News US wants to ban online gambling

[WilHarris]

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2006/05...line_gambling/

[atanum141]

jesus....why ban something which generates themselfs money...dumbasses.

[Washfordmonkey]

is there anything there not going to ban?

[Risky]

Shouldn't that headline be "Some US politicians want to ban online gambling"?

Isn't actually US policy and wan't inititated by the administration so far.

[MrWillyWonka]

I don't think it's right for the US government to force businesses out of business. Isn't gambling one's right of freedom?

If the reason for this ban is to prevent people from getting addicted and going to debt as well as preventing minors from accessing these sites, I thought there were already restrictions in place where ID is needed and limits on how much you can gamble were in place? I can't think of a proper reason to ban online gambling!

[Monkey200SX]

This bit made me laugh

Virtual betting parlours have attempted to avoid the application of United States law by locating themselves offshore and out of our jurisdictional reach. The offshore companies use Internet sites that are unlicensed, untaxed and unregulated.

if they said banning all online gambling on sites based out side of the US, that woud make sence (equally as hard if not harder to police) and then gain revenue from taxes but an outright ban is stupid. has some one got hold of the ban hammer?

whats next waliking in straight lines for more than 6.7m

[zr_ox]

I cant imagine the US Government would like to lose all the tax they reap from gambling institutions.

In the impossible event of this happening, it would be short lived. Gambling would go underground, seedy crime syndicates would squeeze. The government would try to police the situation. Within no time it would be legalized again due to costs.

American Politicians...phfff

[yahooadam]

Originally Posted by zr_ox

I cant imagine the US Government would like to lose all the tax they reap from gambling institutions.

you seem to have missed the line in the story that says:-

"by locating themselves offshore and out of our jurisdictional reach. The offshore companies use Internet sites that are unlicensed, untaxed and unregulated."

[Kaze22]

You know what would make both the American citizens and their government happy, if only the American didn't always live behind their veil of artificial righteousness? Is legalizing of everything under government regulation, legalize brothels, street prostitutes, soliciting, crack, cocaine, weed, speed, on-line gambling, under-age drinking, just open the door to everything in the name of freedom and democracy but have the government run everything. This way the American's can't bitch everytime something they love gets banned cause nothing would be banned, American's can have there freedom the government can make their money. Everybody's happy, aside from the veil of artificial righteousness. The plans bullet proof, America would truly become the last haven of the free. LOL.

[Faulk_Wulf]

...veil of artificial righteousness.

Do you mean the fact that the USA is becoming a Police State, or that it tries and police the world. Or the fact that it starts wars that were none of its bloody business. Or all the above?

(Sorry, I'm American, and as such-- I'm not familiar with all the meanings of thoughts from people outside of the US. You don't hear about that much.)

Oh, and I'm not mad, in case it doesn't come across. Just curious. I don't like my country all that much either.

[Kipman725]

this is all about taxes there fine with casionos that are inside the US and so can be taxed..

[specofdust]

it is difficult to imagine how easy it would be to implement a nationwide ban.

The Great Firewall of America anyone? This is the only way that I can imagine they'd implement it, which should be a serious concern for US citizens. If the US have the framework in place, what's to stop them from blocking terrorist sites, then terrorist sympathising sites, then say left wing sites? And then theres the RIAA/MPAA, they'd just love 5 minutes in a room with something like that to block every torrent site in existance.

[Kaze22]

Do you mean the fact that the USA is becoming a Police State, or that it tries and police the world. Or the fact that it starts wars that were none of its bloody business. Or all the above?

(Sorry, I'm American, and as such-- I'm not familiar with all the meanings of thoughts from people outside of the US. You don't hear about that much.)

Oh, and I'm not mad, in case it doesn't come across. Just curious. I don't like my country all that much either.

It's really a complex affair, this veil that I speak of. It's rooted both in the government and in the people. My original post was just a satirical look at the irony of American ideology, please take no offense.
Here's how it breaks down. The American government acts under this veil by pretending to care about it's people when what they are really after is money. They say they want to close down online-gambling so that it doesn't ravage their citizens due to it's addictive and de-centralized nature. But what they really want is not to close down Online Gambling but simply to centralize it so that it's completely under their control. The safety and benefit of their citizens has very little to do with the ban, more the fear of wide spread gambling on a de-centralized level hence placing the government out of the loop is the true fear. So there the irony begins, the government under the veil of false righteousness threatens to ban online-gambling for the good of the people, the people on the other hand under the veil of false righteousness says it's infringing upon their rights when they know that widespread gambling is bad for the society, but lets face it people wanna be able to gamble and hence the violation of rights comes to play.
So both sides, have their own agenda and neither is righteous but both pretend to be, the government wants to hold on to centralized gambling profits but pretend to be doing the society a favor in stopping this necessary evil, the people wanna gamble their a$$ off even when they know it goes against the morals of wholesome American living hence they claim fallacy and human rights infringements.
This circle of irony is what I find fascinating about America. The people want the protection of the government from certain necessary evils because it's only morally just but they don't want to give up any rights cause it's morally unjust, while the governments is willing to pretend to give the people protection from society's necessary evils but only in taking hold of these evils as their own means to profit off the needs of the people.

