News from one of my correspondents in New York prompted this posting.

Man, sometimes help comes from strange places.

Those who have been in favor of making Online Poker legal in the United States got a big supporter from New York.

Alfonse D’Amato, a former senator of the state and current Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, stated that he is in favor of allowing the practice.

“Why is it OK for a group of friends to sit around the kitchen table and play a friendly game of poker, but not OK for people to play over their computers?” remarked D’Amato.

Good point Al.

D’Amato was quick to point out that the basic structure of online poker does not violate any current federal laws.  Citing the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, which relates to sports betting, and not poker as those opposed to the notion have said.

D’Amato and Poker Players Alliance Director John Pappas have now joined forces in favor of a bill that would legalize the industry. Strange bedfellows I’d say.

Pappas said that banks are discouraged to do business with online poker companies, making sure no illegal activity is occurring.

“There is what amounts to a safe harbor already embedded in the law, so that any bank that does want to transact with an online poker business simply needs a reasoned legal opinion that it their client is not involved in restricted transactions,”  Pappas said.

Online gambling has been outlawed since 2006, but a new bill sent to the floor to be debated and passed would be a huge victory of online casinos, as they could potentially see a giant leap forward in terms of revenue, despite the struggling economy and difficult times that casinos are having.

Like I’ve said time and again, it’s all about money.

Legislators (running for office) are against legalizing or expanding gambling opportunities until it comes time to balance their budgets.

Then, not wanting to tax citizens anymore (for fear of losing their office), they turn to alternative measures. And there sits gambling.

Well, whatever it takes. I’m for freedom of choice.

And there ain’t nothing wrong with gambling.

So Rhode Island might be next to expand legal gambling within its borders.

Under a bill to be discussed in the the state legislature, Rhode Island’s voters will have an chance to vote on whether or not they wish to expand gambling in the state.

Right now, the state has two legal slot parlors. The new bill would amend the constitution to enable full scale casino gaming to be introduced in those two parlors.

Table games would be included in the facilities, which now only offer video lottery terminals.

The proposed argument states that Rhode Island is losing gaming revenue due to the burgeoning casino environment in surrounding states, from Delaware’s expansion to Pennsylvania’s progress, and possibly Massachusetts.

Gambling revenue has become a major source of income for many states, with Pennsylvania’s revenues booming more quickly than previously imagined.

Ironically, New Jersey, the established gambling state, has been failing to keep up with revenue.

Gambling expansion is also a subject of debate on a federal level. Several bills that would offer regulated online gambling have been proposed, though discussions in the House Committees has not yet been successful in bringing about the regulatory body needed to keep online gamblers safe and revenues taxed.

We’ll keep an eye on that. I love to gamble at online casinos.

Don’t you?

The fear, that is…of not being re-elected if they raise taxes.

So what is a legislator to do? Cut programs? Well…how about legalizing more gambling.

Which is exactly what Texas is considering.

Texas is currently facing big budget short falls.

The budget is facing cuts, cuts which will affect prison programs, education programs, and state mental hospitals.

Tax hikes are out. For the reason stated above.

Prison officials have cautioned legislators over the risk of cutting programs to prisons.

Estimates say that lay offs would remove over 3,000 employees and remove drug and alcohol treatment programs. In a state with relatively low recidivism rates compared to the national average, it is likely that Texas legislators will aim to solve budget woes before being forced to cut budgets.

Education cuts are also likely to take place in the event that the budget gap is not filled.

Grants, the lifeblood of education,  might have to be slashed.

The gambling expansion being considered is would bring slot machines at racetracks or, in a full blown expansion, large casinos that entail all forms of casino gambling.

These casinos could generated billions of dollars a year, which would help to fill the gap in the budget.

Frankly, having lived in Houston and Austin, I KNOW that people would love it.

An unexplored opportunity is that of online gambling.  Unfortunately, no regulatory body exists for the collection of taxes on online gambling, which could generate an estimated $80 billion over a period of ten years.

So legislators are looking to the Pennsylvania or Florida model…where gambling revenue has (somewhat) eased the tax burden. I say somewhat, because Pennsylvanians still call their state Taxsylvania.

I’ll keep an eye on the Lone Star state for you.

I was surfing around the net, looking to see what you might find interesting this week, when I found an item about online gambling on H2 Gambling Capital’s website. The group is the self described “leading” provider of data regarding the gambling industry.

I mean, what’s interesting is that this spate of information is coming out just as legislation is moving through congress to regulate and tax the online gaming industry.

Coincidence? I think not.

OK… anyway, a new study projected that thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in tax revenue would be created if legislation were passed to legalize and regulate online gambling and poker in the United States.

I’ve been saying this for years.

Granted, H2 Gambling Capital is hardly objective. Still, their study (take it or leave it)  said that about 32,000 jobs would be created over a five-year period if all forms of online gambling and poker were regulated in the United States.

The study also said that about $57.5 billion in tax revenue would be created if legislation were passed.

I believe the bit about tax revenue. Not sure about job creation.

Be that as it may, why not try it folks.

I’m gonna gamble no matter what a legislator says.

The current U.S. unemployment rate is 9.7 percent. Recent statistics from the government show that 6.5 million workers have been unemployed for more than 26 weeks.

An H2 spokesman said,  We believe the significant job and revenue creation potential provides an immediate incentive for the Obama Administration and Congress to act quickly to regulate Internet gambling.

The Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2009 (H.R. 2267), introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), is currently in the House of Representatives’ Committee on Financial Services.

Can a casino ban a player because he (or she) is a card counter?

I don’t believe they can. Or should.

