22 July, 2008 | No comments

Legalizing Online Gambling: What Will it Take?

Online gambling is not illegal in the U.S. unless you’re in specific states like Washington and Texas. Most of the country does not have a law that makes online gambling illegal for players. The Unlawful Internet Gaming Act made it illegal for banks, both online and traditional, to do business with online casinos that allow American action. The players are not breaking the law, the banks are.

To turn these laws around it would take one thing: The Democrats need to win the next election. It won’t happen overnight, but the new government is sure to repeal the laws that have slowed down the expansion of online gambling in the U.S.

President Obama would have to pass it through Congress, but Congress is predominantly Democratic now, so he should have no problem passing it. And we know how the Democratic Party feels about their citizens having the freedom of choice.

15 July, 2008 | No comments

If John McCain Wins, Online Gambling Loses

John McCain has a history as an advocate against online gaming. He intended to outlaw it back in 2004, and if he wins the upcoming election, and the Republican government controls Congress, the existing laws are likely to remain the same. McCain has stated recently that it would be a low priority for his government to completely outlaw internet gambling, but this came after he received donations from online gaming companies.

If Obama is elected, Congress will remain the same and the internet gaming laws are likely to be repealed in the next two years, allowing the individual states to decide. A new approach, where existing gaming companies like land-based casinos will receive a license to operate online, then tax and regulate them for further revenues.

So if you like to gamble online, you might want to vote for Obama; unless you want to be told what to do.

8 July, 2008 | No comments

Cruise Ships Affected by Changing Gambling Laws?

The cruise ship industry in Florida has not faired well from the new gambling laws the state adopted this year. The new laws allow the race tracks and Seminole casinos to operate games that were once only available off-shore. Most cruise ship action was a day trip offshore, beyond the three-mile limit, making the games legal to play. Now Floridians don’t have to go on a ship to play their favorite games, they can do it in a luxury casino instead.

The SunCruz lines have pulled some ships from port, and their trips are canceled. The Palm Peach Princess will be laying off 94 people next month. The company had already filed for Chapter 11 protection over a year ago, and things have just grown worse since. It’s going to take some intuitive marketing to turn around the fate of the cruise ships, if it can be done at all.

1 July, 2008 | No comments

Why Revenue from Gambling is a Good Thing

I’m the cynical type when it comes to state-sponsored gambling. What gets sold as an opportunity to raise funds for social infrastructure often comes across looking like a cash grab. However governments choose to fill out their books, the important thing is that revenues do go to a worthwhile cause.

In Illinois, the cause is building. The state’s nine casinos pulled in nine figures last year, or about four percent of Illinois state revenue. However, attempts to open a 10th casino to fund a major construction plan have been rebuffed. The story is similar in West Virginia, where 8.9 percent of state revenues are hauled in by lotteries alone.

The money made in the Mountain State is earmarked for college scholarships, senior citizen programs and the like. But there is concern about West Virginia’s “dependence” on gambling revenues. These are tough financial times for many in the United States, and casinos are going to lose some customers. They’re not the only ones.

24 June, 2008 | No comments

What’s Wrong with Online Gambling?

Put 11 countries in a room together, and you’ll get 12 different opinions about online gambling. The United States government is very much on the “anti” side of the table – although they lack the legal framework to effectively criminalize online betting.

We’re obviously in the “pro” camp. But it’s important to see the other side of the argument without prejudice. Gambling does have its drawbacks; some people lose a lot more than just money betting on sports. The special nature of online betting presents new dangers to problem gamblers. It also opens up new avenues for money laundering, which is a chief concern for law enforcement officials over and above any moral position.

Our view is that every form of entertainment should be practiced in moderation. I am an advocate of responsible gaming, and we strongly encourage anyone with concerns about problem gambling – including parents – to consult Gamblers Anonymous or any other reputable organization for help.

17 June, 2008 | No comments

Poker Shows Face Axe

GSN seems to be changing its direction and has made many changes within its infrastructure. Many employees have left the network, and the new blood isn’t as interested in broadcasting poker shows as it once was. 

GSN has been the home of “High Stakes Poker”, the WPT tour. They have delayed renewing the shows, saying that poker shows are expensive, and they want to stick to more traditional game shows. 

GSN owns the rights to “High Stakes Poker” and produces the NBC show “Poker After Dark”. It’s uncertain at this time if they will be able to shop the shows around to other networks. “Poker After Dark” will begin to play some large cash games, more in the style of “High Stakes Poker”. 

Among adults 18 to 49, the one-hour “High Stakes” is GSN’s top-rated show (averaging 117,000 viewers). The WPT production was averaging around sixth place on the network’s highest-rated shows rankings.

10 June, 2008 | No comments

Online Gambling: A Bad Career Choice?

If you’re going to work for an online gambling site, you’d better watch where you go vacationing. Two employees of SportingBet were arrested in Turkey while on holidays because online gambling is illegal in the country. The country is cracking down on gambling, and this incident follows the arrest of two British vacationers last year because they played bingo in a bar.

Now America knows how archaic its approach is to online gambling. You would think that the Turkish governments would see from America’s ongoing attempts to arrest people working in the industry that it is a waste of time and resources. Normally America is leading the way for countries like Turkey to be more progressive, and we all know how progressive Turkish laws can be.

Other poker rooms are withdrawing from the Turkish online poker market. PartyGaming is one, opting to approach the Turkish laws the way they did the American ones.

3 June, 2008 | No comments

How Gambling Can Save Your Sex Life

If your sex life is hurting, you might be able to change it around with a bit of gambling. If there’s no excitement in your sex life you need to do something exciting to get the blood flowing again. Take your girl for a night at the casino and get into the action. I haven’t met a girl yet that doesn’t get excited when they hit a number on the roulette table. If you manage to get lucky it will usually lead to a good night from there.

If you win some money you can continue the rest of the night as a high roller, spending money on her and having a good time. It shows that you’re generous and fun – two qualities that most women find attractive. If you lose, the two of you can laugh it off together, talking about how bad your luck has been. Sympathy sex is still sex, too.

28 May, 2008 | No comments

Judge Upholds Washington Online Poker Law

Superior Court Judge Mary Roberts has upheld Washington’s online poker law which makes playing poker online a class C felony. Players could face penalties equal to those handed out to child molesters and repeat intoxicated drivers.

Attorney Lee Rouso argued that the 2006 law violates the U.S. Constitution’s commerce clause, and is cruel and unusual punishment. “That’s just the way the game is played, the court of law is probably the biggest casino there is,” said Rouso. “There is virtually no public support for this law.” Rouso also said that most of the legislators who passed this bill were unaware of what they were doing at the time.

About 70 poker players, including members of the PPA (Poker Players Alliance), were on hand outside the courtroom to hear the disappointing news. So now the next step is the U.S. Supreme Court, which will hopefully see through the hypocrisy of this law and change it.

27 May, 2008 | No comments

South Africa Approves Online Gambling Bill: Is the US Next?

Following the U.K.’s lead, South Africa has just passed an online gaming law that regulates the industry within the country. The South African government has created the National Gambling Amendment Bill to stop the considerable loss of revenue to the national fiscus that an unregulated online industry has caused.

The Bill has been constructed to assist in areas like problem gambling, taxation, licensing, advertising, and player protection. The government has realized that the people of South Africa will be better protected with a regulated industry which returns revenue to the country.

Could this latest move by another country regulating online gaming prompt the U.S. to do the same? I doubt it. The American government made online gaming illegal to protect horse racing and lottery revenues, not to protect people against an activity that may supposedly be dangerous to them. Once a Democratic government gets into power in America, things might change.