As long as California lawmakers have been debating the issue of online poker regulation, there have been those who opposed the entry of any operator who ignored the UIGEA of 2006. For the past few years, ‘bad actor clauses’ have been aimed at keeping illegal operators out of California—if and when a bill actually passes, that is—but now it seems like more and more vested interests are swaying their favor in the direction of PokerStars.

Every bad actor clause to date has been (theoretically) aimed at preventing PokerStars from participating in a California online poker market. The company was portrayed in many lights, from duplicitous for its acceptance of Californians after 2006, to a threatening entity far too difficult to compete with.

Now some groups are changing their opinions of the world’s largest online poker room. The latest confirmation of compromise came from Jan Jones Blackhurst, the Executive VP of Communications and Government Relations for Caesars Entertainment. Chris Krafcik of GamblingCompliance confirmed the company’s opinion yesterday on Twitter:

Caesars’ Jan Jones Blackhurst told me the company believes Amaya Gaming Group-PokerStars “should be considered for legalization in the U.S.”

— Chris Krafcik (@CKrafcik) February 13, 2015

Interestingly enough, the announcement from Caesars comes on the heels of the casino company’s California partner, the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, who made a similar declaration just days prior. The Rincon were previously sided with Pechanga and its allies, who were adamant that UIGEA-breachers like PokerStars, as well as pari-mutuel racing tracks, should not be permitted to hold an online poker license.

On Tuesday, three of those tribes shifted their focus when the heads of the Rincon, Pala and United Auburn Indian Community each signed a letter addressed to the authors of California’s two online poker bills, Assemblymen Mike Gatto (AB 9) and Reggie Jones-Sawyer (AB 2291).

In the letter from the California tribes, it was suggested that lawmakers take “an approach that looks specifically at personal participation in unauthorized gaming.” While they still believe companies that willfully defied the UIGEA, and continue to be headed by the same individuals, should be excluded, the letter advised: “If a company that engaged in unauthorized gaming changed ownership, regulators would be able to review the effect of that change in ownership under the bill’s standards.”

Where they have yet to compromise, however, is the matter of whether assets belonging to a company under new ownership should be permissible. To that end, PokerStars may be able to enter a California online poker market, but whether they should be allowed to use the original PokerStars software is another matter.

“While we have not yet identified a possible consensus position,” said the tribes, “we encourage continued conversation on this important issue to identify an approach based on considerations of fairness, regulatory integrity, and legal requirements at issue.”

The letter appears to reflect the results of a tribal gaming meeting that took place in California this week, where the subject of online poker regulation was highlighted. All tribes agreed that compromise is the key to getting online poker legalized in the Golden State. It certainly seems that some tribes are working diligently toward that end, and in doing so, the Rincon have harvested the support of their gaming partner, Caesars Entertainment.

Nevada was the first state to launch a regulated internet gaming market in the United States, but the last of three (including Delaware and New Jersey) to issue public online poke revenue reports for the industry. Now, after nearly one year of unrestricted revenue data logs, the Silver State is once again not required to make its online poker earnings public knowledge.

According to the guidelines set forth by the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) when drafting iGaming regulations, the state is only required to issue reports detailing online poker revenue generation if there are three or more active operators. When Ultimate Poker closed its virtual doors late last year, it left only two operators, thus no obligation to publish the information.

Ultimate Poker made history when the operator launched the very first US regulated online poker site on April 30, 2013. For months, UP remained the only active operator in the state, or the nation for that matter. Then on September 19 of that same year, WSOP.com joined the limited ranks of Nevada’s online poker market. But still, the number of operators was below the required amount to issue public revenue reports.

It wasn’t until South Point became the third operator in Nevada with the launch of Real Gaming in February of 2014 that the state finally released its first online poker revenue report. Due to the nature of those reports, which include 1-month, 3-month and 12-month summaries, the complete yield for 2013 was also revealed, amounting to $8.524 million since the initial launch of UP.

