The popular Danish player, who was last seen jumping off a bridge into a frigid canal after losing a $6000 prop bet, hasn’t exactly had the greatest impact on the live poker circuit of late. He only won $14,345 in 2011. In late 2010, Eastgate retired from poker, only to return a few months later (February to be exact).

Eastgate issued this statement at the time of his return:

“Sometimes in life a person can feel lost and wake up one morning not recognizing who he is. Last summer that was how I felt. Prior to winning the WSOP in 2008, my life was very much a good solid routine of playing online poker and hanging out with my friends and family. Winning the WSOP changed that. I relocated to London and started a new life, the life of a high profile poker pro. For almost 2 years I was in a constant spotlight, travelling from poker tournament to poker tournament, doing thousands of interviews and never had a chance to catch my breath. In the whirlwind that followed winning the WSOP I lost track of the most importing thing in my life, myself.

“Last summer I decided that I wanted to stop playing poker and catch my breath and find out who I am and what I want to do with my life. Over the last 8 months I have had a chance to reconnect with my friends and most important, my family. I have spent quality time with my family and really had an opportunity to figure out who I am and what I want to do with the rest of my life. When there is no financial pressure it can sometimes be hard to get motivated to move forward as a person.

“I truly enjoy playing poker. I love the competitive element and the mental challenges of tournament poker. I feel it is important to constantly grow as a person and for a while I didn’t feel I was moving in the right direction. Having had time to think about my life and future I feel I have figured out how I can combine playing poker with a healthy life outside of poker. I do not consider this a comeback, as I always knew there was a good chance I would play poker again.”

Eastgate made headlines since winning the 2008 WSOP Main Event after auctioning his bracelet off for $147,500 to benefit UNICEF.

- Nagesh Rath

HogWildPokerLeagues.com, the original online poker league community, is launching today a new program that rewards multiple players each month for their outstanding play by staking them to $500 toward live action tournament play at a casino of their choice.

But that’s only the beginning– HogWildPokerLeagues.com will also grant one player the dream of a lifetime–a $13,000 package to play in the World Series of Poker!

And here’s what’s even better…there is no fee to participate and no monthly subscription.

All that’s required is for a player to register on the HogWildPokerLeagues.com website and sign up free to play games in the HogWild Staking Series each month. Players must play eight or more games to be eligible — and Sunday and Wednesday night qualifiers are also $200 freerolls. Participants can check the Staking Series leaderboard to watch as they play their way to the top. Only a player’s best eight games are counted. Players who finish among the leading fifteen each month will receive the $500 buy-in to their chosen casino, plus HogWild(TM) Poker apparel that declares to one and all that they’re a staked poker pro.

The player with the twelve best game performances through May 31 will be awarded with the $13,000 WSOP Main Event package.

“Players in our leagues love the fact that their game improves rapidly when they compete in our league format,” says HogWild CEO Jeff Amrein. “Along the way almost every player has a dream to be staked as a pro and we wanted to give many players that experience, rewarding them for their demonstrated skill over multiple games. Nearly 50 players will live that chance in the next three months thanks to this series.”

Players who are awarded the $500 staking prize will pick their event, have HogWild Poker verify it and then the funds will be transferred. In exchange, each player who participates must commit to providing 10% of any winnings to Poker Gives, HogWild Poker’s charity of choice. Poker Gives raises funds through poker events and private donations for mainstream charities on behalf of the poker world.

HogWild Poker was the first company to socialize poker online. Conceived initially as a way to allow players to gather their friends for virtual home games, the site expanded to become the premiere provider of player-created leagues. Anyone can now start a private or open league at no cost, and set the rules. These include choosing custom blinds, determining the length and the frequency of the games, and deciding whether to keep it private or open it to all comers.

HogWild Poker does the rest– alerting all the players via email and sending them a text just before the game starts. There are a team of moderators who guide new players and keep the atmosphere respectful. All the points and statistics are accrued, and the rankings are displayed on each league’s very own leaderboard.

