Net gambling enslaves

Should governments step in to protect people against themselves? Some respond with a resounding "no," saying the state has no business playing "Father Knows Best." People don't need a nanny.

We disagree. And anyone who's glad they don't live next to a neighbor who guards his property with landmines, runs a house of prostitution or burns trash in an open containers should feel the same way.

Government has a vested interest in holding its citizens back from behaviors that enslave them. And today's slave masters come in the form of substance abuse, pornography and, yes, Internet gambling. Any elected official unwilling to protect his constituents from being dragged into bondage — whether by forces within or forces without — is asleep at the switch.

That's why we heartily endorse the most recent move by the House of Representatives to curb Internet wagering through the use of credit cards. When souls addicted to games of chance run up horrendous bills, they are not the only ones to feel the pain. Quite often spouses, children, other creditors and hapless friends are involved. In fact, running up huge gambling debts and then failing to provide adequate nourishment for children could be construed as a form of child neglect.

With its credit card prohibition, the House bill makes most gambling on the Internet illegal — with exceptions for horse racing and state lotteries. Passage isn't guaranteed in the Senate, however. Senators don't see the legislation as a priority.

We urge them to do so.

Besides the mental-health issues involved with Internet gaming, most of the money is flowing out to tiny nations that bankroll their governments with the take from worldwide betting on the Web. It's like pouring buckets of money into the ocean.

But loss of revenue is simply a side issue.

The big issue is keeping Americans — especially the nation's young people who spend hours online — from getting in over their heads and fomenting tragedies.

Nobody wants the state to peer in every window. When that happens, a society quickly sinks into a community of snitches and citizen vigilantes — as happens under communist regimes.

But keeping people from harming themselves and — by extension — harming others around them is part of government's role.

In the past, we have come out in favor of mandatory seat-belt laws, helmet laws for motorcyclists, not legalizing drugs and enhancing anti-pornography initiatives — all in the name of safeguarding citizens against their more reckless selves.

We champion the curbing of Internet gambling for the same reasons.