Sports Betting: What a Wicked World Wide Web We Weave
Written by playerpress.com, Friday December 12 2008
Internet sports’ betting is being blamed for many of the things we use to ascribe to marijuana, booze, premarital sex and comic books. In short, it is being named as an agent in the decaying of our youth. Is it truly the scourge of our society? Like so many other things, not when done in moderation
While daytime TV shows are rife with stories about college students who blew their tuition on a Bears game there is no evidence that anyone has entered into sports gambling simply because it is available on the computer. After all, Avril Lavigne downloads are available on the computer and I’m not buying any.
Gambling is like drinking, some of us enjoy it and can handle the outcome and some should avoid it like the plague. We once tried running the country based on denying drink to everyone to protect those who succumbed to it too easily. That helped organized crime get a stronger foothold in the U.S. I don’t think we want to repeat that mistake again.
The negative side to sports betting on line is that it is hard to establish identity and that could lead to certain legal issues. For instance, a minor with a credit card supplied by Mom and Dad willingly, or not, or an athlete who could bet on his or her own game. Obviously these are bad and we don’t want that to happen. But, again, a throwing out the baby with the bath water mentality should not be incorporated. Like those sites that list you must be 18 or older to enter, we are going to have to trust the finger on the mouse.
Another issue revolves around the legality of on line betting. Technically it is legal practically everywhere in the world except the U.S., although we do permit on line wagering at race tracks. In actuality, it is not the wagering that is illegal; it is the transfer of funds resulting from the wager. U.S. banks and the web sites involved are supposed to block the transactions from occurring. In essence this means that the sites are not breaking a law by offering wagering, they only break the law when money changes hand. That is akin to saying it is okay to distribute heroin, you just can’t get paid for it.
Several states have attempted unsuccessfully to eliminate gambling and poker web sites from operating in their region, but that is like trying to stop the air from NJ crossing over to NY. Although I am certain that more people in NY would rather block NJ air than gambling sites.
As a fan of Irish Rugby I can wager on games here in the U.S. and have the money transferred into the proper currency without having to do the calculations, so like videos of drunken coeds falling out of their bikinis, gambling and wagering is a staple of the internet.
Several astute members of Congress, including Barney Franks (MA) and James McDermott (WA) are attempting to establish methods to tax on line winnings. If that can be accomplished, it is safe to say that much of the complaints surrounding the activity will disappear rapidly.
In the meantime, no one is going to come through your modem and arrest you for gambling, but don’t lose all of your money on the Bears. Save some of it to squander on the Jets.
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