I was very disheartened to see the article on “Illegal Online Gambling” in the Daily Illini. There seem to be many misconceptions about online gambling, mainly that it is illegal. While this is true for sports betting, online poker is perfectly legal. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 is what many people cite when they say gambling is illegal. In fact, no regulations have resulted from this act. There are legislators working now to repeal it, as it was passed as an attachment on a must-pass port security bill.

One of the other misconceptions is that everyone gambling online has a gambling problem. I am somewhat ashamed to admit I am a professional poker player. I have played for 3 years part-time, as well as full-time for the past 2 summers. I pay taxes on all of my income, and it has paid for my tuition a few times over. Not every player has a big win then moves up to the highest stakes and gambles away their life savings, there are players who can play within their comfort level and just want to play the game to have fun. I think it is disappointing that the article did not mention any positives about gambling, rather it highlighted all the negative aspects.

Jason Kidd

Junior in Engineering