Here is a copy of a message that I sent to my House Representative. I will be sending it to my Senators also.
I am sending this message to express my views on H.R. 4411 and H.R. 4777. Both of these bills deal with the prohibition of internet gambling. I hope you vote against these bills should they come to a vote. Congress should study internet gambling before taking any action. The American Gaming Association appears to be advocating a one year federal study to evaluate the impact of online gambling and whether or not it is feasible to legalize it. Millions of Americans enjoy this activity and a recent study showed that 41% of online gamblers have incomes of over $75000 per year and 61% have at least a college degree. Gambling laws are not very consistent. For example we are allowed to play the lottery (which is most often played by poorer individuals) and bet on horses but we are not allowed to play online poker or bet on sporting events. Again please vote against these bills and support a federal study of online gambling. It is my view that online gambling should be legalized, regulated, and taxed. For your convenience I have included an article from cnn.com citing the results of a recent online gambling study. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
CARSON CITY, Nevada (AP) -- A gambling industry survey shows that people who use the Internet to place their bets tend to be affluent and educated -- a finding that could help advocates of a federal law change to legalize such wagering.
Release of the American Gaming Association survey on Monday follows the Washington, D-C.-based casino trade group's recent call for a congressional study of Internet gambling now that other countries, including Great Britain, are moving to authorize online betting.
Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., AGA president, said the group has opposed legalization of Internet gambling in the past "because regulators were opposed to it, and we're the strongest supporters of tough regulation."
"But the technology has changed greatly, and now Great Britain is legalizing online gambling -- and we're saying that Congress ought to take a look at (online gambling)," Fahrenkopf said.
"A lot of the opponents have been saying that the people who gamble on the Internet are the ones who can least afford it," he added. "But look at this survey. It shows they tend to be more educated and have more money than other people."
The survey of 552 Internet gamblers, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates Inc., showed 41 percent had incomes of more than $75,000 a year, while only 12 percent had incomes of less than $35,000.
More than two-thirds of the online gamblers were men, more than two thirds were under age 40, most had started such gambling only in the last two years, 61 percent had at least a college degree and nearly half of those responding said the biggest reason for Internet betting was convenience.
The survey also said 55 percent believe online gambling companies find ways to cheat, and fewer than one in five knew or would admit that online gambling currently is illegal in the United States.
On other subjects, the survey showed:
The 455 commercial casinos in 11 states generated $30.29 billion in gross gambling revenue last year, for an increase of nearly 5 percent over the preceding year.
Las Vegas revenues surpassed $6 billion and Atlantic City revenues surpassed $5 billion for the first time.
A poker boom that started in 2004 is still going strong, with nearly one in five of those surveyed saying they played poker last year.
The gambling industry employed more than 354,000 people and paid wages of more than $12.6 billion last year. The industry also paid $4.92 billion in taxes and fees to state and local governments.
Those who responded to the March 18-21 survey were screened to ensure they were 21 or older and had made an Internet bet within the past year.
Because it's what's known as a "convenience sample" of a specific group, there's no reported error margin as there would be in a random survey of the general public.<!-- / message -->