Photo credit: Jamie Adams

It was interesting to go to a Ways and Means Committee meeting on the possibilities and pitfalls of online gambling in the aftermath of Rand Paul’s huge victory in Kentucky.

Paul is a libertarian, and by definition should be in favor of doing away with the prohibition of online gambling.  His father, Ron Paul, is a co-sponsor of legislation that would do just that.

Paul also has ample reason to change the current Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The law could have a negative impact on para-mutual horse race betting, an industry important to the home state of Churchill Downs.

The hearing exposed both the philosophical and practical problems with the current law.  Philosophically, as Republican primary voters are clamoring for more freedom from the federal government, this law says simply that American adults are not capable of handling the temptation of Internet gambling.

Now, that may be true for a small percentage of Americans.  And it may be true that a small percentage of Americans can’t handle the temptation of sniffing glue.  But we don’t ban glue because of those fateful few whom have decided that sniffing it is the best use of glue.  Nor should we use the resources of the federal government to throw people in jail because they want to play poker in their own homes.  Read more...