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Republicans Flip-Flop on Internet Gambling Issue
Date: Wed, Aug 27, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
It looks like I spoke too soon. Shortly after my post alerting you about the Republican Party’s decision to cease its opposition to online gaming, they adopted language Tuesday opposing Internet gambling—a provision that was stripped from the initial draft as part of an effort to broaden the party’s appeal.
“Internet gambling represents the most invasive and addictive form of gambling in our history,” said Kendal Unrah of Colorado, who sponsored the amendment.
Dropping the opposition to gambling was a temporary triumph for the Poker Players Alliance, a million-member group that spent $1.2 million lobbying this during the first half of 2008.
“This is a small victory in our determined effort to educate both sides of the aisle that there is a true constituency in America that values its Internet freedoms,” John Pappas, the alliance’s executive director, said of the draft platform.
Republican platforms of 2000 and 2004 both stated: “Millions of Americans suffer from problem or pathological gambling that can destroy families. We support legislation prohibiting gambling over the Internet or in student athletics by student athletes who are participating in competitive sports.”
Thousands of poker players filed Internet comments urging Republicans to drop their opposition to online gambling.
The PPA contends that the Internet gambling industry, which is estimated at $15 billion a year, with perhaps one third attributed to poker, should be regulated in the United States as it is in other countries.
The PPA contends that the Internet gambling industry, which is estimated at $15 billion a year, with perhaps one third attributed to poker, should be regulated in the United States as it is in other countries.
Barring another reversal, Republican opposition will remain a plank in the party’s platform.
::sigh::
A Small Victory: Republican Party Scraps Anti-Online Gaming Statement From Platform
Date: Tue, Aug 26, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
It’s a victory of sorts. But of small victories, large battles are won, and for the first time in a decade the Republican Party Platform does not include language stating that online gambling should be restricted in the United States.
It did include such language earlier in August, but the Poker Players Alliance and the online poker community forced the removal of this language.
The Republican Party platform site contained a spot where comments on issues could be posted. Leading the way, to most people’s surprise, were comments from online poker players.
Perhaps Greg Raymer (pictured right), who won the 2004 World Series of Poker, summed it up best when he said, "Why has this party, that used to protect my rights, now become the party that wants to create a nanny-state?"
It’s not a big victory. A big victory would be the overturning of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA)—but maybe this one small step for Republican platform writers will lead to a giant leap forward for poker players.
Binion's Unveils New $1 Million Display
Date: Mon, Aug 25, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
This was posted on the Vegas Coupons Group, website and is worth reposting here:
August 21, 2008 – In keeping with the storied tradition of the Binion's legacy, Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel has unveiled a new version of the famed $1 Million Display that, over the last five decades, has brought millions of visitors for a chance to pose with $1 million.
August 21, 2008 – In keeping with the storied tradition of the Binion's legacy, Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel has unveiled a new version of the famed $1 Million Display that, over the last five decades, has brought millions of visitors for a chance to pose with $1 million.
"The million dollar display is a major component of the Binion's legacy and a piece of Las Vegas history remembered and loved by locals and visitors alike. Reintroducing the display with a modern look is part of our strategy to preserve tradition while refreshing the Binion's brand for today's market," said Tim Lager, general manager of Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel.
Chan Poker Closes
Date: Sun, Aug 24, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
Chan Poker, headed by back-to-back WSOP winner Johnny Chan, closed its doors a few days ago. Chan launched the site in 2006 as part of the Ongame Network. But his timing could not have been worse. A few months after Chan’s site went active, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed, and Chan Poker was never able to gain traction.
A message on the site said: "We are sad to inform you that Chan Poker will be ceasing operation effective this Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008. Effective immediately we will no longer be accepting deposits. On Aug. 21 our poker clients will be disabled."
A.J Green, the man behind the Absolut Poker Scandal, building Mansion in Costa Rica
Date: Sun, Aug 24, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
The Gambling911.com website reports that A.J. Green (also known as Allan Grimard) one of the perpetrators behind the Absolute Poker scandal was located in Costa Rica. "He just bought a brand new Toyota Prado Land Cruiser," according to an unnamed Gambling911.com source.
