Internet Poker Editorial Links - uigea and igrea articles

With the massive popularity of online gambling, it was only a matter of time that the government turned its watchful eye to our favorite hobby. This culminated in Congress's Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, generally known as the UIGEA law.

This law forced American gamblers and gambling interests to become involved in the political process. Since fall of 2006, gamblers, casino owners and bankers have been organizing to fight the UIGEA in Congress and all fifty states. Bill Frist's and Jon Kyl's law has become a rallying point for advocates of online gambling.

Our advocates have entered the public debate, taking a libertarian stance with a mind to protecting Americans' right to privacy.

Speaking of the public debate, I thought I would include links to a half dozen editorials about online gambling laws. I hoped to show both sides of the argument, but it's hard to sift through the avalanche of public opinion against the UIGEA. As we go along, I'll try to find links to more examples of John Kyl's side of the debate.

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

We begin with the Philadelphia Inquirer's inquirer opinion piece, which discusses the ancient history of gambling and what gambling means to human society and the individual human psyche. While it's a little airy for my tastes, this article does place American gambling in a historical perspective.

USA TODAY

A USA Today article on online gambling focuses on the danger posed to young gamblers who don't have the maturity to understand the economic consequences of gambling losses. These "young gamblers" are those between 18 and 21, identified by USA Today as college gamblers.

JON KYL

Senator Jon Kyl (pictured above), who was Bill Frist's wingman in the passage of the UIGEA, has weighed in with an argument on his own website. Senator Kyl argues that online poker is the most addictive form of gambling for youths, and therefore should not be made legal.

It looks like "college age gambling" will be an issue in ongoing congressional debates. As our story on the poker hearings on the igrea bill, youth gambling was a major issue during a recent committee hearing.

RODNEY BALKO

Rodney Balko was at those same hearings. Mr. Balko, the senior editor of Reason.com, testified before Congress on June 11, 2007. Seeing that they are so close to the news story, Reason offers an insiders coverage of the editor's visit to Washington.

THE ONLINE WIRE DOT COM

Theonlinewire.com has an editorial on the iMEGA lawsuit brought against Alberto Gonzales and the U.S. government in the last couple of weeks. This article discusses the back room supporters of the IMEGA lawsuit, the American Bankers. The UIGEA law requires American banks to enforce U.S. laws, forcing them to do the job of the Department of Justice at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars a year to the banks.

Interestingly, this article has an anti-Antigua slant I've not seen before. The article explains why Online Wire believes the iMEGA lawsuit has a better chance of helping American gamblers than the Antigua online casino WTO ruling does.

GAMBLING911

Looking back to the UIGEA passage last year, Gambling911 decided to launch a rant against Senator John Kyl's part in the UIGEA titled Online Poker George Bush and Family Values.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Not to get into too much of an editorial of my own here, but the "young gambler" argument drives me crazy. Adults age 18 to 21 are considered too immature to understand the consequences of internet gambling debts, yet these young adults are allowed and even encouraged to sign up for the military.

Americans age 18 to 21 aren't mature enough to understand the consequences of gambling, but they are assumed to be mature enough to understand the consequences of volunteering for combat duty.

Internet Poker Editorial Links - uigea and igrea articles