Web gambling gets boost from Obama administration

Reuters ^ | 12/25/11 | Jim Wolf and Nicola Leske

[Nachum]

(Reuters) - The Obama administration cleared the way for states to legalize Internet poker and certain other online betting in a switch that may help them reap billions in tax revenue and spur web-based gambling.

A Justice Department opinion dated September and made public on Friday reversed decades of previous policy that included civil and criminal charges against operators of some of the most popular online poker sites.

Until now, the department held that online gambling in all forms was illegal under the Wire Act of 1961, which bars wagers via telecommunications that cross state lines or international borders.

[Nachum]

Now what are the odds of that?

[eyedigress]

The Federal Government is the Mafia.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Obama wants to permit and tax it — rotsa ruck on the taxing end. It’s another re-election bid for the Bummer because even Mitt is likely to say this is wrong, and it’s also not likely Congress will formally open the loophole. It would be easier to get Federally legal medpot, which maybe California users are looking the wrong way for. If all medpot were grown in DC, in green facilities overseen by Michelle, maybe Obama would be perfectly copacetic with it.

[Nachum]

The list, Ping

Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list

http://www.nachumlist.com/

[JohnBrowdie]

next thing you know, they will legalize pot and crack so they can tax it, and use the “revenue” to pay for more solyndras and more health care hijackings.

you don’t need a healthy economy to finance your socialist programs of you don’t care what happens to your citizens.

[Ronin]

Bread and circuses for the masses...

[2ndDivisionVet]

Any computer people here want to get in on this?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Wonder if Obama popularizing this would give an unexpected boost to Ron Paul? He’s such a fox.

[balch3]

The GOP’s ill advised bill banning internet poker in the runup to the 2008 election may have been the deciding factor in some close House races. It certainly didn’t help, at any rate.

[Skeez]

I’m in favor of this. Gambling should be legal.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Some who don’t particularly care about the sin aspect of gambling might care about the ease with which electronic international gambling might enable international money laundering. Set up some bogus gambling house overseas, “lose” a bundle to it, and voila, money laundering. Easing up on domestic interstate and Indian reservation gambling might be a different story. That’s much easier to monitor, and also to tax.

[NonValueAdded]

The GOP’s ill advised bill banning internet poker

I believe the bill was created based on a WTO ruling against the US of A and had we not taken such a step, a few islands would get the right to ignore US copyrights (legitimately, not that other nations would respect them anyway). The crux of the matter was that the US could not ban international gaming but allow it domestically. The question for the _Resident would be, "what changes have happened to make international electronic gambling a good thing for US to have?"

[MarkL]

Bread and Circuses. It worked for ancient Rome (for a while.)

Mark

[Future Useless Eater]

The Obama administration cleared the way for states to legalize Internet poker and certain other online betting in a switch that may help them reap billions in tax revenue and spur web-based gambling.

What kind of idiot would play online poker and NOT assume he was playing against computers across the web?

I know I would not bother 'playing' unless I had a computer telling me the best possible plays. Every other gullible poor sucker without a computer calling the shots would lose more often. Plus, how would people know the 'house / dealer / game' were legit? In many cases it probably is not.

BUT the biggest deal behind this story is that it is Obama's way to start TAXING and REGULATING the INTERNET. Then it would be just the tip of the iceberg.

[RIghtwardHo]

Speaking as a former prosecutor, shutting down online gambling is ridiculous and Federal overreach. Many other Nations handle it just fine and it creates little societal problems.

Legalize it. It worked just fine when online poker was permitted.

[calex59]

The GOP’s ill advised bill banning internet poker in the runup to the 2008 election may have been the deciding factor in some close House races. It certainly didn’t help, at any rate.

You are correct except for one thing, it was the 2006 race and it was one of the deciding factors in why we lost. The government has no business telling us we can't gamble.

[Dusty Road]

I would love to play poker against a computer.

[TShaunK]

That was Bill Frist bill to make it illeagal in the first place. Telling people whos money has been taxed about 6 times that they can’t play penny poker over their own computer with their own money in the comfort and privacey of their own over taxed home.Is why the republicans with their holier than thow horseshit attitude never get a second look from independents.
Or telling some vet who just got his legs blown off from fighting for 5 dollar a gallon gas that he may get arrested for betting 25 cents on an inside straight to pass the time away is why the Perrys,Sanotrum, bachmans of the world will never get my vote.

[skully]

I've been playing poker online since 2003, and was making good money at it until the GOP ruined it back in 2006 by attaching this stupid ban to a Port security bill that no one would vote against. The ban itself never could pass on its own.
I never had a problem getting my money, nor were the games I played rigged. The top sites were for the most part legit, they make their money off of takeouts and fees, so rigging really wasn't in their best interests.
It's embarrassing that Americans are not welcome at most online poker sites, yet the Chinese and Russians are. SO much for freedom.

[DNME]

I’m always amazed at how otherwise-sane people on FR, who believe “MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS” should be our first words spoken when talking to the government, will howl about the sins of gambling.

Freedom means being free to do whatever the hell you want, so long as you don’t interfere with the rights and freedoms of others. People used to say, “Your right to swing your fist ends at the tip of my nose” before the Nanny State Mentality took hold. (And too many here suffer from that affliction.)

If I want to play online poker, then LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE! It’s my money and my choice. I don’t believe the games are rigged, but it’s none of YOUR DAMN BUSINESS if they are. If you don’t like it, don’t play. And don’t tell me what to do or what not to do.