Poker Player Blog

Every time I turned around this week I found out about another legal issue on the poker circuit. Here’s a recap of the week’s highlights.

Massachusetts politicians have been debating a bill to tax and regulate online poker in the state to boost the economy. They are trying to make tax gambling revenue on online sites while simultaneously promoting the opening of casinos and slot machines in the state. This will stimulate growth that’s for sure but taxing online poker has put many up in arms.

The Absolute Poker scandal resurfaced this week after a pro blogger revealed additional files and data that pointed to Scott Tom, co-founder of the online poker company as the responsible party who embezzled over $800,000 during online poker tournaments using fake accounts. Joe Norton, the other founder of the company, had admitted back in 2007 there had been a breach in security from someone inside the company. The blogger that broke the story, Hayley Hintze, has been threatened with two lawsuits by the online poker giant for liable.

Full Tilt Poker faces issues with both the state of Kansas and the government. An earlier lawsuit regarding the payment of compensation to poker game losers in the state will probably come to nothing as the Full Tilt gaming site is a peer to peer site. The company itself did not play against the residents of Kansas who are upset at losing. The suit did apparently spark a grand jury investigation of the company but that remains a rumor on the poker circuit rather than a hard fact.

It seems the week has ended on a high note with the legal determining that poker is a “mind sport” and thus on a level with chess and bridge. The announcement by the International Federation of Poker allows the game of poker to join the other mind skill games at the IMSA World Mind Sport Games which will take place in London at the same time as the 2012 Olympics.

It’s important for poker players, especially online players, to keep up to date on possible changes to poker laws, issues of honesty with poker game producers and possible corruption on sites. To enjoy a safe, fair game of poker, the player must make smart choices. Being informed is the only way.