Tempering the temptation of Web casinos

TEMPERING THE TEMPTATION OF WEB CASINOS
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] If, within just a few years, 4.5 percent of college students took on a new form of addiction, one might expect quick national action to curb it. Not so in the US Senate, which left last week for a long holiday without passing a House bill to clamp down on online casinos. Internet gambling has skyrocketed in recent years, reaching a vulnerable few who can ruin their lives through compulsive betting, ignoring responsibilities, and losing livelihood. College kids away from parental oversight seem especially drawn to the ease and anonymity of Web casinos, notably poker, on their PCs. The Senate's purposeful delay in cracking down on illegal Internet gambling shows just how far the public interest has been perverted. Governments need to be on constant guard to control and tax the industry. With the Internet allowing Americans to play at foreign-based casinos and sports-betting operations, a special vigilance is needed. Federal prosecutors sent that message last month with the arrest of the British chief executive of BetOnSports, David Carruthers, who was caught during a flight layover in the US. BetOnSports is based in London and Costa Rica. Prohibiting all gambling would be difficult, but gambling should not be difficult for government to control. The Senate should pass the House bill quickly upon its return.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0801/p08s02-comv.html