Bush signed the bill into law

[mollila]

Ok, so Bush signed the port security bill into law. But I'd like to know why the Bureau of International Information Programs press release of the subject all of sudden speaks about banning internet gambling and singles out online poker?

Read the full press relese in our news:
http://www.rakeback.com/news/2006/10...-provisions-24

Here are the quotes:

SAFE Port Act sets timetables for programs, includes ban on Internet gambling

But a ban on Internet gambling was added to it, which will harm the earnings of overseas companies that had offered online poker to U.S. players

The bill was targeted at processing payments from U.S. citizens to unlawful internet gambling sites. So why is the press relese talking specifically of online poker?

[MasterMind]

I got a notification saying that my favorite online casino will block all poker players from Michigan, Illinois, Louisiana, Oregon, Wisconsin, Washington, Indiana, Nevada, New York, New Jersey and South Dakota.

Curiously, they don't mention anything about sports book or anyt other gambling activity, but expressly poker

[sub-zero]

This whole thing is just stupid. I am a republican, and I think it is stupid. If someone wants to play poker online, why restrict them? You can say that gambling is addicting, but so is booz and porn and no one wants to ban those things from the public availability.

I don't agree with Bush on this at all and I think that he needs to re-think the whole thing. I hope that some sort of vote can be put into place to let the public decide.

[r8rpwr]

This whole thing doesn't make sense to me at all.

[koandpunt]

its gotta be a gee up!

[Avian]

It is technically right, because online gambling allows people to act outside of state legislation. It is just too bad that they choose to make this one of the election boosting ideas. Such a pointless waste of Congress' time.

[ladygirl99]

I really hope that the Democrats are going to have more seats in congress after the mid-term elections.

[hoosierhunter]

Don't they have anything better to do? There are far worse things out there than online gambling. That's silly.

[kelkat]

Originally Posted by sub-zero This whole thing is just stupid. I am a republican, and I think it is stupid. If someone wants to play poker online, why restrict them? You can say that gambling is addicting, but so is booz and porn and no one wants to ban those things from the public availability. .

Oh yes they do. Extremeists on the right want to ban indecency of all kinds, alcohol and other addictive substances. Extremeists on the left want to ban cigarettes, cigars, anything with fat in it, guns, and big SUV's.

If you don't watch it, "they" will take all your rights!

[pokerwhiz]

Originally Posted by kelkat If you don't watch it, "they" will take all your rights!

They already have!! In California there is Proposition 86 to add $2.60 a PACK on cigarettes. It all [90%] will go to hospitals.... what a joke.

Poker is being abandoned... of course except for the off-track betting, which the state and federal government takes 10% of.

Here's the rule.... tax it and it won't hurt the people that use/lose it. [cigarettes, gambling etc].
If you can't tax it, abolish it!!! Same thing we are doing in Iraq. We can't tax it, so we are trying to abolish it.

[mollila]

Originally Posted by pokerwhiz In California there is Proposition 86 to add $2.60 a PACK on cigarettes.

Would this not just lead to trafficking of cigarettes from other states?

[kelkat]

I don't know, but I think what they are trying to do with this legislation is make it harder for out of country companies to run poker games. I'm sure there have been thousands of complaints about bad companies that made the "right folks" want to take a stand for the little guy. But again, I'm just guessing.

[wondering]

It's interesting and it's also hard to find out information. I remember one day where everyone was panicking, being like, Is this illegal? Are the cops going to track me and come to my house? But that's just silly I think, because nothing has been announced officially yet - at least as far as I know!

[pokerwhiz]

Originally Posted by mollila Would this not just lead to trafficking of cigarettes from other states?

Exactly. I'm already checking out internet sites (American Indian) that sell cigarettes half the price of stores here in California.

Ironically, one of the biggest oppositions to the proposed tax increase is the California Police Departments across the state. They know it will lead to hijacking's of trucks carrying cigarettes. A full truck will have over a quarter of a million dollars worth of cargo.