NEW YORK, New York — As reported by CNN: "Recession-weary Americans aren’t gambling the way they used to — and that could be a problem for many U.S. states already struggling with record budget
Less money was gambled in 2009 than in 2008.  gaps due to the weak economy.

"State revenues from all sources of authorized gambling fell 2.8% in fiscal 2009, according to a report from the Rockefeller Institute of Government released Monday. It was the first decline in data going back at least 20 years.

"’It’s not a huge decline, but it’s sobering,’ said Mark Marchand, director of communications for the Rockefeller Institute.

"…Income from casinos fell 8.5%, while revenue from pari-mutuel wagering, which includes dog and horse racing, sank nearly 15%.

"However, revenue from race tracks that also host electronic gambling machines such as slot-machines, or "racinos," increased by 6.7%, largely because of new racinos opening in Indiana and Pennsylvania, the report said…"

BERLIN, Maryland — As reported by the Washington Post: "Maryland officials are poised to award the state’s first slot machine gambling license to the Ocean Downs racetrack, a move its owner has
  said would allow betting to begin at the Eastern Shore location as early as Memorial Day weekend, according to several sources familiar with the process.

"The anticipated action by a state commission Wednesday would mark a major milestone in the long-running effort to bring slots to Maryland, even as real uncertainties remain about the viability of other locations authorized by voters last year to bolster the state budget.

"Ocean Downs, a family-oriented harness track five miles west of Ocean City, has sought permission to operate 800 slot machines, less than one-third the number allowed at the site by Maryland law.

"Other bidders — including those seeking to operate the two largest casinos envisioned by the state, in Anne Arundel County and Baltimore — face obstacles that could delay operations past planned openings in 2011 or sink the bids altogether. The problems include a zoning battle and questions about the bidders’ finances…"

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey — As reported by The Press of Atlantic City: "The grim economy would seem to make the timing bad for a major poker tournament in this struggling casino market.

"However,
The Borgata Poker Open  the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship has been a success since it started on Sept. 8 with an estimated 15,000 entrants.

"The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa’s signature poker tournament concludes with a televised final table of the main event Thursday.

"…A key to the event’s success has been the lower buy-in for the no-limit Texas Hold ‘em main event, which started Saturday.

"The Open drew 1,018 players for the $3,500 event ($3,300 goes into the prize pool and $200 to the casino).

"The buy-in is significantly lower than it is for most major tournaments around the country…"

copyrighted material written for and appeared exclusively in The Press of Atlantic City

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DUBLIN, Ireland  — Full Tilt Poker Pro Erik Cajelais wins the World Series of Poker Europe Event 2, claiming his first WSOP bracelet and more than US$169K in prize money.

This is a breakthrough
Eric Cajelais breaks out at WSOP Europe  victory for Cajelais, a 27-year-old professional poker player from Montreal who has come close to a major tournament win on several occasions. His best previous finish was second place in the US$5K Pot-Limit Omaha event at the 2007 WSOP.

WSOPE Event 2, a half Pot-Limit Hold ‘em and half Pot-Limit Omaha tournament with a buy-in of GBP2,500, attracted 158 of the world’s best players to the Empire Casino in London. Day one of the tournament was played at a rapid pace, especially during the action-packed Pot-Limit Omaha rounds. Cajelais dominated the early action, ending the day as the overall chip leader.

Day two continued at the same break-neck speed, culminating with an early start to the final table. Cajelais entered the final table seventh in chips after making his way through the tough day two field. The stacked final table featured four former WSOP bracelet winners, including Team Full Tilt’s Howard "The Professor" Lederer, along with Men Nguyen and Hoyt Corkins. Lederer was the first player to bust out from the final table, heading to the rail after his pocket 3s did not hold up against his opponent’s A-K.

The tournament was suspended for the night when five-handed play was reached, at which time Cajelais was the short stack and appeared headed for a fifth-place finish. This all changed when play resumed the next afternoon, as Cajelais won a series of big pots to reclaim the chip lead for the first time since the end of day one.

Cajelais dominated the final hour of play, completely taking over the table after busting Nguyen in fourth place. When heads-up play began, Cajelais held an almost 10-to-1 chip lead over Mats Gavatin, a professional poker player from Sweden.

Shortly into their heads-up battle, Cajelais made a full house in a Pot-Limit Omaha hand to eliminated Gavatin and claim his first WSOP bracelet. With this win, Cajelais has earned nearly US$1.7 million playing live tournaments throughout the world.

In celebration of his tremendous victory, Cajelais sprinted down the hall to claim his seat in WSOPE Event 3, the GBP5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha championship, which had started earlier in the afternoon.

To learn more about Erik Cajelais and all of the Full Tilt Poker pros, visit www.fulltiltpoker.com.