States should fold on Internet gambling

[Commentary] A number of states are now poised to let their residents gamble online in games of chance. With a few thumb punches on a smart phone, someone could wager a bet in a poker match as easily as texting a message – only with a predictable loss of money. This lure of adding revenue and jobs, combined with the industry’s hefty donations to the campaign coffers of politicians, is pushing a number of states to act now. But it was also the Obama administration that winked its approval with a Justice Department ruling last December that in-state online bets – except for sports bets – would not violate the Wire Act of 1961. That ruling may not be the final word if it reaches the courts. And to his credit, Mitt Romney has spoken out against online gambling – in Nevada before its caucuses. Online gambling is a tempting path to easy wealth – for both states and gamblers. But as Sheldon Adelson, chairman of Las Vegas Sands Corp., has said: “You don’t want a casino in every home.” The states should not dig themselves deeper into a business that promotes the notion that luck, rather than hard work, virtue, and talent, can get someone ahead. There’s no gambling app for that.