Gambling Rule

Poker And Other Card Games The Main Draw At Arizona Casino Opening
A new casino resort has opened in Arizona with all the glitz of what one would find in Las Vegas, but the main draw is the poker and various other card games that are being played.

Bluff Magazine Fires Managing Editor Chris Vaughn For Cheating In Online Poker Tournament, Then Lying About It To An Interviewer
Bluff Magazine, after saying that they would discipline but not fire managing editor Chris Vaughn, sacked him earlier this week. He was fired cheating in an online poker tournament and lying about it when confronted by an interviewer.“Bluff Media, publisher of Bluff Magazine, has made the decision to terminate Chris Vaughn as managing editor,� they reported on their web site.They added, “In light of Chris’ involvement, recently admitted facts and the feedback obtained from industry professionals, it became apparent that the credibility required to perform the job functions of managing editor of Bluff Magazine at our company’s level of standards have become severely diminished.“While we regret having to make this decision, we believe that it is the best alternative for all parties involved, including Chris, Bluff Media and the poker playing community at large. We wish Chris the best of luck.�Here are the gory details: Vaughn recently won a tournament at Full Tilt Poker. But that was only the beginning, not the end. Towards the end of the tournament Vaughn sold his account. In other words, he peddled his position in the tournament’s pecking order to another player—presumably a better one—who went on to win the event.Vaughn compounded his culpability because he lied about doing this in a radio interview.He wasn’t the first player to sell his position in a tournament and probably won’t be the last, but it does violate one of poker’s prime directives: One player per hand. It’s not a gray area, either. Selling your interest in a poker tournament is a form of cheating, and violates the terms of service at online poker rooms.Vaughn’s interview was webcast at http://www.thepokeroad.com/. After the story came to light, Vaughn admitted his lie to Poker News.

Is The Absolute Poker Scandal Nearing Conclusion?
My first show, after moving Keep Flopping Aces from holdemradio.com to http://www.roundersradio.com/ was an unbridled success. Jennifer Newell was my guest and we discussed her continuing series of articles about the Absolute Poker scandal that’s been appearing in Poker Player Newspaper (http://www.pokerplayernewspaper.com/articles.php?sort=author&id=75).Highly Placed Source Says the Audit Report Will be Released SoonRounder’s Radio offers is the ability for listeners to call in on toll free lines, and one of our callers was a senior level guy at Mohawk Internet Technologies, the data center that provides hosting for Absolute Poker and other online casinos.While Jennifer and I had been wondering when the long-awaited audit report would be complete and when Absolute Poker would comment on it—see my posts dated December 29 and January 3 for more details—our caller told us that the audit is, in fact, now finished, and will be released soon.Who is Joe Norton, and Why Should That Name be Important to You?He also clarified some of the ownership issues regarding Absolute Poker, pointing out that Joe Norton (pictured left), former Grand Chief of the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake is the owner of Tokwiro Enterprises, which holds a 100 percent interest in Absolute Poker. Our caller told us that the tribe itself does not own any online poker room, that Absolute is certified (licensed) by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, and that if their license were to be suspended or revoked, Mohawk Internet Technologies would not be allowed to continue to host them.On the other hand, it’s important to understand that Mohawk Internet Technologies was founded by Joe Norton, and that he still holds considerable influence in the firm.This puzzle still remains to be solved, and it won’t be solved until Absolute Poker’s response to the audit report is made public, along with their plans to ensure that this kind of cheating scandal can never happen again.We may never see the perps arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced, but from the perspective of poker players what matters most is what happens going forward—whether Absolute Poker constructs security systems that cannot be gaffed, and does provide the internal security that precludes episodes like this from cropping up again in the future.The oversight—or at least the credibility—provided by Kahnawake Gaming Commission is on the line too. A few more scandals like this will cost them dearly, because other online poker sites they now host will be reluctant to locate on server farms that have had a history of “issues.�

Concessions In WTO Online Gambling Case Showing Damages
The first signs of what is to come from a deal made with the EU over the U.S. intention to withdraw Internet gambling from the GATS are proving dangerous.