by Chuck Gallagher

Created on: June 25, 2009   Last Updated: July 02, 2009

Don't Bet on It

If you want a snapshot of all that is wrong with our government, just look at the passing of the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. Just the fact that "prohibition" is in the name infers that it's a bad idea. This bill has a lot in common with its long lost grandfather bill passed in 1920.

In the 1920s and early '30s, thousands of man-hours were spent putting otherwise respected citizens in jail for partaking in their favorite bootlegged liquor. Unfortunately, the only winners from the banning of alcohol were mobsters like Al Capone.

Once alcohol was banned, organized crime swept in to fill the void of previously legal distributors, making millions for the bad guys. Crime soared, along with gangland killings and police corruption. By the early '30s, everyone saw Prohibition for what it was - a very bad idea.

Shortly thereafter, the 18th Amendment was repealed and alcohol was once again regulated and taxed.

Like alcohol in the '20s, the banning of online gambling will not prevent people from doing it. People will continue to throw 10 bucks on their favorite team until they get caught, and the once fading back alley bookie will make a triumphant comeback. People will get ripped off, get their legs broken, fingers cut off, and all the other movie cliches. They can't exactly go to the police and say, "Vinnie didn't pay my winnings!"

Instead of being prevented from spending money, the bettors don't have by the limit on their credit cards and bank accounts, "Vinnie" will allow guys (and gals) to run a line of credit at 40% interest and eventually take everything the guy has. I'm sure the naive will think that this doesn't happen in real life, but it does.

The people who gamble online will most certainly go "underground" and any rights these people have will be non-existent. Also, in researching eight sport betting sites and two poker sites, I've found that all of them offer assistance for the problem gambler. I'm pretty sure that "Bruno the Bookie" could care less, and probably encourages the guy who can't control his habit.

As I stated in a previous article, if the government had actually used logic and common sense, they would have considered the fact that online gambling is not going to go away, and instead passed a bill to regulate and tax the online gambling industry. Instead of wasting even more of our money trying to keep Joe Schmo in Anytown, USA from playing a 50 cent hand of Texas Hold'em, there would be $6 billion in taxes generated

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