A Republican-sponsored effort to clamp down on Internet gambling may turn
out to be a bad bet for the GOP. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement
Act, which President Bush signed into law Oct. 13, has infuriated many
voters who enjoy betting on sports or playing poker online, analysts said.
Other observers, however, see little threat to Republicans from the law,
calling it a relatively minor matter to most voters. “I don’t believe a
large volume of voters are motivated to go to the polls because of Internet
gaming, either way,” said Brian Darling of the Heritage Foundation, a
conservative Washington think tank. But with Republicans already on the
defensive over the Iraq war, budget deficits and the congressional page
scandal, the gambling law is the latest issue that could steer voters away
from the GOP. “I’ve been a loyal Republican for over 30 years, and I’m
quitting the party I once loved,” said Jim Henry, 55, who lives outside San
Francisco. “Not because of the Mark Foley scandal or Middle East policy. But
because the Republican Party wants to stop me from what I love to do: play
poker over the Internet.” Sponsored in the House by Reps. Jim Leach, R-Iowa,
and Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and backed in the Senate by Majority Leader Bill
Frist, R-Tenn., the law pits social conservatives who disapprove of gambling
against the 8.5 million Americans who spend about $6 billion annually to
cast wagers online. Some opponents of the law see a political component to
its passage, believing it was intended to buoy support for Frist among
religious conservatives if he decides to run for president in 2008. The law
is aimed at stopping the flow of money to gambling sites, where funds could
potentially be laundered.
Leach has also cited moral dimensions to the law, calling it one of the most
important pieces of family legislation ever considered by lawmakers.

“Internet gambling is not a subject touched upon in the Old or New Testament
or the Quran,” Leach said earlier this year. “But the pastoral function is
one of dealing with families in difficulty and religious leaders of all
denominations and faiths are seeing gambling problems erode family values.”

Even so, a Gallup Poll taken earlier this year found that 60 percent of
adults believe gambling is morally acceptable. That’s true for many
religious conservatives who say they enjoy placing a bet.