[TheEngineer]

August 10, 2007

The Honorable Geoff Davis
United States House of Representatives
1108 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-1704

Dear Congressman Davis:

As a constituent and voter in your district, I am writing in response to the August 1st Focus on the Family letter to Congress concerning Internet gaming. I urge you to disregard their recommendations concerning Internet gaming, as these nanny-statish ideas are bad for America and potentially disastrous for the Republican Party.

The idea that Americans need the federal government to protect us from ourselves is laughable. What I do in my own home is not the business of Focus on the Family. I could not help but note that FoF and other freedom-restrictors fail to mention that every wager ever made online was made voluntarily. Internet poker sites are not predatory…people play poker because they enjoy it. We’re not degenerates as Focus would have you believe; rather, we enjoy matching wits in contests of skill.

HR 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007, addresses EVERY concern mentioned by Focus on the Family. It seems FoF should praise HR 2046 for having systems in place to address Focus’ list of so-called “problems” [age verification, regulated sites, self-exclusion lists, funding for treatment for the 0.6% (according to a recent Harvard study) of players who develop issues, and state and sports league opt-outs], especially as the testimony at the June 8 House Financial Services Committee hearing on this conclusively proved that Internet gaming can be regulated effectively. I write “so-called” because it is obvious that Focus would oppose Internet gaming even if there were no negatives, as Focus is simply opposed to all gambling…even games of skill like poker. They are entitled to their opinion, but they should just say that, instead of pretending that their concerns are rooted in the “problems” listed in their letter.

Regarding their specific recommendations, I ask that you help ensure that the UIGEA regulations do not exceed the specific requirements of the Act. As you know, UIGEA did not make Internet gaming illegal. Rather, it merely provides a means for enforcement of federal and state Internet gaming laws that were already in effect when UIGEA passed. Prohibitionists are fond of saying this. However, they neglect to mention that very few types of online gambling are illegal under federal law. Specifically, federal law covers only some sports betting. As for state laws, very few states have outlawed Internet gaming. Regarding other states, prohibitionists are trying to use ambiguous, arcane gambling laws to claim that some types of Internet gaming MIGHT be illegal in their states. To keep from placing an unfair burden on our banks and citizens, I ask that the upcoming UIGEA regulations apply only where laws are unambiguous in their application to the Internet and to specific forms of gambling. After all, if states actually wished to ban Internet gaming, they would have done so in an unambiguous fashion, especially if they wished to have the federal government take the unprecedented step of enforcing it. I also ask that you not support the U.S. withdrawal from the gaming sectors of the WTO. Kentucky needs an effective WTO, not one that will be stripped of effectiveness, even after penalizing us billions of dollars for stopping Americans from choosing to spend their own money while in their own homes.

Finally, the 2008 elections are shaping up to be a real bloodbath for our party, especially as it looks like Steve Beshear will end 2007 by trouncing Gov. Fletcher – while running on a pro-gaming platform. This, plus the overall mood of the nation, will make running for reelection on a nanny-state platform political suicide. You may win in 2008, but it is hard to see our party controlling anything any day soon.

Thank you for your consideration of my request.

Sincerely,

[my name]