From the LVRJ (via HoldemRadio):
“Let me get back to you on it,” he said. “I haven’t thought about the issue.”
He did say he had concerns about Internet gaming originating in foreign countries. Of course, this happens because of U.S. policy and restrictions, but never mind.
McCain also spoke about oversight and making sure the kiddies don’t have access.
“I’ll call you back,” he added.
Just a reminder … big Congressional committee vote this week in Washington DC. If you haven’t already, express your support for HR 5767 by sending your representative a pre-templated PPA email.
Especially if your congressperson is on the House Financial Services Committee. (Damn, they’ve really got a lot on their plate. Scroll down and you’ll get a sense of what a big step getting this bill to a vote really will be.)
Click below for a complete list of the pols who really matter to poker at this moment:
Poker Players Alliance Executive Director John Pappas did another one of his WSOP fly-ins for a couple days — manning the hallway booth and meeting with pros — but much of his time was spent away from the Amazon and in his room at the Rio, on the phone/computer/Blackberry with Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) et al. about HR 5767 — which is scheduled to be voted on in committee Wednesday or Thursday. While getting this bill on the agenda brings the notion of pre-UIGEA poker one step closer to reality, the measure also faces the threat of being voted down and derailed ’til next year or never.
It’s supposedly an all-in push that should hold up … and if HR 5767 — co-sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and 17 19 others — passes muster in House Financial Services, of which Frank is the chair, then it moves to the floor of Congress for a vote — preferably having shown strong bipartisan support in committee.
So what does this mean for you, the non-political poker types who are fine-and-dandy with playing unofficial WSOP satellites on Full Tilt and PokerStars? More fish, basically … and poker industry people would in some way or another have a say in what may or may not constitute Unlawful Internet Gambling that the Treasury Dept. could look into/stop. (You know, like online site owners who peek at hole cards … that should be unlawful, right?)
Oops, while rambling on in the previous post, i forgot to share with you the email Alfonse D’Amato sent out today that made me start writing it. He makes some good points while, of course, also trying to give away a seat to the WSOP. My one question for the for-sale figurehead retired senator is: When are you going to start blogging Why age 25? That seems weird.
Dear Dan,
On behalf of the Poker Players Alliance, thank you for being part of our landmark drive to sign up more than one million members nationwide. Speaking with one voice on behalf of the great game, we have become one of the leading grassroots advocacy organizations in the country.
We have expanded our reach coast-to-coast, opened offices in our nation’s capital, and we are fighting each and every day to preserve your ability to play the great game of poker. Politicians are hearing our message – that Poker Is Not a Crime.
Today, I am excited to announce that the PPA is ready to reward you for your participation. We are launching PPA Online, a new and improved Web site, and a brand new membership package of valuable benefits.
Not super-related to poker … but as Houston poker-raid cases make their way through the notably harsh Harris County court system, I couldn’t help but think about how in Texas, playing underground poker is basically the same crime as decapitating a corpse and smoking pot out of the skull, which some kids not playing poker did there recently. [via Iggy]
In this episode:
Jon Kyl is Facing Reality!
It’s Lonely at the top of Morality Mountain…
There are still no regulations for UIGEA… Banks don’t want to police UIGEA… and others in Congress want to overturn UIGEA… I guess it’s time to face facts, Jon.
Chuck E Cheese is Facing Prison?
Pizza Selling Rat also promotes illegal gambling…
The great legal minds of South Carolina have concluded that the Skee ball and Whac-a-Mole games at Chuck E Cheese are a slippery slop to illegal gambling… and they must go!
News from both sides of the Atlantic
Lottery to Tennis… Texas to France…
In Texas, lottery officials are warning consumers about buying tickets online… and with good reason! And out of France, a judge has returned a ruling in the French Open vs Online Gambling case.
In this week’s episode:
What are the SSIGI and HR 5767?
It’s Bob Goodlatte’s Worst Nightmare…
Barney Frank and Ron Paul have introduced HR 5767 to target the financial powers of the UIGEA, and they are receiving the backing of several prominent groups including the SSIGI… or the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative.
ePassporte Pushed Out of Industry…
Another one bites the dust…
Last Friday ePassporte abruptly abandoned their US Customers with little explanation. This week we learn that the US Attorney’s Office in New York has been putting the screws to them. Imagine that!
Legal Online Gambling in the US?
