Oscar's Give Reason To Fight Against Online Gambling Prohibition

There is an ongoing debate around the US between what is legal, or illegal, gambling. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act that was created in 2006, was supposed to shed light on the legality of online gambling in the country.

Instead, the UIGEA further jumbled the law, leaving some forms of gambling to be up to interpretation. One of those forms of gambling is office pools or wagers that were made in anticipation of this year's Oscar's ceremony.

The top awards for motion pictures were given away last night, and thousands of people tried their hand at predicting the winners. These people, many of whom gambled on the event, used many different techniques to pick their winners.

The UIGEA allowed for skill to be the determining factor in whether or not a gambling activity is legal. Those who chose The Hurt Locker on Sunday evening, will tell anyone that will listen that it was a skillful choice.

Sandra Bullock for Best Actress, a no-brainer for the well-trained eye. Jeff Bridges for Best Actor, no problem for those who know the history of the award and the sentimentality that sometimes is involved in a selection.

The debate has been raised over the weekend as to whether this type of gambling is on par with the skill that is found in the game of poker, or fantasy sports. Court rulings around the US have been split on the legality of poker because of the question of skill level involved in the winning.

Representative Barney Frank from Massachusetts has proposed legislation that would overturn the UIGEA. It is the absurdity of having a gray area of what is legal gambling that is part of Frank's driving force to change the law.

Frank envisions a country where people will be allowed to gamble from their own home computers as a form of entertainment. A US where the government protects the consumer against the possibility of offshore online gambling corruption.

Most of all, however, Frank must see a vision of a person being allowed to bet on their favorite actor or actress without the possibility of ending up in a courtroom. The possibility of having to explain to a judge what was the skill that led them to their choice for Best Film, with the wrong answer leading them to a possible conviction.

March 8, 2010
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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