I found, via Net Bet Blog a great article regarding UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) and its effects on the US Market. The article ” Internet Gambling Act Should Be Scrapped” appeared in Bloomberg
and points out the moste important problems with the enforcement of this act.
The author is Joe Saumarez-Smith is chief executive officer of Sports Gaming, a U.K. management consulting firm to the gaming industry. He also owns European online bingo companies and odds comparison Web sites.
Here are some snippets :
As America learned during Prohibition, some bans are unrealistic. The online gambling law shows that legislators weren’t paying enough attention in history class.
At least Prohibition aimed to prevent the consumption of alcohol across the U.S. without exceptions. Banning some types of online gambling while allowing exemptions for lotteries and horse racing is protectionism of the worst kind.
….
The daily number of poker players online worldwide was about 34,000 in September, down less than half a percentage point from a year earlier, according to Dennis Boyko at PokerPulse.com in Vancouver. Poker players online in the U.S. have dropped only slightly, said Boyko, who has monitored the number of online players since January 2003.
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There is a small chance that the U.S. may be forced to repeal the law. The Antiguan government, which licensed many of the online sports bookies targeting the American market, has taken the U.S. to the World Trade Organization, arguing that anti-gambling laws restrict free trade. The WTO agreed, but the Americans have so far ignored the rulings. The U.S. may be forced to change its stance once WTO sanctions start to bite.
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Laws that are either widely disobeyed or unworkable are bad laws. A year after its passing, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act is both disobeyed and unworkable.
The sooner it’s scrapped, the better.
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