by Nolan Dalla
CardPlayer.com
Author's note: Table Talk is intended to be an in-depth discussion of the most important issues in poker. My column will feature a wide range of perspectives designed to encourage debate and decisions on current topics
within the poker industry.
This issue's poll questions were designed to measure attitudes toward online poker, and Internet poker sites' impact on the poker world. Judging by the diversity of attitudes about online poker, there are many different
perceptions about this relatively new industry and its future. These perceptions come from a broad range of constituents including players,
brick-and-mortar casino personnel, and industry leaders. More than 6,000 readers participated in this survey. Here are the results:
Question 1: Do you play poker online?
Yes - 84 percent
No - 16 percent
Comments: These numbers are almost certainly skewed higher than average, since it's hard to imagine that 84 percent of all poker players
play online. The 5-to-1 ratio responding that they do play poker over the Internet may indicate the emerging reader demographics of Card Player more so than the playing habits of the poker community as a whole. Nevertheless,
the poll results are interesting and do reflect a strong level of support for online poker, certainly amongst Card Player readers.
Question 2: How many online poker accounts do you have?
One account - 52 percent
Two or more accounts - 48 percent
Comments: If we judge the level of commitment to online poker sites by establishing multiple accounts, it's clear that about half of all online poker players are very serious about the game when they play it over their personal computers. Once again, this question may tell us more about Card Player readers than the habits of the general public, since there's no
indication that half of all online poker players have multiple accounts.
Judging by some e-mail responses I received, many players prefer one site explicitly for tournaments and another site (or two) for cash games. However, we can conclude from these percentages that the number of players
who have multiple accounts is steadily increasing, and that the growing number of online poker rooms is providing more playing options than ever before for those who wish to play poker over the Internet.
Question 3: (For online players only) Do you usually play in one game at a time or multiple games?
One game - 52 percent
Multiple games - 48 percent
Comments: Nearly half of all online poker players play in more than one game at a time. This is not surprising, since this is one of the key advantages of online poker - being able to play in multiple games, usually at a faster pace than in brick-and-mortar cardrooms. As online poker players become increasingly more comfortable with the format, it's expected these
percentages of multiple-game players will increase. That, in turn, means online poker rooms will make more profits.
Question 4: Do you believe that the easy access of online poker to consumers helps or hurts regular brick-and-mortar cardrooms?
It helps - 79 percent
It hurts - 21 percent
Comments: This is a hotly debated topic in the poker industry - that is, does the proliferation of online poker detract from brick-and-mortar
business or drive more players into real cardrooms? If we are to decide the issue based on the poker community's views, it's clear that online poker actually helps land-based poker rooms. By a nearly 4-to-1 margin, poker players are convinced that online poker is not a threat to brick-and-mortar games. One interesting side note relating to this question is recent
developments in Europe that suggest that online poker is exploding amongst the European contingent of players, while relatively few new cardrooms are being built. Many of the biggest cash games played by Europeans are now online, instead of at the well-established cardrooms in Western Europe.
Hence, the reality could be different for Europe than what is happening in North America, and elsewhere.
Question 5: There are questions as to the legality of playing poker online in some (U.S.) states. Assuming you knew that online playing is
illegal in your state and you could be prosecuted if caught, would you play online?
Yes - 65 percent
No - 35 percent
[PHAEDRUS ADDS: W00T!!!!]
Comments: This question was intended to measure the poker-playing public's attitude toward potential enforcement of gambling restrictions,
which in turn measures our level of commitment to online poker. Even if it means risking prosecution, poker players by roughly a 2-to-1 margin are willing to continue playing poker over the Internet. These results also
demonstrate a higher than expected level of defiance for public law, which some critics could use to suggest poker players are "different" from society at large. However, I believe that most poker players are law-abiding
citizens and are simply saying they do not want the government enforcing anti-gambling restrictions when it comes to online activities. Furthermore, they are willing to technically "break the law" to be able to continue
enjoying the freedom of playing poker over the Internet.
Question 6: In the last year, measures have been enacted that restrict financing of online poker accounts (such as major credit cards and PayPal policies that forbid money being used for "gambling purposes"). Have these restrictions ever dissuaded you from playing poker online?
Yes - 42 percent
No - 58 percent
Comments: Large numbers of online poker players have encountered difficulty funding offshore accounts. It appears that the efforts by some
legislators to block channels of finance are having a definite impact, although it's difficult to determine if the same consumers who were "dissuaded" from playing online eventually found alternative means to finance their accounts. We can conclude from the percentages that these legal restrictions have had a negative impact on the online poker industry.
However, with all the growth of online poker within the last year - even in the face of mounting financial restrictions - one has to ask, how much bigger would online poker be if the sites were easier to finance?
