| |
You could gamble without ever leaving the couch
Published: 2005-10-23
 Betty Greer knows that the problems that can come from legal gambling at the casinos in her home state of Mississippi can be formidable enough.
Her organization, the Mississippi Council on Problem Gambling, gets more than 100 calls a month from those players who admit they are out of control.
But people don't even have to get into their car to place a bet now. All they have to do is log onto their computer, find the Internet ... and Greer wonders how anyone can get a handle on that.
"It's going to be hard to nail down because it's so secretive. You can do it in the privacy of your own home," she said. "But you can do the same thing to gamble on the stock market, and that's perfectly legal."
Internet and off-shore gaming is technically illegal, but a problem no government agency seems willing, or able, to tackle. The Tennessee attorney general has issued no legal opinions about off-shore or online gambling, and District Attorney General Jerry Woodall admits his office "would not have the resources to conduct an investigation in that area. If we had a lead, we would probably look to the feds."
Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon got a judgment against a firm advertising Internet gaming in 1997, and his office has taken some radio stations in the state to task over accepting advertising for off-shore sports books on sports handicapping shows.
John Rainey, a Memphis-based national sports handicapper who provides information and advice to those who bet on sporting events, has local and nationally syndicated radio programs that used to carry advertising from off-shore sports bookmaking operations and casinos. No longer.
"There were stations in Missouri who were fined (by the state) for carrying the ads, and that has led a lot of the larger radio chains to stop accepting those ads," he said. "We're the same way, until we get a clearer picture of what the law is. The whole question of gaming on the Internet is a very, very gray area."
Rainey spends much of his time preaching to clients about money management if they decide to wager on sporting events. "It's like going into a business; you have to have research, and you have to manage your assets," he said.
He said he has also "pulled the plug on my service from two to three clients after they described to me how they were spiraling out of control, despite what we tried to preach."
The Texas Hold 'Em Poker craze that has spread throughout the cable world is enough to get the advocates talking - and grinding their teeth a bit.
"They so condense the highlights, that people watching for the first time don't know how much time it takes for a game to move forward, and how much fatigue is involved," said Frank Biagioli, director of the Iowa Department of Health's Gambling Treatment program. "And you see very few of the hundreds and thousands of players who walk away with nothing."
Keith Whyte, director of the National Council on Problem Gambling in Washington, D.C., said his problem is with commercial breaks.
"There's almost a complete lack of a message to gamble responsibly on these programs," he said. "Only one of the casinos (Harrah's, which has an organized problem-gambling program in place) ran one of our PSA's during the World Series of Poker. That's the only one of all the casinos, and all the networks showing poker now.
"We've left it to the companies. This time we might be going to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) or FTC (Federal Trade Commission) for help."
Visit talkback.jacksonsun.com and share your thoughts.
- Pete Wickham, 425-9668
| |
Poker craze gives furniture makers a winning hand
Published: 2005-10-21
 ELLEN MILLER
The Indianapolis Star
If you're looking to impress your friends at the next Texas Hold 'Em party, it's a safe bet you can find poker furniture to suit your budget and taste. Poker's rising popularity has fueled a surge of options, from $75 folding tables to $3,000 professional tables.
Bob Morrison, vice president of sales and marketing for the 106-year-old furniture maker, says Old Hickory introduced game tables three years ago.
"It's one of our best-selling items," Morrison says. "With everything going on with TV poker and all that stuff, this has been a good-selling set for us."
The industry keeps no statistics on gaming furniture, says Powell Slaughter, an editor with Furniture Today, a weekly trade publication. He agrees that game furniture has become more plentiful as poker has captured nationwide attention.
"Gaming is an important category for furnishings companies," Slaughter says. "Game room and casual dining room furniture that can convert to gaming, are popular."
As poker continues to fascinate people, companies are adding furniture options.
New this year are two poker tables for John Elway Home by Bassett Furniture. Elway, the former Denver Broncos quarterback, introduced them in April at the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, N.C.
The deluxe version has brass cup holders and a reversible top - leather on one side and cherry veneer on the other. It can be ordered for $1,400, with chairs on casters at $499 each, from Bassett Furniture Direct stores. A smaller version of the table is $799.
For smaller budgets, Wal-Mart sells a $75 folding poker table by Cosco Home & Office Products.
John Kirk III, vice president of The Game Room in Indianapolis, says while the sales of poker furniture "are driven by men ... it's funny how a lot of ladies are coming in; they want to be more involved in the decorating part."
He sees interest in game furniture continuing, as younger poker fans grow up and move up to better furnishings.
"We are getting 15- and 16-year-olds coming in to buy chips for six guys going to a buddy's house to play Texas Hold 'Em," Kirk says. "The teens are scrounging for $100 chips. But the 35- to 50-year-old guys are coming in and buying the table, chairs and everything."
| | |
English
Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
Pусский
Svenska