The Poker Battle Against the U.S. Law
26th October, 2007
Annie Duke said "What I do is not gambling," This is what she said while trying to convince lawmakers that her career is more than a game of cards involving luck and should not be restricted by U.S. internet laws.
"It's a national pastime," said Rep. Robert Wexler, who opposes the current restrictions. "And the idea that we would prohibit adults from playing poker on the venue of the 21st century is illogical."
Wexler has introduced a bill that would reverse restrictions on online poker bets by grouping poker with other skill games, such as backgammon and bridge. It would also allow state and federal governments to tax gaming transactions and implement safeguards to prevent play by minors and by individuals in states that ban Internet gambling.
Last year, members of the Poker Players Alliance was stopped by legislation which banned banks and credit card companies from processing payments to online gambling establishments based outside the United States.
Robert W. Goodlatte a primary sponsor of the Unlawful Internet "It's like having a casino not in every neighborhood, but in every living room," Goodlatte said.
Duke argues her case well, who in 2004 made $2 million in a WSOP tournament. She called poker an "incredible intellectual exercise" that, with each hand played, demanded considerable knowledge of mathematics, psychology and money management.
Duke said “it was hypocritical to permit online bets on lotteries and horse racing and not provide the same allowances for a more skill-based game such as poker.”
She also said, “Poker is like options trading, where brokers make rapid decisions under conditions of extreme uncertainty. The critical thinking going into each poker hand was similar to the decisions people made every day, from shopping habits to personal relationships.”
Goodlatte, however, argues that it would be a mistake to categorize poker with other skill games.
"There's just no comparison," he said. "Card games . . . are games of chance with some skill involved in bluffing. But each hand you are dealt is total luck."
The law distinguishes games between a level of intellectual engagement from those that rely largely on luck. Poker is classed as a game of chance rather than a game of skill, which limits the game in the U.S. Wexler's bills, are awaiting consideration in committee and a lot of Poker enthusiasts are hoping the law will change.
