News in Brief: NACPT, Isildur1, High Stakes PokerCheck out the Headlines from the Week of Dec. 12 |
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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.
Here Card Player brings to you the news from the week of Dec. 12.
Kansas Farmer Kirk Stewart Wins Inaugural Native American Casino Poker Tour Main Event
Kirk Stewart, a lifetime wheat farmer from Kansas, was awarded the inaugural Native American Casino Poker Tour title on Monday morning after a three-way deal at the final table.
At Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma, Stewart took $50,000, the buffalo trophy, a $1,500 World Series of Poker Circuit seat and his face on the cover of Card Player Magazine.
He had both Jason Simon and former PokerStars Supernova Elite Brandon Vise on the ropes when the deal was made. Simon and Vise chopped up the remaining prize pool for scores of about $45,000 apiece.
Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom Wins $1.6 Million at High-Stakes Poker Tables, Quickly Drops Half Back
Viktor “Isildur1” Blom put in yet another violent three-day period at the high-stakes tables on PokerStars. After returning to the game late last week after a three-month absence, Blom shot up about $1.6 million by Monday, but then lost about $800,000 by Tuesday.
Blom has slightly more than $1 million in profits for 2011. He trails Ilari “Ilari FIN” Sahamies and Rafi “refaelamit” Amit — each up about $2 million — for overall profits on PokerStars in 2011.
Japan Considers Lifting Ban On Casinos To Compete With Nearby Macau and Singapore
According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, Japan is considering a proposal to lift a ban on casinos that would allow resorts and hotels to offer slot machines and table games in an effort to compete with nearby Singapore and Macau, two regions who are generating impressive revenue thanks to an increase in gamblers.
Japan legislators have argued in the past that casinos fuel organized crime, but lobbyists for the law change have pointed to neighboring countries and their reported economic growth, which would not only bring in tax revenue, but also create jobs for a country with 128 million residents.
The Game Show Network’s High Stakes Poker Canceled, Could Return in Future
GSN’s popular High Stakes Poker is not currently in production for an eighth season, but could return in the future, according to a source at the network.
The source told Card Player that if things change in the poker industry with advertising dollars the show could make a comeback.
GSN has not made a long-term decision regarding the program, after keeping the seventh season on air, but scaled back, in the wake of poker’s Black Friday.
Betfair Poker Revenue Stabilizes
Betfair Plc, the UK-based online betting exchange and poker operator, has issued its financial results for the first half of 2011.
Poker revenue was down five percent to €10.78 million in the six months to the end of October 2011 from €11.35 million in the same period a year earlier.
However in the three months to October 2011 poker revenue grew three percent to €5.4 million from €5.3 million a year earlier despite the suspension of poker in the Italian market of which the company said, “Poker revenues have been further affected by our decision to suspend offering these products in Italy from July following the introduction of a licensing framework for Games and Poker in the country.
German States Approve Online Gaming Regulation
Germany has taken another step towards regulating online gaming, including poker, as 15 of the 16 federal states approved a new law today.
The law will allow for up to 20 sports betting licences and a gambling sales tax of 5 percent will be introduced.
One state, Schleswig-Holstein, has gone its own route and introduced a more liberal set of regulations.
Shuffle Master Applies for Nevada Internet Poker License
Las Vegas-based Shuffle Master, Inc. has applied for a license to be a service provider in a Nevada intrastate online poker industry, according to a source at the Gaming Control Board. Shuffle Master is now the sixth entity to submit an application to Silver State regulators.
Shuffle Master is a global supplier of products such as automatic card shufflers, slot machines and “wireless gaming solutions,” according to its website. The company provided mechanized shufflers for World Series of Poker final tables in 2011.
Pennsylvania Passes Atlantic City In Casino Revenue For Month of November
The month of November was a bit kinder to Pennsylvania than it was to nearby Atlantic City. For the first time ever, Pennsylvania’s 10 gambling halls generated more revenue than Atlantic City’s 11 casinos.
The margin between the two regions was minimal, with Atlantic City taking in $245.1 million and Pennsylvania taking in $245.8 million, but points to a potential shift in player preference.
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