That same source reported that Grimard has a huge yacht and is building a gigantic mansion in Los Suenos, a resort area on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.
Green was reputed to operate superuser accounts that enabled him to cheat by having access to other players’ hole cards.
He was a relatively low-level supervisor while at Absolute Poker and his salary was not nearly sufficient to allow him to afford the kind of luxuries he is now buying.
While Green has neither been arrested nor charged with a crime in the Absolute Scandal, continuing pressure led to the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, which oversees both Absolute Poker and UltimateBet, to hire former New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement director, Frank Catania, to look into the matter.
If you’re jealous of A.J. Green, you have every right to be, especially if you were a customer of Absolute Poker. He’s buying a yacht and building a mansion on money he stole from other players, maybe even from you, and he has yet to answer for his actions.
I wrote to Green a month or so ago, asking him to come on Keep Flopping Aces, my Internet radio show that is broadcast on http://www.roundersradio.com/ every Thursday night and give his side of the story. I’ve never met Green, but given what I’ve read of him, I did not expect him to take me up on my offer, and true to form, he never even responded to my request.
Well, A.J., my offer still stands. If you have a side of to this story to tell, I’ll be glad to bring you on the air for an hour and give you a chance to explain it.
I’m hoping he’ll take me up on my offer, but it’s not something I’d bet on—even if I was certain Green could not see all of my cards.
Justice Department Urged to Suspend Witchhunt
Date: Sun, Aug 17, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
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According to a Reuters report, Rep. Robert Wexler (pictured left), a Florida Democrat, and Rep. Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat, urged the U.S. Justice Department to suspend investigations of European Internet gaming firms for possible criminal violations that occurred before Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006.
In separate letters Wexler and Cohen warned U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey that the issue could spark a damaging trade spat between the United States and the European Union at the World Trade Organization.
"In all likelihood, this issue will escalate and I understand could result in WTO action focused specifically on how the U.S. government enforces its laws. I cannot see how that can be in the interests of this country," Wexler said in a letter to Mukasey last week.
European Internet gambling companies lost billions in market value after Congress enacted UIGEA which made it illegal for banks and credit card companies to process payments to online gambling sites.
Many publicly traded European companies, such as PartyGaming and 888.com, withdrew upon UIGEA’s passage, but continue to face possible criminal prosecution for activities before then.
The European Commission launched an investigation last March into whether Washington was singling out EU companies for enforcement actions, while allowing U.S. online firms to operate freely.
In a July 29 letter to Mukasey, Cohen said the Justice Department still had not provided a good reason why it was investigating "foreign operators who respected congressional intent in 2006 and withdrew from the market, while U.S. companies continue to operate uninterrupted."
Wouldn’t it be nice to see this hypocrisy just blow away and disappear once the national elections are over, a new Congress is seated, and a new administration is in the White House? I’m hoping so, but I’ve learned never to doubt the self-serving, hypocritical stupidity that Congress all too often weaves into legislation in support of one special interest group or another, all at the expense of the majority of Americans.
When you get right down to it, the money I want to play poker with online is mine. I earned it, paid taxes on it, and I ought to be able to spend my discretionary income any damned way I please. I do not need Congress writing laws that protect me against myself, and in so doing, abrogate my own freedom to spend my money as I see fit.
Congress, please get off my back!
Will HR 6663 Clarify UIGEA, or Muddle the Issue?
Date: Wed, Aug 13, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s been a piece of federal legislation proposed that has split the poker community right down the middle. Congressman Robert Sessions (R-TX) bill, HR 6663, was written to clarify confusing aspects of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) that was enacted in October of 2006. Sessions’ bill, however, does more than clarify UIGEA; it deals with “the legalities of online poker,” something UIGEA never mentioned.
The online poker industry and community is displeased with HR 6663—the “Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Clarification and Implementation Act.” In fact, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) refused to endorse this bill.
