Originally Posted by
Sanlmar
We have a lull in the action.
How you enjoying your net neutrality regulation win Druff? Unintended consequences. Time Warner Comcast merger etc, etc. government never helps. Some catch on a little slower than others. Thought Obamacare woulda driven this point home for you.
Got a fresh example of regulation, light touch or otherwise.
How those online poker players in NJ & Nevada enjoying government protection?
Do you think they would rather be playing on unLicensed ACR or SWC now?
You're joking, right? I'm sure you realize I was against net neutrality, so it's not a "win", though perhaps you're trying to demonstrate that I'm being contradictory with wanting regulation of online poker and none for the internet.
I already explained that, though. Government regulation is a must with online poker, because it involves player money and the extreme importance of fairness and honesty in the game. There is no way that the free market can effectively regulate it. Full Tilt might be still stealing from us to this day (and still sitting with everyone's respect) if Black Friday hadn't happened in 2011.
The NJ/Nevada legalized rooms are failing for three reasons. First, they are being run very poorly. I don't know if you read Melissa Burr's essay about the various reasons the NJ poker rooms were struggling, but she was on point. They just aren't doing things right. Second, the regulations were written by idiots, and are burdensome to the sites. But honestly, the troublesome regulations are more of an excuse for the site managers to use for their own failures. Third, and most importantly, everyone involved underestimated the huge population requirement necessary for online poker to succeed. Nevada's population is far too small, and even New Jersey's is too small. One-state poker rooms won't work, except in large states like California, where still there will only be room for 1 or 2 rooms/networks to thrive. This is simply because only a very small fraction of the population wants to regularly play online poker, especially with all of the hurdles to get verified and make a deposit.
Anyway, I never said government regulation of online poker would be easy. It has to be done right, or it will be a disaster, and so far it hasn't been done right. But it has to be done. The brick and mortar casinos are regulated, and while there's plenty of corruption, for the most part the casinos operate freely and the average patron doesn't run into obnoxious hurdles while attempting to gamble, nor is there much interference in the free market. Regulating online casinos needs to be done similarly, but they can't just use the same blanket procedures because online is a completely different animal.
If the government(s) wanted to do it right, they would consult with various people in the industry, including longtime online poker employees and longtime players like me. The problem with bureaucrats is that they don't do smart things like this, and instead think they can read a brief on the industry and then write their own effective regulations without help.
The above might sound like I'm arguing against regulation, but I'm not. Regulation IS necessary. Without it, online poker will continue to be a disaster, filled with scams, scandals, cheats, and thefts. But if regulation isn't done right, it will also be a disaster. So we will have to see what happens. Hopefully they correct their course before online poker is completely choked out of the US.
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