bb88
09-30-2006, 12:37 PM
First of all, I don't like to think of myself as a blind optimist, but I may come across as one. Honestly though, I think some of us are overreacting- which is certainly understandable if you are pulling in crazy amounts of cash. But I'm not that worried yet, and while everything has certainly already been mentioned before, it can't hurt to share an optimistic view.
First of all, these huge sites (Party, Stars, etc..) aren't stupid. The CS reps might be, and they might screw us over with their MONSTER rake, but they aren't dumb. They know how to turn a profit. They will do everything they possibly can to help us play at their site, not because they like us, but because they like our money. Money is a POWERFUL force, and don't underestimate the poker sites desire for American dollars lining their wallets. Even companies like ESPN might be willing to help the cause, and it will definately hurt their WSOP ratings.
And even if a lot of American fish stop depositing the games won't be completely dead. The major whales who are complete degens will still find ways to deposit to feed their habits. It's not legal to buy drugs, but plenty of people know how, where, and how much. I'm not trying to compare poker to drugs too much, but if someone feels the urge to gamble, they will find a way. Plus we'll still have all the non-Americans, a good percentage of whom are certainly winning players.
Lastly, there are very few politicians who care a great deal about this. Frist, who is the main proponent of this bill, is trying to move on to bigger things, and will probably have a very busy slate, and now that it passed, might not even care about the IG bill anymore. The only people who mentioned the IG bill last night were decidedly against it, and would likely be willing to fight against it. Many of the politicians simply don't care much about IG, and could easily be swayed one way or another. Is anyone going to be truly motivated to crack down on IG and complying with the law, and upsetting banks? I'm not so sure. Plus, with another election coming up, it's not hard to imagine lots of Dems getting into office, which would be good for us.
Ok, I had to get that off my chest. I'm not an expert in law by any means, but I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet. We just have to wait and see, which is the worst part I suppose.
First of all, these huge sites (Party, Stars, etc..) aren't stupid. The CS reps might be, and they might screw us over with their MONSTER rake, but they aren't dumb. They know how to turn a profit. They will do everything they possibly can to help us play at their site, not because they like us, but because they like our money. Money is a POWERFUL force, and don't underestimate the poker sites desire for American dollars lining their wallets. Even companies like ESPN might be willing to help the cause, and it will definately hurt their WSOP ratings.
And even if a lot of American fish stop depositing the games won't be completely dead. The major whales who are complete degens will still find ways to deposit to feed their habits. It's not legal to buy drugs, but plenty of people know how, where, and how much. I'm not trying to compare poker to drugs too much, but if someone feels the urge to gamble, they will find a way. Plus we'll still have all the non-Americans, a good percentage of whom are certainly winning players.
Lastly, there are very few politicians who care a great deal about this. Frist, who is the main proponent of this bill, is trying to move on to bigger things, and will probably have a very busy slate, and now that it passed, might not even care about the IG bill anymore. The only people who mentioned the IG bill last night were decidedly against it, and would likely be willing to fight against it. Many of the politicians simply don't care much about IG, and could easily be swayed one way or another. Is anyone going to be truly motivated to crack down on IG and complying with the law, and upsetting banks? I'm not so sure. Plus, with another election coming up, it's not hard to imagine lots of Dems getting into office, which would be good for us.
Ok, I had to get that off my chest. I'm not an expert in law by any means, but I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet. We just have to wait and see, which is the worst part I suppose.