Defending the Truth

In another promising sign for reversing the prohibition of internet gambling, representatives of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Treasury Department and financial services sector testified before Congress yesterday that the proposed rules to implement the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) are unworkable.

The witnesses, including representatives of the American Bankers Association and Financial Services Roundtable, unanimously agreed that U.S. financial services companies would face serious regulatory burdens in attempting to enforce UIGEA, a law that is not likely to stop millions of Americans from gambling online.

There has been significant media coverage of the hearing, some of which can be viewed on our web site. Here is an editorial from today’s Las Vegas Review-Journal.

We believe that rather than trying to implement a ban that is unclear, burdensome and doomed to fail, Congress should instead look to regulate Internet gambling.

To learn more and contact your elected representatives to support regulation, we encourage you to visit Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative.

Thanks.

Jeffrey Sandman
Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative

I have to say, I am torn on this issue. Internet gambling is the only form of it that I have seen that can be done with no interaction with other people. Buying lottery tickets means going to a store, betting on sports games means dealing with a bookie, etc.

There is NOTHING (no one) to jar an internet gambler out of "gambling mode." I think the danger of an addictive personality bankrupting him/herself is higher than with any other form of gambling. (I have nothing to base that on, just my gut.)

I could certainly see government regulation getting involved from the point of view of generating additional revenue, but are we as a society, or through our representational government, morally obligated to prevent that from happening?

If we are, why has the line against gambling been drawn here, and not elsewhere?
If we are not, then this ban needs to fall.

It's an interesting topic.