No. It is apathetic individuals who bitch about rights after they have been taken from them..never, ever to return that ALLOWED this to happen. The writing was on the wall for a long time. A very long time.
I personally talked to Annie Duke, Greg Raymer, Doyle Brunson, Susie Isaacs, Joe Hachem, Barbara Enright and Michael Mizrachi in Vegas at the WSOP. Some were gracious enough to be interviewed for my podcast on the forthcoming bill, but the feeling was intrepidation by many poker pros of impending doom for the online scene.
No one, including myself, foresaw a total tit like Frist pulling off such a bodyline effort. He did. Will he get away with it?
You can listen to the original podcast here, feel free to use, unbranded and no advertising:
http://www.pokerpodcastworld.com/?p=19
Where now? There are calls that the WTO are still investigating the legalities, but my immediate reaction is when has the US listened to foreign advice anyway?
The long term scenario is no player will be dragged screaming from their pc while at a final table of poker at many online poker rooms. Many jumped the gun and abandoned US players…those that did not will reap their rewards 10 fold. Poetic justice really.
Stay strong.