TBG Editor Takes a Break

The TBG Editor will be on vacation mode from April 25 – May 3. During this period, no new news will be available on The Big Gamble. Regular reportage will resume May 4.

Thank you.

Online PR Distribution Site Bans Online Gambling PRs

WASHINGTON, USA – There’s one less medium for online gambling companies to use nowadays.

Effective immediately, popular PR distribution site PRWeb has imposed a ban on online gambling press releases and this ban covers not only the US media but reports say also covers PRWebUK, the PR firm’s British office.

PRWeb offers no reason why they suddenly decided to cease publication of releases that deal with online gambling or if they were instructed by Washington state to stop the distribution of online gambling press releases. Washington is one of the toughest of US states when it comes to online gambling where a bet placed online on poker, sports or casino (except horseracing wagers) are considered a Class C felony.

There is no clear indication that PRWeb will resume online distribution of gaming-related PRs but the site’s archives still list online gaming press releases with the last one dated April 14.

Some of PRWeb’s clients included popular gaming firms UltimateBet, Paddy Power and Full Tilt Poker.

Team PKR Pros Unmasked

LONDON, ENGLAND – Following days of speculation, leading online poker site, PKR.com has officially unveiled the members of its “Team PKR Pro”.

The six who will become PKR’s brand ambassadors include Ashley Hames, GUKPT winner Andrew Teng, 2008 Irish Poker Open finalist Kai Danilo Paulsen, Raymond O’Mahoney, James Sudworth, and PKR Live Runner-up Henrik Eklund.

The six will be tasked with representing PKR at live events and will also be providing PKR with content for its website and TV components. PKR will also be setting up special bounty tournaments and cash games where the six PRK Pros will be involved.

According to PKR Marketing Director Simon Prodger:

“We’ve been following our initial ‘Team PKR Pro’ members for some time and are convinced that they all have the game and personality required to be genuinely world class poker players. They are also among the most recognised and respected players within the PKR community so are guaranteed to have over two and a half million people cheering them on every time they play.”

PokerRoom.com Deals Last Hand

GIBRALTAR – When it began in 1999, PokerRoom.com easily became one of the benchmark of the fledgling online poker industry. It led in innovation and promotions and attracted a loyal following.

Unfortunately, 10 years after it dealt its first hand, PokerRoom.com has dealt its last two days ago when it officially closed.

Here’s the official statement from the PokerRoom.com website:

End of an Era
Apr 14, 2009

Well folks, after almost ten years of fun and games, it is with a heavy heart and a tear in my eye that I have to announce that this is it; as of 11:00 CET today, Tuesday the 14th of April 2009, PokerRoom.com will no longer be open for online poker.

PokerRoom first opened for business in 1999 and through its originality and loyal player base quickly grew to be a giant of the online poker industry. We have seen players qualify online for just a few bucks and turn it into tens of thousands at the biggest poker tournaments in the world and seen guys that were used to playing against their mates in lounge rooms mix it up with the very best players in the world.

BEATME x taking a pot from Joe Hachem at the 2008 WSOP Main Event and then telling him to take it ‘easssyyy’ comes to mind.

But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and with the closure of PokerRoom comes the expansion and growth of bwin Poker. The huge amount of PokerRoom players who have migrated to bwin just proves that when one door closes, another one opens.

Anyone who has not transferred to bwin will only have the option to transfer when they log in to the website, but our community Pokah is still thriving and new Pokah sign ups will soon be available.

What else is there to say? It’s been a lot of fun… thanks to everyone for making PokerRoom.com such a great place to be .. see you on bwin!

- PokerRoom.com News Team

Australia Imposing Internet Filtering

Filtering Will Also Affect Websites Offering Online Gambling

AUSTRALIA – The Australian Government, led by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), are “green-and-go” with plans to impose a mandatory internet filtering system thereby restricting the access of Australians to certain websites including gambling websites.

A blacklist of sites has been submitted by ACMA to Australian Communications Minister Stephen Conroy which includes over 10,000 websites but the minister has admitted that the blacklist has yet to be purged of legitimate sites.

A leaked draft of the blacklist made available to media showed 1,300 websites already blocked by ACMA as these dealt with child pornography, rape, incest, and bestiality. Unfortunately, the same draft list also contained mistakes such as the website for a Brisbane-based dentist and a Queensland kennel operator.

Online gambling with offshore operators is already considered illegal in Australia following the Internet Gambling Act of 2001. Only regulated Australian-based gaming operators are allowed to operate but the gambling act hasn’t stopped offshore operators from cashing in on the Australian online gaming market.

The passage of the internet filtering system will make it doubly difficult for online gaming companies to hawk their wares to Australian gamers.

Internet advocacy groups, including Electronic Frontier Australia, have begun to voice their opinion.

According to Colin Jacobs, EFA Spokesperson:

“At a time when the Government is cutting services to fight inflation, it’s bewildering that they would decide to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on a filter before feasibility trials are even complete. Given the manifest impracticality of the clean feed scheme, I’m sre this money could have been put to much better use.”