What the U.S. Safe Port Bill is Not

Assuming President Bush signs the U.S. Safe Port Bill (which he will), there certainly will be much discussion and writing in the coming days and months about what the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement provisions of the Bill really mean. We’ll be reviewing it here, section by section, but first wanted to describe what it is not.

1. It does not outlaw internet gambling in the United States. The 1961 Wire Act, the interpretation of which just about everybody has a different view when people try to apply it to internet gambling, are unchanged. The debate on if, how and to what extent the Wire Act can be applied to domestic and foreign businesses that offer internet sports betting, casino games, horse racing and poker will continue.

2. It has absolutley no provisions telling U.S. citizens what they can or can’t do on the internet. In fact, it is important to remember, neither does the often quoted Wire Act, which only has prohibitions on what a business “engaged in the business of betting or wagering” can’t do.

3. It is not criminal in nature against players. Rather, it tells U.S. banks, through regulations to be issued not earlier than mid-2007, and probabaly later, what they must do in order to try to prevent the use of their financial instruments (credit cards, checks, etc.) to pay for internet gambling.

Add comment September 30th, 2006

U.S. Safe Port Act (aka Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) Passes House and Senate

Well, after over 9 years of debate and votes, legislation attempting to prohibit the use of bank financial instruments for many types of internet gambling has passed both the U.S.House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. It got there through a back door route, by attachment in closed Committee deliberations to the Conference Report. Language was added to a bill which had previously only dealt with protecting the ports of the U.S. from terrorist attack. The conference report can be found here on the House of Representatives website , which contains the inserted internet gambling language beginning on page 213.

Add comment September 29th, 2006

U.S. Internet Gambling Legislation Coming?

Be watchful, U.S. Senate leaders are trying to attach internet funding prohibition legislation to anything they can as the 109th Congress comes to a close. While they failed in their attempt at adding it to the Department of Defense funding bill, there are still a few opportunites left. More to come . . . . .

Add comment September 27th, 2006