heat, the Sunday Million didn't do our sponsored players any favors this week. Plenty of PokerStars pros showed up to play, among them Liv Boeree, Humberto Brenes, Nacho Barbero and Lex Veldhuis. Only Johnny Lodden, however, was among the 990 players who still had chips when the money bubble burst exactly five hours after the tournament began. He ended up finishing 633rd for $380.77.
It's the end of the tournament as we know it.
With blinds at 125K/250K and antes at 25K, these players took their seats at the final table some 10 hours after play first began:
Seat 1: 26071985 (United Kingdom) 6,038,281 chips
Seat 2: TY4Stacks2 (Sweden) 9,279,420 chips
Seat 3: vasil1976197 (Ukraine) 4,268,552 chips
Seat 4: PDJ4ck (United Kingdom) 11,005,133 chips
Seat 5: eljanich (Azerbaijan) 4,026,938 chips
Seat 6: untouchble10 (Moldova) 7,812,816 chips
Seat 7: KevinV (Netherlands) 5,596,675 chips
Seat 8: LeKnave (United Kingdom) 7,097,100 chips
Seat 9: tony2pairsAK (Canada) 10,525,085 chips
On the 19th hand of the final table play the first player fell. With the action folded to eljanich in third position, the Azerbaijani player moved all-in for just over 2.1 million and got a single call from chip leader LeKnave in the cutoff. With A♥ Q♥ to LeKnave's K♣ K♠, eljanich would need help from the board. The 7♥ 7♣ J♦ 8♥ Q♠ board paired the queen but wasn't enough, sending eljanich to the rail in 9th place ($10,175.75).
The next out, in unexpected fashion, was the UK's 26071985. With blinds now up to 200K/400K with a 40K ante the action folded to the button, where 26071985 promptly moved all-in for 6.12 million chips. TY4Stacks2 didn't waste much time calling with 8♠ 8♣, which was in the lead against the original raiser's A♥ 2♣. One pair was good enough for TY4Stacks to seize the chip lead as the board ran out 9♦ 7♦ 3♦ 5♥ T♥, and 26071985 was out in 8th place ($15,756).
Back-to-back attack
The table was soon down to just five players thanks to back-to-back eliminations. Canada's tony2pairsAK dealt the first knockout blow with Q♦ Q♣ against the A♥ K♥ of vasil1976197, who left in 7th place ($28,886) when the board ran out J♥ 4♠ 6♣ 8♦ Q♠. On the very next hand the action folded to untouchble10 in the small blind and the Moldovan player shoved for 4.7 million with J♣ T♣. KevinV called in the big blind with A♣ J♠ and dodged a gutshot straight draw on the K♦ 9♥ 2♥ 5♣ 3♥ board to send untouchble10 out in 6th place ($42,016). Talk of a deal sprang up briefly but LeKnave was having none of it, so play continued.
Eight hands later, with blinds now at 250K/500K and antes at 50K, tony2pairsAK sealed his fate in 5th place ($55,146) on this hand:
PDJ4ck had entered the final table with the chip lead but hadn't been able to build any real momentum as the field dwindled. That downward trend hit its final note after KevinV opened under the gun for 1 million and PDJ4ck shoved in the big blind for another 6.1 million. It turned that both players' decisions were nearly automatic; PDJ4ck held A♥ K♣ and KevinV T♥ T♣. The Q♣ 9♥ 3♦ 4♦ 2♥ board couldn't help crack the pocket pairand PDJ4ck exited in 4th place ($72,215).
Yes, no, maybe...can you repeat the question?
Facing only two more opponents, LeKnave was more amenable to a proposed deal than earlier. But the numbers based on the current counts weren't to the liking of Sweden's TY4Stacks, who held almost twice the chips of either of the other players. The chip leader nixed the deal and got the action restarted.
TY4Stacks dominated the action three-handed as KevinV and LeKnave both tried to stay afloat. Eventually they would run into each other when LeKnave opened for 1 million on the button and TY4Stacks2 folded in the small blind. Holding A♦ 7♦, KevinV put LeKnave to the test by moving all-in for an effective 10.8 million. LeKnave didn't think too long before calling with K♥ Q♣, which quickly took the lead on the Q♦ 5♦ 5♠ flop. The turn brought the 8♦, however, and the 4♦ on the river brought no full house, sending LeKnave out in 3rd place ($105,040).
