US politicians will vote later today on whether to ban Internet gambling.

slegs

Tuesday, July 11 09:16:20

(BizWorld)

US politicians will vote later today on whether to ban Internet gambling.

The measure, should it be passed, would have major implications for Paddy Power and others in Ireland.
The Bill before Congress seeks to ban Internet gaming by outlawing the use of credit cards to pay for online bets.


Almost all the companies that would be affected by the law are based outside the United States, although half of the customers in the USD12bn industry live in the US.

There have been several failed attempts by Congress to restrict or ban the online gaming sector in recent years.

However, observers say this Bill is likely to be passed after Republican congressmen Bob Goodlatte and Jim Leach joined forces on their previously separate proposals.

5starpool

This surely wouldn't affect Paddy Power itself as all their customers are based outside the US but it would affect Tribeca volume I'd imagine. I will believe this when I see it though.

ntlbell

I can't see how this would be possible, a technical nightmare.

BrokenArrows

hows could this even be implemented.

If it does go ahead everyone will just have to switch over to using neteller or similar services to put money into their accounts.

Poker & Pints

Here's the best part:

The majority leader, Representative John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, announced a few days ago that the measure would be voted on as part of what the Republicans call their American Values Agenda.
So because the Republicans have garnered public scorn for their corruption, lust for power, and morally bankrupt governance of the past 12 years, they've decided to make a last-ditch attempt to hold on to power by cracking down on the moral transgressions of their constituents.

Super.


Also, eBay government relations director Brian Bieron sent a letter to Goodlatte announcing the company's support of his bill and also goes above and beyond what any gambling foes in Congress have called for. Bieron calls for the actual prosecution of Internet gamblers themselves, a policy which could only be enforced by allowing law enforcement officials to essentially begin monitoring everyone's online activity, including tracing visited websites back to IP addresses.

A law similar to what Bieron is advocating hit the books in Washington State this month. It makes online gambling a Class C felony, on par with child pornography.

Why: Goodlatte's bill's main effect will be to shield PayPal, a domestic company, from foreign competitors.

5starpool

all hail the land of the free

Lafortezza

It would cause all poker sites to remove the option to deposit by credit card, which is the fastest and easiest way for casual players to start playing.
All of us who would play semi-regularly and play to win, won't be too bothered about using other ways to lodge money, but the bad players who make up all of our profit will be put off, they want to instantly play for fun.
The number of fish will drop considerably, especially at the lower stakes.

There's also the problem that if the bill gets passed, then the ISP's in the US may make it difficult to connect to poker/gambling sites. Either by blocking connections or by providing information about people gambling online to the authoritys.

Wombatman

Already outlawed in Washington State.
Do you really think these fascists knee jerks :mad: think about implementation when they come up with these bone head plans.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003062386_danny15.html

Domestic US casinos are in favour of ban. I think if the revenue from net gambling was retained in US the feds would be happy.

"Offshore online gambling Web sites are cash cows, and the greed that propels these companies leads them to solicit bettors in the United States, despite the fact that the Department of Justice already believes this activity is illegal," U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said after his Internet ban passed the Judiciary Committee on May 25.

Ste05

Just prey this doesn't make it through the Senate....

Reading on 2+2 (their forum on Legislation) they don't sound convinced that it'll make it through the Senate...

Fingers crossed, imagine a World without US Fish... :eek: :eek:

Imposter

Paypal is now used (with the companies blessing) as a payment method on European sites too!

staringelf

its passed the house as expected. hopefully it won't get through the senate. it has to be voted on there by oct 6th. if not im pretty sure they scrap it. the senate doesn't sit for the whole of august also which is good. i'd say it won't get called before the oct 6th deadline.

MadsL

The power of tax revenue eh?

carrigeen

staringelf wrote:

its passed the house as expected. hopefully it won't get through the senate. it has to be voted on there by oct 6th. if not im pretty sure they scrap it. the senate doesn't sit for the whole of august also which is good. i'd say it won't get called before the oct 6th deadline.

Yeah doesnt look good, from what I can read probably wont get through the Senate on time and then their back to scratch in January . Still I think its probably only putting off the enevitable for a year unless there is a seachange in attitude. Really annoying though even if it didnt effect the fact I play poker really hate laws that inhibate freedoms that dont impinge on anyone else. Its not just America either it's here and sneeking in across europe.

Scotty #

House votes yes on Net-gambling crackdown
Republicans win approval of controversial bill, calling online gambling a "scourge," warning of wireless betting.
By Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Published: July 11, 2006, 1:13 PM PDT
Last modified: July 11, 2006, 1:22 PM PDT
TalkBack E-mail Print del.icio.us Digg this
update The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to restrict Internet gambling, a move Republicans hope will boost their popularity before the November election.

By a vote of 317 to 93, politicians approved a controversial bill that tries to eliminate many forms of online gambling by targeting Internet service providers and financial intermediaries, namely banks and credit card companies that process payments to offshore Web sites.