It’s no lie…
American citizens can use credit cards and ban accounts to fund their online gambling activities at this site that the US Government not only knows about, but actually encourages you to play at!
Harris County sheriff’s deputies raided a poker room on the northwest outskirts of Houston this afternoon. There were about 8 tables of action — a $300 tournament had just gotten underway — and 11 were arrested. Police say the raid came after two months of investigation.
Hmm, sounds kinda like the Aces bust in terms of numbers. However some key differences are that nine of the busted were charged with organized crime. Yeow! No no no … Class C misdemeanor … maybe a Class A that can be pled down! Leave it to Houston to try to outdo/be tougher than Dallas.
they weren’t playing ordinary poker matches. Thousands of dollars were at stake in the sophisticated operation.
“You gotta know somebody to get in. They have two doors to gain entry. It’s operated by a button to gain entry, as well as they have cameras to monitor who’s at the front door,” said an officer.
Indeed, a button to gain entry. Case closed, obviously.
One of the other players arrested got cuffed for “unlawfully carrying a weapon” and the other guy ha an outstanding warrant.
This room had reportedly been around since late last summer. We’ll see if we can’t find out more about how this all shook down, where the room went wrong, and what’s really gonna come out of these organized crime allegations.
Thanks, Jim in Houston, for the tip.
In this week’s episode:
There’s No Cheating in Online Poker!
Now that we have your attention…
We thought that we should let ya know that some companies are boldly selling poker bot software for under $200, claiming big returns on your investment! Good luck with that! =0)
Our Tribute to the FBI…
We just LOVE the FBI…
I mean, why wouldn’t we love the FBI? They give us so much free comedy material that we would otherwise have to write for ourselves! God bless those brave men and women fighting the tyranny of online gambling!
Washington State to be a Battleground… Again…
The War Rages on…
First, it was J Todd battling the State Gambling Commission over his websites in 2006. Then our friend Nick Jenkins was actually arrested and charged with online gambling in 2007. Now, in early 2008, Attorney and poker player Lee Rousso is challenging the State’s online gambling ban in court!
In this week’s episode:
Congressional Hearings on UIGEA…
Barney Frank Heads to the Hill…
We all know our friend Barney Frank isn’t shy about speaking his mind, calling UIGEA the “stupidest”law ever passed. Now, he’s taking his straight talk about the law before Congressional Committees on the issue. See what was said!
Coverage of the Amsterdam Conference…
Reporting from Amsterdam!
We’re hear and we’re causing trouble! See our exclusive report from the Casino Affiliate Convention, and where J. Todd has been having to spend the night!
Hmm, we know a few poker players from Arizona here at Pokerati. I wonder if they will be attending “the first Arizona State Hold’em Championship ever played within the jurisdiction of the State” … not to be confused with the other Arizona State Championship. The tourney goes down at Judge Lee’s Arizona Card Room in Tombstone on May 10, and in fact it was Judge Lee himself letting us know about what should prove to be a very interesting event, no matter who does or doesn’t show. Yours truly, for one, respects the efforts to force the state to deal with the issues he raises. It’s generally good poker to create difficult decisions for your opponents.
*********PRESS RELEASE********PRESS RELEASE************
For release Wednesday April 2, 2008 Tombstone, AZ
From: Arizona Card League “the voice of professional card players in Arizonaâ€
This Press Release has become necessary since the Arizona Republic newspaper article on January 18, 2008 (Retired judge betting that his poker room is legal) has caused much confusion all over the country, and thrown a cloud over the legality of the ACL/ACR System. It should be removed with the announcement today of a Statewide Poker Championship to be conducted on May 10th in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
Sorry for the lack of personal postage last week and presumably this one … I have gotten caught up in the housing crisis and am moving again over the next couple days … even though I don’t know where yet. Seriously, housing crisis is very real here — our friends at The Poker Atlas were forced to relocate due to the house they were renting going into foreclosure; Rounder Club West got evicted from their digs a couple weeks ago because their landlord decided to desperately sell. When this sorta thing happens to three homes in an isolated niche, it can’t just be coincidental.
Anyhow, so yes, content … sorry for the lack thereof and sorry for the blog-cliche post about being sorry. There’s still plenty going on out there that the poker-minded populace shouldmaybe care about, regardless of my personal battle against homelessness.
As we know, the US is currently trying to figure out how to enforce the UIGEA — the AMERICAN BANKS say they can’t really do it — so now, instead of rewriting our own bad laws, we are pressuring the UK to change theirs.
