New On-Line Gaming Law Confounds, Confuses, Criminalizes
I’ll See Your $6 and Raise You Five Years
A new law, passed by Washington State Governor Christina Gregoire, has made it a crime to play poker on-line. On June 7th, 2006 an amendment to an already existing state law widened the scope of an existing law; effectively making it a Class C felony punishable for up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine to “gamble” on-line.
Any true poker player will tell you, playing poker is not gambling. The whole idea to learning the game of poker and all it’s varied elements is to take the “gamble” out of the game, to the point where skill is the deciding factor.
Apparently the lunatics running the political asylum here in Washington State make the assumption that “the people” are too stupid to be able to “protect ourselves from the evil website casino operators.” According to Gambling Commission Director Rick Day, who sponsored the legislation said the law is necessary, partly to protect the gamblers themselves. Uh-huh. Nice sentiment there, Ricky, but I have to call you on that one.
Of course, as in any industry, there are shady and/or crooked operators. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out which are honest and which aren’t. It’s all about informing yourself before you lays-ya-money-down. I think the concept is called Caveat Emptor or Let the Buyer Beware. Anybody who does any type of financial transactions, especially on-line, who doesn’t follow that principle needs far more than the ‘governments’ protection.
As an avid poker player, I used the on-line casino poker rooms to be able to play for free and/or to play for nickel-dime stakes while learning the game of Texas Hold ‘Em. Once I thought I was good enough, I went to “real” casino’s to make a fortune. I quickly found out I wasn’t nearly as good as I thought I was. Everybody has their tales of the times when they couldn’t miss a hand AND the times when they couldn’t catch a hand with a baseball mitt.
This new expansion of the Internet Gaming Laws is so far away from the Land of the Lucid, that I became worried our governor might be actually suffering from some type of psychotic fugue states. We have enough to worry about with an insane president, much less another completely insane politician.
It worried me enough, that I actually emailed Christine pointing out my concern for her mental health, and offering a few suggestions should she be willing to seek treatment.
Funny enough, I still haven’t heard from her. Go figure.
Though Dicky Day & Company at the Gambling Commission have voiced their opinions that the small time poker player has nothing to fear, they also qualify that sentiment by saying “we” (on-line gaming people) need to remain aware of the fact that this law does make it a felony. Hmm…methinks the Lady doth protesteth far too loudly.
Since many states now figure “fines and forfeitures” into their projected state budgets, I have seen time and time again where the “little people,” became the focus of arresting agencies simply in order to bolster their ailing budgets. Arresting and prosecuting wealthy persons is far too expensive for the state to do, and they usually lose money attempting to do so. The lower socioeconomic classes are much easier to get money out of and since the bottom line has always been about the “Benjamin’s,” its us regular folks who have the most to fear.
In my personal poker life, learning the game of Hold ‘Em and playing it, became a medical necessity. I know, that sounds pretty weird, but it’s true. Following a year-long chemotherapy treatment that had horrible adverse and side-effects, then being hit from behind in a vehicle exiting the freeway which accident caused further brain problems, I lost most of my memory for awhile.
I had to go on SSI, and to make a long story short; I was unable to afford therapy with a neuro-psychiatric specialist. Brain specialists are VERY spendy, and though none would accept medical coupons, I finally did get a specialist to at least talk to me about options. I was surprised to say the least when the specialist recommended I play low-stakes or no stakes poker! Noticing my disbelief he then explained, and by golly, it made perfect sense.
Really playing poker requires a person to use virtually all the sections in the brain. Memory, mathematics, creativity, intuition and logic are integral to poker. To play effectively, you must be able to remember how many and what cards have been played or remain in the deck, you must be able to calculate draw odds, pot odds, implied pot odds, and variables which affect those odds such as complexion, player numbers and position.
To bluff, especially in low limit games, you must use the creative part of the brain to set up a bluff. You must use the logic portions of the brain to figure out position bets, pre-emptive betting, and to know whether or not you have the highest hand possible also called “the nuts.” You also have to rely on intuition sometimes, coupled with all the other elements to decide whether a raise or re-raise might be a bluff by an opponent.
The really cool thing about the brain is that if certain areas are damaged, by forcing the brain to utilize parts of those damaged areas, the brain will create new synaptic connections bypassing and/or going around the damaged areas. These “new” connections often re-establish connections with parts of the damaged areas and/or allow the memory of what those areas did to resurface.
I can attest to the truth in that theory, because after playing intensively for a couple of years, many of the functions I was afraid were lost and gone forever, have returned. I still have a long way to go, but everyone around me has noticed the improvement.
Now, my “brain therapy” is a felony. Where I could play on-line for free or for little nickel-dime stakes, there is no card house or casino in the state that allows for such small stakes. In Washington State, the minimum is usually 3-6 or 4-8 games. With my income still so far below the poverty level that you would break both legs jumping down from the poverty level to come visit me, even a 3-6 game is spendy.
It could be just me, but I feel this new law is so far out of the ballpark of sanity that you couldn’t even hear the crowd roaring over a bad call in the series! I suppose somehow, to someone somewhere, this may all make sense. It certainly doesn’t to me. Then again, what do I know? I still think wired aces are a good pre-flop all-in hand!
All politics, corruption and insanity aside, if you are a poker player or sports bettor etc, and you reside in Washington State, beware and be warned, you just might get raised out of circulation. If you live in another state, be ready. If it works here, they’ll try it where you live. Bet on it.
©2006 Vincent M Setala / It Could Just Be Me. All Rights Reserved
