Massachusetts Lawmaker Attempting to Pass Criminal Law Against Online Gambling

Submitted by Evan on Fri, 2010-04-09 at 19:09

A Massachusetts representative recently fought to have all forms of online gambling, including online poker, made illegal. The move would criminalize any persons who participated in online gambling in any capacity.

While it seems drastic, there are many people in the US who feel this strongly about legalized online gambling. They think it is dangerous and could potentially cause a lot of societal problems, including a huge financial strain when it comes to developing addiction programs for problem gamblers.

In fact, the proposed bill would mean that any person participating in any type of online gambling could potentially find themselves facing criminal charges including prison time and fines of up to $25,000! The definition of involvement in online gambling is broken down into very specific actions in a way that leaves no margin for interpretation.

The bill is receiving mixed reactions as some feel it is too harsh. It is hard to imagine a senior citizen surfing the web and checking out an online casino casually one minute, and being thrown in jail the next.

The online casino industry is on the ball and is coming up with arguments that they hope will keep the bill from passing. Like almost all other states, Massachusetts is currently divided over the disadvantages versus the advantages of online gambling.