The Heist

OK...let's just assume for 2 minutes that you have morals, but agree that people are free to make up their own minds, even if you choose to abstain from something. So in essence, you're TOLERANT of other people's beliefs. Within reason obviously! Let's assume you're comfortable with sports wagering, investing in shares, playing poker and general "gambling" activities like these.

Unfortunately though, it seems like American politics is back to it's heads-in-the-sand bewildering best when it comes to gambling. The latest "initiative", driven as is usual with "American Values" proposals by the Christian Right, is to introduce Prohibition for online gambling. Stop everyone from doing it. That's the way forward comrades! Oh wait sorry - SOME forms of online gambling, not ALL types. My mistake.

As recently as last week, representatives Goodlatte, Kyl and Leach pushed through HR 4411, a bill aimed at making online gambling a felony for US residents. The debate was carried by an overwhelming majority, presumably backed by representatives unaware of America's "Land Of The Free" tag or more likely, worried about the almighty $ leaving State boundaries.

It amazes me how they dress it up. The debate at times (I listened live) was farsical. Reps claiming that families were driven to ruin, that gambling was a social scourge that needs to be eradicated for the good of Americans. Yet at the same time happy to write in an exclusion allowing betting on horse racing and lotteries! Er....! Hello?! Oh and we'll conveniently forget that you're gambling when you buy company shares that could go up or down.

Hey look! If you believe gambling is bad, and you're going to do a job, do it properly and ban gambling. Don't be hypocritical - don't use "morals" to argue it's not okay to gamble on this, but it's okay to gamble on that. Because you can't. Just come out and be honest - it's THE MONEY!

Unreal, but sadly a sign of the times. The dollar is way more important than "American Values" in politics these days and if the Senate falls for the same crap, it won't be too long before we know them as the Kremlin and mid-term voting is no longer required.

So anyway, just to rubber-stamp their intentions, the DoJ arrest the CEO of BetOnSports in the departure lounge at Dallas Airport. "Texas Hold 'Em" screamed the New York Times in a sublime piece of journalistic reporting it must be said. The indictments when analysed are partly to do with practices in contravention of the 1961 "Wire Act" prohibiting Sports wagering by telephone, and partly to do with tax evasion. But it's enough to panic the whole industry and shares across the gambling sector, with the odd lower-profile exception, crashed by as much as 48%.

So America...let's get this straight? Prohibition was tried once...did it work? Er...no. It drove it underground until the government realised it ws harder to police and costing billions in tax revenue. So I have a question for any US politicians involved in the HR4411 (ex HR4477) debate:

Is it best to:

a) ban everyone from doing something they enjoy because a few cannot handle it?

OR

b) use a commission from those who gamble to educate and help those FEW with a problem to improve their life?

Or put another way:

A) Communism?

OR

B) REGULATION?

Even American citizens who do not approve of gambling should be worried. If this one gets through the senate and the "man-at-the-top", then your freedom has had another nail hammered firmly into the coffin.

You don't stop a problem gambler from gambling. Where there's a will there's a way. So you help him/her overcome his/her addiction and improve their life, not brush them under the carpet. Like you don't ban drinking because some people get aggressive when drunk. Education.

And this is progress?