House panel backs Internet gambling limits
A House panel voted Thursday to crack down on the $12 billion Internet gambling industry by applying federal prohibitions to games like online poker, blackjack and roulette.
The legislation would amend the 1961 Federal Wire Wager Act to explicitly prohibit online gambling. It also would outlaw electronic transmission of funds to pay for gambling bets, give law enforcement agencies authority to block such money transfers, and increase penalties for violation of the law.
Although the Justice Department has taken the position that the Wire Act already prohibits online gambling in the U.S., there is disagreement about that. Most of as many as 2,300 online gambling sites in existence are overseas.
I still can't find explicitly what will happen to poker sites like partypoker.net. But I do know that this bill would include poker, whereas in other instances poker has avoided being lumped in with games like blackjack and roulette because it is a game of skill, and not a game of chance.
Friday, May 26, 2006
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This is my worst nightmare! I thought being an American was about being free to make your own choices. A couple of parents complain to their congressman about their son maxing out his credit card doing this and that means I'm not allowed to enjoy my hobby responsibly? Bull**** I say! Someone elses poor choices has nothing to do with me. The government does this in so many other facets of our lives and I'm tired of it.
I'll tell you this: I'm not stopping. I'll just have to find better means to launder my money. Maybe get a swiss bank account?? :-)
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