Just as there is a big push lately to lift any sanctions against online poker, there is also a very big push to legalize video poker. Lawmakers in various states have been arguing that video poker could help raise money for the government if it was legalized in bars and restaurants. And it appears as if legal video poker may soon become a reality somewhere in the United States. However, this also brings up the question of whether or not legal video poker will be a help or a hindrance to online poker.
It’s clear that legal video poker would definitely help out the bars and other establishments that have been affected by smoking bans. Bar owners have publicly voiced their support for the legalization of video poker seeing as how they don’t really have any ties to online poker. But those who are proponents of online poker think people may be enticed to spend their money in bars on the video poker machines rather than on online poker.
Personally, I think that legal video poker would be more of a hindrance to casinos than anything because it’s mainly aimed at the population that likes to do their gambling outside of the home. Plus online poker and video poker are different enough from each other that they’re not going to be stealing customers from one another quite as frequently.
I see video poker as more of something that will just be an activity for people to do while they’re drinking in a bar while I think of online poker as more of a legitimate way for skilled players to make a living. Whatever the case may be, I wouldn’t mind seeing video poker legalized in the bar setting since it would be fun to play outside of casinos.