***Official PL article thread***

[TheEngineer]

DIGG: http://digg.com/news/politics/la_tim...will_not_stand

LA Times op-ed: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/...,7275683.story

The feds fold online poker
Just like Prohibition, this clampdown cannot and will not stand.

I got dealt some pretty bad hands in the last few days by forces far out of my control. I awoke April 15 to find that the feds had indicted 11 executives on multiple felony charges, including bank fraud and money laundering, at the three top sites in America's online poker market and seized their Web domains.

If you logged on to Absolute Poker, Full Tilt Poker or PokerStars, you got to look at the shiny logo of the FBI. I like to play the 50-cent minimum, no-limit game on Full Tilt, and that's what I saw that Friday instead of direct access to the $216.05 that was in my now-frozen online account.

No sooner than Monday morning comes around and Standard & Poor's downgrades the U.S. debt outlook, the Dow plummets 140 points and boom, I'm down another six or seven thousand out of my stock-based retirement accounts......

[gobble gobble]

This is from Norm Macdonald's Sports Show on Comedy Central. He addresses Black Friday at about 1:07.

http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/...videoId=382320

[LeavingToLas Vegas]

"Bharara is a naturalized American citizen who spends what little free time he has bullying the homeless on the streets on NYC. Furthermore, he is wasting time and money chasing down poker sites to compensate for his small genitalia,"

It does make one wonder about the motivation of someone from India taking down an all-American pastime. Is basketball next? "Those tall men from Kentucky make me nervous."

[hayjamawas]

if this article has be posted then please put in correct thread

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114375000762012631.html

even though this was in 2006 this arugment still holds true today and this is the kind of thinking that we are up against.

[DrewOnTilt]

The argument certainly holds true, but David Carruthers is currently in prison serving a 33 month sentence. He was arrested not long after that article was written and charged with violating a number of US gambling and financial laws.

[verticle5]

Hahahaha black Friday is a distant memory.. but it looks like the DOJ/FBI are still working hard on the case. You work your whole life through the boring terrorist plots and bombs and all to get a case like this. I mean, if you are in the FBI, you live for the one big score that will make your career and seal your fame.

http://newhavenindependent.org/index...cious_package/

[TheEngineer]

Originally Posted by TheEngineer

DIGG: http://digg.com/news/politics/la_tim...will_not_stand

LA Times op-ed: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/...,7275683.story

We were voted to the front page of Digg!

[TBadr]

Gary Loveman is going for the whole pie it seems
http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/26/news...poker.fortune/

[TheDarkElf]

Originally Posted by TBadr

Gary Loveman is going for the whole pie it seems
http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/26/news...poker.fortune/

Hope no one finds this surprising.

[efficacy]

Originally Posted by TBadr

Gary Loveman is going for the whole pie it seems
http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/26/news...poker.fortune/

This seems good for our cause, overall, right? Someone this high up has to have significant political influence.

[tamarick]

We need to own this one...

http://erlc.com/article/online-poker...at-did-happen/

[TBadr]

I hope by "own" you don't mean trying to change "The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission's" point of view on "gambling". I think not even drawing attention to it would be the best course tbh AKA leave it alone. There are enough articles out there on our side that this is not even worth the effort imho.

[DrewOnTilt]

Originally Posted by TBadr

Gary Loveman is going for the whole pie it seems
http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/26/news...poker.fortune/

Originally Posted by efficacy

This seems good for our cause, overall, right? Someone this high up has to have significant political influence.

I'm not going to argue with having the man's support. He speaks intelligently and makes his case very well. I think that having him in support of online poker is going to be a good thing in the long run.

That said, anything that Harrah's/Caesars does in managing an online site is bound to rankle a few folks who are accustomed to the FTP/Stars way of doing things. I would venture a guess that either the rake would be higher or player FPPs/etc would be lower. Look at what Harrah's did do blackjack games on the Strip in Vegas. 3:2 payouts on blackjacks used to be the norm, but now the norm is that abominable 6:5 payout, which increases the house advantage considerably.

[TBadr]

Originally Posted by DrewOnTilt

That said, anything that Harrah's/Caesars does in managing an online site is bound to rankle a few folks who are accustomed to the FTP/Stars way of doing things.

Totally agree but beggars can't be choosers. I also am not expecting Harrah's to completely monopolize a legal and regulated environment but rather have to compete with other companies which should be beneficial to the players.

[TheEngineer]

DIGG: http://digg.com/news/politics/las_ve...bbying_efforts

Backers of online poker step up lobbying efforts

http://www.lvrj.com/business/backers...120685724.html

With three poker websites popular with U.S. players seized, their founders indicted and billions of dollars in cash locked up in cyberspace, supporters of legalizing online poker stepped up their lobbying efforts Monday for federal regulations.

Those efforts have been led by a small, grassroots organization that has become the main voice of poker players in the United States. The Poker Player Alliance has helped its members voice their support for legalizing online poker through several lobbying campaigns......