And here’s an article about EL PASO’S rich gambling history - underground or not — over the past 100+ years, starting with a mayor in 1895 known as “Poker Bob” Campbell.
A NEW BLOG (to me) I am now following semi-regularly: David Matthews’ Gambling in Space.
Through him, I learned about FRANK GAGLIARDI, a California Lottery winner who also likes to gamble and recently won his very relevant (to me and you) court case vs. the IRS:
If this case stands, then it could effectively rewrite tax law and make it easier for gamblers to report losses and more difficult for the IRS to go after gamblers.
BALLY TECHNOLOGY also won a pretty big case in court — against SHUFFLE MASTER, which up to this point has maintained an expensive stranglehold on the automatic shufflers you see in poker tables.
And CALIFORNIA JEN may have loved the poker mockumentary THE GRAND, but not everybody did.
Crap, that’s hardly everything, but I have to run …
In addition to those state-by-state member numbers, the PPA put out a press release this week announcing its new state directors. Good to see poker players getting more involved in grassroots activity as the politi-dudes looking out for us in Washington DC continue to develop into a real Beltway force. However, there’s one state where the director curiously isn’t named — and that’s Texas.
Um, Mike …? Has there been a change to your resume that you might wanna blog about that you might wanna blog about?
UPDATE: Lavigne in Austin en-route-to-Wichita-Falls confirms via Blackberry that he is indeed still a state director for the PPA, and showed off his political skills by dodging my follow-up question about “why the ‘TBA’ then?” by reassuring me that the poker political machinery in Texas, having been built and tested now, will be well-oiled for 2009 with real Texas Hold’em in Texas in 2010 so long as I don’t write anything to muck it up.
Been a couple of news items over the last week or so regarding the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. You remember the UIGEA. You don’t? Look over yr shoulder. It’s that big black cloud over there, heading this way . . . .
First, a U.S. District Court Judge threw out the Interactive Gaming Media Entertainment and Gaming Association’s case against the U.S. government. You might remember iMEGA had attempted to have the UIGEA’s implementation postponed until it could be determined whether or not the law was unconstitutional. (They had some other points in there, too.) The case was dismissed, but iMEGA was recognized as having “legal standing†and so will surely continue the fight.
Meanwhile, we learned this week what the American Banking Association had to say about the proposed UIGEA regulations. Recall that back in October, the feds presented their proposed regulations & asked for comments. The comment period ended in mid-December, and now the Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury and the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System are considering those comments as they prepare to “finalize†the UIGEA.
The abridged version: the ABA thinks the UIGEA is not A-OK. Gives the banks too much to do — more than they can feasibly handle. In fact, the ABA believes the UIGEA will place most banks in what they call a “compliance trap†and thus do more to hurt the American payments system than it will do to stop folks from gambling online. Read Haley Hintze’s PokerNews article & also check out the full text of the ABA’s comments over at Kick Ass Poker.
And for more from those comments to the UIGEA regs — including some of what the “webmaster of the popular blog Pokerati.com†had to say about ’em — check out Jason Kirk’s article over at PokerListings summarizing them all: “Stakeholders sound off on UIGEA regulations.â€
It’s usually when a charity tournament starts raising too much money that people try to stop it. And that’s what happened in North Carolina … as what is claimed to be the largest charity tournament in the nation just got canceled. The general counsel for UNC decided that with 1,000 people slated to compete for donated prizes that maybe just maybe the event — Hold’em for Hunger — was legally questionable.
Last year saw a field of more than 500 competing for a top prize of a big-screen TV to raise more than $12,500 for a group called Nourish International.
This anti-poker victory in North Carolina comes as poker-friendly forces in South Carolina appear to be making great strides with a bill in South Carolina that would’ve overturned a 200-year-old law to allow churches to raise charity money via poker got defeated.
(Thanks, Leigh, for the link!)
It’s an issue that is near-and-dear to my heart, because if you can’t play topless poker, really, are we still living in America!?!
Still, one anonymous Middleton gambler said, “They’re (the police) just angry because no taxes were collected. Nobody was harmed by Laurie’s boobs, and some of us were the better for it.”
Yeah! Though maybe Laurie shouldn’t have been accepting credit cards?
We all know Richard Lee settled his case — pleading no contest and forfeiting more than $2 million dollars to make it all mostly go away. That seems to be the way it goes with enforcing the Class A misdemeanor of “operating a gambling place” … “like seriously, don’t make us try to send you to jail, just give us all your money and everything will be fine.”
