Quote:
Originally Posted by Jussurreal
TE no matter how you twist or turn it, for players in opt out states:
It is better to be able to play poker online and not know what the future holds than it is for the bill to pass, not have poker, and still not know what the future holds.
I think over 95% of players in opt out states will agree with me.
I am very confident that I live in an opt-in state (New Hampshire) but I agree with you Jussureal: online poker for those in opt-out states will not be as good as it is under the status quo
But it is not wrong for TE to also note that it is not the falling of the sky for those players either. We have, and are continuing to work, to make sure that nothing in any new bill changes anything for PLAYERS in opt-out states except for one thing (and I agree its a big thing): players in opt-out states will not be able to play on the big international sites licensed with the US; those sites will have to respect the state's opt-out.
So if you live in a state that opts-out the best way to envision your future is to take your status quo situation and subtract FTP and Stars for certain. Also subtract those smaller sites/networks that may well chose to seek a license. Can you still play poker? Yes. Is it near as good as being able to play the large sites/networks? No.
But a good number of people do like Bodog Poker (for example). There will always be some sites for those in opt-out states to play at, just like there are plenty of sites for you to make sports bets. And it would hardly be surprising if some new poker-only site in a (safe) foreign jurisdiction emerged specifically to service the opt-out states.
That is a basic factual summary of what to expect in an opt-out state. Folks are free to spin it either way, of course.
In my mind the long term effort requires moving past a few states. Some will always opt-out. Those that truly opt-out for moral reasons will probably take generations to change. But most will opt-out because of fear (regarding the cost to either B&Ms, Tribes, State Lotteries, or State social services, etc...). When the rest of the country demonstrates that legal online poker is nothing to fear for any of the legitimate interests, most states will opt back in.
Skallagrim
Last edited by Skallagrim; 07-30-2010 at 12:18 AM.