Battle around gambling in USA. Passions run high

Not so long ago California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has stated his position regarding the ban of online gambling in the USA. However not all of his colleagues have the same point of view. The governor of Kentucky, Steve Beshar was very critical and urged to prohibit Internet gambling through the seizure of Internet gambling domain names. 

According to him Internet gambling is flourishing in an underground marketplace and it is necessary to do something to protect Kentuckians and all Americans. However almost immediately after such statement Jeffrey Sandman, spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, have openly addressed the statesman and asked to reverse his position.

"The Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative calls on Kentucky Governor Steve Beshar to support the regulation of Internet gambling as a way to protect Kentuckians and generate billions of dollars in new revenue, rather than seeking to prohibit the activity,” wrote Mr. Sandman in his letter to Beshar. 

“The movement to regulate Internet gambling, led by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, advocates for a more responsible approach to protect consumers and capture billions of dollars to fund critical government programs, money that otherwise is lost to offshore businesses and out of the U.S. economy. Based on pending legislation, the Investing in our Human Resources Act (H.R.6051), Kentuckians could receive an estimated $556 million over 10 years to fund critical programs from regulated Internet gambling revenues. The bill also includes provisions to encourage responsible Internet gambling behavior and an awareness of unsafe practices, something problem gambling advocates praise,” said the spokesman. 

The administration of Steve Beshar is still silent.