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7. The government is f-in serious. Do not underestimate this.

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I wrote something to this effect yesterday and then deleted it because I did not feel qualified as a European to comment. But this would be my main worry in your shoes. The fact is that, historically and universally, gambling is considered to be a vice and one that has to be restricted, like alcohol, dugs and prostitution. There are odd times when, for whatever reason, this attitude has been relaxed but if the State has decided to act, online poker will be restricted. Serious gamblers will, as always, be able to pursue their careers and serious fish, as always, will be able to give them money but the State will continue to intervene to ensure that the average Joe will be deterred.

Here in the UK, the State is pursuing a novel approach to the issue. This will, I feel, be entirely disasterous. The consequences of deregulating the availability of gambling, alcohol, drugs, extra-marital sex and credit must surely, surely be a very bad idea. Nice for me, because I have enjoyed all of them, but very bad for socity as a whole.

It just has to be this way guys. For some of you, poker is a game of skill. For the vast majority who have fed this boom, it is a sad and damaging addiction that it would be morally reprobate of the State to indulge. There is nothing more disgusting than the current Labour govt. going out of it's way to encourage poker firms to the UK so they can reap tax dividends it doesn't make electoral sense to levy on the public at large.

This sermon was somewhat off-topic. Cliff notes: when the US Govt. decides something is a very bad thing, they are generally pretty exuberant in stamping it out. This is only the beginning of their attack on online poker. If attacking the means of money transferral doesn't have the desired effect, they will enact further legislation.