No more online poker for cash?

[Wheat/"/"/"]

The feds have done it again

I cashed out at PokerStars, and supposedly my checks on the way. We'll see...

[-jk]

The feds have done it again

I cashed out at PokerStars, and supposedly my checks on the way. We'll see...

Wheat, have you redefined "fishing"? And "reeling 'em in"? I thought your tournaments were in bass boats.

-jk

[A-Tex Devil]

The feds have done it again

I cashed out at PokerStars, and supposedly my checks on the way. We'll see...

Absolute garbage. The main lobbyists behind the bill that allowed for this (led by Senator Frist): Christian Right, the Las Vegas Casino Lobby and the Horse Racing Lobby.

It is still legal to bet on horses on line, but that is different than poker apparently. To avoid going all public policy and all. Congress needs an enema.

Luckily, all my money was out before the new year, but this is one of the absolute dumbest laws in ou nation.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Wheat, have you redefined "fishing"? And "reeling 'em in"? I thought your tournaments were in bass boats.

-jk

I like catchin' 'em any way I can

Online poker was an easy way to relax for me after dinner. I never played for any big stakes, just .10-.20 cent stuff and small dollar tournies for entertainment, but I came out slightly ahead after playing the past five or six years.

I guess I was hurting someone and big brother had to come to the rescue

BTW, I see you are in DC...I'll be there 1st week in June for a Wal-Mart FLW Tour Open on the Potomac. We will launch from National Harbor Marina right on the river, just south of the I95 bridge. Come check out a weigh in, you might be entertained, and if I can win the $125,000 I'll likely even buy all my Duke friends who show up a cocktail

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Absolute garbage. The main lobbyists behind the bill that allowed for this (led by Senator Frist): Christian Right, the Las Vegas Casino Lobby and the Horse Racing Lobby.

It is still legal to bet on horses on line, but that is different than poker apparently. To avoid going all public policy and all. Congress needs an enema.

Luckily, all my money was out before the new year, but this is one of the absolute dumbest laws in ou nation.

I guess the government was a little upset that they couldn't figure out a way to get their share of tax, so they are shutting it down with a plan to start again from scratch. I have no doubt that we will see online gaming return...hopefully soon...but they will be cut into the "rake/tax" next time around..

[JasonEvans]

I guess the government was a little upset that they couldn't figure out a way to get their share of tax, so they are shutting it down with a plan to start again from scratch. I have no doubt that we will see online gaming return...hopefully soon...but they will be cut into the "rake/tax" next time around..

While that would make sense, I doubt that happens. The federal government has shown no desire over the years to even dabble in any form of gambling.

Gambling has always been left to the states. A state that is smart that is in need of money would be wise to make it legal for an online gambling site to operate out of that specific state (and the state would take a tax, as states like NJ and NV do now). It could even allow banks that are based in that state to conduct transactions with the gambling site. I mean, if I go into a Nevada casino today, I can use my Amex or Visa or my bank ATM card to get money. I am no legal expert, but I would think someone clever could use the precedents there to get a Nevada or NJ-based online gaming site to work.

--Jason "the problem is that the internet is intrastate commerce -- so what Nevada wants is not necessarily what Georgia or New York wants... sigh, this is so silly" Evans

[Wheat/"/"/"]

While that would make sense, I doubt that happens. The federal government has shown no desire over the years to even dabble in any form of gambling.

Gambling has always been left to the states. A state that is smart that is in need of money would be wise to make it legal for an online gambling site to operate out of that specific state (and the state would take a tax, as states like NJ and NV do now). It could even allow banks that are based in that state to conduct transactions with the gambling site. I mean, if I go into a Nevada casino today, I can use my Amex or Visa or my bank ATM card to get money. I am no legal expert, but I would think someone clever could use the precedents there to get a Nevada or NJ-based online gaming site to work.

--Jason "the problem is that the internet is intrastate commerce -- so what Nevada wants is not necessarily what Georgia or New York wants... sigh, this is so silly" Evans

Whether it's the State or Feds...I gotta believe some government entity will allow online poker to return...just as soon as they can all figure out how to get paid and keep the money from heading to these offshore accounts.

The charges they used to shut it all down were fraud and money laundering if I understand correctly. So maybe they haven't closed the door completely to the gambling and just have to figure out the taxing?