Some had hoped that the NGCB would retract the former reporting rule requirement when the number of operators fell back to two, but obviously that’s not the case. Therefore, until a third operator joins the ranks, concerned market analysts and media outlets will be forced to estimate the monthly yield for December 2014, January 2015 and however many months transpire before publications resume.

Estimated Timeline for launch of 3^rd Online Poker Operator in Nevada

There are three possible candidates to shoulder the responsibility of becoming Nevada’s next 3^rd online poker operator, thus becoming the catalyst for the state’s resumption of online poker revenue reports. Which of those three will hit the market first is hard to say, but it is expected to happen in 2015.

The All American Poker Network (AAPN), on which WSOP.com is currently hosted, is projected to integrate two new sites in the coming year. One is expected to be launched by Treasure Island, and the other 888Poker, proprietor of AAPN. The significance of either of these sites launching would be the resulting shared player pool with WSOP.com, which already leads the Nevada online poker market by leaps and bounds.

The other possibility is HDPoker.com, powered by a new, Nevada-based software company known as Z4Poker. The developer has already been licensed by the NGCB, but has yet to partner with any land-based operator, as is required by regulatory guidelines to offer real money poker games over the internet.

Rumor has it that Z4Poker has a relationship with the Siena Hotel & Casino in Reno, NV, but no partnership deal has been confirmed. In 2014, it was reported that HDPoker anticipated its launch before end of year, with a mobile poker app to be added in Q1 2015, but the website indicates the software remains in Beta Testing mode.

After absorbing endless criticism from serious online poker grinders, the success of PokerStars’ Spin & Go lottery SNG tournaments has spoken for itself. Last weekend, just days after the controversial new Lottery SNG format unleashed it’s very first $1,000,000 prize, two more members of PokerStars became millionaires playing $5 Spin & Go SNG’s.

On Monday, January 12^th, during the wee hours of the night in South Russia, one extremely lucky member of PokerStars going by the screen name “sss66666” won the very first $1mm Spin & Go. It was a momentous occasion for the world’s largest online poker room, and an unforgettable, life-altering moment for the 33 year old handyman who won it.

But amidst the celebration, many online poker players complained over the extensive time frame. Lottery SNG tourneys were first introduced in PokerStars’ regulated markets in July 2014, then were installed on the operators’ global platform in September of last year, resulting in a rather long waiting period for a 7-figure jackpot to strike.

As one online poker player now famously commented on his Twitter feed, “It’s probably the last one, too.”

Boy was he wrong! Just a few days later, a second $1mm jackpot Spin & Go winner emerged, and yet a third on the very next day. If you lost count, that’s three million dollar winners in 7 days.

On Saturday, January 17, a member of PokerStars residing in the Czech Republic known as “Tornado111” bested the table of three to win the enormous $1,000,000 jackpot. Then, on Sunday, January 18, online poker player “anushan_2323” did the very same thing, taking down another million dollar prize.

Tornado111 wins PokerStars 2^nd $1mm Lottery SNG

As Tornado 111 took his seat at the $5 Lottery SNG alongside “RusGreen” and “newmann”, the prize wheel spun its way to an incredible, maximum prize of $1.2 million. All knew they would receive either $100k or $1mm by the time it was over, and as fortune would have it, Lady Luck was clearly residing upon the shoulder of the Czech.

Tornado111 started off by eliminating “newmann”, who had the clear advantage with A♠-K♣ over A♣-10♣ when they both pushed all-in pre-flop. The board brought another 10, and that was all for newmann.

On the final hand, with A♥-2♥ underneath, “RusGreen” pushed the rest of his stack, amounting to less than 4 big blinds. Tornado111 made the call with just 6♥-5♦, but Lady Luck struck again, rounding out a straight on the river to give him the $1,000,000 win. “RusGreen” and “newmann” earned $100k apiece just for participating.

