Congressional Republicans attached a measure cracking down on Internet
gambling to a bill aimed at enhancing port security that passed Saturday.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.,
pushed for the gambling provision to be added to the larger bill. Online
gambling is generally illegal in most circumstances, but it is something
that is difficult to enforce. The new measure tackles that by prohibiting
gamblers from using credit cards, checks and electronic fund transfers to
settle their online wagers. “The enforcement provision provided by this bill
will go a long way to stop these illegal online operations,” Kyl said late
Friday. Kyl and Frist previously tried unsuccessfully to put the measure on
a bill authorizing funding for the military, but critics said the Defense
Department bill was no place for the gambling measure. Similarly, Democrats
complained Friday that Republicans had used the port security bill as a
vehicle for other GOP-backed measures. The House passed a version of the
Internet gambling bill in July, but the Senate has taken no action on
similar legislation.
Frist, eyeing a 2008 presidential bid, recently discussed the online
gambling provision in the politically important state of Iowa. He also
called it a legislative priority in a recent speech on the Senate floor.
“Congress has grappled with this issue for 10 years, and during that time
we’ve watched this shadow industry explode,” Frist said in a statement
Friday. “For me as majority leader, the bottom line is simple: Internet
gambling is illegal.”
The measure’s supporters include the National Football League as well as
conservative and antigambling groups. Some banking groups have lobbied
against it.
Federal officials have made recent arrests involving offshore companies
operating Internet gambling sites. The Internet gambling industry is
headquartered almost entirely outside the United States although many of its
customers live in the U.S.
The new gambling provision is not expected to affect gambling at tracks or
casinos.
