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#1
05-24-2006, 10:03 PM
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Washington Post Article on bill to ban internet poker
It's getting serious. Everyone needs to make sure they call and emails their reps and whatever else PPA recommends.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...052402432.html Bill to Ban Gambling Online Gets 4th Chance By Frank Ahrens Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, May 25, 2006; Page D01 Online poker players will have to fold their hands if a Virginia congressman gets his way. Today, the House Judiciary Committee will mark up a bill introduced by Rep. Robert W. Goodlatte (R) that would ban much online gambling, including bets on sporting events and games of chance -- namely poker, which has enjoyed a boom in recent years. How a Lobbyist Stacked the Deck Lobbyist Jack Abramoff in 2000 was key to blocking a version of this year's legislation to ban Internet gambling. Graphic Related Graphic: From The Post's Print Edition All of Today's Business Articles Today's Business Front Image More on washingtonpost.com Markets News and Research Technology Section Save & Share Tag This Article Saving options 1. Save to description: Headline (required) Byline 2. Save to notes (255 character max): Blurb 3. Tag This Article The legislation could get an unexpected boost from the Jack Abramoff scandal. The disgraced lobbyist was key to blocking one of Goodlatte's three previous attempts to ban Internet gambling, and backlash over corruption charges could help the current effort. The bill would update the Federal Wire Wager Act, which prohibits gambling over telephone lines but may not apply to Internet gambling because all Web traffic does not travel over phone lines. It also would force banks to block transactions related to online gambling and would empower law enforcement agencies to force Internet service providers to remove or disable links to gambling sites. "I am a big advocate of opening up the Internet to all kinds of legitimate uses," said Goodlatte, who is co-chairman of the Congressional Internet Caucus. "But we don't want the Internet to come the Wild West of the 21st century." Goodlatte said he opposes gambling because it leads to "a whole host of ills in society." The bill effectively would prevent state lotteries from taking their games online, because technology does not exist to keep gambling within a state. Fantasy sports leagues would be exempt. Goodlatte said his bill is neutral on parimutuel horse wagering, which has an online component that is the cause of an ongoing struggle between Congress and the Justice Department. The legislative fight over an earlier version of Goodlatte's bill was at the center of the Abramoff lobbying scandal, which led to guilty pleas by Abramoff and four former associates, including three former congressional aides. Abramoff's client, a gambling services company, opposed the bill and the lobbyist funneled $50,000 of the client's money to the wife of a key aide to former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas). The aide, Tony Rudy, pleaded guilty to charges that he conspired with Abramoff to corrupt public officials and defraud his clients. Questions about DeLay's role contributed to DeLay's decision to leave Congress. The current bill is backed by religious groups such as the Southern Baptist Convention, professional sports leagues such as the NFL and online-auction giant eBay. On the other side are members of Congress from casino-supported Nevada, who introduced rival legislation; casinos; an organization of small banks that says its members do not have the manpower to block all gambling transactions; and the group with the highest visibility, the Poker Players Alliance. Poker players argue that their pastime should be excluded from Goodlatte's ban because it is a game of skill, not chance. Last month, three World Series of Poker champions visited a House office building to defend their game against attempts to ban it online. "We don't believe that simply putting the word 'Internet' in front of 'poker' should make the game suspect," said Michael Bolcerek, president of the Poker Players Alliance. "Poker is a skill game. You can influence events. The original cards are random, but you can influence your success or failure throughout the hand" by learning betting patterns of fellow players, bluffing and other techniques, he said. Bolcerek said he prefers a weekly sit-down poker game with buddies to playing online. Goodlatte, who said he played poker as a young man but never for money, disagreed. Poker is "absolutely a game of chance," he said. Both sides estimate that about $12 billion a year is spent in online gaming. Three House members from Nevada -- Jon Porter (R), Shelley Berkley (D) and Jim Gibbons (R) -- yesterday introduced legislation for an 18-month study of online gambling and whether games could be regulated and taxed, as they are in Britain. Goodlatte said such regulation could not exist here because gambling is regulated at the state, not federal, level. The Independent Community Bankers of America, a group of about 5,000 small banks that opposes Goodlatte's bill, said previous attempts got bogged down in complications and had little chance of passing. But Stephen J. Verdier, senior vice president for congressional affairs for the small bankers, said the Abramoff scandal "has raised the political saliency" of Goodlatte's bill. "It's kind of got us a little worried, frankly," he said. Though banks have the right to examine all transactions and block them if required by law, they are in the business of making customer payments as quickly and accurately as possible, Verdier said, "not trying to decide if you're a good person or a bad person." 
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#3
05-24-2006, 10:42 PM
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Re: Washington Post Article on bill to ban internet poker
[ QUOTE ]
Goodlatte, who said he played poker as a young man but never for money, disagreed. Poker is "absolutely a game of chance," he said. [/ QUOTE ]
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#4
05-24-2006, 11:12 PM
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Re: Washington Post Article on bill to ban internet poker
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] "But we don't want the Internet to come the Wild West of the 21st century." [/ QUOTE ] Actually this is exactly what I support. [/ QUOTE ] Everyone must realize that the Republicans want to ban everything from poker to playboy on the internet. If the Republicans have their way the internet will just be one big Disney channel.
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#5
05-24-2006, 11:26 PM
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Re: Washington Post Article on bill to ban internet poker
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] "But we don't want the Internet to come the Wild West of the 21st century." [/ QUOTE ] Actually this is exactly what I support. [/ QUOTE ] Everyone must realize that the Republicans want to ban everything from poker to playboy on the internet. If the Republicans have their way the internet will just be one big Disney channel. [/ QUOTE ] genius, instead of turning this into a stupid political argument, read the damn article again and realize that the person who had tried to block one of the previous attempts was a republican named jack abramoff. If you knew anything about politics you would understand that there isnt much of a difference between republicans and democrats and they all do what they think will get them elected and not what they think is right and wrong.
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#6
05-24-2006, 11:27 PM
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Re: Washington Post Article on bill to ban internet poker
[ QUOTE ]
Goodlatte, who said he played poker as a young man but never for money, disagreed. Poker is "absolutely a game of chance," he said. [/ QUOTE ] So he hasn't played in decades and hes qualified to say that its a game of chance. I bet he lost alot when he did play.
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#8
05-24-2006, 11:35 PM
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Re: Washington Post Article on bill to ban internet poker
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Goodlatte said such regulation could not exist here because gambling is regulated at the state, not federal, level. [/ QUOTE ] So why is he trying out ban online gambling at the federal level?
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#9
05-24-2006, 11:39 PM
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Re: Washington Post Article on bill to ban internet poker
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[ QUOTE ] Goodlatte said such regulation could not exist here because gambling is regulated at the state, not federal, level. [/ QUOTE ] So why is he trying out ban online gambling at the federal level? [/ QUOTE ] Because he is a typical right wing Republican. He wants everyone to just give all their money to the churches. If you haven't heard the Republicans also are going to try and ban any access to online erotica, even for adults, they even want to ban Playboy. The Republicans want to censor and control the internet the same way the Chinese do.
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#10
05-24-2006, 11:40 PM
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Re: Washington Post Article on bill to ban internet poker
[ QUOTE ]
that there isnt much of a difference between republicans and democrats [/ QUOTE ] Are you really as stupid as you sound? Or are you just drunk or something?
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