The Feds just shut down American’s access to online gambling.
Uncle Sam, not content with having his hand in our pockets, wants a piece of the action, too. They’ve been trying to keep us from using internet gaming sites starting with the Safe Port act in October of 2006. The law didn’t directly outlaw online gambling, but sought to stop us from playing with ‘real’ money by barring businesses from taking payments or dispersing them.
For some reason they chose to act against the gambling sites and their owners this weekend.
An estimated 8 million to 10 million Americans play poker online for money; thousands of them earn their living on the sites, according to a players advocacy group.
Congress tried to shut down the industry by enacting an anti-gambling law in 2006, but most sites found ways to work around the vaguely worded measure. Since then other members of Congress have proposed bills to legalize Internet gambling, but they have failed to reach a floor of either chamber.
“These defendants concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits,” Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement.
”At that time the offshore sites found ways around accepting American dollars, but our government has seized the three major online gambling site’s domains, claiming they’re laundering money…
“Just days after Washington D.C. approves online poker gambling, the Justice Department, FBI hands out indictments to three major online poker sites charging them with bank fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling offenses.”
But now… LEGAL internet gambling is coming to America, to that hellhole itself, Washington D.C.!
The gaming would be operated by Intralot, a Greek company, and would be available only to gamblers within the borders of the District.
The bill also stipulates that Internet gambling would not be implemented until sanctioned by Congress or the Justice Department.
But don’t start the Hallelujahs yet… only residents of D.C. can use it and the gaming would be OUTSOURCED to a Greek company! That sounds like D.C.
A little history. I wrote this on October 18th, 2006 about the Safe Port Act:
Attached to the Safe Port Act, HR 4954 as Title VIII, is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, HR 4411. Actually, it’s based on 4411 and 4777, with differences.
The text starts with congressional findings and the purpose of the document. This I display here, for your viewing pleasure:
“(1) Internet gambling is primarily funded through personal use of payment system instruments, credit cards, and wire transfers.
“(2) The National Gambling Impact Study Commission in 1999 recommended the passage of legislation to prohibit wire transfers to Internet gambling sites or the banks which rep-resent such sites.
“(3) Internet gambling is a growing cause of debt collection problems for insured depository institutions and the consumer credit industry.
“(4) New mechanisms for enforcing gambling laws on the Internet are necessary because traditional law enforcement mechanisms are often inadequate for enforcing gambling.
H. R. 4954–70 prohibitions or regulations on the Internet, especially where such gambling crosses State or national borders.
Wow, they almost seemed concerned for our fiscal welfare for half a second… Well, I suppose if we lived in a police state, I’d be feeling all warm and fuzzy about now. Oh, no… sorry. That’s ‘institutions’, not ‘citizens’. I’ll try to do better.
As we go on with this mind-numbing drivel called up by buggered pages and increasingly unpopular pols, remain steadfast in the belief that I AM getting to a point. I’m just long-winded.
‘Construction’. Ye gods don’t screw with the Indians. Again.
IF the government is trying to legislate better mental health, it’s failed. If it’s trying to line it’s own pockets… success! The bill clearly states that gambling regulated by a state is fine.
“(i) IN GENERAL.–The term `unlawful Internet gambling’ shall not include any activity that is allowed under the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 (15 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.).
Photo, if used, property of stelogic.
18. April 2011 at 7:41 pm
Tell fucking Eric Holder to pull up a chair and play the cards he’s dealt if he wants a piece of the action.
What bullshit.
18. April 2011 at 9:50 pm
Heh… like the analogy.
18. April 2011 at 9:43 pm
Nanny knows best.
18. April 2011 at 9:51 pm
Those people make me ill, Jana.
18. April 2011 at 9:54 pm
Oh look, the gubment protecting us poor dumb folk from ourselves again.
18. April 2011 at 9:56 pm
And again… and again… and… I’m getting tired of being so ‘protected’, aren’t you?
19. April 2011 at 3:58 am
I feel so safe. Too bad these clowns can’t build the effing border fence.
19. April 2011 at 8:12 am
Hell, border security is so far off their radar they probably only talk about it at campaign lunches.