Naturally, Kyl's bill includes an exemption for such online advertising and promotion. If and when U.S. lawmakers finally legalize Internet gambling, the incumbent industry will stand ready to cash in. And so will the rest of us. Despite what you've been told about the evils of the betting life, legal gambling on the Internet would cause far less harm than you probably suppose - and it would provide some remarkable benefits. True or not, such criticisms certainly do not apply to Internet gambling, which must vie with slamming doors, barking dogs, and other household distractions.
Online gamblers have to buy their own drinks, too, and console themselves when they lose.
Net gambling doesn't offer just a more wholesome environment than its land-based competitors. It offers its weak-willed customers more help. The Interactive Gaming Council, the industry's self-governing body, has promulgated a code of conduct that goes even further. Real- world gambling services, in contrast, would find it hard to detect and prevent excessive gambling even if they wanted to. Here, too, Web sites have an advantage over their offline counterparts.