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Money Vs. Morals In
UIGEA Showdown
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was
passed in 2006 as a way to supposedly protect American citizens from
the multitudinous evils of online slots and other forms of casino
gambling in cyberspace. Going into its third year of existence, the
UIGEA’s ineffectiveness is beginning to be fully realized. Not only
are U.S. citizens still gambling online, but now the government is
making absolutely no money off it. The Bush administration looked at
online gambling as a solely moral issue. Gambling is immoral, they
reasoned, so it makes sense to take it away from Americans. Now, the
Obama administration seems very likely to repeal this epically
unpopular legislation in the face of nationwide economic crisis.
The fact is that online gambling is a goldmine. Rep. Barney Frank of
Massachusetts has become the poster boy for internet gambling,
having campaigned at full tilt against the UIGEA before it passed
and fighting ceaselessly for its repeal for the past three years.
Frank estimated that re-legalizing and regulating online slots and
other forms of casino gambling could rake as much as fifty-two
billion dollars in taxable revenues through the national economy. In
these days of massive unemployment and state budget deficits ready
to cross into eleven figures, that’s too much cash to be ignored.
All this is to say nothing about the fact that a prohibition on
internet gambling makes no sense. Land gambling is legal in all but
two U.S. states – online gambling is no different. Even if it were,
it is not the government’s job to legislate morality.
Back to March 2009 Archive.
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SLOTS DATA
