U.S. Gambling Stance is Wildly Unpopular

by Edward Rogers, News Staff Writer

November 14, 2007

At this late date, it is highly unlikely that many are unaware of the United States government’s draconian views of online gambling. Federal laws have all but banned American players from accessing online casinos, and have slapped prohibitions on some of the most popular internet casino attractions, of which poker is the best-known and most controversial. U.S. lawmakers, including the President, have espoused the belief that online casino play is linked with gambling addiction and financial ruin, and that there is a proliferation of underage online casino players being exploited by the industry’s many purported vices.

What lawmakers are just starting to realize, however, is how wildly unpopular their strict viewpoints on online gambling really are. Independent research undertaken by RT Strategies shows that two-thirds of U.S. citizens are against the restriction of online casino gambling, and want legislators to back off. The results of the RT Strategies poll, which were recently published, paint a vivid picture of a nation that clearly isn’t seeing the same dangers in internet casinos that their representatives supposedly do. Citizens would rather see lawmakers turn their attention to efforts to keep minors from online casinos and give much-needed help to those “problem gamblers” (read: addicts) that do exist.

The online gambling poll was conducted last month from a sample of some one thousand adults divided equally between political liberals and conservatives. The full results of the poll, which focused on Americans’ feelings towards online casinos and internet casino restriction, can be found online, where it is being hosted by the Poker Players’ Alliance of America.

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