October 16th, 2007
Poker Players Alliance Member Chris Young made the following video to voice his support of online poker to Members of Congress for the PPA DC Fly-In Event on October 22nd-24th.
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October 16th, 2007
On October 1st, the Department of the Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve issued proposed regulations which, if finalized, would direct banks, credit card companies and other payment systems to take certain steps to block payments for “Unlawful Internet Gambling.” These regulations are an outgrowth of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) which was enacted last October.
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October 15th, 2007
Specific guidelines for charities trade one set of problems for another.
Officers with the state’s newly created Gaming Control Division swooped into Kendallville this week, arresting people and confiscating cash and equipment allegedly connected to illegal gambling.
But if LaShonda Wilcox’s Para- dise Billiards had simply been a bit more “charitable,” she might be counting her share of the take today – not facing up to three years in prison.
The rise, fall and rising again of Fort Wayne’s Hold ‘em Palace – and its imminent marriage to the Jaycees – proves it.
October 15th, 2007
Press Release:
Harvard Law School’s new student-led Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS) and a leading Harvard professor have scheduled a series of lectures and conferences to examine the role of poker in the law and education.
The lectures, open to the media and to take place at 5 p.m. in Room 102 of Hauser Hall on the law school campus at 1563 Massachusetts Avenue, will begin on Monday (October 15) and continue for the remainder of the Fall Semester. They are being sponsored by Harvard’s Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society, which is organizing student poker societies on university campuses nationwide, and Harvard Law Professor Charles Nesson, who is focusing on the study of poker as an academic exercise.
More information on the lecture series can be found at http://www.gpsts.org.
Events scheduled thus far include:
Poker: A Game of Truth In Life and Law (to take place at 5 p.m. on Oct. 15) features Crandell Addington, co-founder of the World Series of Poker and a member of the Poker Hall of Fame, and Howard Lederer, a professional poker player who has won millions of dollars in prize money. They are going to examine how the game of poker mirrors the challenges of life in terms of risk- taking, management skills, decision-making, and strategic thinking. Moderating the lecture and adding insights will be Harvard Law Professor Charles Nesson, the founder of the Berkman Center on Internet Law and Society, and Andrew Woods, a Harvard Law student and the director of Harvard’s student poker club (called the Poker Strategic Thinking Society).
This lecture will take place on Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. in Rm. 102 of Hauser Hall.
Law as Rhetorical Poker: Antigua v. USA in the WTO (to take place at 5 p.m. on Oct. 16 in the same location) focuses on the current international trade dispute over online gaming that pits the tiny island nation of Antigua against the U.S. at the World Trade Organization. The W.T.O. recently ruled that the U.S. has violated its international treaty commitments by barring overseas online gaming operators from the U.S. market. The implications of this novel case will be discussed by Simon Lester, an expert in international trade law; Steven Donziger, a lawyer involved in aspects of the W.T.O. matter who will discuss asymmetrical litigation strategies (when a seemingly weak litigant like Antigua is able to defeat a more powerful adversary, such as the U.S. government); and Jonathon Cohen, a lawyer and communications strategist.
The Educational Value of Poker, an academic conference in Austin Hall on Nov. 10 that will feature Jim McManus, Mike Sexton, and Dr. Alan Schoonmaker. McManus will present his new book “The History of Poker”, analyzing past American luminaries, from senators to presidents to generals, for whom poker has been a significant aspect of their education. Poker celebrity Mike Sexton will discuss the explosion of the popularity of poker, the lessons that poker teaches, and the manner in which the intense
popularity of poker makes it possible to reach students. Alan Schoonmaker will present his article, co- written with David Sklansky, “Poker is Good for You”, analyzing the lessons of poker. The conference will be open, and anyone interested in the study of poker and in investigating the utility of poker is encouraged to attend.
The lecture series began on Oct. 9 with an examination of a Department of Justice policy to prosecute companies in the online gaming industry, which operates legally in most of the world except in the U.S. The lecture featured a debate between criminal defense lawyer Harvey Silvergate, trial and appellate lawyer Matt Feinberg, and Assistant Clinical Professor of Law Alex Whiting. The lecture was titled The Principle of Law and Prosecutorial Abuse of IT and examined prosecutorial power in eliciting guilty pleas.
In explaining the lecture series, Professor Nesson said: “The conflict between the U.S. government and the growing online gambling industry is a timely issue for law students interested in the impact of international treaties on domestic U.S. law, and Internet freedom and regulation.”
