The economy is screwed…so who cares about poker?
Eloquently put by the barman; but it’s only a rhetorical question. You’d be surprised by how many care, if the conversations in this Dublin pub are anything to go by.
Usually there are three main topics of conversation in Ireland; the weather, health (standard reply “I’d be bad if I was any better”) and politics. But weather and health have taken a back seat for now; like pubs the world over, bailouts and budgets are the hot topics. And as I sup my pint of porter, the conversation takes an unexpected turn as voices are raised over the issue of taxation…
Tax is notoriously high in Ireland. And the worst thing is; you don’t get anything for it. You still pay for your health care, your bin collection, and there’s never any grit to put on the roads when the snow comes, so the whole country comes to a standstill. Plus, there are very few places in Dublin where you can get a drink for five euro. Yet in the new budget, tax has been raised even further. It’s the same old story; small businesses are being targeted, along with students, the unemployed and workers on the minimum wage.
But it’s none of these that this punter is complaining about; he’s angry that the government has taken away the countryman’s freedom. How? By controlling their pastimes; and he’s talking about poker.
New taxation laws mean that online poker games will now be subject to a 1% levy. This was previously only required on bets made in a betting office; but of course, everyone wised up and took their custom online. Now, 1% doesn’t sound like much, and it’s certainly less than the taxation in other European countries, but it’s another blow. For this man, it’s an invasion of privacy, as well as another example of how he has to mop up the mistakes of “the eejits at the top” with his hard earned money.
This may sound like an overreaction to some; but the people here are angry and they’re embarrassed. Ireland is a nation built on a mixture of tradition, history, humour and sheer hard work; one that is rightly proud of its roots and which still believes in magic. During the Celtic Tiger boom, magic was expected to happen around every corner. As house prices escalated and wages (especially in the public sector) soared, everyone was expected to take a chunk of the world that was at their fingertips.
On the bar stool, it’s summed up easily; “We were too greedy,” says barstool man,” but we’ll get through it again”. Everyone nods; including the barman…then more five euro pints are pulled.
For many traditionalists (often disguised as taxi drivers), the Celtic Tiger was always going to be the ruin of Ireland, and of Dublin in particular. In case you hadn’t realised, Ireland is as serious about its politics as it is its freedom; I should know… I was berated earlier by the barman because he overheard that I hadn’t voted – the fact that I’m not Irish didn’t matter. He was incensed.
Apparently, everyone in Ireland has the right to vote and because I didn’t exercise my right, I’m partly responsible for the economic decline. A little harsh: but whether my lack of vote is a factor or not, there’s no denying that the country is in a desperate situation.
Thanks to several years of bad decision making by a few elite politicians and several bankers, the economy is in such a major crisis that it has impacted on a global scale. So how does the government intend to fix it?
The fact is, the Irish government can’t fix it, or not in the short term. But they can try and squeeze the most out of every opportunity. Poker is one of these opportunities. Firstly, low taxation for gaming companies mean that some of the highest wages and best working conditions are provided by online poker providers based here. Secondly, with betting duty set at 1% for all gaming, including online poker, the government expects to make around 20 million euro in the next year. Sounds good on paper…but will it work?
I ask the man on the bar stool and he laughs. “They’re not getting another cent out of me” he says. If this is the attitude throughout the country, then thankfully, Ireland is small enough not to impact the gaming industry on a global scale. But it still means that there will be a reduction in playing online which will affect the gaming companies based here. The major players such as Full Tilt Poker will continue to be OK, but smaller and more local brands reported deficits from last year; so further losses are expected. This will have an impact on employment.
I point this out to my new friend and he shrugs. “Online isn’t as much fun anyway. We’ll just have to go back to home games. You know, at the kitchen table…like we used to on Good Friday. It’s better craic.”
Then he invites me to a game and I kindly decline. I don’t want to take his hard earned money off him – even if it tax free.
