Former Sen. Blanche Lincoln (pictured) asked to the government to revisit the 1961 Wire Act and institute an online gaming ban. She compared internet casino games to terrorism. She cited a 2017 FBI Internet Crime Report that listed “victim counts” for the entire spectrum of internet activity.
“The FBI’s 2017 Internet Crime Report revealed that the victim count and financial losses suffered as a result of online gambling surpassed that of terrorism-related cybercrimes last year. It is this clear pattern of targeting the helpless that stands out to me.” Said Lincoln
According to the FBI, there were:
- 203 victims of internet gambling-related cybercrimes.
- 177 from terrorism-related cybercrimes.
- Online gaming victims was less than half the number of victims of charity-related cybercrimes.
- 24 times as many victims of malware or ransomware in 2017 than there were for internet betting.
- Nearly 90 times as many victims of identity theft.
- More than 3,000 victims of lottery cyberscams.
Lincoln was one of nearly 100 Senators to back the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which dealt a blow to the poker boom of the mid-2000s.
In mid-May, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government can’t force states to enforce a ban on sports betting.
“With states having been given the freedom to legalise online betting, and the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing states to offer sports betting, I am tremendously concerned about the rise of online gambling in our country,” Blanche stated.
