When in Las Vegas, please call/visit Senator Harry Reid's local office

[Exitonly]

eh the people motivated to get around the law wouldn't be the ones we want playing. (not that it woudl be unprofitable or anything, just not nearly as profitable).

[Dynasty]

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Reid is in the pocket of the casinos and online gambling is taking money away from them...if you have ever seen the movie Casino the corrupt politician played by Dick Smothers was based on Harry Reid.

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Until you back this up with substantial evidence, this is nothing more than heresay....

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Is this a serious comment? Reid was a Nevada Gaming Commissioner for four years (1977-1981). It's well known the Casino character was based on him.

Of course, if your were responding to the "in the pocket" hyperbole, you should have just ignored it. However, Reid has always had strong support and funding from the gaming industry. He won't ignore their wishes.

[Dynasty]

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Reid is in the pocket of the casinos and online gambling is taking money away from them...if you have ever seen the movie Casino the corrupt politician played by Dick Smothers was based on Harry Reid.

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You are incorrect.

The very reason so many new poker rooms have popped up all over the country in the last couple years, including Vegas (Tropicana, MGM, Caesars, Hooters, and Wynn to name five off the top of my head) is because of online poker. Online poker, and to a lesser (but still important) extent, televised poker, have gotten millions of people interested in the game and casinos have opened poker rooms to meet the demand.

Poker players then very often hang around after giving a little rake to the house to play the other casino games, which makes the casinos money. Friends and spouses also come along and drop money at the craps tables and in slot machines.

The tens (or hundreds?) of thousands of people who have come or will be coming to Vegas this summer because of the WSOP, not matter how strong or weak the connection is, will also be spending money on lodging, transportation, shopping, dining, and entertainment.

I know this is a very simple explanation and I have no numbers to back anything up, but to say that online poker takes money away from the B&M casinos is an ignorant statement.

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When New Jersey approved casino gambling in Atlantic City in 1976, there were fears that Las Vegas would be serverely damanged since East Coast residents would go to the casinos closer to home. Of course, nothing of the sort happened.

There have been similar fears due to the increase in casinos on Indian land.

But, everytime gambling has expanded, Las Vegas has benefited from it.

[[Phill]]

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People play online or on an indian reservation and that gets them hooked on gambling.

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Shh, dont mention the 'H' word, thats what the (percieved) problem with online gaming stems from.

[mlagoo]

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eh the people motivated to get around the law wouldn't be the ones we want playing. (not that it woudl be unprofitable or anything, just not nearly as profitable).

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yeah, this is the main problem [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] the fish won't go through the trouble.

[TruePoker CEO]

.... exactly. The vast majority of US players would not play for real money because it is too tough.

Additionally, consider these implications:

No US Bank or Neteller would touch a US-originated gaming transaction.

The UK/Euro public companies in the online business would not take US business, et cetera. Are US players ready to say goodbye to playing on Party, or UB, or Pokerroom, or Stars ??

Also, the business of online rooms is, in part, to guarantee payment to you of your winnings. That would be VERY expensive if the losing player can just say .... I am not paying for my chips .... it is illegal. As a practical matter, as a practical matter, US players might need to post-up their funds, which would be difficult. .... I would expect that some sportsbooks could collect funds illegally on the street, but that would never approach the volume of Neteller/Firepay, et cetera.

[TruePoker CEO]

"Reid is in the pocket of the casinos and online gambling is taking money away from them...if you have ever seen the movie Casino the corrupt politician played by Dick Smothers was based on Harry Reid."

1. Senator Reid is the Minority leader in the Senate and a terrific politician. He is an excellent representative of the people of Nevada and their interests. He is also a great user of the legislative processes in the Senate to advance or delay consideration of bills.

What I am suggesting is to make the point that Online Poker brings millions of dollars into Nevada every year, especially during the WSOP.

