Red States Are Now Purple Says Internet Gambling Trade Org Founder
"Those red states that are now blue are really purple," declared Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association founder, Joe Brennan, Jr.
His point: The political scene won't be shifting immediately to liberal views that might otherwise embrace online gambling.
"These were Republican strongholds and their Democratic representatives are going to be very careful," Brennan, Jr. explains. "Their first agenda won't be to legalize Internet gambling."
Online gambling prohibition was added to the Republican platform in the waning minutes prior to the Convention.
Yet even the Republicans are now becoming more outspoken about the subject.
Gambling911.com published over the weekend an editorial from Former GOP House Majority Leader, Dick Armey.
"It's an understatement to say the Internet has done more to shape society over the last 10 years than any other technological innovation, transforming communications, business, and entertainment," Armey said. "The benefits generated by the technological revolution easily parallel those of the earlier industrial revolution. What's important is that this explosion in growth occurred in an era relatively free of government interference. Unfortunately, that may not remain the case.
"Dick Armey, who says that the Treasury Department should be cautious in its Internet gambling rules Regulatory incursions onto the Internet are becoming more frequent, threatening the open dynamic that has generated so much for consumers. Without vigilance, we face the prospect of turning the Internet into something akin to an electronic version of the Post Office rather than the engine of growth it has become.
"This can be seen in Congress' attempt to eliminate unlawful Internet gambling. Not only does the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 raise serious questions about privacy, but its vague definitions and poorly defined goals force banks and payment centers into a tight position."
Brennan insists that an Obama administration is not going to translate into immediate acceptance of the multi billion dollar online gambling industry.
"Everybody claims President Elect Obama will be good for online gambling because he is a poker player but has anyone ever seen or taken pictures of Obama playing poker?" Brennan Jr. asks. "This is the type of thing that gets spread quickly through the echo chamber of this industry, often started by Gambling911.com."
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
