The Actual Effects of Poker Prohibition
The debate about legalization of online poker still continues in the US.
But let us take a look at the overall effect of poker prohibition so far. The ultimate goal of the US Justice Department and the UIGEA was to eliminate the money flow that went into gambling websites, with hopes of bullying them into shutting their doors to American consumers. Let us grade them.
1. Eliminating money to poker websites on the internet was a complete failure. Merely several days ago, a friend of mine tried to make an account on Epassporte and then he deposited money into it through his bank that was issued with a Visa Debit card, so that he could get money into Absolute Poker. And after fifteen minutes, he succeeded in doing this whole process, with no problems whatsoever.
2. Bullying poker websites into shutting their doors to American players ended up being merely below average. Although they convinced Party Poker and handfuls of other smaller websites to shut their doors to American consumers, other websites such as Full Tilt, Poker Stars, Absolute Poker, Bodog and Ultimate Bet still stay open to American players. This is solid proof that legal issues that face online poker did not get much of their desired effects.
So what exactly has this ban actually accomplished?
1. They have made it difficult for people to transfer their winnings into their pockets since some taxes cannot be paid unless they are obtainable from the bank.
2. They have caused the highly reliable and respected e-wallet called Neteller to completely close down its operations in the US, giving space to tons of scam operations.
Will US Government succeed in facing the fact that a wide array of American citizens thinks that poker on the internet should not get banned and a lot of poker websites, as well as online casinos, all around the world still accept American players?
SC judge says poker a skill game
WASHINGTON, D.C — (PRESS RELEASE) — The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide (nearly 10,000 in South Carolina), today (October 5th) lauded the ruling of a South Carolina court that confirmed that poker is a game of skill, and thus should not be considered gambling under the law.
“Poker is not a crime in South Carolina or anywhere else, and we are grateful to the court for compiling the overwhelming evidence that proves this case and protects the rights of players,” said John Pappas, executive director of the PPA. “This ruling is fully consistent with the declarations of other judges and juries across the country that Texas Hold’em is clearly a game of predominant skill and adults who play should not be criminalized.”
Five individuals had been convicted of illegal gambling. The trial court found that poker is a game of skill, but left it to a higher court to decide if state gambling laws were overly vague. The higher court agreed and reversed the convictions. In addition to holding that the law was overly broad and vague (as it could be used to convict anyone playing poker in their home), the court embraced the use of the predominance test, citing the “overwhelming” evidence that skill dominates chance.
“All poker players are well aware that the game is based on making the correct, informed decisions, not just mere chance, and games of predominant skill should not be classified in the same league as slot machines or lotteries,” said John Ridgeway, South Carolina State Director of the Poker Players Alliance. “We’re very pleased that the judge considered the overwhelming evidence and came to the same conclusion. This is a well deserved legal victory for the players, the American game of poker, and for common sense under the law.”
PPA’s Litigation Support Network has been involved in a string of legal victories by providing expert witnesses, preparing arguments for trial, and filing amicus briefs with the courts. For more information on these cases and a copy of the judge’s order, please visit. www.theppa.org.
[source: http://www.gpwa.org/article.asp?id=179905]
Is Texas Hold ‘Em about the luck of the draw, or the skill of the player?
The question is being played out in courts around the USA.
Let’s say you’re playing poker and you need one more diamond for a flush. The dealer turns a card, reveals a diamond and you win the hand. Was it skill or luck?
The answer is affecting the fates of people across the country accused of breaking anti-gambling laws — people like Kevin Raley of Colorado.
As an engineer, Raley finds that the mathematics of poker come easily, and he’s pretty good at keeping a blank face. Reading other people, though, is something he’s always working on. “It’s something I’m better at today than I was five years ago,” said Raley.
This goes to the point that Raley, 44, is trying to make: The better he gets, the more he wins.
You can find the full story on Los Angeles Times.
Congressman Barney Frank’s new fight
The question is one: Do really Gaming Regulators want to drive consumers into unregulated territory where they are not protected by laws and rules governing casinos?
Once again Democratic Representative Barney Frank positions himself as one of the United States’ most powerful proponents of legalized, regulated, online poker.
“I think if we do this right we should make online gaming legal and subject it to a reasonable taxation like anything else.” He says after the announcement in a recent press conference that one of the key issues that he wants to pursue early this year is online poker legalization. Frank’s plan is to introduce a bill that would push for the reintroduction of legal online gambling in the United States.
Also former Senator, and PPA Chairman, Alfonse d’Amato, recently had an article featured in ‘Roll Call’ – an important political newspaper in Washington – in which he pointed out the significant financial benefits that could be enjoyed if online poker taxes were introduced. An example is the United Kingdom, where a successful taxation had been implemented and millions of pounds delivered to the Queen. He also says “Regulation of Internet poker does not equal an expansion of gambling in this country. Like it or not, that genie is already out of the bottle. The American market has spoken.”
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