If the nation is broke enough, change will come. Just months after the federal government shut down three of the nation’s biggest poker sites, Congress is now considering a bill that would legalize online gambling.

"I think there is becoming a feeling in Congress that this is something that needs to be regulated and be done... I believe there is a possibility a bill will pass towards the end of the year,” an unnamed source told The New York Post.

And by “needs to be regulated,” they of course mean tax. In recent debt ceiling talks, Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia spoke in favor of online gambling, saying it could raise $41.8 billion over 10 years and bring states an additional $30 billion.

Even steadfast opponents of online gambling seem to be relaxing their stance.

“Efforts to carve out an exception for games like poker, which many believe is a game of skill, may be considered later this year,” said Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, a politician who once compared online gambling to crack addiction.

However, not everyone is on board with the proposed bill.

“This is a government policy that shrinks the middle class and pushes people in deeper debt at a time the government should be encouraging people to save more money,” Les Bernal, executive director of Stop Predatory Gambling.

Do you think Congress should legalize online gambling? I say bring it on! Just don’t pretend it’s for Americans protection and not for cold, hard hash.

Sources: Consumerist, The New York Post, Photo: morgueFile

Tags: online gambling, legalize online gambling, gambling, online poker
Categories: Online Gambling