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Operators of Non Profit Gambling Operation Face Felony Charges

Parnell Poker Palace is a charity gambling casino located in Fort Wayne, Indiana that has been operating since December 2008. The casino offered blackjack, poker, dice games and roulette to raise money for the nonprofit organization White’s School of the Arts Community Development Programs. The casino has been under investigation for over a year now by the Indiana Gaming Commission and now charges have been filed.

The casino has been shut down since their operators were accused of corrupt business influence, unlawful charity gaming contracting, theft and professional gambling. The Commission finally had enough evidence to charge the owner George Kotsopoulos, his business partner Edward R. Miers and the three men who operated the business, Ralph T. White, Larry L. York and Charles I. Keller.

It has been alleged that not all of the funds raised were going to the charity program the casino said they were servicing. Larry Rollins, who is with the Commission, stated that when people start to make a profit for themselves by conducting charity events that is when they have crossed the line.

The casino first came under suspicion when the commission learned that the dealers were receiving under the table payments instead of being just volunteers. The casino came under even more suspicion when Ralph T. White deposited Poker Palace money into a Wells Fargo Bank account under his own name. the money was supposed to be deposited at the Salin Bank under the name White’s School of Arts.

The case is continuing to unfold as more details are emerging. It has also been stated that Kotsopoulos has been pocketing $20,000 a month in rent rather than the $2,400 that was claimed by the casino.

Tom Marchese Wins NAPT Venetian Stop

PokerStars North American Poker Tour held their first ever tour stop at the Venetian in Las Vegas this week and the main event has finished up. The main event of the tour stop had a field of 872 and it was twenty two year old poker pro Tom ‘kingofcards’ Marchese who outlasted the other competitors to down the first place win.

Several poker pros and celebrities participated in the event including Vanessa Rousso, Tom McEvoy, Bill Chen and Greg Raymer. Celebrities included Orel Hershiser, Brad Garrett and Montel Williams. The buy-in for the tournament was $5,000 and the prize pool was so large that the winner earned just over $800,000.

The tournament took days to complete and when the final table began, Marchese found himself sitting beside Sam Stein, Daniel Clemente, Yunus Jamal, David Paredes, Thomas Fuller, John Cernuto and Eric Blair.

In the end it would be Marchese facing Sam Stein in heads up play. Marchese was sitting with the low chip stack but it would not be long until his controlled aggression helped him pull out the win. On the final hand Stein called Marchese’s river shove holding 4-2 on a 4-5-9-4-10 board when Marchese held pocket 10s. Stein would go out in second place and Marchese would earn the first place win.

Marchese commented on his first place win by stating: “When you get heads up you never know what’s going to happen. I was fortunate enough to make some hands and I got called pretty light. I know that it’s frustrating to go from a pretty dominate chip lead to suddenly being dominated yourself, so people tend to almost spite call. The tide really turned in the space of about five hands were it all went well for me and fell apart for him.”

Final Results:

1. Tom Marchese - $827,648
2. Sam KingKobeMVP Stein - $522,306
3. Daniel Clemente - $309,366
4. Yunus Jamal - $241,064
5. David Paredes - $184,816
6. Thomas Fuller - $144,639
7. “Miami” John Cernuto - $104,461
8. Eric blizair Blair - $60,266

Nevada Casinos Experience Largest Revenue Drop in State History

When 2010 began the Nevada Gaming Control Board released the casino revenue figures for the month of November. During that month the state broke a twenty two month losing streak of decline so all seemed well. However the figures for December showed that the state of Nevada had seen the largest drop in revenues since recordings began over fifty years ago.

The state posted a 3.24% year on year decline for the month of December to generate just $859 million in revenues. In 2009 the state’s gaming revenues had fallen to $10.4 billion which is down 10.4% compared to 2008. This was the largest drop in revenues since 1955.

Frank Streshley the Control Board Tax and License Division Chief commented on the results stating: “Prior to this decade, since we’ve tracked the numbers since 1955, we’ve not ever had a decline until 2001, and then within this decade we’ve had four declines, with the largest being 2009 at 10.4 percent.”

