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 ...
This type of legislation is applied to all facets of our lives, be it tobacco, alcohol, firearms and now gambling.
FMCDH(BITS)
Very true. Hence the Mississippi legislature's vote to allow casino gambling on dry (?) land after Katrina.
"The bill.... would make it illegal for banks and credit card companies to make payments to online gambling sites."
________________________________________________
Could somebody square the headline with the text of the article for me?
Thanks.
Too late. Betting on that event is now closed.
But here's a more favorable bet. I'm thinking of a number that is between one and ten. Guess correctly and I'll pay 1,000,000 to 1 odds.
As Senator Geary discovered, you can find worse.
DangIt!
Now I have to drive a whole mile to the Cherokee Casino to gamble.
BUMP what you said.
Conservative Republican Jim Leach of Iowa spoke before the House last night before passage and indicated that internet gambling was much more addictive than live gambling and that internet poker sites were not only being used to launder drug money, but also being used to fund terrorist attacks against the United States. He also stated that gambling is not a productive use of one's time.
Clearly internet gambling is not just an harmless activity one does in his own home, but it harms everyone in society and leaves us open to the prospect of further terrorist attacks.
This is from his own website:
Leach Wins Ban on Internet Gambling; Bill Caps Years-Long Drive to Protect Families
Saturday, September 30, 2006 at 12:35 AM
In its last act before adjourning, Congress enacted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Passage of the measure, which is designed to stem the growth of gambling on the Internet, caps a multi-year effort by Congress-man Jim Leach to protect American families.
While Internet gambling has been illegal since its inception, the govern-ment has had no way to enforce applicable state and federal law. The Leach bill makes it illegal for financial institutions and credit card companies to process payments for settling Internet gambling wagers and creates new criminal penal-ties for Internet gambling businesses. Companion legislation was offered in the Senate by Jon Kyl of Arizona.
“It is extraordinary how many American families have been touched by large losses from Internet gambling,” Leach said.“As a professor of business at the University of Illinois has noted, the Internet is ‘crack cocaine’ for gamblers. ‘There are no needle marks,’ he says. ‘There is no alcohol on the breath. You just click the mouse and lose your house.’“
Researchers have called gambling online addictive. Players attest to be-coming obsessed with it. According to a study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, nearly 10 percent of college students gambled online last year. The number of college males who reported gambling online once a week quadrupled in the last year alone.
“Internet gambling’s characteristics are unique. Never has it been so easy to lose so much money so quickly at such a young age. The casino is in effect brought to the home, office and college dorm. Children may play without verification, and betting with a credit card can undercut a player’s perception of the value of cash, which too easily leads to bankruptcy and crime.
“In my old hometown of Davenport this past summer, two young men from middle-class families who attended college in Iowa got so far behind in their Internet gambling losses that they decided to rob a series of homes. From one they took cigars and golf clubs but were thoughtful enough not to pinch the Heisman trophy in the bookcase. They were caught when they advertised Johnny Lujack’s golf clubs online. Now these young men face the prospect of prison rather than graduation.
“The reason the NCAA, NFL, NBA, MBA and NHL support this legislation is that they are concerned with the integrity of the games. The reason the reli-gious community – from Baptists and Methodists to Muslims – has rallied to this cause is because it is concerned for the unity of the American family. Internet gambling is not a subject touched upon in the Old or New Testament or the Koran. But the pastoral function is one of dealing with families in difficulty and religious leaders of all denominations and faiths are seeing gambling prob-lems erode family values.
“What’s more, Internet gambling is a national security concern because it can be used to launder money, evade taxes and finance criminal and terrorist activities.
“If Congress had not acted, gamblers would soon be able to place bets not just from home computers, but from their cell phones while they drive home from work or their Blackberries as they wait in line at the movies.
“Unlike brick-and-mortar casinos in the United States, where legal pro-tections for bettors exist and where there are some compensatory social benefit in jobs and tax revenues, Internet gambling sites principally yield only liabilities to America and to Americans.
“Some have suggested that there is no call to rein in the activities of indi-vidual choice. But misjudgments affect society as a whole. There is nothing in Internet gambling that adds to the GDP or makes America more competitive in the world. Indeed, if an individual cannot repay his or her credit card debts, neighbors will be subject to higher interest rates. Everyone loses if this indus-try continues its remarkable growth trends.”
The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Board will jointly de-velop implementing rules for the Act, and financial institutions have nine months to adapt to the sophisticated new obligations."
Surely all the same arguments apply?
Ummm.... Those casinos are in MS not TN.
It's that simple.
Last year I was asked to help set up a Cancer Charity raffle.
I learned that in order to do it legally, the State Lottery Commission Mafia had to be given a piece of the proceeds.
"If they can do this they can also ban banks and credit card companies from authorizing payment to ANY internet company."
Joe, you made an excellent point.
This has nothing to do with "protecting" anyone. The only one here who benefits is the gov. Gotta protect that tax-revenue, you know.
You sure? I've never been to any of them, but they're listed as being in Tenn.
Exactly, what's stopping gamblers from going to brick-and-mortar casinos. There are casinos everywhere now. Plus state lotteries. Ban them all, or just leave them alone and let idiots throw their money away if they want.
Next move will be to appoint a Gambling Czar.
After all, we know how successful the Drug Czar has been. [/s]
Maybe they could just appoint an Internet Czar to protect us from all 'evil' things Internet.
[Guess who would love that? Hillary Clinton, John McCain, John Kerry, among others.]
"Conservative Republican Jim Leach...."
I'm sorry, your first four words have me laughing so hard I can't go any further. Thanks for the hoot! :)
Let's have Congress mandate that everything we do be productive.
Unlike Congress itself.
Apparently, this does not stop people from funding accounts from their bank accounts through Firepay or Neteller. If so, those are the guys that'll make out like bandits.
Clearly internet gambling is not just an harmless activity one does in his own home, but it harms everyone in society and leaves us open to the prospect of further terrorist attacks.
I am speechless at this. HOW DARE A POLITICIAN TELL ME HOW TO SPEND MY TIME. And using terrorism to justify this gross abuse of power is so outrageoud. Jim Leach can go to hell as far as I'm concerned. He calls himself a Republican??? How do I find out what gambling interests have given Jim Leach money....I'm serious.
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