Thursday, March 09, 2006

Socialize it, Legalize it, and Harrah's will advertise it

The US should legalize online gaming... England has done it. Canada did too... Why not the US?

The new activity has caused a few U.S. gambling companies, which are barred by the terms of their gambling licenses from participating in Internet gambling, to utter words that would have been unthinkable only a year ago. "We believe that gaming on the Internet should be regulated and taxed," said Alan Feldman, a spokesman for MGM Mirage. "We cannot afford to put our heads in the sand."

MGM Mirage, Park Place Entertainment and Harrah's Entertainment all have "for-fun" gaming Web sites that "could be ramped up tomorrow" for real gambling, according to one industry insider.

The shift in corporate attitude has been reflected in Nevada and New Jersey, where lawmakers have introduced bills to allow land-based casino operators to conduct online wagering.

Assemblyman Anthony Impreveduto, a Democrat who co-sponsored the New Jersey legislation, says he believes regulation of online gambling should be considered a consumer-protection issue, since it would allow states to combat such problems as underage and problem gambling. He said a federal ban on Internet gambling, which is expected to resurface in the current Congress, would be “meaningless.” - MSNBC
Here's to hoping for change