Online poker – is it all it’s craiced up to be?
Pardon the pun…but after my jolly political discussion, I thought long and hard about what my friend in the bar said about live poker; that it’s better than playing online. This attitude intrigued me, because I’m used to people from back home thinking the other way around. And the figures are there to prove that this probably the case in most of the world; after all, online poker is a multi billion dollar industry and one of the only industries capable of increasing profits during a recession. So it’s obviously considered good craic by someone!
Despite this proven popularity, there is still a level of distrust and dislike of playing poker over the internet in Ireland. Of course, there are many Irish people who play poker online, and some who play professionally; but I’m not talking about people already in poker forums or playing at the Irish Open. I’m talking about the average Joe (or Mick or Niamh); my day-to-day friends and the people I get into conversations with on the bus, at the checkout or on the next barstool.
Many of these people tell me tales of playing poker with their parents and grandparents, or of occasional home games, where the men would play and the women would gossip. So it’s obvious that poker was part of family life. But if I ask whether they’d like a game, most of my friends shudder. “Only if it’s for fun,” they say, “not money.”
When I ask why, it seems that historically, unless it was all men playing, money wouldn’t cross hands. Poker would be played for sweets or matches. Playing for cash was seen as wasteful or shameful; and the remnants of this thinking still prevail to a degree. “Poker is good for a game, not for a gamble,” was the reply I received from one taxi driver.
The reaction is even worse when I ask about playing online. It’s a no-go area. Even people who would play a live game say they wouldn’t ever play online. One of the main concerns is that there is more chance of addiction, along with more opportunity to cover the addiction up. Another fear is that there is more temptation to overspend. I explain about high level security and being able to play for fun, but most people don’t believe me. Those that do are still wary. “That’s OK…but I bet there’s a catch.”
If truth be told, the reason that online poker is considered with caution runs deeper than addiction worries. In general, live poker is more considered acceptable because it’s a sociable activity and it’s seen as more fun because it’s face to face. This doesn’t surprise me; Ireland is a nation of natural storytellers or seanchaí (pronounced shanachie). It is a country where word of mouth is still the strongest way to drum up good business. People like to do things in person; they like to know who they’re dealing with. As a result, Ireland is still distrustful of the internet as a whole.
And when I say distrustful; I mean, very. The Bank of Ireland is an excellent example. To make an online money transfer, you have to input the details of the recipient using your online banking account. Then you wait for the bank to send you a letter containing a PIN through the post. Once received, you have to phone up the bank and give them the PIN. Only then is the recipient’s account activated so you can transfer your money. It takes around ten days. You get the picture… It’s a dichotomy. People no longer trust the banks here in Ireland; but if the banks don’t trust the internet, then why should they?
This doesn’t mean that there isn’t a market for online poker in Ireland; of course there is and figures show. But it does mean that there is a lot of room for growth. Unless online poker rooms become less anonymous, it’ll take a long time to win the country over; especially with the newly added 1% tax.