Earlier this month, with approval from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, Bexar County officials released the names of Lee’s alleged punters. Some 3,200 of them — the juiciest ones, presumably, redacted … complete with cell phone numbers, you know, so other bookies can find these customers in need. Click here to see for yourself, and let us know if you recognize any celebs on the Lee-List. I definitely maybe know one dude from Dallas on there. I think he plays poker. He lives kinda near where there used to be a poker room. Sounds vaguely and theoretically familiar.
According to [Bexar County District Attorney Susan] Reed, though, the list does not mean her office will pursue charges against those on the list.“Being the number of names on here, being a Class C misdemeanor… the cost of that would be incredible,” she said. “(It’s) not something I’m interested in spending a huge amount of taxpayer money on.”
In this week’s the February 1, 2008, episode:
Complete Coverage of the CAP Euro Conference in London…
We went… We saw… We drank our butts off! Yea yea, I know that sounds unprofessional. But this event had some great parties! And both had an open bar… for a few hours at least! LOL!
In all seriousness, however, there were many things to learn, and many meetings to attend. See our highlights from the event, including an interview with CAP staff!
Positive News from America? That’s a change…
We’re following two interesting stories from the States… and both have a connection to Washington State, where former professional poker player turned lawyer Lee Rousso says he will make a run for governor! And Mr. Rousso is already challenging the states online gambling ban!
Also, Representative Jim McDermott is floating an online gambling study in the US Congress!
Finland Makes Online Gambling News… AGAIN!
Here’s the absolute proof that government has no clue… Just a week ago, Finland was talking about a new online gambling ban that would allow players in that country to pursue civil recovery from online gambling websites, players at those sites, or credit card companies that process payments for those sites.
This week, they want to run an online poker room?
DALLAS–Man, I thought we were done with the legal proceedings from the first big poker raid in Dallas (June 2006) … and almost done with the trials stemming from the subsequent triple-raid (November 2006). But learned that charges against another dealer from Aces were thrown out just last week — as they should be … but are we done yet?
Go insufficient evidence!
DALLAS–The charity tourney for Bea’s Kids was Saturday night, and none other than your second-favorite host of Beyond the Table won it! No, I’m not talking about Tom … In a field of 80-someodd players — most of whom had little or no experience — Karridy took down first prize, winning a 52-inch HDTV for his efforts and charitable donation(s). Nice!
His victory was extra impressive not just because at one point he was the chip leader at the final table with an M=4, but also because he played taking a note from Gentle Shane and acted the whole time as if this were his very first time playing poker. “For a second there I thought that was Jamie Gold,” said one of his more knowledgeable competitors.
Even if Karridy hadn’t won it — along with my $20 in our lasts-longest bet — this was still a great event. Kudos to tourney organizers for kicking it old-school and insisting on giving non-raffle prizes to the winners, and to Eddie Deen’s for not letting legally questionable threats from anti-poker forces get in the way of raising money for a good cause.
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Shamus pointed out in a comment below that poker’s favorite academic, Charles Nesson, of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society, may well be the Dr. Timothy Leary of Poker. Hmm … so to see what this Harvard Law professor is really all about, I did a Google search for “charles nesson†MINUS poker and found:
Wow. So obviously he is a total wackjob visionary genius little kooky not afraid to speak his well-reasoned mind. Over at Ivygate they call him “the William Shatner of Academia†… and tag his post with “batshit crazy.†The Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics says he’s “one of the country’s leading authorities on evidence law and a maverick in encouraging his law students to go beyond status quo legal thinking, to challenge authority, and to fearlessly innovate.â€
But perhaps the most telling assessment of this poker “champion†(not to be confused with, um, a poker champion) comes from a commenter on his youtube vid:
Lumping Charlie Nesson in with the “douchebags” shows how grossly uninformed you are. Have you seen him on Stephen Colbert arguing for including poker in public school curricula? Making chemical companies pay through their nose for polluting people’s drinking water? Openly admitting that he smokes weed before teaching class?
He is a giant among men; you are the douchebag.
