Since it was founded in late 2015, the television channel Poker Central has been trying to find their way in a very difficult broadcasting world. Now news is emerging that, by the end of December, the channel allegedly may shut down its cable network broadcasting outlet.
- Part Time Poker Shutting Down Youtube
- Part Time Poker Shutting Down Today
- Part Time Poker Shutting Down Free
- Part Time Poker Shutting Down 2017
2019 Bankrupt Stores & Stores Shutting Down Locations This Year: Mall culture, and the stores that go with it, are fading fast. And only 1,400 of those were part-time.'
Per Kent Gibbons at Broadcasting and Cable Magazine, Poker Central has been having some difficulty getting on various broadcasting outlets around the country. The network had a partnership with Buckeye Broadband to broadcast the network in the Ohio region, but other outlets were either not willing to jump on board or were waiting until after the new year to go live with the channel (according to sources from Gibbons). Up to this time (and without the other programmers offering the network), the network had been doing decently reaching its fans through their Twitch channel and various streaming devices such as the Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.
Apparently that wasn’t enough for those in charge of the network, including major investor/poker professional Cary Katz. The decision was made, according to Gibbons, by Katz to end the broadcast schedule on December 31 and it caught many of those in positions of responsibility by surprise. Gibbons could not even confirm the shutdown of Poker Central with the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Clint Stinchcomb (a former World Poker Tour executive), and many others were reportedly “disappointed” with the decision, according to Gibbons.
A press release from earlier in 2016 may have been the indicator that this move was coming. Back in September, a press release announced the expansion of their digital (re: online) product, partially because of their success on Twitch and partially to give their viewers what they want. “Poker Central is wildly popular with poker fans, who want the freedom to enjoy our content when, where and how they want” said Joe Kakaty, the president of Poker Central, during that press announcement. “We found an almost insatiable appetite for live poker and are investing in new studios in both New York and Las Vegas to feed it. Poker fans will love our full slate of live fast-action poker and our fantastic daily content offerings.”
Another member of the Poker Central hierarchy, Vice President of Content Sam Simmons, echoed Kakaty. “When our early access to the initial hours of the Super High Roller Bowl shattered Twitch records, we decided to embrace our audience’s preferred viewing habits,” commented in the press release. “This means access to poker programming on the platforms of their choice, while expanding our live TV broadcasts by partnering with several fully distributed networks.”
Now it seems that those other “fully distributed networks” and the live television broadcasts are out the window. What will become of some of their broadcasting remains to be seen. In the September press release, it was mentioned that such programming as Pokerography (think A&E’s Biography, only about poker players) and the previously mentioned Super High Roller Bowl will be a part of their digital future. It was also mentioned that they would be mixed with “other live events, scheduled episodic web series, daily short-form news and edgy content that’s ideal for today’s consumption habits.”
What wasn’t mentioned expressly in the September press release or by Gibbons is the future of Inside Poker with Matt Savage or even Live at the Bike. The Savage program would delve into discussions with the major power brokers in the poker world (and some players would get in occasionally also), while LATB, the longtime cash game broadcast of live action from the Bicycle Casino in California, was looking to make its jump from just being an internet sensation to being broadcast across the country to fans. These programs may be a part of the digital future of the Poker Central offerings, but it wasn’t declared outright.
If the network is truly leaving, then it is unfortunate. Many attempts have been made at a 24/7 poker channel, both internationally and in the States of America, and it seems that there isn’t quite the audience to drive the bottom line for the programming. While having Poker Central as a digital outlet on Twitch or over the internet, it isn’t the same as sitting down in your chair to watch it in your living room on the HDTV.
Longtime Las Vegas poker player and regulated iGaming media contributor John Mehaffey has put WSOP Nevada and the brand’s communications executive Seth Palansky on blast — for what he calls “meritless thuggery” tactics devised to intimidate vulnerable consumers into gambling more.
FEATURE IMAGE: Seth Palansky – WSOP
A now-resolved cashout dispute between poker player John Mehaffey and WSOP Nevada was brought to public light Thursday in a blog post that alleges the site incorporates various protocols that go against generally accepted Responsible Gaming guidelines.
WSOP Poker Site Sent Me Dubious Legal Threat (John Mehaffey – Vegas Advantage – Sep 27, 2018)
Mehaffey, who testified in 2015 before the Nevada state legislature as an Anti-SLAPP Law proponent, informs that his issues with the state’s sole online poker operator began back in July 2017 when he was banned from the site after a cashout refusal of $411 was eventually overturned.
“The company reversed a $411 cashout after I won $11 over a few weeks,” wrote Mehaffey. “Customer service told me that I only gave ‘minimal action’ and wanted me to explain myself. This was a player retention trick used by old offshore sites to push players back to the tables when cashing out entire balances.”
“I paid about $273 in rake and turned my $400 cash deposit over about 15 times. Apparently, that is minimal action to WSOP.com.”
“Next, they wanted me to verify a $25 months-old electronic deposit that long cleared the bank and was lost before the cash deposit. The situation started to feel like a phishing scam. I had enough of their tactics and demanded immediate payment and they paid me.”
The critique is relevant in the modern-day regulated iGaming landscape as lawmakers across the globe look to clamp down on operators who target vulnerable consumers or fail to comply with responsible gaming guidelines established by jurisdictional based licensing authorities.
