Poker politics

	America should have learnt the lessons of prohibition – Tessa Jowell

As 2007 gets underway UK poker players are looking in good shape after the British government ended 2006 by slamming the US for its ‘prohibition’ of online gaming while fast positioning the UK as the centre for online poker.

UK culture secretary Tessa Jowell has been vitriolic in her attack on her American counterparts’ decision to pursue an online ban of poker.

She has said: ‘America should have learnt the lessons of prohibition. The Volstead Act (which introduced the prohibition of alcohol in 1919) was meant to stop alcohol from causing harm, but in practice it forced otherwise law-abiding customers into the hands of the bootleggers,’ said Jowell. Britain, however, thinks online gaming should be regulated. Jowell said: ‘Broadly speaking we have three choices: you can prohibit, like the US, do nothing or regulate… I firmly believe we have chosen the path that will do the most to protect children… and keep out crime.’

Jowell has also warned that a policy of prohibition, which turned sour, would create the very real danger of suspect sites turning into the ‘modern day equivalent of speakeasies, increasing the risk of exploitation and fraud’.

Welcome to Britain

One major part of the Gambling Act 2005, which is set to come into force in September 2007, is to encourage online sites to base themselves in the UK. In exchange for significant tax revenues the online sites would be subject to the scrutiny and benefits of a tightly regulated industry. If there’s one thing that sites crave it is credibility, which is exactly what the UK government will be able to give.

The question that won’t be answered until the Gambling Act comes into full effect is whether online sites will be willing to sacrifice the benefits of tax havens such as Costa Rica or Gibraltar for the gold seal of approval that the UK could provide, which would make sure that sites were fair, unconnected to organised crime and subscribed to rigorous payout methods.

Online cardrooms that PokerPlayer spoke to weren’t willing to discuss the matter at this point in time, but UK operators who have never taken US business, like Ladbrokes and Betfair, are likely to be first in the line. Ladbrokes has also got huge plans to usurp the US by staging the biggest poker tournament the UK has ever seen (see right). The UK recently headed up the first international summit on remote gaming. Delegates from 32 countries were present but the US was noticeably absent. With the British government’s stance making a refreshing change we can all be a little more optimistic about the long-term future of poker.