Opponents of US online gambling legalization, including the Southern Baptist Convention, are saying that online poker legalization will not “be a winning proposition for America.”
Senators Jon Kyl of Arizona and Harry Reid of Nevada recently agreed on a draft online poker bill, which will legalize online poker in the US if it is passed. The draft bill has not yet been introduced in assembly, but opponents feel that Reid will attach it to an important bill that will definitely get the required votes in the Congress’ lame duck session.
Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote to Kyl on Dec 5, stating that the ERLC steadfastly opposes your efforts. Land further stated in his letter,
We cannot support any effort that grants government sanction to any form of gambling. Your bill not only does that but also creates a regulatory mechanism that is certain to be used to introduce other forms of Internet gambling in the future. No amount of regulation or taxation could make such legalization a winning proposition for America.
The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) has also opposed the draft online poker bill. Speaking on Dec 11, NAE President Leith Anderson said,
Pastors regularly see the destructive impact of gambling on families and children. Those problems will increase if gambling moves from buildings to home computers.
According to Land, the proposed bill will weaken the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which was passed in 2006. Opponents to online gaming had also demanded that the Wire Act of 1961 should be re-interpreted to include prohibition of online betting too. However, the DoJ opined in late 2011 that the Wire Act does not apply to online poker and online casino, but only to online sports betting. This gave individual US states the freedom to legalize and regulate their online gaming industries.
However, Jon Kyl argues that his bill will prevent the spread of gambling. He and Senator Dean Heller of Nevada feel that the bill has enough GOP support to get approved. But even if the Senate votes for the bill, it will have to pass through the House of Representatives.
According to Stop Predatory Gambling (SPG), an organization that fights against government partnerships with gaming operators, says that online gaming legalization will have “a devastating impact on America’s children under 18 and deeply worsen the nation’s epidemic of gambling addiction.”
