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Deals being made for two celebrity poker films
Published: 2005-04-25
Article Published: Monday, April 25, 2005 - 10:16:30 AM PST
Deals being made for two celebrity poker films
By Marilyn Beck and Stacey Jenel Smith
Celebrity poker players could be competing in theaters soon, not just at the tables.
While poker players Ben Affleck, David Schwimmer and William H. Macy are reportedly lined up to star in an untitled card comedy for moviemaker Zak Penn, Lou Diamond Phillips expects to be before the cameras this summer starring in his own poker movie, "Dead Money," which he wrote and will direct.
Phillips - who pops up on the May 11 season finale of the WB drama "Jack and Bobby," as the title characters' long-lost father - says "Dead Money" "is a family project for me. I'm asking friends to come in, and fortunately there are enough of them who have a poker passion as well, so they're happy to come and play for a little bit. I've got commitments from Camryn Manheim, Norm Macdonald and Meat Loaf so far."
As for poker buff Tobey Maguire, Phillips says, "I think Tobey likes to keep a low profile when it comes to his playing."
He describes "Dead Money" as "kind of a 'Rocky' of the poker world. Anybody who's called 'Dead Money' is usually somebody who has no chance of winning. My character is a rookie who gets into the tournament world and gets lucky."
He also says, "A lot of the poker pros have endorsed my script and are going to be doing that with me. I've been an avid player for a number of years, and it's a lot of my experiences sitting around a poker table. We've already filmed some of the tournaments just to get some wide shots and capture the atmosphere."
So what do the real veteran poker pros think of the Hollywood contingent? "A lot of the poker pros are friends of mine," says Phillips, "And I think for the most part they actually welcome it, because it legitimizes the game - not to mention the fact that it's bringing a lot more pigeons to the table for them." And that you can bet on!
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Imagine this: You visit a Web site, download a program and register with the site. A few minutes later, you're sitting at a virtual poker table, happily playing Texas Hold 'Em
Published: 2005-04-13
 ONLINE ADVICE
Illegal in U.S., online casinos find ways to rake in dollars
KIM KOMANDO
Imagine this: You visit a Web site, download a program and register with the site. A few minutes later, you're sitting at a virtual poker table, happily playing Texas Hold 'Em.
You're playing with real money. You've paid for virtual betting chips via an escrow service. And, if you're lucky enough to win, your account will be credited with money.
What's wrong with this picture? It's illegal, according to the Department of Justice.
Thousands of gambling Web sites operate offshore, beyond U.S. regulation.
Online casinos have been around for about a decade, and the recent rise in the popularity of poker has spurred their growth. According to Keith Furlong, deputy director of the Interactive Gaming Council, an industry trade organization located in Canada, online casinos will attract about $10 billion this year. Americans make up 60 percent to 65 percent of their business, he says.
Some states have passed laws prohibiting online gambling, but no federal laws specifically address it. Instead, the federal government relies primarily on the Wire Wager Act to prosecute online casino operators.
Under the act, business owners who accept bets via a "wire communication facility" face fines and imprisonment. The act was intended to curb the use of the telephone to accept bets.
Opponents are quick to note that the act was written in 1961 -- long before the Internet. They question whether the law applies to online gambling. And they insist that online gambling is a gray area at best.
However, the Justice Department is adamant that online gambling is illegal. And in 2000, it successfully prosecuted Jay Cohen, a U.S. citizen and part owner of the World Sports Exchange in Antigua.
Since 2002, the Justice Department has pressured media companies to pull ads for online gambling. Clear Channel, the nation's largest radio company, stopped airing ads for online casinos that year, and other mainstream media companies have followed suit.
Banks also have come under pressure from the Justice Department. Many decline credit card transactions from online casinos. Bank One, which recently merged with JP Morgan Chase, is among them.
"(It's) because of the high likelihood of fraud," says Mary Jane Rogers of Bank One. "Bank One may restrict transactions that appear to be Internet gambling." She adds that the bank can't always tell that a charge is from a casino.
Other payment options also are becoming scarce. PayPal stopped processing payments for gambling in 2002. That left only a few lesser-known escrow agents that work with the casinos.
Recently, the World Trade Organization ruled that the United States could regulate online gambling to protect public morals. However, the ruling says U.S. laws must be clarified.
The ruling followed a suit by Antigua and Barbuda, claiming U.S. restrictions amounted to unfair trade practices. The economy of the Caribbean nation relies heavily on Internet gambling. The nation points out that the United States allows gambling within its borders. And, in the case of state lotteries, the gambling is sometimes government-sponsored.
The Caribbean country views the WTO ruling as a victory. It sees two options for the United States. The first is that the United States must ban all gambling. The second option would be to grant offshore companies access to the market. The Justice Department did not return calls for comment.
Many U.S. Web users continue to visit these sites. So far, the federal government hasn't prosecuted the gambling sites' customers, but some state governments do.
The WTO hopes to reach a final resolution about the dispute between the United States and Antigua and Barbuda later this year. Meanwhile, Americans may well be breaking U.S. laws when playing poker online.
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