by Haley Hintze
DUHAMEL HOME INVASION
The saga of the late-night home invasion robbery of WSOP Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel turned ever stranger with the arrest of former Duhamel girlfriend Bianca Rojas-Latraverse and three Montreal-area men in connection with the case. According to evidence presented at the arraignment, Rojas-Latraverse, 20, orchestrated the break-in in which Duhamel was beaten and briefly hospitalized, which was physically carried out by two of the three others since arrested. Taken in the robbery were over $100,000 worth of euros and Canadian currency, a special PokerStars Rolex watch commemorating Duhamel’s WSOP win—which has since been recovered—and the platinum-and-diamonds WSOP winner’s bracelet, which remains missing. This is proof positive that, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
NEVADA COMPLETES AND APPROVES E-GAMING REGULATIONS
Nevada Gaming Commission regulators rang in the new year by officially adopting a series of regulations governing a new state-run online-poker network. Fine-tuning the regulations, which were completed in December, continues to move forward, even as the state began accepting early applications from service providers and venders. Nevada’s regulators believe the state’s framework is robust enough to be adapted for interstate purposes, should federal regulation authorizing any such networks be approved. Another alternative under discussion is to negotiate state-by-state compacts with other online-friendly states, though neighboring Utah is an unlikely target; Utah’s legislators recently introduced legislation seeking a ban on all forms of internet gaming.
MICHIGAN CASINO PLAYER RUNS UP $1.5M DEBT IN ATM-BASED KITING SCHEME
In a modern variation on old check-kiting scams, a Flint MI, player used a simple checking card and repeated withdrawals at multiple Detroit and Las Vegas casinos to run up more than $1.54 million in fraudulent debt. Ronald Page, 56, was indicted after bumping into a Bank of America coding error that temporarily allowed him unlimited withdrawals during a 16-day period in August of 2009, with Page’s unfettered gambling spree continuing into early 2010. By the time BOA officials turned off the account, $1.5 million was missing, and the indictment alleges the bank asked for repayment before bringing charges.
NEW JERSEY LEGISLATORS EXPLORE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
New Jersey’s uneven lurching towards formal state enactment of legislation authorizing online gambling moved forward again in the wake of the DOJ’s recent statements regarding online gambling’s legality, with Gov. Chris Christie signaling his support after vetoing an earlier version of an e-gaming bill. However, state constitutional questions remained unanswered, and the possible need for a statewide referendum forced the bill’s backers to pull the legislation off the state’s year-end calendar. If a referendum is needed, New Jersey residents can expect formally regulated e-gaming much later in 2012, at the earliest.
VOCCIA TAKES BORGATA DEEP STACK DOUBLE PLAY
Among the largest of the pre-holiday tourneys was the Borgata’s Deep Stack Double Play, where 250 entrants converged to battle for a $375,000 purse. New York’s Daniel Voccia found the Jersey commute worthy in a big way, collecting $101,845 in the largest win of his career. Voccia’s last foe was New Jersey tourney regular Russell Crane, who cashed for $60,019 after winning the same event in August. Joseph Liberta finished third for $34,556.
RINGS FOR THREE FINGERS AS ROSENBACH CLAIMS WSOPC SATTY
Mid-level tourneys can be every bit as exciting and rewarding as the WSOP Main Event. Just ask New Jersey native Michael Rosenbach, who claimed his third WSOP Circuit ring in two months during preliminary action at January’s WSOP Circuit series at the Bike in L.A. Rosenbach claimed two rings for event wins at November’s Lake Tahoe WSOPC stop. His latest triumph brought $22,035 in earnings to accompany the latest jewelry.
Veteran poker-industry writer/editor Haley Hintze is the author of an upcoming book on the Absolute Poker and UltimateBet online cheating scandals, to be released later this year.
»
