Utah Attorney General backs legalization of online gaming
5th March, 2009
It might come as a surprise to some to hear that the Attorney General of Utah-a state that bans all forms of gambling- is in favour of legalizing online gambling.
Attorney General of Utah, Mark Shurtleff, recognizes that millions of people still gamble online regardless of the law and that it is these people who are vulnerable to manipulation and scams.
"It is going to happen anyway, let's put some regulation in place,' said Shurtleff, "Even though we outlawed it for two years now, it is still going on and it is highly unregulated, so you've got unscrupulous people rigging the system. People are getting ripped off."
Shurtleff is not the only one in America to start believing that the UIGEA is not working; that it is possibly doing more harm than good.
When the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed in 2006, Representative Barney Frank fought hard against it.
Frank has been working closely with Poker Players Alliance and other gaming groups to establish ways in which online gaming can be regulated. Frank’s two main concerns are eradicating money laundering and stopping underage gambling.
Observer, Michael Kyputsky said, "The online gambling ball has begun to roll and lawmakers are starting to understand that the UIGEA is not working. It was a valiant effort to rid the US of online gambling, but it has not, and will not, go away. At least now politicians are starting to accept the idea that regulation on the industry in the next step.”
By Annabel
