NY NewsDay editorial - REGULATE INTERNET GAMBLING

[oldbookguy]

Nice article.

Read here:

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/...295350179aug29,0,4406979.story

copy and paste, can't link.


obg

[Grasshopp3r]

Here is the article:

Antigua and Barbuda, a tiny twin-island nation of 80,000 people in the Caribbean, is the mouse that roared on Internet gambling. It could force the elephantine United States to reconsider laws prohibiting online wagering with offshore casinos.

Antigua challenged that prohibition before the World Trade Organization and won - twice. Congress should accept that reality and replace the ban with regulation designed to ensure the financial integrity of gaming in cyberspace, to screen out minors and to make sure that the United States gets its cut in taxes. Legislation introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) provides a good jumping-off point for debate in Congress.

Antigua is home to 32 online casino operations. It initiated a trade complaint in 2003, claiming that the U.S. ban violates its rights as a member of the global free trade community policed by the WTO. It won in 2004; again in 2005, after the United States appealed; and the ruling was reaffirmed yet again this year. All that's left is for the WTO to decide what damages to impose.



The organization's credibility is on the line. It can't risk the rap that it aggressively enforces trade rules against small nations but timidly allows the world's economic powerhouse to skate. The integrity of the United States is also at issue. This country can't respect trade rules that benefit us and ignore those that don't without undermining valuable free trade agreements.

Washington may be left with only two choices: Allow Americans to wager online with offshore casinos or ban all Internet gambling - including popular pastimes like fantasy sports leagues and off-track betting on horses, and maybe even the sale of lottery tickets online. Antigua argued that by permitting some online wagering while making it illegal for financial institutions to handle payments for Internet casinos abroad, the United States impermissibly discriminates against cyber-casinos. Washington should respect the WTO ruling, permit Internet casino gambling and do all it can to protect American consumers.

meh.

[mungpo]

Grasshopp3r beat me to it.

[Legislurker]

Still waiting on a major paper and editorial board to take our side. Maybe next week we can target one of the big ones? The
NYTimes seems to be printing the most articles on it. WSJ is probably in second. A lot of people read the editorial page, and it forms the crux of a lot of water cooler talk. To me, after making Drudge, that would be the second best result. Well, maybe if we got a mainstream secular conservative radio host on our side(Savage, Limbaugh, Bortz, etc). I doubt even Senate Republicans can hold out against that demographic.

[oldbookguy]

Be sure to copy andf paste, you can comment on the article and like the others, we want to OWN the table!

No joining required, just a screen name and comment.

My comment:

Not only is the integrity of the U.S. at stake in this.

Currently the U S is planning on negotiating with the member countries to open up ‘closed’ trading sectors as a trade off and the EU alone wants some 15 BILLION in additional trade concession.

And then there is Canada, Japan, India, Australia and others we have to settle with, ALL in addition to Antigua to withdraw from that section.

If you hear a ‘WHOOSH’ that will be MORE American jobs going overseas as closed markets open AND more tax breaks to companies trying to save those jobs AND less taxes paid and…….

OK Mr. Senator and Congressman, please, how are you going to tell the poor family that just lost their job, well, YOU wanted me to ban Internet Gambling, sorry you lost your job and house, but you wanted this.

BTW, remember to vote for ME in 2008!

[Legislurker]

Don't forget to add IMPOTENTLY ban. They can maybe kill major poker sites, but casinos and sportsbooks will always be there, and if they can't pay or can only send checks, they would love that. All those trade concessions for nothing.

[oldbookguy]

I'll leave that to you Legs!

obg

[oldbookguy]

TRY THIS LINK:

http://www.newsday.com/search/dispatcher...;target=article

Then click the story link.

OBG

[chrisptp]

thanks for the search link, good oped. comment posted.

[metsandfinsfan]

[ QUOTE ]
Still waiting on a major paper and editorial board to take our side. Maybe next week we can target one of the big ones?

[/ QUOTE ]

Newsday is the 8th biggest paper in the US