Daily Rewind: Facebook Real Money Gaming, Helping Rafa, Macau Raids

In today's Daily Rewind we hail the arrival of Facebook gambling, ask Lee Jones about Full Tilt, help Rafa Nadal and crack down on crime in Macau. All that plus a classic Tom "durrrr" Dwan move.

The Daily Rewind is your one-stop-shop for a sharp review of the day in poker. Join us here for a mix of the latest news and a more irreverent insight into the poker world. Today we discovered the following topics for you:

Facebook Gambling Arrives

Facebook has just announced that it will launch its first real money gambling platform for UK customers.

The move was reported by EGR Magazine today and marks the start of the social network’s move into the gambling sector.

"Bingo Friendzy" will be run in conjunction with software provider, Gamesys, and be available to players aged 18 and over.

Commenting on the venture, James Cordorniou Head of Gaming Partnerships, said: “Gambling is very popular and well-regulated in the UK ... for millions of bingo users it’s already a social experience [so] it makes sense [for us] to offer that as well.”

It seems that bingo is just the start, as Cordorniou also indicated that other casino games such as blackjack and roulette would also be available soon.

This obviously poses the question of whether poker could also be included in the future beyond the site’s most popular offering, Zynga Poker.

Lee Answers All

If you’re still unsure where you stand following the recent takeover of Full Tilt by PokerStars make sure you check out PokerStrategy.com’s forum thread on the subject.

We’ve drafted in Lee Jones to give you the official answers for all of your questions. Check out some of the most popular questions so far, or visit the thread to post your own.

Rafa’s Final Helpers

After signing the one of the most recognisable sportsmen in the world, Rafa Nadal, PokerStars instantly turned to their players for their help.

“Help Rafa” asked the community for their top tips to help turn one of the best tennis players of all time into a winning poker player.

The entries came from all corners of the world and after sifting through them the judging panel has compiled their final six.

After much deliberation "Flat Noise" was finally chosen as the winner and receives a chip set signed by the great man and €5,300 EPT Barcelona main event.

Macau Gambling Ring Busted

While Usain Bolt struck at the Olympics in London, operation “Thunderbolt” has gone down in the gambling capital of the world, Macau.

The police crackdown on violent crime follows a spate of attacks on gamblers as well as insider cheating at many of the city’s top casinos.
 
The raid rounded-up many 1,300 gang members, a figure which produced 150 detentions. As well as attacks, the case centres on a cheating syndicate which involved $11.6 million in stolen funds.

The scheme involved dealers taking bribes and using small cameras to capture images of the cards on the baccarat tables.

As Macau’s gambling revenue stream has increased so has the crime rates. However, the latest move by the police was designed to curb the escalating problem.

High Stakes News

A bad day for Skjervoy

Joeri “L0ve2playU” van der Sman scooped the biggest high stakes haul yesterday with a profit of $296,583.

His win was far greater than the day’s second biggest winner, “mikki696” who banked $140,062.

In comparison, Andreas “Skjervoy” Torbergsen endured a tough day at the felt. Despite putting in a 4,793 hand session the Norwegian logged of $146,439 out of pocket.

Daily Signoff

With the police raiding gangsters in Macau, we thought we’d end today with someone else who’s been raiding the poker tables in the city for a while now.