San Jeronimo, Costa Rica
I haven’t liked being American for a long time.
I recently had to waste a lot of time opening new bank accounts in California because my banks in Washington state now recognize me as a felon. However, I’ve been informed if I do not pay my taxes I will become a new kind of criminal. Well, that doesn’t make very much sense to me. If you would like to tax me I would like representation, or for my craft to at least be legal. You do not get to tax me, as if everything were fine, and then turn around and declare what I do illegal. You do not get to stand and declare my job immoral, to claim that offshore gambling sites provide the means for money laundering and teenage drug addiction, and then pay yourself from my paychecks. That’s hypocritical horse shit.
I was able to play on Full Tilt today because I live in Costa Rica, so my money has not been taken by the feds, or frozen. I am assured I could get my money into a foreign bank account by Stars, and I really really hope that turns out to be Full Tilt’s stance as well.
What makes me sick is this is just bad for everyone, the government included. When you make a service or product illegal which is high in demand, you do not diminish it’s influence much unless the punishment is substantial. In fact you might make it more seductive to the targeted field because it is no longer accepted by the main stream. All you accomplish is removing control of the industry from yourself, and placing responsibility in the hands of what often becomes the criminal sector.
Not that Full Tilt or Pokerstars are criminals, but what they’ve been forced to do in order to continue to service one of their biggest markets does make them more criminal. However, I’m sure they would jump at the chance to be legal in the United States instead of jumping through all these hoops.
I’m convinced that politics is a game of dick waving between incredibly shortsighted men. Whatever means most for short term gains is always approached. Rwanda had no short-term gains, so it was ignored. Iraq and Afghanistan have several short-term gains, so there we are. The education system has no short-term gains, so ignore that shit. Wall Street corporations will keep funneling money into the hands of politicians, so help them out.
What we have here is a new way for a new wave of careers to get boasted. Pokerstars and Full Tilt were just too seductive as targets.
I find it hilariously transparent that they did it right on tax day. They wanted you to withdraw your funds to pay their salaries before they acted, knowing fully well that your account would be slightly less accessible for tax dollars afterward.
I wouldn’t be shocked if some big land-based casino is not “campaign contributing” for all of this. Clear the market right before possible legalization so they can get a greater market share.
Not at one point do I ever think the US government would even consider myself or many of my friends might be dependent on these sites. I have no faith in anyone looking after me.
I don’t understand it, nor do I care to. All I know is this year was feeling like my year. I’d had two six figure scores and an additional five wins outside that. Now a large portion of my money is frozen and it’s a huge pain in the ass to me. I get to call a lawyer here in Costa Rica and expedite my residential process, which I was half-assing previously.
I’m not really worried, it’s just a huge hassle, and incredibly annoying. I hope we don’t have to wait for our money for a long time but I highly doubt that given I can play on Full Tilt and Pokerstars and setting up withdrawals for me. It just seems to me that Pokerstars and Full Tilt thought it would look bad if they kept going with it. Probably wouldn’t do a lot for future bids to get legalization.
Maybe I can take this as a wake up call to invest my money in some other things.
I see a lot of potential for me to make money off this. And I will. It’s just a new set of problems which I’m not ecstatic about. Playing online hasn’t been the same, and it’s not just because I can’t play on Stars yet. The fields aren’t as massive, and there were a ton of bad USA players. I think we removed a bunch of good regs, but the best will find new ways to play…they have no choice. This is what they do. The mediocre and worst won’t continue to play. The fields are smaller and still not incredibly good, tables are decently softer sometimes, but I really love huge fields/prize pools in online poker. I don’t know if it’s going to be that soft after this, but it’s not going to be as exciting. FTOPs is kind of “whatever” now. It’s still very profitable and I’m thankful for that. I just wish I could withdraw from an e-wallet credit card like they can in the civilized world.
