[Oldcycles]

Congress passes Internet bet ban

Wagering restrictions attached to port bill

By TONY BATT

STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
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WASHINGTON -- An Internet gambling ban has been approved by Congress as lawmakers passed and sent to President Bush a port security bill that included online wagering restrictions.

After being stymied in recent efforts to attach the Internet gambling ban to a defense authorization bill, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., succeeded in attaching online wagering restrictions to the port bill, according to lobbyists.

Passage of the bill was the last act of the House on Friday as lawmakers left for a five-week recess. The Senate passed it by a voice vote early today.

Under the new law, gamblers will no longer be allowed to pay for online wagers with credit cards, checks or other bank instruments.

"The leader (Frist) was very strong in getting this done," said Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association. "In the final days of a congressional session, sometimes good public policy is sacrificed in favor of political decisions."

The legislation closely tracks a bill introduced by Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa.

The bill is a huge victory for Internet gambling opponents, who have been trying for more than a decade to outlaw online wagering.

Internet gambling has grown from 30 offshore Web sites generating $30 million in bets in 1996 to a $12 billion industry with more than 2,300 Web sites.

The prohibition also would be a blow to Nevada's casino industry, which lobbied hard against the Leach provisions.

The American Gaming Association, the chief lobbying arm in Washington, D.C., for Nevada casinos, had been pushing for a study of Internet gambling by a federal commission to see whether technology exists that can regulate online wagering.

Fahrenkopf said he expects the industry will continue to seek a federal study despite the passage of the Internet gambling restrictions.

"Our board will meet December 6 in Las Vegas, and I expect that's when we will make a decision," Fahrenkopf said.

Frist, who is considering a presidential run in 2008, turned to the port security bill after Sens. John Warner, R-Va., and Carl Levin, D-Mich., rebuffed his efforts to add the Internet gambling ban to a defense authorization bill.

Frist had called the Internet gambling ban a legislative priority.

The new gambling provision is not expected to affect gambling at tracks or casinos.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_ho...s/9966773.html

[asam2006]

That sucks! But you know the IRS isn't going to let all that money get away untaxed. If the US Government got a piece of the action no such bill would ever come up for a vote let alone pass.

[SingleMaltFan]

how will this be enforced, and when?
bottom line, how does this affect us?

[bmwguy525]

There's too much mumbo jumbo going on surrounding this right now but from what I understand, after the 270 closing period any deposit onto an online gambling site is considered a federal offense.

[bolgenmod]

Another thread about this here: http://www.chiptalk.net/forum/online...ll-passed.html

[jojobinks]

to do it justice, i really recommend you take a look at the 2+2 legislation forum. they have multiple threads from people that understand how these things work better than me.

but from what i gather there: what's illegal is accepting these transactions. so in violation of the law will be credit card companies, neteller, and the like.
it doesn't appear that playing is illegal, or that i'm in violation when i put money into a site.

of course, it's unclear how it'll be enforced, and what the courts'll say if they get aggressive with players. but it does seem clear that it will be enforced and that online poker will change as a result. (less noobs, new ways to get money on, et cetera).

i recommend that everyoone read up as much as you can, and not freak out or auto-yank all your money. if you cash out b/c you're scared, you may have a lot of trouble getting money back up in a couple weeks from now.

[JM]

This administration doesn't seem to realize that they cannot legislate laws on companies in other countries. Neteller is a Canadian company, firepay is in Spain as I recall. So neither of these should be affected by this legislation. And no online gaming company is based here, since that's already illegal, so I can't see them being affected. More 'feel good' useless legislation done by morons who have no conception of the real world.

I love how the cat killing 'doctor' frist calls this a 'legislative priority'. Yeah that's keeping us MUCH safer than things like inspecting every container that comes into our ports for WMD, or protecting nuclear and chemical plants, or airport security that is actually competent, and on and on. More b.s. from the do-nothing congress.

[Poboy]

I posted this in the other thread, but I'll add it here too. The rider starts on pg 217 I think. Pertinent transaction details, etc. start on pg 230
http://www.rules.house.gov/109_2nd/t...43_portscr.pdf
It seems being on either end of any transaction is illegal and punishable by 5 years.


JM, foreign companies can't operate in America in violation of our laws. Neteller and Firepay may be able to avoid breaking the law because they aren't the actual site wagering takes place on, but it is likely American banks will no longer accept transfers from neteller. Online gambling sites don't have to be based here. If they accept wagers from Americans they are violating our lovely new law. This is more than feel good legislation, since banks will rollover for the feds and enforce the law by refusing to accept transfers, and credit card companies are some of those pushing for this legislation.

[A-Ro]

So...how will we get money out of the poker sites?

Oh, and this has got to be the most ridiculous law ever...how this is a "legal" issue is beyond me and makes absolutey no sense.

[EasilyFound]

Originally Posted by A-Ro

how this is a "legal" issue is beyond me and makes absolutey no sense.

Talk to the evangelical right . . . one of them will explain it to you . . . you heathen.