Category Archives: Gambling

TripAdvisor app banned in China over tenuous link to gambling

China continues to show that it will stop at nothing to hide any mention of gambling, unless, of course, it’s run by the state. This week, China blocked a total of 105 apps as its Internet police launched their latest crackdown, banning them for providing access to “obscene, pornographic, violent, bloody and other illegal information, and providing illegal services such as fraud, gambling and prostitution,” according to CNN. Caught up in the purge was a seemingly innocuous site that cannot realistically be lumped into that category. TripAdvisor is no longer accessible to the Chinese travel market. 

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), aka the keyholders of the Great Firewall that controls who accesses what in the country, reported the new list of blocked sites this week, adding in a translated statement, “The Cyberspace Administration of China will continue to … strengthen the supervision and inspection of mobile apps’ information services, promptly clean up and dispose of illegal mobile applications and application stores, and strive to create a clear cyberspace.” However, even though TripAdvisor found itself on the list, the site was still active in the country as of this past Tuesday, per CNN’s report. 

The CAC didn’t offer details on why certain sites found themselves on the banned list, and it’s not easy to find a connection between TripAdvisor and the explanation by the agency for why it prohibits the sites. However, the closest thing to a working theory available is the fact that China has been cracking down on gambling, especially cross-border gambling, and may have viewed TripAdvisor’s access to gambling destinations as a way around its controls. 

In China, anyone found operating an illegal casino can be punished with five to ten years behind bars. The same goes for anyone who markets foreign casinos to the country’s citizens, and China recently launched an effort to crack down on individuals and companies it feels is directly targeting the Chinese gambler. 

Doug Polk is Now Running Up the Score on Daniel Negreanu

We’re starting to sound like a broken record here, but Doug Polk booked yet another big win against Daniel Negreanu. The Upswing Poker founder is now just printing money at the $200/$400 heads-up no-limit hold’em tables on WSOP.com. And he’s showing all the doubters why he was such a heavy favorite entering the challenge.

Doug Polk continues to cooler Daniel Negreanu. (Image: YouTube)

The popular poker stars met again on the virtual felt on Wednesday. They each mixed in some big bluffs, hit some big hands, and check-raised with the nuts over the course of three hours and 662 hands.

After it was all said and done, Polk logged out of his WSOP.com account with $101,713 more in his bankroll than before the day began. Those six-figure wins are starting to become par for the course for the Upswing Poker founder.

Gabe Kaplan, AJ Benza Back in the Broadcast Booth for the New ‘High Stakes Poker’

The reboot of the popular poker show, High Stakes Poker, will in fact include the old show’s commentators — Gabe Kaplan and AJ Benza. New episodes, which have already been filmed, begin Dec. 16 exclusively on the PokerGo app.

High Stakes Poker just wouldn’t be the same without AJ Benza and Gabe Kaplan. (Image: GSN.com)

PokerGo does have a subscription fee so you can’t watch the show for free. But you can get a $20 discount in preparation for the High Stakes Poker reboot by using the code, “HSP.”

Many of the popular show’s biggest stars will be back, including Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, and Jean Robert-Bellande. Some new faces will be among those who appear in the games, such as Doug Polk, Brandon Steven, and Bryn Kenney. To sweeten the pot even more and bring back some old viewers, the commentators — AJ Benza and Gabe Kaplan — are back together, just like old time’s.