[mikeuk2004]

lol omg the biggest gambling county in the world wants to stop online gambling??? Someone bang his head and started to think in that country.

That is strange.

I recon its a good idea. Especially when its all a con anyway and fixed more than slot machines.

They should ban it here in the UK too and ban all casinos. :P

[whisperwolf]

Originally Posted by MrWillyWonka

I don't think it's right for the US government to force businesses out of business. Isn't gambling one's right of freedom?

Come on Governments of all nations force businesses out of business or try to, Drug supply, prostitution etc. But they are illegal you cry, yes and so would gambling be. To be honest the US has always had strict gambling laws in the past circumvented by silly loopholes, gambling on riverboats etc.

[MrWillyWonka]

Originally Posted by whisperwolf

Come on Governments of all nations force businesses out of business or try to, Drug supply, prostitution etc. But they are illegal you cry, yes and so would gambling be. To be honest the US has always had strict gambling laws in the past circumvented by silly loopholes, gambling on riverboats etc.

But governments usually do so by limiting what a busniess can do, but in this case the government is trying to block everything and effectively putting it completly out of business.

Things like prosecution and drugs we think are wrong anyway and have a much much less negative impact on society than gambling, especially as it does not do physical harm that drugs and prosecution can do so it is right that the government should try and put these out of business.

[Firehed]

And the fact that Texas Hold-Em (and other forms of poker, I think) aren't gambling. Helluva loophole right there. Anyways, the government wants to ban anything that could either a) avoid being taxed or b) provide access to information that could be in any way used against them. You expected something else? Why do you think marijuana is illegal? I'd wager that the only reason we're not still under prohibition is that they realized they don't get tax money from bootlegged alcohol. If they legalized marijuana, they could cut the price in half (since it wouldn't be illegal, the overhead of moving it would drop immensely) and earn money on every bit sold.

They just hate the internet because it allows for international business. Which doesn't bode well in a capitalist society, as you can't easily/legally tax people for using services that aren't within your country. Even moreso when there are no physical goods.

IIRC, the reasoning is that it's enough skill-based rather than luck-based so it doesn't qualify.

[whisperwolf]

Oops, I accidently edited this, could you retype -wonka

edit retype of deleted post so it wont have quite the same ring to it

Originally Posted by MrWillyWonka

But governments usually do so by limiting what a busniess can do, but in this case the government is trying to block everything and effectively putting it completly out of business.

Things like prosecution and drugs we think are wrong anyway and have a much much less negative impact on society than gambling, especially as it does not do physical harm that drugs and prosecution can do so it is right that the government should try and put these out of business.

Gambling is just as addictive as drugs and as such can cause just as much of a physical problem as any addiction. People can and do end up ignoring their social interaction in pursuit of their fix, resort to fraud and theft to supply their habit etc. as to us thinking prostitution and drug use are wrong this is through society's current moral standing, these activities have been made illegal and we now think of them as wrong.


hope i got the post as correct as possible after its deletion,

[specofdust]

Gambling is just as addictive as drugs

Firstly: Which drugs? LSD is totaly non-addictive. Don't be moronic about these things, "drugs" is a label that applies to many many differnet substances, you gotta be specific.

Secondly: No it isn't. At least, not as addictive as the uber-heavy nasty drugs like heroin or crack. Theres no physical addiction with gambling, and we all know that people who can't get past mental addictions are just weak(inflamatory statement No.1 of the day).

[MrWillyWonka]

Originally Posted by Whisperwolf

it is society's current view that gambling is not as bad as drugs mostly brought about because currently Drugs are illegal and gambling is not.

I disagree... people think drugs are bad and gambling not so bad because drugs actually kills and hurts people, whereas gambling doesn't.

Yes you are right, people will steal to feed their gambling habits, but the amount you can gamble online is much more restricted than the amount of drugs you can buy or how much you gamble in Las Vegas.