Here’s the problem. HR 6663 states, “No provision of this Act, or any amendment made by this Act, shall be construed as clarifying or implying that Internet bets or wagers, other than sports bets or wagers, which were accepted subsequent to October 13, 2006, are in violation of Federal law.”
By this statement, HR 6663 defines “online sports betting” as illegal.
But another area of the bill states, “Federal Internet gambling prosecutions have involved sports betting, creating a lack of authoritative court decisions on the applicability of other federal criminal statutes to Internet poker and casino-style gambling.”
This statement could lead a reader to believe that UIGEA deemed online poker and online casino gambling to be illegal, but the reality of UIGEA is that it never specifically mentioned online poker or casino gambling.
Although HR 6663 clarifies online sportsbooks and sports betting to be illegal, it also brings up online poker and casino gambling and discusses them as though they were illegal under UIGEA—even though UIGEA never mentions them. In other words, without any input from HR 6663, UIGEA does not define any Internet gambling activity as illegal except that of sports betting.
D’Amato claims that the PPA is “puzzled by the introduction of H.R. 6663 and by the purpose of this legislation. While we agree with several findings in the bill that correctly identify the illegality of sports wagering, the PPA remains concerned with the implication H.R. 6663 asserts in that the [UIGEA] has made Internet poker an unlawful activity that needs special protection from prosecution.
“Previous federal case law (re: Mastercard 2002) made it clear that existing federal criminal law (WIRE Act of 1961) applies only to sports wagering, and not to internet poker. Further, the UIGEA itself states, ‘No provision of this law shall be construed as altering, limiting or extending any Federal or State law.’ Thus, H.R. 6663 only confuses a clear judicial standing on this matter.”
But Jay Lakin, vice president of Poker Source Online, supports the measure, pointing out that since Nevada is the only state that allows sports betting, the impact of the ban under the new bill would be minimal.
“The Poker Players Alliance has argued the ban does not apply to Internet poker because poker is a legal activity,” Lakin said. “So if the alliance supports the new bill and accepts the exemption, it would be like admitting that poker is illegal.
"They're between a rock and a hard place," Lakin added.
Sessions' bill would narrow prosecution under the Internet gambling ban to persons who:
• Offer Internet sports betting in the United States.
• Process payments for illegal Internet sports betting in the United States.
Sessions has four co-sponsors: Reps. Marion Berry (D-AR), William Delahunt (D-MA), Gene Green (D-TX) and Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL).
Rep. Shelley Berkley, (D-NV), who authored a bill calling for a study of Internet gambling, opposes Sessions' bill.
"People in Congress are still trying to eliminate sports betting on the Internet when it is very clear that millions wish to exercise their rights as Americans and bet online," Berkley said.
Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association, which lobbies for Nevada casinos, said his group is neutral on Sessions' bill.
But Fahrenkopf added that AGA would oppose any effort to add Sessions' bill to Berkley's legislation.
"We don't want to do anything to hurt the chances of the Internet gambling study bill," Fahrenkopf said.
At this point, Sessions’ bill has a cloudy future. Congress is on its summer break, and though it will return to session in September, there is traditionally very little legislative output in the run up to a national election, which is this November.
While UIGEA clearly needs some clarification—if not outright dismantling and overturning—Sessions bill doesn’t look like it has the support to succeed. Its flaws notwithstanding, one thing it would do is forgive online gambling sites for any pre-UIGEA activities, and in so doing, would give a pass to firms such as PartyGaming, which ceased US-facing operations upon UIGEA’s passage.
UIGEA is still a long way from being overturned, my best guest is that we’re looking at 2009 or 2010 before this law can be thrown under the bus.
BARGE ... always a winning play
Date: Tue, Aug 5, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
Another BARGE … another madcap, wonderful time, punctuated by too much poker (that’s me at the tables), too little sleep, too much fun, friends I see all the time, friends I see once a year, and friends made anew as happens each and every year at BARGE.
For me, this BARGE had an additional challenge. It was production weekend for Poker Player Newspaper, so I had to get to bed at a reasonable hour in order to get up at 6 a.m. and edit the paper. I also had to go my room earlier at night than I’d really like to in order to do more editing.
