Lawmakers in Iowa argued over the issue of legalized Online Texas Hold em Poker and gaming, with suggestions being made that the state could become the first in the country to introduce this concept. Rep. Doug Struyk stated that if Iowa wants to take the lead in the introduction of Online Texas Hold em Poker, the time was ripe to make these changes.
Struyk, who supports the idea of online gaming – although he uses the term ‘account deposit wagering’ – stated that over 50,000 Iowans regularly play Online Texas Hold em Poker and casino games.
Struyk referred to problems facing these players, including his opinion that certain offshore Online Texas Hold em Poker websites use planted players to bluff and win money off unsusceptible poker fans. Let me be the first to give that a triple, WTF. Anyway, Struyk noted that “people in our state lose thousands of dollars on this.”
Struyk gave the proposal, which would allow Iowans to open an online account at state casinos and fund it with cash, a one in four chance of passing in 2010. The success of the proposal, according to Struyk, lay in the ability of lawmakers to educate the public about the concept of Online Texas Hold em Poker and gaming, without turning it into an emotional circus.
The House Majority Leader, however, was doubtful that the state would be ready to lead the idea of online gaming in the USA.
“I will tell you that in my judgment, that would be the largest expansion of gaming in the history of the USA of America,” stated Kevin McCarthy. “There never has been a state that has done it and knowing that gaming bills historically are bipartisan and it takes a lot of work to get to 51 votes on a fairly limited bill, moving to the potential of allowing every home in the state to be licensed as an online casino to gamble at home seems to me to be a fairly heavy lift.”
