Glen Chorny Triumphs at EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final --   Numerous big names were in the hunt late at the PokerStars.com EPT World Championship, but it was relative unknown Glen Chorny who walked away with the honors… and a first-place check for the equivalent of $3,198,500.  Chorny, a Canadian who qualified online at PokerStars, had assumed a commanding chip lead by the time he reached heads-up play against ET regular Denes Kalo, and quickly finished the deal.  Kalo’s consolation prize of $1,866,790 will have to do. Maxime Villemure, another Canadian, took third for $1,132,107, while American Isaac Baron finished fourth for $932,692.

WPT Announces Settlement in Publicity-Release Lawsuit --  Remember the lawsuit that seven big-name players filed against World Poker Tour Enterprises, Inc., back in 2006?  That suit was finally settled, out of court and with zero monetary damages, when the WPT agreed to modify the language in its standard player release form.  According to the plaintiffs, the form's wording endangered their endorsement contracts with other parties and hence prevented them from playing in WPT events.  Five of the seven players were still party to the suit when it was settled:  Andy Bloch, Chris Ferguson, Annie Duke, Howard Lederer and Phil Gordon.  Two others -– Joe Hachem and Greg Raymer –- had dropped out of the action at earlier dates.

ePassporte Exits Online Poker Market --  The Bronx cheer of recent days has to go to online payment processor ePassporte, which terminated its service to several major online poker rooms without advance notice, thus exiting, for this California-based operation, the US market.  ePassporte had always differentiated between poker and other forms of online gambling that might fall under the reach of the U.S.’s decades-old Wire Act, but in the end succumbed to pressure from the U.S. Department of Justice.  (Quite possibly, the pressure came from the Southern District of New York, the same jurisdiction –- once led by now-disgraced crusader Eliot Spitzer –- that was prominent in forcing NETeller from the US market.)

ePassporte was more than a bit disingenuous in a letter it mailed to online sites, notifying them of the halt in service.  Said the letter, in part: “All though [sic] we do not believe we have done anything illegal, we do not wish to be associated with anything that might be considered illegal by the United States government.”  This comes a year and a half after similar payment processors also bowed to U.S. pressure.  Online poker players can still use electronic-check processors, which, unlike e-wallet services such as ePassporte, do not fall under the reach of the U.S.’s UIGEA.

Caesars Indiana Circuit Event Goes to Futhey --  The WSOP Circuit series at Caesars Indiana, just west of Louisville, KY, might not draw the largest fields of the Circuit series, but a healthy six-figure payday and a seat to this summer’s WSOP Main Event was available just the same.  The honors here went to Wilbur Futhey, who pocketed $180,289 for the win.  The runner-up spot went to Steven Merrifield ($94,596), while Dale Poynter finished third ($55,645).

Frank, Paul Seek to Block UIGEA Enforcement --  Citing irreconcilable problems inherent in the language of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, Congressmen Barney Frank and Ron Paul recently introduced a bill that would seek to block UIGEA implementation, preferring to properly regulate (and collect revenue from) the massive online gambling market.  It’s too soon to tell if the Frank/Paul bill is a show pony or if it will develop reveal legs.

Jones Exits EPT, Joins CardRunners --  If there’s ever been a face to the executive side of PokerStars and the European Poker Tour, it’s been that of Lee Jones, the personable California poker personality and media veteran.  Jones became the online poker room manager at Stars in 2004 before moving on to a similar event-organization role at the EPT in 2007, though he was still closely affiliated with Stars.  Citing, among other things, a desire to return to the United States, Jones decided to end his run with the EPT and take a position as Chief Executive Officer of CardRunners.com, one of poker’s leading online video instruction sites.  Jones is already at work in his new job, finishing his EPT duties with the end of the recent Grand Final in Monte Carlo.