Finally, a New York politician who can have my vote for president. Unfortunately, former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato is too busy fighting the good fight – lobbying for a reversal of the federal prohibition against online poker – but should he ever decide he wants back into big-stage politics, he’s one Republican who can count on the support of this lifelong Democrat. (I’m bluffing, of course, which the senator will recognize and appreciate.)
Anyway, the New York Times this morning has the story of D’Amato’s passion for poker – the wink-wink, illegal-but-rarely prosecuted home-game version – and his new gig as Washington muscle for the fledgling Poker Players Alliance. That group is looking to D’Amato for leadership in overturning the online poker ban with the kind of backroom politicking that made the ex-senator effective back in the day.
“You can’t cork this,” D’Amato tells the Times referring to Internet poker. “You can’t stop this through some silly bill.”
Yet a number of previously thriving online poker companies have been effectively shut down to U.S. customers, forcing those determined to play Internet poker – and they are legion – to seek workarounds – and they are plentiful.
“I think it’s fair to say that most poker players see themselves as nonpolitical,” says Walt Thiessen, 49, an entrepreneur from Warrenton, Va., in the Times article. “But the more that the government does to impede poker players, the more angry and frustrated they’re going to become.”
Thiessen’s correct on the latter point but wrong on the first. Poker players are every bit as political (or not) as the populace as a whole. What unites them, however – Democrat, Republican, liberal or conservative – is a nonpartisan agreement that the government has absolutely no business dictating to us how we spend our recreational dollars.
Two observational examples from my weekend:
On Friday evening, my monthly poker game gathered in a friend’s basement for four hours the best fun and banter money can buy. I say that not only because I walked out with $150 of my pals’ money (which bought the McNamara family groceries on Saturday), but because, well, it’s simply true. On evenings when I lose, I go home ever so slightly less happy, but happy. (And the McNamara family still gets groceries.)
On Sunday afternoon I attended the Boston Celtics game against the Minnesota Timberwolves (a thrilling double-overtime win for the abysmal but suddenly streaking Celtics.) Thanks to a Christmas present, I was sitting in mid-court seats that cost more than my Friday night poker winnings, meaning that the family of four sitting in front of us shelled out at least a grand for the day after you factor in parking, snacks and souvenirs. We were by no means sitting in the most expensive seats either.
My point: Never have I heard a politician or gambling opponent lament the fact that people toss away the grocery money on frivolous entertainment (or risky investments, or religious charlatans, or whatever).
I’ve written these words countless times: Online gambling – all gambling – should be legal, regulated and taxed. Those who profit from legal gambling operations should pay to offset the costs of treating problem gamblers.
The rest of us should be left to make our own decisions about how to dispose of our disposable income.
Give ‘em hell, Al.
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