Just when we thought that online poker would be a dead issue until the new year, a San Diego news station has released a series of articles supporting iPoker in California.
KGTV of San Diego has recently released a series of articles entitled “Check or Bet” which explores the online poker issue from every angle and quotes poker pros, industry experts and even tribal leadership.
If Players Gamble Online They Will Play Live
In the piece entitled “Who Wants a Seat at the Online Poker Table,” the positions of all interested stake holders are examined.
Anyone following the issue knows that various tribes and state race tracks support California online poker site regulation but on their terms. What everyone can agree on is that online poker will be a benefit to the state and the live casino industry.
Estimates put first-year revenue for California somewhere around $200 million but as some have pointed out the initiative will help live card rooms, Indian casinos and race tracks.
As Rincon council member Steve Stallings explained, “We believe that if you can interest people with internet poker, you can drive visitation to your property.”
Stallings further explained that internet poker expands the reach of the casino. “The demographics of the player is changing” and he explained how that the average young person wants to interact with their game rather than push buttons as the traditional slot player or older gambler might.
What’s Behind This Series?
The first question that came to our mind when reviewing the material presented by ABC 10 News was which organization was backing the articles.
We’ve reviewed the articles and one of the obvious choices is PokerStars. While the articles are very balanced and include information from multiple sources, multiple articles do include points from PokerStars Team Pro Daniel Negreanu.
It is clear that some serious investigation and likely some serious money was put forward to back this series. PokerStars would have the funds and the motive to put forth such a series.
Normally we would consider such a move propaganda but the series takes a balanced approach to the issue and while it is spun positively, it does educate as well as inform players.
To read the articles in their entirety or participate in the site’s poll about online poker, head over to 10news.com.