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- Former Congressman fears NSA exploitation of loophole in current law
- ”Just as prohibition lead to the rise of organized crime, banning online gambling will ensure that only criminals (and terrorists) will run online casinos.”
- ”Gambling is a peaceful activity that does not violate anyone’s rights”.
Ron Paul is back and defending the right to have legal online gambling.
Regularly interviewed here at Gambling911.com, the retired Republican Congressman and Libertarian from Texas just wrote an opt-ed piece for Townhall.com, claiming that the current i-Gaming ban is a “loss for liberty”.
Dr. Paul expressed objection to
what he calls the National Security Agency’s exploitation of the “incidental” loophole to turn Section 702 into a routinely-used justification for wiretapping America citizens.
Given the way the federal snoop state uses every inch of (unconstitutional) power granted them to take a mile of liberty, the last thing Congress should do is pass legislation giving the surveillance state a new excuse to spy on us -- especially if the legislation also violates the Tenth Amendment. Yet Congress will do just that if it listens to the special interests pushing the Restoration of Americas’ Wireless Act (RAWA).
Current laws involving online gambling prohibit financial institutions from allowing certain transactions for specified forms of the activity with a few exclusions including horse racing and lotteries. RAWA would prohibit Internet gambling entirely at both the federal and state level.
The former Congressman adds:
RAWA makes online gaming a federal crime. Thus, it gives federal agents another excuse to monitor our Internet usage. Those tempted to say, “I don’t gamble online, so I have no need to worry,” should ask themselves what if their name appeared in the email contacts of friends or relatives who gambled online. Individuals may also be targeted if their browsing habits match that of a “profile” of an online gambler.
One of the justifications for RAWA is the claim that Internet gaming sites are controlled by drug cartels and terrorists groups. This claim gives law enforcement all the justification it needs to bring the full weight of the post-9-11-surveillance state down on those suspected of gambling online.
The irony of this argument is if Congress passes RAWA, they would be helping terrorists and other criminals. Criminalizing online gaming is not going stop individuals from seeking out opportunities to gamble online, any more than prohibition stopped people from wanting to drink alcoholic beverages. Instead, just as prohibition lead to the rise of organized crime, banning online gambling will ensure that only criminals (and terrorists) will run online casinos.
Dr. Paul closed by stating that “federal laws outlawing Internet gambling are also incompatible with the fundamental principles of a free society. Gambling is a peaceful activity that does not violate anyone’s rights”.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
