WPT SUPER SATELLITES & THE FUTURE OF ON-LINE

Today, the center of the poker world is here in Las Vegas at the Bellagio. The eve of the Fiesta al Lago Tournament final event, $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em, has everyone that is anyone in poker here in Las Vegas. All of today’s events are super satellites for tomorrow’s first day of the main event. The crowds are heavy with poker players and fans alike. Yesterday’s Ultimate Poker Challenge at the Plaza ended when Kenna James beat Karina Jett for the win. Paul Malgriel, X-22, completed the top three with his third place finish. We will have a detailed article and photos later from FailedCoup, our newest staff writer.

I have written about the illegality of on-line poker in past posts and have described in detail all the existing statures and pending legislation that makes online poker room operators and players criminals. I worry about a massive push from the “moral right” (as describe by themselves) similar to the debacle that destroyed online music file sharing. If you are one of those people that believe it can’t happen to online gaming because everyone is doing it and they can’t lock up everyone; then, look closely at the downfall of Napster. Of course, they didn’t sue or lock up everyone sharing music but they certainly accomplished their mission. By publicly selecting and prosecuting a few they instill fear in the remainder of us. So much fear that the masses respond to the threat by avoiding the ‘offending’ activity, in this case, we are now talking about on-line poker. As with the music sharing, all of us that play on-line may be asking ourselves if sitting in a 0.50/1.00 hold’em game is worth our freedom, both financial and personal. Although I can’t name anyone that is in jail for playing on-line (I can’t name anyone that was sued as a result of the music files, either), I’m sure that sometime in the future I will probably know more than one.

Now is the time for actions to not only avoid the Napster fate; but, to strongly express our desire for the personal freedom to choose what is and is not “morally illegal.” I am primarily referring to US residents since most of the rest of the modern world has already determined that on-line gaming is simply another plateau in the evolution of man’s desire to entertain himself through competition. What can we do about this very real threat? As I have discussed before, we need to organize ourselves into a front of solidarity to actively lobby the powers in Washington and also at the individual state level to legalize this industry. Along with legalization will come regulation. Along with regulation will come customer trust. Along with customer trust will come a dynamic increase in the customer base. I see this as a win/win proposition for everyone involved, no matter what side of the table they occupy.

How do we accomplish this gargantuan effort? The problem is on-line so the nucleus of the project should be on-line. I believe the Internet poker room owners and operators must take the lead and underwrite the effort. Everyday, thousands of readers receive the latest on-line gaming news from a rather small group of popular, well read poker blogs. As such, we bloggers have a built in avenue to influence large groups that vote. One thing the political community understands, other than money, is votes. Demographic studies have shown the online poker community to be spread across many age groups and income levels. The one common thread is a love for the game and the ability to cast a vote in an election. Raising the funds to begin the lobbying efforts to legalize America’s favorite past time should begin now. Professional on-line gaming lobby experts will require large war chests to successfully take our fight to the source of the problem. Although the individual players can make a contribution to this effort, and will, the bulk of the money must come from the on-line site owners. On-line sites have the deep pockets to provide the means to win this one.

What does the poker blog community need to realize its full potential in this fight? Simple, money. Money to remain on the Internet and write the message that will make the Internet poker industry as legit as the land based casino. The on-line gaming sites should consider establishing a fund to provide qualifying blogs with a grant to ease the financial burden of maintaining and building these small businesses. The poker blogging community and the the on-line poker casinos should form a bond that will be mutually benefitting to the industry as a whole. And finally, legalization will bring taxation, an additional cost of doing business. Is it worth it? I believe it is a rather simple question: 80% of a huge, legal pile of money or 100% of an illegal pile of nothing? Your call.