Poker News Digest 11/1/2008 – 11/4/2008

PokerStars, the largest poker room on the internet, has officially banned the use of Sharkscope.com, as well as the Sharkscope HUD, while playing at its virtual tables.  Sharkscope is a database of over 178 million sit-and-go tournaments from over a dozen different online poker networks.  Players can login to the site, research their opponents, and determine how strong they are at single table tournaments.  The HUD gives players the ability to do this automatically when they sit down with other players.  PokerStars disallows shared databases of player results and considers them an unfair advantage.  As Sharkscope is a shared database, giving players the opportunity to access information on opponents without collecting it first-hand, it has finally been put on PokerStars’ blacklist of prohibited software.  Those who are caught using it while their PokerStars client is open may receive a warning, temporary suspension, or outright account closure.  Some critics believe that this rule will hurt those who follow the rules, as people who wish to use Sharkscope could use it from a second computer while playing at PokerStars. 

·         In September, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) outlined its sanctions against UltimateBet for the online poker room’s responsibility for the cheating scandal that, along with the one at sister site Absolute Poker, has rocked the internet poker world in the past year.  The KGC levied a $1.5 million fine upon UltimateBet, required that it get rid of anyone in its company that the KGC found “unsuitable,” begin repayment of cheated customers by November 3, and provide the KGC’s lead inspector, Frank Catania, all gaming records.  UltimateBet has now petitioned the KGC for an extension on the requirements because of the legal issues of the poker room’s former owner, Excapsa.  Excapsa is in the process of being liquidated and, according to Catania, is the company that is really responsible for repaying customers, as the cheating occurred primarily under its watch.  Additionally, Tokwiro, the current owner of UltimateBet and Absolute, just won a lawsuit this week against Excapsa and has been awarded an undisclosed amount of money.  Catania has stated that his goal is for UltimateBet to get all harmed players their money, even if it means taking a bit longer than expected.

·         In an interesting move, the Merge Gaming Network (Carbon Poker), has decided to stop accepting any players from the state of Kentucky.  At the same time, any current customers from Kentucky will still be allowed to play on the network as usual.  In October, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear moved to seize the 141 internet gambling domain names in an admitted effort to protect Kentucky’s brick and mortar gambling industry, including horse racing.   The actions were upheld by Judge Thomas Wingate, who said that any online gambling sites that blocked players from Kentucky would not have their domain names seized.