Bitcoin Casino News

PokerStars Launches Its Operations in Michigan

Posted on February 4, 2021February 3, 2021 by Kelley N.

Poker enthusiasts in Michigan have had to endure a long wait for the launch of online poker since online gambling was legalized in the state over a year ago. Well, the wait is finally over as Michigan has recently officially become the fifth state in the country to offer legal and regulated online poker. As expected, this is a pretty lucrative market and already some of the biggest brands in the sector have already made a play for the sector.

World-renowned online poker operator PokerStars became the very first poker brand to go live in Michigan. The company’s efforts to offer its world-class services in the state received the backing of FOX Bet and Stars Casino both of which are also pretty notable brands in the world of gambling.

For the venture in the newly-regulated online poker market, PokerStars and its affiliate companies partnered with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Gaming Authority.

A Rocky Start

There was of course a lot of excitement when PokerStars announced that its poker offerings would be coming to the state. However, a little adjustment period may have been needed as the company tried to figure out the new market and iron out a few bugs. On the first day of online poker gaming on the site, there were a few notable glitches.

These glitches mainly affected the users’ ability to add funds to their accounts which would have been disastrous at any other time. However, this has since been fixed and new players can go in with confidence that such issues will not taint their experiences.

PokerStars even went as far as offering some very exciting promotions to welcome poker lovers in Michigan to their new offering. The most memorable one was a 100 percent deposit bonus – the minimum amount required to claim this was however on the higher side at $600.

Very High Hopes for The Industry

As mentioned earlier, the state has very high hopes for the online poker industry and by extension the online gambling sector as a whole. PokerStars’ entry into the market makes things all the more exciting given its stellar reputation.

According to Richard Kalm, the executive director of the Michigan Gaming Control Board, revenue generated from the newly launched sector will have a huge impact on several projects in the state. The money will go into such things as education, support for the tribal communities as well as further development of Detroit.

High Hopes for Bitcoin in 2021 As It Soars to Record-Breaking Heights

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Kelley N.

The world of crypto was one of the few areas that were not as adversely affected by all that happened in 2020. As a matter of fact, it is safe to say that the sector even went on to balloon as more people had time to get acquainted with it and chose to go with it as a safe haven of sorts. Perhaps the biggest success story is that of Bitcoin which has been enjoying a lot of great publicity towards the end of 2020 and during the first few days of January 2021.

On Monday, Bitcoin traded at $33,365 which while still very impressive is over $1,000 short of its record high of a whopping $34,800 – the digital currency hit the record high on Sunday, January 3. Needless to say, this is a huge milestone for the digital currency especially because its current price is an increase of 800 percent from its price in Mid-March. That was right before the pandemic began to wreak havoc in many parts of the globe.

High Hopes for 2021

As the world struggles to get back to how things were before the coronavirus pandemic hit, the world of crypto seems to be gearing up for an even better year ahead. Now more than ever more people are well aware of the benefits that crypto has to offer and that seems to be driving the insatiable appetite for digital assets such as Bitcoin.

One of the reasons why Bitcoin has taken center-stage can be attributed to its supply cap which many believe is a hedge against the risk of inflation especially now as some government and central banks turn on stimulus taps. Moreover, fears of a weaker dollar have led investors to look for safe-havens comparable to gold – Bitcoin has fitted that bill for lots of them.

According to experts from Fundstrat, an independent financial research firm, all that is happening right now in the world of crypto may have already happened back in 2017. The same “parabolic rise” we witnessed back then is making a comeback albeit on a much larger scale.

“We believe the conditions remain in place for a continued rally in bitcoin and crypto more broadly over the next 6-12 months. Institutional and corporate buying, regulatory de-risking, and retail stimulus demand are factors that have led to an increase in positive momentum, which we believe can continue.”

David Grider, Fundstrat’s digital asset strategist.

For any crypto-related business, 2021 is certainly going to be an interesting year. Besides the anticipated growth, there is a lot of optimism that crypto could finally get the mainstream attention it deserves.

Poker Players Capitalize on Bitcoin to Enhance Their Winnings

Posted on December 4, 2020December 1, 2020 by Kelley N.

