Charity Poker Rooms “In” as Online Poker Rooms go “Out”

How long can you really keep people away from something that they love? How long can you keep online poker players from playing the game with real money now that the online poker sites have been kicked out of the country? The answer – not too long. In fact, in the aftermath of the ban, poker players have found, or rather, rediscovered, a venue in which they can play to their heart’s content, the charity poker rooms.

Alive and Thriving

If the Department of Justice hoped to keep people away from the game by their harsh actions against online poker, then they would be sorely disappointed. Of course, one can’t exactly call this a loss since the charity poker rooms all over the country are now gaining much popularity in the aftermath of the ban. Earning money for charity is always good, after all, and if this is the result of online poker players suffering through withdrawal symptoms, then so be it. How these charity poker rooms are operating may be quite a source of confusion for some. After all, if gambling is illegal in some states, how can these rooms operate? Well, by tagging themselves as ‘charity’ poker rooms, the government has given them leeway so long as their profit – or at least most of it – goes to the charity institutions. Some of the more popular charity venues hold tournaments about twice a week. This consistency is made possible by charity organizations filling out the paperwork before the tournament takes place and subsequently paying the necessary tax to the State Lottery Commission.

Murky Dealings

However, the charity poker rooms aren’t always squeaky clean. It may sometimes seem like they’re doing everything for the good of charity, but sometimes it’s anything but. Some charity poker rooms – not all of them, mind you – have practices that border on the illegal. They go to the limits of what they’re allowed and thus avoid prosecution. The government mostly gives them enough leeway to do their operations as long as it’s within the law’s bounds. Indeed, murky or not, it’s undeniable that it feels good to see these charity poker rooms gain popularity. If morality is really the issue behind the whole online poker debacle, then this should be one aspect where that the anti-online poker party gained quite a victory. Hopefully, though, people won’t see another opening for exploitation like some charity poker rooms did. After all, these days, poker needs all the good rep it can get. One US room that is still accepting players from the US is Bodog:

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Charity Poker Rooms “In” as Online Poker Rooms go “Out”

Alive and Thriving

Murky Dealings

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