Pala Interactive In The News

Pala Interactive debuts New Jersey online poker site

Excerpt:

BY Peter Amsel ON June 07, 2017

TAGS: NEW JERSEY ONLINE GAMBLING, PALA INTERACTIVE, PALAPOKER

Tribal gaming operator Pala Interactive has added a poker product to its New Jersey online gambling operations.

On Tuesday, Pala Interactive announced the launch of PalaPoker.com for both desktop and mobile poker players residing in the state of New Jersey. The poker site, which is currently in open beta testing, follows the 2014 launch of Pala’s New Jersey online casino and the 2016 launch of PalaBingoUSA.com.

-- Read more at link above

Also:

New Online Poker Room Launches in New Jersey

Pala Interactive rolls out New Jersey poker product

How Well Is Pala Interactive Doing?

It's hard to know how well Pala's online gaming business is doing.  But we can infer some things from the news.

From this article:

uspoker.com - Will A Hard Rock-Branded Online Casino In New Jersey Flourish Or Flounder?

Excerpt:

Latecomers have gained significant market share

The NJ online poker and casino industries consisted of far fewer sites in November 2013, the month when the first wave of regulated sites went live. And all of them have performed admirably.

Pala Casino launched in November 2014. Despite being a relatively unknown quantity in New Jersey, the San Diego-based brand now accounts for a significant portion of Borgata AC online casino revenue.

How much? According to the latest US iGaming Tracker report from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, the casino has captured 15 percent of Borgata’s online market share, which translates into roughly $5.6 million in revenue generated per year.

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You can read the entire article at the link above.

So, after an alleged $100 million investment by the Pala Band of Mission Indians about 4 years ago Pala Interactive seems to be generating about $5.6 million a year in revenue, at least in New Jersey.

A Very Merry Christmas From Pala Interactive

PalaCasino.com Announces $25,000 Holiday Celebration

New Jersey Players Can Win Major Prizes This Holiday Season on PalaCasino.com

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Dec. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- This December, PalaCasino.com is spreading the holiday cheer by giving New Jersey players the chance to win big. Today, the Company announced that it will be hosting "The PalaCasino.com $25,000 Holiday Celebration" to give players the chance to win $25,000 in prizes and bonuses including popular electronics such as Apple and Microsoft tablets, a HDTV, an Apple Watch, shopping gift cards and an Atlantic City hotel package, among many others. In addition to sought-after holiday prizes, all PalaCasino.com players will have an opportunity to earn a share in a $10,000 PalaCasino.com Bonus Cash prize pool.

"The PalaCasino.com $25,000 Holiday Celebration" will run from December 1st, 2015 through December 31st, 2015. All winners will be announced on PalaCasino.com within 72 hours of each promotion day.

"With $25,000 in prizes and bonuses available, PalaCasino.com will be the place to play and win this December," said Jeremy Clemons, Chief Marketing Officer at Pala Interactive. "The Holiday Celebration is a terrific opportunity to thank the players that make PalaCasino.com their New Jersey home for online casino action and allows a tremendous opportunity to introduce new players to our online and mobile offering, which features more than 155 casino games including 126 slot titles." 

To participate in "$25,000 PalaCasino.com Holiday Celebration," players that deposit at least $25 dollars and wager of at least $100 will be entered into a random drawing for that day's featured Holiday prize.  Also, players that qualify for the featured Holiday prize at least 12 days during the December promotion will earn a guaranteed share in a $10,000 Casino Bonus prize pool.

Additionally, PalaCasino.com will offer new customers a $20 "Welcome Bonus," a "Double Your 1st Deposit Bonus" up to $100 and provide players to take a free daily slot spin for the chance to win $1,000,000.

For more information on rules and an alternative method of entry, as well as the full list of games and prizes, please visit www.PalaCasino.com. 

About Pala Interactive, LLC Pala Interactive, LLC in an online real money and social gaming operator that was founded in 2013 in anticipation of upcoming U.S. state legislation permitting  real-money internet wagering.  Focused on delivering an excellent user experience to consumers through its proprietary platform, Pala Interactive plans to be a material market participant in the U.S. regulated online gaming market.  The Company's majority shareholder is the Pala Band of Mission Indians, which owns and operates the Pala Casino Spa and Resort in Pala, California.  

