Net Betting Ban Makes No Sense
A new report from Gartner Research finds the Australian government's efforts to ban interactive gambling both ineffective and illogical. Further, researchers suggest that the ban, instead of curbing gambling among
Australians, would encourage them to gamble with less reliable offshore Internet sites. A company researcher explained, "Gartner sees the ban as completely ineffective in stopping Australian consumers from gaming online, despite the government's suggestion of filter of Internet traffic. The government is completely mistaken. Filtering is already ineffective against even the most basic of Web-based static content."
He added, "By banning online gaming vendors from the Australian market, but then effectively only enforcing the law against local vendors, the government is guaranteeing pirates will have the entire Australian market to themselves, and there is a better than 80 percent chance that within three years the government will be forced to mandate a greater level of filtering on the Australian Internet industry."
More About the Ban
ZD Net Australia recently posed this question to its readers:
Do you agree with the Howard Government's plan to ban Internet gambling?
- Yes - Australia's gambling addiction is out of control -- 33 percent
- No - the Australian gaming industry should be legally entitled to conduct business online -- 19 percent
- It's irrelevant because offshore gaming sites are still accessible -- 46 percent
A Survey from the American Front
In a survey that ran on MSNBC, readers were asked: Would halting credit card use at gambling Web sites stop Americans from betting online?
By Monday, MSNBC had received 67 responses:
- Yes - 37 percent
- No - 55 percent
- Don't know - 7 percent
NCAA Betting Just the Tip of the Iceberg for Problem Gambling
American teens are surrounded by signs that gambling is not only acceptable, but a fun pastime, sending many children and teens down the problem gambling path, according to the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey.
Executive Director Ed Looney explains, "Some young people start betting at 10-11 years old. They gamble on cards, dice and video games between friends, but the real problematic gambling starts in high school when they are exposed to sports betting."
By the time they reach college, the Council says, these sports bettors have established relationships with illegal bookmakers. In a recent survey conducted at a New Jersey state college, 39 percent of students projected they would bet on March Madness. Plus, 24 percent indicated that they had previously wagered on college basketball.
Americans Are Concerned with Child Pornography
Americans think child pornography is the worst danger on the Internet, according to a survey released Monday. Those surveyed are divided over whether they mind federal agents spying on e-mail, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project study. Seventy percent of the respondents said they were anxious about computer viruses, while 80 percent were worried about fraud and 82 percent were concerned with terrorist activity online. But the largest majority registered, 92 percent, said they were worried about child pornography, and half of the respondents rated child porn as the single most heinous online crime, far
higher than any other choice.