Making fun illegal


It sounds better than saying going after illegal gambling. Same idea though
Jacob Sullum tells it like it is.

Goodlatte says "it is time to shine a bright light on these illegal sites and bring a quick end to illegal gambling on the Internet." Yet, he concedes that "under current federal law, it is unclear whether using the Internet to operate a gambling business is illegal."

Confused? You're not the only one. The online-gambling ban, which dictates what adults may do with their own money on their own computers in their own homes, is part of what Republicans proudly call their "American Values Agenda." Evidently, those values do not include privacy, freedom of choice, individual responsibility or free markets.

<snip>

One man's scourge, of course, is another's weekend diversion. The fact that some people have trouble keeping this diversion in its proper place does not justify banning it, any more than the fact that some people indulge in excessive drinking, snacking, shopping, jogging and TV-watching justifies banning those activities.

"These offshore, fly-by-night Internet gambling operators," Goodlatte complains, "are unlicensed, untaxed and unregulated and are sucking billions of dollars out of the United States." He fails to mention that the U.S. Justice Department has driven these businesses offshore by threatening to prosecute their owners under the Wire Act of 1961, which prohibits using "a wire communication facility" for betting on sports.

Far from being fly-by-night operators, many gambling sites are licensed, taxed and regulated by foreign governments that have less of a hang-up about letting people use the Internet to play poker. But if Goodlatte wants the licensing, taxing and regulating to occur in the United States, banning the whole $12 billion-a-year industry, which draws about half its customers from this country, may not be the best way to go about it.

You can't even give Goodlatte credit for being a consistent moralistic busybody. His bill, co-authored by Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, makes exceptions for lucrative state lotteries and the politically influential horse-racing industry.

So the Congressman is willing to make exceptions, but only if they pay taxes.

And presumably make campaign contributions.

Nice to see he has his priorities straight.

Hat tip The Liberator.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Fri - August 4, 2006 at 03:08 PM  Tag


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