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What do you think they will do Filipe? Take to the streets?
Almost all will look at their screens and say “Gee that sucks!” then some will say “Well, if its against the law I better take up a different hobby”
some will say “Shit I was wasting too much money on this anyway”
some will say “I am going to play down at the casino or reservation on the weekend, no big deal”
and some will decide “The hell with the law” and locate another poker room or casino which will take thier action.
I would guess we will lose about 60% – 70% of the casual gamblers who just enjoyed a game of poker or blackjack online but aren’t willing to “break the law” (Yes we know its technically not against the law for players to play, but that’s not what they are hearing on the TV, Radio and reading in their papers).
Hardcore and problem gamblers will find another way to get thier fix.
I hate to tell you this, but I havent heard ONE person expressing outrage offline about the new law who wasnt involved in our industry. The general public could seemingly care less about any of this and are more interested in who is getting eliminated on “Dancing with the Stars”
Agreed Prof. (unfortunately)
While it’s a big deal for people in the industry – it’s just not going to be the main focus of most people.
As the prof says – the vast majority of players will think “that sucks” – but on the whole life in the USA is good – and there are many other past times to enjoy.
Nor is it it going to be a major (or minor) vote decider for anyone outside the immediate industry … especially because it’s hugely unlikely that the Democrats will make any public statements on repealing the law.
With the “war on terror”, economic issues and many other local and state issues to consider … I don’t think that online gambling is registering at all in the voter mindset.
Write Your Congressman?
With all the mess created because of the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act, and the confusion as to whether online gambling really is illegal or not, many gamers are unsure what to do. Can we legally gamble online? Will we be arrested? Should we do it anyway and hope we don’t get caught? Well, I’ll tell you one thing, running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off and doing nothing isn’t going to get us anywhere.
Even though we have discovered through U.S. laws that they have failed to make internet gambling viably illegal, some gamers might feel trepidation towards continuing to gamble online. For those people, I offer you this article.
Let’s consider a few things. First off, online gamers are receiving e-mails on a daily basis informing them that such-and-such casino will no longer accept bets from U.S. residents. These internet gaming sites have decided to accept the Attorney General’s claim that “Internet Gambling is Illegal” in the United States, and thereby pulled out of the US market. What does this mean for the online gaming industry? It means internet gambling will become an underground operation.
You may be thinking, “Hey, I can do that! Underground operations would be virtually impossible to trace with all the sophisticated technology and encryption methods available.” While this is undeniably true, let’s flip that coin for a moment. Underground casinos would not be regulated by anyone! An underground casino may claim to use Random Number Generators and ensure you fairness of games, but who’s going to test the software to make sure that’s true? We’ve only touched the surface of this issue, but I think you get the idea. Underground casinos are not a viable option.
Here’s another interesting point. Most Americans would prefer to play at a casino licensed by the U.S. as opposed to a foreign gaming site. If the U.S. were to legalize internet gambling, provided the casino holds a U.S. operating license, they would collect licensing fees and bring in tax revenue. They could also create a federal agency to oversee the gaming industry, ensuring fairness of games and creating a forum for player complaints.
This action would effectively force all foreign casinos to apply for a U.S. operating license, or face the loss of American customers. As much as these online casinos are denying a gross reduction in profits due to the recently signed bill, American customers do make up a significant percentage of their market.
There’s only one way we can make this happen. I know you’ve heard this line before, “Write your local congressman and state representative,” but if enough people do it, it really can work. What the U.S. government is worried about is losing tax dollars. This would not only eliminate losses, but gain extra tax revenue.
If you would like to see internet gambling fully legalized in the United States, (here it comes again), write your local congressman and state representative! Point out all the facts I have listed for you here and tell them how you feel about all this. Remember, you’re not alone. By writing the appropriate politicians, you can let them know you are not small in numbers. You are a significant group of people, from all classes, all races and all states. You are America and you shall be heard!
Professor wrote:I hate to tell you this, but I havent heard ONE person expressing outrage offline about the new law who wasnt involved in our industry. The general public could seemingly care less about any of this and are more interested in who is getting eliminated on “Dancing with the Stars”That is quite amazing. But it doesn’t surprise me. People are generally quite apathetic. I just hope the “Find another casino or poker room” segment grows over time.
I am still amazed at how all the operators are just rolling over – our thoughts on this here (Where’s our Larry Flynt?)
Doesn’t surprise me either.
When I think about all the people I know, family, friends, etc.. I only know 1 that actually played online.
:la-de-da: :happydanc We want to play poker Uncle Bill! NO! :nono: You’ll Rot in Hell!
American’s do tend to forget easily, and the most likely seems to be the “Oh well, I can’t play at Party Poker anymore, I’ll just go over to Full Tilt, it’s a better room anyway, yeah the bonuses aren’t as good, but the gameplay is better.”
It will be one more straw on the camel’s back. I doubt many people will vote based on this one issue, but the Republican’s seem to have a daily dose of bad news for their party, so one more straw on the back of someone who could actually be undecided at this point.
Professor wrote:What do you think they will do Filipe? Take to the streets?They were willing to put up with over 50% of national income eaten up in taxes, but politely asking them to not play poker will make them CRAZY.
Quote:Write Your Congressman?That’s for older people who are still under some illusion that a congressman cares what they think. The US is governed from the top down. If they cared what people thought, it would be easy to take a poll. Or if they cared what voters thought, they could take a poll of likely voters. The last thing they would do is read letters. They might say they will… but that’s because they’d much rather have regular doofuses writing them letters instead of trying to show up in person. People will be turned away in person. With a letter, they just send one back and pretend that they read your letter.
I’ve seen several people talk about letters they received back from elected officials over the years. (on other forums as well.) The usual complaint is they they are vague and didn’t answer specific questions. Know why? Their page only read enough of your letter to determine the topic, and then sent out their form letter on the topic.
The truth is that there are plenty of much bigger problems than fixing the gambling thing. There were bigger problems before that, but that’s what your representatives chose to work on. Americans will be fat, dumb, and happy until reckless fiscal policies finally cause a collapse. Sleep now in the fire.
