News Topic - Barry Greenstein
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Greenstein speaks out on Rousso hearing
Two men appeared and spoke at the rally who are both world-class players and articulate voices defending the game: Andy Bloch and Barry Greenstein. I asked Greenstein in a phone interview Wednesday why he decided to make his voice heard in Seattle. "What I'm afraid of is if I don't do anything, we'll have other people who probably won't articulate things as well as I can. And I think a lot of people in the poker community look up to me as someone who can speak well about these concepts. "The main people I want to talk to are not the people who play poker, because let's face it, most of them will have a knee-jerk reaction because they like to play and won't listen that closely," said Greenstein. "The people I want to talk to are the people are the people who do have a problem with gambling and poker. I want to impress upon them that… we have to all be very careful when people are attacking our freedoms and our rights to do something in the privacy of our home. "Maybe it's against their moral code, or they've heard stories about kids in college playing too much online poker like some of us have heard. And maybe in this case it's not something that some of those people would do themselves, but maybe next time they'll be coming to take away their freedom." Kick the bums out Greenstein hopes that by lending his support to the efforts against the Washington state law that made playing online poker a Class C felony and other measures such as the UIGEA, he can convince more to vote against the politicians who have supported those laws. He cites the examples of politicians like Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa), who supported UIGEA in 2006 and then lost his seat in Congress in the subsequent election. "Poker players are very hard to get together as a group - we compare it sometimes to herding cats," Greenstein said. "But in the last election… a very big silent voting bloc… saw very quickly that people are trying to come into our houses and take away our freedom, and they voted them out of office." In particular he says he's concerned about those who put forth "ridiculous stories" that online poker is used by organized crime or terrorists to launder money. "I think that in a time when the economy is bad and the war in Iraq is troubling people, [poker's enemies] can say, 'These people playing poker, it's not what you think, it's much bigger than that. We're doing something against organized crime.' "I'm concerned that some people who are naive about this will say, 'Well, at least they're doing something. We heard that there are kids playing too much poker.' But in truth all they've done is invade people's privacy." "I don't know if it's more important to us as poker players or just as Americans that we have our rights protected here," said Greenstein. "This thing needs to be shot down as soon as we can." Down the road "I expect the UIGEA to be overturned after the next election," Greenstein said, echoing a sentiment that seems common among the most active voices in the poker community. So if that comes to pass, might it be that the UIGEA actually served a purpose? Could the law poker players despise so much have been a good thing? "I don't see that it's a good thing," said Greenstein. "But you can make the case that when this whole thing is over we'll have collectively learned a lesson that one of the main founding points of America is the protection of personal freedom." And in the end, once that lesson has been learned, Greenstein hopes that the economics of the poker industry will shift as a result. "I would want the online companies to have their bases in the United States instead of in small countries in Europe and South and Central America," he said. "The majority of the players come from the United States, so I think the companies should be based [here] and be taxed so some of the money will go back into the economy."Related Articles: Washington court rules against Lee RoussoLee Rousso on collision course with Washington StateHearing Date Set for Rousso CaseRousso Gives Update on Online Gambling CaseNet Gambling Fight Heads to Governor RaceNet Gambling Lawsuit Hits Snag in Washington Visit PokerListings.com
PokerListings.com – 6 hours, 5 minutes ago ¦ comment?