Bitcoin has been on a roll of late and it is not just crypto enthusiasts that have taken notice of the surge in the digital currency’s price. Now, several successful online gamblers have begun to capitalize on the bump by cashing out using Bitcoin from their favorite poker sites.

Some of the sites that this has been happening to include the AmericasCardroom.eu and its sister sites under the Winning Poker Network (WPN) umbrella. The renowned poker operator has had to buy millions of dollars’ worth of Bitcoin in recent weeks to cater to their users who want to cash out using the digital currency.

Winning Poker Networks Chief Executive Office Phil Naggy revealed that about 90 to 95 percent of their users are now asking for payouts in Bitcoin simply because of the rise in the cryptocurrency’s price.

“We are constantly having to go out and buy Bitcoin — lots. Lots. More than we’ve even had to before,” the CEO commented.

The high demand for Bitcoin is not entirely a new thing but it does represent some pretty interesting dynamics for the online poker sites that are involved as well as the iGaming industry as a whole.

Cause for Concern?

Even though the sites that are seeing the massive surge in Bitcoin payouts are not legally available in the United States, most of the customers are actually Americans. Now, offshore gambling is not entirely unheard of in many states even those where online poker is still illegal. However, since crypto is involved, much more can be read from the situation.

Perhaps one of the biggest concerns is that crypto enthusiasts may be using the online poker platforms as a means to evade taxation. To put this into perspective, the Winning Poker Network which is based in Costa Rica does not regulate certain aspects of their customers’ activities. The most notable one in this regard is the winning and losses – the players are allowed to file their winnings and losses on their own. There is no guarantee that they will file the right figures in this case.

Moreover, the current activities also come with some issues for the online poker operators that have integrated crypto payment methods. Bitcoin is still not considered to be fully stable, at least not yet. That said, the operators are always stuck with it regardless of the situation. As Phil Nagy points out, in cases where Bitcoin’s price drops, their uses who have Bitcoin usually send them to the operator since this is more often than not the fastest way to liquidate the digital tokens.

PokerStars Pennsylvania Celebrates Anniversary with Tournament Series

Posted on November 4, 2020November 5, 2020 by Kelley N.

It has been one whole year since PokerStars made its debut in the Keystone State. Since its launch, the online poker platform has recorded very strong numbers in terms of revenue as well as the number of visitors. More and more players have been welcomed to the platform and with the pandemic, there was a significant surge in traffic which further cemented PokerStars’ position as the go-to online poker destination for poker lovers in the Keystone State. This can also partly be attributed to its monopoly in that particular marker – this is, however, set to come to an end very soon as other online poker operators are already making plans to join the state’s gaming market.

Meanwhile, PokerStars is marking its 1st anniversary in the state by offering its customers the chance to participate in a fun and exciting tournament series that will be running all through November. Referred to as the Pennsylvania 1st Anniversary Series, the event series will run from November 8 to November 15. During this period, poker players will be able to play across 35 events for a chance of winning a portion of the $1 million guaranteed prize.

The Highlights

The schedule for the tournament is pretty packed to make sure everyone gets a chance to participate. The main highlight will, however, be the $100-entry Main Event which boasts of a guaranteed prize pool of a whopping $200,000.

In addition to that, there are lots of other exciting events that players can participate in. The operator has made it easy for the customers to grab over $10,000 in tickets to the events. These can be grabbed in seven freerolls and players can qualify for those for as little as $1.

Some of the other notable events on the massive schedule include the $100 Sunday Special that will go down on November 8. This has a guaranteed prize of $100,000. There is also the ‘Mini’ Main Event that will go down on November 15 and carries a guaranteed prize pool of $25,000. Moreover, there is the amazing $50 phased tournaments that will be running throughout the duration of the tournament series and has a guaranteed prize of $50,000.

Competition on The Way

As mentioned earlier, PokerStars has had a monopoly in the Keystone State’s online poker market ever since it was launched. This is about to come to an end as other poker operators that have been eyeing the state are inching closer to launching their poker offerings. However, if the high traffic that PokerStars boasts of is anything to go by, the operator does not have much to worry about.

CoinPoker Shifts All of Its Tables to USDT

Posted on October 4, 2020October 1, 2020 by Kelley N.