It has been stated that gaming revenues in Nevada have been strongly falling since the September 11^th 2001 terrorist attacks. The revenues have continued to drop as the economy has taken a downturn in the past few years.

Despite the negative aspects of the year there were a few positive items. The Las Vegas Strip did see an increase of 5.9% in revenue for December. This increase was the result of the new CityCenter development which cost $8.5 billion and the improved baccarat for casinos.

Economists have stated that the state should benefit once the global economy improves. The Strip is a tourist draw and once people have money to spend they will be back to enjoy what Las Vegas has to offer.

Oregon Man Arrested in Poker Parlor Shooting

The Old West seems to be coming to life in Oregon, as we see guns showing up more and more in local poker rooms. During a small poker game at a newer Gresham area poker club, Shots were fired, players were hit.

Carroll L. Mayfield age sixty six was arrested on January 29^th just minutes after he opened fire on patrons at a Gresham Poker Parlor. Mayfield hit two people who were playing cards and missed many others. It was just thirteen minutes later that Mayfield was arrested by police.

The incident took place at the Gresham Players Club, a business that has been open for just about two months. On the 29^th of January the owner of the Club, Jacque Lavadour and six other people were playing a game of poker. It was about 10:40pm when the shooting occurred.

The players noticed a man outside and the players thought the man was talking to a wife of one of the men playing. The men went back to playing cards and just minutes later a laser beam was pointed at the men and the man outside said ‘Get on the floor’. In just seconds, a bullet flew past the poker players.

The man fired about seven or eight shots according to Lavadour before he calmly walked away. It was then just thirteen minutes later that Mayfield was arrested. He was found by police with a gun that is suspected of being used in the shooting but police are not releasing the type of gun used. Mayfield is currently being held on $1 million bail on two allegations of attempted murder and two allegations of first degree assault. Mayfield has no criminal record.

One player was shot in the arm and he has been released from the hospital. Another man was hit in the side and remains in serious condition at the hospital. To ensure further security at the club, Lavadour’s wife, Erika has decided to install a new security system at the Club. It is still unclear as to exactly why Mayfield decided to go on the shooting spree.

Mayfield is currently being held at the Multnomah County Jail on 2 charges of aggrevated attempted murder, and 2 felony assualt charges. Bails been set at 250,000.

Twenty People Arrested for Illegal Poker Tournament

This past Saturday night, twenty people were arrested at The Ramada Plaza Hotel in Kentwood, Michigan for participating in an illegal poker tournament. The Michigan State Police had been running an undercover operation, looking to bust these poker playing law breakers,  and get rid of the illegal poker tournaments  this past weekend they made their move.

An undercover inspector attended the illegal poker tournaments at the hotel as part of the investigation (no word on his win/loss record). The investigator  attended the tournaments in November and December 2009 'to keep tabs on the group'.

The group of players were arrested and charged with frequenting or attending gaming places which is a misdemeanor charge and punishable by up to 90 days in jail. The players are expected to be arraigned next week for the charges.

The suspected operator of the tournaments currently has warrants out for his arrest. Cash, poker chips, gaming cards and other gambling items were taken during the raid by the Michigan State Police and the Kentwood Police Department. The Hotel has been cited for violations according to the state Liquor Control Commission.

DoylesRoom.com Eyes Major European Expansion in 2010

The UK and other major European markets are on the DoylesRoom.com radar in 2010 after successful US rebranding in 2009

After spending the last year transitioning DoylesRoom.com to become one of the hottest online poker destinations in the US where young talent choose to play, DoylesRoom.com is planning a major push into the European market in 2010. Having built a team that includes a number of top poker industry professionals from the UK, the online poker brand is poised to welcome new European players through a number of overseas partnerships.

Stated Will Griffiths, President of DoylesRoom.com, “We’re all really excited about what we have planned for Europe in 2010, from both an affiliate relationship standpoint and in terms of how we acquire and retain European poker players through some unique endeavors.”

