Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act

Banning online gambling might have been a good thing for SL but irony is that the US government went for the small guys while letting the big-time online gamblers - financial speculators - help to bring the world's financial system to its knees a few months down the line!!

Never thought I'd ever imagine saying this, but, my SL pwned stocks and real estate.

Big time.

This week has been crazy. The land list for Caledon is growing at high speed again, after being kinda 'meh' all spring/summer. This year however, unlike the last two, I'm not adding a million square meters. Maybe one last region and stick a fork in it, Caledon's done! Gonna be reeeeeeaaaal interesting to see how this goes.

HR6870, Barney Frank's bill to help clarify and define what's what in regards to the UIGEA has passed the Senate, and will now go on to the House. They have an Election Year recess coming up, so it may be stalled there for a bit, so I'd say Chicken Little can go back into the Coop for at least a while.

I'm not sure that it's chicken little to discuss current legislation that could potentially effect online worlds like Second Life.

I find it interesting that online casino's are really the only ones discussing this. I would think banks would be making some noise. It almost seems like they don't support Barney Frank's bill. If that is the case and the primary lobby backing Frank on this issue is online gambling sites then I have sincere doubts that he will ultimately be successful. After all, online gambling is illegal in the United States and banks are notoriously conservative.

I guess it really depends on the elections.

When it's put out in the zomgwtf1111 style as in tha NetFreedom Forever blurb, it's hard to take it as anything else. Banks are conservative, so I'd wager that any noise they would choose to make on the matter would be done the same way they've always bought and sold our legislators. Quietly, and behind closed doors.

Also, it's picking nits, but not all Internet Gambling is banned in the US. I can log onto an OTB website and place a bet on just about any race track in the country. I still maintain that the only reason the G doesn't like online casinos is that they haven't figured out a way to a. make sure they are on the level, and b. get their piece of the action.