In an earlier post, I optimistically predicted that the online gambling ban would be repealed or modified in a little over two years. This article makes my prediction seem way off the mark:
Even if more libertarian minds prevail in the online gambling debate, Stewart says it could take at least a decade for Congress to legalize Internet betting - dooming a $12 billion industry that has earned a place in mainstream culture to black-sheep status.
"They don't have the appetite for it," he said of members' desire to pursue a debate.
Opposed by a few religious conservatives in Congress and supported by companies believed to be operating illegally, Internet gambling has been a fringe issue with complex ramifications and little to gain politically for proponents.
Online poker players sent hundreds of e-mails and letters to members of Congress opposing the prohibition bill but were no match for Republican conservatives and their allies. Online gamblers are growing in number but don't yet have the political clout to influence legislation, Stewart said.
Rather than legalizing online wagering nationwide, Internet gambling expert I. Nelson Rose said Congress may eventually pass a law allowing states to opt into a regulatory system enabling Internet betting for in-state residents. A similar system enables gamblers to bet on horse races from remote locations in their home states as well as other states that choose to participate.
Short of that, states will likely seek to regulate Internet betting within their borders.
