Congressman Blumenauer Crosses to Support Online Poker
Written by Matt W | Sunday, May 23rd, 2010
When the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was introduced in 2006, it can safely be said that many of the politicians who supported it or voted in its favor were totally unaware of what they were backing. In fact, it has been charged that the UIGEA was slipped through slyly on the back of a totally unrelated law by its authors in a bid to get it passed at all costs.
One politician who now realizes that he supported legislation that he doesn’t believe in is US Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore). In 2006, when votes were called to introduce UIGEA, the Democrat was one among the majority who voted to introduce the controversial bill.
However, four years down the line, Blumenauer is convinced that he made a mistake and that he needs to make a statement about it. The Congressman released his comments on Wednesday after the House Ways and Means Committee hearing, where he not only said that he was wrong in voting for a restriction in online poker and gambling, but he also outlined why the legalization of these industries is so crucial to the United States.
According to Blumenauer in his statement, the United States is missing out on billions of dollars at the exact time that needs to create employment and control its deficits. According to current estimates, over $100 billion is spent by US online gamblers at offshore sites – money which could definitely benefit the country.
Blumenauer stated that the restriction on internet poker and gambling was nothing less than hypocritical. One the one hand we have the government prohibiting a form of entertainment on the internet, claiming that gambling has a detrimental effect on the population. Yet, in the same breath, the government exempts horse racing, lotteries and fantasy football from the rules of the UIGEA, he said.
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· Written by Matt W · Filed Under Poker Gossip · Comments Off