Separated by only 14 big blinds, the last two players agreed to look at the numbers for a deal once more. This time the numbers - $165,384.15 for TY4Stacks2, $162,035.65 for KevinV and $20,000 for the winner - were more to the Swede's liking, and play resumed with that deal on the books. For 16 hands they sparred before TY4Stacks2 grabbed a 24-million-chip pot by firing three barrels on a K♦ 8♣ 6♦ 7♣ Q♠ and getting a fold on the river.
Seven hands later the tournament title would come down to a coin flip, KevinV three-betting all-in for 16.3 million chips with 3♥ 3♦ and TY4Stacks2 calling with A♠ 7♣. The T♠ 9♣ 8♥ flop was as bad as it could be for KevinV without actually falling behind, and the A♥ on the turn reduced all hope to just two remaining cards. Neither of them was the river card - the Q♦ - so KevinV took home the agreed-upon sum of $162,035.65. TY4Stacks claimed the winner's share as well as the negotiated amount for a total purse of $185,384.15.
Sunday Million results for 8/7/2011:
1. TY4Stacks2 (Sweden) $185,384.15*
2. KevinV (Netherlands) $162,035.65*
3. LeKnave (United Kingdom)$105,040
4. PDJ4ck (United Kingdom) $72,215
5. tony2pairsAK (Canada) $55,146
6. untouchble10 (Moldova) $42,016
7. vasil1976197 (Ukraine) $28,886
8. 26071985 (United Kingdom) $15,756
9. eljanich (Azerbaijan) $10,175.75
* - amounts based on two-way deal
So that's another successful Sunday in the annals of PokerStars history. Want to see your name here next week? The Sunday Million page should probably be your first stop.
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Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: PokerStars Sunday Tournaments]
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
5:20pm: End of level 8; break
The end of level eight signals it is time for the players to once more pour out of the card room to recharge batteries with caffeine, nicotine, fun and general frolics.
We'll be back in 15 minutes for level 9 which will resume in a new post. See you shortly!
5.10pm: Sapiano hits downward spiral
It appears Sapiano's streak of upward form has abandoned him - his stack dipping perilously close to that danger zone of 10-15BBs - a glum, slumped demeanour expressing how his luck has turned.
Recently he bought himself a little time - somewhat fortunately running his jacks into kings in a preflop tussle and coming out on top when a jack spiked.
"Ouch," commented an interested onlooker adroitly.
It looks likely two of the beneficiaries of Sapiano's misfortune are well-stacked tablemates Scott Glover
(85,000) and Andrey Dimitrov, whose earlier shortstackedness has dissolved in a fanfare of trumpets as he is now potentially the chip leader of the tournament with 98,000.
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 400-800-100
4:55pm: Snapshot of the felt
Here are a couple of the stacks that might be of interest to you out there.
First there is Jake Cody. We have yet to capture Jake Cody play out a pot of note, and his stack is sitting at a slightly-below-average-though-above-starting-stack amount of 27,000.
Next up we have Chaz Chattha, making steady, quiet progress, having risen to 39,000.
Finally there is popular young UK pro Alex Goulder. Goulder registered late but this has not proved an impedement to his chip accumulation skills and he has a comfortable stack of 33,000 right now.
4:41pm: Wellings on march from zero to hero
The pacy structure and aggressive nature of play here at the Hippodrome means players' fortunes can fluctuate and alter in the blink of an eye.
Just ask David Wellings, who in his own words "was going home a few minutes ago." Several pots later - the most recent seeing him oust Vincent Pritchard ace-king versus ace-queen - his fortunes have been transformed.
The big beaming smile on his face tells the whole story. He isn't amongst the chip leaders just yet with his circa average 35,000 stack but the dream of glory and riches lives on for now.
