Harvard got a taste of poker.
Crandall Addington and Howard Lederer appeared at Harvard Law School, making their case for the full legalization of poker. And yes, they want legal online poker too.
The gathering at the university was arranged by the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS). This group was begun by Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson and Harvard Law student Andrew Woods. This organization is focused on getting poker to be looked at as a way for people to learn about life skills while enjoying the card game. They want promotion of poker to focus on this. Other colleges and universities that are getting on the “poker life skills” bandwagon include Yale, Stanford, Tufts, Boston University, University of Southern California (USC), Penn State, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and Tufts.
“Poker is a microcosm of life. Good players make their own luck. Poker is a game that should be treated differently on the Internet. It deserves separate status,” said Lederer.
Poker may have the best chance at legalization
I wonder how far this initiative will go. We know how much online poker sites have riding on getting the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) repealed or at the least modified. There’s no question online poker has taken a big hit since UIGEA. At the same time, we know of poker sites that still cater to the United States audience (e.g. PokerStars and BetUS) and poker sites that have completely pulled out of the United States poker market (SunPoker). Even with this, you know that players in the United States know ways to circumvent anti-casino laws anyway – we’ll keep that hush-hush though.
Barney Frank still wants to get his IGREA (Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act) passed – but that’s still in limbo for now. Can you imagine the surge in new visitors to online casinos will be once the doors are fully open to legal casino gaming again? Beginners would flood the internet casino and poker worlds. The poker craze would go through the roof. Other card games like baccarat and blackjack may also see a sharp rise in gamblers online.
As we mentioned earlier, it’s naive to think people in the United States won’t get online to play. We need regulation, smart regulation, to get casino gaming going in the U.S. market. Lotteries are legal – with proceeds supposedly going to education. Horse racing at racebooks are legal. Like we’ve mentioned before, it’s all about the money and until legislators find a way to get a cut of online casino profits, we won’t have a resolution.
But the signs are there that it’s going to happen sooner than later. And having these kinds of frank and open discussions at places like Harvard Law School are steps in the right direction for an intelligent way to legalized online gambling.
Crandall Addington and Howard Lederer appeared at Harvard Law School, making their case for the full legalization of poker. And yes, they want legal online poker too.
The gathering at the university was arranged by the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS). This group was begun by Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson and Harvard Law student Andrew Woods. This organization is focused on getting poker to be looked at as a way for people to learn about life skills while enjoying the card game. They want promotion of poker to focus on this. Other colleges and universities that are getting on the “poker life skills” bandwagon include Yale, Stanford, Tufts, Boston University, University of Southern California (USC), Penn State, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and Tufts.
“Poker is a microcosm of life. Good players make their own luck. Poker is a game that should be treated differently on the Internet. It deserves separate status,” said Lederer.
Poker may have the best chance at legalization
I wonder how far this initiative will go. We know how much online poker sites have riding on getting the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) repealed or at the least modified. There’s no question online poker has taken a big hit since UIGEA. At the same time, we know of poker sites that still cater to the United States audience (e.g. PokerStars and BetUS) and poker sites that have completely pulled out of the United States poker market (SunPoker). Even with this, you know that players in the United States know ways to circumvent anti-casino laws anyway – we’ll keep that hush-hush though.
Barney Frank still wants to get his IGREA (Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act) passed – but that’s still in limbo for now. Can you imagine the surge in new visitors to online casinos will be once the doors are fully open to legal casino gaming again? Beginners would flood the internet casino and poker worlds. The poker craze would go through the roof. Other card games like baccarat and blackjack may also see a sharp rise in gamblers online.
As we mentioned earlier, it’s naive to think people in the United States won’t get online to play. We need regulation, smart regulation, to get casino gaming going in the U.S. market. Lotteries are legal – with proceeds supposedly going to education. Horse racing at racebooks are legal. Like we’ve mentioned before, it’s all about the money and until legislators find a way to get a cut of online casino profits, we won’t have a resolution.
But the signs are there that it’s going to happen sooner than later. And having these kinds of frank and open discussions at places like Harvard Law School are steps in the right direction for an intelligent way to legalized online gambling.