Top Poker Insiders Discuss Internet Gambling Ban

In an interview with the Associated Press today, Mike Bolcerek, President of the Poker Players Alliance stated that online poker will survive despite the federal governments efforts to bar financial institutions from participating in transactions with offshore casinos.

According to Bolcerek, "The ban is going to affect the average player most dramatically. And those players are the ones that have filled the ranks".

Bolcerek says, "The hardcore players will find somewhere (to play), they won't care whether it's regulated. That is what prohibition does. It drives everything underground."

Mike Sexton, who hosts the popular World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel, said the internet gambling ban will hurt what has become a popular sport.

"I wouldn't say it would put poker in a death spiral, but in the long run it will hurt the growth of poker," Sexton said. "The World Series of Poker is going to be devastated over this."

On the other hand, top land-based casinos, are still holding out hope. The number of poker tables in Las Vegas has surged from 142 in 2003 to 405 in 2006, with many citing the growth to Internet players seeking to test their skills on the felt.

According to MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman, "Poker's enormous popularity will not be changed."

Promoters for the World Series of Poker, televised by Walt Disney's ESPN, also said they were not daunted by the new gambling law despite wide speculation that the WSOP will face major hurdles in the years to come.

October 25, 2006
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com    Previous Page | Internet Gambling | Top Online Casinos | Submit News!