On Monday of last week I got some bad news, and with that bad news I somehow caught the flu. Yes, I know you can't catch a flu from bad news over the phone and I probably got it from one of the runny nosed children running around my sons new day care but I'm the writer of this article and I'm taking poetic license with my facts. On Sunday night I went to my first meeting of a writers group. I was excited and high from a reading of my work the night before. While the group didn't have much to say about my piece it seemed to be a solid beginning to a story and I was pleased. As such that definitely wasn't what made me ill. In fact, I was sick in bed from Monday evening till Friday morning, the very thought of getting up made me nauseous. I had a fever, my head hurt, my eyes hurt, and my brain hurt. My husband had to stay home from work to watch my youngest son because the idea of me taking care of a hyper-crawling ten month old in the state I was in was laughable. Instead I was in bed moaning and watching some of the worst television made ever and the pain was so bad I was simply thankful for the distraction. As it stands now I'm still nauseous, but the head and eye pain has gone away. Are you on the edge of your seat yet wondering what that bad news was? Sorry, you'll have to wait until the end of this article. After the anti-online gambling law was signed and internet gambling stocks destroyed someone official in the British government deems it acceptable to speak up about the new US legislation. Tessa Jowell, Britain's culture secretary, compared the U.S. attack on on-line gambling to the unsuccessful alcohol ban of the Prohibition. According to Jowell the new ban on online gambling will make unregulated offshore sites the “modern equivalent of speakeasies,” underground illegal bars opened in 1920's in America when alcohol was banned during Prohibition. While I agree with the sentiment, I disagree with the statement. Alcohol was legal in the United States before prohibition, while according to the Department of Justice internet gambling was never legal. Though do to a loophole in the law they were unable to do anything about it. Plus I would imagine that going online and gambling illegally doesn't hold a fraction of the illicit excitement that a speakeasy did. Regardless of whether I agree with her statement I'm certain that the online gambling establishments based in the UK would like to see this new prohibition in America fail. Their stocks have plundered to a sorry demise and many have already closed shop completely. On the other hand, Britain is just starting to roll out their new online gambling regulation system. Under the new British gambling laws, internet casinos, sports books, and poker rooms have a “social responsibility” duty written into licenses. To make sure that these sites comply with the rules they will be policed by the independent Gambling Commission watchdog. The internet gambling legislation in Britain requires online gambling sites to work to prevent under-age gambling, give prominent warnings about addiction, and inform users how much time and money they have spent on the site. Most sites offer this information to players anyhow. My guess is that the regulation states exactly how these details should be placed. Jowell feels that regulation is definitely the way to go, and it has nothing to do with the fact that these new responsibilities fall under her jurisdiction. “Broadly speaking we have three choices: you can prohibit, like the U.S., do nothing or regulate, like we have,” Jowell said. “I firmly believe we have chosen the path that will do the most to protect children and vulnerable people and keep out crime.” Right, by placing warnings on the site, and informing players how much time and money they have spent people will magically change to responsible individuals who can realize on their own what time it is and how much of their money is gone. Placing a warning on a website stating that internet gambling can be addictive is about as threatening as placing a warning label on a packet of cigarettes. It doesn't deter many, and those it does deter probably didn't have a problem to begin with. My point? That the one to two percent of internet gamblers who risk becoming addicted will most likely become addicted regardless. Almost certainly they are already addicted to something else and this will only add to the disarray in their lives. This doesn't mean that they don't warrant any sympathy, but I'm not going to play innocent and think that this list of regulations is going to save someone with a compulsion disorder and an addictive personality. I'm not here to save the world, I'm just being honest about who's in it. I guess I'm being a tad surly today. It's miserable weather outside and I will admit that my mood is as gloomy as the clouds above. Which brings me to the phone call. I won't tell you the details today but I will tell you this, it was from my boss who never calls me first. Posted on: October 29, 2006
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