Inside Straight -- News

Casino Poker Games Becoming a Reality in Pennsylvania
New State Budget Allots Revenue From Table Games
By Stephen A. Murphy

After a 101-day standoff, Gov. Ed Rendell finally signed the Pennsylvania state budget last month. A critical part of that budget sets aside $200 million in projected revenue that the state expects to make when it allows the addition of table games such as poker, blackjack, and craps to its slot parlors and racetracks.

While the bill that actually authorizes instituting table games has not yet arrived at Gov. Rendell’s desk, the fact that the recently passed state budget is allotting funds from said table games indicates that it’s only a matter of time before live poker games arrive in the Keystone State.

“It’s not a matter of ‘if,’” a spokesman for Pennsylvania’s House Majority Leader Todd Eachus said recently when discussing table games in the state. “It’s a matter of ‘how.’”

The details are still very much up for grabs. Proposals for the new table games have casino tax rates ranging from 12 percent to 37 percent, and the cost of casino licenses for the table games ranging from $10 million to $20 million.

There is no indication that the proposed poker games would have any kind of a cap or limit on them, like states such as Florida have instituted. Casino operators are hopeful that the games can replicate the ones in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

The state’s gaming control board has asked for six to nine months to regulate the new games once the governor signs the bill, so it appears very possible that poker games could be running in Pennsylvania within a year. Several casinos already have begun preparing for the legislation’s passage by removing slot machines and making space for the new tables.

France Approves Bill to Make Online Poker Legal
Up to 100 Online Gaming Companies Expected to Apply for Licenses to Operate in France
By Brendan Murray

The French parliament has approved a bill to regulate and legalize online gambling, including online poker. The new law is expected to take effect next year, and up to 100 operators are expected to apply for licenses.

In an unexpected twist, an amendment was added to the bill that stipulates that any company wishing to apply for a license must close its current French player accounts for six months before it can be licensed.

Another amendment stipulates that only those online gambling operators that do not have subsidiaries or operations in tax havens (such as Gibraltar) can be considered for a license.

These stipulations will make it difficult for companies such as PartyPoker and bwin to enter the market, and they have received considerable criticism from within the gaming industry.

Eric Woerth, the budget minister who was the architect of the bill, believes that around 50 sites will receive a license.
Online poker will be taxed at 2 percent under the new law.

Daniel Negreanu Overtakes Gold for All-Time Money-Winning Lead
Second-Place Finish at WSOPE Puts Him Over the Top
By Stephen A. Murphy

With Daniel Negreanu’s second-place finish at the World Series of Poker Europe, he officially moved into first place on the all-time tournament money-winning list. He passed Jamie Gold, who previously had held that distinction with his win in the 2006 WSOP main event.

Negreanu has nearly $12.3 million in tournament winnings.

“That is something I am proud of, especially with the way that I got there compared to some of the other people on that list, like Jamie Gold, whose winnings were all from winning the main event,” said Negreanu. “My winnings have come from over the years, winning year in and year out. I guess in 2004, I made like $4.5 million, but that was an anomaly. So, I’m really proud of the way that I got there.”

But Negreanu might not hold the record very long. If Phil Ivey finishes in fifth place or better at the WSOP final table, he will be the new record holder. [At press time, the final table had not yet been played.]

“I’m not rooting for him to break my record; I’m rooting for him to win the whole thing,” said Negreanu. “He’s a friend of mine, and I know he’s the best poker player in the world, so it’d be great if the best poker player in the world actually won poker’s biggest prize.”