Anashun_2323 wins PokerStars 3^rd $1mm Lottery SNG

The very next day, Canadian online poker player “anashun_2323” joined “ChipsMongot” of Sweden and “jukeox72” of Germany at another $5 Spin & Go table. After a series of all-in shoves that kept the lead swinging like a pendulum in a tsunami, the tide finally took a decisive turn when anashun_2323 eliminated jukebox72 on A♥-10♣ over A♣-8♥.

The lead then went back and forth between the Canadian and Swede for several hands. In the end, it was anashun_2323’s A♣-K♦ that put an end to ChipsMongot’s (8♥-8♠) run for the 7-figure prize. The 2^nd and 3^rd place finishers still split the lucrative $200k remainder of the lottery SNG prize pool.

For the last 13 months, the Party Borgata network has led New Jersey’s online poker market in cash game traffic. WSOP NJ was able to creep up behind its rival a few times, but it wasn’t until this last weekend that the Caesars-owned poker room finally took top billing. Not only that; 888’s All American Poker Network (AAPN NJ) skipped ahead into the 2^nd spot.

After maintaining such a strong lead since The Garden State’s iGaming market first went live in November, 2013, the last place Party Borgata expected to be was on bottom. But after New Jersey’s online poker industry was reduced to just three competitors late last year, that’s exactly where the former leader ended up over the weekend.

As for why Party Poker and Party Borgata (collectively Party Borgata) have fallen behind, there are a few factors that can be taken into account. First and foremost, on Monday, January 12, 2015, New Jersey’s WSOP.com and 888Poker initiated a partial merger of their player bases. Secondly, Party Borgata’s most avid members haven’t been especially happy with the software. We’ll discuss more on those issues in a moment, but first…

Current Online Poker Traffic Stats

If we review the Garden State’s online poker cash game traffic over the last nine days, we see a significant change in 7-day averages. We’ll start with Monday, January 12, 2015—the day player pooling first began between WSOP NJ and 888Poker—then proceed to the following Friday, four days later, and finally today’s current stats, another four days down the road.

Note that the following results are derived from the traffic tracking statistics of PokerScout.

WSOP/888 Player Pooling a Huge Success

WSOP NJ and 888Poker NJ are both powered by 888 software, but unlike Party Poker and Borgata Poker (both powered by bwin.party), the two chose not to pool their players from the start. Last week, all low-limit cash game tables were pooled between WSOP and 888. A series of GTD tournaments were also shared, including $130k worth of each sites largest daily and weekly majors.

Negative Feedback for Party Borgata

For the last few months, ever since a major update to the software in September 2014, an MFC Error has been plaguing the online poker network. It mostly affects grinders and players who have multiple tables and/or programs open, particularly when tournament announcements pop up, causing the online poker room to crash. Players generally report other errors within the software upon relaunch, such as the inability to see hole cards.

A fix to the problem was promised on January 5, but no update occurred. Again, a fix was expected during the “week commencing 12th Jan”, as per Party_Rep ‘Colette’ on the TwoPlusTwo forums. But again, no update occurred. Instead, on Friday players were told that previous updates in December were meant to fix the MFC errors—(obviously, that didn’t work)—and that technicians are still working to find “the root cause”.

Players were once more asked to contact customer support with their account information and complete details of any further errors. Members have been justifiably outraged, including many who experienced repeated errors during the site’s GSSS II online poker series. All in all, while traffic is currently on par with last week’s early-week results, once the GSSS II is completed, there could be a lot more New Jersey players making the switch to WSOP NJ and/or 888Poker.

WSOP is dominating the regulated online poker industry in Nevada, but has held the respectable position of #2 in New Jersey since the market went live in November 2013. Competition has driven WSOP to increase its Action Club VIP loyalty rewards program, and it’s giving most online poker players in both states something to rejoice about. As has become the norm in today’s internet poker industry, recreational players are the real target.

The overhauled Action Club includes a series of additional tiers, including a new Copper level that requires just 2 Action Player Points (APP) to reach. The online poker site previously required 10 APP in a month to reach the first tier of the VIP program, termed Bronze status. With 2 APP earned for every $1 contributed to the rake at cash games, or $1 in tournament fees paid, even the most recreational of players should have no trouble reaching the required monthly minimum to earn loyalty rewards at WSOP.com.

