Top Stories This Week: Zynga Real Money Poker,  “Buy-In Obligations” and UK Financial Restrictions Top Stories This Week: Zynga Real Money Poker,  “Buy-In Obligations” and UK Financial Restrictions
Key Takeaways
  • Zynga to Roll Out More Real Money Poker Later This Year.
  • Technical Problems Further Delay PokerStars’ Anti-Ratholing System.
  • Financial Transactions with Unlicensed iGaming Operators to be Blocked in UK.

We wrap up the week with a rundown of the most read news articles and features from the past seven days on pokerfuse. Never miss a story with our special feature every Saturday.


10. First Round of Full Tilt Remission Payments Nets $76 Million for US Poker Players

The Garden City Group has announced that it distributed approximately $76 million to more than 27,500 US poker players on Friday.


9. California Symposium Brings Competing Interests Together

Much might not have changed, but a mood of inevitability has started to pervade the debate. Last week’s California Symposium threw up some unexpected support for online gaming regulation, and even the naysayers seemed subdued in their opposition.


8. Infiniti Poker Promises Payments in a “Few Days”

After more than two weeks of silence following the unexpected shutdown of the site, Infiniti Poker CEO reassures worried players that they will begin to receive their money. Michael Hajduk, CEO of Infiniti Poker broke a two week public silence with a statement emailed to pokerfuse ensuring players that they will begin to see their cash out requests processed soon.


7. NETELLER Goes Live on WSOP and 888 in New Jersey

New Jersey online poker rooms now offering NETELLER service for deposits and withdrawals. Online payment processor NETELLER is now available as a cashier option for deposits and withdrawals on two regulated New Jersey online poker rooms.


6. Unibet Switches Off MPN Skin

New independent poker room gets full launch. As scheduled, Unibet has turned off its online poker room on Microgaming’s MPN network, making its new independent room its sole online poker offering.


5. Aced and Carbon Poker Make Major MTT Changes

Late registration times have been reduced following player consultation—other changes aim to make Merge more competitive. Merge Gaming is making substantial changes to its tournament schedule starting from March 9 according to ProfessionalRakeback.com. The changes will initially only affect Aced and Carbon Poker.


4. Dutch Players Face Financial Blocks on Banks, Payment Processors by Spring

New laws will not be in force until mid 2015 but the Dutch regulator is establishing anti-gray market measures earlier. Dutch plans to block online poker players using credit card and other payment methods are expected to be in place by Spring. The Dutch Gaming Authority (DGA) is currently making agreements with financial services companies to implement the new arrangements.


3. Financial Transactions with Unlicensed iGaming Operators to be Blocked in UK

MasterCard, Visa and PayPal have all agreed to block transactions with unlicensed gambling companies when new UK laws come into force. The UK House of Lords refused to support an amendment to the Gambling (Licensing & Advertising) Bill—similar to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in the US—which would have obliged financial services companies to block payments to non-UK licensed gambling sites.


2. Technical Problems Further Delay PokerStars’ Anti-Ratholing System

The planned rollout of PokerStars’ “Buy-In Obligations” system which seeks to curb ratholing was cut short Monday due to technical problems.


1. Zynga to Roll Out More Real Money Poker Later This Year

In a conference speech on Monday, Zynga’s CEO reversed a decision not to extend their real money poker operations—he told investors that later this year Zynga would launch pilot programs for real money poker in several parts of the world.