• Bluff Magazine Catches Poker Wave

January 14, 2005 (Atlanta, GA) - Bluff Magazine, now in its third issue, has been caught up in the poker phenomenon that is sweeping the nation. The magazine, in its third issue, has surpassed more traditional poker titles in terms of popularity and distribution by focusing on the new breed of poker enthusiast that has been spawned by the omnipresence of poker on television, in the papers and in the stores this Christmas season. “We have been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. The poker bug has bitten America, and we had the right blend of entertainment and information to become the nation’s best selling poker periodical,” said Editor Michael Caselli. But it’s not just the poker players who are getting famous off America’s favorite card game. Bluff Magazine co-founders Eric Morris and Eddy Kleid have appeared in numerous television programs and publications, most recently on CNBC, talking about the poker craze. More than 80 million Americans play poker at home, in card rooms and online, where over $170 million is wagered each day. If this trend continues, more than $250 million will be wagered on poker on the Internet alone each day by January 2006. “We have seen an exponential growth in poker,” says Morris. “In our first issue we printed 90,000 copies. To meet demand we increased our second print run to 150,000 copies, and our third issue will have 170,000 copies printed and distributed. We expect the print run for our fourth issue to exceed 200,000.” It’s not just the public that are enamored with the game of poker; “Poker is huge in Hollywood,” says Kleid. “We have had James Woods and Donald Trump grace our covers, and Issue 3 will have Kevin Nealon on the cover to coincide with his hosting of the new TV show Poker Royale. There are a few new poker movies in the pipe and every channel seems to have something poker related in its line up – who knows how big this thing is going to get?” With Bluff being sold in such mainstream outlets as Borders, Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart and 7/11, it looks like poker has finally made it mainstream.

> Read the full story here Source : Press Release

• Isle Of Man Welcomes US Online Punters

The Isle of Man, a British crown dependency in the Irish Sea, is reversing a four-year-old policy that has deterred Internet casinos based there from accepting bets from United States residents. The policy change, while affecting only a handful of Internet casinos, adds a wrinkle to an emerging trade battle between the United States and many other countries over Internet gambling. American prosecutors maintain that federal laws prohibit online gambling. And they have tried to curb the growing popularity of such gambling in the United States by threatening legal action against American companies that do business with overseas Internet casinos, whose operations fall outside their jurisdiction. A number of American banks do not allow the use of their credit cards for Internet gambling. But despite the restrictions, Americans still place more wagers online annually than residents of any other country. Internet casinos around the world and the jurisdictions that license them are eager for this business. The decision by the Isle of Man--which makes its own domestic laws and relies on Britain for defense and foreign policy--to allow its licensed Internet casinos to take bets from Americans went into effect on Jan. [...]

> Read the full story here Source : News.com.com

• Family Rejects Winning eBay Bid For 'Frank Must Die' Sticker

STERLING, Virginia -- As reported by News Channel 2: "The mother of a young cancer patient said the family is rejecting the winning bid on an eBay auction designed to help raise funds for the young boy in order to get the surgery he needs. "...The winner of the online auction turned out to be Golden Palace, which bid $10,700 for a bumper sticker that reads "Frank Must Die." "Frank" is the name David gave to his tumor. "David's family has decided not to accept the winning bid, saying they don't feel comfortable taking money from the gambling Web site..."

> Read the full story here Source : Online.CasinoCity.com

• U.S. Appeals WTO Ruling

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The U.S. appealed a World Trade Organization ruling that American legislation criminalizing online betting violates its own commitments to the WTO in a case that may shake up a global industry worth $6 billion. Antigua, a Caribbean island nation of 67,800, won its WTO case against the U.S. in November. Internet companies in Antigua, which developed online gambling to boost a tourism-dependent economy rebuilding after a series of hurricanes, handle a quarter of online bets in the global industry. The U.S., the world's biggest consumer of all forms of gambling and betting services -- worth $72 billion in 2003 -- has said the decision wouldn't force it to change its gambling rules and threatened to go so far as altering its commitments to the WTO to avoid any opening its borders to more gaming. "The U.S. could consider changing its commitments, but the question is whether that would be easy or wise in the broader context" of rules governing commercial services, because it would reduce faith in the system, said Lode Van Den Hende, a trade lawyer at Herbert Smith in Brussels who represented Antigua in the case.

> Read the full story here Source : Press Release

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