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July
House Passes Bill to Limit Internet Gambling
Washington - July 11, 2006
The House voted Tuesday to forbid the use of credit cards to settle
online bets, an effort to halt mushrooming interest in Internet
gambling.
Opponents said it wouldn't work and decried exceptions for state-run
lotteries and a horse racing industry that has powerful patrons
in Congress
The vote was 317-93.
"The House has acted very strongly on this measure,"
said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va, one of the bill's lead sponsors.
"I think that should send a strong signal that we need for
the Senate to act."
Senate leaders have not identified the bill as a top priority,
but the bill's main champion in that chamber, Arizona Republican
Jon Kyl, said Tuesday he would pursue it aggressively.
The legislation would clarify and update current law to spell out
that most gambling is illegal online and would prohibit most payment
forms from being used to settle online wagers.
The measure also would empower law enforcement authorities to work
with Internet providers to block access to gambling Web sites.
The American Gaming Association, the industry's largest lobby,
opposed online gambling in the past but recently
softened its stance and backed a study of the feasibility of regulating
it.
The Internet gambling industry is headquartered
almost entirely outside the United States, although about half of
its customers live in the U.S.
The bill's sponsors successfully beat back an amendment to strip
out the exemptions for the horse racing industry and state lotteries.
Source Code: http://www.latimes.com/sports/?track=leftnav-sports
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