"The Latest on the new Gambling Legislation"

Over the past several years the many attempts by lawmakers to bring about additional measures to prohibit Internet gambling, have met with very little success. In the United States the government publicly takes the stance that online gambling is illegal and tries to apply the 1960s Wire Act to enforce this, an act which prohibits the use of phone lines for placing wagers, tries to prosecute online casino operators, with this act. But rather than going away, Internet gambling has become increasingly popular and entered the mainstream of American life. If you examine the current trends you will also see that there is no indication that Internet gambling is going to go away anytime soon. One indication is the growing popularity of poker, which has been popular now for some time. That popularity is even greater now since some television channels such as ESPN have begun broadcasting live poker tournaments. This has made online poker one of the most popular of online games offered through online gambling casinos and has only served to stimulate the appeal of online gambling.

In the face of the fact that there are so many more pressing issues to deal with in the political, social, and economic arenas, and in light of the growing popularity of online gambling, anti online gambling measures are unlikely to succeed. This lack of support for anti online gambling measures seemingly has not stopped Senator John Kyle (R-Arizona) from submitting to Congress the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. This act of Kyle's is much more sweeping than existing regulations and it does not attempt to differentiate between illegal online gambling and regular, legal gambling activities. Unlike other Internet anti-gambling bill, Kyle's Bill does not include exemptions, making Kyle's bill even less likely of receiving passage. As a means of comparison, in 2000an anti-Internet gambling bill was introduced by Representative Jim Leach (R-IA). It was ultimately defeated by special interests who were seeking exemptions. If the Leach's bill, which included exemptions, was unable to gain passage, it seems unlikely that Kyle's bill, which contains no exemptions, has a chance at passing.