Better For Online Poker Players, Regulations Or Continuous Play?

Online poker players will always find a way to play the game they love from the comfort of their home, but the choices may become more restrictive in the coming months. Online players are torn on whether they want Senator Harry Reid to succeed or fail with his new online poker legislation.

Reid shocked many in the gaming industry late last week when he revealed that he was supporting a bill that would regulate online poker in the US. Each state would be able to opt out of the legislation, but clearly the goal for Reid was to help Nevada gaming companies with existing casinos.

As the details of the bill have emerged, online players have become more weary of Reid's motives. One of the more interesting stipulations surrounds the possibility that all online poker operators seeking a license would have to halt their services to US customers for a period of fifteen consecutive months once the legislation is finalized and passed.

That presents an interesting scenario for player who have spent the past decade playing at sites such as Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars. If those sites stopped taking the action, players would basically be experiencing a blackout for almost a year and a half, and that is something no player wants to endure.

"I love playing online," said one player who wished to remain anonymous. "But if I had to stop for a period of time and I knew when I came back that my money would be protected, I would be all for it. I'd just have to spend more time in my local casinos."

That is not the sentiment of all players. Others have claimed that the fifteen month clause should be taken out of final legislation proposed by Reid. Taking the clause out would be unlikely, although shortening the length of time could be a possibility.

Reid has likely placed that clause in the legislation in order to give the federal government time to work out the regulations that online poker sites would have to adhere to. Even in a best case scenario, that could mean five to ten months of a blackout for players.

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