National team of experts to debate legal issues in online gambling
March 3, 2008
The Richmond Journal of Global Law and Business will host its annual symposium, "Online Vice: Legal Issues in Online Gambling," March 19 from 1:30-5 p.m. in the Moot Court room of the University of Richmond School of Law.
The event is free and open to the public, and a reception will follow. (MCLE credits are pending.)
A panel discussion will showcase some of the nation's leading experts on gaming law: Professor John Kindt of University of Illinois School of Business, Professor Charles Nesson of Harvard Law School, Professor I. Nelson Rose of Whittier Law School, Professor Frank Vandall of Emory School of Law, and Andrew Woods, executive director of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society.
Hal Snedden, the journal's symposium editor, said he is "extremely excited to bring this dream team of experts to the University of Richmond to debate the future of online gambling. This is a worldwide, multi-billion dollar enterprise and a 'hot' political and cultural topic in the United States. The U.S. accounted for about one-half of online gaming revenues before the federal government enacted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006."
The event will begin with clips from the documentary "State of Play," followed by brief remarks from each speaker and a panel discussion. Audience members will have time to ask questions. Professor Melanie Holloway, director of the Intellectual Property Institute at the University of Richmond School of Law, will moderate.
Rose will discuss "The Future of Internet Gaming" and explain how we got to where we are today and where we are going, focusing on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and its proposed regulations.
Nesson and Woods will examine the monopoly of gaming by state lotteries and brick and mortar casinos and the ongoing effort to criminalize online poker and legitimize poker as a strategy for teaching game theory and life skills. View Nesson's appearance on "The Colbert Report" at www.youtube.com.
Kindt will discuss the negative aspects of online gambling, including gambling addiction and the potential for organized crime syndicates and terrorists to control the industry.
Vandall will talk about the huge size of online gambling, the offshore locations and how it is harmful to the United States. He will also explore several proposed methods for dealing with the issue.