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A bill to impose a prohibition is rife with problems. The biggest obstacle is that it could never work.
via the Philly Inquirer
Seemingly every attempt to regulate activity on the Internet raises questions about the proverbial slippery slope. But if regulation of the Internet is a slippery slope, then surely an outright ban of an Internet activity constitutes falling off the cliff.
Today, the House Judiciary Committee is expected to mark up an over-the-cliff approach, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. This bill would cut off the ability of Americans to use the Internet for almost all forms of gambling. (The big exception is for horse racing, underscoring the golden rule in politics: Special interests can win an exemption.)
This prohibition attempt has little to do with the technology; it’s really about some members of Congress trying to impose their own sense of morality on the Internet. The Christian conservatives pushing these bills are attempting to force their religious beliefs – that gambling is immoral – on all Americans (all but those who bet on the horses).
What the bill’s supporters fail to understand is that short of banning the Internet or heavily censoring it, as China does, Internet gambling will always be available to U.S. players. The Internet sails far beyond our boundaries or the long arm of U.S. law. More than 70 countries regulate Internet gambling, and sites based in these countries are accessible to U.S. players.
Most important, a ban on Internet gambling would not address the public-policy issues at hand, the very issues that gaming opponents warn about. A ban would not prevent underage gambling or offer assistance to problem gamblers. What would? Regulation.
Full article: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/14660177.htm
Regards,
