Industry in distress: How did it come to this?

sp57,

A few companies, sportingbet for one, have offered to submit to paying taxes.

The feds have avoided that question for now. As I mentioned in the column, up until now, the tone of the industry has always been, "You better tax us, because you can't stop us. We're getting rich no matter what you do, anyway."

You don't say that unless you are sure the other side has run out of bullets. They hadn't.

Maybe now would be a good time for a more conciliatory tone. something the politicians would find less threatening.

The EU is thinking of brining this topic up with the US. I hope they take a proper angle.

OK Joe, here's how it could be done....

I have no idea of the Covers hierarchy, but I assume you are in contact with the people that can organize it properly. You'd have to contact other significant sport forums, come up with a date, and have it prominently posted everywhere. An email campaign would also be great. You have a wealth of contacts, no doubt. Also a good idea to get poker players involved, in solidarity. Every poker player and sportsbettor in the country should be contacted, somehow. Let's make it a big issue.....

I love the part of that argument that never gets mentioned:

If Little Johnny actually manages to get online and bet the family fortune, all Big Johnny (Johnny's Dad) has to do is call Visa and have them issue a chargeback... and then give Little Johnny a smack.

Problem solved. Not even really a problem.

Matador,

You are right. We do have contacts. We could raise a real ruckus, if we wanted to.

But, you are correct, we have to coordinate it properly, and then have everybody do something both noticeable, and positive.

We have to do something that not only brings attention, but it doesn't cast a negative light on us and make us look like a bunch of, well, criminals.

I like your DirecTV idea, but unfortunately we won't be able to make a real point for another 8 months in that regard.

As an example, without getting too party-based, I like what the Democrats are doing right now to get their Minimum Wage law passed. They say they won't grant themselves raises until the Minimum Wage law gets ratified.

Say what you will about the benefits of the legislation, that's a very effective tactic they are using. It gets the point across, hits their opponents in the pocketbook, and looks good with the people.


We need to find similar ways to make our own points.

We need to show:
- We are not degenerates.
- The children are safe
- We are not terrorists
- The USA is missing out on a whole pile of tax money
- that money could do a LOT of public good
- The current policy is hypocritical
- We won't be stopped

We need to find as many ways as possible to make our points. We also need a clear idea of what our objectives are. I'm sure you have given plenty of thought to that, and will elaborate.

But initially, we need organization. We should form an advocacy group if there isn't one already out there sufficient for our purposes. Again, sports forums and email campaigns are the logical vehicle for that. It can't just be Covers, but Covers in conjunction with Rx, SBR, and others, as well as poker forums. We also need to organize with the offshore casinos and books.

But as a rallying point, there is nothing wrong with a neutral issue that is meant to demonstrate nothing more than economic clout. Ultimately we will need TV networks and providers as well as sports leagues to recognize, reluctantly if necessary, that they have a vested economic interest in this. Political advocacy alone won't get it done if the more entrenched interests aren't willing to backtrack a little and tacitly support us, through backdoor channels at least.

I don't think a Sunday Ticket boycott is premature or too confrontational. In fact, it's less confrontational if done in the offseason. Please reconsider carefully.....

Don't get me wrong, I love the Sunday Ticket boycott idea.

The problem is that Sunday Ticket doesn't start again until September, so it really won't be a media story until then. At that time, it's gold!

I'm all for publicizing the plan beforehand, but it won't get any traction until it becomes clear that Sunday Ticket sales are down 25% because of a boycott. Then it's news.

Ok Joe, time it out as you see fit. I do think the "one day event" aspect of it is better than DirecTV simply getting fewer orders. It makes a bigger splash and makes it clear who is responsible.

Keep in mind as well that DirecTV bills prior to the season starting, so September is too late. I believe they have a drop dead day for cancellation of existing orders.

I guess the question is what would be more effective?

a) A boycott where nobody orders, or
b) A plan where everybody orders as usual, and then cancels on the same day (presumably before the deadline)

Both look pretty good to me, although "b" probably has a better chance of making the news.

Breaker,

Breaker,

That is the reason I wrote the column.

We had a meeting here last week, and we decided that we are going to get on the forefront of the movement to legalize online gaming in America. One way or another, we are going to be active in the cause.

Now, we certainly don't have the resources of a publicly traded company, but we do have contacts and a strong user-base.

We can volunteer some time, and we will definitely take part.

I think you would find that if Covers or another large contingency of bettors were to some how organize and mobilize the sports betting and poker playing population, this would be a very motivated and resourceful group. As mentioned previously though, it is a monumental task to organize this demographic.

If Covers and 2+2 and other prominent forums could work together, as they are all going to be facing dramatically declining ad revenues, I think you could make this happen.

Not watching the Super Bowl would be the ultimate fuck you to the NFL, but unfortuantely, it is too late for that. We do have a long summer to get organized and come up with a plan though, and could really hit the NFL where it hurts come next football season.

We could also start with the NBA...would anyone even be sacrificing not watching that shitty product?

Thanks to Matador, Breaker, and Joe Mac for trying to get this ball rolling and being proactive.

Breaker, you definitely are getting it.

Right now, the general public doesn't really care about online gambling. But they kind of think of us as the same as porn or marijuana. As in, it should probably be legalized, but that doesn't mean we want to associate with those types.

We need people to realize that EVERYBODY GAMBLES, and the only reason we do it online is because the government forces us to.

We need to hit them with the good stuff, like responsible gaming, charities, tax dollars, and harmless fun.