Wednesday was a big day for Michigan online poker players as the State Senate passed a package of bills that make online poker, sports betting, daily fantasy sports and online casino legal inside state borders.

Hosted by PocketFives President and Editor in Chief Lance Bradley and poker writer Matt Clark, The Fives runs each week and covers the latest poker news, preview upcoming events, and interview players and industry leaders.

December capped off a relatively quiet year on the poker legislation front in the US. However, the month itself was fairly eventful. Let’s take a look back at what legislative events happened in December, in case you missed it.

After being at the forefront of the regulatory efforts in Congress for several years, former Senate Majority Leader and current Nevada Senator Harry Reid (pictured) has now firmly aligned himself with billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson in his fight against online gambling in the US.

If you were hiding under a rock, you missed the two-hour-long fear-mongering fest that was a House Judiciary Subcommittee’s hearing on Restoring America’s Wire Act, a bill that comes at the behest of Sheldon Adelson. It ended with a threat for a markup and among those in the room on Capitol Hill during the hearing… Continue reading PPA On RAWA Hearing: “This Bill Should Die Today”

In the last couple of weeks, we’ve learned that the main man in the US Senate championing Sheldon Adelson‘s (pictured) legislation to ban internet gambling, Lindsey Graham, has never sent an e-mail. We’ve also learned that Adelson’s camp was a no-show at the Conservative Political Action Conference to debate the merits of i-gaming. Are those… Continue reading Is RAWA All About the Money?

On Wednesday, Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT, pictured) reintroduced legislation to ban internet gambling in the United States, presumably at the behest of Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson. A press conference was held at 11:00am Eastern Time for Chaffetz to trumpet his latest attack on our industry.

This week, Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson hijacked the critical Attorney General confirmation proceedingsin the House Judiciary Committee. One of his minions, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who is “testing the waters” for a 2016 Presidential bid, took time during the hearing to ask Attorney General candidate Loretta Lynch about the 2011 clarification of the… Continue reading PPA: “Just Because It Isn’t True Doesn’t Mean Our Opponents Won’t Say It”

We hope you enjoyed the break. For about four weeks, the online poker industry didn’t have to hear about Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson‘s one-man crusade to rid the United States of internet gambling forever. However, according to TownHall, the ageless wonder is back, and the chalkboard-scratching is louder than ever.

We closed the 2014 calendar year focusing on legislation spearheaded by Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson called Restoring America’s Wire Act. The bill, which would have banned internet gambling and online poker in the US, ended up being stunted in the waning moments of Congress, but according to Poker Players AllianceExecutive Director John Pappas… Continue reading PPA: “No Doubt” Anti-Internet Gambling Legislation Will Be Re-Introduced

On Wednesday, PocketFives published an article about California Assemblyman Mike Gatto introducing AB 9, dubbed the Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act. As several members of PocketFives pointed out, the intrastate online poker bill has some serious issues, as it requires deposits at brick-and-mortar casinos, criminalizes players who play on non-regulated sites, and shuts out companies… Continue reading PPA on New California Online Poker Bill: “Too Many Flaws to Support It”

One of the major headlines of November was the departure of Ultimate Gaming from the Nevada market. The company, which left New Jersey in September, said of shuttering its Nevada site, “The state-by-state approach to online gaming has created an extremely cost-prohibitive and challenging operating environment. These factors have combined to make the path to… Continue reading PPA on Ultimate Poker Closing: “Being First Does Not Equate to Being the Best”

In a notice posted on FullTiltPokerClaims.com, the Garden City Group, the appointed Claims Administrator for US Full Tilt refunds, issued a warning on Monday to petitioners who failed to provide correct social security information. In fact, giving incomplete or incorrect social security information could result in a player’s claim being denied.

In recent days, PokerUpdate and others have brought up the possibility of the Sheldon Adelson-backed Restoration of America’s Wire Act (S 2159, RAWA) adding a carve-out for online poker during the so-called “lame duck” Congressional session in November. PokerUpdate reported on Saturday, “As Chris Grove reported from C5’s US Online Gaming Conference, Bally Tech’s John… Continue reading PPA: “No Reason to Believe Sheldon Adelson Supports Online Poker in Any Form”

On the cover of Newsweek Magazine‘s August 22 edition will be a child in a white t-shirt holding a tablet with playing cards on it. Below him in big black letters are the words “Poker Face,” which accompany an article from Leah McGrath Goodman entitled, “How Washington Opened the Floodgates to Online Poker, Dealing Parents… Continue reading PPA Calls Newsweek Attack on Online Poker “A Failure in Journalism”