The state has decided to do something about online gambling. Well, something more. It has been forbidden here for years, but people still do it, mainly because Elliot Ness doesn't kick down the door and slap the mouse out of your hand. (See also, copying DVDs.)
Last week the state laid down legal smack on the Internet providers, demanding they block access to the sites for Minnesota customers. The state says it wants to protect You, The Consumer; online gaming advocates suggest that the state doesn't want anyone else muscling into its gambling territory -- sorry, interfering with a legitimate revenue stream.
Frankly, putting money in real slot machines seems risky; I'd rather feed dollar bills into a paper shredder, because then when you're broke you can still sell the shredder. But Internet gambling? You give your credit card number to the website, they let you pretend to play a slot machine, and then they say YOU LOSE. People do this.
The next step would seem to be a wire plugged directly into your head so you can think your way to the poorhouse while you sleep. You could dream and game! Upside: you might win big, and the croupier is a 4-foot cat in a tuxedo who speaks backward. Downside: imaginary winnings still probably qualify as taxable income.
Online poker is different; there are skills involved, and it's difficult to see why the state should care that someone's amusing himself by playing virtual poker with imaginary friends. All the thrills of a casino, without the distracting social interaction and perpetual haze of cigarettes.
Still: the idea of sitting alone at your computer, punching buttons, losing money, seems insane to some -- but so does stepping into the realm of telling big ISPs what sites Minnesotans should be allowed to visit.
In case you're wondering, no, they can't go back in time and ban online stock trading. That wasn't gambling. No matter how much it looks like it now.
jlileks@startribune.com • 612-673-7858 More daily at www.startribune.com/buzz