To achieve Bronze status, a player will now need to earn 40 APP in a month, but a Copper+ level was thrown in between with a 20 APP requirement to achieve. A Bronze+ was also supplemented, requiring 100 APP in a month’s time. Silver status still necessitates 200 APP, Gold 400 APP, Platinum 1,200 APP and Diamond 3,500 APP. The former Silver+, Gold+ and Platinum+ levels were removed.

Online poker players will still need to reach the Silver level or above to receive WSOP Points, which can be converted to cash at a rate of $1 for every 100 points (1,000 point minimum to redeem), but other rewards are available to those who play just enough to reach to lowest tiers. And with the minimum 2 AP requirement now available, that should include a lot more members of the Nevada and New Jersey online poker rooms.

All players who earn at least 2 – but less than 200 – APP in a month will receive exclusive invites to monthly Action Club freerolls. Not to leave anyone out, even players who don’t reach a status of any level can participate in the weekly $250 freeroll tournaments.

WSOP Annual Rewards

The yearly rewards levels received a slight augmentation as well. A new Super Elite level was snuggly fitted between the original Elite and Super Seven statuses. Previously, Super Seven members were entitled to a competitive rakeback of 35%. That figure has dropped to 30%, but realistically speaking, it shouldn’t affect too many people since it requires 400,000 APP in a year’s time.

On a brighter note, the new Super Elite status (250,000 APP) will give standard Elite members (50,000 AP) a much more reasonable goal to shoot for, and increase their rakeback rewards from 20% to 25% in doing so.

On the whole, WSOP’s loyalty rewards aren’t all that impressive, but it’s definitely an improvement. Plus, the Action Club correlates with the land-based casino rewards of Caesars Entertainment properties, known as Total Rewards. All Action Club points earned at the online poker room are added to a player’s Total Rewards membership (if they have one), and for land-based players who reach Platinum, diamond of Seven Star status in the Total Rewards program, they can request their status be transferred to the online Action Club.

One of the most anticipated online poker tournament series in the industry is set to take place at PokerStars from January 22^nd to February 1^st. With 50 events and $15 million GTD, the Turbo Championship of Online Poker (TCOOP) is designed to suit fans of all poker games and formats, with a Main Event guaranteeing $2 million.

Members of the world’s largest online poker site can look forward to anywhere from four to six events every day of the online poker festival. The series kicks off with four events on Thursday, January 22^nd. The first presents one of the best values, featuring a $27 buy-in NLHE 6-Max Turbo tournament with Re-Entry and $500k GTD. The 6-Max and Turbo combination is sure to result in hyper-speed action any grinder can truly appreciate.

PokerStars 2015 TCOOP

Then on Saturday, Jan 24^th, two events should draw a great deal of attention as the TCOOP features a $215 NHLE Turbo Zoom Poker tourney with $400k GTD, followed by a $215 NHLE Heads-Up event with $250k up for grabs. Thursday, Jan 29^th, another high-profile event for Pot Limit Omaha fans will take place, paying $100,000 to the top performers in an $87 4-Max PLO tournament.

The hits keep on coming in the 2015 TCOOP with a $215 H.O.R.S.E. competition guaranteed at $50k and a $215 Super Knockout Heads-Up PLO, both slated for Saturday, Jan 31^st. Then on Sunday, Feb 1^st, not one, but two main events will play out in the 4^th annual PokerStars Turbo Championship of Online Poker. The first is a $320 8-Game Mix with $100k GTD, followed by the more traditional $700 TCOOP NLHE Main Event guaranteeing the largest prize of the series, $2,000,000.

Wrapping things up is the final event of the online poker series, aptly titled the Supersonic TCOOP Wrap-Up. This hyper-turbo tournament carries a $215 buy-in and promises a minimum prize pool of half a million dollars.

