Hey Michael,
thanks for doing this. The interview was really interesting, appreciate that. What do you think about the future of online poker globally, like legal background, separate markets, legalization, new markets (especially Asia), return of U.S. players etc.?
I'm far from an expert on this, but as far as globally goes I hope for less fragmentation of markets like what has been happening in Europe. I'm not sure how European politics work, but hopefully the EU can somehow join markets together instead of segregating. As for new markets, Asia is going to be a major boom if they can find a way to penetrate the market.
Afaik typical marketing and brands don't transfer as well to Asia, so hopefully a brand like PokerStars and FTP can find effective ways. Theres a huge player pools, and we all know asians love to GAMBLE.
As for the USA there is a lot of different movement going on at the moment, but none of it seems cohesive enough to say for sure what direction things are going. Theres some state by state legislation that is happening, and also a separate push at the federal level. I'm hoping the PPA can help push through some laws that do allow an open and competitive market for online gambling. As a state by state system wouldn't be very profitable, and a limited market ran by Harrahs and other casino providers might not be either. I do see online gambling being allowed in the next two years, but as to whether I'll be rushing home to play in those games is still to be seen.
GL at the tables!
Peter