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Off-topic a bit - but does anyone remember Napster?

Sure the government snuffed it out eventually. The proverbial sky fell on the napster world.

But it was replaced by T.orrent file sharing. (There's a glaring difference here since one is stealing and can be rationally argued as a criminal act towards another individual, whereas poker is simply illegal because of someone imposing their moral standards on another - much like alcohol.)

You may be right that online poker "as we know it" will be snuffed out. But that simply forces creative minds to come up with new work arounds.

And sadly, whatever new workaround comes about will probably make it even harder to regulate at a later date.

*** All of this ofc ignores the underlying issue that the law stands on shaky ground anyway. It's contradictory in allowing carve-outs to other domestic gambling forms. It's somehow legal to play live but not online. And ofc, because it has no logical basis other than the opinions of what some people feel is morally right - while at the same time infringing on another person's right to spend their discretionary income as they choose - so long ofc as it doesn't infringe on another's rights.

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No, this is NOT about morality. Far from it.

This is all about money.

The governments in the US, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Israel, Turkey, Poland, Russia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and even parts of Canada (Ontario Province in particular) are saying the same thing:

Either the government runs the online poker room or the government licenses the online poker room before that online poker room starts operating, or else the government will do whatever it takes to cut off the money flow to that (offshore) online poker room.

Bottom line: either the government gets its guarantee cut of the juice (i.e. 33% to 50%) before an online poker entity STARTS marketing and operating, or the government will cut off that online poker entity.

Remember that being able to gamble legally is NOT a right, but a PRIVILEGE, in most countries.