Online Gambling

Term Paper # 99908

Law
Sociology

Online Gambling

A discussion on the legalization of online gambling.

2,276 words () | 10 sources | APA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at both sides of the argument for Internet gambling. It discusses how the uncertainty about the legal status of gambling has not prevented millions from continuing to use online services. It also discusses how, to a degree, online gambling is de facto legalized already just because there seems to be no way to stop it and how what might be preferable would be for the government to regulate online gambling in order to protect the consumer, tax revenues, and keep children from gambling.

From the Paper:

"Congress has been considering whether to regulate Internet gambling and how to do so, but observers note that lawmakers are facing great odds in doing so. Some one million Americans are believed to place bets online each day, which makes online gambling a $6 billion industry. One count has it that some 4.5 million Americans have placed a bet online at some time. This includes horse race bets, which can be placed in twelve states. Existing law makes it illegal to use businesses that use telephones or any "wire communication facility" to place bets across state lines. The Justice Department believes that this includes the Internet, though that has not been firmly established in case law to date: "Because the betting is done privately, on personal computers in homes, college dorms and office cubicles, it is difficult for states to prosecute" (Wendland, 2003, para. 10). It is even more difficult to b ring a case against the operators of online sites because they often operate from overseas. "

Sample of Sources Used:

Alm, R. (2006, July 19). Online gambling: Federal government steps up campaign. The Kansas City Star, retrieved September 30, 2006 from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1K1-13520f0000059492.html.
Andrle, J.D. (2004, November 1). A winning hand: A proposal for an international regulatory schema with respect to the growing online gambling dilemma in the United States. Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, retrieved September 30, 2006 from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-128168057.html.
Hammer, R.D. (2001). Does Internet Gambling Strengthen the U.S. Economy? Don't Bet on It. Federal Communications Law Journal, Volume 54, Issue 1. Retrieved September 28, 2006 from http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000930766&er=deny.
Ledbetter, J. (1999, October). Shades of Gray - legal status of Internet gambling is uncertain, but people keep betting. Reason, retrieved September 29, 2006 from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1568/is_5_31/ai_56640767.
Morgan, D. (2000, May 31. Online gambling bill a web of industry favors. The Washington Post, retrieved September 28, 2006 from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-26845385.html.