Federal ruling spells mixed results for online gambling
A federal judge has dismissed an attempt to overturn a ban on online betting brought by the Internet gambling industry, according to MSNBC.com.
However, the ruling also gave the group legal standing to challenge the law in an appellate court, the report said.
U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper in Trenton ruled that the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association had not shown sufficient cause to order her to block enforcement of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, passed by Congress in 2006.
That law was passed to choke off Internet gambling profits by preventing the electronic processing of money for online wagers or payouts, such as credit card companies and PayPal accounts.
Enforcement of the law is currently under a six-month moritorium while lawmakers scramble to draft legislation that would legalize online gambling and add an estimated $1.2 billion in tax revenue to the federal coffers.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Until they start listening to players there is no way that they will get this right. Honestly, what do these politicians and lawmakers know about poker other than what they saw in the movie 'All In' and their home games where they gamble political favors.
ReplyDeleteFor example, take a look at what both Florida and California are doing. Instead of joining and doing this correctly at a national level they want to try to get their piece by drafting up intrastate gambling bills. To be specific, Florida is proposing a bill that would allow sites to be put up and regulated by the Sunshine state for a low low cost of 500K. Then guess what we get the 'right' to do...play against other Floridians. They obviously haven't asked one poker player about this concept because I can guarantee that 90% of them agree w/ me when I say this. Thank you for doing something but no thank you for what you're doing. The only thing that they are going to do by jumping into this like they are doing is a create a failure which the politicians can throw back into the face of those that are trying to get a piece for Florida...it's a step backwards.
If we spent 1 day with a room full of politicians, lawmakers, and poker players I'm sure we can iron out a good plan. One that allows poker players to play without the worry of frozen accounts (what a joke that was). One that puts the coin in the pocket of the government (which is why they are finally interested...not because of the fact that our rights are being trampled on). One that will not piss of the Native American tribes that pay millions of dollars to Cali to host casinos there. Most important, one that allows the sites to be regulated and fairly taxed without destroying free enterprise and keeps the government's fingers out of the ins and outs of the poker industry.
Unfortunately, until Mike McDermott goes back to finish up his law degree and steps in to fix this thing I don't think we'll find a good solution (had to work in a Rounders reference for those lawmakers who think that was a true story). So, again, thanks for doing something but no thanks for what you're doing Florida and California.
Thanks for this Dave, now I have to work this into my blog.