Will the Democrats be able to Reverse the Online Gambling Ban
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Republicans have tried to stop online gambling in the United States. In 2011, Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which bans banks and credit card companies from transferring funds to online gambling sites. However, Democrats are finding loopholes in what they can do to change this current situation.
The legislation would require a two-thirds majority vote of both chambers of Congress for passage. Since Democrats currently control neither the House nor Senate, it’s unlikely that they could get enough votes on their own. However, they need to elect enough Senators and Representatives to override the UIGEA, and they have the votes to do so. The President has also stated that he would sign any bill that gets sent to his desk.
However, there is a big problem: Since UIGEA was passed, many banks and credit card companies have stopped handling online gambling transactions; millions of Americans overseas have lost their ability to gamble away their winnings. Fortunately, a growing number of players are finding alternative ways—including virtual private networks (VPNs) or proxy websites—to gamble online without resorting to those services.
One of the main problems with the bill is that it could lead to online gambling sites forcing their users to put deposits on their credit cards. To combat this, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has introduced an amendment that would allow players to use prepaid cards like debit cards or prepaid credit cards in order to wager. However, opponents of online gambling think this is a bad idea because it allows for players who don’t live within the United States to access illegal websites.
When asked about this amendment, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., stated that, “we’ve got to figure out how we can deal with online gambling without putting a credit card into play. If we continue down this path, before long we will have hundreds of thousands of people who are trapped by gambling debt who cannot stop themselves.”
Sen. Kristen Gillibrand from New York thinks it is important for the United States to change its stance on online gambling because it could lead to other countries following in our footsteps and legalizing online gambling worldwide. She also thinks more Americans might gamble if they didn’t have to travel or go through intermediaries to place their bets.
The proposed legislation by Gillibrand and others is being supported by casino operators in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. They see the United States online gambling ban as an unfair monopoly that profits the casinos in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other countries. They also see it as a good way to increase tax revenues to pay for important social programs such as Medicaid.
Before any of this can go into effect, Congress must first override UIGEA; that will require enough Democratic politicians elected into office. However, there is a slim chance that this could happen because so many conservative politicians are against online gambling.
Conclusion
The Democrats have no chance. The Republicans will throw enough votes to keep online gambling banned. Do you really need to see a 'cause for concern'? How about the fact that there might be "hundreds of thousands" of people who are trapped by gambling debt? This is what I'm talking about when I say the Republican agenda is to keep Americans from having any fun at all. They don't want them to gamble, to smoke, or even drink a beer! The fact that so many Republican politicians oppose online gambling should be proof enough for you.
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