A recently published poll of some 30,000 Americans shows that the overwhelming majority – nearly 80% - do not want federal interference in recreational activities such as online gambling, and are opposed to pending bills in Congress that would outlaw online gambling if passed. Today the House plans to vote on a bill that, if approved by both House and Senate, will ban the use of credit cards for betting online and cause Internet providers to block access to gambling websites. However, it will still be entirely permissible to wager the family silver over the Internet on the horses or the lottery.

Some members of the American Gaming Association have been pushing for an in-depth study of online gaming but in the aftermath of House Republicans making online betting the cornerstone of their American Values Agenda it is doubtful that such a move will occur any time soon. In its present form the bill will allow interstate betting over the Internet on horseracing and online lotteries, which makes something of a mockery of those anti-gambling legislators supporting the bill. Gambling is apparently acceptable when it is supporting a local industry or increasing state tax revenue.

The Justice Department still maintains that online betting on horseracing is illegal despite the Interstate Horseracing Act, and the US administration has shown its contempt for international agreements by missing the deadline for complying with a WTO ruling over a case brought by Antigua and Barbuda over Internet access for players. The present bill under discussion is not without more local critics. The conservative Traditional Values Coalition thinks that there should be no ‘carve-outs’ for certain forms of online gambling, and a Florida Representative who has tried unsuccessfully to get Jai Alai and dog racing exempted has accused the bill of ‘cherry-picking’ types of gambling.

There may still be amendments to the bill, although the removal of any exemption for the horseracing industry could make the bill less likely to pass in the Senate, which has not given online gambling priority status. The bill, sponsored by Representatives Bob Goodlatte and Jim Leach, is considered likely to pass a House vote. Previous efforts to crackdown on Internet gambling have failed to pass in the Senate. (E-07.11.06)

© Copyright 2006 CasinoCompendium



>>> return to archives
>>> return to frontpage