Question 7: (For online poker players only) Which is softer online - cash games or tournaments?
Cash games - 50 percent
Tournaments - 50 percent
Comments: Respondents were split right down the middle on the question of which is easier - cash games or tournaments. Frankly, a better question
to ask would have been, which games are easier - online poker or brick-and-mortar games? I suspect the answer to that also would have been
split about even.
Question 8: Assuming both are legal and available in your area - if you had to choose between online poker or brick-and-mortar games, which would you choose?
Online poker games - 23 percent
Brick-and-mortar games - 77 percent
Comments: I was stunned by these results. Given some of the obvious advantages of playing poker at home over the Internet, I expected the
numbers of players who favored online poker over live games to be significantly higher. However, these poll results show that most players
still prefer the traditional poker game - with real players and cards. Even when both forms of poker are available to the players in their immediate area, the overwhelming majority still favors the brick-and-mortar experience. These poll results go a long way to dispel the notion that online poker is now "more popular" than regular brick-and-mortar cardrooms. I suspect that most players go to public cardrooms for reasons other than financial incentives. The brick-and-mortar cardroom still gives players a
greater sense of social interaction that cannot be duplicated over a personal computer.
Question 9: Should online poker be regulated by an impartial U.S.-based agency or gaming commission?
Yes - 67 percent
No - 33 percent
Comments: By a 2-to-1 margin, respondents favor establishing a U.S.-based gaming commission to oversee online poker games. It's unclear
whether the one-third of voters who were against this proposal live outside the United States (the poll was open worldwide via the CardPlayer.com website) or were simply opposed to the notion based on relatively few complaints with the current (mostly unregulated) system.
Question 10: Should online poker in all of its forms - that is, playing, operating, and owning an Internet poker site - be legalized in the United States?
Yes - 98 percent
No - 2 percent
[PHAEDRUS ADDS: W00T W00T!!!!
Comments: These numbers paint a very clear picture. Poker players want online poker to be legalized in the Unites States. Furthermore, these same players also favor allowing U.S.-based operators to own and operate Internet
sites. Even with some legitimate concerns about online poker, and other forms of gambling over the Internet, a staggering majority of respondents want online poker to be legal in the United States. Given this landslide of
support, how is it possible that critics of online gambling are making progress at both the state and federal level, and continue to wage attacks on an activity that is clearly supported by millions of people?
CardPlayer.com
Author's note: Table Talk is intended to be an in-depth discussion of the most important issues in poker. My column will feature a wide range of perspectives designed to encourage debate and decisions on current topics
within the poker industry.
This issue's poll questions were designed to measure attitudes toward online poker, and Internet poker sites' impact on the poker world. Judging by the diversity of attitudes about online poker, there are many different
perceptions about this relatively new industry and its future. These perceptions come from a broad range of constituents including players,
brick-and-mortar casino personnel, and industry leaders. More than 6,000 readers participated in this survey. Here are the results:
Question 1: Do you play poker online?
Yes - 84 percent
No - 16 percent
Comments: These numbers are almost certainly skewed higher than average, since it's hard to imagine that 84 percent of all poker players
play online. The 5-to-1 ratio responding that they do play poker over the Internet may indicate the emerging reader demographics of Card Player more so than the playing habits of the poker community as a whole. Nevertheless,
the poll results are interesting and do reflect a strong level of support for online poker, certainly amongst Card Player readers.
Question 2: How many online poker accounts do you have?
One account - 52 percent
Two or more accounts - 48 percent
Comments: If we judge the level of commitment to online poker sites by establishing multiple accounts, it's clear that about half of all online poker players are very serious about the game when they play it over their personal computers. Once again, this question may tell us more about Card Player readers than the habits of the general public, since there's no
indication that half of all online poker players have multiple accounts.
Judging by some e-mail responses I received, many players prefer one site explicitly for tournaments and another site (or two) for cash games. However, we can conclude from these percentages that the number of players
who have multiple accounts is steadily increasing, and that the growing number of online poker rooms is providing more playing options than ever before for those who wish to play poker over the Internet.
Question 3: (For online players only) Do you usually play in one game at a time or multiple games?
One game - 52 percent
Multiple games - 48 percent
Comments: Nearly half of all online poker players play in more than one game at a time. This is not surprising, since this is one of the key advantages of online poker - being able to play in multiple games, usually at a faster pace than in brick-and-mortar cardrooms. As online poker players become increasingly more comfortable with the format, it's expected these
percentages of multiple-game players will increase. That, in turn, means online poker rooms will make more profits.
Question 4: Do you believe that the easy access of online poker to consumers helps or hurts regular brick-and-mortar cardrooms?
