Dear Mr. Jacoby,
Thank you for writing about the hypocracy of our government when it comes to gambling. To further your point I would like to add the The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) that was passed as a last second attachment to the Safe Ports Act last year. This law’s purpose is to try to restrict American’s rights to play online poker and other casino games from the comfort of their own homes. Unfortunately some in the current administration have taken steps to legislate behaviors.
The same game that is legal at casinos, dog tracks, and card rooms across the country has been under attack if it takes place in your living room. Also when this law was passed, special carve-outs were made for online horse betting, lotteries, and fantasy sports. The hypocracy that betting on the #5 horse to win, 1-7-21-24-35, or betting $1,000 on football players is ok, but playing cards is not is absurd.
Maybe more importantly year after year, appeal after appeal, the World Trade Organization ruled that United States is out of compliance with it’s trade agreements and on the hook for billions of dollars in retribution over it’s gambling stance of not allowing foreign companies to participate . The following article describes where we are at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/23/busine...amp;oref=slogin
Instead of gaining billions in tax revenues, the government’s stance that online gaming is illegal will not only cause lost tax revenue, but cost billions in sanctions! I see this issue as another example of a government trying to get too big and too far reaching. As a former Republican die hard, I really hope that they go back to the days of the true conservatism. Ronald Reagan’s line of “I did not leave the Democratic Party. It left me” holds very true except the shoe is on the Republican Parties foot for many Americans today.
Thanks again,
XXXXXX XXXX