Time for "Timex" at EPT Dortmund --  Michael "Timex" McDonald, an 18-year-old from Toronto, Canada, became the youngest PokerStars European Poker Tour winner ever by capturing the German Open title at the Casino Hohensyburg in Dortmund, Germany.  McDonald, one of a handful of online players who honed their skills by violating online sites’ Terms of Service by playing underage, is also controversial for his connections with widely banned online player Josh JJProdigy Field.  Nonetheless, McDonald triumphed here in dominating fashion after being in or near the lead for most of the final table.  McDonald pocketed €933,600 (or roughly US $1.4 million) for the win.

Costa Rica, Antigua File Additional WTO Arbitration Requests --  Don’t close the book on World Trade Organization proceedings connected to online gambling just yet.  Apparently dissatisfied with the United States’ failure to conduct fair negotiations concerning the online-gambling trade sector, both Costa Rica and Antigua & Barbuda have filed new arbitration requests with the WTO.  At issue here is the U.S.’ announced intention to withdraw online gambling from its GATS (General Agreement on Tariffs and Services) schedule without offering adequate compensation to affected countries, namely Costa Rica and Antigua, the latter of which already has a $21 million annual judgment against the U.S.  Will online gambling be the issue that ultimately tears the WTO to shreds?  Check back in a few years and we’ll know the answer.

The Betfair Boo-Boo, or, This’ll Make You Look Good on SharkScope --  Employees at Betfair were dismayed last weekend to discover that the programming for their newly revised 6-Pak short-handed sit-n-go tournaments had a rather severe software flaw, when some overly enterprising players discovered that if all six players pushed all in on the first hand, the player who won the hand would receive first-place money, and all five other players would receive the full listed amount for second place.  The result would be an overpayment in each affected SNG of an extra 100% of the prize money.  Once discovered, a group of about 20 players connected with each other via internet chat programs and played at the highest stakes throughout the night, then attempted to quickly withdraw their illegitimate winnings.  Betfair was able to block most but not all of the withdrawals, and quickly corrected the software bug and sent out an email asking for the return of the extra winnings.  Given that a lot of the players wouldn’t have played the high-stakes SNGs had the software glitch not been present, the situation also generates questions about rake connected to the extra SNGs that has yet to be figured out.

McDermott Circulates Online Gambling Tax Revenue Study to Congress --  Rep. James McDermott (D-WA), chose this past week to circulate a study of potential tax revenue available to state and federal governments should the U.S. attempt to regulate online gambling instead of seeking to ban it.  The report, produced by top market-research firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, suggests that revenue generated in the first decade of regulated online gambling would fall somewhere between $8.7 billion and $42.8 billion in new tax money, if not new money itself.  McDermott, who asked for the study in support of his proposed Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act (H.R. 2607), noted that these are tax monies which he believes should rightfully be flowing to the U.S. but are heading instead to offshore sites.  Nonetheless, McDermott’s proposal languishes in committee, far short of the critical mass it needs for serious consideration.

New Poker Hall of Fame Inductees Honored --  The Women in Poker Hall of Fame, housed at Binion’s in downtown Las Vegas, inducted four charter members in ceremonies this past week.  The four initial honorees are Barbara Enright, Susie Isaacs, Linda Johnson and Marsha Waggoner.  Three of the four own WSOP bracelets and all four have been prominent figures for many years in the poker world.