PDA

View Full Version : US House Approves Internet Wagering Ban


Magpie Maniac
11 Jul 2006, 06:07 PM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060711/wr_nm/leisure_gambling_vote_dc_6
"The U.S. House on Tuesday approved a Republican-written bill to crack down on Internet gambling, in what critics said was an election-year appeal to the party's conservative base. The House voted 317-93 to impose a ban on most forms of Internet gambling by making it illegal for banks and credit card companies to make payments to online gambling sites."
"Democrat Barney Frank of Massachusetts said he thought the bill was 'outrageous.' 'If people want to do something, and it doesn't hurt anybody else, we ought to mind our own business,' Frank said on Monday. 'This is a bill to tell adults not to do something because people in this body disapprove of what they do.'"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060711/pl_afp/afplifestyleusinternet_060711204821
"US officials argue that any bets made in the US, even at offshore websites, would already be against the law. But the new bill would explicitly ban the use of checks, wire transfers or credit cards for wagers, imposing a five-year prison term for violators."

Ya gotta love the Republicans who wrote the bill and the spineless Democrats who supported it. :rolleyes: They lecture about freedom and liberty on Monday and vote to ban a hobby on Tuesday.

This pandering piece of legislation will probably scare legitimate, publicly-traded bookmakers in Europe from taking wagers from Americans. Meanwhile, the shady books will have a field day taking money and not making payouts on winnings.

We'll see what the US Senate does.

I also loved this quote from House Speaker Dennis Hastert:
"We must be wary of illegal gambling sites that offer fronts to criminals for money laundering, drug trafficking and terrorist financing."

Wow. Who knew that I was financing Osama by putting down a ten on MLS matches on the weekend? :rolleyes: Dennis, your pre-enlightened constituency might fall for that crap, but not me.

Stogey23
14 Jul 2006, 12:57 PM
This would really suck for me. Like "time to move to another country" suck.

Magpie Maniac
14 Jul 2006, 02:08 PM
This would really suck for me. Like "time to move to another country" suck.

You and I both. I linked to this thread over in the politics forum. Most think that this legislation is an affront to our civil liberties. Others don't seem to give a shit and think it's well within the government's right (an ironic use of words) to do so.

This is all part of the government's War on Hobbies. I'm waiting for Congress to outlaw remote control airplanes for fear of some sort of terrorist plot. ;)

RichardL
16 Jul 2006, 04:41 PM
US officials argue that any bets made in the US, even at offshore websites, would already be against the law. But the new bill would explicitly ban the use of checks, wire transfers or credit cards for wagers, imposing a five-year prison term for violators
how would anyone know where bets are made from?

I can't imagine credit card software has been designed to filter out US IP addresses, and they can hardly tell worldwide credit card firms to ban their customers from other countries from using betting websites.

Magpie Maniac
16 Jul 2006, 05:08 PM
how would anyone know where bets are made from?

I can't imagine credit card software has been designed to filter out US IP addresses, and they can hardly tell worldwide credit card firms to ban their customers from other countries from using betting websites.

Some online bookmakers like William Hill won't even allow US residents to set up an account. (You enter your home address when setting up the account.) Others like Bet365 and Pinnacle are apparently willing to turn their head.

Secondly, the big problem for US gamblers is setting up the financial accounts to top up and withdraw funds. They don't look at IP addresses; they look at where the credit card account was set up. If you attempt to use a US-issued credit card, the bookmaker sites will reject the deposit if the issuer has an anti-gambling policy. This takes seconds. Most of the larger US credit card companies are already on board due to pressure from the government. If you attempt to use PayPal, the bookmaker site will reject the deposit of the PayPal account was set up with a US address.

Currently, the only option for people in the US is to use Neteller or maybe FirePay since those are offshore. The only way I see for this new legislation to have any effect is for them to not allow US banks to make transfers to sites like Neteller or FirePay.

In reality, there's always a workaround for people who want to wager. The feds will try to make an example out of a few people to scare the rest of us.

Magpie Maniac
18 Jul 2006, 01:34 AM
Arrest Made in Crackdown on Internet Betting (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/18/technology/18gamble.html?ex=1310875200&en=86d23b44d0868c0e&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss)

Magpie Maniac
18 Jul 2006, 09:23 AM
The Daily Show on Net Neutrality and Online Gambling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgx-_UZZTqw&search=jon%20stewart%20internet%20gamble)

Magpie Maniac
18 Jul 2006, 09:26 PM
BetOnSports.com is currently down. The site now states:

IN LIGHT OF COURT PAPERS FILED IN THE UNITED STATES, THE COMPANY HAS TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED THIS FACILITY PENDING ITS ABILITY TO ASSESS ITS FULL POSITION. DURING THIS PERIOD NO FINANCIAL OR WAGERING TRANSACTIONS CAN BE EXECUTED. FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE POSTED ONCE THE COMPANY IS IN A POSITION TO DO SO.

I've never used the site anyway. They always had a reputation for slow payouts, etc. According to several news reports, the online gaming industry is trying to determine if this action by the feds is in response to specific problems with BetOnSports or just the beginning of the war against a larger group of bookmakers.

The next big event to keep an eye on? The Bodog Marketing Conference scheduled for July 23-25 in Las Vegas. Will arrests be made?

Magpie Maniac
19 Jul 2006, 07:22 PM
The Bodog Marketing Conference that I mentioned has been cancelled. Not that I had any interest in going, but an interesting development nonetheless.

OFFMason
20 Jul 2006, 02:03 PM
How about they make money the clean way? What's the harm in that?

Magpie Maniac
20 Jul 2006, 02:33 PM
How about they make money the clean way? What's the harm in that?

Who? What?