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LIFE AFTER PROHIBITION? EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF PENDING U.S. LEGISLATION : Part 1
After eight years of seemingly-endless legislative proposals, committee debates, and
defeats, news that United States lawmakers intended to propose yet another round of
prohibitionist legislation peaked little interest among industry leaders in early 2006. The
common refrain of the “Kyl Bill,” the “Leach Bill,” and the “Goodlatte Bill,” became little more than background noise in an environment of seemingly constant regulatory changes. However, in this author’s view, the online gambling industry has never been more vulnerable to adverse United States legislation than right now. Dueling bills in both the House and Senate seek to expand the scope of the Wire Act, to now specifically apply to online gambling businesses, and to games of chance other than sports betting.1 The bills also contain dangerous provisions requiring ISPs/hosts to block URLs identified as belonging to illegal online gambling websites, after receipt of notice from government officials. Still other provisions focus on prohibiting Electronic Funds Transfers (EFTs) relating to online wagers. In short, the United States Congress is attempting to give the Department of Justice a variety of tools necessary to clamp down on all manner of Internet gambling operations – even those located overseas. While United States criminal jurisdiction will not likely extend to foreign companies owned by foreign citizens, United States lawmakers have found another way to skin the cat; by cutting off the money sources, and by blocking electronic access to the sites at the source.
Continue reading "Crack Cocaine of Gambling Part 1" »
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