Don't be fooled, gambling doesn't get worse online.
(LOL)
Once again, our esteemed legislators are acting as if something done online is somehow different than if it's done offline. A bill to ban libraries from offering access to MySpace is a perfect example. There are a lot of places in the world where kids can be in danger, but which one makes the news? The online one.
WHERE DO THEY MEET THEM?
TYPICALLY ON LINE.
OR GRAB THEM FROM A PLAYGROUND, WITH WITNESSES.
OR JUST MAYBE THEY SET UP A TIME/ APPOINTMENT THROUGH THE INTERNET TO MEET THEM IN A SECLUDED AREA...
COME ONWE HAVE HAD PLACES KIDS AND DANGER FOR YEARS..
ONLY RECENTLY THROUGH TECHNOLIGY HAVE WE BEEN ABLE TO BE PROACTIVE.
The latest attack on the online version of a common offline activity comes courtesy of the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act (IGPEA, which I pronounce "ig-pee-uh"). It's a bill that passed the House, and if the Senate approves it will essentially prohibit any online gambling that crosses state lines or goes out of the country.
It's a bill with at least some teeth it would prohibit banks and credit card companies from transferring money, so it doesn't need to rely on citizens' cooperation with the law.
WHAT ABOUT NETELLER /FIREPAY OR INSTADEBIT.JUST TO NAME A FEW IN THE JUMBLED WORLD TO GET YOUR MONEY FROM A-B.
UNREGULATED OR SECURED .PERHAPS.
DO YOU KNOW?
Unfortunately, the bill comes across as yet another "blame the Internet" law. Let's look at its problems
BLAME THE INTERNET?
FOR WHAT..
PROVIDING PEOPLE TO ACCESESS SITES TO FLOW AMERICAN /CANADIAN MONEY OVERSEAS.
UNREGULATED.
HMMM.I WOULDNT BLAM THE INTERNAT FOR THAT.
PERHAPS PROVINCIAL AND FEDERAL LAWS ALLOWING TRANSFER OF SUCH FUNDS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Depending on who you ask, there are various reasons for wanting to ban interstate and international gambling, starting with the ethical issue. Some people just think gambling is bad, and if they think so, then darn it they're going to make sure no one can do it.
YES OF COURSE.IT IS BAD TO SOME
BUT
WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?
DO YOU KNOW?
I DONT AND NEITHER DOES THE GOVERNMENT OF CAN/USA.
PERHAPS IF IT WAS REGULATED WE WOULD KNOW AND HAVE SUPPORT PROGRAMS FOR GAMBLERS ON A FEDERAL LEVEL NOT JUST PRIVINCIAL SPONSERSHIP.
WHAT DOES ONLINE GAMBLING SUPPORT.HMMMM.
CERTAIN POLITICAL PARTIES
TERRORISTS???
WHATEVER WHO KNOWS ?????
DO YOU KNOW.?
IF YOU KNOW PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OR FBI.
This kind of logic "if I think it's yucky, no one should be allowed to do it" pervades our lawmaking.
Offer all the arguments you want, but the only reason people want to ban gay marriage or politically incorrect speech is because they think it's yucky, ergo, no one should be allowed to do it. Gambling, to a lot of people, is yucky..
HALF THE THINGS WE DO IN NORT AMERICA ARE YUCKY.
BUT REGULATED.
FOR EXAMPLE I LIVE IN A PROVINCE (NS) WHERE GAMBLING IS REGULATED..
IS IT RIGHT?
NO!!!!!!!
WITH THE PROPER WINDOW DRESSING I.EPROFITS TO PAY FOR EDUCATION /HEALTH CARE
ITS SOLD AND WE BECOME DEPEDANT ON THE INCOME.
DO I WANT TO LIVE IN AN ADDICTION DRIVIEN SOCIETY?
NO!!!!!
BUT I KNOW WHERE THE MONEY IS GOING.
