| | |
Poker: The Real Problem
All across North America, from the in almost every state and province, poker
is hot. Red hot. The massive popularity of the game is translating into big
bucks for some online sites and television channels, casinos are once again
building poker rooms, and professional players are gaining rock star status.
Every Man’s game seems to be taking on a new social relevance, everywhere except
in the eyes of the law. Oregon is the only safe haven for poker in North
America’s two developed countries. Everywhere else, poker players find
themselves in trouble with authorities, anti-gambling movements, and student
leaders. From video poker to backroom games to organized tournaments,
participants in the great game never know when police might show up to claim the
pot for themselves.
Even charity tournaments are not safe. Recent events in Ohio and Manitoba show
that perhaps the charity tournaments are the most vulnerable, in fact, with
thousands of dollars being confiscated from players who do not seem to realize
that they have been doing anything wrong.
What is it that makes poker such a target to authorities? Many leading officials
and politicians will claim that gambling in all forms needs to be regulated in
order to curb its addictive tendencies. This is the basis behind many of the
closures and the often stated foundation for the fight to get rid of video poker
machines. If this is the case, however, why isn’t a similar case made against
slot machines? Slot machines are much more addicting than either video poker or
live poker. They tend to be utilized by gamblers that can least afford to lose
their money, especially senior citizens. They also do not have the visual
measurement that chip stacks in poker represent. A player at a slot machine can
continue to feed quarters in all night long and never even realize how much they
have spent.
The real reason why authorities and governments seem to have it in for poker is
the same reason that casinos ignored the game for so long: unlike slot machines,
it simply is not a great revenue generator. This is true even for casinos and
online gambling sites, where only a small profit is made from a rake in every
game played. The government takes in even less off of poker games and
tournaments- literally none. And if it doesn’t grease the wheels of government,
and carries any kind of social stigma, you can go all-in that a heavy campaign
will be waged on it.
The reasons authorities state in their fight against poker will always be the
same. Some officials and politicians might believe what they are saying to be
true. But the fact is, until poker finds a way to put some green in the hands of
the institutions that govern over us will continue to shut down games. Even more
sinister events are on the horizon, as officials are no doubt searching for ways
to rid the nations of online poker games even now. Italy has already taken steps
to get rid of the hottest market on the internet. It won’t be long until North
America follows suit.
|
|