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CEREUS ONLINE POKER NETWORK SOLD
2010-08-27

Little known e-gaming company buys Tokwiro's internet poker network
Taking many industry observers off-guard late Thursday was a press release from the largely unknown e-gaming firm Blanca Games revealing that it has acquired the interests of the Cereus poker network formerly owned by Tokwiro Enterprises and including well established if at times controversial sites Absolute Poker.com and UltimateBet.com.
The release did not provide details of the consideration paid or conditions for the sale, although industry sources have since confirmed that a supporting press release from Tokwiro can be expected soon. The network is unlikely to have been a cheap buy, as the deal is understood to cover all network operations, intellectual property, software, and branding rights for the constituent sites.
The Khanawake Gaming Commission, which licensed and regulated the sites, has apparently given its blessing to the deal.
The press material includes quotes from Blanca Games CEO Stuart Gordon, whom it describes as an experienced e-gaming executive, who said: “The acquisition of Cereus is a significant opportunity for us. Cereus is a major platform of well-managed assets. Over the past few years, it has created new brands, like UB.com, that are extremely well-positioned in the most desirable demographic in our market: players in the 20s and 30s age brackets.
“From our perspective, we have acquired a large, sophisticated online gaming operation with state-of-the art capabilities, ranging from compliance to business intelligence to online marketing to customer service. We see a tremendous growth opportunity in this deal and beyond, as Blanca seeks additional acquisitions in the market.
“We are confident that the Cereus Network has found an excellent home in Blanca Games. Over the past several years, Cereus has developed into an outstanding platform, which is poised for significant growth. This transaction will benefit Cereus players and employees alike. We expect no changes in the playing experience on the Cereus sites, except for the improvements that will likely be the long-term result of this transaction.”
According to internet sources, Gordon founded BingoMania.com and Helix Gaming International, and has licensing from both the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and Antigua.
Gordon has intimated that no major changes are presently contemplated in either staffing, policies or technology at Cereus. Clearly with an eye on the historical furores at Absolute Poker and UltimateBet (see previous InfoPowa reports), Gordon said: “We intend to leverage the existing strengths of the Cereus Poker Network, particularly in the areas of security and customer service. Although we are impressed with many of the new security features on the Network today, security is and will remain our top priority.”

A GOOD MONTH'S POKER FOR BUKARA
2010-08-23

Bosnian player takes down Cyprus High Roller Freezeout
Bosnian poker pro Perica Bukara, who is now based in Germany, is enjoying a profitable August, having just taken down the $373 207 main prize in the $25 000 buy-in Full Tilt Poker Cyprus Classic High Roller Freeze-Out event.
It was Bukara's biggest win to date, but not his first this month; on August 6 he scored $37 000 for a 6th placing in the Unibet Open main event, and on August 11 another $20 000 in the Pokerstars EPT Estonia where he achieved a 14th placing.
In the three day High Roller event, Bukara faced some tough opposition after the original field of 36 entrants had been distilled to a final table of nine comprising Carter Phillips, Ziv Caspi, John Dolan, Sam Trickett, Jon Turner, David Benyamine, Andrew Feldman and Ori Miller.
The competition was intense, with the final tablers all fighting to make the top five positions, where the money started.
Down to three-handed action it was Bukara, Miller and Feldman who battled it out for four hours until Feldman was bundled out by Miller, leaving the heads up to Miller and Bukara, with the latter holding the chip lead. That didn't last long as Miller took it and held the advantage for most of the heads up.
It wasn't enough, however; Bukara kept up a determined assault on the chip leader, and with some fortunate cards managed to take control of the game and ultimately prevail.
Miller's talent and style were rewarded with a second placing check for $207 337.
Still in Cyprus, the Full Tilt Poker Merit Cyprus Classic Main Event kicked off this week, with Day 1a and 1b entries of 180 players, each ponying up the buy-in of $5,000 + $400 for 20,000 in tournament chips, with a re-buy or add-on facility available at any stage of the first five levels for an additional 20,000 in tournament chips.
Day 1b ended Saturday with 60 survivors, who will be combined with the 80 still standing from Day 1a when the action resumes Sunday.
The overall chip leader is Day 1a chipleader, EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final Champion Nicolas Chouity with 119,600. Good finishers from Day 1b included WSOP 2010 final tabler John Nolan on 95 400 and Internet whiz Sorel Mizzi on 90 225.

POKERSTARS ACHIEVES ESTONIAN LICENSING
2010-08-19

Online poker flourishing in small Baltic nation
The Estonian Tax and Customs Board has issued PokerStars, the world's largest poker site, an activity license in Estonia.
Tomas Larsson, PokerStars’ Baltics country manager, said, "Applying for a licence is always a complicated process and I am therefore very happy that PokerStars has successfully met all the necessary criteria to obtain an activity license in Estonia."
Estonia is one of the smallest EU member states, but poker is flourishing and the country remains one of the most significant new markets for PokerStars, Larsson said.
PokerStars has made significant investments in Estonia during the last few years, contributing to the development of the local sports and cultural life. The company is the main sponsor of the Estonian national volleyball team which last year battled its way to the final tournament of the European Championship.
Operational licence applications have previously been approved in Italy and France for the online poker giant. PokerStars.it launched in October 2008, in compliance with Italian law. PokerStars.fr, which was granted a licence in June 2010, permits similar access for French players. Poker is booming in both countries, Larsson noted

