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53 Comments
- Beanlover, on 10/12/2007, -2/+24Yes...congress...please legislate moraltiy for us!!! WE CAN'T CONTROL OURSELVES!!
If people want to blow their paychecks online then they should be allowed to. There aren't enough laws in the world to prevent stupidity.
And, yes, I'm aware there are people with addictions who "can't" control themselves. They need to get help...not have congress inconvenience those without addictions by passing laws they can't enforce anyway. - robbh66, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14Ha, they think 4 Billion is high? Wait till people learn what Americans spend on illicit drugs.
- WalterDirt, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12The way our government interprets this: $4 Billion online gambling = Need to find a way to legalize and tax.
- Strahd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7No different than anything else in history.
People want their sippin' whisky (despite prohibition), they find a way to get it (from the mob).
People want their marijuana, they find a way to get it (illegally).
People want their prostitutes....you get the idea.
Reminds me of that quote from Kung Fu. "To deny a force of nature, is to give it strength beyond measure."
The far more prudent route would be to carefully regulate such activity and perhaps even tax it when possible (though this a tricky endeavor over the net). - NtroP, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I don't gamble. But it's my damn money! Congress can just stay the hell out of it. Would they rather I connect to a proxy in North Korea so that I can gamble my US dollars away in China?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Better yet 'Need to find a new way to extort 4 billion dollars from the American Public'.. cause obviusly were not using it properly. I really do wish the government would 'butt out' of what I do in the privacy of my own home. Im not a gambler, I don't do drugs, i drink once a month, don't do anything illegal.... but damn it..... being told im not allowed to do stuff like 'gambling' pisses me off.
- JMartin13, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7I'll bet you 10 bucks that I can have you gambling by the end of the day.
- lidflipper, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Some states classify poker as a game of skill. I beleive California does. Poker is a grey area. The thing with poker is you CAN be good at it. There is no way to be "good" at slots or blackjack.
- cmw72, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Playing perfectly, using just basic blackjack strategy (look it up if you are curious), a player can reduce the house's advantage to less than 1%, and an expert card counter chan actually achieve about a 1 to 2% advantage over the house. That doesn't sound like much, but over time it adds up.
- simonrward, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Congress should officially embrace online gambling, create an environment where companies can set up online casinos free from the fear of ambiguous legislation and enjoy the billions in tax dollars that will flood in.
- Radiohead84, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Hrmm, I am at work right now so i cant really give the link but it has been said that poker is not gambling in the same sense that its gambling with slot machines. It has been formally said that it is a game of skill, and thus there it is not gambling.
I believe it was said in congress at one point. - bitbytebit, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Jesus christ why does it always come back to this!
'Stewart called for a one-year congressional study commission that could evaluate how to __best protect children__ and problem gamblers and whether Internet gambling can be effectively legalized and regulated in the United States
The government can get anything passed as long as it has a provision to 'protect the children' - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5we americans will violate any damn internet law when we choose too.
nothing can stop us. we can file share if we ***** want to too. - qwickone, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3well that's the whole point of all the regulation isn't it. if it's legal and regulated in this country, at least there will be a body overseeing it, making sure it's not rigged. i'm not saying it'll never happen, but now, with no regulation in other countries, it's way more likely to happen.
- loup, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3A lot of the gambling that goes on at casinos is computer controlled too, you know.
- zbeast, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3This is not about protecting the kids.
This is about saving people from themselves.
Home gambling is not a good Idea.
It's one of the few ban's that government has come up with that I think should stay.
No it's not 100% effective because there are tons of over sea's gambling operations.
But just the fear of being ripped off by shady operators keeps most smart people away.
You want to un-ban something un-ban Pot.
It's not going to have you emptying your bank account or running your credit cards to the limit. - carguy84, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Exactly Walter. It's not about morality, it's about the fact that the Gov't hasn't figured out a way to track and tax it all.
Not that it matters really, most people end up losing and can now apparently right it off as a business expense.... - vradi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Can't be good at blackjack? I know people who can't step a foot into casinos because they are so good at blackjack. Blackjack is the one game (versus the house) where you can have an advantage.
- smoothoperatah, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4You're on!
NO, way you're gonna get me man. no way! i do NOT gamble. - xuanyan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2May I invite you to visit the Apostrophe Protection Society?
http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/ - MasterDwarf, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Here is an easy fix. Let the guys in Vegas present their versions of online gambling sites. The gov can regulate it and all will be good. You're not going to stop the gambling, just like old prohibition, but you can at least ensure its legit.
- robbh66, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I agree. Americans have become inherently stupid. Socialist protection nets, here we come!
- afpunk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Saving people from themselves should be the jurisdiction of their families, friends, family doctors, etc.
It should never be the jurisdiction of the government. - joeyjojo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"Congress should officially embrace online gambling,"
They should embrace a lot of things...regulated drugs...hemp...gay marriage...sex industry...but, alas, we're Americans, and we need lobbyists and senators to tell us what is morally wrong and right since we can't figure that stuff out ourselves. - sclozza, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3It seems to me, that every time there is one group declaring that the vice de jour is ruining the country, there is a much bigger silent majority proving them wrong.
- llamaooo7, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3You've obviously have never gambled online and have no idea that there are people who can statistically make money on online casinos making money from the sign up bonuses. The stats they've compiled over time prove that it isn't "rigged" as you say. There's really no reason for them to rig their games because they will still make money from idiots who will gamble all of their money away. Though, there are some and few casinos that are rigged, but they get discovered quickly and black listed.