found in Sports: Poker
Two men appeared and spoke at the rally who are both world-class players and articulate voices defending the game: Andy Bloch and Barry Greenstein. I asked Greenstein in a phone interview Wednesday why he decided to make his voice heard in Seattle. "What I'm afraid of is if I don't do anything, we'll have other people who probably won't articulate things as well as I can. And I think a lot of people in the poker community look up to me as someone who can speak well about these concepts. "The main people I want to talk to are not the people who play poker, because let's face it, most of them will have a knee-jerk reaction because they like to play and won't listen that closely," said Greenstein. "The people I want to talk to are the people are the people who do have a problem with gambling and poker. I want to impress upon them that… we have to all be very careful when people are attacking our freedoms and our rights to do something in the privacy of our home. "Maybe it's against their moral code, or they've heard stories about kids in college playing too much online poker like some of us have heard. And maybe in this case it's not something that some of those people would do themselves, but maybe next time they'll be coming to take away their freedom." Kick the bums out Greenstein hopes that by lending his support to the efforts against the Washington state law that made playing online poker a Class C felony and other measures such as the UIGEA, he can convince more to vote against the politicians who have supported those laws. He cites the examples of politicians like Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa), who supported UIGEA in 2006 and then lost his seat in Congress in the subsequent election. "Poker players are very hard to get together as a group - we compare it sometimes to herding cats," Greenstein said. "But in the last election… a very big silent voting bloc… saw very quickly that people are trying to come into our houses and take away our freedom, and they voted them out of office." In particular he says he's concerned about those who put forth "ridiculous stories" that online poker is used by organized crime or terrorists to launder money. "I think that in a time when the economy is bad and the war in Iraq is troubling people, [poker's enemies] can say, 'These people playing poker, it's not what you think, it's much bigger than that. We're doing something against organized crime.' "I'm concerned that some people who are naive about this will say, 'Well, at least they're doing something. We heard that there are kids playing too much poker.' But in truth all they've done is invade people's privacy." "I don't know if it's more important to us as poker players or just as Americans that we have our rights protected here," said Greenstein. "This thing needs to be shot down as soon as we can." Down the road "I expect the UIGEA to be overturned after the next election," Greenstein said, echoing a sentiment that seems common among the most active voices in the poker community. So if that comes to pass, might it be that the UIGEA actually served a purpose? Could the law poker players despise so much have been a good thing? "I don't see that it's a good thing," said Greenstein. "But you can make the case that when this whole thing is over we'll have collectively learned a lesson that one of the main founding points of America is the protection of personal freedom." And in the end, once that lesson has been learned, Greenstein hopes that the economics of the poker industry will shift as a result. "I would want the online companies to have their bases in the United States instead of in small countries in Europe and South and Central America," he said. "The majority of the players come from the United States, so I think the companies should be based [here] and be taxed so some of the money will go back into the economy."Related Articles: Washington court rules against Lee RoussoLee Rousso on collision course with Washington StateHearing Date Set for Rousso CaseRousso Gives Update on Online Gambling CaseNet Gambling Fight Heads to Governor RaceNet Gambling Lawsuit Hits Snag in Washington Visit PokerListings.com
PokerListings.com – 6 hours, 5 minutes ago ¦ comment?
found in Sports: Poker
Washington court rules against Lee Rousso
It was a disappointing end to the month's long saga of Rousso and his quest to overturn online gaming laws in the state but after the hearing Rousso declared his intentions to seek and appeal and even take the case to the Supreme Court if he had to. "There is virtually no public support for this law," said the Seattle-based attorney to a crowd of over 70 poker fans after the hearing. "It's incumbent on each of you tell your politicians how you feel." Well-known professional poker players Barry Greenstein and Andy Bloch were on location to show their support for the Rousso in the hearing. Playing online poker in the state of Washington is a Class C felony that is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. Critics have panned the law as the stiffest in the nation regarding online poker and have called it "unmerited" and "unfair." For their part officials at the state gambling commission who support the law defend it by saying it was designed to crack down on the online gaming operators not the players themselves. Despite the stiff penalties an online player as yet to be prosecuted. Rousso has called the law hypocritical considering taxable casinos and state lotteries remain legal. Rousso filed his case against state on the first day of the 2007 WSOP Main Event and was originally scheduled to have a hearing date on Sept. 21, 2007. The case was delayed several times by the state and at one point the state demanded confidential information from Rousso. It's difficult to say where the case will go from here although after the hearing Rousso made it clear he will not be giving up the fight anytime soon. For information about the PPA and Rousso's case go to www.pokerplayersalliance.com. Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Barry Greenstein about the hearing.Related Articles: Lee Rousso on collision course with Washington StateHearing Date Set for Rousso CaseRousso Gives Update on Online Gambling CaseNet Gambling Fight Heads to Governor RaceNet Gambling Lawsuit Hits Snag in WashingtonVisit PokerListings.com
PokerListings.com – 11 hours, 58 minutes ago ¦ comment?
