Online Poker

Check out the video below from America's Family Research Council. As a rule I pretty much like to stay out of the whole US Online Gambling debate, and I believe in the right to free speech. But surely nobody could take such a video seriously... Or make it with a straight face!

They are trying to act enlightened and helpful. But the educated and clear minded will see through that and realise what they are doing is purest form of evil. Brainwashing innocent people that know no better - for their own personal gain.



Here's a few thoughts about that video.

• Notice how the actual crime the son committed isn't mentioned. Why not? If online gambling is so bad and it MADE this kid commit a crime, surely it is worth mentioning what he was actually driven to do?
  
  It's not mentioned because they realize how ridiculous they will sound if they try to insinuate that the need to play another S&G made this kid rob a bank. The problem is not online gambling, it's your parenting skills and lack of communication with your child. You must be a great Dad if your boy would rather face jail time than come to you with his problems.... And you are acting as a role model for families? Why would any sane parent listen to what you think is best for their family? You obviously don't communicate well with your child - he probably made up the whole online gambling story anyway....
  
  
• I'll be the first to admit that gambling can be addictive to a small percentage of the population. To most of us it is simply a form of recreation - innocent entertainment. But some can form addictive gambling behaviors, just like coffee, alcohol, sex, exercise and carrots can be addictive. Yes I said carrots - I knew a lady that carried around a bag of carrots to eat. She took them everywhere, until she turned orange and was finally admitted to hospital with carotene poisoning. Does that make bugs bunny evil? Should we ban farmers from growing carrots, or stop the world from exercising and having sex?
  
  No - what we should do is focus resources on educating families about how to identify addictive behaviors and help those affected. Banning something does nothing to help those who have a tendency to become addicted. Their compulsive behaviour will simply shift to another area of their life unless they learn effective self control strategies. Sweeping something under the carpet is no way to deal with a problem. A family organisation should know better.
  
  
• Why is it that a site like PokerStars has a page like this if they are so evil? It explains numerous ways to not only gamble responsibly, but how to block minor's access to such sites, how to block yourself from the site and many ways that you can get more information and help with gambling issues. There's also default deposit limits in place to stop people from gambling too much, too often.
  
  But then you look at the New York horse racing site - http://www.nyra.com. Betting on horse races online is perfectly fine according to the FRC and most politicians. I wonder why it is okay and other forms of online gambling are not? And I wonder why they have virtually no information on their website regarding responsible gambling? They have a tiny notice in grey text at the bottom of the page with a telephone number people can call for help. No information to help people privately learn more about responsible gambling. No links to third party sites that offer help. And I'm pretty sure you could walk into any horse track and bet a LOT of money on as many races as you like without being stopped. The same as you can buy as many lottery or scratch tickets as you like, or walk into any of the 100s of casinos across the USA and lose every cent to your name. None of those things require any skill. Horse racing is widely regarded as the most rigged industry in the world! But it is okay to place a bet over the internet on any old pony running past a post first.
  
  But online poker, where skill is involved, where you are playing against other consenting adults, where deposits are limited, where help is offered and responsible gambling practices are clearly explained is somehow destroying families? Give me a break..
  

What clowns like the FRC and Mr Hogan need to do is not try and take advantage of innocent people who do not understand the real issues. They need to focus on actually helping and educating families using truth and logic. They are taking advantage of the people they are supposed to help.

Their agenda is clearly not to stop online gambling, but to help politicians secure votes. To help establish support for Bush and the republicans. To brainwash people into thinking online gambling is evil. To protect the revenue streams of industries like horse racing that pump millions of dollars in campaign funds into poltician's & lobbyists' pockets.

And it's so funny how the text within the submission form on their website cannot be altered and you have the option of choosing the salutation Pastor, Reverend, The Rev, Sister, Chaplain or 'the Honourable'. Sorry but no person who submits that form is Honourable. And as usual it's the religious participating in brainwashing.... But that's a debate for another time.

Just remember from this post that online gambling is no more evil or harmful than a humble carrot. At least not to anyone with any common sense!

What has happened to the land of the free?