Online Gambling
Subpoenas issued to "at least four Wall Street investment banks" as part of the US Department of Justice's ongoing investigation of the online gambling industry demonstrate the US government's attempts to extend its control. The crack down on online casinos is really just an attempt by the American government to prevent gambling in jurisdictions where it cannot be taxed and to make sure that the currency transactions involved can be traced. Unable to directly attack the casinos--which are based outside the US--that host online gambling sites, the DoJ has gone after the American portions of the industry: "American partners, marketing arms and now, possibly, investors." Since US residents comprise over half of all customers, the DoJ's "war of intimidation against Internet gambling," has had a serious effect on casinos, such as BetonSports, that have decided to eschew US bets. These subpoenas have brought questions of sovereignty and boundaries as pertaining to the internet to the forefront.
Due to the increased connectivity of the world since the end of the Cold War, states are being presented with more and more frequent situations where questions of control, jurisdiction and regulatory abilities are ambiguous. Every question from legally defining and prosecuting terrorists, to controlling online gambling further reveals the inadequacy of current forms of government to adapt convincingly to these new problems. While the DoJ may have managed to force major, legitimate online casinos to refuse US bets, there are still smaller, less respectable online gambling companies in operation. (Therefore, rather ironically, moves by the DoJ to "protect" American residents may actually leave them more susceptible to fraud .)
While industries have moved to embrace new technologies (whether through promotional mixtapes or online casinos), governments have not kept pace with these new developments trying instead to impose old laws and definitions on new problems. As stated by lawyer Lawrence G. Walters in the New York Times article, "the prevailing wisdom had been that investment in a company that is legal and licensed in its jurisdiction was not grounds for prosecution," yet the DoJ's mistrust of the online gambling industry has led to an investigation that will merely serve to drive away legitimate casinos while leaving smaller, but more questionable casinos behind. Just as those companies that are unable to adjust to this new environment that will not survive, governments that are unable or unwilling to accommodate the evolving landscape of the international market may find themselves ineffective when dealing with new, global, and perhaps virtual, concerns.
I'm a junior Visual Arts and International Relations double concentrator. I'm mainly interested in print media and am hoping to write my thesis on the different representations of North Korea in Japanese, Korean (both North and South) and American media and how these different perspectives effect the viewpoints of citizens and, ultimately, policymakers. However, I'm also curious about the growth of online communities and their ability to influence mainstream media, big business, and politics.