The US ban on gambling online has long been a source of confusion for many people. How a country that claims to be a beacon of freedom could put laws in place that are such a harsh restriction of personal freedoms? Well, there is some hope for those Americans who ant to play at an casino online. Representative Barney Frank has made removing the ban a priority. His argument is that any legislation which takes away the right to choose whether or not to partake in an activity that effects nobody else is simply a limit on personal freedoms, and therefore un-American. A remark by Jim Leach, a representative from Iowa, hinted at what the real reason for the ban might be. Leach argued that since most online casinos are overseas and are therefore not generating any tax revenue for the United States, that they should be banned. It was not the gambling itself that he was saying was the problem, but simply that no Americans were making any money from it. Rep. Frank argues that this is not congress’s role, and it should not be the role of a government to tell people where to spend their money. While this argument is certainly logical, Frank is up against some very powerful lobbies that are working for the land based casino industry in the US. These lobbies have a lot of money to spread around, and going against them is an uphill fight.