Poll : 06 April - 19 April 2011

Analysis

As recent events have demonstrated, it's much too soon to draw any long-term conclusions about what last week's FBI raids on leading online poker sites will mean for the future of legal online gambling in the U.S. (see Today's News -- starting from April 15 and working your way up, if you haven't been following this story).

Your opinions remain relevent regardless of recent events, and also represent an interesting comparison to the results of the exact same poll that we ran almost three years ago on July 30, 2008, which you can find in the Poll Archives. Anthony Curtis will no doubt have some observations of his own to make in the upcoming May issue of the LVA newsletter

For now, we'll stick to sharing some of the personal observations you sent in response to this most recent survey:

• "With all the issues concerning our still failing economy, and our politicians' amazing ability to spend even more money than they take in, it is such a comfort to know that they have put so much effort toward control over my personal entertainment. They have decided that it is immoral and just plain wrong for me to play poker once in awhile for $5 at a time in my bedroom. However, they've decided to allow me to go to a state-run casino (in Kansas), or 'play' the lottery to my heart -- or bank account's-- content."
  
  
• "Several years ago, I bought in for $200 to a poker site. When they made it illegal, (2.5 years later), I cashed out for about $160. Doyle Brunson I am not, but I did enjoy myself."
  
  
• "I wanted to write to you with regard to your online-gambling poll, as a subscriber that is ... most affected by last week's events. Until Friday April 15, I was able to make enough money playing poker online to provide for my terminally-ill wife and my two small children, whom I need to be home with to help care for. Since I am no longer able to do that, I have the choice between not being able to feed, cloth, medicate, and house my family, or leaving the house and making my wife struggle to care for the children. If my wife is required to do this duty, it will surely kill her much sooner. So, according to 'my' government, it is perfectly okay for me to buy lottery tickets, which have about a 50% EV, play bingo at a church so God can have my money, or abandon my family and drive 70 miles to a casino offering me blackjack for $1 that charges me 25 cents a hand to play, independent of the outcome. Thank goodness I have 'my' government protecting 'my' liberty and looking out for 'my' best interests. If and when this ends up killing my wife much faster, I'll be writing back to see if you know any good lawyers that will help me sue my country."
  
  
• "'The powers not granted to the United States by the constitution, or prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the states, respectively, or to the People."....This is the (entire) 10th amendment to the U.S. Constitution-read it over and over, couldn't find anything in it about regulating gambling-Internet or otherwise. Leave it up to the individual states!"
  
  
• "It's far too easy to manipulate online gaming, especially poker. I personally know of one guy that does this for a living. He has a few employees in a room and they have multiple poker games going where they sit at the same tables and fleece a mark. The mark doesn't know most of the players sitting there are together in one room playing against him. It's like the online version of the movie, The Sting. Even worse, this guy I know is sponsored by an online poker site and he wears their garb everywhere he goes! I doubt they even know what he does for a living or even worse, maybe they do."
  
  
• "It should be regulated and legalized, but I am glad it is not. This way what I win I don't have to declare as income (I know I should - but I should also drive the speed limit and, like everyone else, I don't do that, either). With the economy being what it is today, legalizing and regulating online gambling would be great for states and the country. All this "hidden" revenue would be taxed and instead of spending billions to have law enforcement make sure nothing illegal is happening, they could save all that money and spend it elsewhere. If you legalize and regulate it, the benefits far outweigh keeping it illegal."
  
  
• "I answered 'yes, but I don't play,' because I don't play at online casinos. However, I do have an online horseracing account through Churchhill Downs, where I bet horses sometimes. The more places that people can go to gamble, the better for everyone who likes to gamble, because it means there is more competition for your gambling dollars and therefore better available deals, comps, and giveaways from places like the local riverboats and the destinations like Las Vegas. Staying home and betting is not as much fun as the track, the riverboat casino, or Vegas, but they will ALL beg me to come to THEIR place if I have the option of staying home and betting."
  
  
• "I'm for it, same as I was three years ago. I will never understand why government feels the need to legislate tastes in this country. If a 'mature' adult wants to go online to gamble, how is that any different than driving up the street to the local casino?"
  
  
• "Hopefully they will never make online gaming legal. I don't believe that there is any way to control it. Some hacker will find a way to cheat, as has already happened. Someone underage will find a way to get on. Someone will create a bot that plays just good enough to win. Online gaming is to the gambler like the legalized marijuana argument is to the doper....just ain't gonna happen."