[hazillow]

Dear Mr. Cxxxxxxxx:



Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your opposition to recently passed Internet gambling legislation.



On September 30, 2006, both the House and Senate passed port security legislation to prohibit the use of various forms of payment such as credit cards and checks for unlawful Internet gambling. It is important to note that this legislation does not make Internet gambling illegal but rather seeks to reinforce the prohibition on unlawful Internet gambling.



I had serious reservations about including this legislation in port security legislation. However, once the internet gambling legislation was included, I supported the overall bill because the port security legislation was too important to jeopardize. The President signed this measure into law on October 13, 2006.



Thank you once again for contacting me. If I can be of further assistance to you in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me again.



Sincerely,
Norm Coleman
United States Senate