SOURCE Pala Interactive, LLC

Sheldon Adelson Continues Push to Stop Online Gambling

National Journal - Congress Revives Sheldon Adelson-backed Plot to Kill Online Gambling

Is the billionaire casino magnate already exerting his influence over the new Congress?

BY DUSTIN VOLZ

House lawmakers Wednesday are reintroducing a bill that would effectively ban betting sites in the U.S.

The Restoration of America's Wire Act, spearheaded by Rep. Jason Chaffetz, would "restore" a decades-old federal ban on some gambling operations by extending it to include Internet gaming. Chaffetz, a Utah Republican, is introducing the bill with six GOP cosponsors and the backing of one Democrat, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. The three-page measure is the same as the one Chaffetz introduced last year.

An aide for Sen. Lindsey Graham confirmed that the South Carolina Republican also intends to reintroduce a version of the bill, though he said a timetable was unclear. The companion bills debuted last spring but never gained much traction.

The House reintroduction renews a long-standing fight between Internet gambling sites, brick-and-mortar casino owners, and family-values advocates.

Chaffetz told reporters Wednesday that online gambling presents a troubling family-values threat because of the ease with which players can sign up and start betting.

Read Full Article Here ->National Journal - Congress Revives Sheldon Adelson-backed Plot to Kill Online Gambling

Santa Ysabel Goes Live With Online Bingo

Santa Ysabel Online Gambling Goes Live in California, But Not With Poker

November 4th, 2014 by Philip Conneller

The Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, the go-it-alone tribal gaming operator that has vowed to launch a real-money online poker site whether California legalizes it or not, began offering real money online gaming this week. But it’s not poker, it’s bingo.

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The tribe has made clear that it is interested only in poker and bingo.

“House-banked games and slot machines are defined as Class III games, and can only be offered in a tribal casino upon agreement with the state through a Tribal-State Gaming Compact,” it says on its website. “Santa Ysabel has had such a compact with the state since 2005, but has no plans to offer Class III gaming through its interactive website.”

Certainly, the tribe’s efforts to launch online poker in the California may depend on the success, or lack thereof, of the new bingo site and whether it receives legal challenges. And it’s likely that there will be legal challenges. The Iipays believe they have discovered a legal loophole in IGRA that defines bingo and poker as Class II gaming, but that assumes that bingo and poker are the same as online bingo and online poker, in a legal sense.

Read Full Article Here-->Santa Ysabel Online Gambling Goes Live in California, But Not With Poker

California Online Poker Bill Gets Delayed

Any hopes that remained of getting some sort of California Online Poker legislation passed this year appear to have faded.  Looks like 2014 will not be the year for California Online Poker.  Of course everyone is upbeat and optimistic about 2015.  And why would they not be?  It means more money for lobbyists, lawyers, and politicians as yet another wave of money will try to hustle some sort of online poker bill through the State Legislature.

In The News:

casino.org California Online Poker Bills Stalled for 2014 Legislation

pokerupdate.com California Eyes 2015 for Online Poker Regulation

cardschat.com California Online Poker Bills Won’t See Daylight in 2014

cardplayer.com Card Rooms, PokerStars, Tribal Group Respond To Shelving Of California Web Poker In 2014



***WARNING*** 

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

The Fight Against Online Gaming Continues

Efforts to legalize online poker in California seem to have stalled a bit though most are still optimistic of getting a bill past in the next year or two.  The forces against online gaming, namely Sheldon Adelson and the Senators he has bought, continue their efforts to make online gambling illegal at the Federal Level.  The article below outlines the current tack Adelson's Senators are taking:

casino.org - Senators Appeal to DoJ for Reinterpretation of Wire Act

AUGUST 03, 2014 BY SAMANTHA BECKETT

Excerpt:

Three US senators have written to Attorney General Eric Holder, appealing to him to support the Restoration of America’s Wire Act. The bill, introduced earlier this year, seeks to outlaw all forms of online gambling at a federal level by adopting a previous interpretation of US gambling law. The Federal Wire Act of 1961, which was created as a means to stop organized crime from trafficking, failed to predict of the advent of the Internet age, and so leaves a lot to interpretation as to how it relates to online gambling.
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Senator Lindsey Graham, along with Diane Feinstein and Kelly Ayotte, believe that online poker is “bound to” prey on children and society’s most vulnerable.

