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Al D'Amato: Online Freedom Fighter
netbuzz writes "Former New York Sen. Al D'Amato is giving lobbying a good name by providing an insider's political savvy to a fledgling group called the Poker Players Alliance, which is attempting to overturn the federal prohibition against online poker. The New York Times has the details, including an enlightening look at D'Amato's passion for the game. As with all forms of gambling, online poker should be legal, regulated and taxed. Go, Al. "
1. Is surely a desirable thing coming from poker player?
2. Is what we have now - players transferring money via less straight forward mechanisms to poker sites. Taxing is less likely to make a black market than outlawing.
3. Is not the goal - the gamblers are the ones who want this...
Existing taxes is what is being asked for... Let online gambling be run in the US just like casino's are allowed to operate - subject to all the exiting taxes/regulations/etc that those casino's are. Income tax on player's for example - with actual documents rather than just hoping a US player will tell the IRS they won $20,000 on a server in another country operated by a company whose directors will be arrested if they accidentally step on US soil and hence aren't likely to be filing forms with the IRS for fun.
Gambling is a zero sum game. Why should IRS get any part of the pot in the first place? When taxing economic activity (production and ownership of property) the theory goes that the government protects it and facilitates it so it has the right to collect fees on it. But why should the government get any part of transfer of money based on chance? Nothing is put into the economy through this activity, so no government assistance is required to maintain it. I say, it's actually better to have them offshore and hiding... this puts back a certain level of fairness into the taxation system.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
Aside: the Poker Players Alliance actually solicits donations to support its cause. Wow. Give them money so they can fight for your right to lose money.
Exactly. They are a realistic lobbying organization that understands you need muscle in Washington if you want your voice to be heard. Also, the donations they solicited from people was normally done in conjunction with poker sites. The poker sites would request you sign up and pay a $20 membership fee in exchange for a $25 deposit bonus. That sounds like a win-win to me.
Poker is a form of entertainment like any other. You should have the right to waste your time and money on it just like strip clubs, pornography, or slashdot. (No matter how sleazy and disgusting slashdot may be.)