Will Nevada Throw Online Poker Players In Jail?
from the just-wondering dept
There's some disagreement as to the legality of online gambling in the US. Some insist that while running an online gambling site is still banned by US laws, playing at an online gambling site is perfectly legal. Unfortunately, there are those in the Justice Department who have made it clear that they believe anyone participating in online gambling is breaking the law. It would be interesting to see any such case going to court -- as the written law is anything but clear. For all the confusion at the federal level, though, one place where it is clear is in Nevada, where the law says you cannot gamble online (you would have to believe the big casinos were supporters of that law, preferring to get you inside, rather than reach you online). However, it appears that the law is not enforced, leading some to wonder if there will ever be a crackdown on online gamblers in Nevada. Considering that many of the top poker players live in Nevada and advertise about ways to play them online, any such crackdown could bring down some big names. However, Nevada officials seem to be waiting on what the federal government does first... which might not get those poker players out of trouble. The US government has mostly been focusing on those who simply advertise online gambling -- something many of the same top name players are guilty of participating in as well.
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The Real Casinos
It's all about money, and the casinos are making plenty.
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Re: The Real Casinos
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Speaking of online casinos...
I wonder if they will be targeted in subpoenas to identify their US-based customers? Where the law falls on this should be interesting. PartyPoker.com, for example, appears to be located in Canada (based on IP), but advertises heavily in the USA. Just the word that a subpeona is being sought to identify US lawbreakers should be enough to shut that site down.
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Nevada's Law Discriminates against Women
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Re: The Real Casinos
"A "satellite" is a special kind of tournament in which the prize is an entry into another tournament. For example, a single-table satellite might have a $100 buyin and award one seat to a tournament with a $1000 buyin. Satellites are a popular way for players to get into a high-stakes tournament when they prefer not to buy in directly for such a large amount. A famous satellite example is Chris Moneymaker's $40 buyin to a World Series of Poker satellite: he eventually won the big event (which costs $10,000 to buy in directly) and took home the $2.5 million first prize." - Online Poker FAQ
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Loophole
Actually, the online companies as well as the players that advertise for them should be in the clear since all advertising is for the companies' non-gambling, free to play sites. Of course, once you sign up, you are advertised to join their pay-to-play site, thus getting around the no online gambling advertisement laws.
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Re: The Real Casinos
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re: real casinos
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Thanks for sharing it.
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