Staying on top of interactive gambling bills as they move through the United States' federal and state legislatures no longer entails hours of research, thanks to this biweekly update on U.S. state and federal legislation. The first session of the 107th U.S. Congress adjourned on Dec. 21, and the second session will convene at noon EST on Jan. 23. Legislatures on the state level have been quiet for the last two weeks as well.
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State Legislation
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MICHIGAN |
HB 4653
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| Bill Summary |
The bill, HB 4653, would ban a person engaged in a gambling business from using the Internet or any interactive computer service (which would include an Internet service provider or system providing access to the Internet) from using the Internet to both place and offer wagers. For further information, a legislative analysis is available.
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| Bill Status |
House Bill 4653 awaits a hearing before the House Committee on Gaming and Casino Oversight. The bill was introduced by Rep. James Koetje, the chairman of the House Committee on Gaming and Casino Oversight, on April 24. A committee hearing has not been scheduled yet. |
| Outlook |
The outlook for Michigan's latest effort to prohibit Internet gambling remains unclear. Although the state early last year enacted legislation that supposedly prohibits the activity, the law's ability to do so has been questioned. Act 235, which amended the state's criminal code by making it illegal to offer Internet gambling to Michigan residents, has long been derided as ineffective. Michigan may be trying to clarify its anti-Internet gambling status through this bill. The state legislature has until December 2002 to either pass or kill HB 4653.
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| MICHIGAN |
SB 565, 566, 567, 568 and 569
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| Bill Summary |
Together these bills will, among other things, permit pari-mutuel wagering via the Internet and other electronic means.
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| Bill Status |
This group of bills was referred to the Senate Committee on Farming, Agribusiness and Food Systems on June 26 after being introduced. While the bills have not been taken up in committee yet, work groups are trying to iron them out. No agenda or date to discuss the bills has been set. |
| Outlook |
According to a representative for Sen. George McManus Jr., one of the bill's sponsors, Michigan's legislature must overcome many differences in priorities and beliefs before racing and gambling bills will be able to pass. "Peace in the Middle East is easier to achieve," the representative said.
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| NEVADA |
AB 466
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| Bill Summary |
AB 466 permits gambling sites to operate from Nevada. The original bill, AB 296, was eventually incorporated into a companion bill, AB 578. At first the bill steamrolled its way through both houses of the Nevada legislature, yet failed at the final step--by all accounts, suffering from a political tiff between the two houses--while awaiting a vote on the Senate floor. The legislation, however, was brought back to life by being piggybacked with AB 466, a bill that creates a uniform, statewide system for issuing work cards to gambling employees. Gov. Kenny Guinn signed the legislation on June 14, and the bill went into effect on July 1. The next step is for the Nevada Gaming Commission and the Gaming Control Board to do a survey of applicable legislation on the state and federal levels
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| Bill Status |
AB 466 went into effect July 1. Now the state is looking at the legality of Internet gambling under federal law, as well as a host of other issues. A hearing on this subject was held July 31 and Aug. 1. (See related article, Nevada Gaming Commission Meeting Agenda.)
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| Outlook |
Internet gambling probably remains a few years from becoming a reality in Nevada. There has been no determination whether the federal government could prevent a state or territorial government from offering interactive gambling services. Recent discussion of anti-Internet gambling bills in the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee couldn't solve the problem of overlap between state and federal laws. Additionally, it remains unclear whether the Interstate Wire Act prohibits games of chance in addition to sports wagering activities. The next session of the Nevada legislature will convene on Feb. 3, 2003.
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| New Jersey |
A-3150
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| Bill Summary |
This controversial bill would authorize licensed land-based casinos in New Jersey to offer their games via the Internet.
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| Bill Status |
A-3150 was sent to the Commerce, Tourism, Gaming and Military and Veterans Affairs Committee on Jan. 23, where it remains.
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| Outlook |
Unlike the pro I-gaming bill in Nevada that passed in June, New Jersey's A-3150 has failed to garner great support among legislators and Atlantic City casino operators. The bill's author, Assemblyman Tony Impreveduto, has vowed to introduce a new bill next session if the original one isn't passed.
