Chinese Online Poker Ring UncoveredOver forty players, most of them from Hangzhou, China, were cited for collusion on the online poker site PokerStars.net. The gang won over US$587,000 while taking part in the site’s “Double or Nothing” single-table tournaments. These tournaments awarded the top five players with double their buy-in, while the remaining five left with nothing.
Posters at the popular poker forum Two Plus Two displayed some disturbing statistics that showed many of the same players participating in these tournaments. The forum posters also allege that the gang used several techniques, including sharing hole card information, to cheat their opponents at the tables.
PokerStars officials responded by closing the accounts of the offenders. The company has also established a US$2 million compensation pool for the thousands of players affected by the cheating scheme.
Online Poker Payment Processor Forfeits US$13.3 MillionAhmad Khawaja, owner of the payment processing companies Allied Systems and Allied Wallet, forfeited US$13.3 million seized by federal authorities in June. Khawaja was charged with money laundering for his work with online poker giant PokerStars. He is also charged with violations under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).
Khawaja allegedly disguised the disbursements as rebate payments and other forms of compensation to prevent detection by federal investigators. In response, PokerStars released a statement: “PokerStars does not condone efforts by processors to conceal the nature or purpose of funds used to play online poker. PokerStars has taken steps to ensure that processors properly disclose the nature of their business to their relevant financial institutions.”
Stani Wins EPT TallinnKevin “KevBoyStar” Stani won the inaugural European Poker Tour event in Tallinn, Estonia. Stani, a Norwegian business student and online poker pro, earned over US$512,000 and his first win in a major live no-limit Texas Holdem tournament. Konstantin Bilyauer, a Russian online player, finished second and took home US$331,000.
The Tallinn event is the first on the tour this season. Last year, the EPT season started in Kiev, Ukraine, after Russian lawmakers revoked the clause in the country’s sporting laws that allowed for live poker events. Despite the new laws, poker continues to flourish in Russia, with several Russian poker pros seeing success on the various tournament circuits.
BetFair Releases First iPad AppThe online sports betting software developer BetFair has launched the first internet wagering application for Apple’s iPad platform. The app will be available for customers in the UK and Ireland initially, with plans to expand the market to Continental Europe in the works for later this year. Customers can download the software through Apple’s App store.
With the start of the Barclays Premier League 2010-11 season and the popularity of wagering on the country’s most popular football clubs, the timing of the release could not have been better. Don Fotsch, BetFair’s director of user experience, said that the iPad has the potential to be one of the most popular platforms in the online gaming industry.
Women In Poker Hall of Fame Inducts Harman, Liebert Jennifer Harman, Kathy Liebert and the late Billie Brown will be inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place at the Golden Nugget Casino in downtown Las Vegas on 3 September. The Women in Poker Hall of Fame commemorates women who have made significant contributions to the game of poker.
Jennifer Harman is one of the most recognized women in the game today. She has two World Series of Poker bracelets and has earned over US$2.6 million in tournament winnings.
