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USA Today, July 18, 2000, Page 5A:
in House
By Tom Squitieri
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON -- The House rejected legislation banning most forms of Internet gambling, throwing into question whether the measure is doomed permanently.
House members voted 245-159 Monday in favor of the bill, but because the bill was brought to the House floor under suspension, which prohibited amendments, it had to pass with two-thirds of the vote. Supporters fell 25 votes short of that mark.
''If this bill does not pass, I predict by next year you will have casino gambling on the Internet,'' said Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La.
The legislation would ban gambling on sports events, forbid the sale of lottery tickets inside private homes and prohibit casino games over the Internet. Exempted from the measure are betting on horse and dog races and jai alai within states where those activities are currently authorized.
The Senate approved similar legislation last November on a voice vote.
In testimony before House committees, industry analysts said that the amount people gamble on the Internet is expected to grow from $1.1 billion in 1999 to $3 billion in 2002.
There are almost 700 Internet gambling sites. The measure would require Internet service providers to block access to gambling sites. But most of the gambling Web sites are outside the USA and can be used by anyone with a personal computer, a telephone modem hook-up and a credit card, which makes enforcement of the ban a problem.
''If you go offshore, the federal government has no authority to close those particular Web sites,'' said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., who opposed the bill as ineffective.
Advocates for the industry said they would accept regulation and taxation, but outright prohibition is unworkable.
The White House has voiced support for limiting gambling on the Internet but has not taken a position on the House or Senate bills. Last week, Vice President Gore announced his opposition to the bill because of the exemption for horse racing and what he said was unneeded government intrusion on the Internet.
Most agree Internet gambling as commonly practiced is already illegal under the Wire Communications Act of 1961, which was written to cover sports betting over the telephone. Supporters say the new bill is necessary to leave no doubt that Internet gambling remains illegal even when computers communicate by something other than phone lines.
The battle in the House pitted two odd coalitions against each other. On one side the lineup featured the Christian Coalition, the Family Research Council, the American Gaming Association and horse track owners. Opposing them were the Justice Department, the Interactive Gaming Council, some of the nation's governors, libertarians and the Traditional Values Coalition.
Stuck in an unusual middle position: conservative Republicans who oppose all forms of gambling as well as loathe the idea of any government regulation of the Internet.
''We know the Internet is in its infancy,'' says the Rev. Lou Sheldon, director of the Traditional Values Coalition. ''If you give in to the horses and dogs and jai alai, in five years it (gambling) will be a gigantic industry.''
Not so says the Christian Coalition, which usually lines up with the Traditional Values Coalition. ''We're getting a very important bill, and it's very necessary that it get passed at this time,'' says Susan Muskett of the Christian Coalition. ''We will achieve a great deal of good in preventing a great temptation for youth, compulsive gamblers and the poor.''
in House
By Tom Squitieri
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON -- The House rejected legislation banning most forms of Internet gambling, throwing into question whether the measure is doomed permanently.
House members voted 245-159 Monday in favor of the bill, but because the bill was brought to the House floor under suspension, which prohibited amendments, it had to pass with two-thirds of the vote. Supporters fell 25 votes short of that mark.
''If this bill does not pass, I predict by next year you will have casino gambling on the Internet,'' said Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La.
The legislation would ban gambling on sports events, forbid the sale of lottery tickets inside private homes and prohibit casino games over the Internet. Exempted from the measure are betting on horse and dog races and jai alai within states where those activities are currently authorized.
The Senate approved similar legislation last November on a voice vote.
In testimony before House committees, industry analysts said that the amount people gamble on the Internet is expected to grow from $1.1 billion in 1999 to $3 billion in 2002.
There are almost 700 Internet gambling sites. The measure would require Internet service providers to block access to gambling sites. But most of the gambling Web sites are outside the USA and can be used by anyone with a personal computer, a telephone modem hook-up and a credit card, which makes enforcement of the ban a problem.
''If you go offshore, the federal government has no authority to close those particular Web sites,'' said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., who opposed the bill as ineffective.
Advocates for the industry said they would accept regulation and taxation, but outright prohibition is unworkable.
The White House has voiced support for limiting gambling on the Internet but has not taken a position on the House or Senate bills. Last week, Vice President Gore announced his opposition to the bill because of the exemption for horse racing and what he said was unneeded government intrusion on the Internet.
Most agree Internet gambling as commonly practiced is already illegal under the Wire Communications Act of 1961, which was written to cover sports betting over the telephone. Supporters say the new bill is necessary to leave no doubt that Internet gambling remains illegal even when computers communicate by something other than phone lines.
The battle in the House pitted two odd coalitions against each other. On one side the lineup featured the Christian Coalition, the Family Research Council, the American Gaming Association and horse track owners. Opposing them were the Justice Department, the Interactive Gaming Council, some of the nation's governors, libertarians and the Traditional Values Coalition.
Stuck in an unusual middle position: conservative Republicans who oppose all forms of gambling as well as loathe the idea of any government regulation of the Internet.
''We know the Internet is in its infancy,'' says the Rev. Lou Sheldon, director of the Traditional Values Coalition. ''If you give in to the horses and dogs and jai alai, in five years it (gambling) will be a gigantic industry.''
Not so says the Christian Coalition, which usually lines up with the Traditional Values Coalition. ''We're getting a very important bill, and it's very necessary that it get passed at this time,'' says Susan Muskett of the Christian Coalition. ''We will achieve a great deal of good in preventing a great temptation for youth, compulsive gamblers and the poor.''