New Year’s has come and gone and the holiday season is officially over so what better time to take a look at what transpired over the past 365-something days.

January

As 2007 started off, Italy seemed to have a change of heart from its anti-foreign gaming company stance when big name companies Ladbrokes and William Hill were granted licenses to accept bets from Italian customers.

Favored by a TD prior to the game, the Ohio State Buckeyes laid an egg on the national stage as they were upset in a 41-14 blowout loss to Florida in the NCAA’s BCS championship game.

BetonSports continued to show what a classy outfit it was as it failed to appear for an arraignment hearing in a St. Louis court. The company would eventually enter a Not Guilty plea.

The founders of NETeller were detained à la ex-BetonSports’ CEO David Carruthers.

Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre were detained separately in the U.S. for allegedly laundering money in relation to online gambling.

The online company that Lawrence and Lefebvre founded would stop accepting U.S. transactions shortly thereafter as well as other online payment transaction companies.

Late-January also saw Playboy’s online poker room open its doors, most players played only for the poker just like people bought the magazine strictly for the articles.

While all the online gambling headlines leaned towards the UIGEA, disgruntled poker players, who abided by the law might I add, began to raise their voices.

The Poker Players Alliance began working on legislation that would be introduced to congress that would allow for an exemption for online poker. The PPA wouldn’t be the only group banging the anti-UIGEA drum in 2007.

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