Online Gaming Lobbying Increases

New iGaming lobbying group launched in US

By Robert Simmons

Excerpt:

The I-Development and Economic Association (iDEA) claims that it is “an association seeking to grow jobs and expand online interactive entertainment business in the United States through advocacy and education”.

It is made up of 17 firms representing a wide spectrum of the online gambling industry including: Amaya, Inc, Golden Nugget, Paysafe, Paddy Power Betfair, GVC Holdings, Resorts Interactive, Catena Media; NetENT, Sightline Payments, Continent 8 Technologies, NYX, Tropicana Entertainment, Gamesys, Pala Interactive, Vantiv Gaming Solutions, eZugi, and Ifrah Law.
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Read full article at link above

Seems Pala's money is still circling the drain.  How's that $100 million online poker investment working out?  Everyone got per cap raises this year, right?

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.

Pala Interactive Making News

Gaming Realms Bingo Content Goes Live with Pala Interactive

Excerpt:
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Under the terms of the deal, Gaming Realms will supply its recently introduced 90-ball bingo game to Pala’s online bingo brand – PalaBingoUSA. The website is known to be the only one within the New Jersey borders to be offering that type of bingo. Pala Interactive has previously been granted the necessary transactional waiver by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement for the provision of gambling services within the state.

Pala Interactive is New Jersey’s subsidiary of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, a California-based federally recognized tribe, known to be one of the major providers of gambling options in California. Under the terms of their recently signed agreement, Gaming Realms will deliver its bingo game to Pala Interactive’s online bingo website and will receive a portion of the annual revenue generated by the brand.

Read Full Article Here->Gaming Realms Bingo Content Goes Live with Pala Interactive

More news:

New Jersey Sets New Record For Online Gambling Revenue Despite Poker Decline

Excerpt:

Furthermore, Borgata is expected to switch over to a online poker client powered by Pala Interactive sometime in the next quarter. How the platform stacks up against its current client (provided by PartyPoker), may weigh heavily on the operator’s future viability in the marketplace.

INTERTAIN SAYS LOSSES INCREASE TENFOLD, CLAIMS TO BE MULLING TAKEOVER BIDS

Excerpt:

Intertain also announced that directors Stan Dunford and Mark Redmond had stepped down immediately. In their stead, current Pala Interactive CEO and former Bwin.party co-CEO Jim Ryan has been appointed an independent director, while current Intertain board member David Danziger has been appointed chairman.

Pala Interactive in New Jersey-first with bingo launch

Bill Making Its Way Through House to Ban New Jersey Online Gambling

I wonder how much lobbying dollars it will cost to kill this bill...

Proposed ban on N.J. online gambling still brewing in D.C.

WASHINGTON — Proposed federal legislation that would outlaw online gambling in New Jersey and the two other states that allow it got a second hearing Wednesday.

The bill's chief sponsor, U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) expressed concern that residents of states that outlaw gambling, either in casinos or online, would be able to play anyway.

"It's naive at best to think you can put a wall on the Internet," said Chaffetz, chairman of the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which conducted the hearing. Chaffetz also presided over a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the bill in March.

Read Full Article Here-->Proposed ban on N.J. online gambling still brewing in D.C.

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

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.

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

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

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