From the Boston Herald: Frank’s cards on the table: It’s good deal to regulate online poker By Alfonse D’Amato Monday, May 14, 2007 Perhaps the biggest government blunders in U.S. history have been prohibitions. The prohibition against alcohol led to black market smuggling and speakeasies, and reaped huge profits for organized crime. Today, the prohibition on Internet gambling promises to funnel players underground, diminishing society’s ability to deal with serious challenges such as underage and problem gambling, and, more importantly, interferes with the right to individual liberty and privacy. Rep. Barney Frank’s (D-Mass.) efforts to deal with this outrageous legislation are heroic. With the current Internet gambling ban, the unintended consequences abound. Law enforcement and financial institutions must redirect resources to monitor and then block poker wagers instead of focusing resources on tracking terrorist financing. And, because the ban funnels players underground and forces them to use less transparent financial systems to place bets, law enforcement finds itself even more hampered to police potential money laundering. .... Full story here: http://news.bostonherald.com/editorial/view.bg?articleid=1001085&srvc=home
