House Committee To Vote On Anti-Gaming Bill Tomorrow
Coming up tomorrow, the House Judiciary Committee will begin the great online poker debate, and vote on whether House Resolution 4777, which is better known as the Internet Gaming Prohibition Act, should be passed on for full consideration from the House of Representatives.
This is one of the bills, sponsored by Virginia Representative Bob Goodlatte, which is currently floating around Washington, DC that would be an attempt to drive Americans from playing online poker and other gaming sites through the blocking of transferring funds to the offshore sites. It would also attempt to force Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the United States to remove gaming links to such poker and casino sites and would also force financial institutions to monitor the spending habits of their customers and report violations.
As to be expected, the battle has been intense on this particular bill. HR 4777 passed out of the House Judiciary Sub-Committee earlier in May by a unanimous vote. Previous to this and since this passage, the voices of poker players have been vociferous to their representation in the House. In particular, one letter from a New York man to his representative points out another downside (as if it needed another) if the legislation is passed.
Ethan Ruby recently penned a letter to his representative in the House, Rep. Jim Langevin, to point out the effect that passage of HR 4777 would have on his life. Mr. Ruby is a disabled American who has enjoyed the benefits of the contact that not only the Internet but also online poker has provided to himself and other persons in his situation.
In the passionate letter, Mr. Ruby presented several thoughts for his representative in the House to consider. "The expansion of the Internet has truly revolutionized how people with disabilities communicate with family, friends, and others throughout the world," Mr. Ruby states in his letter to Rep. Langevin.
"I urge members of the Disability Caucus to oppose any attempts by Congress to prevent Americans from enjoying the game of poker on the Internet due to the unintended consequences it will have on the disabled community."
May 25, 2006
Posted By Susan Torres
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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