Editing is a job I like, but editing a publication that comes out every two weeks is a relentless treadmill, and regardless of where you go, you have to make room to edit—and production weeks are more relentless than the weeks in between.
We’ve held BARGE at a few places other than Binion’s over the years, but when push comes to shove, there’s no place that gets us better than Binion’s. They are right in step with our sense of humor, our willingness to go far beyond what most poker rooms are willing to put up with, and each year dealers and floor personnel make their requests to work as many hours as they can during the BARGE weekend. Yes … It’s that much fun.
This might have been the largest BARGE yet. I’m not sure of the registration but I’m guessing there were close to 240 people attending. Downtown, for all its tawdriness, is the only place to hold an event like BARGE. We blend in there, and the location makes it easy to walk from place to place.
I drove there and did not move my car from the parking garage the entire weekend. My furthest trip was down the street to the Golden Gate, the oldest hotel in downtown Las Vegas, and an art deco wonder that has shrimp cocktails for a dollar apiece. But if you like the bigger, tastier shrimp as I do, you can get a huge cup full for about three bucks. I generally scarf down three or four at a time while I soak in the Golden Gate's unique vibe—the casino and café are somehow evocative of New Orleans, even down to the occasional ragtime piano player who pound s out tunes while you eat.
BARGE is always this time of year … the first weekend in August, but you have to register online to attend. If you mark your calendar and ping me sometime next June or early July—registration usually cuts off mid-July—I’ll give you all the registration details.
I’ll even guarantee that you’ll have more fun than you’ve ever had in a poker room. That’s a promise.
For me, this BARGE had an additional challenge. It was production weekend for Poker Player Newspaper, so I had to get to bed at a reasonable hour in order to get up at 6 a.m. and edit the paper. I also had to go my room earlier at night than I’d really like to in order to do more editing.
Editing is a job I like, but editing a publication that comes out every two weeks is a relentless treadmill, and regardless of where you go, you have to make room to edit—and production weeks are more relentless than the weeks in between.
We’ve held BARGE at a few places other than Binion’s over the years, but when push comes to shove, there’s no place that gets us better than Binion’s. They are right in step with our sense of humor, our willingness to go far beyond what most poker rooms are willing to put up with, and each year dealers and floor personnel make their requests to work as many hours as they can during the BARGE weekend. Yes … It’s that much fun.
This might have been the largest BARGE yet. I’m not sure of the registration but I’m guessing there were close to 240 people attending. Downtown, for all its tawdriness, is the only place to hold an event like BARGE. We blend in there, and the location makes it easy to walk from place to place.
I drove there and did not move my car from the parking garage the entire weekend. My furthest trip was down the street to the Golden Gate, the oldest hotel in downtown Las Vegas, and an art deco wonder that has shrimp cocktails for a dollar apiece. But if you like the bigger, tastier shrimp as I do, you can get a huge cup full for about three bucks. I generally scarf down three or four at a time while I soak in the Golden Gate's unique vibe—the casino and café are somehow evocative of New Orleans, even down to the occasional ragtime piano player who pound s out tunes while you eat.
BARGE is always this time of year … the first weekend in August, but you have to register online to attend. If you mark your calendar and ping me sometime next June or early July—registration usually cuts off mid-July—I’ll give you all the registration details.
I’ll even guarantee that you’ll have more fun than you’ve ever had in a poker room. That’s a promise.
HR-6663 Seeks to Shield Businesses and Officials from UIGEA
Date: Sat, Aug 2, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
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Texas Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX)—pictured right—recently introduced HR-6663, the UIGEA Clarification Act. This bill would prohibit prosecuting any company or individual associated with a company that stopped taking US Internet bets after October 13, 2006. If enacted into law, the bill would shield companies and individuals from prosecution on gambling charges or financial crimes related to gambling.
Companies like Party Gaming, and other publicly traded gaming firms and their officials who exited the US market when UIGEA was introduced, would benefit from this bill’s passage.
Session’s bill, however, does not provide a shield for companies that took sports bets before or after UIGEA. HR-6663 will be held up by Congress’ August recess and nothing is expected to happen on it until September. It has been submitted to the House Committee on the Judiciary, where it awaits action after Congress reconvenes.
