It took a backdoor move by the Senate Majority leader, but the bill designed
to curb online gambling in the United States has passed. Sen. Bill Frist
helped get the Internet gambling ban attached to a defense bill designed to
boost security at nation’s ports. The bill passed Saturday. The bill calls
for banks to work with the federal government to stop transactions between
customers in the U.S. and offshore gaming companies. The bill makes it
illegal for banks and credit card companies to make transactions with online
gambling companies. The bill considers online poker a form of gambling.
Recently, online poker sites have worked harder to expand its customer base
outside the United States, where about 80-percent of online poker players
live. The bill will not target player but does call for prison time for
people who run online gaming companies. Banks that don’t comply by the bill
may also face punishment. A representive from the Independent Community
Bankers of America testified to the House that its members will have trouble
enforcing the act. The United States is moving in an opposite direction
concerning this issue compared to the rest of the world. The United Kingdom
recently moved to tax and regulate online gambling sites, and the European
Union had made it clear that it considers online gambling a product that
should be allowed to be freely traded.