DoylesRoom.com’s European expansion is much bigger than simply a marketing push in popular Euro poker publications. It starts right at the top with Doyle Brunson himself. Poker’s biggest legend is heading to London early this year to meet with marketing partners and leading UK affiliates in an effort to help players and affiliate partners get more out of the online poker destination.

Doyle Brunson will travel to London for the London Affiliate Conference where the DoylesRoom.com brand will be exhibiting. Doyle will meet with fans to sign copies of his new book, The Godfather of Poker.

Perhaps one of the first signals that DoylesRoom.com was interested in building a larger presence in Europe was last year’s signing of Chris Moorman, one of the UK’s top young poker talents. Chris Moorman joined The Brunson 10 in September 2009 as the fourth member of Doyle Brunson’s team of elite pros. Moorman’s over $1.7 million in lifetime winnings include nine career titles and 149 cashes, made up of online poker successes and several land-based poker achievements.

Poker players can keep track of Doyle Brunson’s European adventures by reading his blog at DoylesRoom.com.

DoylesRoom.com Eyes Major European Expansion in 2010

The UK and other major European markets are on the DoylesRoom.com radar in 2010 after successful US rebranding in 2009

After spending the last year transitioning DoylesRoom.com to become one of the hottest online poker destinations in the US where young talent choose to play, DoylesRoom.com is planning a major push into the European market in 2010. Having built a team that includes a number of top poker industry professionals from the UK, the online poker brand is poised to welcome new European players through a number of overseas partnerships.

Stated Will Griffiths, President of DoylesRoom.com, “We’re all really excited about what we have planned for Europe in 2010, from both an affiliate relationship standpoint and in terms of how we acquire and retain European poker players through some unique endeavors.”

DoylesRoom.com’s European expansion is much bigger than simply a marketing push in popular Euro poker publications. It starts right at the top with Doyle Brunson himself. Poker’s biggest legend is heading to London early this year to meet with marketing partners and leading UK affiliates in an effort to help players and affiliate partners get more out of the online poker destination.

Doyle Brunson will travel to London for the London Affiliate Conference where the DoylesRoom.com brand will be exhibiting. Doyle will meet with fans to sign copies of his new book, The Godfather of Poker.

Perhaps one of the first signals that DoylesRoom.com was interested in building a larger presence in Europe was last year’s signing of Chris Moorman, one of the UK’s top young poker talents. Chris Moorman joined The Brunson 10 in September 2009 as the fourth member of Doyle Brunson’s team of elite pros. Moorman’s over $1.7 million in lifetime winnings include nine career titles and 149 cashes, made up of online poker successes and several land-based poker achievements.

Poker players can keep track of Doyle Brunson’s European adventures by reading his blog at DoylesRoom.com.

Video Poker Winner Robbed and Beaten

Many times when a gambler wins a big hand or a large jackpot they feel generous. The winner will share the wealth by buying a round of drinks for those in the vicinity to share the warm feeling of the win. Gregory Baudier did just that recently when he won a video poker jackpot. But the celebration would not last long as Baudier was robbed and beaten after winning the jackpot.

Baudier, a forty seven year old from Metairie, won $2,100 while playing video poker this past Saturday night at a bar. This is not the first time Baudier won a nice jackpot at the bar but this one was much larger, about nine hundred dollars to be exact. To celebrate the win Baudier bought a round of drinks for the patrons of the bar to celebrate the win.

The winners’ happiness was soon taken away when he took a trip to the restroom. Baudier was followed into the restroom by two men and they ambushed Baudier and took his money and beat him up. The two men obviously new Baudier had won the large prize since he bought drinks for everyone at the bar.

One of the suspects, Joey Griffin, age fifty two, was arrested and charged with simple battery and robbery. The second man accused of the attack has not been found and Jefferson Parish authorities are still in search for the suspect.

