While the demographic of poker players varies in political beliefs as widely as it does in playing styles, most poker enthusiasts plan to vote for Barack Obama because of his belief that internet gambling should not be criminalized. According to a recent article in Time Magazine, Obama is skilled in both Texas Hold ’Em and Seven Card Stud and played weekly with lobbyists and fellow state senators in Illinois.

John McCain, on the other hand, has a love for craps, but supports the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) wholeheartedly. Obama, however, “has said he would like to regulate online poker and gambling, rather than criminalise it,” according to a recent article in The Daily Telegraph.

As any U.S. resident who has visited an online casino since the UIGEA was passed in 2006 knows, Americans are unable to engage in online betting using a credit or debit card because U.S. banks block the transfer of funds to these sites. Many sites still allow Americans to play, thanks to bonuses, “free money,” or “no deposit” poker rooms. Online gamers can also play bingo and other games for free, but many in the community want the freedom and thrill of placing real bets.

We still can’t be 100% sure that Obama will overturn the UIGEA once in office, but given the facts, he’s certainly more likely to lesson restrictions than McCain is. In an interview, when ESPN.com asked McCain if he was against online gambling, McCain replied, “Absolutely. Internet gambling is skyrocketing, and a lot of these outfits that do it are located outside the United States of America. There is no confidence that you’re in a fair game, there are absolutely no rules, no regulation.”

McCain’s claim about lack of rules and regulations simply isn’t true. Internet card rooms provide just as much security as brick and mortar casinos do. The security is simply in a different format. Instead of security personnel and cameras, virtual card rooms run software that examines players’ betting patterns and searches for inconsistencies. When cheaters are caught, their accounts are closed, their funds are revoked, and honest players who suffered at their hands are reimbursed. Perhaps McCain hasn’t been briefed on this technology, given the fact that he’s a self-proclaimed computer illiterate.
As I mentioned before, McCain is also a self-proclaimed lover of throwing the dice. In fact, U.S. presidents have a history of passion for betting games. For example, Andrew Jackson was an avid card player, owned a stable of race horses, and bet heavily on races. And Richard Nixon used his World War II poker winnings to help finance his first congressional campaign.

Whether McCain or Obama wins this year’s election, let’s hope the new president shows better judgment and honor than Nixon. It bodes well for Obama that he is quite a different poker player than Nixon. Nixon obviously had to participate in high-stakes games to be able to use his winnings to help fund a political campaign, but according to Time, Obama is an extremely careful poker player who only played in low-stakes games. Meanwhile, at the craps table, McCain has been known to “play for a few thousand dollars at a time.” The fact that Obama prefers poker, a game of skill and intellect, to craps, a game of chance, is just one more reason why when it comes to being the better presidential candidate, my money’s on Obama.