4.32pm: Guven exits as Davage trips up Zadeh
Onur Guven has just expired - his final act to push his chips in with T♦7♦ on a Q♦2♣6♦ board.
The major portion of the pot however was played out between Glen Davage and Jan Nader Zadeh - a series of raises culminating in Davage moving all-in.
A pensive Zadeh uhmmed and ahhed over his action, scrunching his face in various different ways before saying, "ok" and throwing in the call with pocket aces.
The mental coin flip fell the wrong side however - Davage showing down a flopped set of deuces and duly winning the pot as the board bricked out.
Zadeh drops below 20,000 then, and Davage was left happily arranging his newly-acquired 55,000 stack.
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 300-600-75
4.10pm: Trouble in paradise
With some players careering up the rankings, others' paths are correspondingly bleak and some, such as the following, have seen all hope of a deep run in Day 1B dissolve like salt crystals in hot water.
Here are the latest players with something to brine, er...whine about as they are out. Bad luck guys.
Barny Koumis
Lucas Blanco
Victor Victorovich Ilyukhin
Michael Quinn
Shantanu Banerji
Simon Brooks
Rahim Tadj-Saadat
Jiaqi Fan
Stuart Richardson
Wentao Pei
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 250-500-50
3:48pm: Double for Dimitrov
A poor day for Andrey Dimitrov might just be turning around.
He's been sitting on a shortish stack for a while, picking up the odd set of blinds with a shove all-in.
Finally though he has found a double-through, jamming pocket kings for his 7,300 stack and getting an understandable call from Tyrone Campisi-Green with A♦K♠.
The board ran out T♥4♥4♦T♣4♠ to turn his 70% equity in the pot into 100% and he is back above 15,000 - still short but with a modicum of wiggle room at least. Campisi-Green meanwhile could well afford to take the hit as he still has over 40,000 to his name.
3.36pm: Sapiano climbs through counts
Albert Sapiano, one of the handful of re-entrants, has been going along much better today than yesterday - having already accumulated 58,000, close to the Day 1B chip leaders.
As we joined his table he was busy three-betting a tablemate and winning the pot before showing down pocket sixes. He seems confident and in the zone right now...
3.28pm: Number crunched
The vagaries of poker variance mean there will be victims of misfortune as the day progresses.
These are the players to have found themselves on the wrong side of all-in showdowns during the initial stages.
Laurent Alix
Christopher Scholes
John Eric Tavss
Mustafa Kubilay
Se Jin Hwang
Vasile Cosmin Stancu
Hui Jin
Christakis Trattou
Panikos Chattalou
Neophytos Neophytou
Marghidan Gabriel
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 200-400-50
3.20pm: The big thaw - back for level 5
The players have been de-frosted and are ready for action once more. 90 players remain of the original 100 to have entered and are back and ready to enter the fray.
Good luck all in level 5.
3.05pm: Frozen in Time
That's the first four levels of the day in the bag! It's been an exciting start and there is likely only more drama to come so rejoin us in 15 minutes once the players have had a breather and we'll resume arms once more. See you then!
3.02pm: Ravindran heading the counts
It's early days but with close to four levels under our belts, it looks like Ravindran may well be the chip leader with 53,000.
We think most of this came courtesy of a big preflop war with Jiaqi Fan, whose stack was left devastated after the hand - down to 3,700.
It looked like at showdown Ravindran held the winning hand of 3-2 - showing he has some unorthodox plays in his arsenal.
We'll keep an eye on how this interesting player progresses as the day goes on. He clearly didn't earn his nickname Superman without good cause!
2.50pm: Far from idle Chattha
Chaz Chattha has had a better start to day 1B than finish to Day 1A.
Moments ago he sent Marghidan Gabriel to the rail, picking off his turn bluff with A-Q on a A♦5♦4♥Q♣ board.
Gabriel had turned 8♥9♥ into an airball bluff and with no equity he departed the table even before the irrelevant K♣ appeared on the river.
Chattha up to 39,000 and looking in good position to go deeper than he managed yesterday.
2.36pm:Bitter pill for Trattou as Quinn-in strikes
Michael Quinn has taken down a medium-sized pot courtesy of the second Trattou plying his trade in the field - Nicholas Trattou the man to suffer on this occasion.
