The Texan legislature is considering a bill which would legalise and tax poker in the Lone Star state. 

 

 

The proposal, which is currently before the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee, would recognise Texas Hold ‘Em poker as a game of skill rather than one of chance. 

 

A state employee told the Cardplayer website that such a move could generate well over $155 million in tax revenue for Texas. 

 

Michael Bolcerek, president of the National Poker Players Alliance, told the ABC13 television station that legalising Texas Hold ‘Em was a logical move. 

 

It is, he argued, “one of the most difficult games to play and requires a consummate amount of skill”. 

 

Mr Bolcerek said that he could not understand “why anybody would oppose creating legal, regulated gaming that provides revenue for all Texans”. 

 

Texas Hold ‘Em remains controversial and illegal in many Southern states of the US. 

 

Just this week Dorian Murry, a county magistrate, was among 52 people arrested during a raid on an illegal Texas Hold ‘Em game in Georgia. 

 

 

The popularity of Asian gambling among both players and service providers has been further emphasised with the news that the Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia) has sold out its show floor.
An 80 per cent increase in participating exhibitors compared to last year’s Asian Gaming Expo has helped ensure a sell out, organisers have advised.
The Asian Gaming Expo was acquired by the G2E brand last summer, with the new event set to be held from June 13^th to June 14^th in Macau, which this week has revealed GDP figures which confirm its status as the most lucrative gaming region in the world.
The region has moved ahead of Las Vegas for the first time as Asian markets continue to gain in popularity.

“The tremendous interest in G2E Asia from gaming manufacturers illustrates that proactive participation in the Asian markets is increasingly becoming a business imperative,” said Frank Fahrenkopf, president and chief executive of the American Gambling Association, one of the event’s organising bodies.

“We’re very excited to have this kind of response in our first year, and we’re looking forward to a tremendous week in Macau,” he added.

A proposed riverboat casino in Baton Rouge, Los Angeles, has moved a step closer to fruition with the news that the US Army Corps of Engineers does not object to the plan.

 

Columbia Entertainment’s proposals include a 30,000 square foot gaming area as well as restaurants and bars, bringing the total area to 50,000 square feet.

 

Work on the $60 million facility’s new 380 car garage will get underway in June of this year, with officials hoping that the construction proper can begin by October.

 

“The company has worked closely with regulators and public officials to get this project off the ground,” said William Yung III, Columbia Entertainment’s chief executive.

 

“We will be able to make this investment in Baton Rouge because we enjoy the support and co-operation of the various government agencies, the Mayor of Baton Rouge, and other city officials, who see this project as an important economic stimulus for the community,” he added.

Columbia’s other projects include the renovation of the Tropicana Casino, which turns 50 this month.

Hollywood producers looking for locations for a new film based on the life of poker brat Phil Hellmuth have caused a stir in the player’s home town, it has been revealed.
 

Hellmuth hails from Madison, Wisconsin and attended the state’s university for three years, but filmmakers looking round his youthful haunts have managed to spark a debate among regional officials, the Los Angeles Times has reported.
 

A proposed tax credit for filmmakers in the region, passed into law last year, will not come into effect until 2008, potentially driving away the chance of filming in Madison and hence the revenue that could be made alongside such a production.
 

With filmmakers wanting to begin shooting this summer, a campaign to move the law forward has begun.
 

However, the LA Times notes that there is a similarly forceful opposition campaign already in action.
Why the rush? […] One film is not going to make or break this state,” said senator Russ Decker, according to the paper.

Hellmuth’s most famous poker win was at the World Series in 1989, when at 24 years old he became the event’s youngest ever winner.