This really is part 2 of a multipart series of articles regarding proposed anti-gambling legislation. In this article, I begin discussion of the quoted reasons because of this legislation, and the particular facts that exist in the real world.
The legislators want to protect us from something, or are they? The whole lot seems only a little confusing to say the least.
As stated in the previous article, the House, and the Senate, are yet again considering the matter of “Online Gambling” ;.Bills have been submitted by Congressmen Goodlatte and Leach, and also by Senator Kyl.
The bill being put forward by Rep. Goodlatte, The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, has the stated intention of updating the Wire Act to outlaw all forms of online gambling, to produce it illegal for a gambling business to accept credit and electronic transfers, and to force ISPs and Common Carriers to block usage of gambling related sites at the request of law enforcement.
Just like does Rep. Goodlatte, Sen. Kyl, in his bill, Prohibition on Funding of Unlawful Internet Gambling, causes it to be illegal for gambling businesses to accept charge cards, electronic transfers, checks and other types of payment with the aim on placing illegal bets, but his bill doesn’t address those who place bets.
The bill submitted by Rep. Leach, The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, is basically a copy of the bill submitted by Sen. Kyl. It centers on preventing gambling businesses from accepting charge cards, electronic transfers, checks, and other payments, and like the Kyl bill makes no changes from what happens to be legal, or illegal.
So, regardless of whether online gambling happens to be legal or not, just what’s it that the politicians want to protect us from? How come it so important to produce online gambling illegal?
One answer is contained in this quote from Rep. Goodlatte “could keep children from borrowing the household charge card, logging to the household computer, and losing tens of thousands of dollars all before their parents get home from work” ;.메이저사이트
I believe a good translation of the quote would be “American parents are incapable of raising their very own children so Congress should part of and do it for them’ ;.Because of course we’re all aware that the politicians have a better notion of what’s best for all of us and our kids than we do.
And in another quote “Simply speaking, the Internet is challenging to the sovereignty of civilized communities, States, and nations to decide what’s appropriate and decent behavior” ;.
A fair translation of this quote appears to be to go something like “Individual Americans are not effective at deciding for themselves what behavior is acceptable and decent in their very own homes. Fortunately Congress is here now to guard them from themselves and legislate morality for them” ;.
Not just is Congress supposedly accountable for raising the children of America, but to be able to achieve this, and to stop us from unknowingly doing something indecent, they are likely to legislate what we can do with our personal money, on our personal time, in our personal homes. Does this sound like the very model of a free society, or the beginnings of a misguided totalitarian state?
Let’s delve only a little deeper into these protections and see just how interested the politicians really come in ensuring that our children are safe from the evils of gambling.
Remember, all of these following forms of gambling are either currently legal, or would be made specifically legal in the bill being put forward by Rep. Goodlatte.
First, we have casinos, and race tracks. These little money makers are proliferating all over the country and generate a great deal of tax revenue for federal and state governments along with profits because of their operators. The folks behind the anti-online gambling bills could have you believe that casinos are no problem as it pertains to underage individuals, since casino staff can see the individuals face-to-face 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 rim of casinos while their parents gamble, according to some casino security officers. In a few extreme cases, children are left in the household car in the casino parking lot all day at a time while their parents gamble inside. Less obviously, children could also spend several hours every week with babysitters while their parents gamble in casinos, bingo halls or card rooms.”
While I certainly wouldn’t try to claim that online gambling is wonderful for the American family, clearly, to the extent that children can relax and play in their very own homes, and sleep in their very own beds, online gambling presents less of an issue than the existing state supported alternative.
Another form of online gambling that the proposed legislation would exempt from illegal status is the sale of lottery tickets by the states over the internet. It’s difficult to observe how these legislators show deep concern for the children of America on the basis of the following quote from Overcoming Life Digest (July/August, 1998 Issue) “Studies show that lotteries are the favorite legal gambling game for teenagers. Statistically, one of seven who play can become addicted.” And from the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (6 June 2003), “Many regard lotteries as a relatively benign form of gambling. However, 31 percent of callers to the 1-800-GAMBLER national hotline (operated by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey) indicated problems with lottery gambling.”
In another exemplory case of government raking in cash without regard for the children of America, we have Video Lottery Machines. Video Lottery Machines, or VLTs are only state sponsored electronic video poker machines. In accordance with David Plotz in Slate.com on Friday December 17th, 1999 “They’re the absolute most addictive of any gambling instrument we have today. It is just a cinch for children to play video lottery machines, because they are often within businesses that kids frequent.” These units are being licensed for used in grocery stores, convenience stores, bars and markets around the country, where the children of America have easy access.
Clearly, the legislation proposed doesn’t “keep children from borrowing the household charge card, logging to the household computer, and losing tens of thousands of dollars all before their parents get home from work”, They will be able to purchase lottery tickets, bet on horse races, and head down to the area convenience store to play the VLTs.