60 Minutes Show on Online Poker Site Scandals to Air Sun. Nov 30

The result of a four month long joint investigation by CBS and the Washington Post, two very respected news organizations, into the cheating scandals at online poker sites Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker is about to be aired this Sunday, November 30th, on the 60 Minutes program at 7pm ET/PT.

Online poker players should worry how the industry is being portrayed, as a preview of the piece posted on the CBS site (click here to view it) begins by saying "We should tell you that this $18 billion industry is illegal in the US, but the ban [UIGEA] is almost impossible to enforce" ...and continues, "and unlike land-based casinos, there is almost no official regulation, enforcement, or supervision."

The report focuses on how online poker players were made to act as amateur sleuths after they suspected that they were being cheated, after the management of the sites in question failed to respond to their complaints.

It includes the following comments made by poker players who helped expose the cheating scandal:

"He was raising, just really, really bad hands against very good hands. He seemed to play crazy," says Todd Witteles, a computer scientist turned poker player who turned detective when he believed he was losing too much to the same new person.

"It seemed like he was giving his money away”recalls Witeles. “Except the only thing was, he wasn't losing. He was playing in a style that was sure to lose, but he was killing the game day after day."

Michael Josem, a player and a computer security expert, also contributed heavily to exposing the cheating scandal. He plotted the odds of such consistent success. "We did the mathematical analysis to find that they were winning at about 15 standard deviations above the mean…approximately equivalent to winning a one-in-a-million jackpot six consecutive times."

COMMENTS POSTED ON THE PREVIEW PAGE

Several comments posted on the CBS site in response to the preview were quick to point out that playing poker online is NOT illegal in the USA, and they asked the venerated news organizations to get their facts straight.

An early comment noted that regulation and licensing of the industry could bring much revenue and needed jobs to the USA.

A REMINDER - STILL MUCH TO DO TO LEGALIZE

The show serves as a reminder to all poker supporters that even with a new administration coming January, there is still much work to be done to change the perception of poker to enable regulation of online poker in the USA.

More Poker News Articles

Moon and Cada Heads-Up, Ivey 7th at WSOP Main Event Final Table
12am Sun Nov 8th, 2009

After a marathon session at the most esteemed table in the poker world, a 21-year-old and a logger are set to go one-on-one for the World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet.

PokerStars Launches New UK and Ireland Poker Tour
12am Wed Nov 4th, 2009

PokerStars.com has announced the start of a new poker tour with stops throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. The UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) will kick off in Galway, Ireland in mid-December, and the first event in the UK will be held in Manchester in February.

Peerless Media Agrees to Purchase World Poker Tour Enterprises
12am Mon Nov 2nd, 2009

According to a Monday press release, WPT Enterprises Inc., mothership of the World Poker Tour, is now the rightful property of Peerless Media, Ltd., subsidiary of online giant PartyGaming.

Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho Hit the Amazing Race Rail
12am Mon Nov 2nd, 2009

After surviving six legs of the Amazing Race by the skin of their teeth, poker pros Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho were finally eliminated in the CBS reality show's most recently aired episode. Michelle and Ho, the last women standing in the 2008 and 2007 World Series of Poker Main Events, gave reality television fans another chance to watch poker personalities compete away from the felt. Annie Duke garnered quite a following earlier in the year on another reality show competition, NBC's Celebrity Apprentice.

Isaac Baron Dominates Caesars Classic Main Event
12am Sat Oct 31st, 2009

Isaac "westmenloAA" Baron ran over the final table of the Caesars Palace Classic $5,000 Main Event, amassing a huge chip lead and going home with the $246,928 first prize. It took two long days to narrow the 162-person field to the final ten. A very high percentage of the entrants were recognizable tournament circuit players, and unsurprisingly, the stacked field produced a tough final table lineup.

Tonight- ESPN shows Day Before WSOP Main Event Final Nine are Set- Oct 27
12am Tue Oct 27th, 2009

Tonight (Oct. 27) at 9pm ET, ESPN will broadcast highlights of action on the day before the Final Table of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event was set. Only 27 players remain when this one-hour show begins.

Frenchman Wins PokerStars EPT Warsaw Poker Tourney
12am Mon Oct 26th, 2009

At the PokerStars European Poker Tour Warsaw No Limit Texas Hold'em main event that wrapped up yesterday, French businessman Christophe Benzimra finished first taking home 358,644 Euros in prize money, while Italian poker pro Alfio Battisti finished second in the tournament.

Vedes Conquers WPT Festa al Lago Final Table
12am Mon Oct 26th, 2009

Tommy Vedes is the WPT's newest champion! Vedes outlasted 274 players to win the Festa al Lago title and the $1,218,225 first prize. Freddy Deeb, who began the final table with the chip lead, hoped to win his third WPT title and tie Gus Hansen's record. Instead, Deeb was forced to settle for 4th place, leaving room for a new WPT champ. Click here for in-depth coverage of the action and photos from the final table.

Will Hungarians Get Taxed on Poker Soon?
12am Mon Oct 26th, 2009

Hungarian lawmakers have plans to tax poker winnings and regulate clubs to generate much-needed revenues during the country's worst economic crisis since the end of communism, reports Germany's Deutsche Weele.

Freddy Deeb Leads World Poker Tour Final Table
12am Sun Oct 25th, 2009

The WPT Festa al Lago Main Event is down to the final six after five tough days of play. Two-time WPT champion Freddy Deeb brings the chip lead along with the benefit of his under-the-lights experience into Monday's televised final table. Deeb previously won the WPT Season III Aruba Poker Classic and the Season VII Celebrity Invitational. He also owns two World Series bracelets and has amassed over $6 million in tournament winnings. A win on Monday would add $1,218,225 to that total. Click here for photos from the felt and final table chip counts.