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Brief History of Internet Gambling
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) attempts to curb the growth of online gambling by banning online gambling operators from accepting most forms of funds to be used by gamblers on their Website. As a result of this law, many of the more respectable online casinos simply ban users from the U.S. This has made it more difficult for U.S. residents to gamble online.
The passage of UIGEA was blatantly undemocratic. The Act was attached to a bill on the safety of US Seaports that was sure to pass and had nothing to do with network technology or gambling. Not to mention, the vote occurred late at night with many congressmen absent and many failing to even read the Act. The net result of this was that almost no-one actually read the proposed legislation and the thing went through, more or less on the nod, with no scrutiny, oversight or debate. Is that what our democratic system is supposed to allow? Read more about the act and its implications here.
The other question is exactly how legal is internet gambling. The act supposedly is aimed at blocking financial transactions related to gambling but many online gambling casinos and poker sites do not allow US gamblers. Other sites only allow members from certain states. Overall, it is one big, jumbled mess.
Our Action
There is something we can do and we can make our voices heard. A bill introduced by Rep. Barney Frank [D, MA-4] was defeated on June 25th, 2008. The bill, which would have eliminated the restrictions of the UIGEA on internet gambling, lost in a 32-32 tie split down party lines. Rep. Frank wrote an editorial on the failure of the bill. It is evident that in this situation if the people voiced their opinions and did it under a coordinated attack we can be heard.
When we reach 10,000 people, we will all send out 2 emails on the same day. One will go to the House Financial Services Committee, the ones who voted against Frank’s latest bill and the one which Rep. Frank is the chairmen. The email will show our support for this legislation. The other one will be sent to your local congressmen voicing your concern, telling him about the numbers we have and that you would like to do something about legalizing internet gambling. You can do that through the Write Your Representative website.
