Fifteen years in the past, on-line poker was booming, and I appeared to spend half my life flying from New York Metropolis to Las Vegas, chasing down tales on the Andrew Robls and Daniel Negreanus of the world.
On a type of flights, aboard Virgin America, whereas jostling to a coach class seat, I encountered Tom “Durrrr” Dwan. He was settling into top quality, after all. We exchanged greetings, talked about an interview we have been making an attempt to schedule, and he agreed to come back again to the place I used to be sitting, as soon as we have been up within the air. The thought was to do the interview en path to Las Vegas.
It was an on-again/off-again affair that truly made for a cool story. Both utilizing the airline’s Wi-Fi or a connection gadget of his personal for a FullTilt hookup, he edgily waited for sure gamers – i.e., fish – to go browsing. Selecting his opponents correctly and nipping away from me to play playing cards towards them, he put himself ready to earn extra money over the course of a flight than lots of people on the aircraft took dwelling in a 12 months.
I keep in mind considering how cool – how very Vegasy – it will have been if all of us may have been playing. Hitting an NFL betting website or feeding slot machines at 35,000 ft could be a good way to kill time on a flight.
Contemplating the truth that the slot machines at Harry Reid Worldwide Airport in Sin Metropolis are mentioned to generate some $30 million per 12 months in winnings from passengers with chump change to blow earlier than or after their flights, there’s a starvation for it.
Perhaps these seat backs with their video terminals that play more and more lame films could be put to good use by being related to on-line casinos? They’ll make it fascinating to observe the sporting occasions that we will tune in on and video blackjack or roulette – performed with factors or money – will get us primed for hitting the tables.
The carriers’ executives must be licking their chops for this.
Spirit Airways, a not nice flyer within the US, not too long ago filed for Chapter 11 chapter safety. Turning the jets into in-air casinos may present a final gasp for the beleaguered provider. American Airways posted a $149 million internet loss for the third quarter of this 12 months. Perhaps it’s time for AA to deliver a house-edge to the sky.
If the thought sounds nutty, it’s not precisely untried. In 1997, Swissair provided in-flight video playing on non-US routes. There have been crude variations of slot machines, keno, and a few form of a lottery. Stakes have been as little as $1.00 and probably the most you would win was $3,500.
Then issues bought a bit too sizzling.
It’s believed that wires within the cockpit, which fed the leisure system (which included playing), caught hearth and introduced down the aircraft. It crashed into the ocean. Tragically, all passengers on board perished.
In-flight playing was by no means once more instituted, although Ryanair and Virgin have each floated the thought with out a lot comply with by means of.
I’m rallying for somebody to make it occur and ready for an over/below on minutes of turbulence. Go for the over and bumping by means of the sky won’t ever have felt so good.
Michael Kaplan is a journalist primarily based in New York Metropolis. He’s the creator of 5 books (“The Benefit Gamers” comes out in 2024) and has labored for publications that embody Wired, GQ and the New York Submit. He has written extensively on expertise, playing, and enterprise — with a selected curiosity in spots the place all three intersect. His article on Kelly “Baccarat Machine” Solar and Phil Ivey is at the moment in improvement as a characteristic movie.
