In no way whatsoever was it a criticism of what 888 were doing, more an observation. I think it’s great that a gaming company is going out of its way to help in disaster relief.
Agreed on the political aspect and fully understand the reasons why 888 have seen fit to look to a stable region such as Australia to donate to. I’m a huge advocate of corporate social responsibility and believe that gaming companies owe it to themselves as much as anything to further develop strategies that become strong enough to transcend political controversy.
Case in point – it would have been interesting to see the consequences should the US (and international) gaming industry have come together and raised relief for those in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, as well as the significant damage to offline gaming infrastructure in the region. Not saying it would have prevented UIGEA, but it would have provided an excellent building block for constructing a more positive popular opinion of internet gambling, particularly in the Deep South.