Online gambling image by befuddle via Flickr

Representative (Rep.) Barney Frank has recently picked up two more supporters for his online gambling bill, which would bring an end to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Mike Thompson from California is supporter number 50 and Rep. Daniel B. Maffei from New York is number 51.

“Rep. Frank has received major support from both New York and California in his efforts to change Internet gambling laws,” said observer Mike Ralley, “already, there are 13 co-sponsors from New York and five from California.”

California lawmakers are already considering legalizing online poker, which could potentially bring in millions of dollars in revenue for the state. And New York Governor David A. Patterson, who is a proponent of allowing more options for gambling in his state, has recently expanded New York’s land-based casino gambling options.

“These lawmakers are starting to realize just how out of touch previous lawmakers were when they adopted the UIGEA,” said observer Mark Freely. “The new administration seems much more in tune with what people in the U.S. want, and clearly, people want the right to gamble online legally.”

Rep. Frank understood this from the beginning and has fought hard over the years for people’s right to do whatever they want with their money in their own homes. A Republican-led Congress held Frank back in his previous efforts to get rid of the UIGEA but Frank has political numbers in his favor this time around, now that Democrats hold the majority in both the House and the Senate. Frank is also receiving a lot of support from Republicans who want to position their party as more friendly to the growing number of online gamblers.

Needless to say, online gambling site owners and trade associations are in full support. Even sites that offer free online roulette and other non-paying games of chance have a dog in this fight, because those sites provide gateways to paid games, such as online video poker (or online pokies, as it’s called in Europe and Australia), slots, black jack and many other forms of Internet gambling. All eyes are watching the progress of this initiative, because there’s a lot of money at stake.

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Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey fired another salvo in the battle to legalize online gambling, by unveiling S 1597, the Internet Poker and Games of Skill Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act. He’s taking us one step closer to enabling all those grandmothers and just plain folks who want to play bingo online or even get adventurous and learn to play video poker.

The legislation would explicitly legalize and regulate games of skill, clarifying that the U.S. government views poker, bridge, mahjongg, backgammon and chess as games in which a player’s skill dominates the outcome.

According to the bill text, which is 89 pages long: “While each of these games contains an element of chance, over any substantial interval, a player’s ultimate success is determined by that player’s relative level of skill.”

Menedez’s bill focuses heavily on online poker, stating that “Poker is part of the cultural and recreational fabric of the United States and has been since the founding days of the United States. United States poker aficionados have included presidents, judges, and statesmen.”

The move comes a few months after Representative Barney Frank proposed HR 2267, legislation that would both legalize and regulate all online gambling. Like Frank’s HR 2267, S 1597 would establish a licensing and regulatory framework for the online casino gambling industry in the United States. HR 2267 was introduced exactly three months ago and now has 54 co-sponsors.

Rep. Frank and Senator Menendez are both actively pursuing the reversal of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006, which has caused more than its share of confusion and problems because of its lack of clarity about what constitutes online gambling. Frank is already on his second attempt to overturn the UIGEA; the first was denied by a Republican Congress. But this year Democrats Frank and Menendez have the majority in their respective chambers, in addition to wide Republican support. Many GOP leaders are beginning to understand that legalized gambling is the will of the people.

Believe it or not, the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is just around the corner. In fact, the schedule for the 2010 WSOP has been released and contains several interesting changes made that should benefit both pro and amateur players looking to get their share of WSOP glory.

More $1,000 Events
In addition to the customary $1,000 Seniors and Ladies events, this year there will be six $1,000 No Limit Hold’em events. Last year’s $1,000 “Stimulus Event” drew such a positive reaction from players that Harrah’s decided to keep this level of buy-in for the WSOP. It’s hard for many people to come up with the $1,500 or more that most WSOP events require, and by cutting the price down by one-third, the door is opened for many more players. (If $1,000 is still too much for you, there are single table satellites at the WSOP for these events that start at $125.) As can be expected, the fields will be huge for these events.