There are more than 1,000 leagues already established on HogWildPokerLeagues.com. And there are several reasons for the site’s rapidly growing popularity, not the least of which is that there’s no subscription package to buy, and no display ads or banners.

Built to emphasize the player-engagement aspects of poker, HogWildPokerLeagues.com offers the most sophisticated communications tools in the game–voicechat, emails and posting to Facebook-style league walls and chat rooms. Furthermore, players can engage in Prop Bets, a feature unique to HogWild Poker. Players can purchase HogWild “Hog Bucks” currency that allows them place bounties on each other or challenge their opponents to Prop Bets such as “Best Hand of The Night,” “Last Player Standing,” or “Leader at End of Round.”

In addition to unique social-interaction features, HogWild Poker has innovated a game function that actually makes the play much more like a live game – hole cards that are dealt “down. ” When a players looks at his or her hand, their hole cards “light up” — allowing for plenty of speculation as to whether that is a signal of strength or weakness.

Top players from each league automatically advance to the “Top Hog” site-wide competition where they compete against other leagues for $500. HogWild Poker also holds regular freerolls and promotions that give players a chance to win live buy-ins.

For newcomers to poker, a locally friendly game amongst pals is a perfect solution provided by HogWild Poker. But for players with a commitment to serious play, prevailing over the long haul against the competition in a series of events–not just one where a lucky draw can make a winner–proves your enduring skill and strength. Being on the top of the HogWild Poker leaderboard establishes one’s mastery of the game.

“It’s really an amazing site. If you like online poker in leagues, HogWild is a great place to play,” says legendary pro and World Series winner Phil Hellmuth.

To get staked, play in a league or create your own league for free, go to HogWildPokerLeagues.com. You can also “like” HogWildPokerLeagues.com at http://www.facebook.com/hogwildpokerleagues or follow HogWild Poker http://twitter.com/HogWildPoker.

Iowa Senate Study Bill 3164 now makes its way to the Senate State Government Committee and is reportedly on a fast track for discussion and debate, as Senate committee members are expected to consider the measure in a matter of days. With Nevada leading the way by already accepting applications for existing casino companies located within the state to provide online poker to Nevada residents, an approval by Iowa lawmakers this week would put Iowa just slightly behind the Silver State in the race to be the first state to regulate online poker.

Citing the dangers of gambling and the belief that online poker legislation would eventually lead to all forms of online gambling being available to Iowa residents at their fingertips via the advancing technology of mobile devices being used for internet wagering, opposition to the Iowa bill is substantial, the Quad-City Times reported.

“This is just the beginning,” said Danny Carroll, a former state legislator, now affiliated with the Family Leader organization that aims to protect Iowa families. “The people of Iowa do not want it,” he added, alluding to state polls indicating an anti-gambling stance by many state residents.

Iowa State senator Jeff Danielson (D-Cedar Falls) is proposing the bill that would bring an estimated $3 to $13 million to the state in tax revenue based on a recent study that found that internet poker in Iowa would generate an expected $13 to $60 million annually. Danielson was prompted to move on his proposal by the U.S. Department of Justice’s ruling issued in December that found that the 1961 Wire Act is applicable only to wagering on sports.

“Because of the DoJ’s opinion, we believe you’ll see very quickly multi-state compacts,” Danielson said. “We believe by the end of this year you will see a handful of states continue to authorize it [online poker legislation].”

Danielson’s legislation calls for establishing an online poker network and providing a structure of regulations to implement and tax its operation. The measure would first permit intrastate wagering, followed by interstate and worldwide arrangements. Casinos licensed by the state would operate the online sites with allowances made for partnerships with hub operators controlled by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. Players must be at least 21 years of age and within state borders to log on and play.

The Iowa Gaming Association, like many poker players and lobbying groups such as Poker Players Alliance and the American Gaming Association, prefer federal legislation to address internet poker on a national level. But with the diminishing likelihood of that happening in an election year, it is apparent that states such as Iowa and Nevada will continue to move forward with their own online poker regulations.

