Leave online gambling to states

Most people believe states should decide whether to regulate online gambling and are opposed to a federal ban, according to a new survey.

The Coalition for Consumer and Online Protections (C4COP), a gambling advocacy group, released a survey that found three out of four voters believe states should have the right to legalize online gambling for their own citizens. The poll also found that 57 percent of voters are opposed to a federal ban. “The American public doesn’t want Congress to pass a sweeping ban of all online gaming,” Alison Harden Siciliano, C4COP spokeswoman, said in a statement. “A nationwide ban would put more Americans at risk online, and allow the current overseas, black market gambling operations to thrive.” Congress has not yet taken up the issue, but gambling opponents are calling for a federal ban that would primarily affect three states, New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware, that have already legalized online gambling.