$50,000 Event Gets Face Lift
Many poker sites have some version of a mixed game that includes No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha. For the first time in World Series of Poker history, the WSOP has decided to change the $50,000 HORSE Event to a $50,000 Players Championship and switch the format to 8-Game. The format for this event will be HORSE, plus No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha and 2-7 Triple Draw Low-ball.

New $25,000 Event
For those wanting an event with a prize larger than $10,000 but not as massive as $50,000, there is now the $25,000 Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em event. Six-handed events have become popular online, as they require greater skill to play. This event is expected to have a lot of online stars take part and should prove to be action-packed.

Re-buys are absent yet again from this year’s schedule and the November Nine will make a return for the third year in a row. For a complete breakdown of the schedule, head over to the WSOP website.

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Bob Stupak, the infamous Las Vegas entrepreneur and poker player, lost his battle  at age 67 with leukemia on September, 25, 2009. He was well-known not only for his ambitious 1,149-foot-tall Stratosphere Tower, but also for his charm and mischievousness.

According to Las Vegas mayor, Oscar Goodman, “Bob was an impresario, a ringmaster in the mold of the promoters who made Las Vegas the great town that it is. His ingenuity got him into trouble sometimes, but that happens to folks who try to grab the brass ring. I’ll miss his impishness.”

He was renowned for that “impishness,” which manifested itself in many forms. Just one example of many was the time he slapped a TV reporter who asked him if he was drunk while interviewing him about his failed run for Las Vegas mayor in 1987.

Stupak also raised eyebrows when he proposed the Stratosphere, which opened in 1996, went bankrupt and was sold soon after. As he put it, “They thought I was a complete, oh, for lack of a better word, fruitcake — and maybe they were right.”

“He had a really big idea with the Stratosphere, but it was a little before its time. Love him or not, he wasn’t afraid of anyone or anything,” said former Las Vegas mayor Jan Jones.

But Stupak backed up his bravado with some real poker skills. And he had the hardware to prove it: he entered World Series of Poker (WSOP) history when he won a bracelet in 1989 for a deuce-to-seven lowball event. His skills got him a place at the table on the Game Show Network’s High Stakes Poker, which put him back in the limelight after some time away to take care of his failing health.

But Stupak wasn’t all flash; he had a soft and charitable side too. In the mid-1990s he offered $100,000 for information to help solve the case of a Las Vegas child who had been shot to death on Halloween. He also gave money to homeless organizations and personally fed meals to thousands of homeless people. While his charitable acts served to balance out his wilder side, it also made him even more of an enigma.

But he knew his reputation well. As he said, ”The last thing I’ve ever been all my life is normal. I’ve accomplished what I have by being nothing close to normal.”

Stupak requested that his body be cremated and that there not be a funeral. His family has asked that anyone who wants to honor his memory send contributions to the Stupak Community Center:

The Stupak Trust
300 South Fourth St., Suite 701
Las Vegas, NV 89101

The Tropicana Casino in Las Vegas was once one of the hot properties on the Vegas Strip and a great place to play poker. But hard times and bankruptcy proceedings slowly whittled away at their image and until earlier this month, they were considered yesterday’s news.

But new owners the Onex Corporation; along with the Tropicana’s new CEO,  former MGM Mirage President Alex Yemenidjian; don’t accept that fate. In fact, they expect be able to return the Tropicana to its former glory.

Yemenidjian knows they face an uphill battle with the Tropicana, which just came out of a one-year Chapter 11 bankruptcy period the first week in July. But according to him, there’s “nothing more rewarding than watching people who say something can’t be done being interrupted by people who are doing it.”

Having a fresh infusion of cash will certainly help Yemenidjian and company achieve that goal though. The Tropicana emerged from bankruptcy with more than $10 million in cash and $75 million in commitments from its new owners and other equity holders. This means funding is in place for major renovations, which are planned for all aspects of the Tropicana, including pool, spa, casino and poker room upgrades, a nightclub and expanded dining options. Renovations are expected to begin later this year be complete in 2010.

So, if you go to Vegas in 2010, stop by the Tropicana and say “shuffle up and deal!” With all the money being poured into the restoration, the newly posh casino will probably attract some poker stars like Annie Duke, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson and others. You never know, it might just be a good place to go poker-star gazing.