Prof. Charles Nesson, of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society, on The Colbert Report, bringing the plight of online poker to the people:
As Pokerati slowly but surely gets settled in to our new Las Vegas digs, we’ve started thinking about the next Pokerati Invitational … and specifically how to keep it legal. Kinda funny, but that was pretty easy to do in Texas … just throw a tourney with no entry fee or any other sort of rake and it was all good — whether it was held at Adam’s house, the Lodge, Sadler & Carter, or the Platinum Room. Dealer tips and money that was taken out of the prize pool to be put back in in the form of a medieval battle helmet trophy or fancy sandwiches … well that may have been legally questionable … but we somehow managed to stay clean as I threw an event once a year for all my best poker friends/clients/colleagues and anyone else’s butt that may have needed kissing. Good times!
Anyhow, I’m trying to figure out what’s possible here in Nevada, where all things “gaming” seem to be heavily regulated. Like can I throw my own event, at a house, if I so choose? With my own dealers? Or if I go to a casino, do I have to take an entry fee?
These questions are semi-rhetorical for now, as I study up on how things work in the Silver State … where as far as I can tell it is still illegal to play online. (Who knew?!? I thought they changed that law, but apparently not. I was kicking ass on Full Tilt just yesterday!) You know what has me shaking my head is how I made a conscious choice way back when to ditch the Dallas underground in favor of the online world. Shortly thereafter, my bosses at PartyPoker were deemed serious criminals if they didn’t get out of Dodge by sundown. So now in an attempt to go totally legit, I have come to Las Vegas, where, heck, just about everything is legal … and lo and behold, there’s still a lot of gray areas — not to mention people who live and work in them.
Harold Lee may seem like a bit of a whack-job, but the retired Arizona judge is standing up for poker — beckoning authorities to take him to jail/court for running a legally questionable poker room. He’s convinced a jury won’t convict, and is ready to put to them the question of whether or not poker really is illegal in Arizona, the AZ Republic reports.
Now I know what you’re thinking … wait, don’t they have Indian casinos in AZ? And indeed they do … but he’s got a problem with that, too, claiming it to be an illegal state-granted monopoly. Interesting way to look at it. You can read more about Judge Lee’s Arizona Card Room in Sierra Vista and his poker manifesto here.
The commenters (and the raters of the commenters) overwhelmingly support the crazy-ole judge. And apparently the entire city of Tombstone is behind him and wants to follow suit. (Watch the news vid.) Despite what the state has to say … the city has looked through it’s law books and can’t find anything that says poker is illegal and they’re good with that.
Baltasar Cruz (D-Dallas) is running for judgeship on the Texas Supreme Court. Just wanted to let you know he is a poker player who likes and respects the game … so if you like to support candidates without any real basis beyond a connection to your own self interests, then indeed, he should probably be your man! His platform philosophies seem reasonable enough, too:
“I want to prohibit Texas judges from accepting political contributions from lawyers and parties who have cases pending in front of them. Incredibly, Texas judges are free to accept political contributions from attorneys and parties who have cases pending in their courts and some judges are known to actively solicit political contributions from lawyers who have cases pending before them! This is an obvious conflict of interest which is entirely indefensible and should be proscribed by the Texas Supreme Court.â€
In this week’s episode:
US / EU Deal has Serious Issues…
There are some in the European Union who are not at all happy with last week’s announcement of a deal to compensation over the online gambling ban. In fact, it looks like the US may have even mislead the EU on what the deal was about
This could help our industry stay on life support a bit longer… and we’re not dead yet!
Antigua gets $21 Million and Piracy Rights…
The World Trade Organization has decided to allow Antigua to recover $21 million in damages by violating US copyrighted products, just like the APCW predicted in November of 2006!
Antigua was asking for $3.4 billion, and the award is well below that. So can a measly $21 million make a difference at all? Maybe…
Germans Give EU the Finger…
Germany has decided to ban internet gambling as of January 1st, 2008. They say that they have to protect their monopoly, and they expect the EU Court of Justice to come after them… and they don’t care.
It’s kinda funny sometimes the way news spreads … all the way to Chicago. Should be interesting to see how the non-poker masses respond (if at all) to the Dallas poker plight.
In case you are a little confused as to why we are saying not to pass certain governmental regulations relating to the UIGEA now (as opposed to in 2006), below is an email exchange I had with our good friends at the PPA earlier today explaining what is and isn’t in play.
Ahh, now I get it!