Others will point out that addictive gambling can destroy families. And this is absolutely true. But a lot of things can hurt or destroy families, and we can't go around banning every activity that has potential to do harm. Should we jail people for poor money management? For not spending enough time with their kids? For watching too much TV?
WOW !! YOU HAVE SAID SOMETHING MOST WILL AGREE WITH.
PEOPLE ARE JAILED FOR POOR MONEY MANAGEMENT, USUALLY STOLEN FROM A COMPANY TO PAY FOR GAMBLING DEBTS.
HMMM.INTERESTING ARTICLE RECENTLY IN THE UK IN REGARDS.
A lot of things can hurt or destroy families,
SO WHY PROMOTE ITVESTED INTREST.
PERHAPS..
So instead of being consistent, we ban the things we don't like, then we make excuses for the things that somehow are deemed "lesser" evils. That's why we have seat-belt laws but not red-meat quotas, and why we ban marijuana but not alcohol.
CONSISTANT..WTF IS YOUR COUNTRY DOING TO SAVE YOUR ASS SO YOU CAN PARTAKE IN THESE SO CALLED LESSER EVILS.
AT LEAST ALCOHOL, TOBACCO AND GAMBLING ARE TAXED AND USED TO BENEFIT YOU AND YOUR SAFETY.
Gambling falls between "bad things we like" and "bad things we don't like," so we regulate the heck out of it but don't ban it outright. That is, until you throw the Internet into the mix. The deep, dark Net pushes gambling onto the side of evil, and thus begins the effort to ban online gambling.
When it comes to things we don't like, the Internet is high on the list. Why? It's a scary place because people can share things and ideas that are different than our own. People can do things and say things that we don't like.
TRUESO WHY NOT REGULATE IT TO INTERPROVICIAL/ STATE.
AT LEAST WE KNOW THE ODDS AND WHERE THE MONEY WILL BE USED
NOT AGAINST US
Not sure if I'm right? Look at the arguments being given to ban online gambling: It's bad, it hurts families, it's not regulated, and its not taxed.
YES..YOU NAILED IT EH!!
BUT WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING???
The first two arguments apply to gambling itself, not just online gambling, yet they're only being used against the Internet-based variety.
The second two arguments that it's unregulated and untaxed well, gee, I wonder what we could do about that. Perhaps, um, regulate and tax it? That's what the British do, generating millions in revenue from something people are going to do whether or not it's legal. Online gambling is a $12 billion industry, about half of which comes from the U.S. How many schoolbooks do you think the revenue on that could buy?
YES. WHY WOULDNT WE TAX AND REGULATE IT.
AGAIN WHERE DOES THAT MONEY GO?
Hmmm.bombs/anthrax... do you know?
WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING AS NORTH AMERICANS?
IS THIS NOT A LINK TO OVERSEAS?
SEEMS TO ME LIKE IT IS!!!!!!!
I AM NOT SAYING STOP GAMBLING, BUT AT LEAST REGULATE IT TO YOUR HOME STATE OR PROVINCE.
If you aren't sure that the proposed anti-online-gambling law is more about the Internet than it is about gambling, think about this: The government is perfectly happy with offline gambling, whether it's horse racing, dog racing, Vegas casinos, or state lotteries.
The feds' excuse: Those things are state issues, and it's only banning interstate and international gambling. Of course, what's a state issue and what's a Federal issue is more about how far Congress thinks it can push something. That's why the feds regulate marijuana but states regulate alcohol.
But the hypocrisy becomes clear when you look at what's permitted.
Take state lotteries Lotto, Mega Millions, Powerball, and their ilk. Those are not only legal; they're encouraged by the state governments.
AGAIN PROFITS USED TO BENEFIT YOUR STATE/ PROVINCE THROUGH DEFENSE HEALTHCARE, ROADS ETC..WHY NOT
As I write this, the headline on the Powerball home page reads, "North Carolina Man Claims $800,000 Power Play Prize!" You have to dig two clicks into the site to see the odds of winning. The grand prize? 146,107,962 to 1. That's the odds of you and me both picking the same second in the same four and a half years. (I was thinking of June 3, 2004, at 10:42:08 in the morning. You?)
