A theory....

YoureToast · #1 01-24-2007, 02:43 PM

I apologize if this has been brought up before (its hard to keep up with everything) but wanted to get some opinions on a theory a fellow 2+2er and I discussed at lunch today. Given the following facts/assumptions:

1. DOJ has told certain parties to stop doing business in the US -- and it has been suggested that if they get out now, there would not be further consequences (egs. Neteller, Pinnacle)
2. All of these parties are directly or indirectly tied to gambling sites that provide services other than poker.
3. The 2 largest US-focused poker sites that continue without hesitation (Stars and FTP) are poker-only sites.
4. Individuals responsible for creating the regs have indicated that because poker is a skill-game, they may have trouble enforcing the statute on poker sites.

Does all this point to the possibility that poker will not be subject to the statute and the regs? Could we all be worrying for nothing?

rokstedy · #2 01-24-2007, 02:46 PM

That seems to be the stance most optomists are taking. So far it's holding up. But that was never the problem to begin with. The problem is and remains, how do we get money into those sites? And by in, I mean easily.

joeker · #3 01-24-2007, 02:56 PM

Nope...you're missing the fact that they are going after the founders of Party gaming. Considering the fact that Party voluntarily pulled out of the US market, it looks like poker is just as much of a target, albeit not the primary target.

To them there is no difference between poker and sports betting

ekdikeo · #4 01-24-2007, 02:58 PM

As well as, and here's Mr. Paranoid Me talking again, what happens if the government officially declares Poker is a game of skill? Then it becomes a sport, and we start sports betting [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Valhalla1 · #5 01-24-2007, 03:00 PM

party gaming also runs online non-poker casinos, bingo halls, and other things besides just poker which probably affected their decision to pull out

YoureToast · #6 01-24-2007, 03:05 PM

[ QUOTE ]
party gaming also runs online non-poker casinos, bingo halls, and other things besides just poker which probably affected their decision to pull out

[/ QUOTE ]

Also, I think the feds have been after Dikshit for a while and for other things. I think Party is a unique case. What I don't understand and what concerns me about this theory is why hasn't Bodog and other sportsbetting sites closed down yet? In a backwards sort of way, I'm now kind of rooting for this to happen (despite my taste for sportsbetting).

tx_saluki · #7 01-24-2007, 03:11 PM

I disagree. To the DOJ there is a difference between sports betting and poker and that is held up by fed court decisions (as has been mentioned in this forum on numerous occasions). All the current fuss has nothing to do with Poker specifically, it is just becomming an unfortunate side effect (at lest unfortunate for us) of the attack on sports betting and online casinos.

And the attack against the european market is against 888 which is tied to sports betting and party gaming which has more then just poker (casino, bingo, etc.)

So far none of this is tied to UIGEA which isn't even in effect yet. This is DOJ cracking down on the wire act and using NY as a starting point since I think it is illegal there to place the bets.

Just my thoughts....

YoureToast · #8 01-24-2007, 03:16 PM

[ QUOTE ]
That seems to be the stance most optomists are taking. So far it's holding up. But that was never the problem to begin with. The problem is and remains, how do we get money into those sites? And by in, I mean easily.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, this is the current problem, but my post was intended to address the "long run". Right now, the funding problem can be explained by the fact that despite promises to the contrary, Neteller gave no warning to Stars/FTP (this is from anothe post in 1 of these forums, thus take it FWIW).

joeker · #9 01-24-2007, 03:26 PM

I hope you're right and they do in fact view it that way.

ericicecream · #10 01-24-2007, 04:25 PM

The DOJ/Neteller case is from activities a couple of years old. It's a long-term investigation. They waited till they could nab both guys at once on u.s. soil.

This is not some new oh-UIGEA-has-passed-so-we-gotta-get-neteller-because-they-are-still-servicing-u.s. type thing. If Neteller stopped serving u.s. the day UIGEA was passed, I'll bet the same 2 guys would have been arrested.