Online poker players face legal issues

[cisco]

:shrug:

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20060805/D8JAGIL00.html

 

[Dell Dude]

In a June 11, 2003, letter, deputy assistant attorney general John Malcolm warned the National Association of Broadcasters that the department considered Internet gambling illegal. "Any person or entity who aids or abets" online betting "is punishable as a principal violator," he wrote.

But tournament commissioner Jeffrey Pollack insisted that an online tournament isn't what puts a player into the World Series - it's the $10,000 cash he individually pays for a seat at the table.

"I don't talk to the dot-coms, I don't," he said. "Online gaming is illegal. Everything we do, whether it's selling hospitality at the Rio (the hotel-casino hosting the World Series) or selling product placement with PartyPoker.net on our felt, is done with a sharp eye on the regulatory environment."

The televised tournament's first day was even delayed by several minutes as organizers announced that anyone sporting a "dot-com" poker logo would not be allowed to play. About half that day's field of more than 2,000 players flipped shirts inside-out, and workers circulated with rolls of black tape, covering any "dot-com" symbols they could find.

The Wire Act explicitly forbids businesses from using a wire communication facility to assist in placing bets on "any sporting event or contest." But the wire law doesn't cover other types of casino betting, a federal appeals court in New Orleans has ruled, leaving some doubt whether prosecutors can shut down Internet poker and other casino games.

Of course, with or without a new law from Congress, the Justice Department interprets all online gambling to be illegal. Other countries allow it, so online companies have set up operations outside the U.S. but with easy access to U.S. players and their computers.

"Online poker is online gambling. And online gambling, we would say, is illegal," Justice Department spokeswoman Jaclyn Lesch said

All hypocrits and pinheads. How dare the WSOP try to pretend their event has nothing to do with online gambling. It has EVERYTHING to do with it. That 12 million top prize would be 2 million if not for sites like Pokerstars. And how dare the Justice Department try to prevent Americans from gambling online. This is not China. You don't tell people how to live.

All of this stuff makes me sick. Either have the ATF, FBI, CIA, CYA bust down the doors at the WSOP and shoot everything that moves and ship everything else to Guantanimo for masturbation torture or stay the fuk out of the online gambling business. One or the other.

 

[cisco]

I believe it's all about the tax revenue

 

[Dell Dude]

I have been a Republican ever since I saw Ronald Reagan's acceptance speech at the 1980 Repubican Convention. But right here and now I state that I hope they get slaughtered in November by the Democrats and not because I switched parties. Then I hope Hillary Clinton becomes President. They have to be held accountable for this and other things (you know like the fake war with Iraq, Patriot Act, illegal wiretapping, etc.) When they are forcing people to censor dot com T-Shirts because of legal fears you know it has gotten out of hand. Paybacks are a bitch fellas and so is Hillary. Enjoy both the next 10 years.

 

[amhlilhaus]

I have been a Republican ever since I saw Ronald Reagan's acceptance speech at the 1980 Repubican Convention. But right here and now I state that I hope they get slaughtered in November by the Democrats and not because I switched parties. Then I hope Hillary Clinton becomes President. They have to be held accountable for this and other things (you know like the fake war with Iraq, Patriot Act, illegal wiretapping, etc.) When they are forcing people to censor dot com T-Shirts because of legal fears you know it has gotten out of hand. Paybacks are a bitch fellas and so is Hillary. Enjoy both the next 10 years.

while I feel your anger, hillary as president is going way too far, I'd rather be banned from gambling instead of paying 60% taxes to subsidize healthcare for everybody.