Online poker: US states gamble on making it legal

[_GTech]

Source

Moves are afoot in Iowa, Florida, California and Nevada to legalise online poker, in part to help close yawning budget gaps.
In regulating internet poker, state and federal authorities could potentially rake in $3bn (£1.9bn) a year. In Iowa alone, the tax revenue could be in the order of $35m (£22m) per year.


"It's not like average citizens are calling up the government saying 'we want more places to lose money'," he told the BBC.


"Government, in partnership with the million dollar gambling business, is actively encouraging people to lose money."
He calls gambling "the most predatory industry in America", arguing that the business model depends on addicted or heavily indebted individuals losing large amounts.


"Instead of putting casinos on Main Street, you are essentially putting one into every home office and dorm room in America, 24 hours a day," he said.

Wow the greed continues...

Just when you thought corporate politics were obvious, they got a whole lot more obvious. There is no end to the greed in plain sight is there?

So rather than admit to it's *ahem* shortcomings on fiscal budgets and gross wasteful spending, they'd rather find a "New Tax" to fix the issue..

More money won't fix the issue if Money Management is the Issue! At some point America is gonna say...

"Hey you fat Plutocracy, stop the BS!"

Did the lotteries not fatted your pocket enough you greedy *insert negative byword here*?

Wait, I got it, maybe um at some point you can explain to America how you utterly fail at your job & make $100,000+ a year with guaranteed life time tax payer paid for retirements @ 80-90% of your salary for doing such a horrible job?

Oh I got it now, we are suppose to keep hush hush, look the other way as you continue your perpetual abuse of the system?

Man this is outrageous...

This is not an argument standing point by the way..

"It's not like they aren't doing it anyway." <<< SO STOP IT!

 

[EagleKeeper]

Much is just dreaming of where potential revenue could come from.

Iowa is already putting that to bed.
Tthe big problem is who has the qualificaitons to oversea the program.
Casinos do not want to be saddled with that responsibility.

 

[_GTech]

Much is just dreaming of where potential revenue could come from.

Iowa is already putting that to bed.
Tthe big problem is who has the qualificaitons to oversea the program.
Casinos do not want to be saddled with that responsibility.

Interesting, thanks for sharing that, though it kind of popped my balloon.

For now.... I doubt that other states are less greedy, especially Nevada...

 

[drebo]

I have no problem with states regulating online poker and taxing income made from it.

 

[1prophet]

Much is just dreaming of where potential revenue could come from.

Iowa is already putting that to bed.
The big problem is who has the qualifications to oversea the program.
Casinos do not want to be saddled with that responsibility.

William Bennett
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bennett

 

[_GTech]

William Bennett
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bennett

Hey that guys sounds like a very good candidate indeed!

Good recommendation!

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Legalizing online gambling? OMG! Holy crap, what's next? Legalizing drugs and prostitution? Because it's the government's job to tell us all what's good for us and such things should never be left to personal choice since we're all too stupid to make such decisions.

/sarcasm

 

[Dekasa]

I'm surprised why this is an issue at all. The fact that online gambling is illegal makes no sense to me.

 

[wuliheron]

Drugs, prostitution, gambling, illegal aliens, corporate fraud, etc.

I love America! Freedom!

 

[Capt Caveman]

I loved playing online poker before they made it so difficult that the majority of the fish stopped playing in the US. Made quite a bit of money that I filed and paid taxes on.

 

[dfuze]

I'm surprised why this is an issue at all. The fact that online gambling is illegal makes no sense to me.

It's only illegal because they aren't getting a cut of the money

 

[Thump553]

Anyone that knows anything about professional gambling knows that cheating (on both sides) is rampant and it takes a large and very sophisticated state watchdog agency with strict overseeing to come anywhere close to a fair house.

Sixty Minutes had an excellent feature a few years back on this problem. There was a small Indian tribe in Canada that had become the dominant house in the field. They hired a lot of professional watchdogs but there was still a very slick, multimillion dollar scam done on their players.

I gravely doubt any of those states are willing to invest the money and resources to do this job right. Disaster ahead.

Online gambling is also great for fleecing the very last bucks from gambling addicts as they don't even have to leave their bedrooms to lose everything.

BTW isn't there already federal prohibitions against online gambling in the US? Last I knew you couldn't use a major credit card, etc. at the online gambling because of this.

 

[Dekasa]

If poker sites rig their games, then people will find out and use a different website. Or they'll be dumb and won't. Either way, not gov't business.

 

[xj0hnx]

I've seen gamblers that made most heroin junkies look role models for responsibility. If you want to piss away everything you make have a blast, but I don't think it should be legal to do online, there's just too man ways to get taken online.

 

[OutHouse]

It's only illegal because they aren't getting a cut of the money

Nobody was but the offshore casinos. Billions ofdollars sent out of the country is not a goos thing

 

[rudder]

I'm surprised why this is an issue at all. The fact that online gambling is illegal makes no sense to me.

The fact that a lot people gamble money on online poker makes no sense to me. You have no way of knowing who or what is on the other end.

 

[sactoking]

Fail article is fail. Casinos are actually against online poker, not for it.