{"id":8339,"date":"2018-09-01T08:00:31","date_gmt":"2018-09-01T12:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onlinepokeramerica.com\/news\/?p=8339"},"modified":"2018-09-01T08:00:31","modified_gmt":"2018-09-01T12:00:31","slug":"poker-security-in-the-wake-of-florida-esports-shooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onlinepokeramerica.com\/news\/poker-security-in-the-wake-of-florida-esports-shooting\/","title":{"rendered":"Poker Security in the Wake of Florida Esports Shooting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Esports and poker do share something in common. Both activities used to be marginalized. There was little respect for either of those, one looked down upon as a waste of time, and the other, perceived as what comes after wasting too much time \u2013 addiction, reckless spending, falling into debt.<\/em><\/p>\n

Security at Poker Events \u2013 It Matters<\/h2>\n

Esports and poker today share a common distribution channel \u2013 Twitch. Not only that, but poker players openly drop out of the game to pursue their dreams as esports athletes<\/a>, or failing that, by running companies dedicated to the segment. <\/p>\n

The latest familiarity between the two seemingly distinct products, though, is occasioned by the recent shoot-out that took place in Jacksonville<\/strong>, Florida<\/strong>, where the EA\u2019s NFL Madden Qualifier<\/strong> was held. A fellow player went on a killing spree on Sunday, injuring 10 and killing two. His decision to gun down fellow players, while not clearly established, was probably occasioned by a serious drubbing he took in the video game he was competing in. <\/p>\n

Following the shoot-out, Electronic Arts (EA)<\/strong>, the company developing the game and hosting the esports scene, stated that all other events would be cancelled<\/a> until such a time that security measures are revaluated. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not difficult to imagine a similar scenario applied to poker. When you come staking hundreds or thousands of dollars, a heavy loss may be the tipping point for someone. It has already happened, although, the incident that took place at the European Poker Tour in Berlin in 2010<\/a> only highlighted that it may be worth tightening security. Back in 2010, a group of Good Fellows-styled robbers walked into Grand Hyatt Hotel and ran away with $1.2 million in poker proceedings. <\/p>\n

One of the critics of gun violence, Poker Ambassador Mike Sexton went on Twitter to say that measures need to be taken if the United States were to curb senseless shootings.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a sad state of affairs but it should be obvious by now that if we want to curb senseless shootings (inside buildings anyway), we need to install metal detectors at every school, arena, & store\/building where there is substantial traffic. #toomanynutcases<\/a> #solutionsneeded<\/a><\/p>\n

— Mike Sexton (@Mike_partypoker) August 27, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n