Act Gambling Internet Prohibition

by Jerry "Jet" Whittaker
July 10, 2006

Think "gambling" and images of Las Vegas casinos and state-run lotteries spring up. But in the modern day Internet savvy world, Internet gambling has become an emerging craze among gambling lovers. Internet gambling is a growing business generating around $ 200 million annually.

Potential dangers of Internet gambling

Internet gambling poses a threat to society as a whole. One major danger is the possibility of the online gamblers getting cheated of their money. The Internet gambling sites are run by on-site gambling operators. The gamblers have to provide their credit card numbers and social security codes and the whole thing is entirely under the manipulation of the on-site operators. This can lead to a lot of occurrences of fraud. Secondly, due to the availability of the Internet in virtually every home, more and more children are getting hooked onto gambling at an early age. Cyber casinos have become easily accessible. Internet gambling also leads to an increase in gambling addictions. Unlike normal casinos, it is not possible to keep track of the money won or lost. The gambler, thus unknowingly gamble beyond their means. States obtain profit from the taxes on the winnings in legalized gambling. Legalization of online gambling would reduce this revenue generated. Due to the above mentioned reasons, the Internet Gambling Protection Act was required.

The Internet Gambling Protection Act

In view of the prospective dangers of online gambling, many state governments have implemented laws to prevent Internet gambling. States such as Minnesota and Missouri rely on consumer protection laws to forbid Internet gambling. Senator John Kyl of Arizona introduced the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act of 1997. This is a federal bill that regulates online gambling. It makes interstate gambling illegal. States such as California, Connecticut, New York and Virginia are fighting the threat of online gambling by amending existing gambling regulations and rules. Congressman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia introduced the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act in 1999.The Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition Act was passed by James Leach in 2000.It bans the use of certain bank instruments in illegal internet gambling. Nevada is the first state to pass a law which prohibits it residents from accepting or placing bets on the Internet.

Problems in the enforcement of Internet Gambling Acts

Owing to the pervasiveness of the internet, the implementation of Internet Gambling Protection Act is a huge problem. Any individual with a computer can be a potential player. Internet gamblers may disguise their identities, thus making their tracing very difficult. Even though the required technology may be available, a significant amount of human resources would be needed to implement the Internet Act. Moreover, prosecuting the gamblers would be time consuming and expensive. Also, adopting a common international policy would be tough as every country have different values and morals.

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