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| New Jersey |
A-3932
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| Bill Summary |
This bill, which was introduced by on Nov. 9 by Assemblymen Joseph Azzolina and Nicholas Asselta, would allow Atlantic City casinos to offer real-time card games via the Internet.
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| Bill Status |
A-3932 was heard by the Commerce, Tourism, Gaming and Military and Veterans Affairs Committee on Nov. 20. The purpose of the hearing was to educate the committee members about the technology that could be implemented if the bill is passed. The committee received more than an hour of demonstrations, at which point it decided to table the bill until another hearing can be scheduled.
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| Outlook | Another hearing for A-3932 has not been scheduled before the end of the legislative session. It is expected that when the legislature reconvenes Jan. 15 for the start of a new session, the I-gaming bill will resurface under a new contingent of Assembly members.
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Federal Legislation
| HR 556 |
Unlawful Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition Act
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| Bill Summary |
This bill would prohibit Internet gambling businesses from accepting the following payment methods from customers: credit cards, electronic fund transfers, any instrument drawn by or on behalf of another and payable through any financial institution and the proceeds of any other form of financial transaction involving a financial institution as payer or financial intermediary for another.
The bill provides for civil and criminal penalties including a permanent injunction against wagering. It shields certain financial institutions from liability from unknowing involvement of their facilities in credit card transactions, electronic fund transfers, money transmitting and drawing, paying, transferring or collecting a check or draft instrument. In addition, HR 556 includes provisions against money laundering, including encouraging foreign governments to identify Internet gambling operations that are used to launder money.
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| Bill Status |
HR 556 is the second attempt by Rep. James Leach, R-Iowa, to prohibit Internet gambling by making it nearly impossible for Americans to pay for it. The bill was introduced in February by Leach but was revisited in the Financial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001, which was proposed by Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Michael Oxley, R-Ohio, and Rep. John LaFalce, D-N.Y. A response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, that bill aimed to squash money-laundering opportunities for terrorists. Leach's bill against online gambling was included in the anti-terrorism legislation. After being discussed by the House Financial Services Committee, the anti-terrorism bill was fast-tracked without the Internet gambling provisions and approved by the full House on Oct. 17. On Oct. 31, the Internet gambling section was reconsidered and approved by the committee by a vote of 34 to 18. HR 556 is now awaiting a vote by the full House. It was discussed on Nov. 29 along with HR 3215 at a legislative session of the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime. The bill was neither marked-up for voted upon during this session. The witness list included Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.; Rep. James Leach, Timothy Kelly, former executive director of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission; and Frank Catania, former director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. On Dec. 13 the House Committee on Judiciary granted an extension for further consideration of the bill no later than Dec. 21; on Dec. 20 the same committee granted another extension for consideration of the bill ending on March 29, 2002.
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| Outlook | This bill faces the same challenges that other prohibition proposals have faced. The White House has yet to weigh in on the subject, and doubtless some lawmakers will base their response to the bill on whether the president backs it.
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| HR 3215 |
Combatting Illegal Gambling Reform and Modernization Act
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| Bill
Summary | HR 3215 would update the 1961 Interstate Wire Act to include Internet gambling as unlawful. The bill also aims to rid the Wire Act of gray areas caused by the Internet and other modern technology. In addition, the bill would ban Internet gambling merchants from accepting payments in the form of credit cards, checks and Internet transfers. It was proposed by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., on Nov. 1.
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| Bill Status | This bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee; it was discussed on Nov. 29 at a legislative session of that committee's Subcommittee on Crime. No action was taken regarding the bill at that session, which also included discussion of Rep. James Leach's anti-Internet gambling bill, HR 556.
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| Outlook |
Last year Goodlatte failed to get a passing vote on his Internet gambling legislation, partly due to Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, R-La., who expressed concern that the bill would encourage new forms of gambling. HR 3215 differs from the LaFalce-Oxley bill that the House Financial Services Committee is considering because the two bills suggest different enforcement mechanisms. Washington insiders predict the two bills will be combined.
