I just finished writing a letter to my state senators about bill H.R. 4411, which passed through the House of Representatives recently.  This bill, entitled the "Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006," would render the process of transfering money to online gambling sites illegal.  It would block U.S. banks from allowing such transactions to take place essentially.

As those you who know me are aware, I've been playing online Texas Hold 'Em for the past year, and have been studying the game avidly through various books and by posting and discussing hands on messageboards, such as on FlopTurnRiver (October '05 through January '06) and 2+2 (May '06 through present).  The game, although it involves probabilistic chance, allows one to make choices that alter one's odds within each hand, therefore making it possible to make decisions (essentially, fold, call, or bet/raise) that contribute to a positive mathematical expectation.  In non-mathematical terms, if you make the "right" decisions all the time (a caveat however, most correct decisions are not immediately obvious, it takes study, practice, and some basic math to be able to weigh the odds properly), after playing hundreds of thousands of hands, you are essentially guaranteed to make a net profit.  So, this makes the game a terrific exercise in mathematics, player psychology, and competition.  It's subtle, complex, and great fun to play and study.

This bill, if the Senate ratifies it (it's pretty much guaranteed that President Bush will sign the bill if it reaches him), will make online play in the United States difficult, if not impossible.  It specifically attacks online gambling, although it makes curious and hypocritical exemptions for online horse betting and online state lotteries (the epitome of giving poor people false hope).  And, I am sure that if this bill passes, the opportunity for stateside online casinos and pokerrooms will be next to nil. 

Given my recent interest in politics, I saw this as a perfect opportunity to finally exercise my right to be heard as an American citizen (outside of casting votes, that is).  I sat down and composed a letter to both PA senators, and I am also sending a copy of the letter to the two NE senators, since I will be a resident of that state in the near future.

This is not a well publicized bill, and it will creep through if the American public lets it.  Thousands of Americans play online poker, but most are oblivious to this bill and what it will do.  Essentially, it will freeze your money.  What you have online will be stuck online, and you will not be able to deposit more or withdrawal it.  However, feel free to keep plugging away at those state lotteries!  One of those tickets will surely be a winner!!! </sarcasm>

Anyway, I encourage anyone who plays online to definitely check out what this bill is all about and write/call your state senator about this issue.  Or, if you just support the freedom to spend your legally earned money on legal activities (gambling is a legal U.S. pastime in casinos.  An online casino should not be any different), I encourage you to at least pass the word on to your senator about this bill.

By the way, I would really prefer that internet gambling would be established on U.S. shores and properly regulated.  That way, everyone is happy.  Customers get quality, scam-free games, and the U.S. government gets plenty of tax money from an individual's net winnings.  It would take some effort to implement, but I see that as a far superior solution than what this bill is attempting to produce.

I want to post the letter I wrote, as it's far more eloquent than this quick entry, but I will withhold from doing so in the time being.  I want the letter to reach the senators first before I put a copy of it online, so I'll have to give it a few days.  The letter explains my position well, and I hope that it makes an impact.  My parents were convinced by the argument as well, and have signed the letter in support of my views.

Well, that's enough for now.  This at least gets the issue out there, and I know a couple of my peers do play poker online, so this should help them get aware of the issue.

For more information on the issue, either download H.R. 4411 directly, check the Legislation board at 2+2, read the Poker Players Alliance website, do a google search, and watch this funny clip from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart about the Net Neutrality Act and H.R. 4411.

Later.