Online Gambling Leads to Crime and Hurts Young, So Why Encourage It? Asks Spencer Bachus

protection rackets

THere is no difference whatever in 'protection' schemes by EITHER the governments or the criminal element. When people are forced into submission by creation of 'laws' supported by irrational explanations in order to 'protect' them from their own actions, this is no different whatever than being on the receiving end of the force that criminal agents use to 'protect' their clients. Protection racket need done away with in their entirety and as has been said in the bulk of this thread, people need to be left alone to make their own decisions until those decisions DIRECTLY cause non debatable and provable harm to another. The actions of a few should NEVER, EVER, dictate the actions of the many. And it does not matter if that few are the people harming themselves or politicians attempting to use those few as a an excuse to 'protect' the many. Self responsibility and objectivity are the only two 'rules' neccesary for social order and laws to insure this have been in place for centuries; there need not be more 'laws'. Instead ALL law should be examined with a thorough and crtical eye to validity and consequence and a great deal of them either overturned or rejected entirely. This gambling prohibition is one that needs rejected immediately before it is added to a long list of abusive and invasive regulation designed to sequester the individuals RIGHT to freedom, personal property and the pursuit of happiness

Sir, you are flat out wrong in your claims.

"In the history of our country, the federal government has never authorized or sanctioned gambling of any kind."

Every single state has a Lottery which is GAMBLING! Your position is outrageous in claiming that the government does not sanction gambling.

It is not the business of the government to tell adults what they can and can not do in their own homes when it is something that I can drive to a location and its perfectly legal.

Please remove your opposition to online poker and let Americans have their game back in their homes.

Hogan

"Unfortunately, this came too late for Greg Hogan's family..."

This just reeks of the lawsuits against Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, et al who were drug into the court room because misguided and money hungry lawyers and parents wanted someone to blame but themselves for their failures.

As asked in a previous comment, what if there was a casino nearby? It would be ok if it was a tribal casino since it is sanctioned & allowed by the federal government.

Corrupt, ego driven, self righteous politicians need to stay the hell out of dictating what's "ok" for us meer citizens.

Leave me alone & let me do what I want to do, I'm not hurting anyone playing poker.

Ban water, that stuff kills/hurts more people every day than poker does.

Disputing Deforrest

I would like to point out that banning online gambling isn't going to protect families and communities. I would also like to point out that alcohol and pornography are legal in the United States, provided you have reached legal age. I would also like to point out that GAMBLING is LEGAL in the U.S. Why can't I gamble in the comfort of my own home once I have reached legal gambling age?

It is disappointing that so many Americans are so ill informed on a wide range of topics. You can have your misguided morals. You can keep your Bible. I will continue to live my life as an upstanding citizen with NO criminal record or outstanding gambling debts. I also apologize that you have not been blessed with the gifts of clear thinking and paragraph structure.

It seems to me that some people are trying to infringe on my rights because of a few stupid and irresponsible individuals. I say no to anyone who wants to take away my rights and no to anyone who things that is okay. Patrick Henry had it right in 1775 when he said, "Give me liberty or give me death".

Banning online poker is ignorant and a violation if my rights.

Here is the issue, thw Federal Wire Act specifically refers to the banning of sports betting and the bookies that take those bets as clarified by case law. The vast majority of the people that have the issue with these bans are poker players. Clearly two completely different things.

Overall, the banning of gambling does nothing but hurt our own economy. It FORCES businesses to be offshore and in foreign countries, which the U.S. can obviously not regulate. Which also means that we are missing out on billions and billions of dollars in tax revenue. Maybe you are okay with that but seeing as how I am footing the bill for a TON of bad decisions in Congress, the more tax revenue the better.

You indicate the legalizing online poker is detrimental to the youth of America. Unfortunately, whether gambling exists or not, people with addictive personalities are likely to get themselves into trouble in one form or another. Those people represent such a small number of gamblers out there. So if you use the same logic and apply it to other legal activities, like drinking alcohol, then you would have to ban alcohol because there are over 15,000 alcohol related deaths a year. That will never happen because it is infringing on your rights. How about smoking cigarettes? That causes over 400,000 deaths a year and costs almost $200 billion (www.cdc.org).

Assuming you understand the point I am making, lets compare "Poker" to "Gambling". Yes, there is a small portion of gambling involved when playing, but studies show that skilled players consistently win more often than unskilled players. One study indicated that players a skilled player will win about 10 times more than an unskilled opponent.