Team PokerStars Pros are already gearing up for the Turbo Championship of Online Poker, and will be out in full force to claim their share of the $15 million in guarantees. Pro poker players like Team PokerStars’ Mickey Peterson and Triple Crown winner Jake Cody particularly appreciate the speed at which each event in the ‘Turbo’ series generally concludes.

The TCOOP is “an awesome series because the tournaments are so quick and varied,” said Cody. “You don’t have to be up all night to win some huge money and the range of formats and game choices is so diverse.”

A fan of mobile poker, Peterson chimed in with similar sentiments, saying “I love how most of the events won’t take more than a couple of hours to complete and they are perfect to play on a tablet.” He continued by describing some of his other favorite elements of the Turbo Championship of Online Poker. “Turbo tournaments require a different set of skills compared to other tournament series…they also provide constant action.”

As is customary, PokerStars is running a throng of satellite competitions allowing members to qualify for any of the 50 events on the TCOOP schedule. Satellites can be entered for as little as 1 Frequent Player Point (FPP) or $0.11. See the full schedule of TCOOP Events and Qualifiers here.

When we reach adulthood, we all make life choices, many of which our parents are sure to disagree with. It’s simply a part of coming of age. Career choices often fall into that category. But for one Orthodox Jew, whose father happens to be a rabbi, his decision to pursue a pro poker career came with the 100% support from his parents.

I’m referring to Ari Engel (pictured right), a highly successful live and online pro poker player originally from Toronto, Ontario. Engel grew up traveling the world with his parents, and continues to do so to this day as part of his pro poker obligations. During his early adolescence, the Engel family finally settled down in the United States metropolitan area of Chicago, Illinois.

Ari attended yeshiva, an Orthodox Jewish high school, in Chicago, where he was first introduced to the game of poker in his senior year. His yeshiva continued with a gap year in Jerusalem, where he continued to play poker on an amateur level before resuming his education at New York University. Again, playing poker took up a large portion of his weekly schedule, and in his second year of college, he began to raise the stakes by playing higher limit games.

Engel happened to be the roommate of Andrew Brown, who’s since become one of the highest regarded Omaha specialists of his generation. Brown helped his Jewish co-tenant hone his skills, and the results were phenomenal. The online poker prodigy found enormous success on the virtual felt, but unlike so many of today’s top pro poker players, that did not deter Ari from finishing his college education.

With a degree in finance from NYU in hand, Ari Engel sought employment in the financial field and had no trouble securing an entry level position. However, he also sustained his passion for online poker, spending his weekends and evenings siphoning chip into his bankroll. It only took a few weeks for the native Canadian to realize that his poker play was much more lucrative than his day job. Engel immediately quit his job to pursue a full time career as a pro poker player.

Anyone familiar with the Orthodox Jewish religion is surely aware just how far against the grain Ari’s decision was. Gambling of any type is heavily frowned upon, and with a rabbi for a father, the fallout of his career choice could have been devastating. Fortunately for Engel, that was not the case at all. His parents not only supported his decision, but shared the same view that poker is a game most often won by those who implement skill and strategy; not a mere game of chance.

Earlier this week, Ari Engel was interviewed by Jewish news source, JTA, while competing in a poker tournament in Atlantic City. He detailed his feelings towards poker and casino gambling, saying “it’s very unfortunate that poker takes place in casinos. It doesn’t really belong there.”

As for the skill versus chance argument, Engle said, “Poker definitely has a lot of things that are beyond one’s control, but it has plenty of things within your control. I don’t gamble at all. I’m trying to get an edge when I play poker, and I try to make a living out of it.”

At 31 years of age, Ari Engel is currently ranked the 23^rd best pro poker player in the world by Bluff Magazine. He’s accumulated over $1.84 million in live tournament winnings, and nearly $3.14 million from his online poker exploits, more than half of which was won at Bodog Poker under the nickname, “BodogAri”.

