Online Poker: The Number of Players is Growing Fast

Amateur and professional poker players alike say that playing the game online is a great way to hone your skills. At any number of sites based off-shore, players can transfer real money from their bank accounts and play all day long. According to market research firm Poker Pulse, 1.8 million people play this way, and the number grows every month. Up north, however, in Washington, the pastime of online poker is now illegal.

A law passed last week made it a felony to gamble on the Internet, operate an Internet gaming site or facilitate Internet gaming in any way. The penalty for violating this law is steep: up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. And police say they plan to crack down. It's interesting to speculate who's behind the new law. In a newsletter article, the Washington State Gambling Commission admitted that owners of private card rooms had lobbied the organization to "get the word out" that online gaming was illegal.

Others speculate local Indian casinos played a hand in the move. The same forces may be aiming for a similar law to criminalize online poker in California. As it stands now, Section 330 of the state penal code states it is a misdemeanor to play poker online, where the rake is a percentage of the pot.

This law does not apply to licensed card rooms because their rakes are set amounts. It's unclear whether California law applies to those who bet in poker games based overseas. Nevertheless, I. Nelson Rose, professor of law at Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, said enforcement of this law has been lax over the years, and there's simply no way law enforcement officials could or would arrest ordinary players.

June 16, 2006
Posted By James Stevenson
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com    Previous Page | Internet Gambling | Top Online Casinos | Submit News!