Gambling news this week finds a new online gambling threat to the regulated industry in the United States for the third year in a row. Senator Tom Cotton says he is trying to use the enforcement of the UIGEA to push consumer protections in gambling advertising. However, the darker side to his legislation finds ways to block online gambling payments.
Hello friends, and welcome once again to This Week in Gambling! Seems like we just did this a week ago… and yet here we are again! No matter! Let’s get started with this week’s big story! And hold on to your butts, it’s a little complicated.
Every year it seems someone gets a bug up their rear end and tries to make a name for themselves by picking up the gauntlet against online gambling and pandering to special interests. Why should this year be any different?
There’s a new anti-online gambling bill up on Capitol Hill and this year’s poster boy for decency and morality is Senator Tom Cotton from the state of Arkansas! And before you ask, yes… Yes! Those are his real ears! He’s pushing legislation that’s earmarked with ignorance.Pun intended!
The Prevention of Deception and Child Targeted Advertising in Violation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act… is the short name for the shit Mr. Cotton is shoveling. And it is fundamentally flawed right from the beginning. Let me explain… and I’ll use small words in case anyone from Congress is watching.
Now Mr. Cotton says he’s pushing this bill forward in order to protect the children and consumers… which sounds great on the surface. But dig a little deeper, and in reality this bill is commissioning a study on how internet gaming sites conduct their financial transaction so that in the future they can block them!
You see, the UIGEA permits states to regulate online gambling if they want to do so! And that’s exactly what Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and others have done! So you see, the UIGEA can only be enforced in states where internet gambling is unlawful. You know, NOT regulated!
This legislation is based wholly on the enforcement aspect of the UIGEA, and in states where online gambling is regulated there is no enforcement of the UIGEA! In states where online gambling is NOT regulated there’s no advertising! There’s no financial transactions! There’s nothing to study! Like many things in politics this bill seems to be more about garnering votes and grabbing special interest cash than it is and actually accomplishing anything.
Look, I’m a father of four beautiful girls. I’m 100% behind child protection when it comes to gambling, but that’s not what this bill is about! In reality this is just a thinly veiled backdoor attempt by the Sheldon Adelson party to perpetuate their anti online gambling agenda. And as for Mr. Cotton? Well don’t worry too much about him. I mean, one good gust of wind and he could be drifting over Canada!
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