02.17.07
Turbulent Times For the US Poker Industry
Well, if you rank among the world’s best poker players, you could get your hands on the lion’s share. The upcoming PartyPoker tournament, PartyPoker.com Premier League Poker (what a mouthful), will offer $500,000 to the player who comes out on top, after six qualifying rounds and heads up situations after that.
If you’re just an avid poker fan, liking nothing better than to spend your every waking moment glued to the action of televised tournaments, the PartyPoker.com Premier League Poker could well be right up your street. Recognizing the popularity of poker TV, online poker room Party Poker will feature a dozen of the world’s best poker players in Tony G, Andy Black, Phil Hellmuth, Kirill Gerasimov, Liz Lieu, Ian Fraser, will be playing, among others.
And while poker online is hotter than ever, the recent US government legislation is now grinding US money play to a halt. Tony G’s online poker site, Tony G. Poker, recently announced to the “good folks in the USA” its decision to end access to money tables for US players. Tony G’s website announced that the change was in response to the new, very aggressive policies against online poker play, mentioning that the seizure of US-based Neteller accounts means it is no longer possible to transfer money to US-based players.
While Tony G. Poker will no longer permit players with US country code accounts to play at money tables, it will still allow them to play at free money tables. This is more than some sites are doing.
The Tribeca Tables online poker network announced yesterday that it is no longer taking new US players and they will also be locking out all IP addresses from the U.S.
There may be light at the end of the tunnel, however. The destruction of the US online poker industry is far from a foregone conclusion. Many groups and individuals are lobbying for an end to the persecution. The Poker Players Alliance has apparently retained former New York Senator Alfonse D’Amato to join the PPA.
No official deal has yet been announced, but D’Amato’s business and financial connections are formidable, offering poker players hope that he can provide a voice of reason amidst the chaos. D’Amato served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban affairs, and was also an influential member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee.
Another development of note is the reported stabilization of the Sunday poker tournament numbers. The numbers have seemingly stabilized one month after the NETeller arrests and the NFL playoff disruption.
PokerStars and Full Tilt met their guarantees and PokerStars drew its largest crowd since Jan. 14. FTOPS III is shaping up to be the most successful event in Full Tilt history with 3,976 players competing over the weekend. Ultimate Bet and Bodog, two rooms that experienced heavy overlays after the NETeller arrests and during the NFL playoffs, also saw their numbers return to early January figures.
The new e-wallets are also helping to keep U.S. gamblers in the game.
Since NETeller’s departure, ePassporte has experienced an overwhelming number of requests for new accounts. Although this has dramatically slowed their response times, the company is still allowing transactions. The good news is that ePassporte is accepted at Poker Stars, Full Tilt, and Ultimate Bet.
The bottomline: despite the disruption to the industry in recent months, online poker is still relatively strong. The government may win the battle but they look set to lose the war.
Tags: Poker Articles, Poker News, Us Poker Industry