La Resistahnce!

[grandmaster]

Apr. 19, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Frank says Net bet ban resistance growing

By TONY BATT
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- Although there may not be much support in Congress for Internet gambling, Rep. Barney Frank says resistance is growing against a ban passed late last year.

"I think a lot of members of Congress voted for that (ban) without having given it a lot of attention," Frank said Wednesday. "And I think that there is growing opposition to it," he said. "I think that this may be a case where, after the fact of having voted for it, people don't like it and they reconsider."

Frank, the new chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said he plans to introduce a bill "probably next week, maybe the week after" against the Internet gambling ban.

Democrat Shelley Berkley and Republican Jon Porter, both of Nevada, also are planning to unveil legislation within the next two weeks that would call for a study of Internet gambling by the National Academy of Sciences.

After considering an 18-month study, the Nevadans are expected to propose a one-year study instead.

The Poker Players Alliance, represented by former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, R-N.Y., also may seek legislation that would exempt online poker from the ban.

Frank said he may support the Nevadans' bill, but "I want to go beyond the study."

Although he said it would be "premature" to discuss details of his bill, Frank explained why he has described the Internet gambling ban as one of the "stupidest" ever passed.

"Because I like to tell the truth," he said. "It has no valid public purpose in my judgment. It intrudes in people's private lives.

"One argument for it ... was this activity adds nothing to the GDP (gross domestic product). That's a chilling principle; that if something doesn't add to the gross domestic product we can ban it. That's a kind of ... corporatism that is very troubling to me."

The ban prohibits the use of credit cards or other bank instruments to pay for sports bets and gambling online. Before the ban, Internet gambling had become a $12 billion industry with more than 2,300 Web sites.

Congress passed the ban after it was attached to a port security bill by then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. The vote was 409-2, and previous roll call votes in the House and Senate have shown overwhelming support for an Internet gambling ban.

Frank acknowledged Congress may not be ready to change the ban dramatically.

"But I know (lawmakers) are hearing from people who don't like it now. So I'd say the situation is very fluid," Frank said.

Throughout his career, Frank has been a persistent and often lonely voice against efforts to regulate gambling.

"In a number of areas, I am a libertarian," Frank said. "I think that John Stuart Mill's 'On Liberty' is a great statement, and I was just rereading it. I believe that people should be allowed to read and gamble and ride motorcycles and do a lot of things that other people might not want to let them do."
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[Louie]

I am still owed $10,000 from Neteller which I spent on credit on this site thinking that I was going to get it on time.. I have been paying 15% interest on money I spent on this site. Repelling this bill would assure me that I would get this money.

Barney Frank is right on as far as this bill and I support him 100%. I believe Jon Kyl is a weasel and is in the pockets of the Vegas Casino Corporations along with the Indian Casinos. There seems to be some growing support from the Democratic party in congress for dumping this bill. I totally support the Democrats with this issue. I think if they had some brains they would raise awareness and bring this issue to the forefront of the public arena. Instead of making controversial statements about Iraq (Harry Ried) and undermining the president on the war, the dems should discuss issues that the people would be behind them on.

I also think that politicians are afraid to bring this issue out and discuss in the media because they aren't sure how the people would respond to it. It's not like there are actual scientific polls about online gambling. Therefore, I don't think the dems believe that it's a slam dunk. It should be interesting to see what happens over the next few months. I really hope they repel this bill and we get back to where we were a few years back.

[Studplayr]

I don,t think we will ever see it back the way it used to be Louie. However, I watched 60 minutes last night and they had the head man from the GAO on the program. He was reiterating how this country can,t maintain its current level of living with the baby boomer generation coming of age for medicare and recent changes in medicare such as the perscription drug program.They have to have some cost effective measures taken and an increase in revenue.
I think a change in the internet gambling law, that would allow the government to extract a tax from US citizens recieving winnings from these internet sites and a way of monitoring payouts to US citizens would be looked on favorably by congress. After all it appears to me to be all about the Benjamins. I personally would,nt be in favor of such action but I can see it happening.