ISPs Blocking Gambling Related sites in the USA

[winbig]

Thanks for your post, Cynthia. Anyone knows who exactly are members of the House Judiciary Committee so that we can send letters/email to them?

Here you go...

Old / Expired Link

Seems that you can click on each member to go to their webpage. You can even email them if you're in their district. If not, you can always call.

 

[winbig]

that is unequalled it it's[/I]

Sure hope you didn't send a copy exactly like it was written. Should be

that is unequalled in its

No ', as well as "in" instead of "it".

You also might want to add emphasis to the fact that this is clearly a violation of the constitution. Plain and simple it's a violation of freedom of speech by banning access to these servers altogether; whether it be the casino itself or the website that is advertising it.

 

[suzecat]

Hi JET:

It might not be a bad idea to approach MICHAEL BRUNKER from MSNBC.com on this. As you may recall he was most helpful to my efforts in getting the word out on the PIRATE fiasco a couple of years ago. I've instant messaged you Michael's email address.

Have a good one.

cipher is back in the saddle and all is right with the world..........welcome back cipher! Good to hear from you.

 

[jetset]

I managed to plug in to the Adelphia media system earlier today and have submitted a list of questions based on the Professor's post with a request for a fast turnaround, so we will see what that brings forth first.

BTW Mike has been off the regular MSNBC online gambling beat for some months, although he remains interested in the industry according to our last email exchange last year.

 

[theAPCW]

Sure hope you didn't send a copy exactly like it was written. Should be No ', as well as "in" instead of "it".

I'm glad that you read what I wrote... and sorry I wrote it in haste so that (hopefully) the email "In Boxes" of Congress are jammed full of letters in opposition on Monday morning. I'm also sorry I editted too quickly and that spell check didn't catch everything... but can't we focus on the importance of getting the job done?

I would rather have 5,000 of those emails go out with that type-o than just 25 well written emails go out without the type-o.

You also might want to add emphasis to the fact that this is clearly a violation of the constitution.

Yea, well, so is income tax. I don't see them stopping that anytime soon.

 

[jetset]

TheAPCW, your acronym is familiar but I'm afraid I cannot immediately nail it down - grateful if you could clarify the full title of your organisation and your position in it, please?

 

[theAPCW]

Hello Jetset...

The APCW is the Association of Professional Casino Webmasters.

 

[theAPCW]

Sorry, my position is Administrator.

 

[jetset]

Ah, got it! Many thanks.

 

[GrandMaster]

I would rather have 5,000 of those emails go out with that type-o than just 25 well written emails go out without the type-o.

How about 5000 without any typos?

 

[winbig]

I'm glad that you read what I wrote... and sorry I wrote it in haste so that (hopefully) the email "In Boxes" of Congress are jammed full of letters in opposition on Monday morning. I'm also sorry I editted too quickly and that spell check didn't catch everything... but can't we focus on the importance of getting the job done?

Yes, and if you look at it where my brain was thinking, you'd understand where I was coming from.

Sending something with typo's and such would look much more horrible to a person in the power to vote one way or the other on this. Maybe I'm just a perfectionist at times, but it looks much more professional without typo's and would be taken more seriously.

re: Income tax.....I feel the same way about that too, but it's not really the issue at hand. They need to realize that in passing this bill, it's violating everyone's rights granted under the constitution.

 

[GrandMaster]

Yea, well, so is income tax. I don't see them stopping that anytime soon.

Care to elaborate on this, especially in view of the 16th Amendment?

 

[theAPCW]

Sending something with typo's and such would look much more horrible to a person in the power to vote one way or the other on this.

Agreed.

I did this in haste, which is why I encouraged everyone to change it to fit their own words. Giving a form letter seems to encourage the many out there who may not send a letter otherwise.

Certainly, a person should read a letter before blindly signing their name to it and emailing it out. I wish everyone would take the time to write their own letters in their own words... but that isn't going to happen.

And just to be clear, you are obviously an educated person. And being so you realize that a large segment of the American public is not. I believe that type-o's are most likely the least of errors received in the emails and letters to Congressmen. They're probably lucky if the letter or email has complete sentences... but these people are still voters, and I believe the letters will still count for something...

...but I agree. Send the best letter possible.

They need to realize that in passing this bill, it's violating everyone's rights granted under the constitution.

This is where GrandMaster's question can be addressed: The US Supreme Court had originally declaired Income Tax unconstitutional... I believe because of a technicality with land ownership. So Congress kept at it and kept at it until they hammered an Amendment (yes, the 16th) to change the constitution... and thus, they could impose their will.

So they say, "It's unconstitutional? Let's amend the document so it isn't!"

Pretty clever, eh?

 

[managra]

APCW, while appreciate you posting the draft of the email, there were a couple of things troubling me, besides starting any correspondence with *I* and the typo (and yes, in my book people lose credibility, too, when they don't know the rules of it's and its). Goodlatte is NOT a constituent of the Rep we are emailing to. Furthermore, "the real issue here is MONEY... everything else is smoke and mirrors to support Goodlatte's pursuit of this money" is just DEAD WRONG. If he were to legalize and regulate it, a lot of money would be flowing into US coffers (Vegas casinos and taxing authorities) and Goodlatte would get lots of campaign donations and other perks offered by the Vegas casinos.

