Originally Posted by AmateurFlix

If one of the mainstream articles I read can be believed it generates far more revenue than it costs - I think it said it cost US businesses something like $11 billion per year but generated $36 billion.

But since it's illegal in the US now spammers just go overseas where the profits go as well, so while it continues to cost just as much the taxable income ends up getting siphoned away from the US economy.

The law does however fulfill its basic function of creating the illusion that legislators are doing something usefull and helpful to the common voter.