Although in part you may be right in your assumption pertaining to Uncle Sam getting a fist full of tax dollar$, I think there is more to this than that.
Being a webmaster who operates a number of online gambling portals I've been in this industry for many, many years, I've also been a player too.
As the internet has grown, so too has the ability of information (good & bad) been able to be resourced by many.
Speaking in regards to online casinos, the majority of these are respectable, trustworthy and above all pay their winning players. However, like most industries, there are those who are considered to be rogues, dishonest and will do anything to strip players of their bankrolls but will not pay out winners.
It's not unlike the old saying "a small group can screw it up for everyone".
Granted there are portal out there (mine included) who try to steer players towards honest casino venues. However, there are just as many webmaster who would sell their grand mother for a buck too.
Personal I think too many people have been making formal complaints about these rogue online casinos stealing USA citizens money and the Uncle Sam is now taking steps to curb the rising problem.
The industry has tried self governing and it just does not work, imo.
Maybe an dependant body could deal with this issue.
However, what would make the dollar issue believable would be if the H.R.4777 is passed and 12 months later Vegas is allowed to operate online casinos. Now that would make this a real hidden agenda.
Again on a personal view, I think something has to be done about these rogue online casinos. Frankly though it's going to be hard to stop USA citizens from gambling online.
Casino's quickly get around funding issues; they are experts at this. I'm sure if the USA place a ban on ISP's allow their USA customers to access gambling sites, casino's and such will install free dial ISP accounts off shore to toll free numbers to override this issue. They provide toll free phone numbers already, so this would be of little hassle to them or expense.
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Although in part you may be right in your assumption pertaining to Uncle Sam getting a fist full of tax dollar$, I think there is more to this than that. Being a webmaster who operates a number of online gambling portals I've been in this industry for many, many years, I've also been a player too. As the internet has grown, so too has the ability of information (good & bad) been able to be resourced by many. Speaking in regards to online casinos, the majority of these are respectable, trustworthy and above all pay their winning players. However, like most industries, there are those who are considered to be rogues, dishonest and will do anything to strip players of their bankrolls but will not pay out winners. It's not unlike the old saying "a small group can screw it up for everyone". Granted there are portal out there (mine included) who try to steer players towards honest casino venues. However, there are just as many webmaster who would sell their grand mother for a buck too. Personal I think too many people have been making formal complaints about these rogue online casinos stealing USA citizens money and the Uncle Sam is now taking steps to curb the rising problem. The industry has tried self governing and it just does not work, imo. Maybe an dependant body could deal with this issue. However, what would make the dollar issue believable would be if the H.R.4777 is passed and 12 months later Vegas is allowed to operate online casinos. Now that would make this a real hidden agenda. Again on a personal view, I think something has to be done about these rogue online casinos. Frankly though it's going to be hard to stop USA citizens from gambling online. Casino's quickly get around funding issues; they are experts at this. I'm sure if the USA place a ban on ISP's allow their USA customers to access gambling sites, casino's and such will install free dial ISP accounts off shore to toll free numbers to override this issue. They provide toll free phone numbers already, so this would be of little hassle to them or expense.