Internet Gaming bill

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1. • Posted by Tony Gags 2010-12-08 20:40:53
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   • Harry Reid is trying to push through legislation attached to the tax bill that would legalize internet poker but would block sites like ps and ft for minimum of 15 months. He is obv doing this as a payback for Casinos like Harrahs getting him elected. With the 15 month blackout it gives land based casinos time to ramp up operations, and gives time for states to pretty much kill online poker as a global market by also giving states a chance to opt opt out of this legislation. Here are some links to what is going on.

     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/08/harry-reid-will-try-to-ad_n_793735.html

     http://www.parttimepoker.com/reid-online-poker-bill-summary-dec-8

     You can also follow me on

     http://twitter.com/Boyitalia or facebook (Anthony Gaglione) as I am updating and commenting as much as possible since this affects me and every other poker player that plays seriously online, or even anyone who feels that you should be allowed freedoms from your own home.

2. • Posted by Jason E. 2010-12-08 21:22:07
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   • What's next? Free porn sites? Bummer!

3. • Posted by AceOfJames 2010-12-13 20:08:05
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   • Harry Reid's sneaky back door attachment of this will ruin it for us all. It will not pass! Thanks Harry!

4. • Posted by Action Al 2010-12-21 21:16:03
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   • I think that it's interesting that there appears to be so far unanimous opposition to this proposed legislation on this site while poker industry people (no, not necessarily people with harrah's stock) are crossing their fingers that this legislation will pass. It's because they understand what would happen if it doesn't pass, being the gradual banning of internet poker. Also, today there is a lot of confusion as to the legality of internet poker and this bill would at least define clearly its legal status. Yes, it sucks that sites will leave the US market for a very long time but perhaps it will be best for poker in the long run. Listen to the 2 latest episodes of The Poker Beat podcast if you want informed opinions from people in the know.

5. • Posted by Tony Gags 2010-12-21 23:38:24
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   • Action Al said:

     I think that it's interesting that there appears to be so far unanimous opposition to this proposed legislation on this site while poker industry people (no, not necessarily people with harrah's stock) are crossing their fingers that this legislation will pass. It's because they understand what would happen if it doesn't pass, being the gradual banning of internet poker. Also, today there is a lot of confusion as to the legality of internet poker and this bill would at least define clearly its legal status. Yes, it sucks that sites will leave the US market for a very long time but perhaps it will be best for poker in the long run. Listen to the 2 latest episodes of The Poker Beat podcast if you want informed opinions from people in the know.

     You basing your comment off of 2 people responding to this thread as a majority? I have listened to every podcast, read every article, posted on major forums, and talked to many online pros about this legislation. I have heard all the pros and cons. To say a majority of people in the poker industry wanted for this to pass is just false. It would also be false to say a majority of people in the poker industry wanted this to fail. Opinions have been split right down the middle. Nobody knows what is going to happen to online poker with or without regulation. Even if this legislation passed there is still plenty of worries about the state opt out clause, payment processing, and numerous clauses intended to limit this market to just Americans, and numerous other problems with a last
     minute bill push for something so important to many(Hmm last minute bill? Yeah Harry Reid really
     wants online poker legalized for the people not himself) I do agree with your point that anybody
     that wants opinions other than mine should definitly do their research. I wouldn't ever call a 2 responses about a post a majority(one was a joke about porn for gods sake) and would not suggest that because of one man's opinion against the bill, that his opinion is uninformed. (which you were suggesting) As you can see by the links provided in OP, I gave people a chance to see what I was talking about, and for them to make their own judgement based on their own ability to research.

     P.S. When I made this post it was at the very beginning of the bill. There were certain changes in the draft that changed a lot of peoples mind in the poker industry that this bill might be good for online poker. Some of them had me starting to rethink it. In the end I just want a bill from somebody that actually cares a bit about peoples personal freedoms, and has the players a little more in mind. Most of the worry from the poker industry has more to to with the fact that with this new Rep congress there is no way a poker bill will pass now, and they are probably correct so they were willing to take what they could get.

6. • Posted by Action Al 2010-12-22 02:47:12
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   • Absolutely, I didn't mean to imply that the couple of opinions posted are representative of everyone or that the opinions of people here are uninformed. Sorry if it came off that way, I was just typing very succinctly because I was on my droid in the car. I don't believe that to be the case at all. I was merely suggesting a podcast I just listened to and have been listening to for a while to get my poker news.

     It was too broad to say that all poker industry people support this bill. I'm sure that American online grinders are furious at it. I would be too if I found out that my source of income will be taken away from me for an unreasonably long time. However, it is true that like every other industry, online poker should be regulated instead of being the wild west that it is today. Yea, Reid isn't doing this for some altruistic reason but becuase he has a little quid pro quo with the casinos. Politics is a dirty business and most politicians are crooks but that's just the environment we have to work with to get any legislation favorable to poker passed.

     I will keep following this legislation as it develops and keeping my fingers crossed that whatever does pass isn't a complete disaster. Very curious what other poker soupers think about this.

7. • Posted by Tony Gags 2010-12-22 03:24:13
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   • Action Al said:

     However, it is true that like every other industry, online poker should be regulated instead of being the wild west that it is today. Yea, Reid isn't doing this for some altruistic reason but becuase he has a little quid pro quo with the casinos. Politics is a dirty business and most politicians are crooks but that's just the environment we have to work with to get any legislation favorable to poker passed.

     I completely agree with you on this, and when some of the new drafts on the bill came out I realized that the PPA and the politicians they had supporting this bill were doing their best to get some sort of legislation passed cause they felt online poker is in danger with who is coming into congress. Even Pokerstars reps were in on these negotiations from what I heard. Regulation will most likely be the only way online poker will be able to survive and or grow in the U.S. I just hope when they do take their time to try and get a bill passed that makes sense for player and the U.S. Hopefully the poker lobby will have grown enough to convince anti gaming congressmen that allowing for competition to be open, for companies outside the U.S. to set up shop here, and keeping the player pools open globaly will only add to the bottom line for the country. I see the comments players from France and Italy have(they are forced to play in player pools only in their country, and there is nothing but negativity on how bad games have gotten.

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