Massachusetts Governor Pushes for Jailtime for Online Gamblers
12th November, 2007
The Governor of Massachusetts wants to enforce jail terms of up to two years and $25,000 fines for people who play poker and casino for real money online.
Massachusetts is currently at the stage of turning place bets online would be a class C felony, following other states such as Washington. The governor plans to allow three casinos to set up in the state but not allow online gambling. Barney Frank the sponsor of federal legislation to license and regulate online gambling nationally was shocked and criticized the governor’s plan to penalize online gamers while inviting casino operators to set up in the state.
"Why is gambling in a casino OK and gambling on the Internet is not?" Frank said. "He's making a big mistake. He's giving opponents an argument against him." It would also mean online bets on professional sports could not take place which could mean possible jailtime for sports fan.
"Several of the provisions of the governor's proposed resort casinos bill seek to clarify the laws relating to gaming in Massachusetts, including online gaming," said Kofi Jones, spokeswoman for the governor's chief gambling adviser.
"If you were cynical about it, you'd think that they're trying to set up a monopoly for the casinos," said David G. Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
