Saints Add another Player, Second Choice in Offshore Wagering. Not that long ago there was a strong anti-offshore wagering movement gaining steam in the US Congress but the political winds seem to be changing and the future of offshore wagering looks bright. Since the technological advances that led to the creation of offshore wagering companies much has changed the desire to shut down these entities is one of the things that has seemed to fall by the wayside.
In the early nineties, when the Internet was just gaining steam and the birth of offshore wagering companies came about there was a powerful Republican contingency in House of Representatives. This group of political conservatives was decidedly against the existence of offshore wagering on the Internet. The issue was in the headlines for several years although no successful legislation against Saints offshore wagering was introduced.
The reason for this is, of course, the simple fact that the US Congress does not have the authority. As much as some member of Congress may want to tell other sovereign states what to do; the US Constitution, nor any other political charter, does not grant it that authority.
For the US Congress to ban the use of offshore wagering sites; is not only outside its jurisdiction but it’s also a ridiculous notion. It’s also an inherently anti-Republican idea, yet that is the political party that has most often opposed the existence of offshore wagering companies. The Republicans are supposedly for smaller government and less government interference into people’s lives. Yet trying to introduce legislation that regulates what people do on their computer in the privacy of their home is certainly contrary to their party platform.
But aside from political considerations the ban of offshore wagering would be ridiculous. Sports betting is as old as sport itself and to banish sports wagering would be to deny a piece of mankind’s cultural heritage. Sure, there are people that have addiction issues when it comes to sports betting, but there are also people with series addiction problems to tobacco and alcohol and both of those are legal.
Sports betting is one of our great pastimes and to try and do away with that in a purge of offshore wagering enterprises would not only be counterproductive but it would be wrong.