Two Convicted of NY Poker Player Slaying

Two men have been convicted of the murder of poker player Frank De Sena in New York in 2007.

DeSena, a 55-year-old maths teacher from Wayne, N.J., was one of a number of players in an underground New York City poker room in early November 2007 when four men – three robbers and a bouncer who served as their inside man – stormed the room.

A gun was fired during the robbery and DeSena was hit. His wound proved fatal and he died later in hospital.

Andrew Feldman Takes on Rabbi in Court Case

Andrew Feldman is a familiar name and face on the British poker circuit. Since leaving school in 2007 the youngster has picked up plenty of big pots to establish himself as one of the top poker players in the UK.

Now, many poker players enjoy a gamble or two and Feldman is no different. Step forward rabbi Simon Nissim. Feldman, it’s claimed, had Nissim place spread bets for him on financial makets. Nissim, it’s also claimed, managed to drop £140,000 in one four hour session following 77 spread bets.

Feldman was landed with the £140,000 bill and now he’s seeking to get that voided in court.

Daniel Tzvetkoff’s Bail Rescinded

Former Intabill owner Daniel Tzvetkoff must now remain behind bars after a judge rescinded his recent bail agreement.

We reported, only a week ago, how Tzvetkoff had been granted bail despite facing various charges which included half a billion dollars worth of bank fraud, money laundering and UIGEA violations. Now Tzvetkoff will have to sweat it out in jail until his trial begins.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan issued the order over-riding the conditional bail granted by Las Vegas federal magistrate Peggy Leen.

Double Court Victory for Full Tilt

Full Tilt Poker were celebrating a double victory in the courts this week as two seperate cases went their way.

The first saw two players file a lawsuit against Full Tilt following the seizure of their funds and the second involved the Kentucky domain name case which has been running for some time now.

Poker players Lary Kennedy and Greg Omotoy sued Full Tilt last year for false advertising, libel and fraud. The pair claimed that Full Tilt had unlawfully seized over $80,000 from their accounts after accusations that they were illegally using bot software.

Daniel Tzvetkoff Bailed in Las Vegas on UIGEA Charges

A Las Vegas judge has granted bail to former Intabill owner, Daniel Tzvetkoff. With four charges related to more than half a billion dollars worth of bank fraud, money laundering, and UIGEA violations hanging over the Australian’s head he faces up to 75 years in jail.

Tzvetkoff’s father, Kim, put up his own $1.2 million home in Brisbane, Australia as collateral should Daniel fail to appear in New York’s Southern District federal court. Prosecutors protested against his release but it appears his father’s offer was enough to swing the judge towards bailing him.

Tzvetkoff won’t be walking free just yet, though. He was detained again at North Las Vegas Detention Center

Harrah’s Deny Breach of WSOP Contract

Earlier this month we reported that Everest Poker owners, Ultra Internet Media SA, had filed a lawsuit against the Harrah’s over a breach of contract.

UIM claimed that the WSOP breached a logo display agreement when an ESPN affiliate in Europe, RTL9, broadcast the tournament in France and electronically replaced the Everest Poker image with competitor Full Tilt Poker’s logo.

Harrah’s responded this week by saying that UIM entered into the agreement to gain exposure in the United States for its Everest Poker website and that France is not mentioned in the agreement.

Badbeat Jackpot Lawsuit Thrown Out of LA Court

Two LA poker players have had a lawsuit filed against five Los Angeles casinos thrown out of court. The pair accused them of improperly running jackpot games in which players can win thousands of dollars by losing – aka a badbeat jackpot.

Poker players Dennis Chae and Jeff Kim filed suit against the Bicycle, Commerce, Hustler, Hollywood Park and Hawaiian Gardens casinos last May, claiming that the casinos were not following state law that required the games to be offered as no-purchase-necessary.

However, Judge Emile H. Elias ruled that state law prohibited the players from trying to recover gambling losses in the courts.

Intabill Founder Arrested on UIGEA Violations

Daniel Tzvetkoff (pictured), founder of online payment processor Intabill, was arrested yesterday on charges of violating the American UIGEA.

Australian, Tzvetkoff, was picked up by authorities in Las Vegas, Nevada and now faces up to 75 years in prison on a variety of charges including; bank fraud, money laundering and processing illegal internet gambling transactions. Tzvetkoff also faces charges of violating UIGEA – the first time a charge of such kind has been brought against an individual.

UIGEA specifically defies financial institutions from conducting business with companies involved in online gambling. Banks in the US have until June 1st 2010 to come into compliance with the rules of the UIGEA.

Poker a Sport in Lithuania – Official!

It seems different countries have different ideas on how to classify poker. Some label the pursuit a game of chance, others pure gambling, others a mix of gambling and skill. Some have decided to make the game illegal to play for real money, on or offline, whilst other have regulated the industry in their respective countries. Few governments, though, have classified poker a sport.

Recently the Lithuanian government confirmed that poker has indeed been classified as a sport in the former USSR state. The Department of Physical Education and Sports, which is the official ruling body for sports in the country, issued a decree on March 20 recognizing the Lithuanian Sports Poker Federation as an official sports federation.