Hello nannystaters:

I participate in on-line poker. As of June 7, my poker playing activities will become a felony. The head of the state gambling commission, however, said that it is unlikely that individual gamblers will be targeted. Yeah right!

(1) Do you believe the head gambling cop? (2) Why would they spend the time to make gambling a felony if they had no intention of enforcing it? (3) Should I quit? (4) Do you want your cops spending time doing this kind of enforcement?

excon

PS> NO, I ain't going to quit. And YES, because of that decision, some of you think I should go to jail. (5) Do you? (6) Why?

That sounds like a great job, why not try out to be one of the poker police.

But even better, use a wireless system, sit outside of peoples homes taping into their system, and all the illegal stuff will trace back to their house.

I have a question...

What does "nannystaters" mean please?

There is a bigger picture to this you might not be seeing and it's the extreme increase in people totally trainwrecking their lives with an online gambling addiction. While that may NOT be you, it is a problem for others in numbers that is getting a lot of attention lately.

I would guess that the legal system is doing what it considers its best to correct this by making it illegal and going after the operators of the sites rather than the users. Wouldn't this explain a lot of what you were told?

And for my two cents worth, a question: Is continuing to break a law with an expectation to not go to jail a very effective way to protest a bad law?

Hello val:

Yes! I understand WHY they pass the laws they do. They try to protect the 10% of the people who abuse alcholol, drugs gambling, etc. buy punishing the 90% who don't.

It's the WRONG way to govern. It just is.

Secondarily, I gamble because I enjoy it, not to protest. I'll do my protesting right here.

excon

There are groups out there that are fighting for poker players rights. Once such group is the Poker Players Alliance: http://www.pokerplayersalliance.org/

Another thing you can do is to write your representatives and senator and tell them how you feel about the law.

I'm an online poker player myself, and do not agree with making it illegal--especially when they allow other forms of gambling such as horse race betting.