Online Gambling Legal Woes

Hey Ed,

I’m a Brit, but I feel very sorry for Americans and about this whole situation. And I still don’t understand how it came about and passed through so quietly.

I play my poker at three sites that have not allowed US players since October, and I tell you what, online poker ain’t going nowhere. I’ve got 30 tables to choose from at 1/2 limit right now and it’s way past bedtime in Europe. Companies like 888 are very strong and have a very legal betting business in the UK to keep them going.

My hope for players in the US is that someone with some ball stands up for you and gets a very wrong law challenged or overturned.

Love the site by the way and can you hurry up with part 2 of the short stack article please.

Hi Ed

Thanks for this, ever since the law passed I have been avoiding companies that take american business for this reason.

On a brighter note I read an article stating that british politicians were telling America they were daft and prohibition doesn’t work.

In fact they are trying to attract the poker rooms to trade in Britain under British gaming law.

This I believe would really help the industry as British gambling laws are very tight being an ex croupier with a casino inspector licence I have experience of this. So although nothing is guaranteed I think gamblers will feel safer knowing there money is held with a company regulated in Britain.

If anyone can cite the article or point to ay references that would be great I saw the article in Poker player a couple of monts back.

Peter

Hi I just read the article you linked to and have to say the arrogance is unbelievable.

Canadian Citizens running a respectable business that is used by millions of people face up to 20 years in Prison in a foreign country because america has changed its laws.

How would america feel if a foriegn country made an act illegal and then started arrresting foreigners for performing that act.

For example lets envisage Britain makes Tobbaco illegal. This of course would cause a black market in tobbaco. Would we then have the right to imprisonn tobbaco growers from america or anyone else involved in the industry if they were from countries where it was perfectly legal.

What America needs to realise is that if they set a law, that law applies to people within its borders. When someone performs an act outwith its borders which is legal in that country they do not have jurisdiction.

Maybe I am wrong but it seems to me that America believe that they can do what they want to anyone anywhere regardless of whether they are citizens of America or not.

Rant over

Ed - If you’re against online poker, why do you have online poker ads on your site?

any ideas what the next bubble will be?

(assuming that is that the much larger industrial meta bubble created by having 150 years of access to a ridiculously cheap energy supply that is now dwindling doesn’t pop first)

personally i think it’s going to involve virtual worlds/possessions/real estate/etc. already seen a taste of that with the Asian MMPORG farms and Second Life, but I have a feeling within 5 years we will say Gopher:WWW :: Second Life:______

i’m a bit sad I only jumped on the poker gravy train as it was jumping the tracks a bit, but happy too, i found that online poker players are mostly the same conservative frat boys that i spent many years trying not to associate with and the ability to basically print money in my office was making it hard to stay focused on the good parts of life: making art, love, etc.

[...] post by Ed Miller and software by Elliott [...]

why is this so unpopular? I can’t believe people are giving gamblers such a hard time about spending their own money. If I have $300, I am allowed to spend it anyway I like to, whether its State wide lottery tickets or online poker. Please come together and support this anti-online gambling law. Call Sen. Barney Frank and ask him how you can help.