Marc,
First of all, I want you to know that I mean no offense to you concerning this subject. I don't gamble, as you might have guessed, and also mean no offense to anyone who does. I like your website and will continue to visit it regardless of how much we disagree.

With all due respect however, you always seem to miss the issue with your responses. You say that sports are associated with gambling...yes, people bet on the outcome but sports can be played and watched without any reference to betting and gambling, from backyard football to the pros if that's what you want.

Not so with poker...It is inherently associated with gambling and betting...it's a recognized part of the game.

Your explanation about no previous exposure to poker and gambling also misses the mark. A child doesn't need to have prior knowledge of something to get into trouble with it or possibly be harmed by it. A child could easily find an adult website by mistake, responding to spam, or by clicking on a link.. Does that mean that no harm is done because they had no previous exposure to it and had nothing to associate it with? Of course not.

I agree, parents do need to educate their kids. It's not naive to believe that some children can't distinguish between a simple card game and gambling. I never meant that a parent couldn't, however. But a parent who does understand the differences between "simple card games" and poker simply might not want their child to be playing ANY card games online and might take offense to your game.

I also don't agree with your statement that this couldn't lead someone to real gambling on casino sites. If someone is successful with your game, adult or child, they might be encouraged to try real casino gambling.

I think it's incredibly naive NOT to see all of this. There's more of a connection between poker and gambling than you think.

Finally, I don't believe it's a "scourge". I believe you are trying to ride the current wave of poker popularity as evidenced by the many TV shows about it. I know that poker is enjoyed by many people worldwide and I have nothing against it.

My bottom line is that it just has no place on an RC website. I would think that everyone in the industry would go out of their way to avoid any connection of our great hobby with poker.

I was just hoping that you would take the high road.

I've said all that I'm going to say.

As I said before, this wasn't a rant. I enjoyed discussing this with you and although we are 180 degrees apart on the subject, I appreciate that you took the time to discuss this openly.

Thanks,
Steve