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Poker Clubs to be New Rage in Moscow, to Dodge 1st July BanWed, Mar 11th, 2009 @ 12:00am Russia's Gambling Bill, which comes into effect 1 July 2009, mandates that gambling establishments must be located only within four special zones located on the outskirts of the vast country. It is causing Moscow's 549 gambling establishments to scramble to transform their businesses so they don't fall under the ban- and poker stands to be the chief beneficiary. Poker tournaments in 2007 were classified as an official sports competition instead of gambling (click here for related article), so they don't fall under the Gambling Bill. For this reason, the Moscow Times predicts a great surge in the number of new Moscow poker clubs and casinos hosting poker tournaments. The landmark decision to classify Poker tournaments as an official sports competition instead of a Gambling game was made by the Russian Sports Minister for the "Federal agency of physical culture and sport", Slava Fetisov, on March 16, 2007. Seven-Card Stud Poker, Omaha and Texas Hold'em were officially included in the All-Russia Registry of Sports on June 26, 2007. "From the start of July, 90 percent of gambling companies are planning to continue operating in the capital, becoming restaurants, entertainment centers and concert halls," Deputy Mayor Sergei Baidakov said last week. "The entire Russian gambling industry was supposed to relocate to four special zones by this summer. Of them, the government has signed orders creating three: Azov-City, on the border of the Rostov and Krasnodar regions; Sibirskaya Moneta, in Altai; and Yantarnaya, in the Kaliningrad region. An order to create a zone in the far eastern Primorye region has not been signed, and none of the zones is sure to start operating by July 1," he added. An executive at the Gaming Business Association told the Moscow Times that "Approximately one-third of Moscow's casinos will start holding competitive poker tournaments after the July deadline." "Of the five largest casinos, we'll most likely leave Jazz Town and Shangri-La, which will primarily become poker clubs. The facilities' income will come from renting the tables out to players," said Lavrenty Gubin, a spokesman for Storm International. "We're holding talks with the poker federation and are considering holding tournaments as an alternative use of the space after the ban comes into effect," said Timofei Belyayev, the financial director of the Kosmos casino. "In the Korston complex, such tournaments are already being held. So far, we have six tables, and in the near future we'll increase the number to 22," Korston president Anatoly Kuznetsov said. Read Related Articles:
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Fabrice Soulier Joins Everest Poker's Pro Roster To further strengthen its support for French poker in anticipation of the opening of that market, Everest Poker has signed renowned French poker pro Fabrice Soulier as its latest ambassador.
HHPT Co-Sponsors Bayou Poker Challenge Ladies Event Dec. 20 The HighHeelsPokerTour (HHPT), the first all women's poker tour launched on the East coast, will wrap up their 2009 schedule at Harrah's New Orleans on December 20th where they will co-sponsor the Ladies Event #14 no-limit Hold'em at 12 pm.
OPPAGA Reports on Florida's Online Poker Options Given that UIGEA permits individual states to regulate online poker, the Florida Legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) published a report this week presenting three options available to Florida State lawmakers in order to protect consumers from unlawful internet poker: regulate it, prohibit it, or carry on with the status quo pending federal legislation.
BC Poker Champion Arrested, Charged with Manslaughter Just two days after taking down the BC Poker Championships Main Event, Sophon Sek of Cloverdale, BC, was arrested in connection with one of the most storied crimes in the Province's history.
Local Businessman Bags European Poker Tour Vilamoura Bling The European Poker Tour rolled into the Casino Vilamoura last week, instantly generating the richest poker prize pool in the nation of Portugal's history.
Keikoan Captures Harvey's Lake Tahoe WSOPC Championship This week marked the finale of the biggest annual tournament series in Northern Nevada, the WSOP Circuit championship at Harvey's Lake Tahoe. While the Main Event saw only a modest turnout, it did boast of a tough final table, and a WSOP bracelet owner as the eventual champion.
WSOP Main Event Champ Joe Cada to Appear on Letterman The poker world will receive some late night attention tonight as "The Kid" Joe Cada, the youngest champion in the four decade history of the World Series of Poker Main Event, takes a seat next to embattled talk show host David Letterman.
First Korean Champ of Asia Pacific Poker Tour Crowned in Cebu Another stop on the Asia Pacific Poker Tour is in the books, this time it's the APPT Cebu in the Philippines, and for the very first time a Korean player has come out on top.
Pollack Done as Commish of World Series of Poker Just three days after crowning Joe Cada as the 2009 Main Event champion, officially closing the special 40th anniversary run of the World Series of Poker, Jeffrey Pollack has resigned his post as Commissioner of the WSOP.
Durrrr Signs as Team Full Tilt's Youngest Member Tom "durrrr" Dwan is the newest member of Team Full Tilt, the online site's highest level of affiliation. At 23, Dwan is the youngest of the now 14-person team. The high stakes cash phenomenon was nominated for induction this year into the Poker Hall of Fame until the Hall of Fame Governing Council decided he was too young to meet the "has stood the test of time" qualification. |
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