Future of Online Bets

On the eve of the fall election recess, Congress passed a law making it illegal for financial institutions to allow their instruments to be used to fund illegal Internet transactions.

The legislation stopped short of amending the Wire Act, whic would have helped define what "illegal" Internet gambling might be.

Some online gambling sites have vowed to ignore or challenge the law.

Where will this lead us? Shat should be done now?

Comments

[Carl Bechtold]

The wire act needs to be amended to include all Internet gambling. Fantasy sports and animal racing should be included. States that want their citizens to gamble should not be looking across state borders for customers to addict.

[Guy Clark]

We also need to watch state legislatures to be sure that they don't morph silulcasting of live horse vaces into some sort of horsey slot machine. It's inevitable that the tracks are going to try things like that to increase speed of betting.

[Magnum Serpentine]

I am more concerned with what the Fundamentalist want next? Outlaw Wiccan Internet sites? Outlaw Evolution Internet Sites? Outlaw Wikipedia?

Where will you all stop. And I have seen where you all have won and you continue going after other things.

Is your final goal a Theoracy? Is your final law a law to FORCE everyone to attend a Fundamentalist Right Wing Church? Is your final Goal a Law to force everyone to pay for the Pastors vacation( Paying Tithes)

You see, I do not oppose limits on Gambling. I oppose activism by Fundamentalist and other groups bent on Turning this nation into a Theoracy.

[CGBechtold]

Magnum brings up often-repeated objections and a theoretical affiliation with "fundamentalist" religion.
Though religious people may have objections to gambling for their own reasons, the best reasons to reject online gambling are for pulic health and economics.
Gambling is an addictive product, and because it does not require delivery of a "substance," it can be piped into homes and offices at will. No one in their right mind would allow a pipeline of meth or alcohol to be available on demand, 24/7/365 anywhere in the country.
Equally as important is the misinterpreted role of government. America is a representative republic. We elect good men and women to study complex issues and legislate in our best interest.
That's what happened when Congress pulled the plug on Internet gambling.
Government should outlaw dangerous products and dens of thieves to prey on the weaknesses of others. Online gamlbing houses are selling lies and false hopes, and they have to be stopped somewhere outside the walls of America's homes and offices.
If you want to gamble, go to a casino -- just like when you want to drink, you go to a bar or a liquor store. You don't just crank up your computer and open your mouth.

[DSRobertson]

Does anyone read this blog?

[CGBechtold]

It appears that David Robertson and someone called Magnum Serpentine did! :~)

[Guy Clark]

Regarding the "Fundamentalist Right Wing Church" that Magnum refers to, there are a number of devoutly religious people on the NCALG board of directors. There is also an atheist and an agnostic on the board. The believers are pretty evenly divided between somewhat conservative churches and somewhat liberal churches. Not much of a monolithic group there, except in their opposition to gambling that is promoted by governments or corporations at the expense of the citizens of this country.

I'm curious why Magnum feels threatened by religious people trying to influence public policy. Should religious people be excluded from political action or public discourse?

[karieC]

I am not actually advocating against gambling-I believe people have the right to make choices, and are then responsible for those choices. However, through greed, corruption, lies and dirty deals, the public is being misinformed about the impact tribal casinos will have on their community, the corruption that took place to build those casinos, the laws that are being broken inside the casinos, the fact that there is no State or Federal oversite to protect them from being cheated by the casinos, and who is actually reeping the benefits and who is paying the price. There is also inadequeate help for those that find themselves in trouble with gambling-there is the facade of compliance to support responsible gaming by the casinos to help with this responsibility...the truth is the 1.4% of net profits (from slots only) is a pathetic drop in the bucket compared to what is needed. I believe if the public were being told the truth about ALL the social and political aspects of this issue-and then allowed to vote on legislation, then it might be a fair fight. However, the overwhelming amount of revenue being generated by these casinos is corrupting everyone it touches-the profits are not being used to help Native Americans as promised, the ones getting fat off the deals are breaking the law, taking advantage of their residents, and then paying off anyone in a position to oppose them. When justice is denied to one American, it is denied to all Americans. We must take back control of how our local leaders, elected officials and government is ALLOWED BY US, THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, to conduct itself. We have certain unalienable rights--and they are being violated to line the pockets of greedy bastards.
TAKE BACK YOUR RIGHTS CITIZENS--WE ARE THE DECIDERS, NOT THEM!

[Guy Clark]

I agree with some of KarieC's comments on tribal casinos. I'm not sure where tribal casinos are required to pay 1.25% for treatment of gambling addiction. In New Mexico, for example, the rate is 0.25 %.

