Write Your Congressman?
With all the mess created because of the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act, and the confusion as to whether online gambling really is illegal or not, many gamers are unsure what to do. Can we legally gamble online? Will we be arrested? Should we do it anyway and hope we don’t get caught? Well, I’ll tell you one thing, running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off and doing nothing isn’t going to get us anywhere.
Even though we have discovered through U.S. laws that they have failed to make internet gambling viably illegal, some gamers might feel trepidation towards continuing to gamble online. For those people, I offer you this article.
Let’s consider a few things. First off, online gamers are receiving e-mails on a daily basis informing them that such-and-such casino will no longer accept bets from U.S. residents. These internet gaming sites have decided to accept the Attorney General’s claim that “Internet Gambling is Illegal” in the United States, and thereby pulled out of the US market. What does this mean for the online gaming industry? It means internet gambling will become an underground operation.
You may be thinking, “Hey, I can do that! Underground operations would be virtually impossible to trace with all the sophisticated technology and encryption methods available.” While this is undeniably true, let’s flip that coin for a moment. Underground casinos would not be regulated by anyone! An underground casino may claim to use Random Number Generators and ensure you fairness of games, but who’s going to test the software to make sure that’s true? We’ve only touched the surface of this issue, but I think you get the idea. Underground casinos are not a viable option.
Here’s another interesting point. Most Americans would prefer to play at a casino licensed by the U.S. as opposed to a foreign gaming site. If the U.S. were to legalize internet gambling, provided the casino holds a U.S. operating license, they would collect licensing fees and bring in tax revenue. They could also create a federal agency to oversee the gaming industry, ensuring fairness of games and creating a forum for player complaints.
This action would effectively force all foreign casinos to apply for a U.S. operating license, or face the loss of American customers. As much as these online casinos are denying a gross reduction in profits due to the recently signed bill, American customers do make up a significant percentage of their market.
There’s only one way we can make this happen. I know you’ve heard this line before, “Write your local congressman and state representative,” but if enough people do it, it really can work. What the U.S. government is worried about is losing tax dollars. This would not only eliminate losses, but gain extra tax revenue.
If you would like to see internet gambling fully legalized in the United States, (here it comes again), write your local congressman and state representative! Point out all the facts I have listed for you here and tell them how you feel about all this. Remember, you’re not alone. By writing the appropriate politicians, you can let them know you are not small in numbers. You are a significant group of people, from all classes, all races and all states. You are America and you shall be heard!