Weekly Roundup January 13 2017
Winning Poker Network Changes VIP Program
The Winning Poker Network made a major change to its Elite Benefits VIP program. Players will now earn rake based on the amount of money they put in the pot. This is called the weighted contributed method. This is what nearly all other sites use for rakeback and VIP programs. The lone exception these days is Horizon Poker. Skins in that network include Intertops and Juicy Stakes.
Winning Poker Network rakeback already used the weighted contributed method. This change only applies to the Elite Benefits VIP program.
888 Leaves Australia and Slovenia
888 players in Australia received a notice over the weekend that the site will stop offering its services in the country effective January 16. Pokernews reported that it is likely this is in response to a proposed amendment to the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 that would require licenses for all operators. The bill would also create a crime for players to give action to unlicensed sites. 888 also decided to leave Slovenia, effective immediately.
New Jersey Online Gaming Posts Record Revenues
New Jersey online gaming posted gross revenues of $18.4 million in December. That was up 31 percent over the previous year. Poker was $2.1 million of that number.
Golden Nugget posted a record $4.8 in casino winnings. The Golden Nugget license also includes Betfair and Sugarhouse.
New Jersey online gaming revenues helped push Atlantic City to its first positive year since 2006. Online Poker Report predicts that online gaming will break $200 million in revenues in New Jersey in 2017.