After announcing in mid-September that it would be switching to a stable coin as its main in-game currency, CoinPoker has finally followed through with those plans by integrating USDT. It becomes the very first online poker operator on the planet to pull off such as move, something that is expected to pay off quite decently in both the short and long terms.

USDT, otherwise known as Tether, has been breaking records for quite some time now. In fact, it is widely considered to have a lot to do with the most innovative developments in the digital currency space since the conception of Bitcoin in the late noughties. The currency has grown so popular that even banks might start to consider it as a normal payment option in the near future.

Keeping all that in mind, it is not too surprising that CoinPoker has seen the potential of the digital currency. Perhaps the most compelling reason for the adoption of USDT is the fact that it offers a solution to the prevailing volatility problem that continued to plague a number of digital currencies. A stablecoin also creates room for accelerated growth, something that CoinPoker certainly needs in order to achieve its very ambitious growth plans.

The biggest perks that CoinPoker will be getting from USDT include stability, better transaction speeds as well as reliability. All of these are valued features among the members of the poker community and their existence will certainly make the site an attractive option for even more gamblers.

What About CHP?

Despite the fact that USDT will be taking over as the main in-game digital currency on CoinPoker, CHP which is the operator’s digital token will remain in place. According to CoinPoker, “CHP is the currency of the CoinPoker economy, and it will stay this way, except stronger than before.” The company still has some pretty huge plans for the token especially with regards to bringing customers more perks.

Using CHP will not be forced down the throats of the customers but those who choose to use it will gain special access to some exclusive perks and benefits. These will include such things withdrawal fee discounts, dedicated promotions, giveaways, special games, and special access to the sportsbook as well as rakeback. In addition to those, players who will be using CHP will also get 50% more Leaderboard points.

This is a pretty huge leap forward for CoinPoker, the crypto community, and the online poker community. Players can already join the action using fiat, BTC, or ETH if they do not have USDT yet – the in-app currency conversion really comes in handy here.

888poker’s Millions Superstorm Kicks Off September 10

Posted on September 4, 2020September 1, 2020 by Kelley N.

Despite the massive changes that had to be implemented due to the coronavirus pandemic, online poker operators have been finding ways to bring back some action. Already a number of massive poker events have been held and more are yet to come.

Poker players have quite a lot to look forward to in September but the one that stood out the most for us is 888poker’s $8 Million Guaranteed Tournament Series, Millions Superstorm Edition. To begin with, Million Superstorm is the biggest poker festival that 888poker has ever held in nearly 20 years. It will also go down in history as the biggest online poker tournaments series that the renowned poker operator has held in the recent past.

What to Expect

To begin with, the Millions Superstorm will feature a whopping 480 events with the first one kicking off on September 10. The tournaments series will then run all the way to October 11. Buy-ins start from as low as $5.50 and rise all the way to as much as $530. This is a pretty reasonable range, particularly because it will allow all kinds of players to take part in some of that action.

This tournament series is part of the poker operator’s Millions Superstorm promotion that has been running for quite some time now. Participating players will have the chance to compete in tons of fun and exciting daily challenges. The promotion runs for 8 weeks and in that period the operator will have awarded a total of $1 million in cash prizes in addition to the $8 million that is guaranteed for the tournament series.

So, if you want a piece of that, you will certainly need to look out for the cash freerolls, the daily spinners, the bonuses, tickets as well as the Millions Superstorm Daily Freeroll tournaments.

The $1 Million Guaranteed Main Event

Perhaps the biggest highlight of the entire tournament series will be the Superstorm Main Event whose buy-in is $320 and there is a whopping $1 million cash prize. This will be an action-packed two-day event where the best poker players will battle it out to get a share of the cash prize.

Feel like you are a great player? Well, even if you cannot afford the $320 buy-in, there are ways of getting a piece of that action and possibly a piece of the cash prize too. With 888poker’s Daily Spinners, you might just be the lucky winner of a free entry into the Millions Superstorm Main Event. All you need to do is to spend no less than $5 playing games in the online casino or bet at least $5 in sports events with 1.5 minimum odds.

