Proposed New Gambling Law is a Threat to Your Civil Liberties

Hello, Galaxine readers. During the past two years we've posted articles discussing the threat of ill-advised prohibitive gambling law. Unfortunately, that threat is now more pronounced.

Galaxine Magazine and the Internet Gaming Council are asking you to call your state senator and voice your opinion about these new legal bills which could set a trend or precedent regarding your freedom to use the Internet. Even for non-gambling citizens, the consequences of these types of legislation negatively our economy and freedoms.

ATTENTION: U.S. PLAYERS!.

THE U.S. CONGRESS IS TRYING TO TAKE AWAY YOUR PREROGATIVE TO PLACE BETS ON-LINE!

TELL THE U.S. SENATE TO STOP H.R. 556, THE SO-CALLED UNLAWFUL INTERNET GAMBLING FUNDING PROHIBITION ACT!

Dear U.S. Players:

Like 4-5 million other Americans, you enjoy going on-line to place bets on casino-style games or sporting events. You are not a problem gambler; you simply enjoy an occasional game of blackjack, but don't always want to drive to a casino, or else you place an occasional bet on a football game, but don 't want to deal with a bookie.

Unfortunately, many people in the U.S. Congress don't want you to be able to do that. They believe that it is the government's responsibility to prevent you from making choices that they consider to be immoral or unwise, and they want to force U.S. financial institutions to prevent you from doing so.

The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed H.R. 556 (the Leach bill). Under the Leach bill, every U.S. business which handles money, from banks and credit card companies to on-line payment businesses to wire services like Western Union, would be required to filter out and block any transaction which could possibly be related to on-line wagering. Aside from the fact that this would prevent you from betting on-line, it is an unprecedented invasion of privacy to require financial institutions to sort through every transaction you make and try to determine which ones might violate someone else's moral standards.

It is time to tell Congress, and particularly the U.S. Senate, that you don't
want the government making these decisions for you! There is still time to stop the Leach bill, but only if U.S. players make their voices heard.

Contact your Senators! Below are some taking points, which you should
restate in your own words in e-mails to both of your Senators. (It is
important to use your own words - when legislators get a large number of e-mails that say exactly the same thing, they suspect that it is a computer generating false names and e-mail addresses.)

Tell your Senators that you are an adult, and can make decisions for
yourself! Wagering is a personal decision, and millions of Americans do it
harmlessly; in fact the largest processor of wagers are state lotteries,
sponsored by the state governments themselves.

Tell your Senators that you don't want your financial institution sifting
through your transactions trying to "sniff out' which ones might be Internet
gaming! It is unprecedented for the government to "deputize" private
corporations and make them violate individuals' privacy the way the Leach bill seeks to.

Tell your Senators that you will remember how they voted on Election Day! The Congressional elections are just a few weeks away, and your vote will be influenced, if not determined, by their vote on the Leach bill.

US PLAYERS ONLY: Communicate with your Senators now by linking to http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index_by_state.cfm

IT'S YOUR GOVERNMENT - MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU!