May 5, 2010 (CAP News Wire) – In the week or so since the CAP News page last offered a recap of the mainstream media outlets now covering the online gambling legal drive, quite a few more media sources have added their names to the list.
As can be expected, most of these news sources hail from states that have a direct role in the online casino and Internet poker regulation movement, either at its own state level or on the larger federal stage.
The best example of this is California’s Capitol Weekly, which has published an article arguing the merits of online gambling regulation, under the headline “The case for legalizing and regulating internet poker”.
There’s also been an increasing level coverage in Washington state, home to Jim McDermott, author of HR 4976, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act, one of the most discussed pieces of legislation seeking to reverse the UIGEA (the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006).
“A bill in the House of Representatives could bring casino gambling to the approximately 86.8 million American homes with Internet access,” writes Michael Beller at the Olympian, one of the state’s largest news sources.
“We have an activity going on illegally in this country and we’re pretending it doesn’t exist,” the article quotes Rep. McDermott. “People have said ‘We want [Internet gambling] to be legal and we’re certainly willing to pay taxes,’ and we need the money. On every count, this is a net positive.”
The article also provides some details on what kind of taxes the bill would actually impose. “The bill calls for a 6 percent tax on all deposits to be paid to state and tribal governments made by residents of their jurisdiction,” Beller explains. “For example, if someone living in Missouri puts $1,000 into an online gambling account anywhere in the country, $60 would go to Missouri’s state government.”
Iowa is also covering the federal drive to regulate online gambling, probably because of its own recent (and failed) attempt to do the same within its own borders. “Some lawmakers hope to legalize online gambling and put a tax on deposits that would help state government,” states WHBF.com, an Iowa television station’s news website.
Some news is less positive. A recent article in the Florida-Times Union (published online at Jacksonville.com) relayed details on a local sting against Internet cafes offering an alleged “loophole” version of Internet gambling.
“When users spend $12 on an hour of Internet time at an Allied Veterans cafe, they’re given 1,200 sweepstakes entries — numbers that are already determined to be winners or losers, with the typical winner yielding around a dime or quarter.” The article focuses on a local debate of whether this widespread activity in the state constitutes online gambling — and if it does, whether it should be legalized.
Although this isn’t an ideal approach to the Internet gambling regulation drive (nor is it a direct one), the article does still contribute to the growing awareness in the U.S. that something should be done about online gambling, and that something will most likely be legalization and regulation.
To top it all off, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) President Michael Bolcerek appeared on CNBC last week to argue the merits of online gambling legalization. Check out that footage here.
And stay tuned to the CAP News page for more details and updates.