It's not quite time to sound the emergency alarm bells, but we're getting close – at least that's what Jason Koon thinks.
On Thursday, the PokerStars Pro and Triton Ambassador fired off a post on Twitter/X which outlined a few of his growing concerns around the future of game integrity – primarily within the live arena, but also online – as wearable technological advancements continue and how operators should prioritize the way they address these issues moving forward.
When it comes to voices within the community worth listening to, Koon's ranks up there with the best of them as one of the most respected players by both competitors, audiences, and operators alike.
Wearable tech at the heart of Koon's concerns
The concerns Koon has brought forward here center primarily around wearable technology and its impact on live poker. Specifically, Koon believes operators should begin to examine players' inner ears for potential real-time assistance relaying devices; ban sunglasses from live poker entirely (no mention of standard eyeglasses); ban all devices from the felt and the rail; and only allow rings made of solid metal or clear stones.
Jason Koon and PokerStars VP Steve Preiss address the crowd at Koon's Team Pro announcement. It's an interesting list of concerns – a specific list – that leads one to wonder if these are issues Koon has encountered in the wild already. If that's the case, it's fair to assume that Koon – and, perhaps by extension, PokerStars – has begun to formulate a plan for addressing these concerns in the near future. Koon's proximity to the power brokers within one of poker's largest operators positions him well to influence how these concerns are addressed and drive real change within the live poker arena.
The community responds
Koon's post attracted a great deal of attention within the poker community, with several players expressing their agreement with his concerns.
Alec Torelli responded, "I totally agree. I made a recent video talking specifically about point #2 and how RTA through something like Meta Glasses (or even contact lenses) could eventually kill poker. We can ban glasses now, but how will we ban contacts tomorrow?"
While he didn't offer his own take on Koon's concerns, Joey Ingram agreed that the issues "should be discussed much more."
What do you think of Koon's points? Do operators need to start taking definitive action against wearable technology? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
