60 Minutes Poker Segment

Finally, the ’60 Minutes’ Segment aired! It’s been promised to us for months now, and it finally arrived. The story was then featured in the Washington Post, where some light was shed on the cheating scandals.
The piece began initially as an accurate description of the scandals as they occurred, although unfortunately for Tokwiro Enterprises, and the online poker industry as a whole, the segment did not praise the industry. Far from it, Steve Kroft described the industry as a lax regulatory environment which allows cheating to occur. I thought this was a rather unfair assessment, as the industry has become more regulated than ever since the incident.
What’s more, the piece attacked the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, which licenses and regulates some 450 online gaming websites, and was responsible for the investigation against Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker.
All in all, I was quite disappointed with the piece. Rather than explain in greater detail the cheating scandals, it attacked the industry, and has not done much for the cause to have online poker legalized. It left a bad taste in my mouth for sure.
An exerpt from the piece as reported by the Washington Post:
“In 2007, news of cheating at two of the world's biggest online poker sites rocked the world of Internet gambling. Both scandals came to the forefront after aggressive detective work by several players who suspected the cheating. The players persistence in pushing reluctant online poker officials to acknowledge the scandals -- and pay out millions in refunds to scammed players -- appears to be a victory for the self-policing nature of the Internet. But the cheating has also bolstered objections by critics who view Internet gambling as an unregulated, murky industry.”
Members of Tokwiro and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission were interviewed, although they did not appear on camera. Some professional opinions were also featured in the Washington Post
“Gilbert M. Gaul: I did some research into the UK regulations, in part, because the Kahnawake sought to get on their White List of approved advertisers, but were turned down last December around Christmas. They were upset about the decision and approached the division of culture and ministry for another meeting. However, the current grand chief told us the other week that nothing had come of their request.
I am not expert on the UK but I do know their regulations are fairly stringent and not like some of the other off-shore locations where there isn't a lot of transparency or oversight. At this stage of Internet gambling, it is probably the gold standard for regulation. “