The hand opened with a raise to 550 from under-the-gun man Trattou, called by Michael Quinn, Martin Comitti and big blind Jake Cody, lurking out of position to the three.
A board of J♥9♠2♣ failed to entice any action, the four active players checking it down.
Come the turned 6♣ however, Trattou was the first man to take an aggressive action, betting out 1,250 - Quinn being the sole caller.
The A♥ on the river saw Trattou fire again - 3,500 the bet - and again Quinn made an instant call.
There was now a short delay as both players refused to turn their hands over.
"Throw your hand away if you don't want to use it," urged Quinn, prompting Trattou to turn over K♠T♠ for king-high.
Quinn exposed A♣4♣ for a turned flush draw that had become top pair to claim the pot.
He rises to 36,000 - Trattou dropping below his 25,000 starting stack. Cody, attired in baseball cap and PokerStars branding, watched on quietly for now. He is slightly down from his starting stack to around 20,000.
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 150-300
2:25pm:Bumper field
It was pleasing to see 88 players arrive to take to the felt yesterday evening and strangely today, we have exactly 88 so far once more!
This number has been bolstered by at least four or five players who have availed themselves of the oppportunity to take a second bite of the cherry, after falling afoul of variance in Day 1A.
Numbered in their midst is Chaz Chattha, a member of the fabled Hitsquad and a man with impeccable poker credentials.
Watch out table 6!
2.11pm: Invasion of the antes
We told you the structure would zip past in quicksmart fashion. Already level three has seen the introduction of antes, making those preflop pots and blinds that little bit more juicy and the battles over them that little bit more fiercely contested.
It's a subtle but significant change in the course of the tournament and as we saw yesterday, this will really serve to stimulate the action.
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 100-200-25
1.50pm: Hwang barrels out
An inauspicious pot from Se Jin Hwang saw him take a super aggressive line early doors - only for Andrew Purser to pick him off.
The hand in question saw Purser lead for 800 on a K♦8♠3♥ board - raised to 2,300 by Hwang. Purser made the call.
The 6♣ on the turn saw Hwang fire barrel two for 3,500. Purser again check-called.
A rivered Q♦ was met with a slow check from Purser and Hwang munched on some food before moving his full stack (10,000+) over the line.
Instant call from Purser and the look of anguish on Hwang's face showed he had a strong feeling he was behind. Purser tabled K-Q for top 2 to take down the pot and send Hwang on his way.
"When I call the turn, I've really got to call the river" Purser added as Hwang grabbed his things and departed. Purser up to 45,000...
1.32pm: Double Trouble
The opportunity to buy in twice has been taken by several of yesterday's unfortunate busters.
One of those is Albert Sapiano. Sapiano has been a mainstay of the English poker scene for some time and his unorthodox style can pose problems for his opponents.
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 75-150
1.20pm: Wells Go Far?
Dominic Wells is a familiar face to patrons of the Hippodrome Casino, having made many deep runs at various events here.
He clearly enjoys his sojourns to the heart of London and he has already seen his stock rise in the opening levels.
His upward trend has come larely courtesy of tablemate Christakis Trattou.
The first pot of note saw Wells lead out for 500 on the turn of a A♠T♦5♣K♥ board - only for Trattou to make it 1,500. Wells called and the Q♠ on the river saw both players check it down - Wells exposing A♣7♣ to scoop the pot.
The next hand Trattou made it 400 to go and in-position Wells put in a big three-bet to 1,550. Call from Trattou.
The board fell K♣J♦7♦ - Trattou checked, Wells led for 1,500 and Trattou called.
The 8♣ on the turn saw a similar pattern, check 2,500 barrel from Wells, call.
The rivered A♣ was checked once more - Wells rubbing his chin in contemplation before deciding to "empty the clip" - barrel number three a chunky 4,500.
A quick call from Trattou with A♠Q♦ was no good versus Wells' dominating top two A♥K♠.
A big pot for Wells at this stage - he moves to 36,000 - amongst the chip leaders at this early stage.
