Government deals online gamblers a tough hand
by Danielle Lerner
Dec 04, 2007
WASHINGTON-- Texas Hold'em, 7 card stud and blackjack are just a few of the games available anytime, and anywhere, with the simple click of a mouse.
Gambling online is a popular pastime for many young people and the industry has students shelling out hundreds, even thousands of dollars for a big payoff. Danny Steinberg, 19, is a sophomore at American University and he says playing online poker is just another way to have fun.
"It's like any other game, it's like basketball or chess," he said. "It's enjoyable to get good at something."
Most Internet gambling sites operate outside the U.S. so players don't need to be 21, just 18. Steinberg plays about two hours each day and the practice has paid off.
"Every expense I need under school that's not under scholarship I'll buy with the money I make from poker," he said. "I got my mom a thousand dollar gift certificate for Neiman Marcus for her birthday. I'm not just throwing the money away. I'm putting it to something good."
Now, Steinberg's hobby is getting much harder. Last year Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act which restricts certain online gambling sites from accepting ************ and money transfers. Many sites shut down and others increased the level of competition. "You have to be a lot bettter to make a lot more money now," Steinberg said.
Congress is debating whether to restrict internet gambling even more and some members say it's necessary to protect young people from themsevles.
"Online players can gamble 24 hours a day from home," Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said during a congressional hearing. "Children may play without age verification and betting with a credit card can lead to addiction, bankruptcy and crime."
Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., however, says that Congress' concerns are unfounded.
"As far as addiction is concerned there are far more people addicted to shopping online then gambling online," she said. "Unless Congress is going to ban internet shopping we better think long and hard about prohibiting people from internet gaming."
Steinberg knows the stereotypes associated with online gambling but says a different point of view may be the answer.
"No one's going to have a negative stereotype of someone who wants to get really good at chess," he said. "I feel like you should just look at it as some kind of hobby that's interesting and not as someone trying to throw away their life."
For now some internet gambling is still legal, but proposals for harsher regulations are in the works.