ONLINE GAMBLING AND CASINO GUIDE

The Downside of an Indisputable Downside

Certainly, online gambling has its downside. No one tries to deny that. But what’s all the fuss about?

The heap of groups fighting over the issue is growing like a pot in aggressive big-bet poker. There’s the IGREA (Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, which says “License and regulate online gambling!”) the GRTEA (Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act) and the SGPA (Skill Game Protection Act, which says “Allow people to gamble in online skill games like poker, Mahjong, backgammon, chess, bridge!”)

Then there’s the US FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network,) the SSIGI (Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative,) the iMEGA (Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association) and of course the PPA (Poker Players’ Alliance.)

Why is online gambling looked upon with such disdain negative energy in the US today? Other things have downsides, too. Guns, for instance. All things considered, isn’t the downside of guns a thousand billion times worse than that of online gambling?

Is it all just a question of foreign entrepreneurs cutting themselves a piece of the US pie, as some claim? Who knows.

And when will anyone realize that there are essential differences between poker and gambling apart from the old chance vs. skill discussion. Poker is a fair competition between equal players enjoying a strong social interaction while developing a long range of healthy skills – and with no house involved in the game.

Exclude internet poker from the UIGEA tomorrow! Today may be too late.

/Spinner

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This entry was posted on Thursday, June 14th, 2007 at 4:52 am and is filed under Other, Casino, Poker, Gambling, Gambling law. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.