AT LEAST THEY PAY THE WIN AND DISCLOSE THE ODDS.
ONLINE IF YOU ARE FORTUNAT TO WIN, GETTING PAID IS ALWAYS AN ISSUE; JUST DO SOME INVESTIGATING AND YOU MAY BE SURPRISED.
How about something more reasonable, say, the odds of winning $4 on a $1 bet? That's 127 to 1. Mega Millions isn't much different; the odds of winning a $2.00 prize is 75 to 1.
Compare the odds for roulette: 37 to 1 for the biggest payout.
Face it, folks. Lotteries are nothing more than a state-sponsored tax on the mathematically impaired.
WELL PERHAPS, ITS BUYER BEWARE WITH THE ODDS, AT LEAST YOU KNOW WHAT TOUR GETTING. (CAVEAT EMPTOR)
ONLINE IS ANOTHER ISSUEUSUALLY JUST GETTING PAID IS A CHALLENGE UNLESS YOU ARE WELL SCHOOLED IN THE SCAMS TO PREVENT YOU FROM CASHING OUT.
OH
OOPS
I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT THE FEEL GOOD EMAILS THAT SAY PEOPLE IN CERTAIN CICUMSTANCES I.E DEPRESSED, RECENT BREAK UP WHAT EVER YOU GET THE PICTURE., JUST IMAGIN YOU WILL GET RICH FROM USING THEIR SITE JUST ONCE GAMBLING WITH JUST A MINIMAL 50$ DEPSOIT..I THINK WE KNOW WHICH CASINO GROUP THAT IS.
DISGUSTING.
WELL THATS JUST SPAM I GUESS WHO WOULD READ THAT, ONLY THE MATHMATICALLY IMPAIRED.
And let's look at the target audience. Lotteries appeal to lower-income people exactly the kind of folks who shouldn't be wasting their money on the government's high-odds gambling. Yet the government gives it the big thumbs up. Horse racing (especially off-track betting) and brick and mortar casinos also target the people who can least afford to lose their money.
WELL AT LEAST IN CANADA WHEN I PASS A FINACIALLY CHANGELLED PERSON BUYING A TICKET FOR THE LOTTERY AT LEASTIT IS GOING TOWARDS MY PROVINCE AND NOT SOME MASKED MAN OR SOME ISLAND WITH A BOMB.
Online gambling, on the other hand, at least requires a computer, Internet access, and a credit card. Certainly some of the people doing it can't afford to lose that money, but they're at least not the poorest of the poor.
FREE PUBLIC ACCESS COMPUTERSLIBRARIES ETC.
OR MAYBE A UNIVERSITY LOAN I WOULD SAY MOST COMPANIES TARGET UNIVERSITY KIDS STARTING OUT, NO RESPOSIBILITIES, NO IDEA HOW LONG IT TAKES TO PAY BACK ETC.
COME ON ..
Further, unlike lotteries, many online games are games of skill, not entirely chance poker comes to mind. People can and do make money gambling in casinos, online or in person. There aren't people who make money playing the lottery.
WOW THIS JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER.
POKER
YES SOME SKILL.SOME LUCK
CASINO..GOOD LUCK..HOUSE HAS THE EDGE IN EVERY GAME.WHAT SKILL IS INVOLVED.
OH AND YA .ADD THAT WITH TRYING TO GET PAID
YOU LOSE.
So while there's at least a rational argument to be made that gambling is bad and should be banned or regulated, it crosses into the realm of hypocrisy when it focuses only on the online version.
NOT SAYING IT IS GOOD BUT REGULATION IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
AGAIN JUST MY THOUGHTS.
Posted 8/3/2006 4:50 PM ET
Updated 8/3/2006 6:08 PM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Subscribe to stories like this