While many former PokerStars and Comprehensive Tilt employees are on their way to avoid it, Rafi Ashkenazi is on his way in as the CEO that is new of Rational Group.
The Rational Group has called Rafi Ashkenazi its new chief executive officer to oversee the PokerStars and Full Tilt internet poker brands as parent company Amaya guides the companies into its next chapter operating in america.
New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) took many months to investigate whether Amaya’s licensing application was included with the merit the state required for approval.
The DGE ultimately ratified the request but with a number of stipulations including first of all that Rational and PokerStars must sever ties and all sorts of employment with people identified by the DGE as having did not establish ‘good character, integrity and honesty.’
Ashkenazi served once the COO of Playtech before joining Rational in 2013 and being promoted to senior vice president of technique for Amaya in April of this year.
‘I anticipate re-joining the excellent team at Rational Group,’ Ashkenazi said in a press release. ‘We have great opportunities in the near future with our upcoming launch in New Jersey, the expansion of our casino and sports-betting organizations and our mission to cultivate the poker category.’
Climate Change
Even though the Garden State’s DGE didn’t specifically name which former or present employees failed to meet their ethical minimums, it was mostly suspected that it included Director of Operations Israel Rosenthal, General Manager Serge Bourenkov, Chief Technology Officer Charles Fabian, and Rational Group Interim CEO Michael Hazel.
Ashkenazi submitted to a sworn interview with DGE officials, and the agency found no wrongdoings or discrepancies that are ethical his time working with Rational or Amaya.
Amaya CEO praised their job performance, saying Rafi is ‘working very closely this season with our executive management team’ and it is an ‘ideal leader for the Rational Group.’
Hazel’s exit appears to verify the DGE told Amaya to reduce the executive to royal vegas casino review their relationship, but Rational also confirmed that Rosenthal will always be on in his part and report to Ashkenazi.
Promoting Within
New Jersey’s thorough enquiry into PokerStars and Comprehensive Tilt’s corporate governance since being acquired for $4.9 billion by Amaya in June of 2014 predominantly came down to determining the ethical standards associated with the group’s new leaders.
The poker networks were labeled ‘bad actors’ by the federal government for continuing to operate in the usa following passage associated with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.
After the seizing of their assets on April 15, 2011, it was largely thought PokerStars’ days in America was forever folded.
America loves a great comeback, and a second chance is precisely exactly what New Jersey has afforded the world’s most robust on-line poker network.
Amaya’s buying of the two platforms for nearly $5 billion along with the corporation now publicly traded on Nasdaq, one might think Baazov would be wise to hire from outside merely to gain all of the favor he can with state and regulators that are federal.
Nevertheless the 2015 PokerStars is no further the PokerStars that the Scheinbergs founded back in 2011.
It is now under Baazov’s leadership, a 35-year-young ceo that apparently has absolutely nothing to hide.
It is WSOP November Nine Fever Time as Final Table Kicks off (Almost) Live on ESPN This Sunday
The 2015 November Nine form a cast of colorful characters for this year’s final playdown. Play will resume on November 8th as six Americans, a Belgian, an Israeli, and an Italian vie for poker’s glory that is greatest. (Image: WSOP.com)
The WSOP November Nine are set to rumble for one of the primary prizes around if you like money. Yup, the table that is final of 46th Annual World Series of Poker will play down on ESPN beginning this Sunday.
After nearly four months’ hiatus, the final nine players are back again to do battle for the $7,680,021 top prize and a devote the history of poker history.
A total of 6,420 players set up the $10,000 buy-in last summer, each dreaming of winning the big one. And after seven times play there were simply nine left, each now currently a millionaire, with a guaranteed minimum payday that is ninth-place of1,001,020.
The Players
But ultimately there might be only one champion. Might it be chip leader Joe McKeehen, a 24-year-old pro poker player from North Wales, Pennsylvania? By having a whopping 158 blinds that are big play with, McKeehen will be the guy to beat.
