When the dust settled on Juan Carlos Mortensen’s win at the World Poker Tour Championship at the Bellagio on Saturday there was not a poker player around who could doubt that they had just witnessed one of the defining moments in the history of tournament poker.

Those interested in the stock market will be keeping an eye on online gaming stocks today in anticipation of a positive statement from Congressman Barney Frank regarding a challenge to the UIGEA.

Shares in the online gaming company 888 Holdings fell sharply yesterday after talks stalled about a possible takeover by Ladbrokes.

Ladbrokes first announced it had approached 888 about a possible deal last November, but news has been fairly thin on the ground ever since.

When it comes to awards it seems there is just no stopping InterCasino. The five-times winner of Gambling Magazine’s “Best Online Casino” category have just picked up the top award in Gambling.com’s High Roller Awards, voted for by over 10,000 consumers.

Tony Blair defended the UK government’s under fire casino policy yesterday, suggesting that the proposed casinos would bring much needed regeneration to some of Britain’s most deprived areas.

The Grand Prix de Paris will still go ahead next month, but the decision by the World Poker Tour to cancel its plans to film the tournament is a catastrophic blow for organisers.

While it looks as though PartyGaming shares may have levelled out at around the 55p mark, after nearly doubling in value within two months, the well known investment manager Rupert Morrell believes there are still plenty of undervalued stocks in the online gambling sector.

US Representative Barney Frank is deep into preparations to repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), but says he is not planning a carve out for poker.

There will be no progress made on Manchester’s proposed supercasino until next month at the very earliest, the UK government has confirmed, after a stalemate developed between the two houses in parliament.

A baccarat binge attributed to the ten day Chinese New Year celebrations helped Las Vegas’ February revenues edge ahead of last years figures, as gambling revenues fell in other areas.

An incredible surge in the price of PartyGaming shares has seen the company’s stock soar straight to the top of the FTSE 250’s perfomrance index, with shares rising 66pc for unrivalled gains in the FTSE’s alternative stock market index.

The United States authorities scored another hit in their fight against the online gambling industry recently with the arrest of BetOnSports (BoS) founder Gary Kaplan and his extradition to St Louis.

The High Court is set to review legislation regarding new casino licenses due to complaints from existing operators that the new casinos would pose a significant threat to their survival, according to Reuters.

The World Trade Organisation recently released the decision of its three-member panel regarding the stance of the United States towards online gaming, which backed its own April 2005 report which ruled against the US.

A 27 year-old American from Chicago, Illinois, yesterday picked up the biggest prize in European poker history when he collected the first prize at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo.