UPDATED WITH MY REVIEW BELOW – Don’t get me wrong. I like playing poker (for money) online. Or I should say, I did like playing online when it was less illegal than it is now. I’m not an anti-gambling prude, but the idea that the mewling welfare cases and tax cheats that run the Delaware casinos can run a decent online poker room makes me laugh. It also makes me a bit nauseous to see that”online” gaming in Delaware will include virtual slot machines. Wouldn’t it be cheaper for the state to simply rob people at gunpoint?
DOVER — Delaware’s three casinos launched the first phase of the state’s online gambling operation this morning, opening Web portals for free slots, poker, blackjack and roulette games.
So I just logged on and this looks like a pretty horrible place to play online poker. Feeling like something my kids did math practice on 10 years ago, the interface is clearly built for beginners. The emphasis seems to be on getting people to play slots and roulette – which is probably immoral in addition to being just fucking stupid.
Locked into the facebook interface, the poker has a very cheaply done feel to it. There aren’t some of the basic things online poker players expect, like “sit out next hand,” and multi-table options. I’d have to play a bit more to see if the level of play conforms to the jokey appearance of this thing. I suppose there is a chance that the players themselves could redeem this, although that is probably a long-shot.
I’m disappointed. Not just for me, but for Delaware. We had a chance to be on the forefront of bring a multi-billion dollar business back into the US where it could be regulated and taxed. Instead we got an amateurish mess.
Basically, it sucks.