The online poker industry looked a whole lot different five years ago. Real money internet gambling was, for all intents and purposes, considered an illegal activity in the US, and yet PokerStars, Full Tilt and other major operators were still welcoming American players, much to their delight. Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson was not a household name, and network player pooling was considered normal.

Yes, much has changed since then, and there is vast room for improvement in 2015. The following is a compilation of the top 5 New Year’s resolutions that I feel would benefit the online poker industry and community as a whole.

Resolution #1 – Shared Liquidity in US markets

The US online poker market, currently spanning just three states – Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey – is in dire need of a boost. In order to get more states to pass online poker regulations, an increase in participation and revenue is crucial. The best way to intensify these already saturated markets is to engage in interstate poker compacts.

Delaware and Nevada agreed to invoke shared liquidity across state lines in February of 2014, but aside from an unproductive software approval notice from Nevada’s regulators, nothing has come of it. Shared liquidity needs to move forward, and fast, to reignite the US online poker boom we all know this industry is capable of.

Resolution #2 –New Jersey welcomes PokerStars

This resolution needs no explanation. Players in New Jersey have been given little reason or desire to play online poker. Lame software, unsuccessful tournament structures and low cash game volume have resulted in a steady decline in participation. PokerStars is the best of everything online poker ever had to offer. Give the players what they really want, and the operators a rival worthy of competing against. Things will turn around quickly enough.

Resolution #3 – Legalize Online Poker in California

With nearly 40 million residents, California won’t need to share liquidity with other states to drive a successful online poker market. (Oh, but imagine if they did!) Year after year, online poker bills have been submitted, never once getting far enough to induce a vote. The state’s lawmakers need to get their heads out of their you-know-whats and get a bill passed in 2015.

Resolution #4 – No more DDoS Attacks

The Winning Poker Network (WPN), in an attempt to provide American online poker players outside of regulated states with the glory of online poker predating Black Friday, scheduled a $1,000,000 GTD event. It drew thousands of players, but was forced into cancelation just hours into the tournament due to alleged DDoS attacks. Full Flush Poker, part of the Equity Poker Network (EPN), confirmed similar attacks not even two weeks ago, and several others have been reported elsewhere. They are destroying the integrity of the game, resulting in a decline in customers, and it’s going to be up to operators to find a way to block these kinds of assaults on servers.

Resolution #5 – An End to RAWA

The Restoration of Americas Wire Act has been a looming threat over the modicum US online poker industry since it was first introduced last March. Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson threw all the gold bricks he could at it, but was unable to get it passed in the lame duck session. RAWA may have lost a lot of momentum, but 2015 is a new year, and the 81-year old billionaire has made it very clear that he won’t give up in his crusade to get online poker and casino gambling prohibited nationwide.

For nearly two decades, online poker operators have been looking for new angles to drive in more traffic. Advertisements, promotions, marketing gimmicks, they’ve all been done, if not overdone, with very little in the way of unique creatives on the table. Now it seems another avenue may have fallen in their laps as popular online poker players find thousands of followers watching live video streams.

Watching live video streams has become an extremely popular pastime for gamers of all genres, originating with celebrated PC and console-based online multi-player video gaming titles like World of Warcraft and the multifarious releases under the Call of Duty prefix. That popularity is now transitioning over to the online poker realm, where players like WSOP bracelet winner Jason Somerville, Kai “stickyrice1” McMinn and Byron “Reckful” Bernstein are drawing high volume viewers to their live streams.

Somerville should probably get the most credit for starting this new trend. The 27-year old poker player began live streaming via a special Run It Up promotion during his tenure as an Ultimate Poker Pro. When UP shut down its online poker room in Nevada last month, Jason continued his Run It Up broadcast via Twitch.tv. Somerville has built his Twitch fan base to over 38,000 followers by engaging with his viewers in a way that is both entertaining and educational for players of all skill ranges, as well as non-players.

“I stay involved in the game by streaming four or five times a week, creating enjoyable, diverse content, and working hard,” Somerville said. “I don’t believe you have to frequently attend live tournaments or wade into heated debates in forum arenas in order to make a positive impact on the game.”

