the betting thread

[SunMo]

it's such bullshtein...the only reason they are banning it is because they can't tax it.

[ice grillin you]

update:  the bill flew thru the house with ease....and should do the same in the senate

[Drunkmasterflex]

it's such bullshtein...the only reason they are banning it is because they can't tax it.

So true.

[Father Demon]

But they can tax it.  Allow gambling sites to set up shop in the US as legitimate business, and make off-shore betting sites illegal.  Accurate records are maintained, and you can tax both sides of it.  Winners, and the corporations.

Duh.

[rjs246]

But gambling is evil and its the government's job to tell us what's right and wrong to do with our lives and money, as well as to outline the rules of morality. Duh.

[Rome]

More idiotic bullshtein being argued over in Congress you say?

Preposterous!

[PhillyPhreak54]

Pisses me off.

Such goddamn bullshtein. I don't need some lying politician who takes shtein under the table and gets more free shtein than any of us on the board ever have had telling me that I can't spend a few bucks of MY FARGING MONEY to place wagers.

Like they don't tax us enough. Jesus Christ of latter day saints.

Oh, blame the responsible people for the LOSERS who cannot control themselves. That's a GREAT idea!! Farging jitbag politicians.

Whats next? Banning beer because some people overindulge and kill people while driving?

I would LOVE to know how many of our esteemed politicians on Capitol Hill place bets.

[Geowhizzer]

Whats next? Banning beer because some people overindulge and kill people while driving?

Nah, they tried that already.

[Father Demon]

House OKs bill to rein in online gambling

WASHINGTON (AFX) - The House passed legislation Tuesday that would prevent gamblers from using credit cards to bet online and could block access to
gambling Web sites.

The legislation would clarify and update current law to spell out that most gambling is illegal online. But there would be exceptions -- for state-run lotteries and horse racing -- and passage isn't a safe bet in the Senate, where Republican leaders have not considered the measure a high priority.

The House voted 317-93 for the bill, which would allow authorities to work with Internet providers to block access to gambling Web sites.

Critics argued that regulating the $12 billion industry would be better than outlawing it. Said Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., 'Prohibition didn't work for alcohol. It won't work for gambling.'

The American Gaming Association, the industry's largest lobby, has opposed online gambling in the past but recently backed a study of the feasibility of
regulating it.

The Internet gambling industry is headquartered almost entirely outside the United States, though about half its customers live in the U.S.

Reps. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and Jim Leach, R-Iowa sponsored the bill. They successfully beat back an amendment to strip out exemptions in the legislation for the horse racing industry and state lotteries.

Goodlatte called that 'a poison pill amendment,' aimed at defeating the larger bill.

Supporters of the measure argued that Internet betting can be addictive and can lead people to lose their savings. (ed. Much like online brokerages that allow anyone to invest in the next big thing on the stock market?)

Leach said the problem is particularly acute for young people who are frequently on the Internet. 'Never before has it been so easy to lose so much money so quickly at such a young age,' he said.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., pushed for removal of the exemptions. She said it was unfair to allow online lotteries and Internet betting on horse racing to flourish while cracking down on other kinds of sports betting, casino games and card games like poker.

Supporters of Internet gambling agreed.

'They call it a prohibition. It's really Congress picking winners and losers,' said Michael Bolcerek, president of the Poker Players Alliance, a San Francisco-based group that opposed the bill.

Congress has considered similar legislation in the past.

In 2000, disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff led a fierce campaign against it on behalf of an online lottery company. Supporters of the bill brought up that history Tuesday and suggested that a vote for the bill was a way to make a statement against Abramoff's influence.

However, the lottery exemption wasn't in the bill back in 2000. If it had been, Abramoff's client probably would have backed the bill. Online lotteries are
exempted this time around at the behest of states.

Under the provision that relates to horse racing, betting operators would not be prohibited from any activity allowed under the Interstate Horseracing Act. That law was written in the 1970s to set up rules for interstate betting on racing. The industry successfully lobbied for legislation several years ago to clarify that horse racing over the Internet is allowed.

Greg Avioli, chief executive officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, said the mention of horse racing in the bill is merely 'a
recognition of existing federal law.'

Avioli said the racing industry has a strong future in the digital age and suggested the bill would send Internet gamblers to racing sites and away from
the banned sites.

The Justice Department has taken a different view on the legality of Internet betting on horse races. In a World Trade Organization case involving Antigua, the department said online betting on horse racing remains illegal under the 1961 Wire Act despite the existence of the more recently passed, and updated, Interstate Horseracing Act.

The department hasn't actively enforced its stance.

Like the racing industry, professional sports leagues also like the bill. They argue that Web wagering could hurt the integrity of their sports.

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., is leading support for the ban in the Senate. The issue has not been debated in that chamber this year, and the measure hasn't been identified by Senate leaders as a top priority.

If the horse provision were stricken from the bill, there's a good chance the measure would run into objections from Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and others from racing states.

The bill is H.R.4411

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[SunMo]

don't worry, the internet companies will find away around it.

[ice grillin you]

i couldnt get any of my credit cards accepted at any online gambling sites before all this happened

[SunMo]

exactly. 

[Father Demon]

I wonder that, too.  I fund FirePay (sometimes NetTeller) with my credit cards, then fund the gambling sites with either of those services.

I don't think this bill will have any teeth to stop services like FirePay and NetTeller, does it?

[ice grillin you]

here you go sb...its on


$20 a game...skns vs eagles
$25 division winner.....skins vs eagles
$10 best overall regularson record....skins vs eagles

[shorebird]

here you go sb...its on

[Austin Powers]Yeaahh Baby!![/Austin Powers]