Student Chris Benton Plays Online Poker for Extra Cash

On September 13th, 2007, as the popularity of online gaming grows, the Texas holdem variation of poker has become the main source of money for one poker playing teenager from San Francisco. Nineteen year old Chris Benton commented that he has played poker in online casino sites for about five hours each day and said that he earns an average of $40 to $50 for one hour.

Nineteen year old Benton said that playing poker is so much easier compared to having a job like in a restaurant. Benton is a sophomore student at the Sonoma State University who used to be a waiter in a restaurant before he decided to try his luck in playing poker during the summer break by participating in online Texas Holdem poker tournaments at his parents' residence.

Benton is only one of the students that say that playing online poker is a good way to earn extra money and practice their mental skills and techniques. Benton said that more than half of his former classmates at Fremont's Washington High School play poker.

Federal rules like the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) prohibits playing poker and other casino games online but it is easier to bypass the law by playing on online casino sites that are not based in the United States by using credit cards like MasterCard and Visa gift cards.

October 02, 2007
Pauline Davis