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Goodlatte Reintroduced his anti-gambling legislation8 November 2001About a year after it failed to win a two-thirds majority Rep. Bob Goodlatte vote of Virginia reintroduced his anti-gambling legislation to the House of Representatives late last week. The new bill would update the 1961 Wire Act that bans telephone wagering to include Internet betting. The bill needed to be updated because courts have been uncertain whether the Act, which was originally written to stop sports betting, pertained to casino games or to bets made over the Internet Goodlatte has said. Goodlatte furthermore mention concerns over money laundering and the need to regulate online wagering when he tabled the legislation. This bill was launches only days after the House Financial Services Committee approved a bill banning the use of credit cards in online gambling. Rep. Michael Oxley, chair of the committee, said that he expects the two pieces of legislation will be combined into one bill in the near future. The Goodlatte bill would not affect Internet wagering in Nevada, should casinos get the green light to go online. "If they figure out how to set up such a system and not have it bleed over into the rest of the United States, it could eventually move in that direction," he said. The revised bill would include a number of tougher necessities for people breaking gambling laws. Individuals convicted of running gambling sites could face up to five years in prison; sports betting sites would be made illegal as well. Gamblers would not be liable to prosecution. Other gambling opponents, including Oxley and John LaFalce of New York gave Goodlatte their support last week. But in an interesting twist, James Leach of Iowa, who sponsored the credit card ban on online gambling, is reserving his support for Goodlatte''s bill until he studies the proposed legislation more closely. Online gambling analysts do not expect the industry will collapse and suggest that U.S. gaming companies may move offshore to conduct their business. |