MOSAK has been following the recent reversal of Black Friday over the past week and wanted to make sure our gaming friends were up to date on the new changes in online poker. In April 2011, the Department of Justice seized multiple poker domains including PokerStars and Full Tilt. Those domain owners were charged with bank fraud, illegal gambling offenses and money laundering and that Friday was quickly labeled “Black Friday” by the poker industry.
Last week, online poker operator PokerStars settled with the U.S. Department of Justice to obtain control of former industry rival Full Tilt Poker for approximately $731 million. The industry opinion is that this agreement with PokerStars signals the return of online poker in the United States. Unfortunately, it may be too late for the game of poker as the waning interest from the Black Friday fallout has hurt the game’s popularity.
As Jay Caspian Kang spelled out in a recent Grantland piece, “everthing in poker is down these days. It’s not clear if or when online poker will make a full return to the United States, and it’s possible that in the interim, something else might fill poker’s place as America’s card game of choice.”
The future of casino poker is definitely up in the air. When online poker rooms disintegrated 14 months ago, poker legend Doyle Brunson retorted that “now it’s time you step into our poker room” to all online players. That never really happened and now with this new possible option for online poker, those players may never need to step into a poker room again.
We have attached a few articles if you want to read more about the reversal and what it could mean for your casino.
PokerStars Settles
What is the Future of the Online Game?
The Certain and Uncertain Future of Poker