Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., the author of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition Act, told the Las Vegas Review Journal Tuesday that he will again try to pass his bill through the Senate.
The Kyl bill, S. 627, would restrict online gambling businesses from accepting payments from credit cards, electronic fund transfers and all other payment methods. It would also prevent individual states from legalizing online gaming within their borders.
Kyl, who has been trying to pass legislation to restrict online gaming since 1996, introduced S. 627 in March 2003, claiming that "Internet gambling is not a fun diversion, but feeds a dangerous and growing addiction. It is linked to organized crime, rife with fraud, ruins credit ratings, and allows many young people to build up thousands of dollars in debt on their parents' credit cards."
The Senate Banking Committee passed the bill with a unanimous 19-0 vote in July, but only after having amended it by removing a carve-out that would give states the option of legalizing I-gaming within their borders. The bill was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar on Oct. 27, where it now sits, awaiting discussion before the entire Senate.
Kyl seemed confident that his bill would pass before the end of the year, but gave up for the session in November, speculatively because of Congress' need to address appropriations bills and Medicare.
Kyl, who chairs Senate Republican Policy Committee, is again confident that his bill will pass the gauntlet in 2004, but some Washington insiders say that Senate Republicans will not be willing to address the issue during an election year.
Kyl disagrees.
"I'm part of the leadership, so I would ordinarily sit in a meeting in which that would be discussed," he said. "So you're telling me something that doesn't sound true to me. My plan is to try to get it up for a vote."
Kyl did not offer a prediction for when the bill will go before the Senate for a vote.
A similar bill, sponsored by Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., passed in the House during the first session of the 108th Congress. Unlike the Senate bill, the House version includes a states' rights provision. Should the full Senate pass the Kyl bill, the next step would be to iron out differences between the House and Senate bills.
Phone calls from IGN to Kyl's press office were not immediately returned.