888 to Pay £7.8 Million Penalty for Failing to Protect Vulnerable Consumers (UKGC – Aug 31, 2017)
The $10 million USD fine issued last year by United Kingdom regulators created a shock wave within the regulated iGaming industry, and has forced operators to quickly maneuver to shore up compliance lapses for both in-house and affiliate communications (888 is the current software provider for WSOP in Nevada).
Vague communication of bonus release requirements and omission of other material information have long been cited as methods employed by disreputable iGaming sites to coerce customers into gambling more while holding real money funds hostage via misleading cashout terms. Yet the dispute was not relayed publicly at that time.
Seth Palansky Reportedly Fires Back at John Mehaffey
Mehaffey, who has authored content on iGaming sites including Online Poker Report, says he originally considered pressing the issue with the Nevada Gaming Control Board in September of last year, but decided to not follow through in the aftermath of the October 1st tragedy. However, communication between Mehaffey and WSOP Nevada related to the site’s alleged “stall tactics” reportedly carried on — first in a phone call between the player and WSOP VP of Corporate Communications Seth Palansky in April 2018, and then in subsequent emails.
According to Mehaffey, the back-and-forth between the parties reached an unfortunate bottom when he notified Palansky via email that he would be submitting a “policy recommendation” to Nevada gaming regulators.
Reported email communication from John Mehaffey to WSOP/Seth Palansky
(image pasted directly from Vegas Advantage blog)
That’s when the gaming media member claims he received the following text as part of an email from the WSOP spokesperson on August 6th, 2018.
Part Time Poker Shutting Down Youtube
Reported email communication from Seth Palansky to John Mehaffey
(image pasted directly from Vegas Advantage blog)
Mehaffey believes this constitutes a “dubious legal threat” and is nothing more than “meritless thuggery” by the longtime WSOP executive, and shared his thoughts via social media once the blog post was published on Thursday.
I have a policy of publishing all baseless legal threats. I feel strongly that @wsopcom sent me one so here it is. This is my opinion as to why I feel that way and what I am doing about it: https://t.co/9p5eV3sZRT
— John Mehaffey (@John_Mehaffey) September 27, 2018
“I am still an invited guest at all Caesars properties,” Mehaffey reminded. “I have been a customer in good standing since 2002.”
Can WSOP Players Be Sued for Filing a Complaint with Regulators?
Becky Harris – Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairwoman
One of the main issues with what has been reported as direct communication from WSOP executive Seth Palansky is the implied intimidation that comes with threatening an individual who proposes escalation in the midst of an operator-customer dispute — with legal action.
Given, Part Time Poker has not reached out to WSOP officials for a response to confirm or deny the publication — and by Mehaffey’s admission the excerpts represent only part of the overall conversation. But this author’s reason for not doing so is due to the brand’s history of shutting down media relations when faced with certain player complaints that are controversial and high profile, while punishing players who insist on correcting issues.
marked cards if I'm going to get a penalty. Why in the hell would I do that?' Floor is threatening full table penalty
— Connor Drinan (@ConnorDrinan) June 24, 2017
“Hi, floor, um, can I request an entire deck change?” pic.twitter.com/H7Kh3vOMGy
— DJ MacKinnon (@djmacjr) June 28, 2017
Requested an interview with Ty or Jack re: the cards issue & was told that WSOP is ”going to decline to discuss it further”. (1/3)
— Lance Bradley (@Lance_Bradley) June 29, 2017
___
Mehaffey’s public release of information also happens to coincide with September 27th testimony by Nevada Gaming Control Board chairwoman Becky Harris before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations (sports betting hearing), where the Nevada gaming authority defended the advantages of statewide gambling regulation versus federal oversight.
Part Time Poker Shutting Down Today
The sworn testimony provided by Harris does not harmonize with Palansky’s alleged lack of regard for potential repercussions by statewide regulators.
“At the Nevada Gaming Control Board, my licensees have ‘privileged’ licenses, which means they don’t have a right to get them and they don’t have a right to retain them,” Harris testified. “When they cross the line or they act in inappropriate ways, the Board has the ability to discipline them and recommend disciplinary proceedings to the Commission who will ultimately make the decision.”
Our readers are encouraged to consult the following poker forum thread for additional information on the September hearing (solely as it relates to this story), and to discuss the matter publicly if desired.
John Mehaffey, WSOP Nevada & RG Compliance (TwoPlusTwo News, Views & Gossip – Sep 27, 2018)
Part Time Poker will continue to monitor this event and update our readers if new information is presented by either of the parties involved.
Part Time Poker Shutting Down Free
SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATION (TWITTER):@John_Mehaffey, @UNLVicgr
Read More In-House WSOP Coverage
Part Time Poker Shutting Down 2017
WSOP Main Event Entry Pool Rises 9% in 2018 (Jul 5, 2018)
U.S. Online Poker Shared Liquidity Market – Player Feedback (Apr 19, 2018)
Barry Greenstein Says WSOP Partially to Blame for Stalling Online Poker (Mar 27, 2018 #7)
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:@PartTimePoker, @dhubermex, @benefactumgames, @gonzo787, @WoernlePoker