SKEWED STANDARDS

16 February 2007

Whilst American enforcers and banks attack online gambling funding channels, aliens with no credit history are offered no-hassle cards....

The almost surreal hypocrisy surrounding US government attempts to financially execute the online gambling industry (with a few *carve-outs* for horse racing and lotteries of course) was again highlighted by a MSNBC news report this week.

The mainstream media report originated in the Wall Street Journal and detailed a new initiative by the Bank of America, which has apparently started offering credit cards to customers who do not have Social Security numbers or any credit history.

The cards, which carry a punitive interest rate up to 21 percent, are available to people without a Social Security number or a credit history. The applicant need only have a checking account with the bank for three months without an overdraft. But therein lies a bureaucratic conundrum...to get a BofA checking account, applicants need to have a SS number!

Bank of America tested the program at five Los Angeles branches last year, according to the newspaper. NBC4 reported that the bank plans to expand the program to 51 branches throughout Los Angeles County and possibly throughout the United States later this year.

Bank of America said the program will help *undocumented workers* build good credit. The cards are designed to be a first step for immigrants trying to build a credit history, bank spokeswoman Alexandra C. Trower told the Los Angeles Times.

Critics said the program helps people who violate immigration law.

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa

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