While bills to undo the UIGEA are picking up steam, the Treasury Department is still trying to figure out how to enforce it. And they have to decide on Wednesday if one proposed system of blocking financial transactions will work. Thus, click below to see the letter I just sent out in opposition (with a little help from the PPA). If you would like to do something similar — you have to do it pretty much in the next 24 hours — click here (and scroll down toward the bottom) for instructions on doing your non-lazy-poker-player patriotic duty as an American citizen opposed to bad, non-sensical regulations, policy, and law.
Some interesting developments in the off-the-table workings of the online poker world. Millions of votes and billions of dollars at stake:
BARNEY FRANK’s bill is picking up steam — with 44 cosponsors. Not sure of the party breakdown, but the willingness of others to sign on suggests undoing the UIGEA could be a good “sensible government” issue that, frankly, is easier to deal with than so many other pressing political concerns.
Meanwhile, the conservative anti-gambling forces are starting to organize their troops and take fighting against us a little more seriously. Poker enemy FOCUS ON THE FAMILY is calling gambling “out of control” (via Citizen magazine) — possibly because our political successes are a chance for them to raise funds regardless of the results.
They do, however, remind everybody that you have until DECEMBER 12 to let the feds know what you think about the online gambling issue. (Anyone got a link to a email-your-rep thingy?)
And here’s an interesting article from a decidedly non-poker source about how the UIGEA has been responsible for getting rid of spam. While ZDNet’s RYAN NARAINE guest-posting expert on INTERNET SECURITY makes some good points about how some semblance of internet regulation was able to put poker spammers temporarily? out of business, he carries on to show he doesn’t really know what he’s talking about:
[The UIGEA] effectively caused the death of numerous black hat SEO companies–comment spammers. Perhaps the UIGEA measure against processing of payments proved too difficult to overcome. Not being a lawyer I can’t say exactly how UIGEA caused this death. No matter, US online gambling operations were effectively destroyed.
Spam decreased. The underlying cause for that was that the clients weren’t there due to the inability to process payments because of the online Casinos law.
Not only black hat SEO companies suffered, many spam operations lost clients. There is nearly no more Casino spam in our mail inboxes. Isn’t that grand?
Um, yeah. Wanna make a wager about the casino spam? It just took a break … the pathetic side of the industry shifted around about, that’s all. But by his grand logic, we could get rid of all spam by banning all sorts of stuff on the internet. This is semi-true, but would require the U.S. enforcing its laws beyond its borders … which is part of the problem we currently face.
Anyhow, his GADI EVRON’s semi-informed ignorance is indicative of the types of landmines the poker politicos will have to avoid this year.
You may recall the raid on the Audie Murphy VFW. Comedian Drew Carey thinks it’s a not-so-funny indication of disturbing trends in the nation’s approach to policing as a whole.
We told you a while back about the National Poker Challenge opening up in Little Rock … on the self-declared, “hey, we are legal!” concept. Authorities (DA included) didn’t agree, and a couple of days ago Little Rock Police went in Prohibition-raid-style (like they said they would) and shut the business down. Bummer … but we kinda saw it coming, no?
[link props: ppa blog]
The NPC peeps arrested still contend their rake-free model — players payed $100/month to be “tracked” — is legal, and plan to fight it in court (just like they said they would).
Could this be the battle some sicko, poli-minded action junkies have been jonesing waiting for — a fight that forces at least one state to deal with outdated laws being applied to a game they didn’t really conceive of way-back-when? If so, this bust seems to be part of the plan. The NPC has/had clubs in Little Rock, Portland, and Memphis, where the company is headquartered. When it comes to poker penalties and the statutes behind them, the game in Arkansas might be softer than just about anywhere else.
They paint it as an issue of a power shift away from professional moralists such as the Family Research Council, and essentially mock their arguments defending the UIGEA as non-nonsensical and unAmerican. Gotta say I like the way this hand is shaping up, particularly as the non-poker congresspeople are starting to see the issues in play being about far more than just poker.
Says Andrew Leonard from Salon.com:
As congressional hearings go, this one gets a five-star rating from How the World Works. There were professional poker players referencing John Locke and John Stuart Mill, Tennessee legislators getting medieval on the Family Research Council, and a discussion of the odds against James Bond drawing an inside straight in “Casino Royale.” All this against a backdrop featuring a mighty clash between states’ rights and international treaty obligations.
Reason Magazine has taken note of Annie Duke’s newfound lobbying prowess, too. They were impressed by her ability to cite John Locke and John Stuart Mill.
