Barney Frank Introduces Gambling Legislation - Hopes to Repeal the UIGEA

Barney Frank today introduced legislation on the floor of the U.S. Senate that would repeal the major provisions of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

I urge every online poker player in the U.S. to contact their local congressman about this gambling legislation. Now is the time for our voice to be heard.

To help those in their moment of outcry, I include a link to some internet gambling talking points. These are the major arguments for legalizing online gambling in America.

If you want a quick paraphrase, here is a list of gambling talking points.

FIVE ARGUMENTS FOR ONLINE GAMBLING

1. There should be debate allowed before a law is passed.

The UIEGA was attached to the Port Security Bill 15 minutes before a vote was demanded before the Congress. This meant that congress people were forced to vote a law into existence without ever reading what that law was.

It seems reasonable that bills should be debated before they are made the law of the land. The UIGEA undermined the democratic process.

2. The new gambling law is inconsistent with previous federal and state gambling laws.

This federal law ignores the fact that many other forms of gambling are sanctioned by the federal government. In fact, even certain forms of internet gambling are allowed.

If the argument against internet gambling is that it is immoral, then this argument is undermined when the government expressly sanctions several other forms of betting. It supports horse and dog track betting, state run lottery betting and land-based casino betting.

To label one form of gambling immoral and support several other forms of gambling is unreasonable and hypocritical.

3. According to the World Trade Organization, the UIGEA violates international standards of commerce.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act flaunts two WTO rulings on the subject. The current administration argued before the WTO court that the law is a moral issue. The hypocrisy of our gambling laws is noticed by other countries.

According to a WTO agreement that U.S. leaders signed, it is illegal for one nation to bar foreign companies from providing a service to its citizens which it allows its own companies to provide. This violates free trade laws. The U.S. government allows U.S. race tracks to take internet wagers, but bans foreign companies from doing the same. This is a clear violation of international law.

Due to the UIGEA, the U.S. is currently in violation of international commerce standards. The WTO has ordered the U.S. to comply or face sanctions. When we flaunt international law, we undermine our arguments when bringing sanctions against rogue states and regimes which disregard human rights, such as Iran and China.

4. This law drives legitimate operators out of business, allowing unethical operators to dominate the market. This puts problem gamblers at risk.

Publicly-traded internet casinos were forced to stop taking U.S. customers. But corrupt outfits continue to operate. This is not unlike The Prohibition Era with alcohol. This will lead to criminal domination of online gambling.

Before this law, gamblers would go to legitimate online casinos with provisions that not only ensured players would receive their winning shares, but meant out-of-control gamblers were not allowed to lose their entire bankroll. Under the new system, internet gamblers are at the mercy of unethical casino operators.

The law will not stop problem gambling. It simply drives it into the shadowy corners of the internet.

5. What Americans do with their money in the privacy of their own home is none of the government's business. This is a libertarian issue.

If internet gamblers want to spend their hard-earned money playing cards online, they should be able to do it. Online gambling is not an infringement of the rights of anyone else, therefore the government has no place banning it.
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The United Kingdom regulates online gambling, collecting taxes and ensuring the online casinos do not abuse customers. The United States Congress should take a lesson from the UK.

AMERICANS SHOULD DEMAND RIGHTS

This is a matter of the government invading the privacy of American citizens' homes. Americans should stand up for their civil rights and let their lawmakers know that they have gone too far this time. The UIGEA is a bad precedent which could lead to further online rights infringements.

Join the Poker Players Alliance and help them fight to repeal the UIGEA.

Barney Frank Introduces Gambling Legislation - Hopes to Repeal the UIGEA