Reconsidering Regulation : A Historical View of the Legality of Internet Poker and Discussion of the Internet Gambling Ban of 2006

With the passage of the Internet Gambling Ban of 2006, Congress envisioned a complete prohibition on online poker and online gambling in general. Instead, this hastily passed law has created more confusion than it has cured. By failing to acknowledge jurisdictional problems associated with this law, Congress has left several loopholes that allow online gambling to continue nearly unabated. Moreover, by focusing on prohibition rather than regulation, the government forgoes many of the benefits of regulating the online poker industry: generating tax revenue, protecting social policy, and preserving state autonomy. Last, the U.S. government, by failing to distinguish poker from other forms of gambling, neglects to take into account the skill factors involved in the game