Today
we see yet another attempt to stymie online gambling
by the usual suspects: Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte,
Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl and Iowa Republican
Bob Goodlatte."It's politics, plain and simple," said Michael Bolcerek, president of the 30,000-member Poker Players Alliance, which is willing to support some regulation of online poker games but opposes an outright ban.
Debate on the bill began on the House floor on Tuesday morning, with a vote expected later in the day. Backers expressed confidence that the bill would win approval.
Prospects for similar
legislation in the U.S. Senate
remained unclear with relatively
few work days left before the
November elections. Arizona
Republican Sen. Jon Kyl was said
to be seeking a Senate bill to
which he could attach
anti-gambling language.
The House bill, sponsored by
Goodlatte and Iowa Republican
Jim Leach, would make it illegal
for banks and credit card
companies to make payments to
online gambling sites.
With President Bush's approval rating at an all time low, even some Conservative Republicans might not be so inclined to jump on the internet gambling ban-wagon this go around, unlike in previous years where many Republicans seemingly signed off without really paying much mind to what they were signing.
Hypocricy
To win more backing among lawmakers, the bill included language specifically exempting horse racing and lotteries. However, the powerful Christian Coalition has refused to go along with such exemptions in the past, helping to bring forth a road block of sorts.
They also dropped enforcement provisions for banks that fail to block credit card payments, according to congressional aides. This type of proposed enforcement appeared to be the biggest threat to online gambling.
The bill would have broad impact on the Internet gambling industry, which gets half its revenue from American gamblers. Lawmakers say an estimated 2,300 gambling sites now exist on the Internet.
Investors in some British-based gaming companies such as Partygaming Plc and 888 Holdings Plc have closely monitored U.S. legislation. In Tuesday trading on the London Stock Exchange, 888 Holdings was up about 1.5 percent while Partygaming was unchanged.
Republican Shelley Berkley was quick to realize the "hidden agendas" contained in the latest proposed legislation to ban internet gambling.
Via AMERICAblog, Berkley issued the following statement:
"When the House considers the poorly-named Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act (Tuesday), I will offer an amendment to eliminate the special exemptions contained in the bill. Regardless of your position on the issue, there is no reason for Congress to pick and choose which types of gaming should be exempted from what is being described as a ban on Internet gaming.
"The bill’s advocates proclaim the immorality of online gaming and shout that it will destroy our society - unless you are betting on horse races. They assert that the bill is neutral on the subject of interstate online pari-mutuel betting. But there is no getting around the fact that this bill very clearly and specifically states that online betting on horseracing is not prohibited.
"The bill also includes another hypocritical exemption - for intrastate lotteries. This is highly ironic because this exemption is exactly what the notorious felon Jack Abramoff wanted when he reportedly orchestrated the defeat of a similar bill several years ago because it had no exemption for lotteries. Mr. Abramoff must be smiling about this turn of events."
Angry Republican
Online
gambling
representative,
Wayne Allyn
Root, may be
a staunch
Republican
with
aspirations
of running
for state
Senator one
day in the
not-to-distant
future, but
he is also
furious what
is
transpiring
with this
latest
attempt to
ban online
gambling.
Speaking out on Gambling911.com, Root expressed his furor.
"Enter into the picture a new attempt by our Republican-majority Congress to ban online gaming- to treat ordinary Americans with contempt; to treat adults like idiots incapable of choosing what to do with their own money; to treat this popular form of entertainment (online gaming) as a crime; to trample Ronald Reagan’s legacy of limited government and individual rights. I am shocked and saddened to say that it is Republican political leaders that are leading this misguided “Big Brother” assault on our individual freedoms and rights (individual rights and states rights).
"This attempt to ban online gaming is nothing more than a 21st century version of Prohibition. That first attempt to institute Prohibition in the 1920’s was one of the biggest failures in American political history. It will fail again. What Americans choose to do with our time and our money, on our computers and cell phones, is none of the business of politicians or government.
"My beloved GOP has strayed far from our own winning message. We are guilty of violating the core values of our party and the legacy of President Ronald Reagan. Instead of fighting “Big Brother” and the expansion of government into our lives and bedrooms, we are guilty of supporting it. My beloved GOP is in danger of becoming the very symbol of “Big Brother!'"
Democrats Outraged
"If people want to do something, and it doesn't hurt anybody else, we ought to mind our own business," Frank said on Monday. "This is a bill to tell adults not to do something because people in this body disapprove of what they do."
House lawmakers will debate one proposed amendment, which would eliminate the exceptions in the bill for horseracing and state-owned lotteries. "Let's get rid of all of this if we are going to do it," said Democrat John Conyers of Michigan.
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Christopher Costigan, www.gambling911.com
Originally published July 12, 2006 1:57 pm EDT