Facebook Bans Online Gambling Advertisements

Facebook is a popular online social networking site where people can keep in touch with friends, find old friends and network with people in their career field. The site is also bombarded with various advertisements which keep the site in business. Facebook recently announced they are taking the necessary steps to remove gambling advertising from their website.

Facebook will be removing all forms of online gambling advertising including: bingo, sportsbooks, poker and casinos. Oddly enough Facebook has many applications that are casino games that people can play, though they are free for members to enjoy.

However Facebook is not only banning online gambling advertisements. The social networking site released a list of around twenty topics that will be banned. This includes spy cameras, firearms, tobacco, gambling uncertified pharmaceuticals, pyramid schemes and nudity, among many others.

The goal of Facebook banning these topics of advertisement is to protect their online community by implementing this censorship, according to a recent press release. According to one report, an executive of Facebook found that Bing was providing underage Facebook users were being provided with x-rated content. To prevent this from happening in the future, the site has decided to block all forms of adult entertainment from Facebook.

Even though the site is blocking the advertisements, businesses including online casino operators will be able to create groups, fan pages and Facebook pages to be able to stay in contact with fans and players. It will be interesting to see if Facebook will take further measures to ban online gambling content or if these recent changes will be the only changes made.

Missouri Man Admits Guilt in counterfeit Poker chip case

Just a short time ago we brought you the story of two Missouri men who were arrested for using counterfeit poker chips. Both William Reece Lancaster and Mark Vernon Edmiston were charged with using counterfeit poker chips at the Seneca Cayuga Grand Lake Casino in early November. Lancaster has now pled guilty in court to using the chips as part of a plea agreement.

Lancaster was in Oklahoma federal court an admitted to authorities that he had “previously obtained legitimate twenty five cent poker chips and used a special process to create counterfeit chips.”

Lancaster went on to say: “Basically, I would bleach a particular type of poker chip and then use a special process to re-dye them to the desired color that matched the casino’s $500 poker chips. I would then take the fraudulent counterfeit chip and introduce it into play at the blackjack gaming table or exchange it for cash at the cashier window.”

From early September to early October, Lancaster admitted to taking the counterfeit chips to the casino to gamble with. Lancaster admitted to stealing at least $27,236 from the casino. Lancaster will be sentenced on March 9^th after a pre-sentence investigation is completed by the U.S. Probation Office. Lancaster could be sentenced to up to ten year in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for his actions.

Lady Gaga Strikes Deal with Palms Casino

The Palms Casino Resort recently announced they have cut a deal with the popular singer and performer Lady Gaga. The Palms will now have the exclusive rights to Lady Gaga’s hit single “Poker Face” for a television commercial and online usage.

‘Poker Face’ is a popular hit by Lady Gaga and has been nominated for three Grammy awards; Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Dance Recording. The new commercial for The Palms which will feature the song, will show the amenities visitors will find at the Casino such as the Fantasy suites, and the Playboy Club. The new commercial was debuted on Monday December 7^th.

The Palms Owner George Maloof commented: “We are extraordinarily honored to feature Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’ in our brand new advertising campaign. We feel that this is a special and unique opportunity to connect the Palms brand with one of the most respected and talented artists of our time. The commercial is hot. “

Lady Gaga not only let the casino use her popular song she will also be performing at the casino as well. On December 17^th and the 18^th Lady Gaga will be performing at the Pearl Concert Theater which is located inside the Palms. Both shows have sold out.

The Palms Casino Resort new commerical featuring \'Poker Face\

First Annual Polar Poker Challenge coming This January

The World Poker Store Inc recently announced they are getting ready for a new and unique poker tournament. the first annual Polar Poker Challenge will make its debut this January on Lake Minnetonka in Spring Park, Minnesota.

The unique poker tournament will kick off on January 30^th, 2010 and it will feature ice fishing and Texas Hold’em. The poker tournament will be a fundraising event for The Miracles of Mitch Foundation and The Starkey Hearing Foundation. The proceeds raised from the event will help provide support for families and children that are battling cancer in the state of Minnesota along with helping children who are battling hearing loss across the world.

