"The Bee's editorial board said that the legalization of the Internet gambling was inevitable but "there are many unanswered questions, and no need to rush."

In fact, many questions have been answered. And, this issue has been discussed in Sacramento and numerous forums in California since 2009. Events of the last few weeks indicate time is short.

On April 15, the U.S. Justice Department indicted three offshore Internet poker companies on a variety of federal charges. The most significant was the violation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. It was passed by Congress in 2006, and it made all forms of Internet gambling illegal in the United States.

When it passed, many companies immediately ceased taking American bets. They did not want to run afoul of U.S. law in hopes that someday it would be made legal and they would be allowed to participate in any new market.

The firms that were indicted chose to flout U.S. law, and for the last five years they have been taking illegal bets from players in America."

Get the Story:
Melanie Brenner: California should seize chance to legalize Internet gambling (The Sacramento Bee 5/8)

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