Read More Here -->casino.org - Senators Appeal to DoJ for Reinterpretation of Wire Act 

Also in the news:

Amaya Gaming Officially Completes Acquisition of Pokerstars and Full Tilt

The Buzz: Dianne Feinstein continues push against Internet poker


I guess the tribes better start throwing money at Graham, Feinstein, and Ayotte or else online gambling may become illegal across the entire United States.  Or does Tribal Sovereignty Trump the Federal Government's Sovereignty?  Be interesting to watch what happens at Santa Ysabel now that they have started offering Online Poker.  What will the government do if anything?


Santa Ysabel Tribe Answers Queries Regarding PrivateTable.com

Californian Online Poker A Catalyst For US Expansion

***WARNING*** 

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

Online Gambling Legal For Indian Tribes?

Apparently some legal analysis is already starting to trickle down with the theory that online gambling conducted by Indian Tribes on reservation land may be legal.  The theory to my knowledge has not been tested in the court of law.  Of course, there is also the issue if they are referring to State Law or Federal Law.  In the article below it seems Owens is only referring to State Law.  There is also the issue of Federal Law and the transfer of money across State and International Borders.

Just to review briefly Iipay Tribe of Santa Ysabel has decided to move forward with their online poker site called privatetable.com which appears to already be operating.

In The News:

pokerupdate.com PrivateTable.com Poker Site Deemed Legal

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Despite the large debates surrounding the launch of PrivateTable.com, the site has been backed by several leading legal gambling authorities who believe that the site is operating completely within state law. Comments from attorney Martin Owens suggest that the site has done nothing to breach gambling laws and marks a step forward into bringing in some regulated gambling practices across the state.
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The issues were swept aside by Owens, who made a statement declaring that “If an Indian tribe has land of its own and wants to offer Class 2 gambling, they don’t have to consult state law at all.” A Class 2 license allows native tribes to operate basic gambling services such as poker on their lands and the Santa Ysabel nation currently holds a Class 3 license, giving them full rights to operate banked gaming services.


Read More Here --> pokerupdate.com PrivateTable.com Poker Site Deemed Legal


***WARNING***

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

Santa Ysabel Moving Forward With Online Poker

parttimepoker.com - Santa Ysabel Tribe in California Launches Online Poker Site PrivateTable.com

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Why is this significant

The significance is two-fold. First, the obvious significance is for players in California as they may have a new, more trustworthy place to play.

For the rest of us, the significance lies in the precedent being set. Other tribes across the U.S will be watching what Santa Ysabel does with PrivateTable.com and will make decisions based on the results. Other tribes have, and absolutely still are, weighing the possibility of operating a Class II online poker site under their sovereign rights. Santa Ysabel is uniquely position to call out ‘first’ on this one for two key reasons:

•They don’t have much to lose. Santa Ysabel closed their land-based casino in February. If they are proven to be wrong regarding the legality of operating an online poker site as a tribe, they have no significant underlying business that can be harmed.

•They are in California, considered to be the gold mine for online gaming due to population and demographics. There is actual money to be made.

Read More Here -->parttimepoker.com - Santa Ysabel Tribe in California Launches Online Poker Site PrivateTable.com

Much More:

Santa Ysabel Interactive PrivateTable.com

4flush.com - Santa Ysabel Gambit Complicates California Online Poker Scene
by Haley Hintze on July 15, 2014

This week’s announcement by the cash-strapped Santa Ysabel tribal nation of an imminent rollout of real-money online poker for Californians, despite no formal state regulation, has added an interesting new twist to the neverending saga of the attempts to introduce and regulate the online game in the Golden State.  Whether or not the Santa Ysabels — also known as the Iipay Nation — move forward with their plans remains to be seen.

What’s for sure, however, is that an already-tipsy legislative apple cart in California’s state capital of Sacramento now has another element in play.  Regardless of the Santa Ysabels nation’s small financial size, the question now posed is a doozy: Do United States-based tribal nations even need federal or state approval to offer online poker, if they’ve already been cleared via the Department of the Interior to offer gambling on their own tribal lands?

Read More Here-->4flush.com - Santa Ysabel Gambit Complicates California Online Poker Scene

4flush.com - Online Poker Site Launched in California by Stand-Alone Tribe

onlinepokerreport.com - Bill or No Bill, Santa Ysabel Tribe To Push Forward With Online Poker in California

casino.org - California Tribe Claims Sovereignty, Launches Online Poker Site

Online Gambling News

compatiblepoker.com Amaya Plans Extensive Expansion of PokerStars

By Renee K on Thursday, July 10th, 2014
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Asked about the problems that PokerStars has faced until now by trying to enter the regulated US gambling market, Baazov said that one of the terms of the deal with Amaya was that PokerStars founder Mark Scheinberg and other principals would sell their stock in the company and would no longer be involved in managerial decisions.  Baazov believes that this will give PokerStars a clean slate and allow it to expand in the United States and other regulated jurisdictions around the world.

