Column: Department of Justice needs to fold

By Nick Calcaterra

Published April 22, 2011

After months of ineffective debate and politics, the government is finally getting work done. Beginning with a classic budget masterpiece, our public officials are getting back into the grind of screwing people over. One can only fathom the mastery it takes to construct a budget cut initiative that results in an annual spending increase. I can’t wait till next year’s shutdown stand-off.

With both parties working again, the legislation could tackle other important issues like detailed planning for Libya or social concerns. So how did Washington follow up their first success? The Department of Justice filed litigation against the top three poker sites and shutdown their services without warning.

I will admit my bias on the issue; I have been playing poker for a very long time. Since a sophomore in high school, I have been playing tournaments and cash games for considerable amounts of money. I have a few friends and acquaintances who play professionally. Needless to say, their lives have just taken a grim turn. While my sympathy lies with them, I feel I would be against the government’s course of action regardless.

Adults already have the legal right to gamble in casinos around the country. Right now, 18-year-olds can board a cruise and throw craps once the boat hits international waters. Games of pure chance, with odds significantly stacked against the player, are facilitated by our own government. Clearly, our nation treasures our rights to use our money the way we want it. However, the case is only true when government gets a cut.

Poker players in the United States already pay taxes and are frequently targeted by the IRS, but the government feels the need to soak up whatever money it can get from corporate taxes. After the “huge” hit to the budget, I’m sure Obama is looking for all the money he can find. However, in the process of this robbery under the guise of moral fortitude, the Department of Justice has cut off the livelihood for thousands.

There are many types of online players. Some players play big multi table tournaments and hit big cashes every once in a while. However, many players play low, but consistent, return on investment games and depend on weekly withdrawals to pay the bills. Many young individuals rely on poker as their job but are being neglected for relatively insignificant amounts of money.

I often hear the self-righteous idea that banning internet gambling somehow saves people from addictions and huge losses. This is not only incorrect, but the ideology supports a nanny state and reduction of our personal freedom and therefore efficiency. We earned our money and we should be able to spend it any way we want. The failures of an individual shouldn’t be forced to affect the ability of others. Even if gambling is only a marginally constructive industry, we need to leave it alone.

Since doing business in another country constitutes local taxation, Washington gets to win because they said so. Full Tilt and Poker Stars can fight, but they’ll have to pay back taxes if they want to continue making money out of the air. We all know it’s going to happen. Instead of dragging out the case for months, I hope we can push a decision through quickly and get the victims back in the office.