Here's my draft and i hope you don't mind i borrowed a couple of expressions/comments from you:


Dear Rep. ________________,

The purpose of this email is to express my strong disagreement with
bill HR 4777, introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte. In order to push his
own moral agenda, Rep. Goodlatte distorts the facts and seriously
overstates the risks of money laundering and underage online gambling.
Passage of this bill would constitute censorship and a tragic violation
of our right to freedom of speech. Therefore, any US citizen, whether
he/she gambles online or not, should be strongly opposed to yet another
attempt to curtail our rights.

Online gambling has grown to a $12 billion industry. Such growth
reflects the popularity worldwide resulting from the ability to play a
game of poker or some slot machines in the comfort and safety of one's
own home. This industry regulates itself and does not allow underage
gamblers. It is likely that some incidents of money laundering and
underage gamblers periodically do occur nonetheless. However,it is
senseless to deny millions of people a simple pleasure because of a few
who manage to break the rules. It would be just as absurd to forbid ALL
internet access to everyone because of the presence of spammers and
hackers. And i suspect the spammers and hackers greatly outnumber the
money launderers and underage online gamblers, not just in numbers but
also in terms of cost to society!

In the United Kingdom the online gaming industry is LEGAL and
REGULATED. And what better way to control potential risks than
regulating an industry? It is that approach that the United States
should follow. We only have to look back at Prohibition to realize that
forbidding a popular activity will not work and will only result in
increased criminal activity. Legalizing and regulating, on the other
hand, would provide new sources of revenue for US businesses and
additional revenues for local, state, and federal taxing authorities.
The significant tax revenues reaped from that other popular gambling
activity, i am speaking of state lotteries, attest to this.

I can ensure you that there will be an enormous outcry by the American
people - by those who engage in online gambling and by those who do not -
if this proposed bill were to pass. I am holding you responsible to
make my voice, and that of millions of other Americans, heard on this!

 

[GrandMaster]

This is where GrandMaster's question can be addressed: The US Supreme Court had originally declaired Income Tax unconstitutional... I believe because of a technicality with land ownership. So Congress kept at it and kept at it until they hammered an Amendment (yes, the 16th) to change the constitution... and thus, they could impose their will.

So they say, "It's unconstitutional? Let's amend the document so it isn't!"

Pretty clever, eh?

That's exactly what the amendments are for. The procedure is complicated enough that the Constitution cannot be changed at a whim, and very importantly it cannot be changed by Congress alone, 3/4 of the state legislatures must ratify it. Do you feel then that freedom of speech should not be protected (1st Amendment), or that slavery should still be legal (abolished by the 13th Amendment)?

 

[theAPCW]

Waste of time... oh well, I tried...

Oh good gawd people this is freekin' rediculous.

I thought I could post a simple request here without it turning into a grammar lesson, constitutional debate, or anything else that detracts us from the issue of this industry being shut down.

I was wrong.

Do what you want. I am wasting productive time here (by replying to your wasted time) when we all could be doing something constructive. If we do get shut down, we'll look back at this thread and wonder why we couldn't get together for something so important.

Just be sure to forward me your mailing addresses so that I can send each of you fiddles... that way you have something to do while this industry burns (Please, no comments on my misguided allusions).

I hope that the ones of you not pointing out type-o's used this time for something more constructive... like actually writing a letter. If so, this wasn't a totally worthless use of my genuine and heartfelt efforts... however idealistic and misplaced.

Goodbye =0)

 

[managra]

APCW, i find your last post offensive.

I posted a draft because i intended to email it tonight to a number of Rep and Committee members. I did not want to send YOUR draft because of its inaccuracies and not mentioning at all freedom of speech. The latter is the most important issue as it will also ignite the indignation of people who do not gamble. I posted my draft here so that it might help perhaps with a sentence or two for anyone who wants to write their own email.

I would have thought that an Administrator of the Assoc of Professional Casino Webmasters would have a bit more PR savvy, both for soliciting support at an online forum and also in putting together a much sounder, stronger letter for an email campaign.

 

[Pinababy69]

Hello Jetset...

The APCW is the Association of Professional Casino Webmasters.

Hi APCW,

You are also known as Integrity at CAP, correct? I know you didn't really want to post your letter here, but you guys "needed all the support you could get" right? Not sure I understand the reasons behind it, but I know you expected heavy "groans" at CAP when you told them you were going to post your letter here and at WOL. Wouldn't it have been better to simply post as "Integrity"...a handle which is recognized by most in this business? Your signing up here under a different name is ringing a bit dishonest with me. Sorry...

 

[caruso]

Dear Rep. ________________,

The purpose of this email is to express my strong disagreement with
bill HR 4777, introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte. In order to push his
own moral agenda, Rep. Goodlatte distorts the facts and seriously
overstates the risks of money laundering and underage online gambling.

