I am against the finalization of the UIGEA, and here are four reasons why...

1. The banking institutions of our nation should not be focused on internet poker regulations. This is the job of legal entities, yet that is not the proposal of the UIGEA. Even then, it is unfair and dishonest to make something illegal in one's own home which is legal outside one's home.

2. The UIGEA adds additional burdens on our already crippled financial systems. In this time of crisis, the last things we need to do is cripple the economy. What would be the opposite of UIGEA, laws explicitly legalizing and regulating internet poker, would be a huge boon to our economy as it will allow US institutions to get involved in the online community and keep our money here. Not to mention creation of jobs.

3. Internet poker is a game of skill and form of recreation for millions of Americans; it should be exempted from the UIGEA. We watch it on television and we play it in casinos and poker rooms across the country. Why not in our own homes?

4. Please do not finalize the UIGEA regulations until their impact on our banking systems and average Americans has been fully studied. As it is now, the UIGEA is a nondescript collection of impossible to enforce unconstitutional demands backed by disingenuous scaremongering. As we have seen, the passing of the UIGEA in 2006 has not deterred internet poker (as well it shouldn't because it is wrong), and finalizing it will only push poker enthusiasts further underground. As it was with the infamous Prohibition, it does not work. What better way to create the safest internet environment for the American families than to legitimize and regulate what the people want? The people want casinos and poker rooms in local establishments as well as their own homes.
anudder wun