I've been failing at my task.

As somebody who truly believes that the legalization of online gambling in America would bring a vast number of economic and social benefits, I have made it my goal to spread the word and help bring about that change. Along that line, I hope I have been providing useful information and comment to my readers.

However, one mistake I have made is that I simply haven't been taking the issue seriously enough. It has been a goal, but it hasn't really been a "quest" or a "crusade". And that lack of commitment has kept me from really being effective.

For instance, it has kept me from following the first rule of any basic competition: Know your opponent!

And that is why it was such a surprise to me last night when, while watching the Presidential Debate Pregame Show on CNN, an info bar popped up on the screen saying that the debates were organized by something called the Commission on Presidential Debates, and that the Commission is headed by Frank Fahrenkopf, a former head of the Republican National Committee, and Paul Kirk, a former head of the Democratic National Committee.

"Frank Fahrenkopf?", I said aloud to my wife. "Is that the same guy who is the CEO of the American Gaming Association? It can't be."

To which my wife replied, "I think that Paul Begala guy is wearing waayyyy too much makeup. His face looks like a frosted donut."

So I dashed over to my laptop, and after several misspellings I finally had managed to bring up the Wikipedia page for Mr. Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.

And - yes - it's the same guy.

Wow! I can't believe I didn't know that before. It puts so much into better perspective. Now everything seems to be making so much more sense. If this was the Da Vinci Code, then I have just deciphered one of those ridiculously arcane riddles and thus feel pretty good about myself right now. But I suspect it will be a short-lived high.

As regular readers know, I've openly wondered why the American Gaming Association has refused to take a stand on the online gaming issue. They claim to be "neutral" on the issue.

Yeah. That's right. Neutral.

We are talking about the single most important issue facing the American gambling industry since it's inception, an issue which will shape the industry for decades to come - and the major industry association is neutral on the subject. Neutral!

That's like the American Oil Industry not having a stance on drilling in Alaska. For it or against it, I don't care. But you have got to believe in something people!

Instead, the AGA claims to be supporting a bill that would "provide for a study by the National Academy of Sciences to identify the [...yawn!...] proper response of the United States to the growth of Internet gambling." In other words, the AGA prefers the status quo and any action which would put off the legalization of online gambling until Mars is colonized or the Cubs win the World Series - whichever comes first.

For the longest time, I assumed that the reasons for the AGA's retarded stance was simply based upon pure greed; they knew they had a good thing going and didn't want to rock the boat by inviting in a bunch of tech-savvy competitors.

But now I see that the CEO of the American Gaming Association, Frank Fahrenkopf, was not only the chairman of the Republican National Committee for six years, but also founded the International Republican Institute and is a former vice chairman of the International Democrat Union - an association which despite its fuzzy-lefty name, is actually an "international grouping of conservative, Christian-democratic and Liberal-conservative political parties".

Take a look at the worldwide political parties affiliated with the International Democrat Union. I don't know about you, but I see a LOT of words like "nationalist", "Christian", and "conservative". About the only thing "liberal" about that group is when the word happens to accidentally pop up in their descriptions of themselves.

So, let me get this straight... The man heading the American Gaming Association is actually a proud dyed-in-the-wool hardcore evangelical right-wing conservative Republican. Okay. I understand.

No, wait. I lied. I don't understand that at all.

Don't get me wrong. I believe that Fahrenkopf is free to have whatever political beliefs he wants. But in this case he really appears to be riding a political/business fence where the two sides simply do not meet in the middle.

I don't know what is stranger about this situation: The idea that a man so extreme in his right-wing evangelical Republican beliefs would debase himself so completely by representing an industry as immoral and un-Christian as the AGA, or the fact that the AGA would hire this guy as their leader and NOT expect him to make questionable policy decisions based upon biased and ideological points of view.

And if not, then exactly what the hell does he believe in, anyway?

Either way, I think my head is about to explode. Not being trained in literature, I'm not sure if this situation is best described as ironic, coincidental, or just simply absurd.

Here I was waiting for the AGA to come to its senses and do the smart business move by supporting online gambling, when it turns out that the AGA and the Republican Party have probably been coordinating their policies for years now.

I can't believe I wasn't aware of this before.

Lesson learned. Know your opponent. Especially if he's got his own agenda.

And now... A Message to the American Gaming Association...

Dear American Gaming Executives,

Frank Fahrenkopf is obviously NOT looking out for your best interests. Your industry would be much better off if you pursued a policy of getting online gambling legalized in America, as soon as possible!

Mark my words... sooner or later, and unfortunately probably more sooner than later, the economy is going to be tanking so badly that the American government will gladly welcome the tax revenues generated by online gambling.

That change in public policy will bring in a wave of opportunity. What side of the wave do you want to be on? Riding high, or getting washed under?

Learn from the lessons of your predecessors who grabbed onto the gambling industry early and never lost their grip. You still have a chance to get into the American online gambling space and dominate.

But if you wait much longer, you are going to give the entire market to foreign companies who are waiting in the wings for the laws to change.

Stop following the Republican Party's right-wing evangelical plan. Not only does it not make any sense at all for your industry, but it's a plan that has ruined the American economy and is surely at least partially responsible for the major drop in profits you have seen on your balance sheets over the past several months. Finally, it is leaving you woefully ill-prepared for coming industry changes.

Think for yourselves. Demand a change in the policy of your industry representatives.

I am talking about the future, and the future waits for nobody. Not even rich land-based casino companies.

Sincerely,

Freedom@Stake