In yet another sign that poker is becoming more mainstream, PokerStars has signed a deal with FOX Sports that will have the poker room promoted on FOX’s website. PokerStars is the largest online poker website in the world and FOX Sports is one of the largest and most popular sports companies in America, perhaps trumped only by ESPN.

The partnership is an attempt to bring more publicity to PokerStars’ free poker website, PokerStars.net. The free poker website will be hosted on FOXSports.com and allow people to play poker for free on FOX as well as get updates on any poker news. In return for promoting the poker site, FOX Sports gets in on the poker market, which to this point has been dominated by ESPN, who, among other things, televises the World Series of Poker tournament. The idea is to make FOX Sports the number-one source of poker information on the internet, aside from Gambling Review, of course.

It is a deal that is mutually beneficial and both sides seem very excited. FOX’s Jim Bernard, the Vice President of Gaming, said that “poker enthusiasts are some of the most fanatical and engaged sports fans on the web today. We look forward to delivering the poker experience to our 26 million viewers.” Way to brag about your viewers, Jim. Okay, so Gambling Review doesn’t quite have 26 million yet, but we’re getting there. Bernard also said some of the customary “PokerStars is awesome” type of statements, as expected.

In return, Joe Versaci, North America Regional Marketing Director for PokerStars, told everyone how awesome FOX Sports is, saying that they host the “best live and editorial content on thousands of sporting and gaming events every week. This tie-in will see FOXSports.com and PokerStars.net combine the best live and editorial content with the web’s best online poker games.”

PokerStars, as you probably know, also has an online poker room where you play for real money (PokerStars.com). However, only the free version can be offered in the United States without having to worry about how the government will react. Plus, FOX Sports would never get involved in a controversial issue like paid online poker. On the other hand, if UIGEA is overturned and online poker made clearly legal, all bets are off.

When you first start taking part in competitive activities as a kid, your parents, teachers or coaches probably taught you about being sportsmanship. No one likes a sore loser. You should be able to shake the hand of the person who beat you and go on with your business. Therefore, suing a bunch of people you lost to in a poker game would normally be frowned upon. Then again, what if you lost because they were cheating? Certainly cheating is worse sportsmanship than being a sore loser. Just ask Scott Crespo.

Crespo is a resident of the U.S. state of Florida and is suing six players from Illinois in an attempt to recover what he calls “illegal poker gambling losses.” The six players named in the lawsuit raised some eyebrows because they are all poker pros: Faraz Jaka, Andy Seth, Mohsin Charania, Ravi Raghavan and Tyler Reiman.

Crespo’s lawsuit is incredibly detailed, including nearly 190 pages of tournament results. He alleges that the named players are guilty of collusion, forming a group called Poker Haus (which has its own website and is located on the University of Illinois). The lawsuit alleges that PokerHouse was used to recruit “other individuals to participate in illegal gambling activity.”

Crespo is suing for triple the amount lost to the group plus court costs. He alleges that the six players used poker software, including Poker Crusher, Poker Bot Pro, Pocket Aces and more, for the purpose of collusion. The Poker Players Alliance has taken note of the case and has spoken to some of the accused players. They are considering having their Litigation Network represent the players.

This just in: Online gambling is becoming more popular than Facebook in the UK, according to the Nielsen Company. Nielsen is best known as a company that reports television ratings to the networks. In a recent study released by the Nielsen Company, it is reported that in the last year online gambling in the UK grew more than Facebook. Nielsen says that an additional 3.2 million people went to online gambling sites last year, which is a 40% increase from the previous year. Social media sites, including behemoth Facebook, increased by approximately 2.2 million users.

According to the study, middle-aged men were the largest demographic responsible for the increase, but it is not only men visiting online casinos. According to Nielsen, 46% of online gamblers are women. The company also stated that online poker and online bingo are the most popular games with British citizens and that online poker websites fared the best of the online gambling sites.

A number of conclusions can be drawn from this data, but the most obvious point that it is making is that online gambling is more popular than ever and continues to grow at an impressive rate. Any countries that prohibit online gambling need to look at the implications of this Nielsen study: Not only is online gambling popular, but it is becoming more popular rather than less.

To be fair, I don’t know how much faith to put in the statistics compiled by the Nielsen Company. After all, this is the same group that year after year tells us that Two and a Half Men is the most-watched comedy in America. Not only do I not know a single person who watches the show, I’ve never found a person on the planet who thinks it’s funny. Also, with all of those years of American Idol being the “most watched” show, I certainly hope Nielsen’s figures are wrong. If not, I fear for the future of America.

