Former Senator Calls For Regulation Of Online Poker

Poker Players Alliance recently hired Alphonse D’Amato to act as their spokesman for the PPA. In an article by former Senator D’Amato and carried by the Boston Herald, he discusses government’s biggest blunders, self-serving politicians and outrageous legislation; all of which apply to the UIGEA.

“Perhaps the biggest government blunders in U.S. history have been prohibitions.

The prohibition against alcohol led to black market smuggling and speakeasies, and reaped huge profits for organized crime. Today, the prohibition on Internet gambling promises to funnel players underground, diminishing society’s ability to deal with serious challenges such as underage and problem gambling, and, more importantly, interferes with the right to individual liberty and privacy.

Rep. Barney Frank’s (D-Mass.) efforts to deal with this outrageous legislation are heroic.

With the current Internet gambling ban, the unintended consequences abound. Law enforcement and financial institutions must redirect resources to monitor and then block poker wagers instead of focusing resources on tracking terrorist financing. And, because the ban funnels players underground and forces them to use less transparent financial systems to place bets, law enforcement finds itself even more hampered to police potential money laundering…”

Senator D’Amaot goes on to list other consequences such as the shutting out of reputable sites that use age-verification software while underground sites won’t and don’t carry the burden of fair and responsible gambling.

Read the complete article in the Boston Herald