Kai “stickyrice1” McMinn is also a very popular online poker player followed on Twitch.tv, garnering over 15,000 followers. His live stream was at its peak when he successfully took a $2,000 bankroll on Bovada and spiked it up to $40,000 in a single night’s play. He’s had many high-viewership runs since, with both good and bad results in terms of his chip counts.

Byron “Reckful” Bernstein is another online poker player who’s taken his gameplay into the realm of live streaming. Bernstein first started live streaming World of Warcraft, earning him an immense fan base of over 274,000 followers on Twitch. Although he’s not an avid grinder, when ‘Reckful’ does hit the virtual felt, countless viewers tag along for the show.

Before you get too excited, it should be noted that online poker streams are not exactly “live”. There is always a few minute delay invoked for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, commentary around the community suggests that traffic numbers are receiving a boost when players such as these live stream their online poker play.

If that’s truly the case, one would have to surmise that more people are logging into poker sites like Bovada to compete against ‘stickyrice1’, or WSOP.com to play Jason Somerville. It could be that these online poker players are hoping to increase their own number of followers by running their own Twitch feeds, and getting broadcast on a more popular channel certainly could raise their recognition. Maybe they are just looking for a moment in the spotlight. Or, much to the delight of online poker operators, they could be new players inspired to follow in the footsteps of their exalted live streaming heroes.

According to a group of Danish online poker players who frequent the high-stakes cash game tables, a 7-figure case of fraud has been committed. The group notified authorities that they believed a Trojan horse program had been installed on their computers, resulting in several million euros in losses over as many as 9 years. The accusers named at least one online poker player who also patronizes the high-stakes cash games, but authorities have yet to divulge the name of any suspects.

The Economic Crime Department was notified of the potential online poker fraud, and after a thorough investigation, police reports indicate that two individuals have been charged in the case. However, Danish police would not disclose any names. Police Commissioner Torben Koldborg Frederiksen revealed only that one suspect was a 32 year old poker player.

As the investigation proceeded, charges against the suspect were first filed in October. Reports indicate that not all of the online poker players involved in the alleged deceit are of Danish residency, leading to the possibility that more players may be affected by the alleged Trojan horse program than authorities are currently aware of.

In an interview with a Danish news site, one of the victims explained how his suspicions had been aroused. He stated that he returned home one day to find his computer had been restarted. Upon viewing footage from the security cameras within his home, he discovered the surveillance had been switched off for approximately 15 minutes. At that point, he began to suspect someone had broken in and tampered with his computer by installing a Trojan horse program.

A Trojan horse would have allowed its installer to remotely view the computer screen from another location at any given time. As such, it would allow the perpetrator to view the hole cards of the victim(s) during play, making it easy to win countless chips from of them at an online poker room.

To make matters exceptionally worse, speculations are now arising that the Danish police department may have even been involved in the online poker fraud. There is only circumstantial evidence to support that theory at the moment, based on the fact that police sometimes use Trojan horse software to monitor the activity of suspected criminals during an investigation, and a flurry of rumors from the online poker community that point to a particular suspected poker pro.

iGaming.com helped to facilitate those rumors when it published an article on the topic, stating that they knew the identity of the online poker player charged in the case, but would not divulge it before authorities. The article indicated, however, that “The player is one of the most famous Danish high-stake players, having won an EPT as well as played some of the highest stakes online.”

That story, along with the Danish police’s information of the culprit being a ‘32 year old poker player’, led to online poker forums blowing up with accusatory posts aimed at Peter Jepsen. In 2013, Jepsen admitted to letting Robert Flink use his online poker account, which led to him winning $800k off Blom.

That being a case of duplicitous multi-accounting, the only connection really being made by the online poker community at large is that Jepsen is a professional poker player, has an EPT title and is 32 years of age. It’s also been reported that Jepsen once wrote of having a friend in the Danish police’s IT department that would have a hand in investigating suspicious websites; which, in turn, led to the speculations of police involvement.