A number of large European operators have been included in an expanded blacklist of online gambling operators who continue to serve Belgian players without a proper license. Players who play on the sites could face fines of up to €25,000.

Parties that make up a majority coalition in Sweden are ready to ditch the current gambling monopoly and introduce a new licensing system. The overhaul will be made to protect players and collect taxes from foreign operators, the coalition says.

The European Commission has criticized a proposal for new online gambling legislation in Germany. The Commission believes that key restrictions written into the law may not be justifiable.

Bulgarian lawmakers have on Thursday adopted a new law to regulate online gambling in the country for the first time. The bill outlines a licensing system, as it has been seen in other European countries.

Bodog's US-facing branch, Bovada.lv, yesterday decided to block all real-money players from Maryland. The decision comes two weeks after an indictment against Bodog founder Calvin Ayre was unsealed in the state.

Republican Representative in Iowa Dan Huseman has claimed that Iowa's recently introduced online poker bill will not pass and become law. 70% of Iowans oppose the initiative, Huseman says.

The Dutch Supreme Court has ordered online gambling operators Betfair and Ladbrokes to block Dutch residents from accessing their websites. The ruling comes after almost ten years of legal battles.

Californian lawmakers have made another push for legalizing online gambling within state borders. A new online gambling bill was introduced this weekend, tailored at combating the Golden State's bleeding state budgets.

A lobbyist claims that an online poker bill could be amended to the United States Senate's unemployment payroll bill this month. The amendment would help a bill pass before states introduce their own gambling legislations.

PokerStars and Circus Groupe on Wednesday announced that the partnership has been granted a so-called A+ license to operate in Belgium. With the new license, PokerStars will now be able to offer a multitude of legal games in the country.

The US Gaming Survey and the Poker Players Alliance have published the result of a large-scale survey of the behavior of U.S. poker players. The survey showed that the majority of the players would prefer playing in a regulated environment.

Utah Representative Stephen Sandstrom has introduced a bill, which would allow Utah to opt out of a federally regulated online gambling scheme. Sandstrom wants to keep Utah free of online gambling, he says.

Brazilian authorities have officially recognized poker as a game that requires elements of skill. The game has been listed on the Brazilian Ministry of Sport's website after negotiations with a national and international lobby groups.

Iowa lawmakers are hoping that the state will be able to offer online poker in corporation with other states or even countries. State Senator Jeff Daniels on Tuesday said that he will work to introduce the needed legislation.

Following the approval of intrastate online poker in Nevada, New Jersey could be the next state in line to introduce legal gambling for its citizens. A new proposal could be pushed through already next week.

New online poker legislation was supposed to introduce a new market model in Spain per January 1st, 2012. An extension of the deadline for implementing the new laws however means that the change will be delayed by up to six months.

2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer this week appeared in court as a star witness in a Virginia poker case. Raymer intended to convince the case judge that poker is a game of skill and not chance.

The Danish gambling market is ready to introduce a new licensing system, effectively saying goodbye to a 50-year-old state monopoly. Foreign online operators will now be able to freely offer their games.

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh and former Governor Tom Ridge have joined American grassroots organization FairPlayUSA. The two will help the lobby fight for improved legislation on American online poker.

The northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein has decided to introduce new gambling laws after the government voted in favor of a new proposal. The state will be the first in Germany to open up its market.

Full Tilt Poker could be facing additional trouble after a second class action lawsuit has been filed against the company, this time from Canada. The lawsuit has been filed by Consumer Law Group Inc.

The Netherlands could be the next European country to revamp current gambling legislation and open up markets for online gambling. A dispute about gambling addiction could however block the proposal.

FairPlayUSA has added Mike Sexton to its Advisory Board. Sexton will now be helping the lobby group in the fight for regulated U.S. online poker, alongside Greg Raymer among others.

Greece has pushed through new online gambling legislation. Several changes were made immediately before the introduction of the new bill, including the permission for operators to advertise freely.