Offshore Wagering Companies Should Onshore. There are many things in regards to the way that the US Congress conducts its business that seem absurd or arbitrary but you would be hard pressed to find an issue’s handling more insane than that of the offshore wagering industry. Or perhaps the simple fact that the offshore gambling industry exists at all is proof enough of how absurd things have gotten.
There are perhaps several arguments that you could make in favor of keeping gambling off US soil that have some logical merit. However, Congress and those that oppose online wagering companies have not presented these arguments. There is of course the very real chance that a very slight number of people who engage in online wagering may in fact develop an addiction. But the risk that people would develop an addiction to alcohol or nicotine is much higher and affects much more harmful than any addiction to online betting.
But to get the heart of the matter the people that claim to in fact oppose the online gambling industry make not even the slightest pretence at legitimizing their motives. If banning all types of gambling and sports betting was the goal of the US Congress than there would be no Native American casinos, no river gambling boats and cruises and no slot machines in gas stations in states across the union.
The simple fact is that the original opposition to the online wagering industry was the brick and mortar casinos located in the US and on its rivers and oceans. They perceived online wagering companies as a threat to their business. Hence, hefty campaign contributions were made and the US Congress acted to effectively ban online gambling sites and create the offshore wagering industry.
If protecting people from the harmful effects of wagering were really the goal than Congress’ policy must be deemed a horrible failure as there are now almost more gambling facilities on US soil than libraries. Anyone who wants gamble can be at casino-type location in minutes in most parts of the country. Further, even though online betting companies are banned from setting up shop in the US, online betting fans can access online betting sites any second of the day via the Internet.
So why continue this charade and this faux blockade of online betting when these offshore betting companies could be relocated to the use and taxed to help fund the economic recovery?