Poker News

Ladbrokes Poker has decided to attempt to conquer the online Italian poker market in 2010.  The story reported in the Financial Times states that the online poker and sports betting company has decided to have a crack at the poker market even though they have previously failed in their sports betting high street endeavours in Italy.  Italy is currently one of the more approachable European countries for UK gaming companies to attempt to enter, with a far more receptive ear to industry proposals. The Chief Executive of Ladbrokes Poker Chris Bell, is quoted in the Financial Times as saying that the company is keen to have a more international presence in terms of online gambling and the Italian market is one of the first steps to making this aim a reality.

Playing online poker can at times be a costly affair, certainly if you are bleeding chips then its great to be able to max your bankroll, and at VC Poker they have a great way to ensure that you do just that with the VC Poker Action Points promotion.  The VC Poker Action points are great because they are so easy to earn, in fact all online poker players need to do to earn the valuable Action Points is to play any real money online poker games or tournaments at VC Poker – it really is as simple as that!

For anyone who may have missed the news that the online Poker site, Full Tilt have new poker software, we are reminding everyone today because the special Biggest Bonus offer ever at Full Tilt poker launched to celebrate the new poker software launch is about to expire.  If you are quick however you might just be able to take advantage of the $100 bonus money that has been on offer since July at the Full Tilt Poker site.  The offer expires on 16th August so not much time left to obtain the free Full Tilt poker bonus money that is on offer.  There is unfortunately another catch too, you must be a player who has earned a Full Tilt Bonus point before the deadline of the 28th July.

As you will all know PKR is a great online poker site to play certainly if you are into gaming in a big way, this exciting online poker site provides an online poker experience that is outside of the usual poker box. What you may not realise is that the PKR online poker site also has a really interesting magazine called Stacked. If you are a Club PHR Silver online poker club member then you will already receive a free copy direct to your door.

All you poker nuts (and we do mean Nuts) better mark your diary for the Poker in the Park 2009 festival that takes place on Thursday 13^th August till Friday 14^th August at London’s Leicester Square. The Poker in the Park Festival is the biggest in Europe and best of all it is free to attend. The poker in the Park festival will have all the top celebrity poker players and some will be passing on the benefit of all their top poker tips with special free poker lectures. If you would like to improve your poker game there will also be the opportunity to take part in poker play lessons and tutorials, so that you won’t be a fish out of water when you next play the poker tables. There will be 100 player free No Limit Hold ‘em Poker tournaments every hour in the Dome, Poker books and gear for sale in fact everything the poker fan could have on their wish list!

If you fancy yourself a bit of an online poker playing genius then you will want to check out the Genius online poker promo at Party Poker. It doesn’t take an Einstein to work out that if you would like to win the $100,000 guaranteed prize then you will have to take part in the Genius poker game at Party Poker.

Mirroring the current protests that UK bingo players are making in response to what is believed to be the unfair treatment of the bingo industry, the Poker Players Alliance in the U.S. is also campaigning to change the current online Poker and gambling laws in the States. The Poker Players Alliance has started an online petition addressed to President Obama to try to pressurise the United States government into changing what they consider to be the criminalisation of online poker, with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

There have been reports that bank accounts operated by online poker sites have been frozen by the US Department of Justice, the accounts affected include Full Tilt and PokerStars. There have been reports that the amount of cash frozen under the orders of the United States District Court of Southern New York citing the 1961 Wire Act is around $33 million. This is shocking news for the online poker world as until now other such cases of the Wire Act being used to determine the illegality of online gaming in the US have been in relation to sites that include casino or sportsbetting and not poker-only sites.

Two recent advertisements to promote online Poker site, Swank Poker have been banned by the ASA for linking ‘gambling to seduction and sexual success’. The advertisements which featured in the first a young woman wearing a vest sporting the Swank Poker company logo and when the section was pulled down the woman could be seen holding her breasts, followed by the words "SwankPoker ... Your favourite girl will play as you tell her to. Website is updated daily for your viewing and playing pleasure. BEST SOFTWARE. HOT ACTION. SIZZLING REWARDS. Poker has never been this hot! Playing has never been this satisfying...". The second advertisement which promised players “bring enough action to the Swank tables and next thing you know, she could be taking care of your wildest fantasies ... whatever poker action you give us well reward you with some serious erotic action that will blow your mind and you!”. Both online poker advertisements featured in Flush magazine to promote Swank Poker site, and although they hardly caused a storm of controversy with only 2 complaints, the online poker adverts were deemed by the ASA of being guilty of linking gambling to seduction and sexual success.