US Online Gamblers to Fight Back on November 7?

2006 October 26, Jonny Vincent

Speculation is rife that the Republican Party could well face a voter backlash in the upcoming fall elections in the United States for their efforts against online casino gambling, which resulted in the passing through the Republican-controlled Congress of a bill which aims to make it illegal for US banking institutions to process credit card and check payments to online gambling companies.

When President Bush put his signature on the bill, it became law. US banks were then given 270 days to develop processes in place preventing US residents from using their credit cards to deposit and withdraw from their online gambling accounts.

Charles Murray, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, thought that the Republicans may have misplayed their hand by underestimating how many Americans enjoyed gambling online. "We are talking about a lot of people…who are angry enough to vote on the basis of this one issue", he wrote in The New York Times.

It has been estimated that 25 million Americans regularly gamble online, and if even a percentage of those feel strongly enough to express their disapproval of Republican attempts to legislate on how they can spend their own money, the US political landscape could change dramatically following the November 7th elections.

Attempts at Prohibition show a distinct lack of success throughout history. There was also widespread disapproval throughout the online gambling industry at the way democracy was circumvented – the anti-online gambling bill was tacked onto the very important Ports Security Bill in a somewhat-sneaky attempt to get it through the Senate before Congress ended for the year.

The Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn), who attached the anti-online gambling bill to the Ports Security Bill, did not appear to be overly concerned with the possible effect his actions could have on his Party during the upcoming elections, with his secretary Carolyn Weyforth saying she was unsure of how the new law could hurt her Party, as she believed online gambling was already illegal. Her opinion does not reflect US case law however.

If you believe that the government should not dictate morality to us in regards to how we choose to spend our money, you have a chance to make a very strong statement on November 7.