US More Like China Than UK Regarding Internet Gambling
News breaking over the last few months describes how the US approach to online gambling more closely resembles that of China, a totalitarian government, rather than the United Kingdom, another democracy. Both Chinese and US government forces have spent the first half of 2010 arresting and prosecuting Internet casino operators, and seizing large sums of money.The Chinese news service Xinhua reported today that the Chinese campaign against Internet gambling started in February has resulted in the arrests of over 3400 persons and the seizure of $88 million in gaming funds. Internet freedoms have been denied, as censorship blocks both gambling websites and payment processors from the country's residents.
US citizens can empathize with their Chinese counterparts. A decade of attempts to take choice away from residents and deny access to online casinos has been racheted up by Eric Holder's Justice Department over the last several months. While actual arrsts number in the hundreds rather than thousands, money taken from frozen bank accounts is much more than the Chinese figure.
UK lawmakers have acknowledged the desire of the population to patronize online sports betting and Internet casinos, and, rather than fight the wish of the public, have worked to fairly and safely regulate online gambling. Legislators continue to study and tweak UK gaming rules, to ensure the greatest freedom for residents while protecting against fraud and underage participation.
Despite the accepted notion that the US is a capitalist republic, such actions as denial of Internet freedom and the banning of online gambling indicate otherwise. With the continued consolidation of corporations in the US, especially financial concerns, and their growing interlocking with the federal government, Internet gaming may be just the beginning of US similarity to China.
