Response from my Representative

[yoursmine]

I received this today in my email...looks like a form letter

Thank you for contacting me to express your opinions about the Unlawful Internet Gambling
Enforcement Act (H.R. 4411). I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me.

While I understand your concerns about government regulation of this industry, I believe it's
important to keep in mind that financial transactions taking place over the internet can have a
serious impact on our nation's economic and national security interests.

Unregulated gambling websites have the ability to send American dollars out of the U.S. and into
the hands of unknown, sometimes untraceable recipients. These types of transactions expose the
financial services industry to the possibility of criminal and terrorist activity, and make U.S.
citizens vulnerable to fraud, identify theft, and other personal scams.

In addition, internet gambling hurts families, and causes debt collection problems for banks and
the consumer credit industry. The added cost of their efforts to collect on gambling debt is
ultimately passed on to consumers like you.

On Saturday, September 30 of this year, the House and Senate passed this measure as part of the
port security conference report, H.R. 4954. It prevents the use of credit cards, wire transfers, or
any other bank instrument to fund gaming transactions. The bill was signed into law by the
President on October 13, 2006.

While we may not agree on the outcome of this bill, I do hope that we can find some common ground
on other important issues affecting our nation and the State of North Carolina. For more
information on what I am doing for you in Congress, visit www.myrick.house.gov (http://www.myrick.house.gov) and sign up for my
eNewsletter.

Sincerely,

Sue Myrick
Member of Congress

[Indiana]

I'd reply and ask him for just 1 example of how online poker has ever put $$$ into bad hands.

Indy

[yoursmine]

Well its a she but you are right.

Whats funny is here in NC we just recently got the lottery. The initial commissioner of the lottery is being indicted on all sorts of charges. Guess the lottery improprieties are ok with our elected representatives.

[Indiana]

[ QUOTE ]
Well its a she but you are right.

Whats funny is here in NC we just recently got the lottery. The initial commissioner of the lottery is being indicted on all sorts of charges. Guess the lottery improprieties are ok with our elected representatives.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not to mention that god damn Cherokee casino u guys have. Also, doesn't NC produce more tobacco than all the other 49 states combined? Such hypocrisy.

[WaimanaloSlim]

That so many of our representatives believe that there is a link between internet gambling sites and terrorism is bewildering. Do they actually have evidence for this, or are they just making $hit up? Un-f-cking-believable.

And if my records show that I'm making money off online poker, can I get an exemption, since I'm likely to be taking money away from the terrorists?

[HSB]

[ QUOTE ]
That so many of our representatives believe that there is a link between internet gambling sites and terrorism is bewildering. Do they actually have evidence for this, or are they just making $hit up? Un-f-cking-believable.

And if my records show that I'm making money off online poker, can I get an exemption, since I'm likely to be taking money away from the terrorists?

[/ QUOTE ]

Perhaps they have just been watching Casino Royale too much.

Seriously, where do they get this stuff? Sure, for all we know, PokerStars profits go right into the pockets of Osama. Do we have any actual evidence that they do? If so, show me a bit of it and I'll voluntarily never play there again.

[Soul Rebel]

My NC congressman, Mel Watt, sent me a letter outlining why he thought it was a ridiculous piece of legislation. Basically agreeing with all the arguments we talk about on here and how he voted against the bill in July. I'll be voting for him as long as keeps running.

But yes, seriously ask her for one documented example.

[kevstreet]

"Unregulated gambling websites have the ability to send American dollars out of the U.S. and into
the hands of unknown, sometimes untraceable recipients."

So REGULATE them, please.

[whangarei]

[ QUOTE ]
That so many of our representatives believe that there is a link between internet gambling sites and terrorism is bewildering. Do they actually have evidence for this, or are they just making $hit up? Un-f-cking-believable.

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course there's no evidence for this. Standard post-9/11 Republican rhetoric: anything they don't like they label it "terrorism."

[MagCFO]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd reply and ask him for just 1 example of how online poker has ever put $$$ into bad hands.

Indy

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah, we might want to be more specific than "bad hands". There are plenty of bad seeds in the online gaming world. Terrorist, no, but bad people, absolutely.

[MagCFO]

[ QUOTE ]
"Unregulated gambling websites have the ability to send American dollars out of the U.S. and into
the hands of unknown, sometimes untraceable recipients."

So REGULATE them, please.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, so creating a totally unregulated business makes a lot of f'ing sense.

[candyman718]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd reply and ask him for just 1 example of how online poker has ever put $$$ into bad hands.

Indy

[/ QUOTE ]

Wouldn't it be funny if he replies with a story about how someone pulled down a big pot with 27o?

[jah7_fsu1]

[ QUOTE ]
Ah, we might want to be more specific than "bad hands". There are plenty of bad seeds in the online gaming world. Terrorist, no, but bad people, absolutely./quote]

Of course, but their are bad people in the world. Every industry has them and they come from all walks of life.

[c5Nfold]

What.........Do they have some moron that writes for every congressman and senator. I got the same answer from every one I've written to. I wrote to everyone including the president and get the same letter back from all of them. They must have agreed before they passed this bill what they were going to say to us "whining poker players"......
and it's all chicken chit.

[Mal_Pais]

I got the same type of response from Sen. Burr. Dole and my congressman never responded.

But in all fairness, Rep. Myrick is a federal representative. She had absolutely no role in the recent passage of the NC Lottery.

As far as Kevin Geddings, ... (http://www.newsobserver.com/1229/story/498536.html) , well he's been more than indicted.

The NC Lottery has been in existence since March 2006. They have made a $50 million payment to a reserve fund, and last week transferred $100 million more for state education needs.

Maybe a letter from a constituent pointing out how lottery funds have helped NC education and how a legal, regulated online poker environment could be a windfall for education, roads, water and sewer, etc. would generate more than a form letter? Or how the UGIA will actually put money in the hands of criminals and terrorists because the more transparent companies have removed themselves from the game and poker players will undoubtedly use less transparent means to fund their online accounts?

[flafishy]

Well, the Communists are no longer the threat to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that they were in the '50s, '60s and '70s. So we have to find some other boogie man.

[yoursmine]

[ QUOTE ]
I got the same type of response from Sen. Burr. Dole and my congressman never responded.

But in all fairness, Rep. Myrick is a federal representative. She had absolutely no role in the recent passage of the NC Lottery.

As far as Kevin Geddings, ... (http://www.newsobserver.com/1229/story/498536.html) , well he's been more than indicted.

The NC Lottery has been in existence since March 2006. They have made a $50 million payment to a reserve fund, and last week transferred $100 million more for state education needs.

Maybe a letter from a constituent pointing out how lottery funds have helped NC education and how a legal, regulated online poker environment could be a windfall for education, roads, water and sewer, etc. would generate more than a form letter? Or how the UGIA will actually put money in the hands of criminals and terrorists because the more transparent companies have removed themselves from the game and poker players will undoubtedly use less transparent means to fund their online accounts?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes but didnt they make exceptions for lotteries in the Act?

Making an exception is virtually no different than endorsing the idea.

Many state lottery funds are shams. The pour the money into the education funds but what they dont tell you is they take the money back out of the initial education budget so the net effect is negligible.

[umaga]

"Well, the Communists are no longer the threat to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that they were in the '50s, '60s and '70s. So we have to find some other boogie man."

Don't forget international drug dealers. They did noble duty bridging the boogieman gap between the fall of the Commies and the rise of Islamofascists.

All three of these groups were/are legitimate enemies. However, they undoubtedly were/are used as convenient justification for unrelated political bs.