Poker News in Brief

WPTE Responds to Players’ Lawsuit

World Poker Tour Enterprises, Inc. released a brief statement today in response to the lawsuit filed against them by seven professional poker players. Even though the company said it has yet to read the actual complaint, it felt compelled to speak out on the matter after reading about it on the internet.

The statement offered nothing of real substance, essentially saying that the WPTE feels that the allegations are untrue and will to whatever it takes to defend itself. To close the statement, CEO Steve Lipscomb said, “We are proud of our contribution to the growth of the poker industry and are happy many players have benefited from it. Therefore, we find it disappointing that a handful of players, of the many thousands who play in WPT events each year, have decided to make these claims even as the sport continues to grow.”

Humberto Brenes Joins Team PokerStars

Online poker room, PokerStars is on a roll. Within the last month, the company added both Barry Greenstein and Victor Ramdin to its professional player roster. Now Humberto Brenes has joined Team PokerStars.

Brenes, out of Costa Rica, is a fan favorite with his entertaining, fun-loving style of play and his trademark wind-up and double-handed all-in move. He has two World Series of Poker bracelets, numerous World Poker Tour television appearances, and is currently has the most cashes at the 2006 WSOP.

PartyGaming Reports Strong Second Quarter

Even with the arrests this week of the BetOnSports.com executives, not all the news is bad in the online gambling industry. Friday, industry giant, PartyGaming, reported that second quarter revenues were up 49 percent. PartyGaming shares, traded on the London Stock Exchange, jumped almost 11 percent.

The company said it was not concerned with this week’s legal headlines, saying what it does has nothing to do with the charges brought against those indicted.

Originally published July 21, 2006