State-regulated Poker in Michigan

It's been a while since I cross-posted anything that I wrote in the twoplustwo.com poker forums.  In this one, an Irish poker player wants to understand state-regulated poker in the United States.  The Poker Players Alliance has predicted that the next two US states to get licensed and regulated poker will be Texas, followed by Michigan.  I have watched some videos of hearings in the Michigan House and Senate, and it does seem that Michigan is getting pretty close.

Here is that discussion:

(Irish Player)  Can I ask you ..are poker players generally in favor of state regulated poker??

I am asking because where I am from all gambling debt is unenforceable by law. Irish law states very clearly that gambling debts cannot be enforced. The rule applies not just to gamblers seeking payment, but also to casinos, bookies and online gambling services seeking to collect debts.

(My response) I'm going to give you a somewhat long answer to that because, depending on the player, there are different opinions about that.

1. There is a group of players, including me, who think that poker should not be regulated at all, because it's a game of skill, not gambling. The basic argument goes something like this:

Poker is not like other casino games. We do not play against the house. We compete against other players in a tournament or at a cash game table. Poker is a game of skill, not chance, as is chess.  For that reason, some players (I'm one of them) refuse to call poker gambling  Several state judges have ruled that poker should be regulated (or unregulated) in the same way as a chess tournament*

Both chess and poker tournaments have a buy-in, and both tournaments pay the players that finish highest. There is no practical difference. There are private organizations like the USCF (United States Chess Federation) that sanction chess tournaments. The same could be done with poker.

2. As a practical political matter, many voters, both inside and outside the poker community, want online poker regulated because of problems with underage players, cheating and other issues that casinos guard against. I think it's safe to say that most of the voting public is probably fine with a 9-year old in a chess tournament playing against adults, but would not want that child to be in a poker tournament.

3. Many players want online poker regulated because of things that have happened in the past.** Players have lost a lot of money when unregulated online sites mishandled player funds and/or went out of business. If you are in the United States and an unregulated site headquartered in Costa Rica goes down*** you have no recourse when you don't get back the money that was in your account.

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*http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/nyregion/poker-is-more-a-game-of-skill-than-of-chance-a-judge-rules.html

**https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/13127-black-friday-the-day-that-changed-online-poker

***There are no gambling laws or regulations in Costa Rica.  This is the case in some other countries as well.