Posted on 09/30/2006 9:43:50 AM PDT by Alterboy1964
Congress approves Internet gambling ban bill
By Peter Kaplan Reuters Saturday, September 30, 2006; 12:52 AM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most forms of Internet gambling would be banned under a bill that received final U.S. congressional approval early Saturday.
The House of Representatives and Senate approved the measure and sent it to President George W. Bush to sign into law.
The bill, a compromise between earlier versions passed by the two chambers, would make it illegal for banks and credit card companies to make payments to online gambling sites.
Democrats had accused Republicans of pushing the bill to placate its conservative base, particularly the religious right, before the November 7 congressional elections.
"It's been over 10 years in the making. The enforcement provisions provided by this bill will go a long way to stop these illegal online operations," said Sen. Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican and a chief sponsor of the measure.
Negotiators from the Republican-led House and Senate reached a deal on the legislation Friday and attached it to unrelated legislation to bolster port security, which the Congress approved.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican and potential 2008 presidential candidate, recently appeared at a hearing in Iowa -- the state that holds the first presidential nominating contest for the 2008 election -- to listen to concerns about Internet gambling.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Thanks for the ping!
Whatever..........
Nanny state Republicans. I wish all these New Deal big government types from the South would have stayed in the Democrat Party instead of bolting because of LBJ and desegregation. Next, they'll pass a law telling us that cheeseburgers are banned. The only law on gambling should be that those who win must be paid and that the stated odds are accurate.
Goodbye, troll.
As some one who plays online poker, i can tell you that it is a huge wealth transfer from Euroweenies to Americans and Canadians.
Ding, ding, ding!
We have a winnah!
Ilove how Frist says, the bottom line is internet gambling is illegal..I wish he were that passionate about illegal immigration. I think that undermines the fabric of society a little bit more than internet gambling. We really are a dying civilization.
I'll lay you odds he WILL sign. Pretty safe bet given his record.
The only hope of defeating this bill at this point lies with the black-robed tyrants. My guess is they won't though. It seems that whenever there is a question of individual liberty versus big government, they only side with individual liberty if some sexual perversion is involved, otherwise it's Big Brother all the way!
They could apply the same logic to ban horse racing, greyhound racing, jai alai and frankly, daytrading.
I think you are right on. And I wonder about these people who will start spouting the "save us from ourselves" garbage.
In Cleveland there was a recent incident where a 19 year old kid killed himself. He had incurred some huge gambling debts all from this online stuff. On line gambling is predatory and there are enough predators on line as it is; meanwhile, kids get hooked. There are even studies to suggest that brain chemistry changes from this stuff and, frankly, it doesn't surprise me.
Hooray for our Congress. At least they did one good thing this year.
Nanny state mentality. Can't play poker at home but can go 5 miles from the house and lose thousands at a riverboat?
I've won some good chunks of change playing Internet poker.
playing an instrument, sports, watching TV, riding a rollercoaster alone
LOL!
I'd like to know how he got these big gambling debts playing online poker.
Nobody loans you money on the Internet.
He must have been using a credit card. Where did he get the credit card?
A gambler and his credit cards will be seperated soon enough if he's a born loser. No need for the government to get involved.
"Goodbye, troll."
Signed up today. A dry run, maybe?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.