President Obama Should Stand Up on Online Casino, Gambling Cases

While the President is occupied with other tasks, his administration is acting on online casino, gambling, and sports betting issues as if conservative Christian Republicans were still in charge, not what voters expected when they asked for change.

While President Barack Obama tackles an ambitious agenda of urgent issues, policies regarding matters that may initially seem not as pressing to the administration are being set in ways that belie campaign promises by Obama, and threaten his reputation among a significant number of constituents. Despite already handling the economic crisis, health care reform, and the overseas problems in Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, and Iran, the President needs to make his voice heard, and his position understood, regarding online casinos and sports gambling in the US, says a noted gaming expert.

Obama campaigned for Internet freedom from censorship, and his own interactive poll revealed US residents consider affirming the right to play online poker the top technological priority of the administration. Obama himself is a known poker aficionado, and Barney Frank, a leading Democratic Congressman, has taken on evangelical Republicans in a battle to restore individual liberty to the Internet and preserve the right to choose to visit online casinos.

Yet, with Obama's attention drawn to other subjects, Online Casino Advisory gambling analyst Sherman Bradley says the Department of Justice is acting as if George Bush were still in charge, writing its own law and disregarding judicial precedents, international law, and Congressional acts as it chooses.

"The DoJ has seized bank accounts filled with money belonging to US consumers who legally play online poker, is fighting to preserve the UIGEA by denying the admission of recent evidence that would lose its case, is acting to deny New Jersey the right to determine its own state policy regarding sports gambling that four other states enjoy, and is pressuring Delaware to disavow its right as granted by Congress to employ sports betting," says Bradley.

"People who voted for change are disturbed to see the same old Bush policies, including deliberate dismissal of court interpretations of the Wire Act, disregard for due process in the bank seizures, and shady courtroom antics in the New Jersey and UIGEA cases to prevent honest justice from being accomplished."

Bradley says that voters understand Obama cannot devote all his time to these issues, but he thinks people would like to see the President give a verbal approval to Barney Frank, and instruct Eric Holder to serve justice rather than defend outdated policy.

"The concept that voters do not care enough for these issues to make them politically important is no longer valid," states Bradley. "Ten million members of the Poker Players Alliance is the tip of the iceberg, and this true silent majority is tired of organized religious radicals and hypocritical lobbyists from the special interests like the NFL having their way."

"Even issues currently on the President's plate, like health care, are affected by choices on the gambling issues. Over $3 billion in annual revenue would be available to help pay for some of Obama's expensive programs, if he takes a stand to support Frank."