10e20 Blog

Six months ago when President Bush signed the Port Security Bill he mentioned it as being an effort to strengthen the nation’s borders from being vulnerable to terrorist attacks. What he failed to touch on was a particular clause in it that would bludgeon a multi-billion dollar industry. How is it possible that a business which was earning $12 billion annually can plummet almost 50% in one-half year? Welcome to the American world of online gambling.

In case you didn’t know, the law bans Internet gambling. It prohibits online poker sites and other betting companies from “knowingly accepting” money from U.S.-based customers. Credit card companies and other payment providers are now prohibited from processing online gambling transactions.

Fans of the law declare it as a victory for family values. Jim Leach, the Iowa Republican who sponsored the bill, said it will prevent further corruption. “Religious leaders of all denominations and faiths are seeing gambling problems erode family values,” Leach said in a statement. “If Congress had not acted, gamblers would soon be able to place bets not just from home computers, but from their cell phones while they drive home from work or their BlackBerries as they wait in line at the movies.”

Right-wing and left-wing morals aside, the citizens of the United States are shrewd and there’s an excellent possibility that U.S. gamblers will still find a way to bet on these sites. Rather than using credit cards people will in all likelihood become more creative than ever before. Apparently there are other e-wallet payment services based outside the U.S., such as NetTeller and FirePay. In America when there’s a will there’s a way.

The 18th Amendment to the constitution went a long way, no? The prohibition of alcohol that our forefathers endured led them to attempt to consume more alcohol than ever. The War on Drugs that our country has harped on for years has been so successful that over 12% of the current prisoner population is booked on marijuana-related crimes.

When you disallow something the inclination is to try even harder to obtain it; that’s always been an American vantage point. So whether it is alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, prostitution, or any other type of insubordination, Americans are going to want it and attempt to attain it at all costs.

In my opinion this is a futile attempt by our government to prevent the inevitable.