From covers.com good read IMO
If Internet gambling was the only issue facing the American public this election year, John Conyers could become president. The Democratic legislator from Michigan is one of the few U.S. politicians who gets it.
He gets that Americans love to bet sports with illegal bookies handling between $80 and $380 billion dollars a year according to a recent report from the National Gambling Impact Study Commission. This doesn’t even factor in Internet gambling, which accounts for some $40 billion a year, or the $81 million Nevada handled on the Super Bowl alone.
Yet, Arizona Senator Jon Kyl keeps sprouting up like a bad weed leading the charge to ban Internet gambling in the U.S.
“It’s very disconcerting,” said Barry Lieberman, vice-president and general counsel for Coast Resort hotels in Las Vegas. “It’s an activity that should be taxed where government makes some money on it. We should be like England.”
England gets it. Sports betting is considered a God-given right in the United Kingdom and bookmaking is looked upon as an honorable profession. Safe guards have long been in place preventing underage betting. Those with addiction problems are treated like any others who are ill, without their sad cases preventing the other 95-97 percent who handle gambling as healthy entertainment.
Conyers wants to implement a modest regulatory and tax structure that would take the fear out of Internet sports betting. If this were to happen, gamblers in the U.S. would be protected, a code would be set up for bookmakers and the government would gain additional revenue. Logic would suggest it's the proper thing to do.
But in these conservative times where the Church, George W. Bush and Christian right wield enormous influence, Conyers’ viewpoint is considered enlightening, if not down right radical.
“With a conservative government, whether its Republican or Democrat, politicians just view it (Internet gambling) as a morally reprehensible activity that preys on poor people,” Lieberman said. “Democrats focus that it preys on poor people, and Republicans believe it’s morally reprehensible. So you’ll never get the coalition until people realize what’s the difference if people bet a reasonable amount of money to make the game they’re watching more enjoyable.
“Someone has to get the English philosophy that ‘hey this is a recreational activity. We will tax it. We will do this to make sure people don’t get addicted to it.’”
It’s the way Conyers is going about it. He and some other open-minded U.S. politicians recently picked the brains of the Brits about how to successfully execute Internet wagering. Maybe if Kyl and his followers were able to lift their heads from underneath Plymouth Rock they might realize the demand for sports betting isn’t going away, nor are the 1,800 online gambling sites across the world.
U.S. politicians have succeeded in cutting off some of the main money transfer methods such as PayPal and credit cards. This has cost bookmakers some recreational bettors, who only felt secure using a credit card. If worse comes to worse, and conservative politicians continue to put a stranglehold on Internet betting, wagering on credit could become more mainstream.
“Being in the credit business all my life isn’t an easy way,” said Barry Clark, CEO of Sports Betting Trivia.com. “Post-up creates a better environment. In the credit business, I’m lucky if I collect 70 cents on the dollar, and I’m a good collector.”
If these near-sighted politicians carry the day it would create a bigger need for bettors to play on credit. The result is more of a premium on street agents and underground bookies, perhaps funneling their extra business to Internet bookmakers in exchange for a percentage. Then the government really could have money laundering in this area.
If Internet gambling was the only issue facing the American public this election year, John Conyers could become president. The Democratic legislator from Michigan is one of the few U.S. politicians who gets it.
He gets that Americans love to bet sports with illegal bookies handling between $80 and $380 billion dollars a year according to a recent report from the National Gambling Impact Study Commission. This doesn’t even factor in Internet gambling, which accounts for some $40 billion a year, or the $81 million Nevada handled on the Super Bowl alone.
Yet, Arizona Senator Jon Kyl keeps sprouting up like a bad weed leading the charge to ban Internet gambling in the U.S.
“It’s very disconcerting,” said Barry Lieberman, vice-president and general counsel for Coast Resort hotels in Las Vegas. “It’s an activity that should be taxed where government makes some money on it. We should be like England.”
England gets it. Sports betting is considered a God-given right in the United Kingdom and bookmaking is looked upon as an honorable profession. Safe guards have long been in place preventing underage betting. Those with addiction problems are treated like any others who are ill, without their sad cases preventing the other 95-97 percent who handle gambling as healthy entertainment.
Conyers wants to implement a modest regulatory and tax structure that would take the fear out of Internet sports betting. If this were to happen, gamblers in the U.S. would be protected, a code would be set up for bookmakers and the government would gain additional revenue. Logic would suggest it's the proper thing to do.
But in these conservative times where the Church, George W. Bush and Christian right wield enormous influence, Conyers’ viewpoint is considered enlightening, if not down right radical.
“With a conservative government, whether its Republican or Democrat, politicians just view it (Internet gambling) as a morally reprehensible activity that preys on poor people,” Lieberman said. “Democrats focus that it preys on poor people, and Republicans believe it’s morally reprehensible. So you’ll never get the coalition until people realize what’s the difference if people bet a reasonable amount of money to make the game they’re watching more enjoyable.
“Someone has to get the English philosophy that ‘hey this is a recreational activity. We will tax it. We will do this to make sure people don’t get addicted to it.’”
It’s the way Conyers is going about it. He and some other open-minded U.S. politicians recently picked the brains of the Brits about how to successfully execute Internet wagering. Maybe if Kyl and his followers were able to lift their heads from underneath Plymouth Rock they might realize the demand for sports betting isn’t going away, nor are the 1,800 online gambling sites across the world.
U.S. politicians have succeeded in cutting off some of the main money transfer methods such as PayPal and credit cards. This has cost bookmakers some recreational bettors, who only felt secure using a credit card. If worse comes to worse, and conservative politicians continue to put a stranglehold on Internet betting, wagering on credit could become more mainstream.
“Being in the credit business all my life isn’t an easy way,” said Barry Clark, CEO of Sports Betting Trivia.com. “Post-up creates a better environment. In the credit business, I’m lucky if I collect 70 cents on the dollar, and I’m a good collector.”
If these near-sighted politicians carry the day it would create a bigger need for bettors to play on credit. The result is more of a premium on street agents and underground bookies, perhaps funneling their extra business to Internet bookmakers in exchange for a percentage. Then the government really could have money laundering in this area.
