CNBC put out a well done documentary recently covering the issues of online gambling and the inconsistency of U.S. policies on the issue. Check out a complete description along with air times at the cnbc website : The Big Business of Illegal Gambling.
See a clip of the documentary here:
In other news:
Delaware will take sports betting challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court – L.A. Times
Rhode Island Senate committed considering joining the fight against the Federal ban on sports betting. More details at RecentPoker.com.
The state of New Jersey has introduced the first intrastate gambling bill in the US, potentially leading the way to the opening of the US egaming market on a state-by-state basis. Read more at EGRMagazine.com.
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Let the games begin! Tomorrow morning at 10 a.m EDT, the U.S. House Congressional Services committee will debate the white hot issue of how best to regulate internet gambling. Watch it live and read the prepared testimony here:
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/hr_112409.shtml
Reading through the pre-hearing documents prepared by Harvard Professor Malcolm Sparrow, it looks like the anti-gambling proponents are going to have their hands full defending the status quo. Sparrow lays out the heart of the issue plainly and simply:
At a minimum, legalization and regulation of online gambling would give Americans much more protection than does the current prohibitionist regulatory framework. Although the kind of regulation that would accompany legalization would not be failsafe, it would be a significant improvement over the current regulatory and enforcement structure. We believe that safeguards could be implemented that would, on balance, substantially improve protections against the identified risks. These safeguards would also provide protection equal to or greater than that provided within the U.S.-based bricks-and-mortar gambling industry. We recognize that no set of technical or regulatory controls could ever eliminate these risks entirely. But even if the new fence had a few holes, it would be an improvement over having no fence at all.
The view that online gambling, in contrast to its bricks-and-mortar casino counterpart, is impossible to regulate reflects an old-fashioned perception of cyber jurisdictional authority. Many offshore commercial entities that operate online are subject to U.S. legal jurisdiction under existing long-arm statutes and authority. When coupled with governmental licensing authority, the ability to police online activities is even more powerful. Legalization with regulation would provide U.S. authorities with the power to grant or deny licenses and to impose significant sanctions on noncompliant licensees. Those licenses would be highly valuable to site operators. Compliance with any regulatory requirements and strict licensing conditions that Congress chooses to impose in return for the privilege of the license would therefore become a cost of doing business.
Watch this debate, email your Congressman, and continue to visit iBet.pro to keep up on the latest developments surrounding this fascinating clash between the world’s most powerful players.
This is a great video that gives background on the issue of state sponsored sports betting and shows the powerful forces fighting against the citizens of Delaware’s desire to have legal sports betting in their state. I strongly recommend watching this video.