PKR CELEBRATES FOURTH BIRTHDAY
2010-08-18

3D online poker site is not resting on its laurels
PKR.com, the UK-based 3D online poker website, has come a long way since its historic launch on August 17, 2006 with advanced graphics and innovative proprietary software.
In the past four years the online poker company has accumulated some impressive statistics that include more than 3,750,000 registered players on the site, a total of 15,850 people playing online at once, and $2,925,816.31 given away in freerolls.
PKR.com has also achieved recognition for its work, earning Online Poker Operator of the Year 2009 at the International Gaming Awards and Poker Operator of the Year 2009 from the eGaming Review Awards.
The company has launched its own poker magazine, started its own regular TV show, and sponsored London’s first licensed live poker venue. PKR.com has also fulfilled its community promise, introducing its own bi-annual live poker event PKR LIVE, and Team PKR Pro, which is made entirely of up and coming players from the site.
Marketing Director Simon Prodger said this week, “We’re very proud of our achievements to date. We came against a lot of pessimism for being so innovative when we launched, but our customers have shown that they enjoy playing in our true-to-life environment and really appreciate the community feel.”

MORE ONLINE POKER CASH SEIZED IN THE UNITED STATES
2010-08-18

$13.3 million settlement reached with processor
Federal prosecutors continue to go after financial processors in their attempts to stifle online poker, reports Forbes Business, revealing that the authorities reached a settlement worth $13.3 million Tuesday with Ahmad Khawaja, together with his firms, Allied Wallet and Allied Systems.
The settlement brings to a close a year-long issue that began when the FBI seized the $13.3 million in June 2009 (see previous InfoPowa reports).
Officials alleged that the funds constituted proceeds of operating an illegal gambling business that were deposited between January 2009 and May 2009 in an account at Goldwater Bank in Scottsdale, Arizona. Those funds were traceable to PokerStars, the world’s biggest online poker firm, and other offshore online gambling companies, and include “proceeds of the illegal transmission of gambling information and operating an illegal gambling business," court documents reveal.
Forbes reports that the funds were linked to allegations of money laundering by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, with some of them traceable to wire transfers from outside the U.S. by individuals who knew that the funds represented the proceeds of the illegal transmission of gambling.
Isle of Man-based PokerStars issued a statement following the settlement in which it said: “PokerStars does not condone efforts by processors to conceal the nature or purpose of funds used to play online poker. PokerStars has taken steps to ensure that processors properly disclose the nature of their business to their relevant financial institutions.”
Forbes notes that PokerStars has long maintained that it offers for-money online poker play to U.S. players in accordance with legal opinions from several U.S. law firms that state it is not violating U.S. law.
"Department of Justice officials have for years taken the position that facilitating for-money online poker violates U.S. law, making no distinction between online sports betting - clearly illegal - and online poker playing. Still, the fact that prosecutors have not moved directly against the online operators has suggested to some that the government’s position is weak," the publication observes.
Despite the UIGEA, PokerStars continues to dominate the U.S. market for online poker, making it the world’s biggest online gambling firm, with estimated annual revenue of $1.4 billion and some $500 million in profits.

ZYNGA POKER IN ASIAN MOVES
2010-08-18

Expanding in the US, social games developer is building up a stake in Asia, too.
The San Francisco-based internet social gaming developer Zynga has made its Zynga Texas Poker offering available in China as well as on Facebook in Hong Kong and Taiwan this week, with a localised version playable in traditional Chinese or English - part of a continuing drive into the Asian market, reports Techcrunch.
The gaming giant recently bought Japanese gaming startup Unoh, took a $150 million investment from Japan’s SoftBank Capital, acquired Chinese game developer XPD Media and set up a Beijing office (see previous InfoPowa reports).
Zynga Poker, the company’s first ever social game, launched in July 2007 and is currently the third most popular game on Facebook, attracting 28 million players every month. On an average day 375 000 Zynga Poker players are simultaneously playing together live across the internet in 100 countries.
Techcrunch reports that the game itself simulates playing poker in a social gaming environment. Users enter a casino lobby and can play at any table or join friends for a game. Players choose from casual Hold ‘Em tables, tournament play or VIP tables. A leader board shows players how they compare in chip ranking to other players and allows players to send or receive gifts.
"As an incentive for users in Hong Kong and Taiwan, Zynga Texas Poker players will automatically receive a complimentary stack of 8,888 Vegas-style Poker chips to play games with. Additionally, this month, Zynga is offering a grand prize for the “ShootOut” tournament that allows local players to compete for a prize of $880,000 Taiwanese dollars. Zynga is also giving away a trip to Las Vegas to a user," Techcrunch informs.
The publication notes that recent moves in Congress to legalise online gambling in the United States could deliver a further boost to Zynga's popular poker offering, and in the Asian region a release to the Japanese localised market would seem to be a logical next step.
Zynga was founded in July 2007 by Mark Pincus, Michael Luxton, Eric Schiermeyer, Justin Waldron, Andrew Trader, and Steve Schoettler