It helps - 79 percent
It hurts - 21 percent
Comments: This is a hotly debated topic in the poker industry - that is, does the proliferation of online poker detract from brick-and-mortar
business or drive more players into real cardrooms? If we are to decide the issue based on the poker community's views, it's clear that online poker actually helps land-based poker rooms. By a nearly 4-to-1 margin, poker players are convinced that online poker is not a threat to brick-and-mortar games. One interesting side note relating to this question is recent
developments in Europe that suggest that online poker is exploding amongst the European contingent of players, while relatively few new cardrooms are being built. Many of the biggest cash games played by Europeans are now online, instead of at the well-established cardrooms in Western Europe.
Hence, the reality could be different for Europe than what is happening in North America, and elsewhere.
Question 5: There are questions as to the legality of playing poker online in some (U.S.) states. Assuming you knew that online playing is
illegal in your state and you could be prosecuted if caught, would you play online?
Yes - 65 percent
No - 35 percent
[PHAEDRUS ADDS: W00T!!!!]
Comments: This question was intended to measure the poker-playing public's attitude toward potential enforcement of gambling restrictions,
which in turn measures our level of commitment to online poker. Even if it means risking prosecution, poker players by roughly a 2-to-1 margin are willing to continue playing poker over the Internet. These results also
demonstrate a higher than expected level of defiance for public law, which some critics could use to suggest poker players are "different" from society at large. However, I believe that most poker players are law-abiding
citizens and are simply saying they do not want the government enforcing anti-gambling restrictions when it comes to online activities. Furthermore, they are willing to technically "break the law" to be able to continue
enjoying the freedom of playing poker over the Internet.
Question 6: In the last year, measures have been enacted that restrict financing of online poker accounts (such as major credit cards and PayPal policies that forbid money being used for "gambling purposes"). Have these restrictions ever dissuaded you from playing poker online?
Yes - 42 percent
No - 58 percent
Comments: Large numbers of online poker players have encountered difficulty funding offshore accounts. It appears that the efforts by some
legislators to block channels of finance are having a definite impact, although it's difficult to determine if the same consumers who were "dissuaded" from playing online eventually found alternative means to finance their accounts. We can conclude from the percentages that these legal restrictions have had a negative impact on the online poker industry.
However, with all the growth of online poker within the last year - even in the face of mounting financial restrictions - one has to ask, how much bigger would online poker be if the sites were easier to finance?
Question 7: (For online poker players only) Which is softer online - cash games or tournaments?
Cash games - 50 percent
Tournaments - 50 percent
Comments: Respondents were split right down the middle on the question of which is easier - cash games or tournaments. Frankly, a better question
to ask would have been, which games are easier - online poker or brick-and-mortar games? I suspect the answer to that also would have been
split about even.
Question 8: Assuming both are legal and available in your area - if you had to choose between online poker or brick-and-mortar games, which would you choose?
Online poker games - 23 percent
Brick-and-mortar games - 77 percent
Comments: I was stunned by these results. Given some of the obvious advantages of playing poker at home over the Internet, I expected the
numbers of players who favored online poker over live games to be significantly higher. However, these poll results show that most players
still prefer the traditional poker game - with real players and cards. Even when both forms of poker are available to the players in their immediate area, the overwhelming majority still favors the brick-and-mortar experience. These poll results go a long way to dispel the notion that online poker is now "more popular" than regular brick-and-mortar cardrooms. I suspect that most players go to public cardrooms for reasons other than financial incentives. The brick-and-mortar cardroom still gives players a
greater sense of social interaction that cannot be duplicated over a personal computer.
Question 9: Should online poker be regulated by an impartial U.S.-based agency or gaming commission?
Yes - 67 percent
No - 33 percent
Comments: By a 2-to-1 margin, respondents favor establishing a U.S.-based gaming commission to oversee online poker games. It's unclear
whether the one-third of voters who were against this proposal live outside the United States (the poll was open worldwide via the CardPlayer.com website) or were simply opposed to the notion based on relatively few complaints with the current (mostly unregulated) system.
Question 10: Should online poker in all of its forms - that is, playing, operating, and owning an Internet poker site - be legalized in the United States?
Yes - 98 percent
No - 2 percent
[PHAEDRUS ADDS: W00T W00T!!!!
Comments: These numbers paint a very clear picture. Poker players want online poker to be legalized in the Unites States. Furthermore, these same players also favor allowing U.S.-based operators to own and operate Internet
sites. Even with some legitimate concerns about online poker, and other forms of gambling over the Internet, a staggering majority of respondents want online poker to be legal in the United States. Given this landslide of
support, how is it possible that critics of online gambling are making progress at both the state and federal level, and continue to wage attacks on an activity that is clearly supported by millions of people?