The tournament will have a limit of five hundred participants. Those participating will be able to enjoy ice fishing in the early morning hours and then move on to enjoy food, drink and Texas hold’em in the afternoon. The card playing will take place in two large heated tents that will be set up right on the ice. Anyone can come and enjoy the activities during the Polar Poker Challenge and watch as the cards are being dealt.

Celebrities and international poker pros will be on hand to compete in the tournament. a VIP reception at Lord Fletcher’s will begin on the 29^th and contestants will be able to meet with guests and enjoy a raffle and a silent auction. Those who participate in the ice fishing can bring their catch to the tournament organizers to have the fish weighed. Prizes will be awarded for the biggest fish, most fish caught and many other categories.

The first annual event is sure to be fun for all ages as many winter activities will be taking place. a special Polar Village will be set up with games and visitors can enjoy curling, snow ball target, ice sculptures and much more.

Annie Duke Celebrity Poker Tournament Raises $60,000

The Annie Duke Celebrity Poker Tournament for The Decision Education Foundation took place on November 19^th at the Commerce Casino. The tournament was a huge success as poker pros competed in the tournament and raised $60,000 for the non-profit organization.

The Decision Education Foundation is a non-profit organization that teaches youngsters how to make good decisions. The foundation focuses on high school dropouts, violence and substance abuse. These are all categories that affect young people as poor decisions. The Foundation provides a variety of programs for teachers, counselors and young people to help them make the right decisions in their lives.

The STAKES Supper Club hosted a pre-event Red Carpet affair and poker players and celebrities got to enjoy great food and drinks as they waited from the pros to kick off the tournament. Howard Lederer, Annie Duke and Andy Bloch were the pros beginning the tournament.

Club WPT and the WSOP Academy sponsored the special tournament and was presented by Rockwell Time. Players who competed in the tournament were awarded more than $40,000 in prizes and giveaways.

Suzanne Papaian the Executive manager commented: “It’s terrific having our first red carpet event at STAKES and we look forward to it being the first of many. Annie is a great friend of Commerce Casino and it’s our pleasure to play host to this worthy charity tournament.”

Binions Historic Hotel Closing December 14th

A part of poker history is closing it’s doors on December 14th.  Binions Hotel and Casino, located in Downtown Las Vegas on Fremont Street is going to be closing their 365 room hotel for the foreseeable future.

Binions opened in 1951 and started experiencing financial troubles when Benny Binion’s daughter Becky Behnen took over in 1998.  It closed in January of 2004 whren marshals  seized cash from the casino to pay outstanding employee benefits.

The same year Harrah’s bought the rights to the WSOP and sold the casino to MTR Gaming Group as the Binion’s Gambling Hall and Hotel.  TLC Enterprises has owned the hotel since March of 2008.

Binion’s was the home of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) until 2005 when the event grew too large for the hotel and casino to house and moved on to the Rio Hotel and Casino across town.

You will still be able to visit the casino, poker room, Ranch Steakhouse and sports book but if Binion’s is where you usually set up shop in Las Vegas you will have to book a room in a nearby hotel.  Also closing until further notice are the coffee shop and keno parlor.

Binions is owned by TLC Enterprises the same company that also owns the Four Queens.  Lisa Robinson, a spokesperson from TLC said,   “We plan to reopen it, but we can’t speculate when that will happen. Las Vegas has been hit so hard with the dramatic drop in visitor spending and the average daily room rate has plummeted. Our hotel rooms were no longer competitive in the market. We had to make cuts where our biggest drains were, the hotel and coffee shop.”

The closures are a hard decision for the company to make, they can refer guests to stay in one of the Four Queen’s 700 rooms but where are the 100 employees losing their jobs going to go?

Poker Player arrested after winning BC Poker Championships

The 2009 BC Poker Championships were held in British Columbia, Canada just a few days ago and it was Sophon Sek bested the close to 800 player field to take down the $364,000 first place prize. In a surprising turn of events Sek was arrested just twenty four hours after winning the tournament for his part in a six person murder.

