Online Poker Bonanza
Introduction
You might well want to pinch yourself at this piece of news but a province in Canada is about to actively encourage people to play online poker and other online gambling activities! With immediate effect adults in the Canadian province of British Columbia can create and deposit up to $9,999 in an eGambling account – every week! Surprise, surprise of course – the accounts will be managed by the province’s authorities.
Get those tax dollars
So, despite what seems on the face of it an enlightened and informed decision to simply accept that adults enjoy and want to indulge themselves in online sports such as playing poker, the real driving motive behind the Canadian move is to raise more taxes. Just 10 years ago British Columbia was almost seeking to ban all forms of gambling even banning any new ‘bricks and mortar’ casinos from being built. This latest development, and apparent U-turn in policy, apparently stems from a desire to increase tax revenues as the move is directly linked to the British Columbia Lottery Corporation seeking to maintain profits at a time when tax income from ‘bricks and mortar’ casinos is falling. Just to back up that idea in 2002 internet gambling accounted for $0 revenue, 2008-9 was $23.5 million and the projected sum for 2011-12, when the scheme is truly adopted is $73 million.
Big poker games
Sarah Palin - from Alaska to British Columbia?
So, what might all this mean for us online poker enthusiasts? Well one way to think of it is if you’re a BC resident you could potentially ‘bank’ over $500,000 in your eGambling account in a year and – blow it one hand! Now we’re not of course suggesting that but the new ruling does mean that poker players can indulge themselves in some pretty high rolling games on a regular basis – without any fear of reprisal from the authorities. Hopefully it won’t be long before the lobbyists on Capitol Hill will be picking up on this news and use it as leverage in the Barney Frank Bill, still under discussion.