Quote:
Originally Posted by Monorail
Though it's going to be a bumpy road with a lot of dead ends, false starts, and learning experiences, problems such as these are something that conscientiously-regulated online poker will help solve.
One reason bot operators feel free to deploy them is that when Stars operates in grey markets, going after them in any capacity is a jurisdictional nightmare. Not to mention, law enforcement in developing countries rarely take an interest in solving e-crimes, due to their complexity. The GCB in Nevada and DGE in NJ have gone to great lengths to codify that cheating an online casino is just as serious and prosecutable offense as cheating a B&M. There are currently few disincentives for bot operators. But in a regulated environment with motivated gaming enforcement divisions -- where the possible repercussions involve lengthy prison terms -- cheating will for the first time have material disincentives.
This is where a critic would come along and point out that black hatters don't give a F, and will always be a step ahead of the authorities. There's no such thing as a PERFECTLY-regulated/policed online gaming environment. There's just isn't. We need to drop "perfection" as the standard to aim for as reasonably achievable. But that doesn't mean that a regulated environment, where operators have SSN's of every player, won't dramatically stem the tide of bot use and other cheating.
Here's hoping.
Good post.
Would like to add that websites largely by their own choice have created an environment where the best course of action is to try and minimize the perception that collusion occurs and do everything they can to protect themselves and as a by-product, protect the cheaters.
Why do collusion refund emails state:
We can't tell you who cheated you.
We can't tell you what games you were cheated in.
We can't tell you what date you were cheated on.
We can't tell you our refund policy or why you were given the amount you were given.
This is done by design so websites can pocket money off of colluders.
This is done so players can't argue that their refund is unfair.
This is done so players can't tell other players to check if their refund was fair or if they even got a refund.
This is sold to us that the websites don't have a say in the matter and it's the various gaming commissions who insist on this privacy and non disclosure of any details pertaining to refunds. Who pays these gaming commissions?
And as an afterthought if a player complains that 2 people are cheating proactively the response is that the players are banned and will never play on the site again. Therefore that's a violation of those players privacy if this "law" actually exists.