You could also win an entry into the Main Event via the satellite events which have been running since August 23.

iPoker Rolls Out New Cash Game Changes to Improve Player Experience

Posted on August 4, 2020August 4, 2020 by Kelley N.

As part of its bid to make its gaming platform friendlier to recreational players, the iPoker Network has recently implemented a host of new changes. Most of these changes are intended to help in the reduction of predatory behavior that is often exhibited by some pro players and hardcore amateurs. As it turns out, that kind of behavior has been having some rather detrimental impacts on traffic since it has made keeping recreational or casual poker gamers on the site quite difficult.

According to iPoker Network Manager Joerg Nottebaum, the move involved activating some features that will go a long way in making their games “fairer and more fun for players.” The company prides itself on being customer-focused and this fairness is one of the biggest priorities.

The Changes

Perhaps the most notable change for people who love the anonymity that comes with some online casinos especially those that utilize crypto and blockchain is the anonymous cash game lobby. This change makes it impossible for malicious players to use seating scrips as they will not be able to track other players throughout the lobby. Seating scripts are usually used by some pro or hardcore amateurs to find and take advantage of weaker poker players.

To further add an extra layer of anonymity to the platform, the Pay to See Names feature has been included as part of the new changes. In essence, this keeps players from being tracked throughout the game lobby. This happens even when a player joins one of the site’s cash game tables – their opponents’ names will remain hidden until that particular player posts a big blind.

Ideally, some players would be very happy if iPoker made the table completely anonymous but this does not seem to be in the network’s agenda at the moment. Perhaps this is to ensure that even though new measures are added to the site, the experience remains just as good and familiar as it was before.

Another significant change is in the inclusion of a global sit-out function which essentially forces players to sit out all other tables once the hand they are in is over. This applies when players who multi-table cash games chose to sit out one of the tables. Like all the other changes, this one is also meant to prevent malicious players from sitting out, occupying a seat, and waiting for weaker players to join or the game to better in one way or the other.

The 2020 Online World Series of Poker Is Finally Here

Posted on July 4, 2020July 2, 2020 by Kelley N.

After a long wait following the cancellation of the 2020 World Series of Poker due to the coronavirus pandemic, poker lovers can now finally enjoy the action online. The 2020 Online World Series of Poker kicked off on July 1 and is set to run until September 6.

While the online tournament series may seem rather weird for people who were used to being part of the action in the land-based venues, the online tournament series promises a lot of fun for every poker lover. To begin with, the online poker series features a total of 85 WSOP gold bracelets all of which are up for grabs on both GGPoker and WSOP.com.

WSOP.com’s daily series poker action began on July 1 and will remain available till July 31. This will, unfortunately, be available to only New Jersey and Nevada players. GGPoker, on the other hand, will be kicking off its massive array of 54 bracelet events on July 19 and they will run till September 6.

Record-Breaking Events in Store

While it may have been a result of circumstance, there is a lot of optimism about the tournaments. Most notable, it is expected that the 2020 Online World Series of Poker will become the largest online poker event ever, that is, in terms of the prize pool. Speaking of the prize pool, the event has a massive guarantee which has certainly caught the attention of poker players and pros from all around the globe.

“With over $100M in guarantees during the WSOPC Super Series in May and more than $134M in awarded prizes, it’s clear that GGPoker and the WSOP make a good pair. We’re excited to create bracelet events that the worldwide poker community will embrace, as well as innovative programming with PokerGo.”

Steve Preiss, Head of Poker Operations for GGPoker.

The players will have the chance to participate in a ton of exciting events with very reasonable buy-ins. Even the “Main Event” which will go down on WSOP.com on July 31 will have a buy-in of $1,000. This might seem a little high but it is definitely low enough that a considerable number of players will be able to get in on the fun. To put this into perspective, the No-Limit Hold’em Championship “Main Event” will cost a whopping $9,000 less than the traditional Main Event. That said, if you have always wanted to participate in that particular event but the high buy-in has kept you away, this might your chance to be a part of it.

Stablecoin Betting Finally Comes to Cloudbet

Posted on June 4, 2020 by Kelley N.

Renowned online casinos, esports betting, and sports betting platform Cloudbet has recently added USD Tether to the portfolio of digital coins that are available to its customers. This marks a huge milestone for the company because this is the very first time that it is venturing into the rather nascent world of stablecoin betting.

