Let Market Forces Regulate Internet Gambling
From Liberate to Stimulate: A Bipartisan Agenda to Restore Limited Government and Revive America's Economy
In June 2010, the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was implemented after years of delays. The law regulates banking and credit processes related to online gambling. This does nothing to protect Americans from crime. Instead, it increases the regulatory burden on American banks and obscures the legality of Internet gambling in the United States. Other federal laws, including the Wire Act (which bans interstate wagering) and the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (which bans most states from sports gambling), prevent Americans from operating within the law.
People enjoy gambling and can legally do so in 48 states. Regardless of its legality, Americans gamble for money online and will continue to do so. Banning the activity or making licensing prohibitively difficult will simply encourage gamblers to play on foreign sites and take greater risks. In a country where gambling has become a respected, mainstream pastime, these laws make no sense.