Still, even if you don’t have a lot of faith in Nielsen’s research, it is undeniable that gambling, particularly poker, is more popular than ever right now. A game that used to be played in a dark card room hidden from the rest of the world is now on national television. For that reason, countries that ban online gambling, such as the United States, should seriously take a look at legalizing and regulating the industry. It will make the people happier and more free and as an added benefit, the government will earn additional revenue.

This seemed like crazy talk a few years ago, but online poker is coming to the United States. Tribal casinos in more than 30 states have joined together and the collaboration will result in the first interstate online poker network in America.

Atlantis Internet Group Corporation announced today that they signed a licensing deal with Cake Gaming NV that will open up online poker in the United States. The licensing agreement will allow tribal casinos to run online poker networks on their land. The Atlantis Internet Group Corp. will use their Tribal Gaming Network, which was approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC).

This deal succeeds where Congress so far has failed. Many in Congress – most notably Barney Frank and Ron Paul – have been trying to get online gambling legislation passed, but it has stalled in the House after passing the Financial Services Committee and no bill with any support exists in the Senate. It seems increasingly unlikely that a repeal of UIGEA will happen this year. Since intrastate activity and activity on tribal casino is exempt from federal laws, the Tribal Gaming Network needs no such legislation.

The Atlantis Internet Group Corporation will run the only online poker network operating in more than one state. With it, anyone on tribal land can access the online poker network, existing on a Wide Area Progressive network (WAP) and play online poker against anyone else that is on the network.

Before UIGEA created a de facto ban on online gambling in the United States, America accounted for approximately two-thirds of the worldwide online gambling revenue. Losing that market meant online gambling operators losing a lot of money. The tribal online poker network will bring much-needed revenue to the tribes.

Donald L. Bailey, the CEO of the Atlantic Internet Group Corporation, said that the new system offers “an immediate and legal solution to Indian casinos nationwide, providing the largest online poker network in the U.S.” He also called the network a milestone and said that they will provide an “economic shot in the arm for tribes and states facing deficits nationwide.”

Visitors to online casinos and other online gambling sites increased during the month of July, according to comScore. The company, which measures all kinds of Internet statistics, stated that online gambling websites had 13.4 million unique visitors during the month of July. That is an 11 percent increase from June.

So what caused a sharp spike in interest in online gambling during the month of July? No online casino visitors were polled, but it’s a safe bet that it has something to do with a little event during July called the World Series of Poker.

According to Jeff Hackett, Senior Vice President of comScore Media Metrix, the World Series of Poker tournament prompted “millions to visit online gambling sites to test their card-playing skills.” It’s not hard to believe that the tournament, which is now thoroughly covered by the likes of ESPN, among other media sources, would lead to an increased interest in online poker.

Not surprisingly, online poker websites saw the largest gains during July. PokerStars saw an 8 percent increase, Full Tilt Poker saw a 14% increase and Ultimate Bet saw an incredible increase of 33 percent more unique visitors in the month of July.

It is not known how many of those online gambling visitors were from the United States, where the World Series of Poker is held (in Las Vegas). The U.S. federal government currently acts on a de facto online poker ban, thanks to UIGEA, even though no federal ban on online gambling exists.

comScore provides digital marketing intelligence by measuring a variety of statistics for websites, online advertising and online traffic. They use statistical research, analytics and survey tools for their research.

It’s getting harder and harder to find people who aren’t mad at Harry Reid. The U.S. Senate Majority Leader, elected by Nevada, seems to be unpopular with everyone. People on the right hate him because of his radical leftist policies. People on the left feel that he hasn’t gotten enough done for them. People in the middle realize that he’s incompetent and possibly senile. After all, several times he has accidentally voted against his own bill and had to be reminded by a colleague that he wants to vote for it. “Hey, Harry, you sponsored and wrote this bill. I think you meant to vote yes.” And then there are the Las Vegas casinos.

A large part of Nevada’s economy is based on tourism and a large part of that is in Las Vegas. For that reason, Reid has always tried to keep the casinos happy. Therefore, when the topic of legalizing online gambling came up, Reid tried to walk the tightrope. Some of his colleagues in Congress have been trying to overturn UIGEA ever since it passed in 2006, but Reid held out as long as he could and avoided giving his opinion on the issue. The reason is simple. Some Las Vegas casinos are against online gambling and others want in on the market. There is also the issue of tribal casinos to deal with.

Earlier this year, Reid – whose approval rating has been listed as low as 8%  –  finally gave in and decided to support a federal legalization of online poker. As a compromise, he opposes any other form of online gambling and only wants to allow poker. It is a stance that was meant to give him more support but instead it guarantees that he will have none.

