why was this law passed?

ski · #1 10-01-2006, 01:50 PM

I understand that there are probably a number of reasons.

I always thought the US just wanted a cut of the profits for online gambling in addition to pleasing the Christian and other lobbies that want to ban online gambling for moral reasons.

My question is what did Frist and the others responsible for online gambling language being attached to the bill gain? Has the language of the bill opened up doors for the US to somehow profit on this by allowing it to keep happening? It is difficult for me to beleive that this was attached for moral reasons + reaching "moral" voters alone.

matrix · #2 10-01-2006, 02:04 PM

as I see it Frist did this to score brownie points so he can get some nice fat campaign donations (and maybe a bunch of extra votes) when he runs for pres in 2008.

The older (and wiser ??) I get the more convinced I become that no politician in the history of the world has EVER done anything for "moral" reasons alone - there always is some ulterior motive and it usually involves a significant amount of money. Tho perhaps I am a little too cynical.

Brice · #3 10-01-2006, 02:08 PM

The thing is that it is no that big of an issue. I come from Southern Baptist family that votes Republican (many from TN). I have talked to them about it and they really had no opinion one way or the other on it. They also do not know of my poker playing so that did not influence them.

They are much more concerned about other issues.

Hoi Polloi · #4 10-01-2006, 04:06 PM

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They are much more concerned about other issues.

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I think there is much truth to the notion that Frist in playing to the social/"christian" conservative leadership with this ploy. Essentially proving his regressive social policy bona fides by saying "see I am your lapdog."

Should he succeed and indeed need their support in primaries or even capture the nomination and run in the general in 2008 there will be plenty of time to figure out which social issues will have the best effect in getting earnest social conservatives like your family out to the polls. These two activities have little to do with each other.

In the meantime, sending some of your poker money to candidates who will see that Frist's likely successor in Republican Senate leadership, the truly aweful Mitch McConnell, is not the majority leader, is a good idea.

Look at the Talent(R)/McCaskill(D) race in Missouri, the Dewine(R)/Brown(D) race in Ohio and the Santorum(R)/Casey(D) race in Pennsylvania. Each of the Republican incumbents will continue to mine the political gold of regressive social issues if we let them. Their opponents, besides being solid public servants, will help shift the majority to the "let's-not-divide-and-conquer-with-invasive-social-legislation" party.

Of course, depending on where you live, there's lots more you can do beyond contributing money to the campaigns.

My fingers are crossed.

JOHNY CA$H · #5 10-01-2006, 07:07 PM

No, bang on actually.

Uglyowl · #6 10-01-2006, 07:12 PM

With Bill Frist being a doctor, I would think he would tackle cigarrete smoking [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

demon102 · #7 10-01-2006, 07:31 PM

I live in Delaware the little wonder. Gambling is supposedly illeagal here in casino form and I guess now in online form too but I can take a 15 minutes walk to Delaware park and bet on horses or the mindless coin eating machine they call slots. Ive gone with freinds a few times and found this place to be totally point less. Poker is so different filled with lots of fun and complexity of skill and sense I started playing this is the only thing Ill never get tired of studying. The govnt just wants the money only reason y these mindless horse tracks are around. They are so full of [censored] trying to ban onine poker and if I met Frist in life Id have to smack him around with my dick while my friend video tapes it so I could post it on the net. Frist= tool

Brice · #8 10-01-2006, 08:14 PM

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With Bill Frist being a doctor, I would think he would tackle cigarrete smoking [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

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Cigarrets have the same qualities as online gambling. They are both addictive, affect children, and can tear a family apart. The difference? $$$$

I have said all along that the B & M cardrooms are the key. If they want online gambling, then it will be legal and regualted (and taxed).

sweetjazz · #9 10-01-2006, 08:15 PM

[ QUOTE ]
as I see it Frist did this to score brownie points so he can get some nice fat campaign donations (and maybe a bunch of extra votes) when he runs for pres in 2008.

The older (and wiser ??) I get the more convinced I become that no politician in the history of the world has EVER done anything for "moral" reasons alone - there always is some ulterior motive and it usually involves a significant amount of money. Tho perhaps I am a little too cynical.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is the primary reason. I don't think he will run many ads on the issue, because it just isn't a winner. But the leadership will write bigger checks to him (or at least so he calculates) and he can use that money to run ads to increase his name recognition. Don't forget that he is not really *that* well known because Americans don't follow politics too closely. Some people don't know him at all and others don't know much about what he stands for.

Also, it's not easy to actually ban something and have as little impact on Americans as it is to ban online gambling. Yes we poker players lost our "job" or our primary source of income, but no official American jobs were lost. Imagine, for example, trying to ban B&M casinos now. There would be a huge uproar over how many Americans will lose their job.

The reality is that this legislation was politically advantageous to Frist, and the man has no scruples taking away the liberties and freedoms of others to advance his career. Whether he is moderately intelligent and aware of what he is doing, or just profoundly too stupid to understand the concepts of liberty and freedom, I don't have enough information to speculate on.

catalyst · #10 10-01-2006, 08:22 PM

I know this is ridiculously early, but why haven't there been stronger pushes to regulate the online gaming industry within the U.S. With regulation, it would be safer for players, the US would have a better ability to tax the industry, and so on. Just seems like there are so many benefits to regulating, but there haven't been any legitimate pushes to get this going. I know the President hasn't even signed this bill yet, so it is early. But, why hasn't this been pushed previously, it seems logical that players wouldn't have a problem leaving a company based in Gibralter to play at a presumably safer site, governed by the laws in the US.