Iowa could potentially become a Midwest hub for online poker should a system be put in place similar to that of the multi-state Powerball lottery.

From the Quad City Times:

A late-arriving bill to bring illegal online poker activities beamed into Iowa from offshore operations under state regulation is expected to get fast-track consideration in subcommittee on Monday.

The likelihood of Monday being the target day seems highly unlikely since it is a nationally observed holiday across the U.S. (President’s Day).

Iowa is one of around a dozen states now considering legalizing Internet poker after the U.S. Justice Department decided it would no longer apply the Wire Act to any form of gambling other than sports betting. This sudden change of stance – arrived at last September but only made public in late December – essentially provided state governments with a green light to legalize Web poker and other online casino games without fear of violating federal law.

- Chris Costigan

Jonathan Duhamel’s WSOP Bracelet FoundWe have just learned that Jonathan Duhamel`s stolen bracelet was found late on Wednesday night in a dumpster. The bracelet was only found by chance, it seems, as the dumpster was being hosed down following a street cleaning operation near the Ville-Marie tunnel in Montreal. An employee of Entretiens J.R. Villeneuve Inc. Reported it when he saw a shiny object covered in mud fall to his feet.

Following his discovery, he chose to inspect the bracelet and found that it was in fact WSOP winner Jonathan Duhamel`s missing bracelet.

The now 24 year old Duhamel was violently beaten in a home invasion last December. The coveted WSOP bracelet, his rolex watch and tens of thousands in cash were taken.

Duhamel`s agent has been contacted and he is expected to have his bracelet returned in short order.

He declared Thursday that the bill does not contain any such Internet poker attachment.

From the Las Vegas Review Journal:

As details of the payroll tax bill were being unfurled, Reid, the Senate majority leader from Nevada, said online poker was not in there.

He did not elaborate on a quick comment made to a reporter as he entered a Senate elevator.

Most pundits now believe that few bills will pass before Election Day in November and that Internet poker legislation will come at the state level.

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com

While Everleaf is yet to release an official statement, the company abruptly stopped allowing U.S. players last Thursday without notice. Customers were literally shut out of their accounts. News quickly surfaced that funds belonging to a payment processing company connected to Everleaf had been seized last October. That information was confirmed on Wednesday with the seizure affidavit going public.

Funds from a Liechtenstein-based payment processor were seized by a Task Force of the Secret Service field office in Seattle, Washington following a lengthy investigation begun around February 2009. The seizure affidavit specifies that online gambling is illegal in the state of Washington. In fact, Washington is the only state in the U.S. that makes playing online poker a Class C felony.

Only three of the Everleaf Gaming Network’s rooms were mentioned in the Seizure affidavit, including the network’s own room. While Everleaf card rooms appeared to use the processor, Causash Establishment, exclusively, Everleaf itself did not seem to have been the target. The same field office went after payment processors utilized by both BetUS.com and PokerStars a year earlier.

It is interesting to point out that Everleaf ceased sending bank wire withdrawals around the same time the affidavit seizure request was sent out but it is also interesting to note that the company appeared to utilize Western Union almost exclusively after last April’s high profile indictments of executives from the three largest US-facing online poker companies, Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and UB.com. Only a limited number of players appear to have received bank wires over the post-April 15 period and this is well documented in the seizure warrant whereby the actual amount of funds seized is quite nominal.

The website PokerAddict.net wrote a riveting piece on why non-US players should be worried.

This is an extremely unprofessional way to change a company policy. Players still have not been emailed with an explanation, and there have been no press releases made by Everleaf Gaming. Everleaf Gaming licensees have only been given limited information.

While Everleaf Gaming claims that business will continue outside the US, players in other countries are reporting slow payouts. Many cashout requests to European ewallets such as Neteller and Moneybookers are over a month old. Only small cashouts have been processed to non US players in 2012, and there has only been one reported successful cashout since Everleaf Gaming banned U.S. players.

In essence, this may not be a U.S. problem. Players around the world should have learned a thing or two from what transpired with Full Tilt Poker. First it was the U.S. players getting screwed, later it was everybody else.

