New Bill Floated to Study Internet Gambling

WASHINGTON, DC -- As reported by the Las Vegas Gaming Wire: "In another effort to roll back an Internet gambling ban, Rep. Shelley Berkley on Thursday introduced a bill calling for a one-year
Shelley Berkley is proposing a one-year study of Internet gambling.  study of online wagering by the National Academy of Sciences.

"'One of the advantages of this legislation is that it doesn't take a side,' she said. 'It doesn't say Internet gambling is good or bad. It says 'Let's study the issue.' '

"But Berkley, D-Nev., acknowledged she wants to repeal the Internet gambling ban approved last year by Congress.

"'It's very difficult to unring a bell once it has rung in Washington,' Berkley said. 'But the ban was sneaked onto a port security bill, and the people who voted for it, including myself, were not contemplating a ban on Internet gambling.'

"Berkley's bill comes one week after Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., proposed legislation to repeal the Internet gambling ban and require the Department of Treasury to regulate the $13 billion online wagering industry. Berkely's approach differs radically from Frank's. Instead of taking a pro- or anti-gambling stance, Berkley's legislation asks for objective recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences.

"'(Congress) is going to be told by the Justice Department that there's lots of money laundering out there and that organized crime is involved (in Internet gambling),' said Joseph Kelly, a professor of business law at Buffalo State. 'Once you have a study that comes out and says 'Internet gambling can be safely regulated to ensure the suitability and solvency of all licensees, and under aged people can be kept out, etc.,' then I think there's a good chance of legislation such as Barney Frank's bill being taken very seriously.'

"Kelly also believes that when the U.K. begins issuing licenses this fall, the perceptions of many members of Congress may change. . ."