No ACC Deal for PokerStars, Duke Speaks & Eureka Travels to Croatia

PokerStars Loses Atlantic City Deal

A court hearing late on Friday brought an end to PokerStars’ chances of purchasing the Atlantic Club Casino after a judge ruled against their right to buy the property.

Lawyers for the Rational Group (PokerStars’ parent company) attended the hearing to try and stop the ACC from cancelling the takeover deal which had already cost them $11 million.

Having agreeing to purchase the ACC earlier this year, Rational reportedly spent $11 million to keep the casino afloat whilst they waited for New Jersey to approve their interim casino licence.

However, because the interim casino licence hadn’t been granted before April 26, the ACC exercised their right to terminate the contract stating that they couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

Rational disputed this claim and took their case to court where they were able to successfully impose a court injunction which prevented the ACC selling their assets someone else.

However, following a second round of legal proceedings, PokerStars were unable to convince the judge to rule in their favour. Indeed, after hearing testimonies from both sides the judge decided that the ACC could legally walk away from the sale.

The news will certainly come as a blow to PokerStars who will now need to find another way to set up a live venue in New Jersey.  However, according to PokerStars’ Eric Hollreiser, they are going to review the ruling and they “remain committed to New Jersey and to contributing to its economy.”

Duke Talks Cheating

Annie Duke has publicly defended herself following the revelations unearthed by Russ Hamilton’s recently leaked audio recording.

Having represented the UltimateBet during the cheating, Duke admitted that she regrets having worked alongside those implicated in the scandal.

Writing in a Facebook post, Duke said: “Knowing what I know today, I would have never encouraged anyone to play on the UltimateBet.com site under that management. I’m horrified at the lengths to which these people went to try to cover up their actions, and I am very sorry that I ever agreed to work with them.”

She goes on to explain that she never exploited any flaws in the site’s software and has the backing of former UB colleagues John Vorhaus and Joanne Priam.

The information revealed in Hamilton’s taped conversation has prompted many community members to revist the issue. Indeed, with Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke both making public statements, there could be yet more developments in the coming weeks.

To read Annie’s full post, click here.

Eureka Tour Heads to Croatia

The Eureka Poker Tour is heading to Croatia this week for the latest incarnation of its popular poker festival.

Setting up camp inside Dubrovnik’s Golden Sun Casino, the €1,100 Main Event will welcome players from across Europe between May 26 and 29.

Indeed, with the WSOP on the horizon the event will provide the perfect warm up for those grinders looking to make their mark on poker’s greatest festival.

Last year Alija Filipovic overcame 177 players to best a final table that included the likes of Dragan Galic to bag his first live title and €42,700.