It’s true that sometimes Beltway outsiders are the ones who can stir things up on the inside. Good stuff. I was about to say how come her Ultimate Bet cohort Phil Hellmuth hasn’t stepped up to the poker politics plate … but on second thought, really, considering what he might have to say and how he would say it, maybe that is for the best.
Interesting article out of Australia about the development of bots at the online poker tables. (via Live Action Poker.)
While this “threat” is real … the truth is bot-prejudice is already taking root in the non-poker world. Think how much you hate it when an automated voice calls you on the phone — guess what, that’s a bot, too. So how these non-human entities get regulated in poker would set some semblance of a precedent for how the non-poker world eventually has to deal with them.
In this week’s episode:
Sweden, Germany, and France…
What a big week for online gambling, with lots of great news mostly coming out of Europe! Sweden wants into the industry… Germany says any ban on internet gambling is impossible… and even France knows it’s time to surrender.
EU Trade Commissioner in the United States…
Why should we care that the EU Trade Commissioner was in the United States this week? Because this man flew all the way across the ocean to tell the US Congress they’re a bunch of schmucks! Peter Mandelson urged US Legislators to overturn the UIGEA.
Barney Frank, Ron Paul, and Radley Balko…
We all know Barney Frank… many know Ron Paul… but who the heck is Radley Balko? We feature a video from June of this year where Mr Balko testifies in a Congressional hearing about online gambling. You simply must see this video!
In one corner, we have Mark Seif. He is an attorney and poker pro sponsored by Absolute Poker. His silence at the beginning of the recent AP scandal was viewed as suspicious by many online players, though he did speak with Pokerati nearly two weeks ago to express his concern over the situation. He then sat down with the Raw Vegas crew and made a statement, including some harsh words about Dan Druff, one of the players who has been investigating the cheating allegations.
In the other corner, we have Dan Druff, who is really Todd Witteles, an online poker pro who is part of the NeverWin Poker team. He met with Raw Vegas to record his rebuttal, saying that he has never accused Seif of anything, only presented the facts and asked that Seif come clean about his involvement or lack thereof.
So, who is the winner in this round? Could it be that this is only the beginning and the gloves haven’t come off yet?
The rumors had merit … there will be no automatic 25 percent withholding on all poker tournament wins over $5,000. The headlines give a little indication on where different operations stand on tournament winners and their ethical obligations to pay the federal government its juice:
CardPlayer: “Tax Law Stopped”
PokerListings: “Tax Code Clarified”
4Flush: “Still Being Worked on”
PokerNews: “Tax Proposal Nixed”
I. Nelson Rose: “IRS Has Changed the Law”
From KHOU:
The district attorneys office has now charged 14 of those arrested with engaging in organized crime, which is a felony offense. Those charged were allegedly dealers, game runners and waiters or waitresses at the club where the bust took place.
ALT HED: Murmur
In a sign of how hard it is to convince non-poker people how different types of poker work … the Illinois liquor police are shutting down the amateur bar tournaments that so many of us (nationwide) know and love:
Rather than trying to sort out those playing poker for fun from those playing poker for money, they say it makes more sense to simply prohibit poker tournaments in liquor establishments.
“Usually when you’re playing poker, you’re gambling,” says Ted Penesis, a spokesman for the liquor commission.
Yeow, nice enforcement standards. Apparently there’s no need to send in an undercover agent when you’re not gonna find what you’re looking for.
The state wants to confiscate the money found at his house — about as much as he won in the 2006 WSOP — and other assets for good. Arraignment on charges of running an illegal bookmaking operation (based in Costa Rica) is scheduled for November 7th.
Yet another fascinating poker-related shakedown legal case that could be rough on the defendant(s). But considering “The Chinaman’s” connection to the mayor of San Antonio and other prominent figures — and the questionable strength of the laws he’s accused of violating — we’ll have to see how hard they are willing to press.
The Houston Police Department has fired back at Pokerati’s assertion that the SWAT team was necessary for their raid on The Palms.
HPD’s Vice Division was so concerned about being able to get inside what they said was an illegal poker room, SWAT was called in to make sure the raid went off without a hitch.This wasn’t an easy place to get into. The door was secured with locks and you had to have a special card to get in.
And a security company had been hired to watch the place from the outside.
Police tell us this was a place to play high dollar poker. Texas Hold ‘Em poker to be exact.
So I just took a look at the pictures from the Houston poker bust at The Palms, which really I think has to be called a “raid” any time machine guns are br
