Harvard Panel Speaks For Poker Legalization

The Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS) was established on October 1, as a recognized student club at Harvard Law School in order to publicize poker as a game of skill. On October 15, Professor Charles Nesson, who has been a law professor at Harvard for close to 40 years moderated a panel discussion that emphasized the importance of educating the public about developing life skills and the need for legalizing poker. Panelists included Crandell Addington and Howard Lederer.

On October 16 Professor Nesson moderated another panel that included Simon Lestor, a former lawyer with the World trade Organization, Steven Donziger, a lawyer who represented Antiguan online gaming operators, Kevin Washburn, a visiting law professor who teaches gambling law at Harvard and Joseph Kelly, a Professor of business law at the State University of New York at Buffalo and the co-author of Antigua's online gaming laws. The consensus of the panelists was that Antigua had scored a significant victory over the United States in it GATS dispute, that poker should be regulated and recognized as a game of skill and that the United States Department of Justice, especially under the Bush administration, has been hostile to all gambling.

Discussion also centered on the forces supposedly opposing the regulation of all online gambling. Some of the discussion addressed the opposition to online gambling by some of the United States casino companies; however there was also emphasis on the lobbying efforts of the NFL whose opposition to online gambling is well documented.

The next session will be held on November 5 and will focus on "Internet Freedom: The Power of Poker and the Consumer Electronics Industry" with Maura Corbett, Vijay Raghavan and Dan Walsh

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Joseph Kelly, mentioned in the above article, is also an author here at PokerPages.com, care of Catania Consulting. Click here to read his latest piece, written with Frank Catania, a legal analysis of the recently proposed rules and regulations for the UIGEA.)

More Poker News Articles

Moon and Cada Heads-Up, Ivey 7th at WSOP Main Event Final Table
12am Sun Nov 8th, 2009

After a marathon session at the most esteemed table in the poker world, a 21-year-old and a logger are set to go one-on-one for the World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet.

PokerStars Launches New UK and Ireland Poker Tour
12am Wed Nov 4th, 2009

PokerStars.com has announced the start of a new poker tour with stops throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. The UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) will kick off in Galway, Ireland in mid-December, and the first event in the UK will be held in Manchester in February.

Peerless Media Agrees to Purchase World Poker Tour Enterprises
12am Mon Nov 2nd, 2009

According to a Monday press release, WPT Enterprises Inc., mothership of the World Poker Tour, is now the rightful property of Peerless Media, Ltd., subsidiary of online giant PartyGaming.

Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho Hit the Amazing Race Rail
12am Mon Nov 2nd, 2009

After surviving six legs of the Amazing Race by the skin of their teeth, poker pros Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho were finally eliminated in the CBS reality show's most recently aired episode. Michelle and Ho, the last women standing in the 2008 and 2007 World Series of Poker Main Events, gave reality television fans another chance to watch poker personalities compete away from the felt. Annie Duke garnered quite a following earlier in the year on another reality show competition, NBC's Celebrity Apprentice.

Isaac Baron Dominates Caesars Classic Main Event
12am Sat Oct 31st, 2009

Isaac "westmenloAA" Baron ran over the final table of the Caesars Palace Classic $5,000 Main Event, amassing a huge chip lead and going home with the $246,928 first prize. It took two long days to narrow the 162-person field to the final ten. A very high percentage of the entrants were recognizable tournament circuit players, and unsurprisingly, the stacked field produced a tough final table lineup.

Tonight- ESPN shows Day Before WSOP Main Event Final Nine are Set- Oct 27
12am Tue Oct 27th, 2009

Tonight (Oct. 27) at 9pm ET, ESPN will broadcast highlights of action on the day before the Final Table of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event was set. Only 27 players remain when this one-hour show begins.

Frenchman Wins PokerStars EPT Warsaw Poker Tourney
12am Mon Oct 26th, 2009

At the PokerStars European Poker Tour Warsaw No Limit Texas Hold'em main event that wrapped up yesterday, French businessman Christophe Benzimra finished first taking home 358,644 Euros in prize money, while Italian poker pro Alfio Battisti finished second in the tournament.

Vedes Conquers WPT Festa al Lago Final Table
12am Mon Oct 26th, 2009

Tommy Vedes is the WPT's newest champion! Vedes outlasted 274 players to win the Festa al Lago title and the $1,218,225 first prize. Freddy Deeb, who began the final table with the chip lead, hoped to win his third WPT title and tie Gus Hansen's record. Instead, Deeb was forced to settle for 4th place, leaving room for a new WPT champ. Click here for in-depth coverage of the action and photos from the final table.

Will Hungarians Get Taxed on Poker Soon?
12am Mon Oct 26th, 2009

Hungarian lawmakers have plans to tax poker winnings and regulate clubs to generate much-needed revenues during the country's worst economic crisis since the end of communism, reports Germany's Deutsche Weele.

Freddy Deeb Leads World Poker Tour Final Table
12am Sun Oct 25th, 2009

The WPT Festa al Lago Main Event is down to the final six after five tough days of play. Two-time WPT champion Freddy Deeb brings the chip lead along with the benefit of his under-the-lights experience into Monday's televised final table. Deeb previously won the WPT Season III Aruba Poker Classic and the Season VII Celebrity Invitational. He also owns two World Series bracelets and has amassed over $6 million in tournament winnings. A win on Monday would add $1,218,225 to that total. Click here for photos from the felt and final table chip counts.