Pokerfuse News

The long-awaited revamp of PokerStars’ VIP rewards program will start rolling out in June, the company has announced. The system will replace the current decade-old “volume-driven” loyalty program with a personalized system of awarding random prizes. In a corporate blog post, Severin Rasset, PokerStars’ Director of Poker Innovation and...

The decision to restrict player liquidity in Portugal, as reported back in December, has resulted in members of ANAon—the Portuguese Player Association—angrily declaring that they will boycott nationally regulated online poker rooms. That is, unless the regulator agrees to shared international player liquidity—which does not look very likely at...

NUMA INICIATIVA SEM PRECEDENTES, NA CONFERÊNCIA SOBRE CONFORMIDADE DO JOGO REALIZADA EM LISBOA NA SEGUNDA-FEIRA, A DIRETORA DO SRIJ E RESPONSÁVEL PELO JOGO ONLINE, MANUELA BANDEIRA, ANUNCIOU QUE O PÓQUER ONLINE REGULAMENTADO EM PORTUGAL SERÁ SEGREGADO. Trata-se de um rude golpe para os jogadores portugueses e para os operadores...

Those that play at the PokerStars Casino may notice a new tab at the top of the client. In addition to Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat and other table games, Video Poker is now available in select markets and presumably will be rolled out further in the near future. PokerStars first...

During a conference call to discuss Amaya’s second quarter financial results, CEO David Baazov remarked that the companies expansion into new ID mean verticals will benefit its online poker players. Baazov contends that the addition of new customers that will be acquired via Amaya’s expansion into online casino and...

In just under six months, Portugal’s new gaming laws will be implemented under the supervision of the Office of the Inspection of Games, part of the Portuguese Institute of Tourism. The country has been considering the introduction of this legislation for over two years, and it has clearly benefited...

The Portuguese Council of Ministers has announced that it has approved the text of a draft bill which would liberalize its online gaming market. A few days ago, the government reserved time in the parliamentary calendar for a debate on the proposals before the end of the current legislative...

The day after the news of Amaya’s deal to buy the Rational Group was announced, its Spanish subsidiary REEL Spain, Plc received licenses to offer Blackjack and Roulette from the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ). Since Full Tilt does not operate in the Spanish regulated market, it...

Portugal’s government finally looks to be complying with demands from the Troika responsible for its bailout, and has signaled its intention to present new gambling laws to parliament. The government has used a procedural rule that allows it to book parliamentary time for a debate on the subject before...

A new Royal Decree published at the end of April spells out the responsibility regulated gambling operators in Spain have for complying with money laundering laws. Before winnings in excess of €2,500 can be paid out, operators must confirm the player’s identity by checking copies of identity documents. DGOJ...

The time is up for Portuguese delays on online gaming laws: the Troika has ordered the government to get legislation in place by the end of the month. New gaming legislation has been floating in the political arena for a few years, but the fiscal crisis in Portugal and...

The Socialist party in Spain has made a non-legislative proposal to end the practice of offering bonuses and other “inducements” to gamble. The prohibition would cover VIP loyalty schemes, that award points or prizes, and in doing so reward “excessive consumption.” The proposal was adopted by the Joint Commission...

Las Vegas Sands has scrapped its plan to build a hotel and casino mega-complex on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain, the company announced Friday. “After months of on-going discussions with various levels of the Spanish government and continued internal due diligence, Las Vegas Sands Corp. said today that a...

Carlos Hernandez, the newly-appointed Director General of the Spanish online gaming regulator DGOJ, has drawn a clear path towards opening the online poker market in Spain from a segregated player pool to internationally-shared liquidity. In an interview conducted with Poker-Red Editor Jairo Moreno, Hernandez spoke in detail about...

The President of Madrid’s People’s Party has come out strongly in support of Sheldon Adelson’s EuroVegas project. The Eurovegas project plans were recently submitted to the Madrid regional government, but a vocal opposition campaign has emerged. In a regular column for Spain’s center-right ABC newspaper, Esperanza Aguirre, former president...