Maryland and Florida Apparently Against Frank Bill

[Coy_Roy]

http://www.gambling911.com/Maryland-...ng-100307.html

Maryland, Florida Write to Barney Frank re: Online Gambling Proposal Concerns

Maryland Attorney
General Douglas F. Gansler, together with Florida
Attorney General Bill McCollum, sent a letter to
Congressman Barney Frank and Congressman Spencer
Bachus, chairman and ranking member, respectively, of
the House Committee on Financial Services, expressing
grave concerns about H.R. 2046, the “Internet Gambling
Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007.”

H.R. 2046 would replace state regulations of Internet
gambling with a federal licensing program that would
permit Internet gambling companies to do business with
U.S. customers – a move Attorney General Gansler and
Attorney General McCollum believe would undermine
States’ traditional powers to make and enforce their
own gambling laws. Under the proposed legislation, the
Department of Treasury would alone authorize and
regulate the federal licenses, marking the first time
in history that the federal government would be
responsible for issuing gambling licenses.

“H.R. 2046 would throw open the doors of the United
States and allow for the greatest expansion of
legalized gambling in American history,” said Attorney
General Gansler. “This attempt to divest the States of
their gambling enforcement power is sweeping and
unprecedented. We oppose this proposal, and any other
proposal that hinders the rights of States to prohibit
or regulate gambling by their residents.”

To help combat the skirting of state gambling
regulations by Internet gambling companies, 49
Attorneys General wrote to the leadership of Congress
in March of last year, urging the passage of the
Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Congress
enacted the legislation, ensuring that the authority
to set overall gambling regulations and policy remains
where it has traditionally been most effective – at
the state level.

Less than a year later, H.R. 2046 would undo the
progress achieved with the passage of the Unlawful
Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 by legalizing
Internet gambling in each State, unless the Governor
clearly specifies existing state restrictions barring
Internet gambling in whole or in part. A State may
then “opt out” of legalization for all Internet
gambling or certain types of gambling. However, the
opt-out for types of gambling does not clearly
preserve the right of States to place conditions on
legal types of gambling. In addition, the opt-outs are
deceiving in that they will likely be challenged
before the World Trade Organization – an organization that has already demonstrated hostility towards U.S. restrictions on Internet gambling.

Source: Maryland Attorney General