Legalizing Online Gambling

Gambling has long been frowned upon by the United States government. However, it is usually not up to the federal government, but each individual state to decide whether or not gambling should be allowed. Online gambling falls into a broader jurisdiction. Since a site developed in one state can be accessed by those in others and other countries, it was put under federal control. This made online gambling illegal.

There were, until recently, ways around this this problem U.S. citizens who wanted to participate in online gambling could simply go to sites that were developed in other countries. Then a couple of months ago the federal government blocked access to those sites.

Now, there are some reports circulating that maybe Congress soon will be considering a bill legalizing online gambling. They seem to be thinking that some online games, such as poker, require a skill to winning. There are also those that see online gambling as a way of improving the now struggling economy. Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia supports internet gambling by claiming it could raise $41.8 billion in 10 years.

Republican Jon Kyl, who a few years ago was against internet gambling, recently tried to encourage the Justice Department to stop the states’ efforts to legalize online gaming. This was to make it easier for Congress to get a federal legalizing effort.

Although, the states do have every right to pass gambling laws. If they do not and wait until it is under federal regulation then all regulation fees will go to federal means. That means states could potentially lose out on millions if not billions. There are many states that are currently struggling to stay within budget as it is. So, which way of legalizing is better? It really all depends on the way Congress plans to disperse the money.