UPDATE: PokerStars responds to AGA protest of bid to buy Atlantic Club casino

The bid by Rational Group, the parent company of the PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker online gaming brands, to buy the Atlantic Club casino in Atlantic City grew more complicated Monday when the American Gaming Association filed an opposing brief with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and the Casino Control Commission.

The Atlantic Club, formerly the Atlantic City Hilton, will close its doors if the bid - reportedly about $30 million - is not approved, according to state Sen. James Whelan, D-Atlantic.

UPDATE: Here is the response from PokerStars spokesman Eric Hollreiser:

"These are matters for expert regulators to determine, not self-interested partisans picking a public fight.

The U.S. Department of Justice has said PokerStars is suitable to apply for a license in the U.S. and saw fit to give us the assets of our largest competitor and entrust us to compensate their customers outside of the U.S.

We will continue to work with authorities including the NJ regulators and other interested state regulators to discuss our qualifications and allow them to comment on what they find.

PokerStars is one of the largest and most respected internet gaming companies because we work closely with regulators and are in good standing with governments around the world, holding licenses in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Estonia, Belgium, Malta and Isle of Man. We will continue to work positively with regulators in New Jersey and elsewhere whenever they review our qualifications."

UPDATE: State Sen. James Whelan, D-Atlantic and the former Atlantic City mayor, takes a swipe here at what he sees as the unholy alliance between AGA and Caesars.

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