“If Internet gambling is outlawed, then only outlaws will gamble on the Internet.” - Unknown
With Congress on the brink of comprehensively outlawing Internet gambling, we would like one final, possibly desperate, and most definitely futile attempt to sway the legislators of this fine Union. We plead with the members of the Senate to vote against any proposed bill that would interdict all citizens from participating in online casinos, poker rooms or sports books in the US and the rest of the world. Although the issue may see frivolous to some, it would surely be emblematic of the gradual decay of the protection of American freedom.
An e-mail sent to me from one of our readers, Steve in Palmdale, CA, stated, “Freedom means absolute protection of private property rights.” We couldn’t agree with his sentiment any more. In order for Americans to be truly free, the government must not limit its citizens ability to spend their money in any fashion they may so desire. Should the government protect the most ignorant and the most irresponsible of its citizens from financial or moral ruin at the expense of a personal freedom? They certainly don't think it is necessary to return to prohibition to protect society from alcoholism. In any case, protecting a few at the sacrifice of many is never a good idea and is certainly not based on any clause in the US Constitution.
The state has already begun taking action to deny people their inalienable right to gamble. In 2004, Google and Yahoo!, the Internet's two largest search engines, took down all advertisements related to online gaming. This came a direct reaction to the US Department of Justice announcing that they may be legally able to interpret the publication of advertisements for online gaming as "aiding and abetting” criminals under the 1961 Interstate Wire Act. This bully tactic by the DOJ, as all subtle and overt criminalization of gambling, is a clear violation of the First Amendment.
We can hear Mrs. Clinton now exclaiming, “Think about the children!” Sit down, Mrs. Clinton, there’s an answer for that as well. If the government is genuinely concerned about underage gambling (and not powerful lobbyists representing non-wired gambling interests), then it should consider legalizing online wagering with the help of government regulation. By forcing online gaming sites to provide ID checks, the State can ensure that no minors will be corrupted in the $2-$4 Limit Hold’em game on Party Poker. This will allow the US economy to reap some of the $6 billion in revenue online gaming generates every year. There can even be a system set up like the California State Lottery (which the state feels is justifiably legal while somehow Party Poker is not), in which a certain percentage of every dollar waged on the State Lottery is donated back into the California public school system. Even cases of money laundering could be better traced if the books to these sites were open to IRS auditors, and not owned by Joe Sleezebag somewhere in the Caribbean.
To be sure, this isn’t just an issue of being able to play poker for money online. It is one of preserving some of our basic, inalienable rights. The prohibition of online gaming can only hurt the US economy, benefit unsavory characters with offshore accounts, and make criminals out of its otherwise upstanding citizens.
