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As someone who works in the casino industry, I have to say this is pretty stupid. Most Americans live within driving distance of a casino, lotto or other form of legalized gambling. So, what exactly is this law protecting?
This past December, the United States settled a trade dispute with Canada, Europe, and Japan over the recently enacted Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
The problem is that the law carves out exemptions for some forms of gambling, such as state lotteries and domestic horse racing, while banning most other forms, most notably poker, the most popular form of online wagering.
The most popular online poker sites are all based overseas, where online gambling is legal. This gave rise to the trade dispute between the U.S. and most of the rest of the western world.
The U.S. Trade Office won’t release the terms of the settlement-an odd development itself, given that the settlement involves U.S. tax dollars, was negotiated by employees of the U.S. government, and isn’t likely to involve any information related to national security. But most experts believe that given the immense popularity of online poker, and the fact that America is home not only to most of the world’s poker players but also the wealthiest, the settlement was likely in the tens of billions of dollars.
Here’s an article from a year and a half ago about the silliness of the law. And here’s what a poker legal expert thinks.
A singular example of pantywaist piety providing the “morality” of American politics.
Don’t question the rush to invade a foreign nation. Don’t extend constitutional rights to every citizen of this benighted land. But, protect us from the demons of lust and gambling.
Bah, humbug!
I don’t do online gambling; I prefer going to a casino if I’m going to gamble.
That said, the current law against Internet gambling protects casinos, and the states in which they’re located. Follow the money…
Jeebus, what a line of work. “Poker expert”.
There’s someone who’s really adding to the culture.
Q: So, what exactly is this law protecting?
a: Casinos.
Next question?
Can I sue whoever posts an online gambling ad for entrapment? (I’m following the money. See Floyd?)
So, what exactly is this law protecting?
Maybe a casino, lotto or other form of legalized gambling that is within driving distance of where most Americans live?
I guess I didn’t word my question right. It was meant to be rhetorical. Of course it’s the casinos, lotteries, etc.
More nanny state morality.
Remotes for Sky TV in the UK have a red button for betting. Not unusual to watch a football match on TV and see the signs light up with “5 to 1 that Cahill scores the next goal – press the red button to bet”.
They presume you’re an adult and capable of deciding whether or not to gamble.
Sorry Uncie Dave… Just being glib. 🙂
#8 – More nanny state morality.
Right.
Now… are we going to bitch and moan and throw our hands in the air… Or are we going to do something about it?
10,
I’m voting for Bitch and Moan. I’m in Canada, eh, so not much I can do for ya!
Good luck!
Simplest explanation – Gov’t can’t tax overseas casinos.
Casino Gambling is SO CROOKED, and Internet Gambling EVEN MORE SO !!!
“A Fool and His Money are SOON PARTED!”
“Most Americans live within driving distance of a casino, lotto or other form of legalized gambling. So, what exactly is this law protecting?”
I think you have already answered that question.
Besides, if the majority of the Internet Gambling sites were owned by Evangelical preacers I also think that there would have never been a ban in the first place.
I wouldn’t play online poker for free. Look at this article on poker bots that are now able to defeat humans. Care to sit at a virtual table with a couple of bots that can bluff, learn your traits with precision and bet accordingly? They may have to play by the audited rules and not be able to see your hand, but they’re getting good enough to make online casinos wealthier.
Online poker gives new meaning to “big blind.”
http://cagematch.dvorak.org/index.php/topic,3129.0.html
I would neither play on-line nor would I play at a casino.
All one needs to do is take a look around at the opulence, the number of employees that you can see, double that number for the number of employees you can’t see, add the cost of all freebies, and that all adds up to a healthy chunk of money. Casinos don’t give their money away. They are there solely to take your money. There isn’t one game in any casino where the odds are equal or favor the player.
Whenever someone tells you they won big, just ask them to truthfully tell you how much they lost over the past few years. If they insist they spent less than they won, either they are lying or have a horseshoe up their ass.
As far as lotteries go, for everyone that wins a million dollars, a million people lost a buck Well, most lotteries pay out about 40% of what comes in, 10% is for overhead, and 50% profit. So that means for everyone who wins a million dollars, 2.5 million people had to lose a buck. But then not all the money goes for first place. Usually about 20% of the pot is for that big prize and the rest for the subsidiary prizes. So for everyone winning that big $25,000,000 GRAND PRIZE, around 125 million PEOPLE lost a buck.
Casinos and lotteries are audited by the government. Do you really know who is auditing the on-line casino you just gave your credit card to?
Catshit completely beat me to it. What he says, me too. Legalized gambling is a tax on the stupid.
And even if you could justify it all by the “experience” of Vegas-type gambling, that is certainly and completely taken away in the online scenario. I have no doubt about online gambling bots that can analyze all the odds and make instant recommendations based upon probabilities. I could almost build one myself. Who would want to play against that?
The problem, I believe, is that most people are basically superstitious and ignorant. (I mean that in a nice way.) They ignore or don’t understand the odds involved in favor of a “feeling” that they are somehow “special;” that some kind of power is specifically watching over them such that probabilities do not apply.
As a statistical population, the gamblers who made Vegas are losers.
RBG
Mr. Catshit, you are correct, sir. Those giant opulent casinos are all built and maintained with P.T. Barnum’s favorite person’s money. Vegas is amazing to see and great for a few days visit, but most don’t even visit anything off the strip. What a waste.
Some casinos have very favorable odds on craps. The house cut on “true odds” bets is 1% or less, on some bets around 0.1% if they don’t charge that pesky 5% commission. Just depends on where you play.
With some smarts about money management and a little luck finding someone who can roll 6 or more numbers in a row, a gambler can make a little money and have some fun.
This really is ridiculous. For one thing, the reason all the sports news it reported on local Tv stations (and some radio) is to help with the unofficial gambling trade. I can’t see newspapers and Tv devoting that much coverage to sporting events, just because a small percentage of people are mildly interested in a game. Hey I’m mildly interested in what the Star Trek franchise is up to. But I don’t see a section in the daily paper about it. And who really cares what some other state’s team is up to. But you get all the NFL teams’ scores, every day. It’s about betting. And it’s about the point spread too. Otherwise, they’d just report which team won, without the detailed numbers.
I’m not very big on gambling myself. And I suspect that our local horse racing industry is dying out, due to lack of public interest. And yet the state tries to keep it alive, by have slots machines introduced to the tracks. Just like some of our neighboring states have. But why is gov’t so hot to preserve this industry, while it simply lets our steel mills and auto assembly plants fail? Because the politicians get kickbacks from the track owners to keep their business alive. And the state gets a hefty percentage from people’s winning and the tracks’ take. Just like the lottery. So it keeps this “legal” and triving. And screw your job’s future. Because the XYZ company didn’t pay the politicians enough to care. Or prevent them from outsourcing to Mexico, and still do business here.
I happen to work in the gaming industry, so from my observations, it seems like the reason that Internet gaming hasn’t been legalized is due to several factors.
First, gaming is regulated by the ‘state’, and they like their tax revenue. With that in mind, how do you collect taxes on an offshore gaming operation?
Second, lobbyists. Obviously powerful, and not just the gaming ones, the hotel associations, restaraunts, etc., all have an interest in the brick and mortar casino.
Until those two obstacles are removed, you won’t see Internet gaming anytime soon.