Net gambling "is a scourge on our society," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican who's tried for the better part of a decade to enact legislation that combats Net gambling.

During the floor debate, which lasted about four hours, supporters of the measure warned of the growing popularity of wireless devices and said Congress needed to enact restrictions now. One estimate puts revenues from Internet gambling at more than $10 billion a year.

"Gamblers will be able to place bets not just from their home computers, but also from their cell phones as they drive to work and from their BlackBerrys when they wait in line for the movies," said Rep. Jim Leach, an Iowa Republican.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act would clarify that federal law prohibits processing financial transactions related to "unlawful" online gambling. In addition, it would in some cases force Internet service providers to block access to offshore gambling sites.

Tuesday's vote on the bill, which most House Democrats opposed and nearly all Republicans endorsed, is designed to target offshore Web sites that go by names like BetBug of Toronto; BetWWTS.com of Antigua; Bodog Sportsbook, Casino and Poker of Costa Rica; and Betfair, which has offices in London.

It's also intended to aid the political fortunes of Republicans who are worried about losing control of the House of Representatives in the November election. Last month, House Republican leaders announced that the bill would be part of a 10-part "American Values Agenda," along with a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage and further restrictions on stem cell research.


While some Democrats supported the measure, most criticized it as unnecessary and riddled with loopholes. One section of the bill, for instance, indicates that betting on horse racing will remain legal. (The National Thoroughbred Racing Association said in an earlier statement that its members can "continue to conduct interstate, account and Internet wagering.")

Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat, called it a "loophole as big as a barn door" and said lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who pleaded guilty in January to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials, would be proud. Abramoff's plea agreement says he offered illegal bribes relating to "stopping legislation regarding Internet gambling."

At one point, Rep. Shelley Berkley, a Democrat from Nevada, offered an amendment that would have eliminated what she called the "hypocritical exemption" by flatly banning all forms of Internet gambling. It failed by a vote of 114 to 297.

Goodluck2me

it was quite inevitable, sure they closed all of the casinos in Atlantic city this week for 2 days until the casinos agreed to an increase in sales tax, the 8% that they were on before was worth $20m per day from atlantic city alone! so an extra 1% was obviosly a great cash cow.

staringelf

goodluck2me wrote:

it was quite inevitable, sure they closed all of the casinos in Atlantic city this week for 2 days until the casinos agreed to an increase in sales tax, the 8% that they were on before was worth $20m per day from atlantic city alone! so an extra 1% was obviosly a great cash cow.

it makes no sense why they would want to ban internet gambling. if they were concerned about tax revenue they should just regulate it and tax the bejaysus out of all the online sites and players that play on them. the poker sites are crying out to be regulated anyway.

Sangre

God that country infuriates me sometimes.

Nalz

Good oul yanks...ah this surely wont happen. It can't. Should this be moved to gambling forum?

DeVore

This is to stop the flow of US dollars from the US to other countries. That causes all sorts of problems with the strength of their currency and it was a matter of time. This has f*ck all to do with protecting anyone.

Anyway, the internet will route around it.

DeV.

henbane

In Sklansky we trust!

MadsL

it was quite inevitable, sure they closed all of the casinos in Atlantic city this week for 2 days until the casinos agreed to an increase in sales tax, the 8% that they were on before was worth $20m per day from atlantic city alone! so an extra 1% was obviosly a great cash cow.

Bit of misinformation here - it's not like New Jersey was holding Atlantic City to ransom. As often happens, when a state cannot get it's budget passed they resorted to grandstanding, and shut down non-essential services to force the issue to a head. Non-essential services include casino inspectors - no inspectors - no gambling.
So less like "if you casinos don't agree to a sales tax we'll close you down", more like "we have to pass this budget, so no inspections until we get it passed, sorry."

connie147

So it only affects america? there was a time when the smoking ban was only in america too. . remember? If they pass iot there, as sure as night follows day, some bright spark will want it here as well.

5starpool

connie147 wrote:

So it only affects america? there was a time when the smoking ban was only in america too. . remember? If they pass iot there, as sure as night follows day, some bright spark will want it here as well.

*Personally* I would prefer they ban online gambling in Ireland than ban poker in Casinos, but I really wish they would just regulate it and leave it alone then and concentrate on important national stuff like trying to get a health service going or something.

Lafortezza

I'm not too bothered about online numbers being reduced.
What worries me is that the standard of play will go way up, since the casual (bad) players won't play, but those who take poker a bit seriously will make an effort to get around any new regulations.
So all those pro's who normally play $5/$10NL and higher will drop down to $1/$2NL and 10 table to try to keep their profits going. Not good.

slegs

Article on cardplayer with their take on the new law...basically that its unenforceable

http://www.cardplayer.com/poker_news/news_story/1157?class=PokerNews