Senator wants to fund health care with gambling

[pevangel]

this is getting better I hope. If someone has already posted this please forgive I didnt see it


21 September 2009

WASHINTON, D.C. -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- An increased focus on the benefits of Internet gambling regulation are expected as the Senate Finance Committee considers a proposal introduced on Saturday to use Internet gambling revenue to offset the costs of health care reform. The amendment offered by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) would dedicate Internet gambling tax revenue generated through implementation of the currently pending Internet Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act (H.R. 2267) to increase low-income subsidies provided through the America's Healthy Future Act of 2009. A PricewaterhouseCoopers analysis shows that collecting taxes on regulated Internet gambling would allow the U.S. to capture up to $62.7 billion over the next decade.

"We applaud Senator Wyden's proposal to collect and put to good use tens of billions in Internet gambling revenue that would otherwise be lost in the underground marketplace," said Michael Waxman, spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative. "The Senate Finance Committee should approve this resolution, finally putting to an end a failed prohibition on Internet gambling that leaves Americans unprotected and unlicensed offshore operators as the only beneficiary in a thriving marketplace."

The Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2009 (H.R. 2267), introduced in May by House Committee on Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA), would establish a framework to permit licensed gambling operators to accept wagers from individuals in the U.S. The legislation mandates a number of significant consumer protections including safeguards against compulsive and underage gambling, money laundering, fraud and identify theft. Additional provisions in the legislation reinforce the rights of each state to determine whether to allow Internet gambling activity for people accessing the Internet within the state and to apply other restrictions on the activity as determined necessary.

A companion to Chairman Frank's legislation introduced by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act (H.R. 2268), would raise revenue for the U.S. Treasury primarily through ensuring that applicable individual taxes, corporate taxes and license fees on regulated Internet gambling activities are collected. Without this legislation, this revenue will remain uncollected while millions of Americans gamble online without consumer protections.


Senator wants to fund health care with gambling is republished from Online.CasinoCity.com. FEATURED AFFILIATE PROGRAMS


pevangel

[Westland Bowl]

I can see it now...."People who win at Internet gambling are stealing needed medicine from your loved ones!" Jackpot wins will have a "Health Care Tax" at 50%.

[love2winalot]

Hiya: Several years ago, Las Vegas wanted to enter the On-line gaming world. It did not happen for one main reason...............This is the same reason that those who oppose On-line gambling will use at the Federal level to stop it........and that reason was/is.........

"How do we know that the person who is sitting at the PC, "not the one who actually opened the account", is of legal age to gamble ?" and the answer is, "You Don't". and sorry to say, that for a lot of government people, that is an unacceptable answer. and as for the enforcement procedures that would have to be in place to verify age of the person actually gambling, for most On-line gamblers, it becomes an unacceptable loss of privacy............

[pevangel]

I am so dopey I meant for this to be in America the beautiful I am sorry all I goofed. I saw the word America and thought that this what it.


pevangel

[jetset]

Well that didn't last long....Senator Wyden has withdrawn his proposal because he does not want to introduce more controversy into an already hotly contested issue, according to the publication The Hill.

Sounds as if some of his Democrat colleagues may have leaned on him:

“Changing the laws regarding online gaming is a significant detour from healthcare, a detour that Sen. Reid agrees is not appropriate at this time,” said Regan LaChapelle, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada).

Harry Reid has not in the past been particularly warm to the idea of regulated online gambling in the USA.

[Westland Bowl]

.......Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada).

Harry Reid has not in the past been particularly warm to the idea of regulated online gambling in the USA.

This is strange on a couple of levels! A Democrat against regulated online gambling!

BUT he's from Nevada, home to the original Land-based casinos.

Ok, then he must be one of the very few Democrats against regulated online gambling. BUT he's the Senate Majority Leader!

Well, we just can't win, can we?

[RobWin]

Here's the link to the article Jet is referring to:

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/6...s-gambling-tax
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[pevangel]

well what a bummer that is.



pevangel

[pevangel]

You know I wish they would get off their REARS and take the vote as quickly as they did for the ban. Just needed to add this.


pevangel

[vinylweatherman]

Hiya: Several years ago, Las Vegas wanted to enter the On-line gaming world. It did not happen for one main reason...............This is the same reason that those who oppose On-line gambling will use at the Federal level to stop it........and that reason was/is.........

"How do we know that the person who is sitting at the PC, "not the one who actually opened the account", is of legal age to gamble ?" and the answer is, "You Don't". and sorry to say, that for a lot of government people, that is an unacceptable answer. and as for the enforcement procedures that would have to be in place to verify age of the person actually gambling, for most On-line gamblers, it becomes an unacceptable loss of privacy............

Technology has moved on, and there are now ways to do this. They are already being tried out in the online banking and finance sector. These are mainly devices that connect via USB and check the bank card for example, or even things that CANNOT so easily be stolen or "borrowed" by a minor, such as fingerprint or iris scans.
If governments have their way, such as the UK getting a national database of EVERYBODY's DNA, fingerprints, iris scan, etc - there will be a SECURE way not only to check that the person sitting at the PC is the one who registered the account, but to check the very ID of the player in the first place, with no more of the "send documents, forms, etc" that is now needed.

IF online casinos potentially regulated in the US are able to show they CAN strictly enforce prevention of underage gambling, and can prevent ID fraud when registering and playing, then maybe they can convince other senators to join the cause (raising more TAXES of course - and in an "ethical" manner, not giving players what they want).