“I have opposed efforts to legalize Internet gambling in the past because evidence suggests that it fosters problems unlike any other forms of gambling. Online players can gamble 24 hours a day from home; children can play without sufficient age verification; and betting with a credit card can undercut a player’s perception of the value of cash — leading to possible addiction and, in turn, bankruptcy, crime, and even suicide.
Efforts to carve out an exception for games like poker, which many believe is a game of skill, may be considered later this year. Until I have the chance to review them, I cannot make a judgment about their merits; but I will consider them carefully as long as they leave in place the broader proscriptions against online betting.”
While Kyl still found ways to recycle some of his ‘online gambling caused the Black Plague’ schtick in the first paragraph, the idea that he would “consider” any poker legislation for anything other than lighting his fireplace is noteworthy. Then again, he is retiring next year, so maybe he’s just positioning himself for a lucrative spot on the board of Caesars Entertainment.
✖ The latest Black Friday casualty is AB 258, the PokerStars-sponsored online poker bill that has been making its way through Nevada’s legislature. Post-Black Friday amendments have rendered the bill moot until pro-gaming federal legislation is enacted, and have also stripped the bill of any mention of poker – focusing instead on the slightly less radioactive terminology of “interactive gaming.” But poker could still fit into that category, according to the man who introduced AB 258, Assemblyman William Horne. Horne also told CardPlayer that when the Black Friday news broke, he “was surprised, and then I was feeling angry; not at the DoJ, but at PokerStars.” Horne suspects that Stars had an inkling that the DoJ was closing in, but chose to keep Horne and his fellow Nevada statesmen in the dark. Horne claims he hasn’t spoken to anyone at Stars since Black Friday, as he’s “sure they have bigger fish to fry right now.”
✖ Analysts at Wall Street ratings agency Moody’s are on record as saying that hopes of any pro-poker legislation at the federal level are dead for the time being, although action at the state level may yet be possible. Moody’s VP Peggy Holloway admitted that the DoJ “has taken a hard line. However, there appears to be enough ambiguities in the federal law that many legislators and casino operators are convinced that online gambling legislation can be successfully implemented.” Even so, Holloway doesn’t expect any US residents to be actually playing a state-approved cash game for several years.
However, Spencer was keen to stress that he was not demonizing America. “Our quarrel with the United States is not a moral or political issue, but one of economics … the current actions of the United States is hurting our small economy, which is struggling to survive not only in a competitive world as it relates to trade, but during the worst economic recession experienced by mankind in over 50 years.” Spencer concluded his remarks by posing the question: “Has the time come for Antigua and Barbuda to commence its fight outside of the WTO? This we must consider and consider seriously. The ball now is in our court. All options are now on the table.”