Unlocking the Deck: 5 Reasons to Make Poker Legal
I live in Boston, Massachusetts. Poker is illegal here – as it is in much of the United States. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) also seeks to prohibit us from playing poker online. If the cabal of anti-gambling zealots who pushed through this law has their way, Americans may be banned from playing poker anywhere.
Resistance and Advocacy
What to do? Some wallow in despair, decrying this as the ultimate bad beat. Others break and ignore the law, playing illegal games and finding ways around the UIGEA to get money from online poker sites. I take a different tack. As George Washington once said, “In the preservation of your government…it is requisite that you resist”. And so I do.
Advocacy Strategies
I take two approaches. I’m working hard with the Poker Players Alliance, among others, to overturn or otherwise neutralize the UIGEA while simultaneously fighting to liberalize anti-gambling laws in my state. If you’re interested in that serious effort, I recommend you check out the PPA website. It’s prominently displayed on my website, House of Cards Radio. While you’re there, you can check out my interviews with others, like Congressman Barney Frank and PPA Director John Pappas, who led this important campaign against the UIGEA.
Conversations for Change
My other efforts are more conversational. I believe that change often comes from one person at a time. Start with those you know. Move on to those whom you’ve just met. Give them each your best argument. Before long, your thoughts will be repeated. It’s how a mass movement starts. (OK, admittedly, only a few mass movements have begun. But at least it’s something to think about). I’ve found that many are reluctant to engage with others in political conversations such as this. What keeps them from such talk is a lack of something clear and simple to say. Politics can be so messy that many do not venture forth for fear of being tongue-tied.
Pro-Poker Talking Points
To make such pro-poker talk as easy as possible, let me share five talking points I’ve used to persuade my friends and acquaintances that poker should be legal. I’ve tried to write them in a way that can give you the benefit of an intellectual and visceral argument with those you speak to. Please let me know if you think of other ideas that have worked for you in this vein.
Talking Point 1: The Highest Form of Hypocrisy
#1 It is the highest form of hypocrisy not to allow it since there’s already so much legal gambling.
Go to any state but Hawaii and Utah, and what do you find? An enormous amount of lawful gambling. There’s BINGO, BEANO, and BLITZ. There are scratch tickets, instant keno machines, Powerball, Megamillions, and dozens of other state lotteries. There are horse tracks, off-track betting parlors, dog tracks, jai alai frontons, racinos, and Indian casinos. There are 50/50 raffles, drawings for door prizes, sweepstakes, and Las Vegas nights. And that’s just what we call gambling. Banking, the stock market, commodity trading, and insurance are just forms of gambling dressed up in suits. If these other forms of gambling are legally protected, why shouldn’t poker also be allowed? Since everyone else is doing it, why not we?
Talking Point 2: Selective Enforcement Breeds Contempt
#2 Having selectively enforced anti-poker laws on the books breeds contempt of the law.
Laws should not exist if they are not evenly, routinely, and fairly enforced. Anti-gambling laws, as they are applied to poker, have a history of very uneven enforcement. Know a cop? Don’t worry about getting your home game busted. Not have political connections, however, and you could end up with your game being broken, your money and equipment being confiscated, and your ass in jail for the night. This is not how our founding fathers intended our democratic society to be run. It leads to contempt for the judicial system and, eventually, corruption. Anti-poker laws are un-American!
Talking Point 3: Economic Benefits of Legalizing Poker
#3 Legalizing poker on the Internet and in our cities and towns would provide a good source of income and help protect poker players from dishonest operators.
Millions play poker in illegal house games. As illegal games, they make up the untaxed and unregulated underground economy. Similarly, since online poker is not allowed in the United States, these games operate with no regulation or taxation. Players who are ripped off have no legal recourse. Player disputes have no way of being properly adjudicated. There are potentially billions to be collected in taxes as well. Let poker players bail out the economy!
Talking Point 4: Poker Teaches Valuable Skills
#4 Poker teaches children skills worth developing and encouraging.
Poker, when played well, exercises the mind. The successful poker player must be adept at probability, statistics, arithmetic, logic, psychology, and observation. The skill set of poker players may be transferred to trading, banking, insurance, accounting, and other business forms. Encouraging children to play poker competitively can only help them develop these skills that will help them become successful and productive adults. Poker will make your child smarter and more successful!
Talking Point 5: International Intellectual Competition
#5 The UIGEA and other anti-poker laws hinder our ability to succeed in international intellectual competition.
Intellectual competition is no longer a strong suit for Americans. We haven’t had one of the top-rated chess players since Bobby Fisher was world champion nearly forty years ago. China, Taiwan, South Korea, North Korea, and Russia finished ahead of the United States in the 2009 Math Olympiad. But poker is something we still excel at. Though players from many other countries are making progress, the leaderboards of major poker tournaments are still dominated by Americans. The UIGEA, however, ties the hands of millions of potentially great American poker players – while the rest of the world, with unfettered access to poker on the Internet, catches up. There are many reasons why the US Government is wrong about online poker, and why handicap ourselves by diminishing the legal outlets for this showcase of American intellectual power? Undo the UIGEA or the Ruskies, and other foreigners will eat us for lunch!
Conclusion
In conclusion, the battle against anti-poker laws is multifaceted, involving both legal and conversational strategies. Advocacy efforts like those with the Poker Players Alliance are crucial in challenging and overturning restrictive legislation. The conversation, too, plays a vital role in changing perceptions and garnering support for a legal poker landscape.
FAQs
Why should poker be legalized when there’s already so much legal gambling?
Legalizing poker ensures fairness and consistency in the legal system, considering the prevalence of other forms of lawful gambling.
How does selective enforcement of anti-poker laws impact society?
Selective enforcement breeds contempt for the law, undermining the principles of fairness and equality upon which our democratic society is built.
What are the economic benefits of legalizing poker?
Legalizing poker provides a regulated source of income, ensures player protection, and contributes to the economy through taxation, eliminating the risks associated with illegal and unregulated games.