Unlike Full Tilt Poker, Everleaf is made up of over a dozen independent poker skins that relied on the network for its processing. Licensees appear to be in the same boat as their customers. Two rooms, Luvin Poker and Minted Poker, are working to keep their players informed of developments but, truth be told, it may be out of their hands at this point.

- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com

Everleaf did not exactly make the announcement. Players found out the hard way by logging onto their accounts and then being redirected to the Terms and Conditions page stipulating no more U.S. citizens while those players in France are also now excluded.

Everleaf skin LuvinPoker.com denied earlier reports that the network was the subject of a U.S. government seizure involving its payment processor. A representative for the skin also shot down reports that the U.S. Homeland Security Department had sent out a cease and desist order to the company.

Everleaf had not engaged in payment processing with U.S. customers since last October, opting instead to send all withdrawals through agent utilized person-to-person cash pickup locations. It is widely believed that the rather small poker network could no longer handle the volume of withdrawals associated with this method due to limited agents available.

While some Everleaf skins may opt to stay with the network and service only those players outside the U.S., others might begin looking elsewhere.

It is no secret the Bodog Poker appears to be looking to bring on skins after it recently underwent a drastic remodeling of the poker room software though the company is yet to officially confirm such plans. The Winning Poker Network, formerly Yatahay and home to Americas Cardroom, told Gambling911.com this past summer they would consider bringing on new skins provided the operators could find their own means of payment processing. The Winning Poker Network does not seem to be actively seeking new operators to come on board as its player base is now growing rather dramatically in recent weeks.

Merge remains a viable option and the largest of the networks catering to North Americans at this time while BetOnline.com was also looking to bring on new operators for its proprietary software, though as of this past fall the company informed G911 it was not quite ready to take that route for another few months. They could be inching closer at this time.

Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com

VEVO, a music portal owned by a few major record labels in the US reportedly had a pirated NFL playoff game playing on screens throughout its ‘PowerStation’ venue at last week’s Sundance festival, according to TechCrunch.

One of the record execs tried to explain the situation away on the VEVO blog. Rio Caraeff wrote:

A guest of our lounge asked for an NFL game to be aired. We said no. There was a laptop hooked up to VEVO.com that fed into the large TV screens around the bar. Unfortunately, the laptop was easily accessible to the public. That was our mistake for not making sure the laptop was more secure. While VEVO staff was in other areas of the venue, the game was put on – via a website transmitting ESPN’s broadcast of the NFL game – without our permission or knowledge.

As soon as we realized the game was airing to the room, we removed it and went back to playing VEVO videos. The game was not aired in its entirety. Rest assured, we rectified this mistake as soon as we became aware what was going on.

What happened was unfortunate and we can’t take back what happened.

Around this very same time, the U.S. Justice Department was seizing over 300 website domains alleged to be illegally streaming NFL games and/or selling knockoff merchandise. Even New England Patriots starting quarterback Tom Brady admitted he had patronized one of the seized websites in order to gain access to last year’s Super Bowl while in Costa Rica on vacation.

The record companies themselves have been behind efforts to pass legislation in Congress that would allow easy seizures of websites engaging in free file sharing and streaming of music and videos.

Jason Kincaid of TechCrunch.com cast doubt on Caraeff’s explanation:

I don’t have any proof to indicate that what Caraeff writes is incorrect, but I’m raising my eyebrow at this explanation. The game was playing the entire time I was at the PowerStation — this wasn’t just a brief blip — and it was playing on several screens, so it was hard to miss, too. After all, one of the key aims of this event was to feature VEVO videos, it wasn’t as if these screens were hidden in a corner.

The online gambling sector was the first to get caught up in the website domain seizure war. Its battle-ready attorneys, some of the best in the biz, prevented over 150 industry-related domains from seizure by the Kentucky Commonwealth in 2008 only to have three of the largest Internet poker room domains – Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and UB.com – seized last April by the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York.

- Alejandro Botticelli, Gambling911.com