1.00pm: Cards in the air
The TD has directed the dealers to begin proceedings so we're off! Let's see how this interesting day pans out...
Day 1B of the UKIPT5 Super Series
Welcome back to The Hippodrome Casino for Day 1B - and later 1C - of the UKIPT5 Super Series London. Yesterday we saw Day 1A play out with drama and alacrity - the impressively large 88-strong field being whittled down to just 27 survivors in 12 swift, action levels.
Click here to read how the day played out.
Today's contingent of players will find themselves immersed in the same environmental conditions as yesterday's group:
- 25,000 in chips;
- 30 minute levels (with a welcome 15 minute break following each batch of 4)*
* Note that on Day 2 the level lengths will be extended to 40 minutes and the final will be comprised of 50 minute levels - the structure extending as the stakes rise, which should be an attractive proposition for the players.
As we said before, there are two days' worth of poker being packed into today's schedule with Day 1B beginning at 1.00pm and Day 1C will follow hot on its heels at 7.30pm.
This close density of punchy poker should ensure we have plenty of exciting tales to bring you as the day progresses so keep those eyeballs fixated on the blog - we wouldn't want you to miss out!
We're moments away from the start so good luck one and all.
PokerStars Blog reporting team at PokerStars UKIPT5 Super Series: Rod Stirzaker. Photos courtesy of Mickey May.
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Tuesday, December 1, 2015
^
During SCOOP 2013, there were four separate tournament leader boards: Low, Medium, High and Overall. An error was identified in the initial calculation of points awarded from High stakes tournaments with small fields, which affected the results of the High and Overall leader boards.
The advertised rules required that leader board points should only have been awarded when a player cashed. However, that rule failed to be enforced during the initial calculation of leader board points, and thus some players who played in certain high buy-in events were mistakenly credited with points they were not eligible to receive. PokerStars regrets the error and has taken steps to solve this instance, and to prevent it reoccurring.
As a result of this error, 'GeorgeDanzer' received extra points, and was mistakenly ranked in first place on the Overall TLB. After correcting the calculations, the actual winner of the Overall TLB is 'AceQuad' of Mexico. PokerStars has now corrected the leader board and contacted the two affected players: 'GeorgeDanzer' and 'AceQuad'. The Overall leader board prizes of the SCOOP Trophy and the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT10 Grand Final Package will be awarded to 'AceQuad'.
In addition, this error caused a re-ranking of some players who would have received prizes on the 2013 SCOOP High leader board. Specifically the following players have moved down from top 10 positions to non-prize awarded positions: 'blanconegro', 'ninototoroko', and 'ImDaNuts'. The following players have moved up into top 10 positions for the SCOOP High leader board and will now receive $1,050 WCOOP tickets for their efforts: 'ana marquez', 'AceQuad', and 'el_batong'.
Overall, ten events were affected by this calculation error. There were 51 players who were awarded points they did not earn according to the official posted rules. The leader board has been re-calculated with the corrected formula. The correction has only changed the prizes for the eight players listed above.
The ten affected events were the High versions of SCOOP 4, 6, 11, 12, 16, 27, 28, 30, 37, and 38. Because these events attract smaller fields, players were awarded points for highly ranked finishes, despite not cashing in the events. PokerStars has corrected the points calculation process to avoid this error repeating in the future. We apologise to the affected players for this error.
Players with any queries about this can email scoop@pokerstars.com
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The final table kicked off in the most tumultuous action I've ever seen, with an elimination on each of the first three hands! On the very first hand of the final table, the short-stacked Shaaarrrp moved all in from early position with A♠-Q♣. Juda10 moved all in over the top to isolate, and when the rest of the table folded, juda10 showed 8♣-8♥ for the slight edge in the race. A slight edge was all juda10 needed, as the board came down K♠-5♦-J♥-4♣-9♦, and Shaaarrrp was done in 9th place ($7,968).
