Online poker is a pastime that has undergone a lot of change since first arriving in the late 1990s. Some have helped budding card players enhance their experiences while others have sent the sport backward. Let’s examine some of the more pertinent events in the evolution of online poker regulations, with the evolution of offshore casinos now allowing players based in restricted countries an opportunity to play poker and casino games online.
Poker’s Black Friday
Long before the excitement and hysteria of the annual shopping event, Black Friday referred to April 15th, 2011. This was the day that American online poker players logged on to popular platforms at the time only to see that the federal government had seized the websites, essentially outlawing all online poker in the country. Since then the central government authorities have allowed the devolved state bodies to make their own rulings on online poker with a multitude of areas legalizing and regulating the industry, within its borders. While this was many years ago, the effects of it are still felt by many states where it is still illegal.
Stern Regulations Lead to Offshore Operators
The biggest markets for online poker and by extension, online gambling are often cited as being the US, and European markets like the United Kingdom, and in Asia, China with its enormous population is considered to be a key market. What do all these countries have in common? They all exercise stern and strict regulations in order for operators to ‘operate’ in their countries and be licensed by them.
As such, it has led some brands and companies offering gambling services to set up shop elsewhere. These are the top 5 offshore casinos currently operating. They are licensed, operated, or regulated by governments that hand out gambling certificates. Curaçao is to gambling, what the Cayman Islands is to tax.
Problem Gambling Enforces Operators to Promote Responsible Activity
In recent years, online poker and gambling have come under fire from multiple sources for not doing enough to promote responsible gambling. In the United Kingdom especially, there is a huge rise in ‘problem gambling’ cases which is causing lots of strife, especially with the 2023 Cost of Living crisis, too. As a direct result, companies have been urged to include safer gambling protocols within their online experiences. Elements like deposit limits, time allowances, and self-exclusion tools are supposed to ensure that players do not get into trouble for what is supposed to be a fun pastime.
Australia Doesn’t Play, Legally
Legal online poker pretty much died a death in Australia in 2001 when the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 outlawed it. Of course, those who want to play online poker can still do so with the aforementioned offshore alternatives. The Australian government doesn’t try to punish the individual player, instead tries to shut down nefarious websites that try to skirt and break the Australian law. Some Australian poker players have made it a personal mission to immigrate to play online poker.
Smaller Markets Suffer from Ring-Fenced Player Pools
Poker rooms need a decent pool of players so that games are rich in variety and can be played with masses of people without issue. This means having a wide and expansive amount of users being able to join poker rooms at any one time. This is also known as player traffic, which unlike the traffic on the road – is good to be busy.
There are some markets like Italy, France, and some states in the US that ensure online poker players only mingle with those in the same jurisdiction. I.e. the Italian government rules that all online poker play held in Italy will be only be conducted by players within the national borders. Given that Italy and other similar nations like this don’t typically have a rich poker culture, it is difficult for them to grow their customer base with a limited pool of players.
Poker VR Experiences
The future is here! Online poker doesn’t just have to be a 3D or 2D representation of a poker table anymore. Instead, players can enjoy virtual reality poker experiences with the advent of new technologies. Games consoles and other hardware have started to heavily invest in this new VR world, whether it’s the metaverse or another incarnation of online gaming. In poker terms, players can now strap on a headset and be in a virtual room with their fellow online poker players, adding extra layers of authenticity to their online poker experience.
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