ON - The games may be virtual, but the cash is real
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Source: Kitchener-Waterloo Record
Published: Dec 02, 06
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KITCHENER-WATERLOO – There are suave-looking cartoon characters smoking cigars or drinking martinis around a green table.
A polite, uniformed dealer tosses out the cards and accepts the bets.
And every move is made with the click of a mouse.
With the sounds and graphics, it can be easy to forget online poker is something more than a harmless video game.
That’s exactly what makes it potentially dangerous, according to the Responsible Gambling Council. John Kelly, the council’s chief executive, said a lot of Internet poker sites can make the betting feel artificial.
“The games may be virtual,” Kelly said. “But the cash is real.”
Internet gambling has become a huge business with a global value estimated at about $13 billion a year.
A recent poll conducted by the Responsible Gambling Council found that 69 per cent of Ontarians believe the popularity of playing poker online is a problem today.
The same poll found that one in five people play for money and just as many are worried that a friend or relative is developing a gambling problem.
Kelly said the results confirm what the council suspected when it launched an ambitious awareness campaign last year.
The Friends4Friends campaign was the first of its kind in Canada because it targeted young gamblers who were playing on the Internet. Kelly said it was obvious poker’s popularity has soared in recent years, especially among young men, and the council wanted to warn people about the risks.
The campaign, which was launched again a few weeks ago, asks people to investigate and seek help if they think a friend is developing a gambling problem.
Kelly said last year’s effort brought more than 15,000 people to the website. More than 100 people sent e-mails asking for help, he said.
The council is trying to get the message out that poker is no different from other forms of gambling and it should be played responsibly.
Kelly said only time will tell whether online poker is a passing fad or a lasting hobby.
“We don’t know if it will plateau,” Kelly said. “We don’t know where poker is going.”