Before the rest of the table could catch their breath, all the chips were in the middle again as L C P open-shoved with K♦-Q♦. His only opponent was Ansgar2000, holding the charmed hand du jour - pocket eights. Ansgar's 8♣-8♦ was good enough to send another competitor to the rail, however, as the board ran out 6♥-9♠-5♠-J♠-3♦. After two hands, and two coin flips, there were two fewer players at the table as LCP collected $12,450 for 8th place.
But the frenzy wasn't over yet, as Ramux and gaffel tangled in one last huge pot to kick off the final table. Ramux opened for a raise with K♥-Q♥, and made the call when gaffel moved all in over the top with A♣-J♠. The flop brought a huge draw to Ramux, as it came down 3♥-3♠-7♥, giving Ramux the flush draw to go with his live cards. The flush hit the turn on the form of the T♥, leaving gaffel drawing dead. The river was the irrelevant J♣, and gaffel headed to bed with an extra $22,410 for 7th place in his bankroll.
With the breathtaking pace of the first few eliminations, the remaining six players decided to chat about a deal. The massive chip lead the Ramux had accumulated made the deal process difficult, but after some lengthy debate, a deal was reached that left $10,000 for the winner and locked up comfortable guarantees for everyone.
The deal locked up $129,163.73 for chip leader Ramux, while the second-place Ansgar2000 picked up $86,163.71. Hismoon nabbed $77,163.71 for his third-place stack, Method999 locked in $68,163.71, juda10 took down a guaranteed $66,163.71 and Feez0 grabbed $48,163.71 for his 6th-place stack. That left $10,000 for the eventual winner of the tournament, and play resumed.
After some jockeying for position at the final table and a few double-ups, the first big confrontation sent two players to the rail at once. Feez0 found himself on the extreme short stack and put his last few chips in the middle of the table as the big blind. Method999 raised from the button, and Ramux made the call from the small blind. The flop came down 9♦-K♠-7♥, and the rest of the chips went in the middle. Feez0 showed Q♠-4♠, Method999 opened K♥-6♦, and Ramux held the lead with K♣-T♦. The K♦ on the turn did nothing to change that, and when the river brought the T♠, it was all over for Feez0 and Method999.
Ansgar2000 was the next to fall, busting in 4th place at the hands of juda10. Action folded around to juda, who moved all in preflop with 6♥-9♥. Ansgar thought for a moment but finally called with A♣-8♣. Juda10 picked up a pair of nines on a flop of T♥-K♠-9♣, and that was enough to hold up and send Ansgar packing as the turn and river came down 7♦-Q♦ and thin the field to three.
It took a little while to whittle it down, and there were several double-throughs along the way to heads-up play, but finally juda10's run at the final table came to an end. After Ramux folded from the button, juda10 moved all in from the small blind with A♣-6♣. Hismoon made the call with A♦-9♣, and his lead extended with the flop of 4♦-A♠-9♠. Needing running sixes to stay alive, juda was drawing dead after the T♣ hit the turn. The river was a meaningless Q♦, and the tournament was heads up for $10,000.
Heads up play was a real battle, with multiple lead change and double ups before everything was finally settled. But in the end, it came down to who could catch cards when it counted most, and that was Ramux on the last hand. After crippling Hismoon, then doubling him up on back-to-back hands, all the money went in the middle preflop once again, but this time Ramux had the right ammo - pocket aces. His A♣-A♦ was firmly in the driver's seat against Hismoon's K♣-J♥. The flop brought more suspense as it came down T♣-7♣-Q♠, giving Hismoon the up and down straight draw, but the 5♥ on the turn was no help. Ramux just needed to fade an ace or nine on the river to win the tournament and the extra $10k, and when the river brought the Q♦, that's exactly what he did. Hismoon played a brilliant final table, even taking over Ramux's seemingly insurmountable chip lead a couple of time, but in the end he could only come away with second place.
Congrats to Ramux, who picked up $139,163.73 when all was said and done, and congratulations as well to all our final table players!
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Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: PokerStars Sunday Tournaments]
Published on October 31, 2013 by April Gardner
Lawmakers in Florida are again considering the possibility of bringing casino resorts to the Sunshine State, and much like in past years, the resistance is coming from a company known for bringing joy to billions of children.