2. The AGA bill to "study" online gaming, not ban it. The AGA bill IS the brick and mortar casino industry bill.

3. I saw the movie Casino, so what ? It is a movie, this is reality. (However, if you rely on a movie for your world-view, did you somehow MISS all the scenes of illegal skimming going on ? How would refusing to license that management be a corrupt act, even in the context of the movie ?)

4. Best acting Dick Smothers ever did.

Truepoker CEO

[CaryDarling]

[ QUOTE ]
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[ QUOTE ]
Reid is in the pocket of the casinos and online gambling is taking money away from them...if you have ever seen the movie Casino the corrupt politician played by Dick Smothers was based on Harry Reid.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are incorrect.

The very reason so many new poker rooms have popped up all over the country in the last couple years, including Vegas (Tropicana, MGM, Caesars, Hooters, and Wynn to name five off the top of my head) is because of online poker. Online poker, and to a lesser (but still important) extent, televised poker, have gotten millions of people interested in the game and casinos have opened poker rooms to meet the demand.

Poker players then very often hang around after giving a little rake to the house to play the other casino games, which makes the casinos money. Friends and spouses also come along and drop money at the craps tables and in slot machines.

The tens (or hundreds?) of thousands of people who have come or will be coming to Vegas this summer because of the WSOP, not matter how strong or weak the connection is, will also be spending money on lodging, transportation, shopping, dining, and entertainment.

I know this is a very simple explanation and I have no numbers to back anything up, but to say that online poker takes money away from the B&M casinos is an ignorant statement.

[/ QUOTE ]

When New Jersey approved casino gambling in Atlantic City in 1976, there were fears that Las Vegas would be serverely damanged since East Coast residents would go to the casinos closer to home. Of course, nothing of the sort happened.

There have been similar fears due to the increase in casinos on Indian land.

But, everytime gambling has expanded, Las Vegas has benefited from it.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you think Indian Casinos haven't made a dent you haven't been watching the news over the last number of years..LOL

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One measure of their success can be seen in job creation statistics. Employment by California tribes grew by 17.8 percent for the year ended July 30, 2003, to a total of 40,300 workers, compared with year ago figures.

From June to July, the California Employment Development Department said tribal employment grew 2.5 percent, while the state as a whole lost 21,000 jobs.

From the earliest days of tribal gambling, the local tribes have been fierce competitors. But as they have matured and sought ways to blunt the draw of Nevada, they more and more have banded together with marketing schemes.

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“We realize that Las Vegas is always going to be a Mecca for the gambler,” said Metzger of the Spa Resort Casino. “But we want those travelers who go there four or five times a year to swing by here on at least one of those trips.”

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While the impact of tribal casinos on southern Nevada is hard to quantify, the Las Vegas casinos themselves have been trying to reinvent themselves as tourist destinations garnering more revenues from non-gambling than gambling sources.

For instance, in 1992, 61 percent of revenues in Nevada casinos came from gambling, while last year the figure had dropped to just 52 percent.

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Profits of Indian Casinos In The US Hit $ 19 Billion Profits of Indian Casinos In The US Hit $ 19 Billion

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"Las Vegas is not as concerned about California (Indian casinos) as it should be," said Stuart Linde, a gaming industry analyst for Lehman Brothers. "It won’t necessarily hurt (existing) business, but it may take some growth out of it."

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Already a University of Nevada report predicts that California Indian gambling could surpass Nevada's market in 10 years.

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According to the Associated Press, Indian gaming generated $18.5 billion in 2004, while Nevada
gaming revenues totaled $9.9 billion. Erica Werner, “Tribal Casino Revenues Surpass Nevada’s,”
Associated Press, February 15, 2005.

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Okay now what were you guys saying?

[TruePoker CEO]

Fortunately, the AGA "study" bill is the manifestation of their wishes, at least publicly.

I doubt the industry wants to kill a goose that can lay some pretty big eggs in their basket.

Remember, MGM-Mirage was pretty hot for online gmaing, but had to back off under pressure..... to the regret of Terri Lanni and about a $5 million write-off. I suspect Harrahs sees some value in online poker now, and greater value if IT can have an exclusive online presence for the WSOP satellites.