The most popular personality in the Fox News lineup of commentators, Bill O’Reilly, has announced he wants to explore the issue of legalizing sports betting in the United States — and some speculate he may even ask President Barack Obama about the topic during next months’ interview.
According to John Stossel’s business blog on Fox Business, O’Reilly’s producers sent out these questions to associates:
1. Should it [sports betting] be legalized?
2. Should there be more casinos?
3. Is it a legit way for the government to raise more tax revenue?
Although the questions don’t precisely pertain to Internet gambling, Stossel immediately turns the discussion in that direction, commenting on the UIGEA: “I can’t imagine how much money America has lost because of this dumb law.”
Stossel goes on to discuss New Jersey’s new online gambling laws, and its attempt to implement sports betting to its citizens as well. “Good luck to New Jersey,” he writes. “Allowing consenting adults to bet is part of freedom.”
With Fox’s arch-conservatives starting to wonder why online gambling isn’t being taxed and regulated, the movement to regulate Internet gambling could pick up some serious strength. It was the neo-conservative coalition, after all, that snuck the UIGEA into an anti-terrorism bill back in 2006 in the first place.
Perhaps predictions that the new mostly conservative congress will block online gambling laws is simply wrong.