Offensive Body Odor Gets Player 86ed From Borgata
Date: Fri, Aug 1, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
Long-time poker player Michael Wax was eighty-sixed from the Borgata Casino’s poker room for his body odor, which caused a number of complaints from others at the table.
The 440 pound Wax had been playing 17 hours straight when he was approached by a casino manager in the restroom, who told him that his body odor was offensive to others at the table and several complaints had been received.
Wax brushed off the message, attempted to return to his seat, only to be told to stop playing and leave the premises. When Wax asked whether the casino would allow him to freshen up in a vacant hotel room, they refused and instead asked Wax to leave immediately.
Wax, a frequent player at the Borgata’s poker room, complained to the Casino Control Commission for embarrassing him in front of the other poker players. His complaint is now under review.
Though he admits to the body odor problem, Michael seeks an apology from the casino for what he claims is public embarrassment, although the casino brought the issue to his attention in the privacy of the restroom.
It’s hard to tell who’s right and who’s wrong if you weren’t there to witness these events, and I was not. But we’ve all played at tables where there’s one player in dire need of a bath and deodorant, and it’s not enjoyable. So my take on this—and I’m operating on hearsay because I wasn’t there—is that the casino did its customers a favor by tossing the offending poker player, although if he is a good customer and regular player and vacant rooms were available, there’s no reason why they couldn’t have allowed him to shower and freshen up before returning to the table.
That’s one of the hidden advantages of online poker. If someone has been playing 17 hours straight and is in real need of a bath, that someone is you. There are never anyone else’s grooming issues to cause you grief when you’re the only one in the room.
And while we’re talking about online poker, just take this reminder to heart. Lately the poker games have been nothing short of terrific at Bodog. And if you log on to play a while and haven’t showered, no one’s ever gonna know!
Will Ireland be the Next Country to Capitalize on Online Gaming?
Date: Thu, Jul 31, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
A government committee in Ireland recommended that the Emerald Isle should reform its outdated gambling laws and benefit from the ban on Internet gambling in the United States.
The committee, established by the Irish government in 2006 to review how that nation might better regulate gaming and casinos, said: "The recent United States prohibition of payment mechanisms for gambling online, presents a window of opportunity for Ireland."
The Irish committee said blocking Internet gaming along the lines of the U.S. ban presented numerous difficulties. Instead, they proposed discussion with Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan regarding "possible competitive taxation rates."
Ireland's low corporate tax rate is a key factor in its ability to attract foreign investors. "Should this opportunity be grasped within the appropriate timescale, Ireland, as a gaming friendly centre of excellence, can reasonably expect to attract a reasonable portion of this dynamic industry," the report said.
In other words, while the United States has the weight of UIGEA dragging it down and is leaving billions in revenue uncollected by its failure to license and tax online gaming operators, the Irish government is positioning itself to make hay while we’re asleep at the switch.
High Stakes Poker Back on GSN
Date: Thu, Jul 31, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
I don’t know about you, but I was overjoyed to learn that the Game show network has renewed everyone’s favorite poker show, High Stakes Poker for another season.
It seemed dead. Even announcers Gabe Kaplan (pictured right) and A.J. Benza had no ideas about whether the show would be renewed. But it was. And I can’t wait.
It seemed dead. Even announcers Gabe Kaplan (pictured right) and A.J. Benza had no ideas about whether the show would be renewed. But it was. And I can’t wait.
High Stakes Poker has been part of GSN since its conception, and the show’s devotees have helped build viewership through video-sharing sites like You Tube.
Unlike so many of the poker tournament shows with a rotating cast of final table players—many of who are absolute strangers to a viewing audience that has no attachment to a group of stranger sitting around a poker table—there’s familiarity and continuity with the rotating core of semi-regulars on High Stakes Poker. And because of that, we viewers have a rooting interest. Daniel Negreanu has his fans. So does Sammy Farha. And Jennifer Harman does too. Everyone, it seems, wants to see Phil Hellmuth lost a big pot, go into a tizzy, and rant away a few minutes worth of air time wondering why and how, anyone could possibly beat him.
