As an online bingo fan, I’m sure you have heard all about the recent legislation passed by the U.S. Congress recently called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act HR 4411. HR 4411 was passed by the house of representatives on July 13, 2006. It had the approval of democrats and republicans by a huge 72% margin. You can view the house votes here. It was then approved by then snuck into a very important bill on port security by U.S. Sen. Bill Frist. It passed and will be signed into law by President Bush.
I find it hypocritical that Congress goes after online gambling yet it's okay to travel to Las Vegas and gamble. It's okay to visit Indian Casinos and gamble. It's okay to gamble buying state sponsored lottery tickets. But to gamble online, oh that must be stopped! There are three forces at play here, those who oppose online gambling because of their moral - religious beliefs, the protectionist, and the offline gambling lobbyists.
The Moral Angle
I'll have to say one thing about those who oppose online gambling because of moral issues, at least they are absolute about their beliefs and they don't say it's bad to gamble online but it's okay to gamble in Las Vegas. At least they want to make all types of gambling illegal! Even though I disagree and I don't like anyone forcing their beliefs onto others at least they are sticking to the concept that applies on all forms of gambling. Even though they are being used by politicians for votes this upcoming election in November.
The Protectionists
This one is simple, if you are so concerned about losing tax revenues and dollars to the foreign countries that welcome online gambling businesses, then regulate it in the U.S.! Taxes would be collected, jobs created (call centers, etc.), and money would be made by U.S. based companies. North Dakota Republican State Rep. Jim Kasper is one of the few politicians that sees the opportunities. As Rep. Kasper says, "My fellow Republicans just don't get it" when it comes to Internet gambling.
"The people of our nation want to do what they want to do in the privacy of their living rooms," Kasper told internetnews.com. Rep. Kasper tried to make it legal in North Dakota by introducing a bill that would legalize poker for online casinos that are willing to relocate their business to North Dakota. Rep. Kasper sees it as a win for the state since it bring in millions in revenue to the states in taxes and jobs. A requirement would be for the online casinos to use North Dakota's state-owned bank as a measure to protect gamblers and safeguard against money laundering. Money laundering is a rallying call of the fear mongers against online gambling. Rep. Kasper's bill was killed form pressure by the DOJ but he is planning to introduce the bill again. Read internetnews.com interview with Rep. Kasper here.
I had the pleasure of hearing Rep. Kasper speak at a casino affiliates convention last year and the man is right on the money! It's not the governments business to tell you what to do with your money in the privacy of your home! And for those who think this the work of the Republicans, it is not. Even though Sen. Bill Frist snuck UIGEA into another bill, it has wide support by democrats as well. The bills was overwhelmingly passed by both sides in Congress 317-93. By 73% of congress voted yes. You can see the roll call here. It's sad that the Republican party which has a rich history of being against big government has turned it's back on those principals to get votes.
Offline Gambling
It's no secret that offline gambling lobbyist have long pushed to make gambling online illegal. They don't want you to log in and play slots online. They want you to go to their smoke infested casinos and gamble. Las Vegas has long pushed for this type of ban and they must be ecstatic about the UIGEA. I can't use my U.S. based VISA card to gamble online but I can max it out at one of the many ATM's kindly provided at the offline casinos in Las Vegas and the Indian Casinos. They offline gambling PAC's are very powerful and they are serious about protecting the offline casinos.
It is this hypocrisy that drives me nuts about the passage of UIGEA. It's not about protecting individuals it's about appeasing the moralist, protectionists, and the offline gambling interests.
Rest assured that this law will not make it illegal for you to gamble online. I've been contacting the our online bingo sponsors and they are conducting business as usual. I will remove banners of onine bingo sites who refuse to accept wager from U.S. players.
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