The Vegas casinos who oppose online gambling are furious, stating that legalizing online poker puts the foot in the door for a wider online gambling expansion that they believe will hurt their businesses. Eric Dale, general manager of Baldini’s Sports Casino, says that legalizing online poker will not only hurt the casinos in Nevada, but it will also hurt the rest of the tourism industry. He says that such legislation would “take money out of the hands of those who play online, money they won’t have to go out to a restaurant, to a movie, to gamble or eat. They won’t need to come out to a physical box (like a restaurant or casino) that employs people and that scares me.”

I suppose it’s the same problem that brick and mortar stores have had with the popularity of Amazon.com and other e-commerce websites. Like those stores, Nevada businesses will have to adapt to online poker. One such adaptation would be to get into the online gambling business themselves, something Harrah’s Entertainment is already doing.

While those who oppose online gambling are mad at Reid for supporting online poker, those who support it are mad that he wants to draw the line there. Barney Frank’s bill in the House, which passed the Financial Services Committee, would legalize all online gambling except sports betting. If Reid developed a Senate bill that only allows online poker, the two bills would be incompatible and no online gambling bill could be passed. In fact, it’s hard to find anyone who agrees with Reid that online poker is fine but all other games need to be banned. So who is he pleasing? Seemingly 8% of his voters. Good luck with that reelection campaign, Harry.

Titan Poker is one of the best online poker rooms in the business because of their customer service, quality software that offers protection and fun games and more. The casino bonuses are basically the icing on the cake, though it’s pretty good icing.

At Titan Poker, players normally earn points for all money wagered. Those points accumulate and when enough are accrued they can be redeemed for cash. Soon, though, Titan will launch the Big Cash Out promotion. During that promotion, which lasts throughout the month of September, all points earned by playing cash games and poker tournaments can be cashed out more generously. As soon as you reach 1,000 points during the month, you are able to redeem those points for cash. In normal circumstances, you need at least 2,000 points before you can cash out.

The amount of money you get for your points depends on your amount of points. Instead of having a set amount, such as you get a dollar for every 100 points, it varies depending on your point total, with the number of points needed for cash going down as your point total goes up.

For example, if you have 1,000 points you can redeem it for $5, a value of $1 for every 200 points. However, if you rack up 10,000 points you can redeem that for $80, a value of $1 for every 125 points. If you accumulate 80,000 points, you can trade that for $850, which is 94 points for every dollar. If you’re such a good poker player that you accumulate 300,000 points, Titan Casino will give you $4,250 in cash. That’s a value of only 71 points for every dollar.

A full listing of the cash rewards for your loyalty points can be found on the promotions page. To take advantage of the Big Cash Out casino bonus, visit Titan Poker and play some poker during the month of September.

Poker experts are getting younger and younger. It used to be a man’s game that people didn’t expect to get mastered until you were in your thirties. Times are changing, though, primarily because of the Internet. Though in Las Vegas you have to be 21 to enter a casino, as is the case in Atlantic City and many casinos worldwide, players are starting so young that they are becoming experts at online poker well before they can even set foot inside a casino on the Vegas Strip.

It is a trend that has become so noticeable that it even caught the attention of ABC News. Last year, Joe Cada became the youngest player ever to win the World Series of Poker, earning the bracelet at the age of 22. So how did he manage to get so good at poker only a year after being allowed to enter a casino? At most online casinos, you only need to be 18. Cada says that he was able to play more than 2,000 hands per day at online poker rooms.

The ABC article cites a study by the Institute for Research and Gambling Disorders that estimates that over 70% of Americans between the ages of 14 and 19 have gambled online in the last year. Seventy percent? Is it just me or does that number seem impossibly high? I’m not sure if 70% of Americans that age have eaten ice cream in the last year! I’m not sure if 70% of Americans that age have heard a Lady Gaga song on the radio.

Of course, this estimate is coming from an institute that wants to make it look like there is a gambling problem in the country, so I wouldn’t take their statistics seriously. Whatever the real number is, though, teens have more access to the game of poker than ever before.

The article also talks about Blaine Brount, a 19-year-old student at the University of Illinois who spends his summer playing online poker as a “second job.” According to Brount, he’s not playing poker to see what happens, he is “trying to make a profit.” He uses money made from online poker to pay his bills and says that “if you’re smart about it and manage your money well, it absolutely can be a real job.”

I don’t recommend players look at online poker as a career or a way to pay the bills. Like professional sports, most simply aren’t good enough. No matter how much you practice in the batting cage, you probably won’t ever make it onto a Major League Baseball roster. Such is the case with poker. Certainly there are professional poker players and some people – including Cada – are good enough to do that for a living, but most aren’t.