After months of speculation High Stakes Poker will be back on their air, where it belongs. I couldn’t be happier.
Living Large in Online Omaha/8's Land of Opportunity
Date: Mon, Jul 14, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
Wednesday, June 18, I wrote a post entitled, "Is Omaha/8 Poker's Land of Opportunity?" In it, I wrote, “Online poker players have changed Texas hold’em—particularly no-limit and tournament hold’em—dramatically in recent years, and if you don’t keep up with the game, you won’t recognize it. Newish concepts, such as “floating” and the use of Independent Chip Modeling are attributes of Texas hold’em that weren’t commonplace as recently as three or four years ago.
But Omaha/8 seems to have been stuck in a time warp. The game is not innovating as rapidly as hold’em has, and the players don’t seem to be improving either. I’ve been playing $10-$20 and $15-$30 online and I see errors I wouldn’t expect raw beginners to make, never mind supposedly skilled mid-limit players.
They raise way too often before the flop, call raises with hands that look to be one-way only, play draws in the face of bets and raises that are not draws to the nuts, and that sort of thing. It seems to me that Omaha/8 is the Land of Opportunity in online poker right now.”
Yesterday I confirmed my suspicions. I played two tables of Omaha/8 simultaneously and they might as well have been the same game. While the majority of the players were different at the two tables, the level of play, and the kind of mistakes the players made were so similar you would have thought that they were all following a recipe in a cookbook.
Then I had to get up and run a few errands. When I got back, no Omaha seats were available so I played hold’em. What a difference. The skill levels were so much better that there really was no comparison. Far fewer players saw the flop, and the majority of players brought it in for a raise instead of coming in with a call, and there was very little—if any—dead money at my table. A quick check of other tables told a similar story. Few players saw each flop, and those who did, played aggressively.
I quickly put myself on the waiting list for all the Omaha/8 games, treaded water playing hold’em, and felt like a kid in the candy store when a seat finally became available in Omaha/8.
The message is clear to me: Online Omaha/8 is right now much more beatable than limit hold’em. So do yourself a favor. Take it easy, and take it.
Yesterday I confirmed my suspicions. I played two tables of Omaha/8 simultaneously and they might as well have been the same game. While the majority of the players were different at the two tables, the level of play, and the kind of mistakes the players made were so similar you would have thought that they were all following a recipe in a cookbook.
Then I had to get up and run a few errands. When I got back, no Omaha seats were available so I played hold’em. What a difference. The skill levels were so much better that there really was no comparison. Far fewer players saw the flop, and the majority of players brought it in for a raise instead of coming in with a call, and there was very little—if any—dead money at my table. A quick check of other tables told a similar story. Few players saw each flop, and those who did, played aggressively.
I quickly put myself on the waiting list for all the Omaha/8 games, treaded water playing hold’em, and felt like a kid in the candy store when a seat finally became available in Omaha/8.
The message is clear to me: Online Omaha/8 is right now much more beatable than limit hold’em. So do yourself a favor. Take it easy, and take it.
BARGE ... the most fun you can have in a poker room
Date: Sat, Jul 12, 2008 Professional Internet Live Tournament
BARGE organizer Mick Patterson will be my guest this Thursday night, July 17, on Keep Flopping Aces, my Internet poker radio show that's webcast at 6 p.m. Pacific Time (9 p.m. ET) every Thursday night on www.roundersradio.com.
The show can be heard live, in real time, and listeners are welcome call in to chat with us. The show also rebroadcasts Friday afternoon, and can be downloaded as a podcast a few days after its origination date.
Mick and I will spend the entire hour talking about BARGE, telling BARGE stories, spreading the BARGE gospel, and hoping to induce listeners to sign up while there’s still time.
Listen in if you can, and if you do, be sure to call in with your favorite BARGE story or memory.
I’m hoping for a wonderful and wacky hour, in keeping with the best BARGE tradition, and hoping you can listen in if you can.
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