Also, I am a player that legitimately enjoys the game. I like the challenge, I like that it makes me think, and that it is consistently challenging for me. Unfortunately, the nearest casino is several hours away which makes gambling in a casino very difficult to do on a regular basis. I appreciate the availability of online poker sites and I understand the risks and potential benefits involved. Maybe I just don't understand the flip side to the argument because I am a responsible tax payer. I have been since I was 14 which is the first time I got a job and had income taxes deducted.

I have said a lot. There is much more to be said on the issue. The pros of legalizing online poker far outweigh the stupidity of a few. The tax revenue it would generate is significant enough that it would help us reduce our appalling national debt. I have done a significant amount of research on the subject and am more than willing to engage in an honest, open, and healthy debate with anyone on the subject.

Why?

"Online Gambling Leads to Crime and Hurts Young, So Why Encourage It?"

Because its none of your damned business, that's why.

Online gambling should be illegal

Billions upon billions of dollars are sent out of this country every year to foreign government controlled websites. This is hurting our economy and is preventing growth. If we are going to allow online gambling, it should only be provided by US companies that are monitored by a gaming commission.

People allow themselves to be mind controlled by their gambling compulsion to defend these companies and wholeheartedly believe that these sites are legit. There is no proof for this, and while these sites claim they are audited by a 3rd party, is does not take a great deal of investigation to determine that several of these online companies also own the supposed 3rd party auditor.

Americans are addicted to the thought of fast money, striking it rich, they continue to see a rainbow just over the horizon. They might as well be playing the lottery, because in the long run... the only real winner is the casino or online gaming site.

If you know someone who is addicted to online gambling, please do what is necessary to stop them and to help them grow as people. Do what you can; you may be their only hope.

Signed,

A former online poker addict

Bet on the Horses? OK. Bet on poker? No Way!

Why is it that we can wager on horse racing on the internet, but not a game of poker? Maybe it is because the National Thoroughbred Racing Association spent well over $300,000 per year lobbying Congress.

If I can go to kentuckyderby.com and place a bet within 15 minutes, why can't I do the same thing on a poker site? All of the author's arguments against online poker would seem to applying to online horse racing as well. So why the exception?

I thought you would want less government

How can you say you are for less government intervention in our lives and then not support this bill? Isn't it our right to do what we want in the privacy of our homes? I am pretty sure the constitution gives us that right. When it comes to what I do in the privacy of my home, I want the government to stay out of it. I have a right to do what I wish with my money whether or not you agree with it. You probably do things with your money that I don't agree with, but I am not going to invade your privacy and make it illegal to do these things. What's next, are we going to ban internet porn? Are you going to tell me what I can look at in the privacy of my home also? The UIGEA is an infringement on my right to the pursuit of happiness. Thats right, playing poker makes me happy. Please stop pushing your morality on me. Poker is a game of skill, and I enjoy it.

Aren't I An Adult?

As an adult, I neither desire nor require a government to regulate my behavior.

For the past several years everything the GOP dislikes is painted with the same brush, labeled a boon to organized crime, terrorism, and the downfall of America's youth. Didn't we all read the story of the boy who cried wolf in elementary school?

The fact of the matter is that there are many reputable online card rooms who are effectively regulated by the jurisdictions in which their operations are based and who employ generally effective safeguards to prevent minors from playing. There is ZERO evidence of ties between these online card rooms and organized crime or terrorist organizations.

Greg Horgan's story might make a nice talking point, but how many college kids are out robbing banks to support their poker habits? There's Mr. Horgan and... well, no one else. Mr. Horgan's "massive gambling debt" was approximately $20 per day borrowed from his classmates over the course of more than a year. We're to make criminals of everyone who plays poker online because one irresponsible young adult robbed a bank with a note (but no weapon) rather than get a job to support his meager habit?

Should all of our rights and freedoms be subject to the test of benefit to the economy and/or tax base? Does the Fourth Amendment benefit the economy or tax base? Or the Fifth? Does giving churches who rake in billions of dollars per year tax-exempt status benefit the economy or tax base?

Spurious allegations of ties to organized crime and terrorism are not solid grounds for ignoring the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution of The United States.

I am an adult, Rep. Bachus, and I demand that I be treated like one. Get out of my living room, out of my computer, and out of my life unless and until I cause harm to another. I am offended that you would make me a criminal for engaging in peaceful activities that offend your delicate sensibilities and which are perfectly legal in the casino across the street from my Las Vegas home.