| GamblingPhD menu | Why is it Illegal? March 15, 2009 A recent editorial in a United Kingdom paper wanted to know why online gambling was illegal in the United States. The author said that although it was illegal in many parts of the world, online gambling was booming in the US despite, or maybe because of the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The UIGEA did little to curb online gambling; rather it shone a very large light on it and made many people who did not previously participate jump on board to see what all the fuss was about. Not only that, but you also have that group of people who decided to start online gambling because it was now illegal � much like the girl who wants the boy who doesn�t want her, it suddenly became much more attractive to people. But there is a financial concern that goes with it as well. They want to know why people would sit back and let their government spend money prosecuting and enforcing a law that they don�t even agree with. According to the article, the government is spending millions, probably billions on tracking down these illegal online gambling sites instead of using that money to regulate the industry and make more money off of it. They said that the UK has embraced the online gambling industry, and it is high time that other countries followed their lead. After all, everyone else is spending money on it trying to keep it out, while the UK is earning money by letting it in. Back to March 09 Archive. |