The Walt Disney Company has fought tooth and nail over the years to keep casino resorts out of Florida. Entrenched in the Bible belt of Florida, Disney World is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, and the parent company wants to ensure that gamblers stay far away from their safe haven.
The biggest question being raised these days as legislators prepare to take up casino resort bills is whether Disney is dealing out of hypocrisy. The company purchased the rights to Marvel Comics back in 2009. Marvel had several gaming deals in place with slot developers to create slot machines based around popular Marvel characters from the Avengers to Spider Man.
Disney asserts that those deals were legally binding and in place before they took over Marvel. The company, through a spokesman, has said that they have not signed a slot deal in the past two years, and they would not be renewing deals once the current agreements run out. It is a big blow to the gaming industry.
"Casual gamblers like to walk into a casino and see familiarity on the slot machines," said analyst Nick Grant. "That familiarity of seeing a character that they know from a comic, movie, or other form of entertainment, draws the gamblers to certain slots. There's no doubt the gaming industry will feel the effects of losing Marvel characters on their machines."
The bigger effect on the gaming industry in Florida has been Disney's tremendous strength in the Legislature. With hundreds of millions of dollars tied up in lobbyists, Disney has long controlled many bills that come before lawmakers, and they plan on using that pull once again to keep casino resorts out.
"We oppose the legalization of so-called destination resort casinos because this major expansion of gambling is inconsistent with Florida's reputation as a family-friendly destination," said Walt Disney World Spokeswoman Andrea M. Finger.
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Read More... [Source: Casino Gambling News]
As part of the American Gaming Association’s “Stop Illegal Gambling – Play it Safe” initiative, the nation’s top law enforcement and national security agency and the casino gaming industry are cooperating to combat illegal gambling in the United States by touting the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The online tool is a vehicle for the public to report tips and complaints pertaining to online crimes.
“Our effort with the FBI will help us make significant headway in the fight against illegal gambling,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the AGA. “In particular, the Internet Crime Complaint Center will be an invaluable tool for people in every state to report tips about the multi-billion dollar illegal gambling sector that preys on consumers, steals jobs and deprives state and local governments of revenues generated by the legal, regulated casino gaming industry.”
“Establishing and maintaining strong partnerships with public and private industry counterparts is essential in combating illegal gambling,” said J. Chris Warrener, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “This joint initiative leverages the Internet Crime Complaint Center network to address transnational organized crime groups that use illegal gambling, most notably internet sports gambling, as a means to finance other forms of violent and illicit activities.”
The IC3 is the FBI’s national platform for receiving information on any cyber-affiliated crime. The IC3 accepts cyber-facilitated crime complaints from either the actual victim or from a third party to the complainant. The tool allows detailed information to be easily submitted. Those wishing to report an illegal gambling tip may do so here: http://www.ic3.gov/.
Earlier this year, AGA formed its Illegal Gambling Advisory Board as part of its “Stop Illegal Gambling – Play it Safe” initiative. The Board is composed of: Tim Murphy, former deputy director of the FBI (chair); Ed Davis, former Boston police commissioner; Bill Young, former Clark County sheriff and head of Las Vegas Metro Police Department, current senior vice president of compliance and security at Station Casinos; James Dinkins, former executive associate director at Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; and J.B. Van Hollen, former Wisconsin State attorney general, U.S. attorney, and district attorney.
A report released by AGA in September and conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Dr. Jay S. Albanese details the strong ties between illegal gambling operations and organized crime organizations in the U.S. The prevalence of illegal gambling has been so significant that, in 2014 alone, 80 operators in 23 states were convicted at the federal level of running illegal gambling businesses.
The AGA’s illegal gambling initiative, which Freeman launched in April in Biloxi, Mississippi, focuses on four key areas of illegal gambling: illegal sports betting; black market machines; Internet sweepstakes cafes; and illegal online betting. The initiative seeks to distinguish the highly regulated, $240 billion legal gaming industry—which supports 1.7 million jobs and generates $38 billion in taxes across 40 states—from the criminal networks that rely on illegal gambling to fund violent crimes and drug and human trafficking.
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