Flaws in US Anti Online Casino Bill

The US House of Representatives recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Goodlatte/Leach anti online casino bill. In the coming weeks, all eyes in the online casino world will be turned to the US Senate to see whether this authority approves the bill. If so, the 1961 Wire Act would explicitly outlaw online casino gambling, thus preventing US citizens from accessing online casino gambling sites and paying for their play sessions with credit cards.

The aim of the bill, as stated by its creators, was to root out the evils of gambling from American society and reduce the temptation of becoming addicted to this pastime. However, there are many flaws in this anti online casino bill, many of them bordering on hypocritical. An example of this is the fact that the bill does not include online betting among US states, such as horse racing and state lottery sites. If Goodlatte and Leach were so interested in removing all online casino sites from our midst, surely the bill would include ALL forms of online casino gambling?

Critics of this bill feel that it is merely an attempt to get people to spend their gambling dollars on sites that benefit the United States. Goodlatte and Leach were obviously targeting online casino companies, which operate offshore and thus evade US taxation laws. Instead of going with a Prohibition tactic, congressmen should listen to what online casino companies have been talking about for years: The need to regulate the industry.