Read More Here -->compatiblepoker.com Amaya Plans Extensive Expansion of PokerStars


casinocitytimes.com - California Indian casino built and managed by Station Casinos rising to top of class

8 July 2014
By Howard Stutz
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But one analyst hinted recently the Indian casino — which was built by Station Casinos, Inc. and is being operated by the locals gaming giant — is quickly rising to the top of the class in tribal gaming-rich California.

The casino cost $800 million and is owned by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. The property, 45 minutes north of downtown San Francisco, took 10 years to get through the various federal and state regulatory approvals.
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In the quarter that ended March 31, Graton generated $101 million in revenue and $57 million, cash flow. Station Casinos earned $7.4 million in management fees.

Credit Suisse gaming analyst Joel Simkins told investors the Graton numbers make the resort one of the most profitable and highest margin regional casinos around.
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Graton also has a potential advantage should California legalize Internet poker.

The casino can partner with Station Casinos-owned Ultimate Gaming. The company operates Ultimate Poker in Nevada and is the online gaming provider for the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.
Read More Here--> casinocitytimes.com - California Indian casino built and managed by Station Casinos rising to top of class

Also:

politico.com Adelson makes fifth new hire to fight online gaming

vegasinc.com Online gaming hasn’t lived up to its hype

totallygaming.com Political heavyweights to discuss pros and cons of internet gambling in San Francisco

Online Gambling

Good article about Online Gambling.  Here is an excerpt:

calvinayre.com IGAMING DEVELOPMENTS – CHRIS CHRISTIE AND SHELDON ADELSON

BY RAFI FARBER

The news out of New Jersey hasn’t been stellar of late, and Chris Christie is taking the heat for it. He famously, or rather infamously, predicted last May that New Jersey would earn $180M a year from a 15% internet gambling tax. He ended up with only $12M, about 7% of what he expected. If Christie had understood basic economics, he wouldn’t have made such a prediction. But Christie doesn’t understand basic economics, just like most politicians and government bureaucrats who make their living interfering with the economy.

iGaming Developments - Chris Christie and Sheldon AdelsonThe first crucial thing to grasp about the gambling industry is that it is not productive on net, meaning it does not produce tangible wealth. Rather it is essentially consumptive of wealth. This is not to badmouth gambling, but just to explain the nature of the industry in that it is a consumer industry. Producer industries are farming, construction, technology, that sort of thing. It’s the same with the restaurant industry, supermarkets, and the entire entertainment industry. These are consumer services that consume wealth, not produce it. The only thing gambling produces on net is consumer satisfaction, which is not tangible wealth.

Understanding that, Christie’s woes stem from the fact that the only way a consumer entertainment industry can bring in net revenue to a given territory is by attracting foreign wealth from outside its jurisdiction. Otherwise you are only dealing with the same pot of money, and just dividing it differently between industries.

The reason Nevada and Atlantic City earn money for their state governments is not because gambling in those states magically increases revenue from within. It is because Las Vegas and Atlantic City attract capital from areas outside of Nevada and New Jersey, and a percentage of that capital goes to tax revenue. If theoretically Nevada and New Jersey were to outlaw gambling for non-Nevada and New Jersey residents, there would be no net gain from the gaming industry in those states.

Read More Here --> calvinayre.com IGAMING DEVELOPMENTS – CHRIS CHRISTIE AND SHELDON ADELSON

***WARNING*** 

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

Sheldon Adelson

Forbes - Sheldon Adelson Is Winning His War Against Online Gambling

By Nathan Vardi, Forbes Staff

When Sheldon Adelson’s campaign against online gambling in America emerged last fall, some Internet gambling supporters dismissed his effort as misguided and confused. They pointed to the fact that the entire gambling industry except for Adelson was united in its support of extending gambling to the Internet. Some felt that few would take objections to online gambling on moral grounds seriously from a man who had made a huge fortune off of land-based casinos. Even Adelson’s comment that he was ‘willing to spend whatever it takes,”‘ to stop online gambling was seen by some as a hollow threat given his inability to push his man into the White House by spending tens of millions of dollars.

