Weekly News In Brief -- Full Tilt, Barton's Bill and ESPNA Look at the Major Poker Headlines From the Week |
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Not everyone has the time to stay on top of all of the news that breaks daily in the poker world, but that doesn’t mean you have to be out of the loop entirely. Every week, Card Player will bring you everything you need to know to stay informed about your favorite events, players and industry happenings.
Here’s a look at this week’s poker news.
New Co-Sponsors For Rep. Joe Barton’s Online Poker Bill
Texas Rep. Joe Barton’s online poker bill is gaining momentum, having added a total of 20 co-sponsors that includes Democratic Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley. Barton introduced the bill in late June, though it did not receive support from the American Gaming Association.
The Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2011 will give states the right to choose whether or not to offer online poker to their residents. Barton, a republican, has received bipartisan support for the bill. His co-sponsors include 15 democrats.
Full Tilt Poker Pushes For Private Hearing Concerning AGCC License
A Tuesday hearing in London regarding Full Tilt Poker’s suspended license was adjourned and postponed until Sept. 15 at the latest. The delay is allegedly to give the company more time to coordinate a sale.
This comes after the AGCC suspended Full Tilt’s operating license in June because of concerns that the online poker company had breached its terms and after rumors that Full Tilt has been in the process of being purchased by European investors who would assist the company in cashing out player accounts. Full Tilt has also failed to pay back an estimated $150 million in outstanding player funds since April’s Black Friday.
eGaming Review Magazine’s Lee Hills wonders just how valuable the AGCC’s stamp of approval is and foresees a bigger emphasis being placed on secure funds in the future.
ESPN Scores Big With Live World Series of Poker Coverage
The ratings are now in for ESPN’s inaugural live coverage of the WSOP Main Event and they are solid. According to the Nielsen ratings, the 10 telecasts on ESPN2 averaged a 0.4 household coverage rating, reaching a total of 415,000 viewers per episode. The prime time broadcast on the ESPN flagship telecast was even more impressive, drawing a 0.5 rating and reaching 646,000 viewers. This doesn’t even account for those who watched all of the broadcasts online at ESPN3, which saw over 23 million minutes consumed by viewers.
The shows performed well against the early morning average and ESPN’s Doug White, Senior Director of Programming and Acquisitions, explained that it represented an approximately 136 percent increase overall. With this early experiment deemed a success, it’s likely that ESPN will continue to provide live poker coverage in the future.
The Wall Street Journal recently stated that televised poker was the driving force behind the online poker boom, which upset the Department of Justice, who was trying to uphold the UIGEA.
Epic Poker League To Be Broadcast On CBS and Velocity Networks
The Epic Poker League has announced a new TV deal that will bring 20 hours of televised coverage to CBS and the new Velocity Network. The Velocity Network is set to take the place of Discovery’s HD Theater in late September. Air dates for the EPL have not yet been released, but a total of seven hours will be designated for first-run programming on CBS. Those episodes will then be repeated on Velocity along with 13 additional hours of new programming.
The league was unveiled back in January by league commissioner Annie Duke and former WSOP commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. In May, the league announced a preliminary list of qualifiers who had met league criteria.
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