US Politician Compares Poker Ban to Prohibition
Written by Roger S | Thursday, June 17th, 2010
Congressman Jim McDermott has made comments which compare the current ban on internet poker and gambling to the days when alcohol was banned in the United States under Prohibition laws.
McDermott has been active in recent months pushing to legalize internet gambling. His proposed law calls for the taxing of wagers and winning of online gambling in a bid to pay for improved foster care and early childhood education in the United States.
McDermott drew similarities between online gambling and alcohol and said: “Regulation and taxation have proven to be a better policy for our country when it comes to alcohol. The same is true for online gambling.”
McDermott said that despite the fact that major efforts were put in to ban online casino sites from servicing the US gambling market, millions of the country’s residents continued to play and bet at these sites, proving that Prohibition is not the way to go.
He also noted that there are literally billions of untaxed dollars finding their way to offshore poker sites – money that could benefit the US immensely.
Last month, McDermott appeared before a House Committee in a bid to push for the legalization of online poker and gambling. Also testifying in favor of online gambling was Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts who argued that if poker fans wanted to spend their money online, it was their choice and their right.
At the hearing, McDermott said: “Prohibition hasn’t prevented the millions of Americans who want to gamble online from doing it. Driving internet gambling offshore has been a policy failure.”
This is McDermott’s second attempt to liberalize and tax online gambling. His bill, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act, has the potential to generate $42 billion in tax revenue over 10 years, with over 50% coming from income tax on poker and gambling winnings.
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· Written by Roger S · Filed Under Poker Gossip · Comments Off
