The US Federal Government has been speaking of legalizing online gambling for a while now, but we still have not seen true actions taking place. This is because there is still a strong opposition to the legalization of the activity which mainly comes from the Republican side of the House of Representatives.
Recently, Senator Harry Reid of the Nevada district tried to put forward his legislative bill aiming to legalize online poker in the country. One of his strongest arguments is the one we have been hearing from everyone, there is a lot of tax revenue being lost to offshore operators as the United States refuses to legalize poker. Currently, it is estimated that a shocking figure of $5 billion are being lost to offshore operators every year.
In the past, Representatives like Barney Frank of Massachusetts have also tried to get online gambling legalized, and whereas their efforts have been discussed in the House and considered, nothing concrete has come out of them yet. “We are not talking about an activity that harms others where we properly step in. We are talking about a decision by adults to do what they want with their own money,” said Frank in a statement.
The Republican side of the House continues to argue that regulating and legalizing online gambling would mean taking advantage of the youth, the weak and the vulnerable in the name of revenues that would be used to cover even more government spending.
However, the public opinion has expressed that it may even seem hypocritical of the Congress, “This is foreseen as yet another hypocritical step on the lives of Americans, Congress needs to stop legislating morality. Does online gaming need regulation? Of course, just as brick-and-mortar casinos do; just as other potentially harmful vices like alcohol do; just as many businesses do.” said Judy Sanders, a woman interviewed in the streets who is a mother of three.
Hopefully we will hear more about what is going on at the House soon, we will keep you updated.