[FireStorm]

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but what woulod legalizing poker really do to thwart potential criminals? Yes, legalizing it would regulate the issues of having large amounts of cash on hand, and would lead to increased security, but neither of these are a foolproof deterrent to men with shotguns. Clubs would still have to have people and/or an office with cash on hand, and I'm sure even a fraction of the "100k+" would be fine for street lowlives. As far as metal detectors, cameras, etc, yes, this would slow down criminals with a bit more consciousness of being caught, but this hasn't stopped people from trying to take down banks, restaurants, etc.

I suppose my reason for stating this fairly obvious facet is that I can't see why this issue would lead to a movement for legalizing these places. As far as the opposite end of the spectrum, it remains to be seen if this will lead to a higher rate of shutdowns.