US Poker Legislation Attacked in LA Times
The current legislation governing online poker in the United States, namely the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, came under attack by Pulitzer Prize winner journalist, Michael Hiltzik, writing for the Los Angeles Times. In his article, Hiltzik quoted several poker experts and professionals, who explained why there was a clear need to change what the author calls “absurd” laws in the country.
Joseph M. Kelly, an esteemed gambling law expert with Buffalo State University in New York was quoted as saying: “Martians might have a difficult time understanding that if you play poker online for money in the state of Washington, you’re committing a class C felony. That’s the same as rape.”
Hiltzik explained in his piece how the UIGEA was passed through Congress, surprising the online poker industry. “Conservatives in Congress slipped an Internet gambling ban onto the books in 2006 by quietly attaching it to an antiterrorism bill no sane lawmaker could oppose,” he wrote.
Some of the professionals that Hiltzik spoke to when writing his article included Howard Lederer who commented in his capacity as Poker Players Alliance member. Lederer called the law and regulations a fraud and that “people who had a moral agenda wrote laws and regulations that were vague. And banks, which have the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads and no clarity, are probably going to block poker transactions.”
John Pappas, executive director for the PPA explained that without a regulated environment, poker players continue to be at risk. He said that should a player feel cheated, he will stop playing at the site, although without US oversight, he cannot claim in a US court.
In his original way of encouraging the US government to make changes to online poker rules and tax operators in the process, Hiltzik concluded his article by saying: “If you can’t eradicate, regulate — and take a big chunk out of the wages of sin while you’re at it.”
