Blair Rodman
10-11-2006, 09:53 PM
That a few politicians were able to sneak through a bill that cripples online gambling, an activity enjoyed by millions of Americans, is troubling. What’s far more disturbing is the response, or lack thereof, from people affected by the bill. This is America and we have the right to protest the actions of politicians. Yet, everybody seems to be scrambling away like frightened rabbits.
The prevailing attitude among the poker sites seems to be ‘Ok we should have been lobbying (buying) politicians long ago, but we screwed up and now it’s too late.’ It’s not too late! The bill isn’t even signed yet, although that seems a certainty. In the 270 days after signing there’s a lot that can happen. Do we all have to just sit on our collective asses and wait to see how things play out? I don’t think so. We can have a say. Below are some of my suggestions:
-The sites could help themselves if they were to band together, pool resources and form an effective front. Political action takes money, and the sites have made a lot over the past few years. Time to re-invest in things like a media blitz..
-Entities like CardPlayer, and forums like 2+2 and Pocketfives need to stand up and be leaders. They have the ears of poker players, and could be instrumental in helping us to organize.
-Concerned players need to make a commitment to take action. I’ve been around the gambling scene for a long time, and I know that professional poker players aren’t pre-disposed to uniting and fighting for a cause. However, there’s a group out there who should be ready to fight for what they believe, and they could be the ones most affected by this bill. I’m talking about college kids. These are our leaders of tomorrow. If they are willing to sit idly by and let corrupt, power-hungry politicians get away with this type of action, we are all in trouble. I’m not saying it’s good that college kids spend their time playing online poker. I am saying that it should be their choice, just like it should be a choice whether to have a drink, smoke a cigarette or watch adult pornography. If people don’t think that there’s a political agenda in play to dictate all forms of human behavior, they should take this act as a real sign.
There are several reasons why it’s not too late to initiate meaningful action:
-The way this bill will be enforced, as well as what it really means, is very uncertain. It was sloppily written in the haste to sneak it through, and there are lots of gray areas. How those areas are interpreted could be influenced if political pressure is applied. The hypocrisy in the bill is obvious. Exceptions for horse racing and lotteries, proving that lobbying (bribing) works. Political contributions from gaming companies to the principle drafters of the bill should raise eyebrows. The American people need to be made aware of these conflicts of interest. I just saw on a forum that Neteller and PokerStars are both going to continue business as usual. How the gov’t will react to companies taking this stand will be swayed by public opinion. We need to get them on their heels.
-Just as there is an exception for horse racing and lotteries, a carve-out for poker is far from unrealistic. There are precedents in CA for poker being a game of skill, and these could be cited in arguments, thereby separating poker from sports betting and online casino-type gambling.
-It’s silly to think that online poker is going away forever. At some point it will be legalized, and we can have influence in the form it takes when it is. My gut feeling is that this is a ploy to hand this billion-dollar plum to the land-based casino companies (not to mention political contributors to Sen. Frist) like Harrah’s. MGM-Mirage, which has been outspoken in their desire to get into this market, could easily be a beneficiary. The World Poker Tour company would probably benefit also, as they are presently locked out of the US online market and could join up with one of the B&M’s to make use of their brand.
-Most importantly, this political maneuver of adding riders to must-pass bills is an affront to the spirit of our political system. I don’t care if it’s politics as usual--it stinks. I’m not politically savvy, but I can’t imagine that this was what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they devised our system of representative government. Combined with the fact that this maneuver was used to legislate morality, this could be enough of an affront to people to be a catalyst for a move toward political reform.
The key to effective action is effective organization. The sites need to work with each other to mount a media blitz, illuminating what has occurred ,how it was done and the dangerous overtones. And they need to get some support in Washington. This is America. Get out there and buy some politicians, dammit! Players should write to the sites where they play and urge them to join with other sites to join the fight.
Poker magazines, websites and other organizations should be more vocal in their opposition. They should also come up with ways to aid in presenting a united front.
College students should organize and protest. Not so much the fact that they won’t be able to play online poker, but the political implications of legislating morality and way this bill was passed. I’ve said this before but it’s worth saying again—if we let a small group of self-righteous, self-interested politicians pass laws on morality we are subject to soon be living our lives by their personal beliefs and edicts. They must be positively giddy at the lack of opposition to their coup. If you students are too lazy or afraid to take on challenges like this, be prepared to get what you deserve.
We need an effective, central organization to co-ordinate these efforts. The PPA has been pretty much a non-factor so far. If they can’t do it, a new entity needs to be formed. Again, monetary support from the sites is needed, whether to help the PPA be more effective or to form a new organization.
While it may seem like a pipedream to think that an issue as relatively unimportant as online gambling could be a catalyst for political reform, especially in light of the apathy of the American people to other questionable acts of our government in recent years, stranger things have happened. This is an issue that affects millions of people in their everyday lives. It’s far-fetched to think that this could be a watershed moment in American politics, but I like to dream. Call me a crackpot if you will, but at least I’m not apathetic.
