I'm not a gambler but nevertheless am terribly curious about how the heck
this will be enforced:
http://www.charlotte.com/0724gamble.htm
Senate bans most forms of Internet
gambling
By ALAN FRAM
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate voted 90-10 today to ban
most forms of gambling on the Internet.
The amendment by Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., would
extend the
current federal ban on interstate gambling on sports by
telephone or wire to most other forms of gambling,
including
``virtual casinos'' that allow interactive betting.
On an 82-18 vote, senators rejected an amendment by
Sen.
Larry Craig, R-Idaho, that would have excepted from
the ban
Indian tribes, which now are permitted to run
Internet gambling
sites.
Kyl objected to the exception, saying an Indian-run
site could
be used by anyone with Internet access, creating a
mammoth
loophole.
``It goes to any state and into any home and to any
child,''
said Kyl.
A similar bill outlawing Internet gambling is
awaiting House
action.
Under Kyl's proposal, states could still use the
Internet for
lotteries and for off-track betting on horse or dog
races.
Internet gamblers would face fines, while those
running gaming
sites on the World Wide Web would face fines or
imprisonment.
Sites for popular sports ``rotisserie'' leagues, in
which people
choose rosters of professional athletes and bet on
their
statistics, would be allowed as long as fees are
not used to pay
off bets, under an amendment by Sen. Richard Bryan,
D-Nev.,
that was accepted unanimously.
Kyl would also extend the current telephone and
wire gambling
prohibition to cover new technologies including
microwave
transmission and fiberactive cable.
The Justice Department has estimated that $600
million was
wagered illegally over the Internet last year, a
tenfold increase
over the previous year, said a Kyl aide.
Last month, the Justice Department expressed
concern about
Kyl's bill.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kevin V.
DiGregory said the
1961 Wire Communications Act needs to be updated to
apply
not just to sports betting but to interactive
casino betting as
well. But he said his agency opposes prosecuting
bettors, and
he questioned the practicality of having
prosecutors indict
operators of virtual casinos, most of whom are
based legally in
other countries.
In a victory for pro-gun forces, the Senate
rejected an effort
Wednesday to make it a federal offense if adults
insecurely
store a gun that is taken by a child and used in a
crime.
By 69-31, senators killed a measure by Sen. Richard
Durbin,
D-Ill., that would have charged such gun owners with a
misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of a year in
prison
and a $10,000 fine. The owners could be held liable
for the
damage and injuries caused by the child.
Also Wednesday, the Senate approved an amendment
proposed by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., that would allow
authorities to detain children who have brought
firearms to
school for at least 24 hours to assess their mental
health.
Accepted amendments become part a $33.2 billion
spending bill
for the Justice, Commerce and State departments for
1999.
AP-ES-07-23-98 1041EDT
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