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Online Casino Ban has Small Chance of Passing |
| No fewer than six times have the House and Senate of the US Congress voted to either outlaw or severely restrict online casino wagering. The closest vote in the Senate was 90-10 on July 22nd, 1998. The House, which voted just last month, in a 317-93 vote to outlaw online casino gambling, found that the White House has signaled that President Bush is prepared to sign the bill into law. However, the House and Senate have never managed to pass an online casinos gaming ban during the same two-year session of Congress. ‘When the Senate comes back, there is going to be an awful lot on their plate, and I'm just not sure what kind of priority is going to be given to this gaming legislation,’ said Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association. The AGA is the casinos' chief lobbying arm in Washington. Prospects do not seem promising with regards to the Senate passing an online casino wagering prohibition when it returns after Labor Day for the final weeks of the 109th session of Congress. Meanwhile, the online casino gambling industry continues grow rapidly. From 30 offshore Web sites, the online casino industry has gone from taking in US 30 million dollars in bets in 1996 to a US 12 billion dollar industry with more than 2,300 Web sites this year. Until the US Congress comes back into session, nothing will be clear regarding the passing or rejection of the online casino gambling bill waiting to be decided upon. Whatever the outcome, it is also unknown whether this will be the end of the battle regarding the legality and regulation of online casino gambling in the US. Advocates, lobbyists and fans will all have to be patient to witness the outcome of this session’s decision. |
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