The prevailing attitude among the poker sites seems to be ‘Ok we should have been lobbying (buying) politicians long ago, but we screwed up and now it’s too late.’ It’s not too late! The bill isn’t even signed yet, although that seems a certainty. In the 270 days after signing there’s a lot that can happen. Do we all have to just sit on our collective asses and wait to see how things play out? I don’t think so. We can have a say. Below are some of my suggestions:
-The sites could help themselves if they were to band together, pool resources and form an effective front. Political action takes money, and the sites have made a lot over the past few years. Time to re-invest in things like a media blitz..
-Entities like CardPlayer, and forums like 2+2 and Pocketfives need to stand up and be leaders. They have the ears of poker players, and could be instrumental in helping us to organize.
-Concerned players need to make a commitment to take action. I’ve been around the gambling scene for a long time, and I know that professional poker players aren’t pre-disposed to uniting and fighting for a cause. However, there’s a group out there who should be ready to fight for what they believe, and they could be the ones most affected by this bill. I’m talking about college kids. These are our leaders of tomorrow. If they are willing to sit idly by and let corrupt, power-hungry politicians get away with this type of action, we are all in trouble. I’m not saying it’s good that college kids spend their time playing online poker. I am saying that it should be their choice, just like it should be a choice whether to have a drink, smoke a cigarette or watch adult pornography. If people don’t think that there’s a political agenda in play to dictate all forms of human behavior, they should take this act as a real sign.
There are several reasons why it’s not too late to initiate meaningful action:
-The way this bill will be enforced, as well as what it really means, is very uncertain. It was sloppily written in the haste to sneak it through, and there are lots of gray areas. How those areas are interpreted could be influenced if political pressure is applied. The hypocrisy in the bill is obvious. Exceptions for horse racing and lotteries, proving that lobbying (bribing) works. Political contributions from gaming companies to the principle drafters of the bill should raise eyebrows. The American people need to be made aware of these conflicts of interest. I just saw on a forum that Neteller and PokerStars are both going to continue business as usual. How the gov’t will react to companies taking this stand will be swayed by public opinion. We need to get them on their heels.
-Just as there is an exception for horse racing and lotteries, a carve-out for poker is far from unrealistic. There are precedents in CA for poker being a game of skill, and these could be cited in arguments, thereby separating poker from sports betting and online casino-type gambling.
-It’s silly to think that online poker is going away forever. At some point it will be legalized, and we can have influence in the form it takes when it is. My gut feeling is that this is a ploy to hand this billion-dollar plum to the land-based casino companies (not to mention political contributors to Sen. Frist) like Harrah’s. MGM-Mirage, which has been outspoken in their desire to get into this market, could easily be a beneficiary. The World Poker Tour company would probably benefit also, as they are presently locked out of the US online market and could join up with one of the B&M’s to make use of their brand.
-Most importantly, this political maneuver of adding riders to must-pass bills is an affront to the spirit of our political system. I don’t care if it’s politics as usual--it stinks. I’m not politically savvy, but I can’t imagine that this was what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they devised our system of representative government. Combined with the fact that this maneuver was used to legislate morality, this could be enough of an affront to people to be a catalyst for a move toward political reform.
The key to effective action is effective organization. The sites need to work with each other to mount a media blitz, illuminating what has occurred ,how it was done and the dangerous overtones. And they need to get some support in Washington. This is America. Get out there and buy some politicians, dammit! Players should write to the sites where they play and urge them to join with other sites to join the fight.
Poker magazines, websites and other organizations should be more vocal in their opposition. They should also come up with ways to aid in presenting a united front.
College students should organize and protest. Not so much the fact that they won’t be able to play online poker, but the political implications of legislating morality and way this bill was passed. I’ve said this before but it’s worth saying again—if we let a small group of self-righteous, self-interested politicians pass laws on morality we are subject to soon be living our lives by their personal beliefs and edicts. They must be positively giddy at the lack of opposition to their coup. If you students are too lazy or afraid to take on challenges like this, be prepared to get what you deserve.
We need an effective, central organization to co-ordinate these efforts. The PPA has been pretty much a non-factor so far. If they can’t do it, a new entity needs to be formed. Again, monetary support from the sites is needed, whether to help the PPA be more effective or to form a new organization.
While it may seem like a pipedream to think that an issue as relatively unimportant as online gambling could be a catalyst for political reform, especially in light of the apathy of the American people to other questionable acts of our government in recent years, stranger things have happened. This is an issue that affects millions of people in their everyday lives. It’s far-fetched to think that this could be a watershed moment in American politics, but I like to dream. Call me a crackpot if you will, but at least I’m not apathetic.