Online Gambling Lawsuit by IMEGA Against Alberto Gonzales

The Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association is suing U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The IMEGA is suing stop enforcement of internet gambling laws by the U.S. government.

If IMEGA's case is heard, the court will grant a temporary injunction against online gambling law enforcment. The lawsuit says that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act is unconstitutional, that it infringes on Americans' constitutional rights. Because the UIGEA is chiefly enforced by Alberto Gonzales, the lawsuit is aimed at George Bush's favorite legal counsel.

THE LAWSUIT

The UIGEA lawsuit has chosen two battle lines. One, it says that Americans have constitutional protections against government intrusion into peoples' private morality. Two, it says that the enforcement of the gambling bill through wire transfers sets a dangerous precedent for the future of online commerce.

I'm been saying this for the better part of a year now. I've always said it somewhat facetiously, but I think it makes the point. There are no doubt people who max out their credit cards buying too much merchandise on ebay and Amazon. If we are going to start protecting people from spending too much money on gambling online, why not write laws to make it harder to buy stuff off of eBay?

HERE THEY GO AGAIN

Once the precedent is set, the history is that government doesn't know when to quit. If we let the government start telling us how we need to spend our money online, they'll start getting ideas about other ways to police the internet.

At the very least, this underscores the arguments being made by many that the online gambling law will be difficult to enforce. Not only will it prove to be a legal slippery slope, but it will waste valuable taxpayer money and law enforcement manpower. I guess that's said enough about enough issues that it loses its impact, but the fact that the Feds are wasting our money on this nonsense still bears repeating.

Anyway, this iMEGA group is brand new, apparently formed specifically for this lawsuit. Here's hoping their case is successful.

Online Gambling Lawsuit by IMEGA Against Alberto Gonzales