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Impact on US Citizens Following the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act( UIGEA) in October of
Added: (Tue May 22 2007)
It is not often that the USA puts through legislation which directly impacts on the removal of the citizens 'freedom' ! So how did the UIGEA get through ? The act specifically stops USA citizens from gambling on the internet despite gambling being a legal activity if land based.
Way back in 2005 when this act first raised its ugly head, Americans either chose to ignore or were naive of the impact of the act going through and how their liberties were being encroached upon. I recall a few 'kind soles' who tried hard to circulate a petition to lobby their senator's regarding their opposition to the proposed act, but this initiative remained very limited or none existent in some areas. The UIGEA has got to be one of the most quietest and sneakiest acts to have gone through without being contested.
Has the passing of this act initiated a trend in the kerbing of USA citizen's liberties ? well I guess time will tell but for now we are left with a vast population of people who know not what to do with their hard earned gambling dollars.
What exactly was congress trying to do by passing this law? The old arguments about money laundering and drug money just don�t hold water and may be just a "red herring' to throw people off the real track !.Land based casino's, gaming parlors and bingo halls are the winner's since the introduction of the Act. Could they have been behind this act going though ? one wonders ? were they waking up to the fact that player's preferred to gamble in the privacy of their own homes and thus depriving them of a large slice of the cake ? The land based gaming industry in the USA has a vast income which probably outweighs the income from USA oil revenue. It would have been easy enough for the industry to "sweeten" the right hands in order for this act to have been passed uncontested and at lightening speed. Vegas casino owner's are laughing all the way to the bank!
All this act has done so far is make villains out of a huge population of law abiding citizens. Many gambler's will continue to gamble on the internet because they do not have choices with regards to locality and amenities. Many gambling sites continue to offer USA players a chance to carry on playing. There are many loopholes in this act which will be exploited over time. USA players should not worry too much about the possibility of being caught or prosecuted. We still have to wait for the authorities to bring a person to trial and any right thinking judge will throw the whole case out thus making a mockery of the whole act.
I look forward to the day when 80 year old 'Granny Imelda' ends up in court because she chose to play Bingo in her own home, because she was too scared to go out at night to land based bingo halls and that her replacement hip gave her trouble on the bus ride! This will be a real 'poke in the eye' for the legislator's and their unfair law.