Sek was arrested the next day for his part in the Surrey Six slayings. Sek was charged with manslaughter in connection with the slayings, which was when six victims were murdered including two innocent bystanders. The killings took place back in 2007 and Sek is the sixth person to be arrested in the killings.

Sek has ties with the Canadian gang known as the Red Scorpions. The gang is based in British Colombia and can be identified by the RS tattoos on their necks and arms. The gang originally formed in a young offender’s facility and they have been running a major drug trafficking operations in Vancouver since 2000.

The gang has been connected to many shootings in the area including the six people who were killed in the Whalley condominium in 2007. It has been alleged that Sek gave the killers access to the Balmoral Tower but it is not clear if he knew the plans of those he allegedly let into the building.

Howard Blank the Vice president of the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation commented on Sek’s arrest. He stated: “The RCMP has informed us it is the same person who won our tournament and the RCMP has requested that the funds be held for his winnings. So the funds have not been issued to the winner.”

Sek did not return the next day to claim his winner’s check so Blank found out at that point from police that Sek had been arrested for his part in the crime.

Another Man Wins Ladies Poker Tournament

The World Series of Poker circuit stopped at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe hotel and casino in Nevada to host poker tournaments and one in particular was the Ladies Poker Championship. The tournament was for ladies to compete in but twenty two year old student Greg Sessler entered the tournament and took down the win with a pair of Queens.

This is the second time a male poker player has entered a ladies poker tournament and won in the past few months. One wonders how a male can win a women’s event, well the World Series of Poker stated their thoughts on the subject in a recent press release. It stated:

“The WSOP isn't a political organization and can't be expected to get involved in debates about sexism, discrimination, or other polarizing issues which may be applicable to poker tournaments. While the WSOP makes a sincere effort to promote women in poker and offers quasi-exclusive tournaments designed to increase female participation in the game, officials generally do not turn away those who want to play in the event, based solely on gender."

So the ladies tournament had ninety six players competing which included four males. The buy-in for the event was $300 and Sessler was the only male to finish in the money, which went to the top nine players. Sessler commented in a WSOP press release why he decided to enter the ladies tournament.

HE stated: “me playing in this tournament really had nothing to do with taking advantage of the ladies or thinking it was a softer field. If Jennifer Harmon would have come and played in the ladies event, she would have been much tougher competition than me. I came here because I only had one day, and really like the structures and the payout (of the women’s event). This was the only tournament I could play.”

Final Payouts for the event:

Greg Sessler (Danville, California) – $9,932
Mimi Kalem (Cameron Park, California) – $5,308
Corinn Ignatieff (Templeton, California) – $3,715
Candy Alexander (Cameron Park, California) – $2,626
Linda Peverini (Clovis, California) – $2,100
Tera Brown (Austin, Texas) – $1,592
Persia Bonella (Castro Valley, California) – $1,229
Rebecca Burnside (San Francisco, California) – $894
Rose Erhart (Ione, California) – $629

Jeffrey Pollack Resigns as Commissioner of WSOP

This past Friday the 13^th Jeffrey Pollack the Commissioner of the WSOP announced on his Twitter account that it was his last day. just a few short days after the 40^th World Series of Poker ended Pollack left his position.

Pollack has been with the WSOP since 2005 after he left NASCAR and the NBA. Pollack moved to the Commissioner job in 2006 and continued to hold the post until he announced his resignation via Twitter this past Friday.

Pollack stated on his Twitter account: “it’s true…Today is my last day as your #WSOP Commissioner…Thank you for allowing me to be part of the #WSOP these last few years. I will always be a fan and friend to the poker community…”

Pollack also commented in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He stated: “It’s been a very good run, and I’m proud of the growth that the tournament, and poker, for that matter, have experienced. I came into this role with a certain set of objectives, and now there’s a sense of accomplishment of how the World Series of Poker has expanded.”