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| HR 2579 |
Internet Gambling Payments Prohibition Act
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| Bill Summary |
The purpose of the bill, which was introduced by Rep. John LaFalce, D-N.Y., is to prevent the use of certain bank instruments for Internet gambling and other purposes.
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| Bill Status |
HR 2579 is pending before two House committees. This bill was introduced to the House of Representatives on July 20 before being referred to both the House Financial Services and House Judiciary committees. On Aug. 8 it was referred to the House Subcommittee on Crime.
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| Outlook |
Last year, LaFalce co-authored a similar bill with Rep. James Leach, R-Iowa. Upon that bill's failure to pass before Congress recessed, the two legislators have split their approach, with each introducing his own bill to ban the use of credit cards and other payment systems for Internet gaming. LaFalce's bill, however, could be condemned to meet the same fate as last year's bill. As it is, Leach's bill, which was introduced earlier this year, remains in committee awaiting attention.
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| HR 2421 |
Jurisdictional Certainty Over Digital Commerce Act
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| Bill Summary |
HR 2421 aims to establish jurisdictional boundaries over the commercial transactions of digital goods and services conducted through the Internet. While not directly related to Internet gambling, this bill would give the federal government control over all e-commerce transactions, effectively erasing any state or territorial control over Net betting issues, including both regulation and prohibition of such activity.
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| Bill Status |
Introduced on June 28 by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., HR 2421 was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as the House Judiciary Committee. On July 6, the Commerce Committee sent the bill for consideration by the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. The Judiciary Committee on July 16 forwarded HR 2421 to the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, where it remains.
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| Outlook |
The fate of this bill remains unclear, although determining whether the federal government should have control of the Internet--at least in the United States--remains a political hot potato.
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| S 718 |
Amateur Sports Integrity Act
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| Bill
Summary |
This bill would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish a program to support research and training in methods of detecting the use of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes and others. It would also outlaw all betting on amateur sports in Nevada, including college and Olympic events. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced this bill on April 5.
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| Bill Status |
The Amateur Sports Integrity Act remains on the Senate legislative calendar, but no date has been set for it to be addressed. S 718 has been the focus of several hard-fought battles between senators. Despite these battles in the Senate Commerce Committee, S 718 managed to survive, earning a tied vote of 10 to 10 on May 3. A representative for McCain said the senator would introduce his bill as an amendment to another bill. On May 14 the bill was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under general orders.
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| Outlook |
Whether this bill will pass is unclear. Although McCain has managed to gain significant support from a number of interest groups, the American Gaming Association continues to lobby hard against S 718.
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Failed Legislation
Illinois: H 3089
One of two Internet gambling bills that were introduced before the Illinois legislature this year, H 3089, was tabled by its author, Rep. Timothy Schmitz, on March 28. H 3089 was intended to prohibit a person from making a wire transfer for the purpose of Internet gambling. It would have also prohibited financial institutions from wiring money to pay for Internet gambling.
Illinois: H 545
This bill, introduced on Feb. 1, was referred to several committees before being stalled in the House Committee on Rules until the legislature ended its session. H 545 proposed amending the state criminal code to make it illegal for Illinois residents to gamble on the Internet.
California: AB 1229
California's most recent effort to prohibit Internet gambling failed when AB 1229, a bill introduced by Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Glendale), was unable to get moved out of the state Senate Governmental Organization Committee before adjournment.
Oregon: HB 2823
This Net betting prohibition bill was introduced around the same time SB 755 was brought before the state senate. Since then, HB 2823 has languished in the House Judiciary Committee. With the adjournment of the legislature on July 7, the bill is now considered dead.
Indiana: HB 1042
This bill prohibiting Internet gambling failed to gain support among Indiana legislators. It has languished in the Public Policy and Ethics and Veterans Affairs committee since January. With the legislative session now closed, this bill is considered dead.
Iowa: HF 13
Iowa's bill, first introduced in January before being sent to the House Standing Committee on State Government, would prohibit a person from using the Internet to conduct or participate in a lottery or in a game for any sum of money or property, to make a bet, to engage in bookmaking, or to deliver a wager for a fee. The bill has seen no action since that time and remains unlikely to be passed out of committee.