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The
Act directs the Secretary of the Treasury and the
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to
prescribe regulations to identify and block restricted
transactions and transmissions of wagering information.
It also grants financial organizations immunity from
civil liability for blocking transactions which they
reasonably believe are restricted.
The
Act passed on July 11, 2006 by recorded vote: 317
- 93 (Roll no. 363).
The
Concern
While many Americans don't gamble online, H.R. 4411
is causing grave concern to many as it allows the
government to tell the American public how to spend
money on the internet, making it illegal on restricted
web sites. Most importantly, it opens the door to
the precedent of allowing the government to regulate
and censor web content the American can view.
Freedom
of speech and expression on the internet could take
a turn for the worse, mirroring other countries that
regulate and censor web-content to their citizens
like the hard-line dictatorships of North Korea, Iran
and China.
The
Paradox
To the big casinos like, 888.com and partypoker.com,
H.R. 4411 means one thing, fewer customers.
With
an estimated fifty percent of all online gamblers
residing in the United States, casinos could lose
millions of players and billions in revenue.
But
while the authorities try to squash online gambling
in the USA it is becoming ever more popular as a form
of entertainment on American television.
Ten
years ago professional poker players were just gamblers,
going through the motions of poker in their own established
circles outside the eye of the mainstream.
Now,
that's all changed. Today you can watch such events
as The World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker
on CBS and ESPN and see your favorite poker players
in everything from beer commercials to the promotion
of online gaming sites.
While
gambling is supposed to be illegal and even 'dangerous'
according to many experts, American television networks
glorify the poker player, giving birth to a new kind
of glamour and celebrity. Even the likes of super
star actors Ben Affleck and Tom Everett Scott have
tried their hands at its allure. (But in all fairness
Tom Everett Scott placed a remarkable 3rd in the World
Poker Tour of 2003, beating some of the most renowned
poker players in the world.)
As
it becomes more and more illegal, it seems to have
become more and more fashionable. Several times a
week the American youth can turn on the TV and watch
hundreds of thousands of dollars being won and lost
on a single hand.
Where
does the US government draw the line?
The fate of H.R. 4411 is now in the hands of the Senate.
Many feel that the popularity the bill received in
the Congress could mean only one thing, that the Senate
too will pass it.
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