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INTERNET GAMBLING
On October 13, 2006, President Bush signed legislation banning illegal internet gambling. This law prohibits the use of any bank instrument – such as a credit card, check, or electronic funds transfer – for Internet gambling. This is the most effective way to cut off the money supply that offshore and foreign gambling sites feed on.
The provisions of the new law mirror language in H.R. 2143, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, which is a bill I introduced during the 108th Congress. The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2143 during that session.
The negative effects of gambling have been widely documented. All too often, gambling results in addiction, bankruptcy, divorce, crime, and moral decline. Internet gambling magnifies the destructiveness of gambling by bringing the casino into the home. One student reportedly lost $10,000 on Internet sports gambling over a three-month period.
I have been working with my colleagues in the House and Senate for years to put an end to Internet gambling and was proud to part of the successful effort to enact a law that takes great steps to curtail this corrupting practice.
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