But half a year later, Adelson appears to be winning his war against online gambling. In the fall of 2013, proponents of online gambling felt the wind at their back with states like New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada launching regulated online gambling and high expectations that big revenues and tax receipts generated in New Jersey would push other states to embrace online gambling. But as of June, online gambling efforts in key states like California appear to be stalled and the best that online gambling supporters can say about the federal level is that Adelson is no closer to implementing a federal online gambling ban than they are to pushing through a federal regulatory regime for online gambling.

Read Full Article Hear Forbes - Sheldon Adelson Is Winning His War Against Online Gambling

Other News:

New California Online Poker Bill Likely Ready Next Week

Pennsylvania Online Poker Bill Details

Jamaica Seeks Online Gambling Regulation

Early Bird discounts set to close on North America's leading iGaming events

Rough Start For New Jersey Online Gambling

New Jersey's online gambling flop threatens the rest of the state's spending

Staff
New York Business Journal

Last May, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie estimated the state would bring in about $180 million this fiscal year from online gambling taxes. That’s looking like a wild overestimate, as the state currently projects to draw in about $12 million.

Read More Here - New Jersey's online gambling flop threatens the rest of the state's spending



More Online Gambling News:

American Gaming Association Pulls Support For Online Gambling

N.J. Online Casinos Reassess Marketing After Slow Start

PokerStars Steals the Show at California iGaming Conference

Equity Poker Network withdraws from US markets

Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson leads charge against online gambling

Pushing Online Gambling Is Going to Get Even More Expensive

Sheldon Adelson is a billionaire - worth about $40 Billion.  He is the owner of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation which in turn owns the Venetian Macao Limited which operates The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and the Sands Expo and Convention Center...among other things.

Up to this point in time Tribes have been throwing money at California's State Legislature hoping to get online poker legalized for themselves.  I am not sure how much money has been spent to date to legalize online poker in California but I am sure it is in the many millions.

Well tribes better be ready to open up that check book.  Oh, and don't forget to get General Council approval for the tens of millions you will need to spend to get online poker passed.  Even after that heavy lift if online poker succeeds in California the Feds could very well end up making online gambling illegal.

The reason?  Sheldon Adelson.  He has decided to basically go all in against online gambling.  He says he is doing it for the children.  In reality it's probably just good business since online gambling is considered a threat to brick and mortar casinos.

You can read more about it here:

Washington Post - Adelson’s political beneficiaries adopt casino magnate’s cause to ban Internet gambling

Here is one of Sheldon Adelson's first ads against online gambling:

For Review

For review below is the MOU that outlines Robert Smith's $100 Million dollar investment into Online Poker to create Pala Interactive LLC.

MOU Between Pala and NG Poker to Form Pala Interactive LLC

Also please review the letters from David Cross below.


David Cross 2nd Letter to Pala Apr 29 2014

Pala Ventures Into Online Gaming

Couple of Articles on Pala's online Poker Venture:

The Dirty Stack, Pala Interactive’s Hope, Regulation of Online Poker

Posted by Peter McCullough on July 10, 2013 in Gambler's Report, Online Gambling News, Online Poker News

Pala Interactive, LLC based in California is a relatively new online poker collaboration between former bwin.party CEO Jim Ryan and the Pala Band of Mission Indians. The Pala Indian tribe is behind San Diego’s premier casino, the Pala Casino Resort Spa.

As with any new venture, the start up needs a face to help promote the brand. That face belongs to none other than professional poker player, Phil Ivey. Ivey is not new to being the face behind a poker room startup, back in 2004, Ivey was one of the most popular players backing resurrected poker room Full Tilt Poker.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE - The Dirty Stack, Pala Interactive’s Hope, Regulation of Online Poker

Another Article:

Phil Ivey to Join California Indian Tribe in Online Gaming Venture

By Steve Larson - Legaluspokersites.com

Rumors surfaced this week that the so-called “Tiger Woods of poker,” Phil Ivey, has made an agreement with a southern California indian tribe to be the face of their Internet gaming venture.

Ivey is set to team up with the Pala Indian Tribe, which runs one of California’s most successful tribal casinos. The Pala Casino Resort and Spa is located just outside the city of San Diego. Also slated to participate in the new venture is Jim Ryan, formerly the chief executive officer of bwin.party.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE - Phil Ivey to Join California Indian Tribe in Online Gaming Venture