Remember the old days when Congress used to address proposed legislation by debating both sides of the issue? The new technique for passing a bill, apparently, is to draft it and then organize discussions in which everybody talks about how great it is. In a continuation of the heavily one-sided Internet gaming prohibition argument, Senators Kyl and Bryan sent the following letter to their fellow senators:
Dear Colleague:
We urge you to cosponsor the Internet Gambling prohibition Act (S. 692). The bill bans gambling on the internet. A similar measure was approved 90-10 by the Senate last year.
Internet gambling poses a serious threat that will explode unless effective steps are taken by this Congress. Internet gambling enhances the addictive nature of gambling because it is so easy to do - you don't have to travel; you can just log on to your computer.
YOUTH: A recent NEW YORK TIMES article warned that "Internet sports betting entices youthful gamblers into potentially costly losses." In the same article, Kevin O'Neill, deputy director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, said that "Internet sports gambling appeals to college-age
people who don't have immediate access to a neighborhood bookie . . . . Its on the Net and kids think it's credible, which is scary."
Listen to the testimony of Jeff Pash, the Executive Vice President of the National Football League, before the Senate Judiciary Committee: "Studies , , , indicate that sports betting is a growing problem for high school and college students . . . . As the Internet reaches more and more school children, Internet gambling is certain to promote even more gambling among young people."
ADDICTION: Internet gambling is particularly addictive., Bernie Horne, the Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion, testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime: "The Internet not only makes highly addictive forms of gambling easily accessible to everyone,
it magnifies the potential destructiveness of the addiction. Because of the privacy of an individual and his/her computer terminal, addicts can destroy themselves without anyone ever having the chance to stop them."
UNFAIR PAYOUT: Internet gambling is fraught with fraud. As Wisconsin Attorney general James Doyle testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, "because [Internet gambling] is unregulated, consumers don' know who is on the other end of the connection. The odds can be easily manipulated and
there is no guarantee that fair payouts will occur." "Anyone who gambles over the internet is making a sucker bet," says William A. Bible, the chair of an internet gambling subcommittee on the National Gambling Impact Study Commission.
RECENT JUDICIARY HEARING: Recently, the Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology held a hearing on Internet gambling. The testimony confirmed that Internet gambling is addictive, accessible to minors, subject to fraud and other criminal use, and evasive of state gambling laws. Sate Attorneys General from Wisconsin and Ohio asked for federal legislation to address the mushrooming problem of online gambling. Representatives of the National Football League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association pledged their strong support for the bill and expressed concerns over the effect of Internet gambling on athletes, fans, and the integrity of sporting contests.
CONCLUSION: The Internet offers fantastic opportunities. Unfortunately, some would exploit those opportunities to commit crimes and take advantage of others. Indeed, as professor John Kindt on "Nightline," [stated:] "Once you go to Internet gambling, you've maximized the speed, you've maximized the acceptability and accessibility. It's going to be in-your-fax gambling, which is going to have severe detrimental effects to society . . . it's the crack cocaine of creating new pathological gamblers."
Internet gambling is a serious problem. The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act will curb the spread of online gambling.
If you have questions, please contact us, or have your staff contact Stephen Higgins of Senator Kyl's office (224-4521) or Andy Vermilye of Senator Bryan's office (224-6244).
Sincerely,
JON KYL (R-AZ) & RICHARD BRYAN (R-NV)"