More on Anti Gambling Laws

Found a couple of editorials saying very much the same thing I said a few days ago. Its good to see some main stream criticism of this proposed law. Give them a read. They make some good points. Thanks to cardsquad.com and my friend John for the tips.

LA Times

Congress should be clarifying the law in the opposite direction. Legalizing online gambling and regulating the industry — as Britain has done — is the best way to toughen protections against gambling by minors, identify problem gamblers and ensure that online sites are more scrupulous than the back-alley bookie. Wouldn't it be preferable to have bettors deal with the sports book at Caesars Palace or the MGM Grand — heavily regulated Las Vegas casinos that are part of publicly traded companies — rather than with some fly-by-night offshore player?

Legalization also would allow the government to tax the industry and mitigate its hypocrisy in sanctioning some forms of gambling, such as state lotteries, but not others. Moralistic members of Congress should not be allowed to thwart online freedoms.

- LA Times

Fox News

The funny thing is, online gaming sites are begging to be legalized and regulated. A better approach would be to allow them to set up shop in the U.S., contribute to the U.S. economy, be regulated by U.S. markets, and be subject to U.S. courts.

Of course, that approach would require Congress to treat Americans as adults, and understand that we ought to be free to spend our own money as we please. Even in ways some morally crusading Congressmen happen to find distasteful.

-Radley Balko from Fox News.

The fact that the opinions in a Fox News editorial and my own are almost identical can mean one of four things.

• I woke up in Bizarro world this morning


• Fox news actually is fair and balanced


• The anti gambling laws are so ridiculous that anyone with common sense can see how wrong they are, regardless of political beliefs.


• The world is going to end.

If I were a betting man I'd take the third option.