# How do other countries explain why the US doesn't allow online gambling? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 31, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592 "2011-01-31T02:25:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/1 "2011-01-31T02:25:43Z")
How would a **NON-American** answer the following : Is there a common “stock answer” or excuse given to dismiss the attitude as to why the US doesn’t allow for internet gambling, while other comparable countries do ? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/2 "2011-01-31T02:46:00Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > How would a **NON-American** answer the following : > > Is there a common “stock answer” or excuse given to dismiss the attitude as to why the US doesn’t allow for internet gambling, while other comparable countries do ? Casino influence. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/3 "2011-01-31T07:06:50Z")
It’s illegal to run an online gambling site in the OS, so they’re all foreign. So you have US money going to foreign sites which may or may not be legitimate or regulated in some way. There’s no economic return to the US for the use of these foreign sites. So it’s just a pure drain on the US economy - money travels out, may be scammed away, and nothing ever returns. Whether it would be possible to change the laws to allow US-based online gambling is a different question. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/4 "2011-01-31T15:26:41Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > How would a **NON-American** answer the following : > > Is there a common “stock answer” or excuse given to dismiss the attitude as to why the US doesn’t allow for internet gambling, while other comparable countries do ? I’m just really curious - where does this odd question come from? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/5 "2011-01-31T15:42:11Z")
Other comparable countries do regulate gambling, and probably would like to regulate internet gambling, but don’t because of technical and jurisdictional problems. Therefore they would completely understand why the U.S. regulates internet gambling. Why would that even be a problem? ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/6 "2011-01-31T16:40:22Z")
I don’t think there is a common or stock answer to that here in Germany as we are not affected, don’t know and don’t care. If you pressed a German for an answer he/she’d probably answer on the lines of ‘do they? Don’t know why. Perhaps because of religious nuttery?’ ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/7 "2011-01-31T16:59:29Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > How would a **NON-American** answer the following : > > Is there a common “stock answer” or excuse given to dismiss the attitude as to why the US doesn’t allow for internet gambling, while other comparable countries do ? I don’t think we really think about it. In fact, this may be the first time I’ve ever thought about it! Having thought about it, I must admit I still have no opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/8 "2011-02-01T01:15:18Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > I’m just really curious - where does this odd question come from? > [@Mops](#): > > If you pressed a German for an answer he/she’d probably answer on the lines of ‘do they? Don’t know why. Perhaps because of religious nuttery?’ It comes from wanting to know answers like the latter quote. IMHO there is no reason why I shouldn’t be allowed to bet my money online. Then again, I don’t think it is quite right to call the US a ““Nanny state””. So, I am curious to know where we [US] is all of this, and what someone not from the US thinks about it. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/9 "2011-02-01T02:04:18Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > So, I am curious to know where we [US] is all of this, and what someone not from the US thinks about it. I think he meant to say - why would you think people not from the US think about it at all? ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/10 "2011-02-01T15:06:07Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > I don’t think there is a common or stock answer to that here in Germany as we are not affected, don’t know and don’t care. > > If you pressed a German for an answer he/she’d probably answer on the lines of ‘do they? Don’t know why. Perhaps because of religious nuttery?’ Does anyone else see the irony in a German accusing American laws of being based on “religious nuttery?” I myself (an American) think the rules are very stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/11 "2011-02-01T17:16:51Z")
> [@fjs1fs](#): > > Does anyone else see the irony in a German accusing American laws of being based on “religious nuttery?” > > I myself (an American) think the rules are very stupid. I don’t really see the irony. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/12 "2011-02-01T17:55:48Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > I don’t really see the irony. Me neither. America is generally more prude than Germany. I don’t understand why pointing that out is “ironic”. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/13 "2011-02-07T15:21:04Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > How would a **NON-American** answer the following : > > Is there a common “stock answer” or excuse given to dismiss the attitude as to why the US doesn’t allow for internet gambling, while other comparable countries do ? Because every country has their weird little oddities. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-other-countries-explain-why-the-us-doesnt-allow-online-gambling/569592/14 "2011-02-07T18:18:56Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > Me neither. America is generally more prude than Germany. I don’t understand why pointing that out is “ironic”. Presumably because Luther’s reformation and the Thirty Year’s War between Protestants and Catholics both took place in Germany. Long, long ago.