Journalists distorted poker bill

I find it strange that neither Zaleski or Cole have taken the time to interview me regarding the contents of HB 1509 and its potential positive economic and financial benefits to the people of North Dakota if HB 1509 is passed and signed by Gov. John Hoeven. Good journalism would seem to dictate that a reporter would interview the bill sponsor to obtain that person's viewpoint and purpose behind a piece of legislation before writing a story on it.

If either Zaleski or Cole had asked me, they would have learned that North Dakota would be the first state to license and regulate this huge industry. Internet poker is estimated to be a $12 billion per year industry, growing at the rate of 10 percent per month. There are between 1,800 and 2,000 Internet poker sites worldwide, located primarily offshore in the Caribbean area as well as in Canada, Great Britain, Antigua and Australia. Not a single site is located in the United States because not one state legislature has had the wisdom and courage to pass licensing and regulatory legislation. North Dakota would be the first.

To compare live Internet poker (Texas Hold 'Em), which is played by real people all over the world in real time on the Internet to the recent race horse debacle of RSI in Fargo, as Cole has continually done in her reporting, is strikingly ignorant of facts. In Texas Hold 'Em, real people compete against each other in a card game and make logical and calculated decisions throughout the entire play of the hand. A player either calls, raises or folds his hand, based upon the cards in play. At all times a player is in total control of the decisions he makes. The only thing out of his control are what two cards the opponents hold in their hole cards.

In horse racing, people place bets on horses with their best guess as to how the horses will finish and have no idea nor control of the outcome. By using drugs or by paying off jockeys, horse races have the potential to be fixed. Not so in Texas Hold 'Em. For anyone who has played poker for any length of time, it is apparent that poker is much more a game of skill, such as chess, than gambling.

Since the House of Representatives passed HB 1509 Feb. 16, I have been inundated by phone calls and emails from Internet poker representatives from all over the world. Numerous industry people will be coming to Bismarck, in mid-March to meet with Gov. John Hoeven, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, legislators, the Commerce Department and business and community leaders from all over North Dakota. They will also be testifying on HB 1509 in the Senate, to let everyone know why the passage of HB 1509 will be such a huge economic opportunity for North Dakota. At that time, the entire state will learn from industry representatives themselves, that North Dakota has a one time opportunity to be the first state in the nation to welcome this growing industry and how we all will benefit from the passage of HB 1509.

Pundits have argued this is an expansion of gambling. Nothing could be further from the truth. Whether or not the Legislature passes HB 1509, the Internet poker industry will continue to grow. The question is, will it grow in North Dakota, under the regulation and licensing of the attorney general or will it be in some other state or place in the world? The Internet is here to stay and so is Internet poker.

With 60 percent of the revenue going to reduce property taxes of all North Dakotans and 20 percent of the revenue used to fund education, the people of North Dakota, through true reduction in their taxes, will be the real winners, if HB 1509 becomes law.

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