No, "you" isn't the casino city person of the year. We don't sell out that much, we actually make decisions. And yes, we're attractive enough to make unpopular decisions.
This is why Bill Priest was the Casino City of the Year personality in 2006.
Bill Priest - former Senate Majority Leader
The most influential figure on internet gambling was Congressman Bill Priest in 2006. Priest put an illegal internet gambling enforcement law on the Safe Port Act, which must be passed as Senate Majority Leader. Compelling U.S. banks and financial institutions to block electronic transactions for internet gamblers, the bill passed Congress easily at the end of the final session before the midterm recess. President Bush signed it only a few weeks later.
After the law became official, Party Gaming, 888.com and other public companies stopped accepting American players.
Several reports say Priest was using the law to win the favor of Representative Jim Leach (R-Iowa), who has been pursuing an internet gambling ban for years. Leach could have been a strong ally in the presidential race in the early Iowa caucuses. But Priest, who is not running for reelection, decided not to pursue the presidency after Republicans lost badly in the midterm elections.
While most legal experts believe the bill itself doesn't do much to change the legitimacy of online gambling, there's no doubt it changed the landscape of the industry. And without Bill Priest, UIGEA wouldn't have passed the 109th Congress.
the rest of the top 10
Priest wasn't the only one who influenced the gambling world in 2006. Here are Casino City's top 10 people of the year.
2. 2. David Carruthers - BetOnSports.com 전 CEO
Carothers, who was arrested at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, signaled that internet gambling executives could safely get through the United States. Carothers, who was removed from his post at BetOn Sports shortly after his arrest, is still awaiting trial on charges of racketeering, conspiracy and fraud. Carothers, an outspoken critic of the U.S. attempt to ban internet gambling, argued about Leach in the Wall Street Journal before his arrest.
3. Jeffrey Pollock - world series of poker commissioner
The World Series of Poker made huge strides when it decided to hire its first commissioner. Pollock, who helped create NASCAR's brand, did the same for WSOP, building a corporate relationship, and cementing ESPN's relationship with the tournament series. WSOP added a series of circuit events at Harah's properties across the country, raising interest in the 50,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship, and now if he can get his tournament staff to color their chips accurately next year...
4. Lou White - Falkirk CEO
You may never have heard of White, but you've probably heard of his poker pro table. White invented the concept of an electronic poker table, and built the first poker table in his cellar. The poker tables started creeping up on the casino floor, and can even be found on Carnival Cruise ships. While others are starting to enter the market, PokerTek has maintained its lead by adding Omaha to the mix and even building a head-up table. The question for White over the next few years is whether PokerTek can compete with prominent industry veterans like Shuffle Masters.
5. Mitch Garver - CEO of party games
While Bill Priest must have had the biggest impact on internet gambling in 2006, the party game's decision to abandon the U.S. market would have had the second biggest impact on the industry. As a market leader, the party game's decision likely influenced decisions made by publicly traded internet gambling companies and privately owned internet gambling companies, which also decided to block U.S. players.
6. Steve Wynn - owner, Wynn Las Vegas, Wynn Macau
Our top 10 obviously have a very high internet and poker share, but Win's impact on the gaming world is undeniable. Win's entry into Macau heralded a new major market for the game, and his decision to seek advice from dealers at his Las Vegas casino is still making headlines.
7. Daniel Negrianu - professional poker player
Negreanu has had an impressive year with nearly $2 million in tournament wins, but he made the Casino City list for his influence in the poker world. Negreanu was one of the few professional players to publicly criticize UIGEA. And he defended full-contact poker's decision to switch software providers after UIGEA so that American players are still acceptable. He also believes in the addition of a $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. tournament at WSOP and boosting innovation within the game while captaining one team in a new professional poker league.
8. Jim Leach - former congressman, R-Iowa
Richie, the author of UIGEA, has been trying to get a bill to pass Congress on internet gambling for years. While it finally succeeded in the late 109th Congress, this session also turned out to be his last. The 15-term congressman was one of several Republicans who lost their reelection bid this November. And while President Bush's declining approval rating and the ongoing war in Iraq were cited as the main reasons for the GOP's loss of control over Congress, a study by the Poker Players Alliance concluded Richie's participation in UIGEA brought about his downfall.
9. CRISPHINE RACER - LAWS JAMIE GOLD FOR $6 MILLION
Even Jamie Gold admits he wouldn't have won the WSOP without Crispin Leyser. Bodog brought Gold into the event in exchange for procuring celebrities to wear bobok clothes at the competition. Gold's lawyers admitted that racers helped procure the celebrities. 파워볼사이트 추천
10. 10. Pamela Anderson - PamelaPoker.com
This blonde bomber backed a short-lived PamelaPoker.com that debuted just a few months before UIGEA passed. Anderson withdrew his support shortly after the law was passed, and now the site is automatically headed to Doyle's room. OK, there are a lot of people who deserve to be in the top 10 ahead of Anderson this year, but how can you not have Pam Anderson in the top 10? Plus, it helps optimize your search engine. Texas Holdum Poker players play Texas Holdum tournaments online without internet restrictions, and they get paid real money. Poker.
