Thursday, February 21, 2008

Poker Stars - Casino interests funneled at least $8 million into political activities over the last year

Casino interests funneled at least $8 million into political activities over the last year
Two reports published recently highlighted the significant financial influence the gambling industry seeks to exert over both federal legislation related to gambling and the outcome of political campaigns in the US via campaign donations. First, a report from the Associated Press asserts that The American Gaming ��...full article

FlagTwo reports published recently highlighted the significant financial influence the gambling industry seeks to exert over both federal legislation related to gambling and the outcome of political campaigns in the US via campaign donations.

First, a report from the Associated Press asserts that The American Gaming Association, a gambling industry trade group that represents several interests (including Ballys and MGM) spent approximately 1.7 million dollars in 2007 lobbying the federal government on a wide range of issues related to Internet gambling.

Second, opensecrets.org released their report regarding campaign contributions from the casino / gambling industry in the 2008 election cycle, and concluded that total contributions from the industry topped out at over $6 million.

For a breakdown of contributions by contributor and party, check out the opensecrets report here.



EPT Copenhagen Day 1b: Eastgate Leads Tough Field
230 players joined the field at the PokerStars.net European Poker Tour Copenhagen today, bringing the total field to 460 players with a total prize pool of $4,156,270 USD...

Bill to examine intra-state online poker in California introduced
An article published today in Capitol Weekly highlighted an interesting bill, introduced to the California Legislature by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, that aims to study the possibility of creating online poker rooms that would operate exclusively within California. The bill would represent a fairly new ��...full article

CA flagAn article published today in Capitol Weekly highlighted an interesting bill, introduced to the California Legislature by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, that aims to study the possibility of creating online poker rooms that would operate exclusively within California.

The bill would represent a fairly new approach to legalizing and regulating online poker in the United States. Excerpt from the CW article:

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Florida Man Charged with Killing Three Over Poker Game
A Florida man was charged with three counts of first degree murder in the deaths of three men last weekend. According to the Putnam County Sheriffs Office, after believing that he had been cheated during a private poker game...

Betfair adds Sorel Mizzi to roster of sponsored pros
The rumors and speculation surrounding the impending announcement of Betfair’s newest sponsored pro addition ended yesterday, when the company revealed at a press conference that the newest Betfair pro was none other than Sorel Mizzi, better known to some bu his internet handles “Imper1um” and ��...full article

MizziThe rumors and speculation surrounding the impending announcement of Betfair’s newest sponsored pro addition ended yesterday, when the company revealed at a press conference that the newest Betfair pro was none other than Sorel Mizzi, better known to some bu his internet handles “Imper1um” and “Zangbezan24″

Mizzi, one of the top online tournament players over the last couple of years, made less positive headlines a few months ago when he was implicated in an account-buying scandal with Chris Vaughn over at Full Tilt Poker.

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