Great debate - I don't think it would be to hard to create a regulated Sports gambling or even online gambling industry that included online casino games and poker, but I agree that the US Gov't just wants no part of it. To make it work with all the checks and balances a government might want you could have people open an account just like they open a bank account or brokerage account, in person, with proper ID's and depositing cash/funds. They could even make rules stating that funds deposited couldn't be wagered for at least 24 hours or somthing like that to help with the compulsive agruement. You don't see these politicians running around saying we should shut down the stock market because kids might open accounts or that someone might lose their enitre savings and put themselves in finaicial distress.
My suggestion to a person that was looking to become a voice for online gambing would be to argue in favor of a structure that closely, if not exactly mirrors the stock market. Once you have established that sort of regulation and control the people arguing against the online gambling activity can no longer claim terrorism, kids, finacial ruin lack of regulation or any of their other BS reasons. At that point in becomes strictly a moral question and the people arguing against this would only have that as their point of arguement. The person arguing for the stock market/sports book set up could simply retort "so the stock market supports terrorism?" and ask the person in the discussion what their real reason for opposition is? they will bring up fixed games - you will respond with insider trading hasn't shut down wall street - and then ask - don't you think that every day people are buying stocks with inside knowledge?
The negative PR campaign has so worked against online gambling that at this point a person is trying to change established mind sets and fighting a lot of established gambling business that wouldn't want the opposition.
It will be quite an undertaking to reverse the persception of online gambling in the US, but if it were to ever happen it will only happen through a constructive solution that answer nearly all of the oppostion positions, not bashing by people that don't agree.  |