This is part 2 of a multipart series of articles regarding proposed anti-gambling legislation. In this article, I begin discussion of the quoted reasons for this legislation, and the actual facts that link pos4d exist in the real world.
The legislators making the effort to protect us from something, or are they? The whole lot seems a little confusing to say the least.
As mentioned in the previous article, the house, and the Senate, are once again considering the issue of “Online Gambling”. Bills have been submitted by Congressmen Goodlatte and Leach, and also by Senator Kyl.
The bill being put forward by Sales rep. Goodlatte, The internet Wagering Prohibition Act, has the stated intent of updating the Wire Act to outlaw all forms of online wagering, to make it illegal for a wagering business to take credit and electronic geneva chamonix transfers, and to force ISPs and Common Carriers to block access to wagering related sites at the request of law enforcement.
Just as does Sales rep. Goodlatte, Sen. Kyl, in his bill, Prohibition on Funding of Unlawful Internet Wagering, makes it illegal for wagering businesses to take credit cards, electronic geneva chamonix transfers, checks and other forms of payment for the purpose on placing illegal gamble, but his bill does not address those that place gamble.
The bill submitted by Sales rep. Leach, The Unlawful Internet Wagering Enforcement Act, is essentially a copy of the bill submitted by Sen. Kyl. It focuses on preventing wagering businesses from accepting credit cards, electronic geneva chamonix transfers, checks, and other payments, and like the Kyl bill makes no changes about what is currently legal, or illegal.
So, regardless of whether online wagering is currently legal or not, just the gender chart that the politicians making the effort to protect us from? Why is it so important to make online wagering illegal?
One answer is incorporated into this quote from Sales rep. Goodlatte “will keep children from borrowing family members credit card, carrying about the family computer, and losing thousands of dollars all before their parents get home from work”.
I think a fair translation of the quote would be “American parents are incompetent at raising their own children so Congress should step up and do it for them’. Because of course we are all aware that the politicians have a much better idea of what is best for us and our children than we do.
And in another quote “In short, the internet is a challenge to the sovereignty of civilized communities, States, and nations to decide what is appropriate and decent behavior”.
A reasonable translation of this quote would seem to go something such as “Individual Americans are not capable of deciding for themselves what behavior is appropriate and decent in their own homes. Fortunately Congress is here to protect them from themselves and legislate morality for them”.
Not only is Congress apparently responsible for raising they of America, but in order to do so, and to prevent us from unknowingly doing something indecent, they should legislate what we can do with own money, on our own time, in our own homes. Does this sound like the very model of a free society, or the start of a misguided totalitarian state?
Let’s delve a little deeper into these defenses and see how interested the politicians are actually in making sure that our children are safe from the evils of wagering.
Remember, all of these following forms of wagering are either currently legal, or would be made specifically legal in the bill being put forward by Sales rep. Goodlatte.
First, we have casinos, and race tracks. These little money makers are proliferating everywhere and generate quite a bit of tax revenue for federal and state governments as well as profits for their operators. The people behind the anti-online wagering bills would have you suspect that casinos are not an issue when it comes to underage individuals, since casino staff can see the individuals directly and assess their age.
Quite to the contrary however, we have this quote from the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery “Casino kids have been left by themselves at the outer casing of casinos while their parents gamble, according to some casino security officers. In some extreme cases, children are left in the family car in the casino parking lot for hours at a time while their parents gamble inside. Less obviously, children may also spend many hours weekly with babysitters while their parents gamble in casinos, bingo halls or card rooms. “
While I certainly wouldn’t try to claim that online wagering is good for the American family, clearly, to the extent that children can relax and play in their own homes, and sleep in their own beds, online wagering presents less of a problem than the current state supported alternative.
Another form of online wagering that the proposed legislation would exempt from illegal status is the sale of lottery tickets by the states over the internet. It is difficult to see how these legislators show deep concern for the children of America based on the following quote from Overcoming Life Break down (July/August, 1998 Issue) “Studies show that lotteries are the favorite legal wagering game for teenagers. Statistically, one of seven who play will become passionate. ” And from the Council on Compulsive Wagering of New jersey (6 June 2003), “Many regard lotteries as a relatively benign form of wagering. However, 31 percent of callers to the 1-800-GAMBLER national hotline (operated by the Council on Compulsive Wagering of New Jersey) indicated problems with lottery wagering. “
In yet another example of government raking in cash without regard for they of America, we have Video Lottery Machines. Video Lottery Machines, or VLTs are nothing more than state sponsored electronic video poker machines. According to David Plotz in Record. com on Friday December 17th, 1999 “These are the most habit forming of any wagering instrument we have today. It is a cinch for kids to play video lottery machines, since they are often found in businesses that kids frequent. ” They are usually now being licensed for used in grocery stores, convenience stores, bars and markets around the country, where the children of America have quick access.