As promised, Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., on Thursday introduced a bill proposing a one-year study on Internet gambling conducted by the National Academy of Sciences.
"One of the advantages of this legislation is that it doesn't take a side," she told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "It doesn't say Internet gambling is good or bad. It says 'Let's study the issue.'"
The bill, H.R. 2140, comes one week after Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., proposed a bill to regulate online gambling in the United States, which Berkley is also co-sponsoring.
This is Berkley's second attempt getting this legislation through Congress. She co-sponsored a similar bill submitted by Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., on May 24, 2006. However, the bill died in session.
The new bill calls for the study to be conducted by the National Research Council, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences. The study would, among other things, assess the impact of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), approved in October 2006; examine technological methods used by other countries which license and regulate Internet gambling; and analyze the recent rulings on Internet gambling by the World Trade Organization.
Berkley has 60 co-sponsors thus far, including Frank and Porter.
"Now, more than ever, Congress needs a better understanding of Internet gaming before we make additional decisions about its future," Porter said in a prepared statement. "Technology continues to become more sophisticated in its ability to regulate online activity. By calling on the National Academy of Sciences to study the issue, we'll ensure Congress has all of the facts before considering any next steps."
Berkley also has the support of the American Gaming Association (AGA), which has pushed for a study of this nature for the last year.
"The AGA commends Reps. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and Jon Porter (R-NV) for introducing legislation to study Internet gambling," said AGA President and CEO Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. "Their bill, directing the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences to provide a comprehensive review of this issue, is in line with our board’s position on Internet gambling and is a responsible step in the right direction."