Online Poker's Next Round

SHARE THIS SHOW:

OTHER SEGMENTS THIS HOUR:

RELATED CONVERSATIONS:

Suggest a Topic

RECENTLY ON TOL:

TOL Our Town

A tumblr site dedicated to the people and places that make up Oregon and Southwest Washington.

2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

see all tags >>

AIR DATE: Friday, May 20th 2011

POSTED BY: JOHN ROSMAN

Download the mp3 for this show.

Last month the Department of Justice shut down online poker's big three companies: Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and Absolute Poker. These sites were indicted on fraud and laundering charges. Although no players who used these sites were charged with a crime, they are feeling the hurt. More than 50,000 Americans who are professional online poker players are now unemployed.

But is online poker illegal? This seemingly simple question is hard to answer. At the heart of the debate is another question, one that Attorney General Eric Holder won't answer: Is poker a game of skill or luck? A recent study, by Freakonomics co-author Steven Levitt, argues that winning in poker takes a lot of skill.

Lobbyists are pushing lawmakers to agree. The U.S. makes up the largest marketshare of worldwide online poker players. And it's a multi-billion dollar industry some legislators want legalized, regulated and taxed.

Should the U.S. legalize online poker? Do you play online poker? Is poker a game of skill or chance?

GUESTS:

Charles Nesson: Harvard Professor of Law and Founder of Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society
Nick Stowell: Professional Online Poker Player
Jeff Marotta: works with individuals seeking help from problem gambling, and is a Senior Consultant for Problem Gambling Soultions

Tagged as: gambling · internet · poker

Photo credit: AAAA / Creative Commons