Attn: Internet gamblers (poker and sports)

[Inky_Wretch]

Bill Frist attached the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act to a port security Bill. It passed.

Don't know if this means you should empty your PartyPoker and BetUS accounts. But pay attention to it.

I think horse racing sites like Thoroughbets are unaffected by this legislation.

 

[Buck]

This is such bull****, absolute bull****.
And it's hypocritical.
****ing hypocritical Puritanical bastards.

 

[doubledown68]

It'll be legal once the gov't figures out how to get their cut.

 

[Buck]

They're not going to be able to police it.
But it ****ing sucks on principle.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

All I know is that a lot of 'Pubs in tight November races are going to be made aware
how many of their previously-loyal supporters like to play poker, online.

Like it . . . a lot.

And I've never played poker online in my life.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

. . . not to mention that the current homepage art at:

www.eog.com

is hilarious.

 

[Columbo]

They're not going to be able to police it.
But it ****ing sucks on principle.

How are you going to pay to participate in online gambling now?

Send them a check?

 

[Beer_Baron]

Hows this affect third party sites like Neteller?

 

[Ben_Hecht]

We'll see. Know more in a week . . . a good deal more, in a month. Justice has previously
expressed incredulity that the horses can get a carveout others can't. And you can
bet there's going to be considerable lack of enthusiasm from the banking industry re
lending a helping hand to this nonsense. The banking lobby repeatedly expressed their
tangible opposition to this added burden, all summer. But campaigner Frist didn't give a ****.

 

[Huggy]

A few weeks back, in anticipation of college and NFL football, I tried to deposit money into my online account (which I've had for several years with no problems) with William Hill, a huge bookie operation based in the UK and was told it couldn't be authorized because of the heat that the feds are placing on the credit card companies. I know people who have accounts with other online bookies who have got the same answer.

All of a sudden I'm reading stories about the evils of online gambling in the Economist and the Toronto Star among other outlets. My question is this: why is this such a hot topic now? Online gambling has been around for a number of years now and I would think there's a lot more bet on poker online than sports.

Ben's point about the banking industry is one I've wondered about. Why would VISA or Mastercard etc. give a **** how their cards are used as long as they get their money back with exorbitant interest? Is there a movement down there to make online gaming legal in the US through places like Caesars etc.? Is that where all this heat is coming from?

 

[Columbo]

A few weeks back, in anticipation of college and NFL football, I tried to deposit money into my online account (which I've had for several years with no problems) with William Hill, a huge bookie operation based in the UK and was told it couldn't be authorized because of the heat that the feds are placing on the credit card companies. I know people who have accounts with other online bookies who have got the same answer.

All of a sudden I'm reading stories about the evils of online gambling in the Economist and the Toronto Star among other outlets. My question is this: why is this such a hot topic now? Online gambling has been around for a number of years now and I would think there's a lot more bet on poker online than sports.

Ben's point about the banking industry is one I've wondered about. Why would VISA or Mastercard etc. give a **** how their cards are used as long as they get their money back with exorbitant interest? Is there a movement down there to make online gaming legal in the US through places like Caesars etc.? Is that where all this heat is coming from?

My point is: there is a paper trail to any offshore site.

I don't think it would be that difficult for authorities to track down individual violators.

 

[deportes]

blame vegas...

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Billy Hill is no longer accepting US business.

And bank c/c's have been largely problematic in terms of use for offshore funding for
a coupla years, so little new, there.

 

[Webster]

The credit cards would love your business. Of course, when someone like Spitzer tells Visa and MC that they can't do business in New York if they facilitate deposits to offshore gambling sites from NYS residents, they (understandably) get in line rather quickly.

 

[Columbo]

Billy Hill is no longer accepting US business.

And bank c/c's have been largely problematic in terms of use for offshore funding for
a coupla years, so little new, there.

How are people gambling with the sites, then?

Sending cash in the mail?

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Western Union continues to work, with most . .

 

[Huggy]

The credit cards would love your business. Of course, when someone like Spitzer tells Visa and MC that they can't do business in New York if they facilitate deposits to offshore gambling sites from NYS residents, they (understandably) get in line rather quickly.

I understand this but it's not like online gambling is a new thing. Is this a political issue down there now? Is the US gaming industry looking to get into online gambling? Just curious....

Here in Canada there are plenty of online gamblers and poker players but the government doesn't seem as concerned. There is/was a huge online bookie operation operating from an Indian reservation in Quebec and Pro Line, a larcenous, government-run sports lottery (based largely on parleys) is very popular.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

No . . . Bill Frist and his cohorts have been looking to slide this thing home for years, in
order to pander to their wingnut base, invoking "save the children" and other
parallel nonsense, while continuing to condone state lotteries (popularly known as
a punitive tax on the stupid), etc.

 

[Point of Order]

A few weeks back, in anticipation of college and NFL football, I tried to deposit money into my online account (which I've had for several years with no problems) with William Hill, a huge bookie operation based in the UK and was told it couldn't be authorized because of the heat that the feds are placing on the credit card companies. I know people who have accounts with other online bookies who have got the same answer.

All of a sudden I'm reading stories about the evils of online gambling in the Economist and the Toronto Star among other outlets. My question is this: why is this such a hot topic now? Online gambling has been around for a number of years now and I would think there's a lot more bet on poker online than sports.

Ben's point about the banking industry is one I've wondered about. Why would VISA or Mastercard etc. give a **** how their cards are used as long as they get their money back with exorbitant interest? Is there a movement down there to make online gaming legal in the US through places like Caesars etc.? Is that where all this heat is coming from?

Actually, some in Vegas are coming around to the point of supporting legalizing Internet gambling so they can get in on the action. Currently, casino owners cannot operate offshore Internet betting because of the heat that will come down on them, while off-shores with no brick-and-mortar operations in the states can operate with impunity.

Pandering to religious fundamentalism is at the heart of this issue. It makes much more sense to bring Internet gambling under the umbrella of government regulation (for revenue and oversight purposes) than to turn a blind eye to the issue and let off-shores that the government cannot control continue to operate.

A Brittish online gambling site owner said it brilliantly on 60 Minutes last week:

Is there going to be an Internet 10 years from now? (yes)
Is there going to be gambling 10 years from now? (yes)


Edit: Click and watch Stahl's "Reporter's Notebook" section for support for my statement that Vegas is coming around to the idea of supporting legalized and regulated gambling on the Internet.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/17/60minutes/main1052420.shtml

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Vegas would love it . . . but only if they could dominate it. Vegas shows no signs of being able to compete on a price/convenience basis with
what's already out there, now.