Report urges Congress to study online gambling
Millions of ordinary Americans gamble online on a daily basis, despite the official prohibitions against such gambling, declares a new policy study by the American Gaming Association.
“By driving all Internet gambling business to foreign entities,” said author, lawyer and association consultant David O. Stewart, “no jobs are created for American workers, no returns are earned by American companies, and no tax revenues are paid to American governments.”
Stewart concluded that the current disconnect between law and reality also leaves American gamblers largely defenseless against unregulated or under-regulated offshore gambling Web sites now estimated to number 2,500 worldwide.
His report, which urged Congress to study the issue, comes as Congress is on the brink of a crackdown on Internet gambling even as the United Kingdom and scores of other nations are legalizing and taxing the $12-billion-a-year phenomenon.
The nonprofit Poker Players Alliance supports legalization. If legalized, “Millions of Internet poker players in America would welcome recognizable U.S. casino brands to the online game,” it said.
The brand names are waiting in the wings. Casino giants such as Harrah’s and MGM-Mirage are salivating over potential cyber profits, and the association, the industry’s lobbying arm, has been tilting noticeably in the direction of legalization. Earlier this month, the association also joined in the call for congressional restraint and a thorough study of the issue’s pros and cons.
“An Analysis of Internet Gambling and its Policy Implications” is available at no charge on the association’s Web site at www.americangaming.org
