A new champion of the libertarian cause has emerged out of the UK in the last few weeks. Daniel Hannen entered the public eye when he unleashed on Gordon Brown in the European parliament in late March. He has since been appearing on US cable networks and other media, getting his ideas out there.

Everyone in the poker community talks about government regulated and taxed internet poker with such hope and enthusiasm, but I really do question whether that is the right path. Is government involvement really a good thing? Bureaucrats flexed their muscles in 2006 and summoned all the power they could to ban online gambling. By allowing them to become a major player in the online poker market we would only increase the size and scope of their influence in the industry. While online poker could once again be ‘legal’ again, who is to say that administrations down the road don’t decide to impose another ban. A secondary prohibition would  be even more damning than the one we have now because poker sites would be even more dependent on United States than they were prior to the UIGEA. Everyone should be warned that the power to regulate is the power to destroy something.

One of the biggest issues with current legalisation proposals is the taxation aspect. There has been talk that taxation of online poker would be a great way to finance some of the mind blowing spending the Obama administration is undertaking. Corporate taxes would be passed onto players and rake will increase compared to pre-UIGEA levels. Teamed with less competition due to ‘regulation’, the price of poker will go up even further. There is also the potential for the government to force poker sites to withhold winnings for personal taxes.

Some people will contend that government regulation is needed in order to stop another Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet type cheating scandal (or worse). The free market is a much better form of protection for consumers than any type of government involvement though. If we cast our minds back to pre-UIGEA times it wasn’t exactly the Wild West, there were many reputable sites with solid customer service that satisfied consumers. The occasions that there was something shady going on, it wasn’t the government that discovered it, but a bunch of 2+2ers. Subsequently, the identity of the culprits came to light, all without any government involvement. In fact, the US-government currently stands in the way of prosecuting fraud because according to them online gambling shouldn’t even be taking place. So I think it is important to realise that anytime government talks of regulating online poker, what they really want is the ability to get a slice of the pie and ascert their influence on it. They may pretend they are doing it for a noble reason like “protecting” consumers.

Our best hope is for a proposal that simply makes the UIGEA go away. Which thankfully is what Barney Frank is fighting for at the moment. Hopefully, those advocating government involvement in the industry have a re-think on whether that is the best idea in the world.

The Republican Party has declared themselves against online gambling. They’ve already taken away your ability to fund your online accounts and if re-elected they will go even further. According to the following press release, banning online gambling is right up there with stopping online child predators and getting rid of street gangs.

http://www.gop.com/2008Platform/Crime.htm

“We support the law prohibiting gambling over the Internet.”

What I find most laughable is that another one of their goals is ‘Securing Civil Liberties’. If this were true then surely a government wouldn’t be looking to interfere with what someone can and can’t do in their own home on their own watch. Trying to ban online gambling is a slap in the face to freedom and liberty.

“Because our Constitution is based on the principles of individual liberty and limited government, we must always ensure that law enforcement respects the civil and constitutional rights of the people. “

The Republican Party of the last eight years has preached limited government, but practised something completely different. The US Federal government has more power and influence than ever and that has only acted to increase the influence of lobbyists and special interest groups on the American political system.

So America… if you want to live in a country where the government tells you what you can and can’t do in your own home then go ahead and vote the Republicans in for four more years.