D.C. think tank slams UIGEA
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With a Congressional hearing on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act scheduled for this week, a conservative think tank released a paper that says the law is bad for the United States.
The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s white paper on the UIGEA highlights problems with the law and its applications in the United States.
According to pokernews.com:
The paper, entitled “Time to Fold the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act: A Bad Law with Perverse Outcomes,” was written by Eli Lehrer, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a D.C. advocacy house very frequently associated with conservative, pro-business causes. The paper was quickly summarized in an “American Spectator” piece called “No Dice,” also penned by Lehrer and Michelle Minton, a policy analyst for CEI, and the entire original white paper is available on the Poker Players Alliance web site at pokerplayersalliance.com.
The white paper focuses, in part, on the collateral damage that the implementation of the UIGEA could cause to America’s banking system. Lehrer notes, in his introduction, that “The Act seems unlikely to stop Internet gambling and could even threaten the stable, smooth operation of America’s banking system.” Lehrer notes the “affirmative obligation” this will place on banks to enforce the UIGEA’s mandates.
The paper also talks about how the UIGEA creates new burdens on the government while providing no new money to complete tasks outlined by the law
The paper will likely be talked about by the media and lawmakers as the enforcement of the law is addressed in a House of Representatives subcommittee meeting on Wednesday.
