Should Online Gambling be legalized in the US?

A recent poll that ran from July 30 to August 12 at the Las Vegas Advisor website showed a strong support for the regulation of on-line gambling by a margin of 68 percent to 32 percent.

Jul 30, 2008 - Aug 12, 2008 :: with 4799 total votes
Should online gambling be regulated and legalized in the U.S.? Pick whichever answer best fits how you feel.
(1275) Yes, although I don’t like to play online myself, I think everyone should have the right to.	(27%)
(1104) Yes, and I would play online for money if it was clearly legal.	(23%)
(848) Yes, I never stopped playing online but would be happier if it was definitely legal and regulated.	(18%)
(839) No, there have been too many scandals and I don’t trust that it can be regulated.	(17%)
(733) No, I think online casinos result in underage gambling and addiction.	(15%)
With all three Yes categories totalled, 68% were in favour of legalization, while 32% were opposed via two No categories. Considering the 17% who voted No due to "recent scandals," it could be argued that as high as 85% would be in favour if on-line gambling was properly regulated. The main reason for a Yes vote was the basic rights-and-liberties argument—"if they want to play, let ‘em play."

Source:
http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/

According to Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor, the results of the poll reflected that :

"With all three Yes categories totaled, 68 percent were in favour of legalization, while 32 percent were opposed via two No categories. That’s a convincing majority, but less than the 75 percent - 92 percent (in favor) that we’ve seen from other sources".

Well, to be precise, visitors to a website like Anthony's can hardly be defined as representative sample from US society, but I was intrigued about those "75 percent - 92 percent in favour from other sources".

When a recent poll conducted by USA Today asked the question "Is it time to legalise on-line gambling?" 97 % of those who answered said they would favour the legalization and regulation of on-line gaming in the US.

Representative Jim McDermott has just recently presented a bill to congress to legalize and regulate on-line gambling, estimating that the resulting tax revenue from this industry would add up to over $40 billion within the next 10 years, money that could be used to raise revenues for training and foster home funding by amending the Social Security Act.

However, a bill in the United States to commission a comprehensive, independent study into on-line gambling will not come up for discussion before next month, at the earliest, after being put on the backburner along with various other pieces of legislation.
The Internet Gambling Study Act, sponsored by Nevada Representative Shelly Berkeley, was proposed last May and has the support of the American Gaming Association and many politicians.

Source:
http://www.onlinecasinoreports.com

More Info:
Unlawful Internet Gambling and Enforcement Act
A Wall Street Journal Poll Shows That 85% of Americans Are Against The Congress Ban On Internet Gambling
Canada And US Public Perceptions Of Internet Gambling
Web Site Puts Focus on the Fix in Sports Bets
Online Gambling: Historical perspective