Current laws in Florida dictate that greyhound tracks have to host dog racing in order to offer poker rooms at their establishments. However, all that is about to change with a new bill that was passed in the Florida House on Tuesday. HB 1145 passed the House with an 86-31 vote and states that greyhound tracks will be allowed to offer gambling without the need to stage live dog racing.

Dog breeders, naturally, are up in arms against the bill, saying that thousands will be left without work, as well as thousands of race track employees. Opposition has also comes from the Republicans in the House, who are afraid that the bill will only lead to the expansion of gambling at tracks. Ironically, it was a Republican, Dana Young (Tampa), who is sponsoring the bill.

Young is adamant that HB 1145 is a good thing, as it will “eliminate an artificial propping up of an industry.” She points out that businesses are being forced to continue running, even if they are losing money under current legislation. According to Young, the tax collected from horse racing has dropped nearly 100% in the last ten years.

However, Rep. Dennis Baxley, who was one of the 31 who opposed the bill during the House vote said: “All you’re doing is converting racetracks to card-room casinos. When you reduce racing, you increase gambling.”

However, Young and her supporters say that poker rooms are up and running at racetracks anyway – and gamblers are clear on their choice regarding which pastime they prefer.

HB 1145 is now on its way to Florida’s Senate.

Citing reasons such as the desire to offer its players a better poker experience, Doyles Room confirmed that it has moved from the Cake Poker Network to the Yatahay Poker Network. The site told its players and affiliates in a press release that they will be able to enjoy the new software immediately on software that was created especially for Doyles Room by the Yatahay Network.

Migration to the new network is automatic, and Doyles Room ensured players that these changes do not, by any means, compromise their payouts and account balances. The site said that, in fact, the migration means that they can start paying out and get up to date with all money due to their players and affiliates.

“For years, we’ve relied on other networks for promotions, tournaments, software options and more,” said the poker room endorsed by poker legend Doyle Brunson. “While our players have enjoyed a great poker experience, we haven’t been able to offer our players exactly what we’ve dreamed about. That goes for promotions, software features and customer services experience.”

“With today’s move, we’re able to further customize our promotions,” said the press release. “We’re starting with our very own, supercharged $65K Race to the Top promotion that will launch in February and we’re building a schedule with $500K in guarantees monthly.”

Brunson added: “For our players, that means a tailored poker experience with more rewarding promotions and incentives. I’m personally excited about what’s ahead.”

Another online ewallet payment processing company bites the dust in the US online poker market. There has rising speculation regarding the reasons why eWalletXpress has been removing itself as a payment option at leading US facing online poker sites. At first the group said that it was facing “technical issues” and was trying to solve them.

However, it soon became clear that things were more serious than simple technical problems. Last week, the industry got wind that US authorities had issues warrants to seize eWalletXpress funds, and this was confirmed through a statement issued by the group which read: “We regret to inform you that we are no longer able to continue service at this time due to a federal warrant issued to seize our funds.”

The last time US online poker players remember this type of scenario was when the Feds seized $55 million in funds from giant epayment processor, Neteller which, at the time, was the main method of funds transferring for North American players. It took a couple of years before the issue was resolved and Neteller customers finally saw their money, and this was only after the payment group settled with the DOJ and paid a hefty fine.

eWalletXpress told account holders that they can contact payouts@ewalletxpress.com to request to have their funds paid out. However, it stressed that the money will be transferred back into checking accounts once the “technical issues” have been ironed out. As such, the group has not given any commitment to a timeline for when players can expect to see their funds.

A number of top US poker sites offered eWalletXpress as a payment method, including Bodog, Cake Poker, Doyles Room and Carbon Poker.