HoNoToGroABeMo Day Thirty-One: It Is Done
5 years ago
3:01 PM
With a single vote, an industry dies?
Mister Nizz
Internet Gambling is now illegal in the United States
Well, at least according to the House of Representatives.
Over the weekend, Congress passed a compromise bill (317-93) that will make it illegal to gamble via the Internet. Quoted text is from Reuters:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most forms of Internet gambling would be banned under a bill that received final U.S. congressional approval early Saturday.
The House of Representatives and Senate approved the measure and sent it to President George W. Bush to sign into law.
The bill, a compromise between earlier versions passed by the two chambers, would make it illegal for banks and credit card companies to make payments to online gambling sites.
The vote is broken out on the Clerk of the House Site. My congressman voted for it.
The bill has a broad application yet it is still very selective. For instance, State Lotteries are still protected (no surprise there!) and certain forms of offtrack horse betting are regulated via external legislation. Under the provision that relates to horse racing, betting operators would not be prohibited from any activity allowed under the Interstate Horseracing Act. That law was written in the 1970s to set up rules for interstate betting on racing. The industry successfully lobbied for legislation several years ago to clarify that horse racing over the Internet is allowed.
The big losers, in my eyes, are the giant online poker playing internet companies that have become wildly popular in recent years, such as Golden Palace, Pokerparty, and other card game sites. Depending on how the bill fares in the Senate, these industries would vanish from the landscape immediately.
Personally, I'd be glad to NOT get more online betting spam, otherwise, I don't care. I don't gamble. It just seems a little too poltical and too draconian for my tastes. A person should have the intrinsic right to waste their money in this country, no matter what the flavor. WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE STUPID!!!!!
