What if you were playing an online game that you loved? You had to pay to play the game but you loved it so much that you didn’t mind paying what ever amount it was. Now let’s say it involved a virtual deck of cards, that’s right, poker. Right now the government has put a ban on online gambling in the
Poker has been around for quite some time; in fact it is believed that the game was first played in 1829 with a twenty-card deck, according to English actor Joseph Crowell. The most played poker game, Texas Hold ‘em. There isn’t much known about the start of Texas Hold ‘em but The Texas State Legislature eventually recognized Robstown, Texas as the birthplace of Texas Hold ‘em in the 1900s. [1]. Texas Hold ‘em became a big deal and hit popularity around the year 2000. In 2003 it got even bigger when a new champion of World Series of Poker (WSOP) was crowned, by the name of Chris Moneymaker (yes that’s his real last name). Chris Moneymaker earned his spot in the WSOP Main Event by winning an online qualifier. Since 2003 the number of entries have gone up to an increasingly high number. The year 2006, for WSOP, was the highest number of entries of all time at 8,773 entrants and a total prize pool of $12,000,000.
Poker websites allow millions of players to play a game they love, whether for money or not. I believe that if someone wants to gamble online they should be able to. There are kids that are playing games that they have to pay monthly for. Some of the games they actually spend real money to buy accessories for their characters. These are children doing this. So why is it that children, mostly likely with the consent of their parent, can purchase accessories for a fake character online? Why is it that they can pay a monthly or yearly fee yet it’s okay for that to happen? If an adult wants to spend their own money on gambling online, I say why not? There are casinos that are legal in 16 states. So it’s okay for people to go out, take their money and blow it all on at a casino but if they want to sit down an blow it over the computer it’s not allowed?
There are quite a few people who think that gambling in its entirety is wrong. They believe that people lose a lot of things due to gambling. While it may be true that there are gambling addicts out there that due lose houses, cars, etc. because of gambling, that’s not everyone who gambles. If someone has a gambling problem they should get help and there are numbers that they can call. Most casinos, if not all, have phone numbers posted around the casino for gambling help lines. On some, if not most, online poker playing sites they allow you to block your transactions so you can no longer play poker. All I’m saying is that there are a lot of responsible adults in the world who can handle online gambling without a problem. Just because there are gambling addicts out there, doesn’t mean that everyone is. Even if that’s not why the starts UIGEA, it’s something to look into and think about.
I’ve never been a political person but I this is an issue I feel strongly about. I think it violates people’s rights when the government gets involved in a gambling website online probably for only one reason; because they’re not making money off of it. Oops, did I cross the line? Am I wrong? I may be but the government likes to get there grubby hands in everything they can. I love playing online poker, even though I don’t play it for money. I will do what I can to stand behind the PPA and try to help get this bill reversed.