Confusion Reigns in Online Poker Debates

• Tweet
• Email
• Sharebar

• Tweet
• Email

Does Anyone Really Know What’s Going On?

Some days, you can read ten different poker news sites and read ten different opinions. Confusion was a buzzword in online poker right after Black Friday, and the clarification of the Wire Act brought even more confusion to the table, so it’s no wonder than online poker news sites and debates at forums are stuffed with contradictory information.

Online Poker Confusion

Online poker games are still available to American players, though not nearly as many as in years past, before the UIGEA and before Black Friday, so really, not much has been lost. The variety of poker games available to players in some parts of the world has shrunk, which is always a bad thing, but for the most part, not much has changed about our games of poker.

In other words, the worst is behind us. Preet Bharara, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, continues to throw monkey wrenches into the works with his constant talk about his “ongoing investigation,” but his words probably have no real impact on the case. The truth is, the federal government is not allowed to expand the indictments already handed down without paneling a brand new grand jury before they can proceed toward more indictments. You can see why there’s so much confusion among the rank and file poker players.

Lawyers Gone Mute

To add to this confusion, in the past couple of weeks, lawyers for the government have suddenly gone mute. No more are we treated to even brief interviews or inquiries about their ongoing negotiations. The best answer we get from these lawyers right now is that “things are moving along,” or something similar to that. This sign has been interpreted to mean both that more online poker indictments are on the way and that the government’s case is about to collapse. So far, neither side of that debate has been right.

The US Attorney’s Office is not fond of media attention paid to their trials, and this is apparently especially true of the Southern District, the district where online poker convictions originate. One reason for the mute effect on the lawyers on the case could be the federal attorneys orders to not talk to the press. Still, the general press has made a mockery of the trial process and of the indictment process, with the New York Times famously printing a story about the online poker trials before the trial attorneys wanted that story to appear.

Bloopers all over this case have been more of a story than any actual impact on American poker play. Everyone knows that the Black Friday shutdowns won’t ultimately end online poker play in America. We’re just waiting with our fingers crossed, watching the news for indications from the federal attorneys about what will happen next. For now, the best we can do is wait and hope. And write our congressmen.

Tags: Black Friday, Lawyers Gone Mute, Online Poker Confusion, Southern District

Comments are closed.