However, this story does make one important thing very clear: Poker is a game of skill. You don’t hear about professional slots players or professional roulette players. That’s because they are games of chance that no one can do well enough to be profitable. With poker, though there is some chance involved, they are games primarily of skill and with enough skill, profits can certainly be made. Does that mean we should all encourage our teenage children to play online poker? Maybe not, but we should certainly remove the stigma that poker has in our society.

This weekend, liberal bloggers, reporters and other activists got together in Las Vegas for one big evil progressive seminar called the Netroots Nation convention. It was a seminar in which radicals cried that the Obama administration is moving too slowly and hasn’t transformed the country enough, as if they expected us to already be a militarized nation under totalitarian rule at this time. Not quite yet. It was a conference where radicals lamented the lack of a public option (so far) in Obamacare, the fact that America is still a somewhat-capitalist country and the fact that Americans are starting to recognize radical organizations like the Tides Foundation, which basically launders money for radicals.

Even in a convention based on pushing agendas with which I couldn’t possibly disagree more, there was some positives, the main one being discussion on online poker. Professional poker player Andy Bloch, current Full Tilt sponsor and a former member of the MIT blackjack team, spoke about the industry. At the seminar, Bloch called on the government to legalize and regulate online poker, stating that denying Americans the ability to play the game violates their freedom of choice. Pro-freedom speeches aren’t exactly the norm at progressive conventions like Netroots, but the people were willing to hear him out.

Bloch said that a ban on online poker goes against freedom of choice and a free Internet and stressed that the activity is a mainstream one that people of all political stripes watch on TV. If it’s too dangerous for people to do, why are ESPN, Bravo, E! and countless other channels allowed to televise it?

Since he was speaking to radicals at Netroots, Bloch was sure to also take on a progressive tone regarding online poker. He talked about the additional revenue the government could generate and the responsibility of the government to protect people from themselves. Bloch said that the government is “forgoing billions in tax revenue when our budgets are most in need.” He also said that by not regulating the online poker industry, the government is “ignoring their responsibility to protect children and other vulnerable members of our society.”

Never mind the fact that protecting people from themselves is not the role of the government. Putting that aside, Bloch made good points at the convention, particularly when he criticized the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and pointed out that, despite the federal government’s opinion, some form of poker is legal in 48 out of 50 American states.

And that is where I agree with Bloch. If the federal government just gets out of the way and lets states handle the question of online poker, things will be a lot better. I imagine most states will opt to legalize online poker and many will tax it for additional revenue. An activity like poker was never meant to have federal intervention and that intervention must stop.

Ah, government regulation. Many online poker players and proponents of online casinos support governments regulating online gambling because that gives them easier access to the games. In some countries, it would also take a currently illegal activity and make it legal. There is a problem that goes along with government regulation, though. Actually, there are many problems, but a major one is money. You see, governments aren’t going to regulate an industry out of the kindness of their hearts. They do it for tax revenue.

France recently opened up their online gambling market to foreign operators so online casinos based overseas could attract French customers. This was seen as a victory for supporters of online gambling in France. However, the legislation also mandated a 2% tax increase on all new online gambling sites. Those are sites that are new or new to the French market. For that reason, all overseas online casinos that entered the French market were slapped with a 2% tax increase.

Liberals and other people who know nothing about business would say, “So what? Those rich casinos can afford to pay more money. I don’t care if their taxes went up, since it doesn’t affect me.” The problem is, whenever you raise taxes on businesses it does affect you. It affects anyone who is a customer or partner of that business and anyone employed by that business. When hit with a higher tax, businesses will usually pass that extra cost on to their customers. That is exactly what online casinos are doing.

Most online poker sites operating in the French market have increased the rake by 2%. Some of those casinos and poker rooms are reporting rakes as high as 7.7%. That means it is costing the online poker players a lot of money and they are not too happy about it.

To protest the higher rakes, many online poker players have organized “sit out” protests. This method has the players signing up at poker tables but then refusing to play. With them occupying the table, no one else can take their spot and the casino loses money. Their goal is to force the online casinos and poker rooms to lower the rake percentage. The casinos, however, say that they have been losing money ever since France enacted the new gambling laws and instituted the tax increase and the only way they can remain profitable is to increase the rake.

And there you have the problem. The government running an industry is always bad for the industry, but it’s even worse for the consumers. The poker players don’t want to pay the high rake, but it’s necessary for the casinos to stay in business thanks to the tax hike by the government. Without that additional tax revenue, though, the government would not allow the casinos to operate in their country. It is a situation where nobody wins.