March 23, 2010 (CAP Newswire) – Some Republicans in the U.S. are gradually switching their political stance from anti-Internet gambling to a bit of a friendlier outlook. Once a moral crusade, opposition to legalization and regulation of online casinos and especially Internet poker is turning into support based on the potential revenue that taxation of this huge industry could reap for the cash-strapped U.S. government.
It probably began with highly influential conservative commentator George Will’s editorial in favor of online gambling regulations last year, but gradually, more and more conservatives are agreeing. Most recently, conservative pundit Allan Bartlet (a crusader for lower taxes) wrote an article entitled “Deal Me In For Online Poker In The U.S.”, in which he states:
“The purpose of this post is to raise awareness of this issue for everyone that loves freedom and doesn’t like the government telling them what they can and cannot do in private with their own money as long as they are not hurting anyone else. I’m sorry to say that there are a lot elected republicans that have this vicious authoritarian streak in them that want to try and run everyone’s lives. … I hope our CA GOP Congressmen and women will get behind this effort to regulate online Poker and keep it safe and legal here in the US. ”
About the ongoing effort to end the online poker ban in the U.S. (which is primarily a Democratic movement at this point, Bartlet writes: “I say that it’s about damn time. There’s no way that in a free country, online Poker should be banned. “
Is this good or bad news for online gambling affiliates? Regulation and legalization of online gambling in the U.S. would likely present new difficulties for affiliates in the form of taxation and changes to existing business models by the major brands. However, it does seem better than the alternative, in which U.S. states create their own online gambling laws and force out the big brands (the ones most affiliates promote).
Read Bartlet’s original article here. For the latest updates on the U.S. online gambling political situation, stayed tuned to the CAP News online gambling legal/regulatory page, here.