With the new stablecoin betting options, the customers can look forward to a ton of fun when indulging in their favorite casino games. The site currently has a very robust collection of casino games including poker, baccarat, roulette, blackjack, and even slots. Fans of sports betting will also have a lot of fun while anyone who is interested in esports will definitely appreciate the casino’s new esports betting offering which is arguably the best in the industry.

While the addition of USD Tether was just announced towards the end of May 2020, the feature was first put through a whole month of extensive testing. This was to ensure that everything was working as expected by having a select number of customers try out the feature and report their feedback to the operator.

After ascertaining that everything was working as expected, Cloudbet finally made the move to roll out the new stablecoin feature to all of its users. Now all of its customers can enjoy making deposits, betting, and withdrawing funds from their casino accounts using USD Tether.

Needless to say, this is a tremendous step forward for the blockchain-powered iGaming platform as it strives to expand its services further.

Why Stablecoins?

For anyone who has been paying even a tiny bit of attention to the world of crypto, the fluctuations in the market are something that is quite common. Even though die-hard crypto enthusiasts might not feel pressured by the volatility, many other people are not willing to put up with that much uncertainty.

As such, there has been a need for more cryptocurrency innovations. This is why digital tokens that are pegged to real-world asses or FIAT currency come in. They assist the gaming platforms in avoiding the volatility that is commonplace in the world of crypto.

USD Tether (USDT), otherwise referred to as Tether, is one of these stablecoins and its value is pegged to the US Dollar on a 1 to 1 basis. Naturally, this makes it a very attractive option for anyone who has been meaning to try out betting on crypto-powered platforms such as Cloudbet.

“Since launch, a fundamental part of our philosophy has been about empowering players with technologies that solve their problems. USDT and stablecoins are an extension of that.”

Cloudbet.

In addition to the protection from volatility that stablecoins offer, they are also known for offering very fast transactions. What more could you ask for?

Poker.com Unveils New Bitcoin-Powered Online Poker Platform

Posted on May 4, 2020May 3, 2020 by Kelley N.

Poker.com which is arguably one of the leading online poker platforms on the planet has been trying to outdo its competitors for a very long time. This it has done by offering some of the most enticing poker features and at the end of it all, the players are the true winners. Its most recent move in this regard was the recent unveiling of a brand-new Bitcoin-powered online poker platform. That is great timing for the site since there has been a significant rise in online poker traffic.

The poker site which has been in operation for two decades has always been committed to providing its customers with the very best in terms of features. That said, the move to go all-in with crypto is set to create an even deeper sense of trust and commitment among its very loyal fanbase.

What Does the New Platform Have to Offer?

Known as Bitcoin Poker, the new online poker platform is expected to gain massive popularity among both online poker enthusiasts and members of the Bitcoin and digital currency community at large. It will bring forth all of the amazing features that many online gamblers have already seen with other crypto-based gaming platforms.

To begin with, the players will get to enjoy instant play and they will be able to do this while remaining totally anonymous. All that they will need to do is verify their email addresses and dive into the poker action.

As if that is not enough, the players will also have access to superfast deposits and payouts thanks to the Bitcoin network. The poker operator is already very popular for offering some of the most reliable and seamless payment processing in the industry but, still that the addition of Bitcoin will be a much-needed step up.

Aside from the speed of transactions, players can also look forward to other amazing perks including:

Low transaction fees for the room and you
Private, anonymous poker, no personal details needed, no bank or cc statements
Highly secure deposits in minutes
Rapid cashouts
Freedoms from banks and governments.

The Platform’s New Affiliate Program

Bitcoin Poker is not the only thing that Poker.com customers have to look forward to. The company has also recently announced a 50 percent revenue share for all of the new members of its mind-blowing affiliate program. This revenue share deal will remain in place for a whopping three months for each of the new partners who join.

It goes without saying that in the very dynamic world of online gambling, such developments are always monumental to the growth of individual companies and the industry as a whole. Poker.com customers will certainly have a lot to enjoy but it won’t be long before other players in the industry also respond by introducing equally competitive products and features.

BitcoinPoker.us