Fergie's Tech Blog

Why Pick on Internet Gambling?

Dan Ackman writes in The Los Angeles Times:

Here in THE U.S., it's OK to bet on horses, play Lotto, gamble at Indian casinos, wager in Atlantic City. And in Las Vegas, it's virtually a patriotic duty to gamble. In all, you can legally bet in 46 of 50 states, but not over the Internet. Online gambling is illegal.

Although the online side of the business, while still small, is booming, Las Vegas casinos have hardly clamored for its legalization. That's partly because they figure that whenever folks develop a taste for gambling, they will sooner or later look to Vegas to satisfy their hunger.

If the distinction between gambling online and offline strikes you as hypocritical, you're not alone. In November 2004, the World Trade Organization ruled that the United States was in violation of international law by making it a crime for Americans to place bets with online bookies parked offshore.

posted by Fergie @ 10/29/2006 12:10:00 PM