3-Bet: Patrik Antonius to Open Poker Room in Monte Carlo, Australia Introduces Bill to Restrict Online Gambling & Wynn`s Disneyland-like Project Receives Green Light

3-Bet
  • Profile picture
  • PG News May 2, 2017
  • 3 Minutes Read

In this edition of PokerGuru 3-Bet we bring news of Finnish poker player Patrik Antonius cooking up a secret project to open a new poker room in Monte Carlo. In other news, Australia has introduced a bill to restrict online gambling operations in the country. Rounding up the report is news of Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn’s proposed $1.5 billion project called Paradise Park, which has received the green light from the casino operator’s board.

 

Patrik Antonius to Open Poker Room in Monte Carlo

Patrik Antonius is back. The Finnish poker player had been conspicuous by his absence for the last couple of years. His last live cash is from August 2015, and he hasn’t logged into his online accounts to play high stakes for months either.

The player made a return in Monaco where he was spotted playing Day 2 of the €100,000 Super High Roller at the 2017 PokerStars Championship presented by Monte-Carlo Casino®.

The former Full Tilt Poker Pro has been focusing on life in Monaco with his family, but he’s been playing live cash games as well.

“I’m very happy with my life situation, I can’t complain. You know, I haven’t been traveling for the events. Life changes a little bit and my lifestyle has changed as well,” he stated.

“I’ve been here in Monaco with my family, my kids are growing and I don’t really want to be months and months away from home anymore,” he added. “I wished we would have more, bigger and regular games in Europe.”

He admitted to be lacking tournament experience. “I can’t say that I’m a very experienced tournament player anymore. I was playing a lot of tournaments in 2005 and 2006, but for the last eight years or so, I’ve played fewer than 10 tournaments a year.”

But instead of just talking about the good old days where he played in big games in London, Paris and Monaco, he’s been working on setting up his own poker room. He’s cooking up a secret project that he hopes will set the standard.

Without revealing much details about the project he just said “…but if we could get a nice poker room in Europe, that would be good for a lot of people”

On being pressed further, Antonius shared he’s in the final stages of setting up a poker room in Monaco. He said there’s a market because there’s a group of players who want to play “decently high stakes” but aren’t interested in much travel.

“People would fly here from all over the world,” he said. “It would be very easy to organise good games here. We just have to get proper rake so it’s reasonable.”

Antonius is contemplating going back to Asia for action before his European venture becomes a reality.

“I know there’s going to be more games in Asia for me,” he said. “It’s somewhere there on my plans, but not on the top of my list.”

 

Australia Introduces Bill to Restrict Online Gambling Operations

A new bill to tighten restrictions on offshore operators that operate online gambling services in Australia has been unveiled by the federal government.

The Communications Minister, Mitch Fifield, introduced the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 into parliament, which aims to stymie online gambling operations.

According to media reports, the federal, state and territory ministers will prohibit online betting companies from offering credit to gamblers and also require them to offer self-exclusion programs. There are 11 new measures altogether in the reform agreement.

Alan Tudge, the Human Services Minister, said, “Currently hundreds of illegal gambling services are easily accessible on the internet and we know that people are more likely to get into trouble online – 2.7% of interactive gamblers are problem gamblers compared to 0.9% of all gamblers. We expect online wagering providers to meet community expectations. The tougher laws will seriously disrupt illegal offshore providers from acting unscrupulously or targeting vulnerable Australians.”

“The government is committed to taking tougher action against illegal offshore wagering providers and this bill does exactly that.”

A 2015 study of illegal online gambling happening in the country recommended closing “loopholes” that allowed Aussies to play on offshore poker platforms. The problem gambling reforms also stem from that review.

The moves come at a time when online gambling in Australia is growing at 15% year-over-year. The government is also looking at implementing blocks on Internet service providers to combat offshore gambling sites.

 

Steve Wynn`s Disneyland-like Project Gets Green Light

Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn’s proposed $1.5 Billion project called Paradise Park has received the green light from the casino operator’s board.

According to media reports, the construction of a 20-some-acre lagoon, along with a new hotel, additional nightlife and dining attractions and a small gaming floor, could now begin as early as December. The project is on land where a golf course sits next to Wynn’s two existing Strip casinos.

Wynn’s much ambitious Disneyland-like project will have “a great show like they have at Disneyland, only bigger.”

The project comes at a time when Nevada is relying less on gaming revenue than ever before. The casino industry makes 40% of its revenue from gambling, with the rest coming from hotels, nightlife, food and beverage, and so on.

“The people are gonna be here,” Wynn said last April. “I don’t give a damn if they put a nickel in a slot machine. I want them to pay my admission, I want them to stay in my rooms—I want them to drink my booze and eat our food.”

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Top Online Poker Rooms

Top
PokerGuru