Attorney Generals Urge Online Casinos Ban

With the latest American political attempts to legislate against Online Casino gambling warming up, 49 of the 50 state Attorney Generals in the the USA have appealed to Congress to ban this form of online entertainment.

Allegedly motivated by concerns about gambling addiction and of too many college students turning from video games to Internet casinos for entertainment, state legislatures are considering ways to control the boom in online gambling say media reports from America.

With online gambling revenues quadrupling over the past five years to build a multi-billion dollar industry, the AGs seek to combat the proliferation of Internet gambling. Last week Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro joined with fellow attorneys general from across the nation in urging Congress to pass legislation to halt the games.

The legislation, submitted in different Senate and Congress proposals by Sen Jon Kyl and Representatives Leach and Goodlatte would prohibit using the Internet to operate online casinos and restrict the use of financial instruments by Americans. There has also been talk of forcing ISPs to block gambling sites, something which is widely seen as an attempt to censor the Internet and will therefore not sit well with many citizens. There are understood to be 130 sponsors signed up for the Leach Bill currently in the House.

The international and cross-border nature of the Internet raises serious enforcement problems for such legislation, because most online casinos, poker rooms and sportsbooks are based off-shore and not subject to US law. However, Americans comprise the majority of players, and American restrictions would not be welcome. Another contentious point is the selective nature of previous banning attempts, which have allowed exceptions for some Internet gaming types but not others. And finally there is the right of individual states to control events within their own borders rather than having Federal requirements imposed.

Petro and his fellow AGs argue that simply because the game is played online it does not erase the problems associated with gambling. They claim states must still address issues of game integrity, effective consumer dispute resolution procedures, access to gambling by minors, money laundering and other criminal activity, as well as compulsive gambling.

Proponents of online gambling point out that the major companies in the industry have repeatedly asked to be legalised, taxed and regulated in the USA.

Without federal action, the states will be left to clean up the problems online gaming creates, Petro said in a news release justifying the appeal for national prohibition.