At 72 years old, could Belgium’s Pierre Neuville, already the oldest-ever November Niner, become probably the most senior poker world champion of all time in an event that is top-tier? The toy that is former renounced poker for many of his adult life before a near-death experience convinced him to adhere to his dreams again. Sitting in fourth place, Neuville has 53 big blinds and a shot at the title.
So too does well-known pro Max Steinberg, whom parlayed a $27 DraftKings deposit into a seat at the table that is final a chance to win the top one. Steinberg is the only November Niner this 12 months having a WSOP bracelet, which he found in 2012.
The staying six players comprise four Us citizens, an Israeli, and an Italian in Federico Butteroni, who, since the short stack coming in on Sunday with only 15 big blinds, will likely be clinging on by your skin of his teeth.
Where you can View the nine november
Cards go in the atmosphere at 5 pm PST on Sunday, November 8th during the Penn & Teller Theater in the Rio Casino in nevada. The ESPN broadcast is going to be operating on a 30-minute time delay, for a 5.30 pm PST kick off. This means that, as is the truth for the last few years, players should be able to review action that is previous beaks, hole cards and all.
The players are back minus three on . Finally, the past two players standing will meet up once more on at 5.30pm on for the heads-up finale and the crowning of the champion tuesday.
On Sunday, though, the function will resume with 57 minutes, 36 seconds left on the clock in Level 35, with antes at 50,000 and blinds at 200,000 and 400,000. Thomas Cannuli, in Seat 5 has the button.
RAWA Scheduled for Second House December that is hearing 9
Rep. Jason Chaffetz is turning his focus back from campaigning for House Speaker to pushing RAWA, the measure that is anti-gambling by casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson. (Image: Bill Clark/rollcall.com)
RAWA, the Restoration of America’s Wire Act, is restoring its very own odds of success after it was established that the lingering legislation would get its second hearing in the House of Representatives on December 9.
Authored and introduced by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), RAWA (HR 707) would restore the Wire Act to prohibit contrary to the online transmitting of ‘any bet or wager, or information assisting in the placing of any bet or wager (thus making such prohibition applicable to any or all kinds of gambling activities, including online gambling).’
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) was first to confirm the scheduled hearing, saying the homely House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will host the discussion.
‘Anti-Internet #poker congressman to hold RAWA hearing in his Committee on 12/09,’ the PPA tweeted. ‘Will need everyone to make their voice heard #nopokerban’
Wire Fraud
The debate between those in benefit and those against online gambling is a discussion that essentially concerns the precise interpretation of this Wire Act, a federal bill that was passed right back in 1961 long before the net was commonplace.
In 2011, the Department of Justice released a controversial opinion on the Wire Act stating that the law only specifies sports betting but maybe not other kinds of wagering like popular casino games.
That opened the floodgates for states to legalize online casinos, although the flooding ended up being more of a drip as only three states have since decriminalized online gambling.
What exactly does the Wire Act actually say?
‘Whoever being engaged in business of betting or wagering knowingly uses a wire communication center for the transmission in interstate or foreign business of bets or wagers or information assisting within the placing of bets or wagers on any event that is sporting contest, or for the transmission of a wire communication which entitles the recipient to get money or credit as a consequence of bets or wagers, or for information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers, shall be fined perhaps not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.’
The question becomes, does the word ‘contest’ in the Wire Act constitute gambling games? How about poker, a game that is partially considering skill?
Various Viewpoints
The last time Chaffetz held a hearing on RAWA it don’t go so well. Last March, a home Judiciary subcommittee listened to testimony from five witnesses, but only 1 or two were also remotely against passing legislation that is anti-gambling.
For several hours, the witnesses were grilled in the perils and consequences of legalizing such a business and were enticed to advocate the advantages of restoring the Wire Act.
Political observers noted the imbalance among the panelists, and little momentum was garnered from the hearing for Chaffetz. ‘My feeling is we walked as a potentially hearing that is really bad walked away with plenty of doubt about the bill,’ PPA Executive Director John Pappas said at the time.
Chaffetz recently campaigned to replace House that is outgoing Speaker Boehner (R-Ohio) but conceded once Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) expressed interest. Now Chaffetz is time for his anti-gambling crusade.