Online poker a bad gamble

At first blush, a proposal to establish an in-state online poker network seems to make some sense.

After all, advocates say, thousands of Iowans already play the games online illegally. Why not legalize and regulate the activity and collect a little money in the process?

But “they'll do it anyway” isn't justification enough for the state to sanction online gaming.

The poker proposal being considered by state legislators raises too many red flags.

The millions of tax dollars that might be generated by this idea don't outweigh potential negative impact to Iowans.

The gaming-related Senate Study Bill 1165 sailed through funnel week, including a section that would create an intrastate Internet poker network to be controlled by the state Racing and Gaming Commission.

The commission would act as a hub operator, contracting with state-licensed casinos that would operate affiliate online sites for players age 21 or older.

Registered players could not play on credit. They would be subject to limits on how much they could wager and how long they could play.

Only Iowa residents would be eligible to play.

Proponents say this would be a way to rescue mostly young online poker fans from illegal websites run by unscrupulous offshore operators.

Lobbyists for the bill estimate 150,000 Iowans now play poker on illegal sites. And while it's unclear how potential operators plan to attract those players to a more restrictive, Iowa-based site, estimates are that a state-run site could generate $30 million to $35 million in new tax revenue each year.

A number of religious and other groups have opposed the bill because of the potential harm such easy 24-hour access to online gambling could pose. We agree.

Although data is still scarce, many researchers believe online gambling may be far more addictive than casino gambling because of its ease, affordability, anonymity and accessibility.

If legislators approve the idea, Iowa would become one of the first states to offer online poker to its residents. But this is one case where the cutting edge is not where Iowa wants to be.

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