I am a card counter. A bad card counter, but a card counter nonetheless.

Hence, casinos love me.

They love people who count cards, but aren’t very good at it.

Even if you are an average to good counter, they will let you in because they know, over time, they win.

Now, there is a very interesting case going through the Indiana courts … with their Supreme Court set to make a ruling this week.

The Indiana Supreme Court will listen to arguments this week on whether casinos have the right to ban gamblers who count cards.

Here’s the background:

Thomas Donovan of Indianapolis sued the Grand Victoria Casino and Resort after it banned him from the blackjack table in 2006.

The casino won the suit in court, but the state Court of Appeals reversed that decision.

Donovan’s argument is that neither the state nor the casino has rules barring card counting.

But the casino argues it’s privately owned and can choose not to do business with anyone.

The argument is interesting.

I’ll let you know what the court decides, whenever they decide.

Gambling is a fun activity, but it is also one of the most controversial of hobbies. As such, gambling is always under the scrutiny of watchdogs. Here is another controversy stemming from gambling.

In Ohio, teenagers can vote when they turn 18. They can also buy cigarettes at 18. Now, they just might be allowed to play video slot machines. Ohio.com reports:

The legal age to gamble at the state’s new ”racinos” — combination horse tracks and slots parlors — would be 18 under proposed guidelines the Ohio Lottery Commission released Wednesday.

Gov. Ted Strickland and the state legislature last month approved a plan to install up to 2,500 video slots at each of Ohio’s seven horse tracks as a way to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for the state budget.

The Lottery Commission is overseeing the process. It plans to meet Monday to adopt the proposed racino rules, which outline everything from the minimum age to gamble to the state’s cut of the proceeds.

If things go the way they seem to be going, then the proposal will be approved, and more people can legally gamble – at least with video slots. And if the proposal is approved and made a law, Ohio will be joining the ranks of other states like New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and South Dakota, which already allow gambling at 18 years old.

My question is this: is this ethical? Is it a good idea to allow people who are practically “children” to engage in gambling, which has (potentially) negative results? You tell me.

Rep. Frank introduces online gambling bill by pokerplayersalliance

What a way to start the second half of the year! We have some good news, courtesy of more lawmakers taking the side of Barney Frank, who has been working on bringing American gamblers a bit more freedom with regard to Internet gambling. Who can forget the crushing blow that former US President George W. Bush dealt to proponents of online gambling? Definitely not us. Not Barney Frank and his supporters.

Last week was a good week for Mr. Frank, as three more representatives formally showed their support for his bill. On Friday, Rep. Betsy Markey from Colorado, Rep. Russ Carnahan, from Missouri, and Rep. Bill Pascrell from New Jersey joined Barney Frank’s “wagon” when they signed up as co-sponsors for the recently proposed gambling bill.

For so many years, Barney Frank has been vocal in his opinion that online gambling should be allowed within the shores of the United States. Even at the height of Bush’s aggressive campaign against online gambling, Frank was unequivocal in his stand. Naturally, gambling advocates gave their all out support for the Congressman. And just as naturally, not everyone in Congress thought the same way. Recent developments show, however, that some – and a good number of them, I must add – have been swayed for one reason or another. I’d like to think that it is common sense that has convinced them that the anti-online gambling act laid down by Bush simply cannot continue.

While nothing is set in stone yet, these developments should give us heart. Online gambling is in the horizon, I think.

In the previous post, we talked about some things that you should consider when playing at any casino. While some people take these things for granted, there are those who are totally clueless and, without having any bad intentions, end up pissing other casino patrons off. In order to avoid that, here are more tips for good gambling etiquette.

Love playing craps? Make sure that you are above suspicion by rolling the dice in such a way that they hit the back wall of the table. There are really no clear and cut rules regarding this BUT it is a good way of assuring that the rolls are random.

How about blackjack? If the table you are playing blackjack at deals cards face up, do refrain from the urge (yeah, I understand that it can be a strong urge) to touch them. As a matter of fact, in the old days, casino dealers used to smack the hands of blackjack players who touched the cards dealt face up. Lucky for us, this is not the norm anymore. Still, face up cards should be left as they are when they are dealt.

Still on the subject of blackjack….Technically, you can join a table at any point in the game. However, it is just polite to ask the existing players if they would prefer that you join after the shoe ends. Again, there are no rules about this, but some people prefer that new players join when the cards are shuffled yet again.

That’s it. Don’t forget to smile and say thank you and please! 

I remember this blogger friend who wrote a very humorous post comparing Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama. She compared and contrasted the two leaders of the world. I am pretty sure political analysts would have a lot to say about that piece but it just cracked me up. Anyhow, I got to thinking about that because of this piece of news that I just heard about – Putin is banning gambling in his homeland!

As you may very well know, when the Soviet Union crumbled, the prohibitions in the states also disappeared. Some actually like to say that with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, many things sprouted like mushrooms – gambling establishments being one of them. Truth be told, since that fateful day, there have been hundreds and hundreds of gambling establishments set up in Russia.

Then again, we cannot ignore another result of that dissolution – Putin. He may not be the president of the country anymore, but he is still considered to be one of the most powerful politicians in the country. And he showed just what he can do – early this month, he was able to pass a law banning ALL gambling in Russia, except in four special zones.

This was no idle threat either. Law enforcement agents have been sweeping through the country, cleaning up gambling dens and other similar establishments. Naturally, this has caused quite a stir. Patrons who have learned to enjoy the fruits of capitalism and workers who have benefited from the industry are all upset about the developments. For now, they can’t do anything about it but go to the four special gambling zones. I’m glad I am not in Russia.