New York online gambling racket goes postal

America's online gambling purges continued at the state level today, as a major bust in the New York City area snared over 60 individuals, with more to come. According to Gambling911.com, the gambling ring operated in conjunction with Costa Rican online service provider 50ksports.com. The arrest list is a veritable who's who …

[Anonymous Coward]

Gambling is illegal... sort of

We have zero tolerance towards gambling... unless it's the state lottery. Gambling is a scourge of society... unless it's the state who profits from it. Am I the only one who's sick of this double-standard? State lotteries - allowed. Keno - allowed. Bingo (especially in churches) - allowed. Online gambling - illegal. Why? The most frustrating thing is that states in which gambling is legal still declare online gambling illegal (despite doing so being a clear violation of WIPO rules).

And what right does the state or federal government have to tell me how I can spend my money? What does it matter to them whether I spend it on gambling or whether I go on vacation (or whether I just save it and don't spend it at all)? As long as I'm not hurting anyone, what does it matter?

What's next? Will citizens not be allowed to vote in the future? After all, that's a game of chance. Even more than normal for people using electronic voting machines...

[Dillon Pyron]

Declared winnings

How many online gamblers declare their winnings? That's what this is really about, taxes. If Uncle Sugar can come up with a way to get these off-shore gambling houses to pony up names and numbers, I'll bet that online gambling suddenly gets the go ahead.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a Democrat Congress and a Democrat President push through a bill licensing US online gambling houses, since they can force these to issue 1099s. Still block off-shore transactions unless they pony up for a license and agree to the same terms.

That's the real attraction of online gambling. Free money. Then there's the crack like addictiveness.

Cigars were all the rage for a few years. Then it was whisky (glad that one's gone). Now it's Texas Hold 'Em. I give that craze another two years before something else takes it's place.