“I am excited that this lecture series will examine the complex legal and ethical issues relating to online gambling and poker, and will extend the Harvard Law classroom beyond the conventional setting via the Internet and Second Life,” added Nesson, who founded the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS) and who has been a tenured faculty member at Harvard for more than three decades.
More about the lecture series
The lecture series forms part of a larger experiment in opening up legal education to a worldwide audience. Taking advantage of new technology, each lecture will be produced in successively more complex ways in order to engage with a cyber audience, culminating in a live webcast into Second Life. Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening in 2003, it has grown explosively and today could accommodate small classrooms of students from around the world. Welcome to Poker University coming to you from Berkman Island.
About Charles Nesson
Charles Nesson is the William F. Weld Professor of Law, Harvard Law School and Founder and Co-Director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society. He is joined on the GPSTS board by Stanford Law School Professor Lawrence Lessig, who is the author of Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace and a previous Berkman Professor of Law.
Click here to go to the press release.
October 15th, 2007
Taken from: VillageSoup/Waldo County Citizen
Maine State Police broke up an illegal “Texas Hold-Em” poker game last weekend at the Bath Country Club. Two detectives from the licensing division interrupted the game, which involved about 50 players. Police seized $2,377 and a list of participants. No charges have been filed, but game organizers could face charges and the club may be cited for violating its liquor license by serving alcohol during the illegal gambling. A new law went into effect Sept. 20 that allows the game to be held in Maine, providing organizers obtain a license. So far, six licenses have been issued. The game in Bath was not one of them.
October 15th, 2007
On a good night, players crowd the poker room at Salem’s Rockingham Park, wagering thousands of dollars on Texas Hold ‘Em, 7-card Stud and Omaha Hi-Lo. It costs at least $20 for a seat at a table; some games require $250 to buy in. Dozens of tables spread across the space that can hold up to 85.
This is the face of charitable gaming in New Hampshire.
While state lawmakers debate gambling – prompted by an effort to legalize slot machines – an evening at Rockingham Park shows that millions of gambling dollars are already changing hands in New Hampshire.
October 15th, 2007
from the Los Angeles Times:
In other actions Wednesday, Schwarzenegger rejected SB 152 by Sen. Dean Florez (D-Shafter), which would have
allowed a 45% increase in the number of gaming tables that some card
clubs could operate without requiring voter approval. The bill, he
said, would have created “a significant exemption to the current
moratorium on expanding local gaming establishments.”
October 12th, 2007
On October 1st, the Department of the Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve issued proposed regulations which, if finalized, would direct banks, credit card companies and other payment systems to take certain steps to block payments for “Unlawful Internet Gambling.” These regulations are an outgrowth of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) which was enacted last October.
Read the rest of this entry »
October 10th, 2007
Despite sound reasoning, taking on gambling law not a good bet.
Up until a few weeks ago, Don Signore spent several nights a week
playing Texas Hold ‘Em poker in a league that rotates among south
suburban bars and restaurants.
The poker league was a nice social outlet for Signore, 44, helping
him get back in circulation after his wife died two years ago. Signore
never lost any money during the games. He never even wagered any.
In an effort to stay within the bounds of Illinois’ gambling laws,
organizers of the poker league charge no fee to play in their
tournaments, ban wagering and offer only nominal prizes to the winners
such as gift certificates from the host establishment.
And that’s why Signore can’t understand why the Illinois Liquor
Control Commission has effectively shut down the “free poker” league by
cracking down on liquor licenseholders that host the games.
“We should have a right to play as long as we’re not gambling,” says
an angry Signore, who lives in West Beverly and owns a catering
business.
State officials don’t quite see it that way.
Rather than trying to sort out those playing poker for fun from
those playing poker for money, they say it makes more sense to simply
prohibit poker tournaments in liquor establishments.
“Usually when you’re playing poker, you’re gambling,” says Ted Penesis, a spokesman for the liquor commission.
True enough, which is why we all start from a position of skepticism
about a “free” poker league. Doesn’t everybody play poker for money,
even if it’s just nickels and dimes? Why bother, otherwise?
For Signore, it was about the competition, improving his game and
making friends. The most he ever won was a $50 restaurant gift
certificate, although he’s proud that he has twice qualified for the
“final table” at the conclusion of the four-month league season. (The
league has three “seasons” a year.)
Click here to go to the article and read more.
