The National Gambling Impact Study Commission presented dozens of recommendations Monday in preparation for its final draft, which is due in June. Five of the recommendations pertained to technology and the Internet. They won't officially released until Friday or Monday, although IGN managed to get a sneak peek at a draft.
The first is a general recommendation that the Internet gambling be prohibited and that the Department of Justice develop enforcement strategies. Pinpointed as part of the enforcement are ISPs, credit card providers and money transfer agencies. The Commission voted 8-0-1 on the recommendation, with the abstention vote coming from Commissioner Loescher.
The second specifically calls for legislation prohibiting wire transfers to known Internet gambling sites or their banks. It also specifies that the legislation would make credit card debts incurred while gambling on the Internet unrecoverable. The vote was the same.
The third one is an attempt to prohibit technology in which gambling can be provided. Ultimately this would lead to the banning of telephones, the Internet, satellites and more. Not surprisingly, No. 3 was tabled for editing.
The final recommendation, which received unanimous approval from the panel, asks the President and Congress to take part in stopping foreign jurisdictions from harboring "Internet gambling organizations that prey on U.S. citizens." This suggestion also would require the elimination of technological advancements. Plus it makes the first recommendation even more difficult to achieve.
IGN will post the published version of the final recommendations as soon as they're available. Only minor changes, i.e. spelling and grammar, are expected.