PokerNews Banned from Covering the PokerNews MSPT at the Venetian PokerNews Banned from Covering the PokerNews MSPT at the Venetian
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Key Takeaways
  • The MSPT cites both PokerNews and the Venetian as partners of the tour on their website and the Main Event was scheduled to be covered on PokerNews.
  • Reporters ejected from casino because the site is affiliated with online poker.
  • The Las Vegas Sands owner has funded massive lobbying efforts to further his personal political agenda.

PokerNews were denied permission to report updates and chip counts from the MSPT’s Mid-Season Championship, which was held at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.

The news website is the title sponsor of the poker tour. It has reported live from all the events of the series so far, and was scheduled to cover the Main Event at the Las Vegas Sands casino.

According to a report first posted on poker forum Two Plus Two, subsequently verified by pokerfuse, PokerNews was denied entry to the Sheldon Adelson-run casino due to the site’s affiliation with online poker.

Along with live tournament reporting, PokerNews also publishes substantial content on online poker, particularly on the new US-regulated market. It currently lists the WSOP online poker rooms in Nevada and New Jersey as US sponsors.

The media outlet reported live from the eight previous MSPT stops this season.

The Venetian tournament, which drew 854 runners for the $1,100 event, was held earlier this week in the middle of the card room’s popular Deep Stack Extravaganza poker series.

Sheldon Adelson has initiated a fierce campaign against regulated online gaming. The Las Vegas Sands owner has funded massive lobbying efforts to further his personal political agenda.

By far the largest news and reporting site for live poker, PokerNews creates significant content and buzz around the events it covers, with live “chip counts,” video content, player interviews and event updates throughout the tournaments it covers.

Its reporters are also currently in Las Vegas to cover the World Series of Poker, where this year they have exclusive rights to shoot video from the floor.