Another roadblock to Internet wagering was tossed into the hopper yesterday in Washington when congressmen James Leach of Iowa, John LaFalce of New York and Richard Baker of Louisiana introduced a bill to prohibit the use of credit cards, debit cards, checks, bank drafts or electronic transfers to place bets, collect winnings or conduct gambling activities on the Internet.
The measure, H.R. 4419, is intended to work in conjunction with H.R. 3125, the House version of the Kyl bill. The bill had been referred to the Judiciary Committee and the Banking and Financial Services Committee, the latter chaired by Leach with LaFalce the ranking Democrat.
In another Kyl development, the board of Youbet.com meets in California today to discuss, among other things, its backing of an amendment to H.R. 3125 which would preclude suppliers, tracks and horsemen's organizations from entering into exclusive agreements. Although it carries the lofty name of the Open Access and Equal Opportunity amendment, it is perceived by some as a pure anti-competition move aimed at Television Games Network. The American Horse Council strongly opposes the proposed amendment, and has urged its members to do the same.