It is so silly, and that's putting it mildly. You close out your account yet?

[A-Tex Devil]

Whether it's the State or Feds...I gotta believe some government entity will allow online poker to return...just as soon as they can all figure out how to get paid and keep the money from heading to these offshore accounts.

The charges they used to shut it all down were fraud and money laundering if I understand correctly. So maybe they haven't closed the door completely to the gambling and just have to figure out the taxing?

It is so silly, and that's putting it mildly. You close out your account yet?

I am not sure how the states are going to be able to effectively legalize it with a federal law in place prohibiting bank and credit card transfers to online gambling sites which is now actually being enforced. Supremacy clause and all....

THe feds are saying that the intermediary sites are illegal too, and have indicted some of the heads of those sites.

The only way this might work, I guess is through money orders mailed in by the users, but that's a no go in a world where instant access is so important. It might be legal if you have a foreign bank account, but who is going to go through all that trouble?

[Wheat/"/"/"]

PokerStars returned my account balance...all $101.42 of it...so now I am resigned that I live in a country where a 53 year old man is not allowed to play 5 cent- 10 cent poker online for relaxation, because somebody thinks its bad for me.
I'm sure PS was overwhelmed with cashout requests, so I credit their relatively quick response.

Freedom and personal responsibility seems to be a lost concept these days in this country.

Keeping in mind that I could gamble with the state on their lottery, where my odds of success are terrible and all in their favor...legally drop thousands gambling on horses, dogs, football and just about anything else you can imagine in almost every state....maybe I should just be happy that the elected idiots are leaving me so many other options to destroy myself

[OldPhiKap]

Place your money on a pure chance (lottery)? OK
Place your money on how someone/thing else will perform (horses, dogs, some sports)? OK
Place your money on your own skill (poker)? Nah, we need to stamp that out.

[JasonEvans]

Place your money on a pure chance (lottery)? OK
Place your money on how someone/thing else will perform (horses, dogs, some sports)? OK
Place your money on your own skill (poker)? Nah, we need to stamp that out.

I think we all understand the real issue here.

Lottery - state sponsored, often called a "tax on the poor."
Horse/dog racing - state collects a generous tax
Land-based casino - again, state collects a generous tax
Internet poker - often offshore, no mechanism for the state to collect anything.

--Jason "what I cannot fathom is why the government does not figure out a way to regulate and tax it... I don't think the online poker companies would mind if they did that" Evans

[-jk]

I think we all understand the real issue here.

Lottery - state sponsored, often called a "tax on the poor."
Horse/dog racing - state collects a generous tax
Land-based casino - again, state collects a generous tax
Internet poker - often offshore, no mechanism for the state to collect anything.

--Jason "what I cannot fathom is why the government does not figure out a way to regulate and tax it... I don't think the online poker companies would mind if they did that" Evans

They can't figure out how to tax domestically based e-commerce. How are they going to get off-shores?

-jk

[JasonEvans]

Question--

If I were to use a European bank, one that does not have operations in the United States, couldn't I fund and cash out my poker account with that non-US based organization?

What's more, wouldn't a legit European bank be able to transfer funds to a US bank? So, if I opened an account with (for example) Barclays, couldn't I use that to fund a poker account?

-Jason "just wondering" Evans

[SuperTurkey]

--Jason "the problem is that the internet is intrastate commerce

I think you mean interstate. Inter- is between entities, intra- is within an entity. Hence, the internet is interstate while most intranets are intrastate.

[OldPhiKap]

I think you mean interstate. Inter- is between entities, intra- is within an entity. Hence, the internet is interstate while most intranets are intrastate.

So if something is "interesting" to someone else, is it only "intraesting" if no one else is amused?


If so, I am a very intraesting person.

[A-Tex Devil]

Question--

If I were to use a European bank, one that does not have operations in the United States, couldn't I fund and cash out my poker account with that non-US based organization?

What's more, wouldn't a legit European bank be able to transfer funds to a US bank? So, if I opened an account with (for example) Barclays, couldn't I use that to fund a poker account?

-Jason "just wondering" Evans

Yes. But unless you run your internet connection through an overseas server, the websites won't let you on anymore. A lot of people, I heard, actually started doing what you described above as the federal law is related to US bank transfers.