Good News In WA

[EasilyConfused]

Even if you're not a WA resident, go ahead and get in touch with Rep. Steve Conway at (360) 786-7906 or Conway.steve@leg.wa.gov. The bill is in his committee. Urge him to hold a hearing. And as always, BE POLITE.

And if you want to let Rep. Strow know you're grateful, you can reach his office at (360) 786-7884.

The other thing non-WA residents can do is to make sure this press release gets posted in as many different forums as possible.

[jzpiano]

I live in MI, but I'm going to give them both a call tomorrow

[LTRAiiN]

i live in Woodinville and wrote my reps to request a hearing.....i wrote conway to ask him to schedule a hearing himself.

i think that this law last year got enough publicity that it actually might of scared some people from playing. whenever i tell someone that I play online, they say "you know thats a felony now right?" I say "yes and I'm moving to vegas after my first arrest, until then it doesn't concern me."

[LTRAiiN]

that legislation was completey laughable. they dont care if people gamble, they just want them to gamble at the indian casinos if they do.

i dont want to drive 45 minutes to the boonies only to wait an hour for a seat. yes most of the players really suck, but its far greater EV to multi-table save time and $$$ to sit on my ass at home.

no tipping, no huge rake, what rake there is i get a portion back, can play lower stakes at multiple tables, i mean come on. playing live everyone in while is still fun but its just too much of a hassle.

[Sparta45]

Can somebody break this down for me?? Exactly, what types of things should we say when we call or e-mail these guys??

[sarahbellum]

[ QUOTE ]
Can anybody find a link to the text of the bill?

I'm certainly glad to see this. I'm also a bit concerned about the word "recreationally". As written would this apply to us or not.

[/ QUOTE ]

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summ...&bill=1243

http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2...Bills/1243.pdf

[Troll_Inc]

“While I do see the need for protecting our citizens from online gaming that may be scamming innocent victims, I do think that there is also a level of accountability, as an adult, to do as he or she chooses in his or her own home,” said Strow. “Most certainly choosing to gamble, or play a game of skill such as poker, should not have been made a crime equivalent to possessing child pornography or threatening the Governor.”

This is good news and all; however, I always find it interesting that a lot of this legislation has at its background the "protect-people-from-predators".

If I were any legis committee or influencing policy, my questions would be:

1) Is this such a huge problem? Are there a lot of people being scammed by internet sites? A: One could easily prove that 95% poker traffic is on PArty, FT, STars, etc. Have those sites scammed _anyone_ out of money? Show me these complaints.

2) And if this was a huge problem (why not regulate the sites) and bring them in-state.

3) If we are going to protect people, why do we not make other things that harm people illegal, like firearms, alcohol, and state lotteries? A: We don't, so clearly that line of reasoning is logically falicious.

[EasilyConfused]

Sparta -- You don't have to say much. Just say something like "please support H.B. 1243, to stop recreational poker players from becoming convicted felons. Please ask Rep. Conway to schedule a hearing on the bill in his committee."

If you're calling Rep. Strow, say something like "thank you for introducing H.B. 1243. We poker players appreciate it."

You can add whatever else you want, but that's really good enough. When you call a legislator about a bill you get marked on a tally sheet basically the same way no matter how long-winded you are.

[TomG]

I sent my state legislatures emails in support of the bill. I do appreciate our state legislatures actually listening to the public in order to correct a mistake. But the pessimist inside me says this is meaningless. No one was prosecuted under the new law. Furthermore this bill doesn't legalize anything. It will reduce the the penalty back to a misdemeanor which will have little practical benefit while online gambling remains a target on the federal level.

[EasilyConfused]

The bill doesn't reduce the penalty to a misdemeanor. It provides an affirmative defense against prosecution unless you're running a gambling site.