We Are Bink

MISSION STATEMENT

We as an organization want to bring awareness to gambling and create more sustainable practices in both brick & mortar and online casinos. Gambling can be fun and even "cool", but it's obviously not very "cool" if you go bankrupt or it begins to interfere with your mental health and life in general. 

With regards to poker specifically, we want mainstream media and audiences to become more aware of the fact that poker is a skill-based game. In the United States, the court case that determined poker to be a game of skill rather than luck was United States v. DiCristina (2012). This case was heard in the Eastern District of New York and involved the owner of an underground poker club, who was charged with operating an illegal gambling business. The defense argued that poker was a game of skill, not luck, and therefore did not fall under the federal prohibition on illegal gambling. The court ultimately agreed, finding that "while luck certainly plays a role in the outcome of individual hands, the skilled player will win more often than the unskilled player." This decision established that poker is primarily a game of skill, and thus not covered by federal gambling laws. 

A great analogy is the stock market: On a day-to-day basis, 

"Nobody knows if the stock is gonna go up, down sideways, or in circles" - Matthew McConnaughey in the Wolf of Wall Street

However, if you do proper due diligence, invest in companies with good fundamentals, diversify your portfolio, etc. then you will likely profit in the long run. In poker, you can't control the hands you're dealt or what the runout is, but if you study and practice then you'll likely profit in the long run. 

If you've watched players like Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey play, are aware of the fact that there are professional poker players who play for a living, and still don't think poker is a skill-based game, then I'm not sure what will convince you. 

The Gambling Helpline for confidential 24/7 problem gambling assistance is 1-800-GAMBLER. You can also text "SUPPORT" to 53342 to get more information about problem gambling behavior.