In his few years at the WSOP Pollack has helped make the WSOP a worldwide brand. Pollack helped bring in major advertisers to the WSOP such as the Miller Brewing Company and Betfair. Pollack also began the Players Advisory Council to help improve the tournament series as well as establishing the Poker Hall of Fame. Pollack has been a major force in the poker industry in many ways over the past few years. As of right now there has been no word on who will be replacing Pollack as the WSOP Commissioner.

Heads up play to Resume Soon in WSOP Main Event

Since all but two players were eliminated over the weekend, Joe Cada and Darvin Moon will be returning shortly to the Penn & Teller theatre in Vegas to begin heads up play. Both will be competing for the coveted WSOP Main Event bracelet and this time Cada is holding the chip lead.

Cada holds more than a two to one chip lead over Moon who entered final table play in the chip lead. Cada currently has 136,925,000 while Moon only has 58,875,000 in chips. Moon is pretty much sitting the same in chips during earlier play at the final table but Cada kept his chip stack growing.

If Cada is able to earn the title win he will be the youngest Main Event ever, passing Peter Eastgate who won the event last year. It will also be a great comeback during Main Event play and definitely will make the record books.

Cada took out Antoine Saout in third place while Moon managed to take down three of the final table players. Phil Ivey was eliminated by Moon in seventh place, Steve Begleiter was eliminated in sixth and Eric Buchman was eliminated in fourth by Moon.

The action starts in just a few hours and the eventual winner will walk away with $8.5 million in cash while the second place finisher will take home $5.2 million. It will definitely be interesting and we will keep you updated on all the heads up action.

Missouri Men Formally Charged for Using Fake Poker Chips

Two men from Missouri have been charged with conspiring to defraud an Oklahoma casino by using fake poker chips. William Reece Lancaster age 49 and Mark Vernon Edmiston age 45 were charged by a Tulsa federal grand jury for using the counterfeit poker chips at the Seneca Cayuga Grand Lake Casino.

The two men used the fake poker chips at the casino from September 11^th to October 8^th and authorities have stated they believe the men got away with more than $25,000 of the casinos money. Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Shores released the information on when and how much money was taken during the scam.

Lancaster and Edmiston are accused of cashing in the fake chips and exchanging them for legitimate chips at the casino. The two men introduced the bogus chips into play at the casino which in turn was “illegal and fraudulently stealing funds and money of the Seneca Cayuga Grand Lake Casino”.

It was security personnel at the casino that detected the alleged activity. Both men were arrested in October but now are free on bond. Authorities have not released how or where the two men acquired the counterfeit poker chips.

As the economy worsens and more people are struggling to earn money or find jobs it seems that instances like these become more prevalent. Hopefully at some point in the near future the economy will straighten up and these types of occurrences will cease or become less prevalent.

U.S. Poker Championship to Air on Spike Network

The U.S. Poker Championship began just yesterday and will continue until the 24^th of November. Fans and players alike will be excited to hear that this year they will be able to view the Main Event without having to be on site as the Spike Network is planning to air footage of the event.  So for those who cannot make the event it will be televised for their enjoyment.

The Main Event of the U.S. Poker Championship has a $5,000 buy-in and will take place at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Trump Entertainment and Compass Entertainment LLC have signed an agreement to work together to broadcast the main event on the Spike Network.

Compass Entertainment LLC is a Las Vegas-based production company with a history in the poker industry. The company filmed the reality television show Rounder Life as well as the poker movie Deal which starred Shannon Elizabeth and Burt Reynolds.

"It's hugely exciting to have the USPC back on national TV," said Tom Gitto, director of poker operations at the Taj Mahal. "We knew that in order to ensure that the USPC would be more attractive to poker players we would need a solid TV deal."

"We are ecstatic to be teamed up with Trump Entertainment and we look forward to delivering a top notch production," said a spokesperson for Compass Entertainment.

The Main event will begin on November 20^th and the U.S. Poker Championship will have a total of twenty four events. A $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha Championship event has also been added to the lineup which will be televised as well.

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