Really? What about Bella Vegas? Do you suppose Rep. Bob Goodlatte knows about that incident? Do you suppose he'd be interested?

The utter hypocrisy of this moral outcry makes my blood boil.

 

[Pinababy69]

To APCW/Integrity....

I just read your last post on here as Integrity (a couple of years ago)...and now I understand the deception of the new username. LOL......sorry but I find this all just too funny.

You guys can do whatever you like, but why not wait for Jetset to post some more info once he finds out? A little bit of level-headedness might serve everyone well. I'm not telling you not to send a letter to your representative re: Bill whatever. But why doesn't everyone take a deep breath and relax for a bit?

This person APCW didn't even want to post here, he said he could hear the groans from his colleagues already. Funny how Casinomeister is never good enough for some people.....UNTIL they have a hidden agenda or they need help.

So sorry APCW/Integrity that you felt the need to "lower" yourself to come here. And when someone does try and give you some well-meaning advice..you felt the need to fly off the handle. Well sorry, I agree with my fellow CM members, if you're going to send a letter off to a Government official, then for God's sakes, make sure the grammar, spelling and punctuation are correct. If you really wanna be taken seriously that is. But if you wanna send off 5,000 letters with typos and errors, the same typos and errors, go ahead. See how seriously it gets taken. You'll be looked upon as nothing more than a radical who can't spell!!

 

[managra]

Really? What about Bella Vegas? Do you suppose Rep. Bob Goodlatte knows about that incident? Do you suppose he'd be interested?

The utter hypocrisy of this moral outcry makes my blood boil.

I am very sorry to say that i do not know about the Bella Vegas incident. I tried to look it up on Google but couldn't find anything. Would you please enlighten me? Caruso, why exactly does the "utter hypocrisy of this moral outcry makes your blood boil"? Even though i am fully unaware of the BV incident, i am sure that there have been/are/will be other problems in the industry. The best way to deal with this, imho, is to regulate it. If online gambling will be forbidden in the US, the industry will find other ways to reach US players with an increased likelihood that innocent players will fall victim to scams.

The last couple of posts made it clear to me that i was trying to jump the gun. As Pina suggested, it will be better to wait with taking any action until we have heard more from a reliable source, such as Jetset.

Pina, thanks very much for shedding more light on the offensive post by "ACWP". Having done a quick search i understand he didn't want to post here anew as "Integrity", which ID wasn't a good fit anyway

 

[winbig]

Here's a great domain to use to make more people aware of what's going on, and gain support (and is available): fightcensorship.net

 

[Pinababy69]

Hi Managra, I don't think the discussion re: Bella Vegas belongs in this particular thread, so I am just posting a link for you if you would like to read up on it. Hope you find it somewhat enlightening.

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

 

[managra]

Thanks Pina for posting the link. I read the first 3-4 pages of this lengthy thread. It actually strengthens my belief that American players could have more protection if online gambling be legal and regulated in the US. Without this, a certain percentage will continue to play, no matter what, without any recourse if stunts like BV's will be pulled. Needless to say, it's outrageous that BV accepted 17 deposits, processed 2-3 cashouts, then refused a big cashout because . . . he was underage at his jurisdiction. Had he been of legal age to gamble, their excuse could have been that online gambling is illegal in his jurisdiction, period.

It shouldn't be that difficult for sw to validate a registrant's age against his address and not allowing him to play at all, rather than keeping mum for his first 17 deposits. With regulation the onus could be placed on casinos to ensure that registrations be validated before accepting any deposits.

I still pretty much stand by my email draft. Sure, Mr Goodlatte, there are/will be some underage gamblers but is that a good reason for denying everybody else this activity and does it justify practising censorship? There are underage kids who smoke and drink. Should we ban all tobacco and all alcohol (we tried the latter in the 30s and failed miserably)? Obesity is a growing problem in the US (and other countries are catching up) that will place a huge, costly burden on the health care system. So, perhaps we should ban all donuts, fast food, candy bars, potato chips, etc, just to protect those who do not act responsibly? There are kids who bring guns to school and kill a few teachers and students. Should we ban all guns or maybe all schools?
All this sounds ridiculous but so does Goodlatte's bill because the percentage of underage gambling is probably quite small. There is also something like parental control and parental responsibilities and i'm sure filters could be offered to those who want them (maybe that's what Adelphia was testing???).

Finally, i have a problem with this underage definition in the US. I am not talking about 12 and 14 year olds but those who are 18,19,20. They are old enough to be shipped off to a war but too young to drink a beer or gamble. More hypocrisy!

 

[Pinababy69]

Excellent points all Managra!! And I agree that the best thing for the industry would be some form of regulation. At least then there would be some "standard" that could be applied.

As to the hypocrisy angle....just don't even get me started, lol. I'm running in bitch mode already today.

I forgot to mention that I thought your "revised" letter was outstanding!! And if I lived in the US, would be sending off a copy to my representative post haste!! Excellent job...which just goes to show what can be done when a little thought is put into something, rather than jumping in head first. And cooler heads will always prevail...always.