It is also certain that the intent of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 has been stretched way past the breaking point, especially with off-reservation casinos, Class II slot machines and virtually no outside regulation.

Congress needs to rewrite IGRA to get a reign on things, and insure that tribal casinos don't get transported off reservations, and where they are located, that they don't trample their neighbor's rights. That's until we get them and non-tribal casinos criminalized.

[Larry Wagoner]

I am attending a Town Council meeting tonight 4/10/07 at 6:00pm in Ferriday, La. in opposition to VIDEO BINGO. I would appreciate any information, ie; Statistical, Societal, Economical, Addictive, Horror Stories, etc, that you can e-mail that I can use to present to the Town Council that would hopefully persuade them not to allow Video Bingo in our town. Thank You, Larry Wagoner

[Chris]

I am just an average guy who works his 40+ hours per week at a decent job. My girlfriend and her kid have a roof over their heads and they have food on the table. We are active with the Boy Scouts and we volunteer at Joey's school....

And both Kathleen and I play online poker. We are not addicted to the game. We play in our spare time for entertainment. We NEVER put our poker bankroll before the bills. We never stay home "sick" to play poker.

And we are not alone. Yes, there are those that have gambling problems and yes kids are smart enough these days to get caught up in things that they shouldn't. But the last time I checked this was still a free country and what we do in the comfort of our homes is our business. There are many many Americans that are identical to Kathleen and myself.

Legislation was introduced yesterday to allow those of us who are not problem gamblers and not under aged to entertain ourselves as we see fit. It has provisions to address all the concerns that were supposed to be fixed by the UIGEA yet not infringe on our personal liberties. I truly hope this passes. If it does not then I am afraid that an other piece of our freedom will vanish.

Again, I am not saying that we should ignore those with gambling issues. But don't take freedoms away from those of us who play without them.

[Guy Clark]

In regard to Chris' comments, the gambling promoters that promise that they can offer consumer protection and regulate gambling effectively on the Internet are delusional or dishonest. Our gaming control boards do a pathetic job of regulating gambling in brick and mortar casinos across the country. The slot manufacturers program their slots, rather than using a true "balanced reel" technology, to deceive the gamblers with an inordinate number of "near misses" to encourage more gambling. There were recent news reports out of Canada that showed that a major slot manufacturer, used by casinos across the USA, was injecting "JACKPOT!!!" subliminal messages into their programming. An MIT cultural anthropologist reports that slot manufacturers have discovered how to put gamblers in "the zone," a state of mind that disassociates itself from outside stimuli so that they will be more permanently glued to the addiction machine. Suggesting that online casinos will do as well or better at regulation than the fixed location, easily monitored, easily prosecuted businesses is ludicrous.

Chris, this is not gambling prohibition. If you live in the continental United States, you have access to dozens of gambling venues within minutes to a couple of hours from your home. Do you really feel that your fundamental civil rights are being denied because you can't gamble on your computer? Did the framers of the constitution guarantee the right to "life, liberty and the care and feeding of slots?"

If Barney Frank's bill is passed into law, the social, economic and political ramifications will be disastrous for families and states all across the country. They won't be able to properly regulate it; they won't be able to keep kids or in-laws from using others' credit cards; they won't be able to prevent the Mob or terrorists from laundering money at Internet gambling sites hungry for American dollars.

Your entertainment convenience is a pretty flimsy argument compared with the wreckage that would be caused by Rep. Frank's bill. We will do all we can to derail it.

[Operation Rescue Sucks]

yeah
operation rescue has gotton into anti-gambling activities as a way to raise more money by scaring people.

it's funny when religious zealots want to control the thoughts and money of many people.
than they bat their eyes and say...
"oh, why would a person be afraid of religious people wanting to control everybody else"?
i've never met an operation rescue member who wasn't ready to lie to promote their money raising efforts. myob

[Guy Clark]

I'm interested in the comment about "money raising efforts." All organizations need money to fund their activities. Our form 990 is open to the public for inspection. NCALG has a few very talented employees who are paid a lot less than they could get if they worked in the regular business world. The board receives no salary at all, and in fact, are expected to make financial contributions to the budget. They all donate time, money and resources because they feel that it is important to get our message out.

Instead of us forcing our view on others, the previous critics seem to want to muzzle us so that we can't express our views on the predatory gambling industry. We're not opposed to gamblers, but to the gambling trade that becomes rich exploiting the weekness of our citizens.