Top Internet Gambling Lobbyists on Capitol Hill

Teams of lobbyists are facing off on Capitol Hill in a contest over whether the United States should choke off the growth of wagering on the Web. Faced with bills to curb online casinos, which attracts an estimated $12 billion a year in wagers worldwide, an array of interest groups like casinos here and abroad, as well as sports leagues, anti-gambling coalitions and even poker players has dispatched lobbyists to argue what should be legal and what should not. Major League Baseball wants to make sure that any measures do not diminish fantasy sports games, which it credits for a resurgence in its popularity.

The Justice Department has always considered Internet gambling illegal. But that has not stopped online wagering from flourishing. Proponents of Internet casino gambling argue that the congressional trend goes against the growing tide of international wagering. As many as 80 countries allow it in some form.

In the United States, the fight is set to resume when Congress returns from its Fourth of July recess. The House proposal would make it illegal to use a banking instrument like a check or credit card to settle Internet wagers, and it would penalize institutions that act as intermediaries channeling money between the offshore gambling enterprises and American bettors. The measure would also update the Wire Act of 1961 to prohibit Internet gambling specifically.

"It will not be a perfect preclusive approach, but it will be pretty strong," said Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, a co-sponsor of the bill.

The Poker Players Alliance, a new player on the Hill, and others that would be affected by a ban point to big-money interests like horse racing that are not covered under the proposal. That's discriminatory, the alliance says.

July 4, 2006
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com    Previous Page | Internet Gambling | Top Online Casinos | Submit News!