Congress approves Net gambling ban

Negotiators agreed on compromise bill Friday, attached it to unrelated port security legislation.

The story "Congress approves Net gambling ban" published September 30, 2006 at 1:06 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

Content from Reuters expires after 30 days.

[SpiritMatter]

Freedom Becoming Obsolete

If everyone lets the freedoms they dislike or don't care about become illegal, freedom will be extinct in America and more criminals will be created(Like the Boston Tea Party People).

[Jim Hubbard]

Time for Libertarians to take over...

I'm tired of Republicans pushing their religious agenda down my throat. If they abhor gambling, they should abstain - not force their religion and beliefs on me. I mean what's the difference with what they are doing and what the Taliban did in Afghanistan? They're less violent?

I'm also tired of the Democrats forcing thier social welfare programs down my throat. If you think an unwed mother should be paid for having children that she can't feed (and the little bastard that fathered them won't help feed) then go ahead and write her a check. Just make sure it comes out of your checking account and not mine.

It's really time we started voting for the party that believes in less government, more choice and more personal freedom.

I had enough of voting for the lesser of 2 evils. I'm voting Libertarian.

[jjesusfreak01]

Not the republicans

If you think the Republicans are doing this for religious reasons, you are sadly mistaken. As another poster noted, gambling companies here in the states are big supporters of this kind of legislation. If we were going to ban gambling, we should have started with Vegas.

[enigma.live]

Everyone's to busy on MySpace to notice

sorry no one's listening or watching what the Republican's are doing, everyone's too busy being hooked to MySpace to care...it looks like they won't wake up from their state until the Republican's finally get around to banning social networks like MySpace as having some kind of harmful effect on children and also as a threat to our safety...soon anyone with a MySpace profile will not be allowed to board an airplane as certainly one of their 20000 friends must be connected to terrorism...go Republicans..continue to destroy our freedom and way of life

[normalityrelief]

I don't gamble...

...but I don't want my right to gamble taken away. How have the politicians in the country become so absorbed in their own self-interests that they've forgotten what this country is supposed to stand for?
This is not a post offering any productive alternatives...just a post vocalizing my displeasure and confusion.

[casinoconsultant]

Sad day for US gamblers

Hundreds of casinos have been built in the US over the last decade. So people like to play.
Online gambling can be regulated. No doubt about that, unfortunately a number of big casino operators in the US see the Internet as a threat instead of a challenge and decided to back an Internet ban. Adult people have a right to gambling, an adult form of entertainment. Prohibition, as was tried with alcohol in the 19th century, simply does not work.

[casinoconsultant]

Sad day for gamblers

Online gambling can be regulated. No doubt about that, unfortunately a number of big casino operators in the US see the Internet as a threat instead of a challenge and decided to back an Internet ban. Adult people have a right to gambling, an adult form of entertainment. Prohibition, as was tried with alcohol in the 19th century, simply does not work.
Europe takes a smarter approach (www.casino.eu)

[brandisss]

ban online gambling??

How incredibly stupid. How about banning something nasty and degrading such as pornography?? That needs to go anyway, let the chip stacks stand!!

[TMB333]

Why Ban Porn?

Hey, just because YOU don't like porn, why should we ban it? Nasty and degrading? Please, come up with a more constructive reason for banning something other than your personal dislikes. Your reason for banning porn is probably no better than the Government's reason for banning gambling.

I don't gamble personally, and I don't know the full reasons behind why they're banning it, but again, if it's just for personal tastes, then that's not a good enough reason to ban it. If it's to prevent addicts from continuously losing their paycheques, then at least that's a moral reason, but maybe not the best solution for the majority of people who do like to gamble.

[BCF1968]

US gaming industry = IDIOTS

Reminds me of when the movie industry was trying to ban VCRs because they said VCRs would HURT their business? How wrong they were. Aren't they glad they finally seen the light.

In 10 years you'll see the US gaming industry lobby FOR online gambling when they realize what a huge mistake it was getting it banned and they see all the money they lost out on. Online gambling would only INCREASE income for casinos not decrease them. They'd see that if they didn't have thier heads up their butts.

[dakema]

This Might Help Save Our Kids

I am so glad to see this happen. This issue has hit my family in a big way. I have an 18 year old son who lost about 2000.00 to online poker sites.
Our Kids should not be taught that Poker is a great thing to do. It is a serious addiction that destroys more lives then we can shake a stick at. There really needs to be some proof of age on theses sites as well. A Child currently can send an email asking how to put money on these sites. They will get detailed instructions on how to send MONEY ORDERS such as Western Union, to an address in The Phillipines, or England. By the time a 15 year old turns 18 after playing Online Poker for 3 years, the get a debit or credit card, and the ADDICTION is alive and well rooted into their EGO.
They will do whatever needed to support that ADDICTION, Lie to family members, steal, etc etc.
At this point their young live will pretty much go nowhere. A certain percentage will commit suicide.
I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE THIS MADNESS STOP. MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE!!! Thanks to our Congress!!!!!!!

[ldrblu]

personal responsibility

I agree that 15 year olds should not be betting online or anywhere for that matter. As the father of two, this is something that I agree with in your posting. I must apologize in advance if this sounds like rambling, but this is something that I feel strongly about and may end up writing more in stream-of-consciousness

Now more to the point of your asinine remarks that Congress needs to do your parenting to keep your kids off the gaming websites is not only irresponsible, but it sets a dangerous precedent that congress can use and restrict the American peoples freedoms for their own political gain without our input.

We need to think of the bigger implications that this can lead to. Very few people are really aware who is in favor of this and why. Are we really naïve enough to close our eyes, bury our heads in the sand and think that this was put through to protect our kids? Look at who directly benefits from this. Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and all the other Legal gaming institutions on and off Indian Reservation lands that are being built every day in this great country of ours. Also, dont people find it a little odd that Government is so against Online gaming because of the social problems that it causes, but n the other hand or face there are Legal Lotteries ran in almost every state? Oh and get this, the State of Oregon has State run Video poker and slot machines is almost every tavern which contribute Millions every year to the state coffers. The most shocking thing to me about how this is not the law itself, but how it was passed though our legal system. An age-old practice of attaching someones personal agenda of a bill (with little chance of passing on its own) to a bill with destined to pass.

Now back to your point and off my little rant... We don't need government to raise our kids for us. There are plenty of other legal ways that our kids can get into trouble if left unmonitored on the Internet. Is online gaming any more or less addictive (not to mention expensive), than online shopping and auction sites? How about the online chat rooms and message sites? Maybe we should not allow anyone under 18 to use a cell phone because they might run up a $2,000 in cell phone text message bills (that one really did happen to me). I am not begging my Senators for cell phone reform. Honest communication mixed with a little monitoring works much better than allowing bureaucrats to decide what is appropriate for whom. What ever happened to parents raising their own kids?