There’s a lot for doom and gloom going on in the world of poker, and we find that sad. The reality here is that there’s always time to get into poker, and there’s so many poker players around the world playing the game that it’s unlikely it’ll just disappear.
Yet a lot of people are now worried that online poker is going away. The truth is that online poker is a hot button issue — in fact, 1 out of every 4 Americans is supportive of online poker. It’s only a matter of time before online poker is legalized in the country. The truth is that online poker brings in a lot of money, and US players will want to gamble and collect actual winnings. That could be extra tax revenue in the eyes of the government. It’s no secret that the economy is already having problems, so it’s really a good idea to get things moving off the ground. Why wouldn’t you want to play online poker in your own country?
The Black Friday shakeup and the closing of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Cereus (Absolute Poker/Ultimate bet) to US players has changed the landscape. A lot of people used to think that it was okay to play poker online because of these companies operating. However, the government decided otherwise.
The law in question is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which makes it a federal offense for any gambling business to knowingly accept payments in connection with the participation of another person in unlawful Internet gambling. Yet the law doesn’t define or alter the definition of what unlawful gambling really is — at this time, it’s only sports betting that’s covered.
The Black Friday shakeup changed the game and proved that the government can indeed reach out and clobber online poker sites, and sweep up players in the process.
We have full faith that eventually, poker will be legal in the United States. For the time being, the government is losing valuable revenue as players flock to other countries to play poker instead. That’s a real shame, but it is what it is.
We think that there’s always a chance for the poker world to turn around. If you have any dreams of being a professional poker player, then it’s definitely time to make sure that you practice, practice, and practice again. Good luck!