LAS VEGAS — Online gambling got a big boost May 1 as Nevada became the first state to allow real-money Internet gambling with the launch of a Las Vegas-based online poker site.
Observers called the opening day at UltimatePoker.com “a watershed moment for gaming,” USA Today said, and the company’s chairman said rather than competing for business in traditional poker rooms, the online option “will only grow new business.”
The target audience is the 21- to 45-year-old male who “embraces technology” and has disposable income, the newspaper said. Online poker will be available at all hours, and guidelines say players must be at least 21 and physically within state lines. Poker games will be played on personal computers, USA Today said, from accounts funded by MasterCard, checks or wire transfers.
Southern Baptist ethicist Barrett Duke said this demonstrates the gambling industry’s lust for money knows no boundaries. “Our churches will need to prepare their members to understand the dangers involved with gambling and to watch for these additional problems among their family members,” said Duke, vice president for public policy and research at the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. “Many states are looking to add online gambling. It’s going to get really bad if we can’t rein it in.”
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