found in Sports: Poker
It was a disappointing end to the month's long saga of Rousso and his quest to overturn online gaming laws in the state but after the hearing Rousso declared his intentions to seek and appeal and even take the case to the Supreme Court if he had to. "There is virtually no public support for this law," said the Seattle-based attorney to a crowd of over 70 poker fans after the hearing. "It's incumbent on each of you tell your politicians how you feel." Well-known professional poker players Barry Greenstein and Andy Bloch were on location to show their support for the Rousso in the hearing. Playing online poker in the state of Washington is a Class C felony that is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. Critics have panned the law as the stiffest in the nation regarding online poker and have called it "unmerited" and "unfair." For their part officials at the state gambling commission who support the law defend it by saying it was designed to crack down on the online gaming operators not the players themselves. Despite the stiff penalties an online player as yet to be prosecuted. Rousso has called the law hypocritical considering taxable casinos and state lotteries remain legal. Rousso filed his case against state on the first day of the 2007 WSOP Main Event and was originally scheduled to have a hearing date on Sept. 21, 2007. The case was delayed several times by the state and at one point the state demanded confidential information from Rousso. It's difficult to say where the case will go from here although after the hearing Rousso made it clear he will not be giving up the fight anytime soon. For information about the PPA and Rousso's case go to www.pokerplayersalliance.com. Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Barry Greenstein about the hearing.Related Articles: Lee Rousso on collision course with Washington StateHearing Date Set for Rousso CaseRousso Gives Update on Online Gambling CaseNet Gambling Fight Heads to Governor RaceNet Gambling Lawsuit Hits Snag in WashingtonVisit PokerListings.com
PokerListings.com – 11 hours, 58 minutes ago ¦ comment?
found in Sports: Poker
PPA rallying for Rousso next week
The poker players' rights group will stage a rally outside the King County Superior Court in Kent, Wash., May 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PT as Lee Rousso finally gets a hearing for his lawsuit against the state's online gambling ban. According to the Poker Players Alliance, Barry Greenstein and Andy Bloch will also be showing up at the rally to show their support. Rousso, a lawyer and the state representative for the PPA in Washington, is challenging the constitutionality of Washington's online gambling ban. He filed the lawsuit on the first day of the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event, but his case hit a snag last year. The State of Washington had demanded information, as part of discovery, that Rousso believed was confidential and implicated his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Since then the courts have ruled mostly in Rousso's favor in his discovery dispute and finally set a hearing date for the lawsuit for May 15. Rousso is alleging that the state's online gambling ban fails to comply with the Wire Act passed by the federal government, which has never extended criminal liability to the players, whereas the Washington law makes it a felony to gamble online. He also accuses the state of imposing a ban on online poker and other online gambling to protect its own gambling industry. Rousso believes that is a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution's commerce clause forbidding individual states from passing protectionist laws against other states' business. Rousso will submit his final brief on Monday before his hearing on Thursday. For poker players interested in attending the rally and supporting Rousso, the address is: Maleng Regional Justice Center401-4th Ave. NorthKent, Washington Related Articles: Update on Rousso vs. State of WashingtonHearing date set for Rousso caseRousso gives update on online gambling caseVisit PokerListings.com
PokerListings.com – May 9, 2008 12:06 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Sports: Poker
The poker players' rights group will stage a rally outside the King County Superior Court in Kent, Wash., May 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PT as Lee Rousso finally gets a hearing for his lawsuit against the state's online gambling ban. According to the Poker Players Alliance, Barry Greenstein and Andy Bloch will also be showing up at the rally to show their support. Rousso, a lawyer and the state representative for the PPA in Washington, is challenging the constitutionality of Washington's online gambling ban. He filed the lawsuit on the first day of the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event, but his case hit a snag last year. The State of Washington had demanded information, as part of discovery, that Rousso believed was confidential and implicated his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Since then the courts have ruled mostly in Rousso's favor in his discovery dispute and finally set a hearing date for the lawsuit for May 15. Rousso is alleging that the state's online gambling ban fails to comply with the Wire Act passed by the federal government, which has never extended criminal liability to the players, whereas the Washington law makes it a felony to gamble online. He also accuses the state of imposing a ban on online poker and other online gambling to protect its own gambling industry. Rousso believes that is a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution's commerce clause forbidding individual states from passing protectionist laws against other states' business. Rousso will submit his final brief on Monday before his hearing on Thursday. For poker players interested in attending the rally and supporting Rousso, the address is: Maleng Regional Justice Center401-4th Ave. NorthKent, Washington Related Articles: Update on Rousso vs. State of WashingtonHearing date set for Rousso caseRousso gives update on online gambling caseVisit PokerListings.com
PokerListings.com – May 9, 2008 12:06 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Sports: Poker
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