Poker sites are in the same boat except more people use them because you can consistently play against other inferior human players and squeeze every penny of value from them. The databases of hand collected through these sites range well into the millions and prove that there's isn't any clear rigging going on. Another common argument about poker is when someone sees a weird event they don't see every hand like my 3 consecutive flopped sets getting cracked each time on the river. Sure, this event only has about a 1/20000000 chance of occurring, but there are also many other events that have the same probability. If there are say are 10000 of these weird events that can happen, then you will see them 1/2000 or so hands.
Judging from your usage of "stupid fat blokes", I'm guessing you are from Australia. (http://www.lasetters.com.au) That little site is run by your (rigged) government. - interiot, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2It's a "de jure prohibition on such wagering", since it's written down in law, but it's not actually being enforced. "De facto" is the opposite; describing how things actually are, rather than how they're written in law.
- JShope, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Ummm, here's something that will help.... Quit putting advertisements for it on every cable station and hotel room TV in America.
Last time I stayed at the Hilton, every other commercial was for PartyPoker.com.
I know I am not 'in sync' with the typical digger, but online gambling is a ripoff. Should we legalize pyramid schemes, embezzlement, and fraud - just because some people are too stupid to realize they are being ripped off?
I don't think so. - ejdbroker, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Hmm, im not sure thats a completly true statement (going to my local casino to win). But i do agree totally with the fact that gambling on the internet (where there is no regulation) is just stupid. They can rig it however they choose to!
- Rosco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'll give you 3 to 1, but you gotta have smoothoperatah gambling within 48 hours without the use of prostitutes or drugs, alcohol is allowed though.
Whoops, this was meant for JMartin13 below, my bad. Bets still on though. - lidflipper, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I seriously doubt gambling is rigged on the Internet. One simple reason. Gambling is rigged by definition. So if you are out to make money you can...
1. Cheat, maybe make some money, maybe get busted
or
2. Play fair and make a TON of money. - cybershoplifter, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5List of things "The Man" does not want you to do on the Internet or is trying to stop.
1. Upload/download files
2. Blog
3. Gambling
4. Porn
5. Notify web threats & circumvention
6. VOIP
The Internet will soon be dead. - ConceptJunkie, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Trust me, the stuff they rebelled against isn't a tenth of what we put up with.
I don't think the American Revolutionaries would even recognize the country they founded. - Eccles, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1What about addiction to power? That's doing quite a number on the country.
- redwoodtree, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2You said it. Anything like blackjack or slot machines or whatever is 100% rigged without doubt. Anyone who bets on these games online is absolutely deluding themselves.
Poker is another story as the casino takes a percentage of the pot and it's difficult to find a way that cheating would help them in any way. - itsallgeektome, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1These people need to stop gambling and invest their money in the stock market instead.
(Yeah, I know it's not the same thing... for some of us) - JMartin13, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1come on man. I'll give you 2 to 1 odds.
- wvdavis, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3I bet this report is wrong!
- rrunboy12, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I am an American and play poker online...and have actually won $450 in a few months with only putting in about $40 of my own money. I don't see why playing poker online is any worse than at an Indian Casino or Vegas. At least this way I dont have to pay $3.65 a gallon in gas and I do not have to put in an ante every hand.
I am sick of the government trying to regulate our free time. Poker for me is a great stress reliever and keeps my mind sharp. I love the challenge and will continue to play the rest of my life. This is like Congress restricting your favorite hobby just because they think it is wrong!! - mhockey14221, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Well... $200 of my PartyPoker money is somewhere in there... and in someone else's bank account by now
- Nameless1, on 10/12/2007, -5/+5It seems that Americans are living up to their stereotype. (Stupid fat blokes) - By the way, i have nothing against America, and every nation has its stereotype.
Any gambling that involves computers is 100% rigged. If you want to to have at least a decent chance to win, go to your local casino. - redking, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1This is an excellent idea. Right now the major casinos are all based overseas in Carribean islands where laws and jurisdiction are gray areas. There are three or four casinos/sportsbooks that are large, reputable and well run businesses but almost anyone can open an internet casino these days and scam people. Most credit card companies don't allow people to deposit money into a gambling account so most financial transactions are through third parties which makes it even easier to potentially lose money; not to mention harder to track.
It *would* solve alot of problems if Vegas or Atlantic City casinos could offer online counterparts and have them regulated. - joeyjojo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"No it's not 100% effective because there are tons of over sea's gambling operations."
It's roughly 0% effective. Just as the drug laws, farm subsidy laws, DMCA, gay marriage bans, etc. all are. - cmw72, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Quote: Not that it matters really, most people end up losing and can now apparently right it off as a business expense....
You can already claim your losses as itemized deductions up to the amount of your declared (taxable) winnngs. - JackpotCity, on 03/18/2008, -0/+0In my experience, most nations are a bunch of gamblers, whether it be online or offline.Where any situation has more than one possible outcome, you'll find folks speculating about the end result.
- sbdog, on 11/29/2008, -0/+0Yeah, long life online sports betting gambling. US should learn how to monetize like tax than banning online sports betting sites and player.
- ahhell, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1How is poker NOT gambling?
It involves placing bets..doesn't it? - syberghost, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1How is poker not gambling? The story explicitly states that it's about sites that allow betting; it says nothing about non-betting "practice" sites.
- syberghost, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Internet gambling should be stomped out hard so that people will spend that money instead in Indian casinos, so when my wife's tribe starts handing out checks ours will be larger.
Either that, or an internet gambling site should hire me for twice what I'm currently getting paid. - nawitus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0I'll bet (nvm the pun) that most of that money is played on poker, which is not really classified as gambling.
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