USA learned long ago that prohibitions don't work

Tax betting, don't ban it

With rising gas prices, a prolonged war in Iraq and mounting economic concerns, I was irate to see that Congress recently turned a blind eye to these important issues in order to pass a ridiculous ban on online gambling.

If American voters were not already concerned about their elected representatives being "out of touch," then approving this legislation surely sealed the deal.

Congress has opened the door to greater government involvement in our personal affairs. Inexplicably, the legislation only targets some forms of gambling while giving an exemption to Internet horse betting and online lotteries. America learned long ago that prohibitions don't work. Regulating and taxing gambling - much like we do card rooms and casinos - is a much more realistic approach. Not only would government and law enforcement be able to implement additional safeguards, but the revenue generated could be used to solve our real problems.
A recent study by the Poker Players Alliance showed that regulating and taxing Internet poker would produce $3.3 billion in revenue annually for the federal government and an additional $1 billion for state coffers. Remember the high gas prices, war and other squeezes on hard working families? Somehow I think we could find some good uses for that money and at the same time preserve the individual liberties of Americans.

Heather Dangerfield
Poker Player Alliance member
West Jordan