Iowa May Push to Legalize Online Gambling - 03-02-10

Located in the Midwest of the United States, you would not normally associate the agriculture-based state of Iowa as particularly progressive, however to the surprise of the American and global online gambling industry, Iowa lawmakers are reported looking to legalize and regulate the internet pastime.

According to reports, approximately 50,000 Iowans are currently actively participating in some form of online gambling despite it being illegal. State officials have realized that it would make more sense to legalize and thus regulate online gambling in the state, to protect players as well as generate much-needed taxes.

Said State Representative Doug Struyk, a Republican from Council Bluffs, 'Here's an opportunity to generate $11.5 million a year for an activity that's already going on in the state where Iowans have exposed themselves to significant risks. We would like to provide a safer way for those people to place a bet online.'

Unfortunately while Iowa, and thus its citizens, would benefit from the taxes that legalized online gambling would generate, critics of a state-regulated online gambling industry have rolled out what has now become the cliché argument against online gambling, which is that it may encourage problem and underage gambling.