Gambling Bill

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FIRST-PERSON: Putting a stop to Internet gambling
Oct 6, 2006
By Bill Frist
Baptist Press

Bill Frist

WASHINGTON (BP)--Before it wrapped up business in late September, Congress passed an important new law to make it easier to crack down on illegal Internet gambling.

Not true the bills inhibits the transfer of money from banks to the sites. The actual act of playing/gambling is NOT affected

I believe that America needs this law because Internet gambling presents a serious and growing problem that existing laws don’t address.

What serious and growing problem - keeping the young men away from house member parties?

The new law passed because members of the pro-family movement -- including a great many Southern Baptists -- brought the issue to the attention of both Democrats and Republicans.

Yes by sneaking it into a homeland security bill at the last second so that no one could detect your underhanded tactics - sly like a serpent

Internet gambling has grown out of control. Although four major federal laws and hundreds of state policies already make it illegal to gamble on the Internet, enforcement has proven almost impossible. Since all significant gambling websites operate outside of the United States, they lie beyond the reach of federal or state regulators.

Translation - we haven't figured out a way to tax it and stuff our pockets here in Washington with more money - therefore it is evil

This hurts families. Although Internet gambling did not have a prominent place on either party’s radar screen just a few years ago, its explosive growth and potential for damaging families made it a very important issue to me and many others in Congress.

In fact, online casino websites have the potential to turn every personal computer in the country into a miniature version of the Las Vegas Strip.

And your point it........

Rigorous state enforcement means that brick and mortar casinos make a good faith effort to keep minors away from gambling. The same isn’t so for online casinos: A website can’t tell whether someone is 13 or 35.

The website can't but if the properly installed software is there the computer CAN.

The existence of Internet gambling, moreover, makes a mockery of laws in states that forbid all gambling. Experts who testified before Congress agreed social trouble has increased as a result: People who gamble online are almost twice as likely to become problem gamblers as those who gamble in other places. Problem gambling destroys lives and families.

So does adultery, pornography, television violence, financial hardships caused by too high taxes, inadequate health coverage, etc.

The new law, which President Bush will sign this month, makes it much more difficult to send money to Internet gambling sites. Internet casinos that want to accept credit cards, Internet bank transfers, or any other illegal gambling payments

Paying up is an illegal gambling payment? Then the Friday night poker with the boys from the office is illegal too?

will find themselves blocked. It’s important that people in the pro-family movement remain vigilant to be sure that the regulations implementing this law accomplish all that Congress intended. The government also will be able to ensure that website operators don’t provide links to gambling websites.

Translation: I and my staff will sit in our offices and log onto the internet and attempt to play all these online sites to make sure that they won't take OUR money. We won't hold the people responsible but we will crush the entrepreneurial spirit of American business men/women. We intend to remove the advertising monies and hope for new job creation.

Finally, anybody who violates the Internet gambling law can have all gambling licenses revoked: Thus, any land or river-based casino operator that opens a gambling website could see all of its casinos shut down.

Some believe that Congress should have gone even further in amending and strengthening current laws, but the enforcement tools provided by this legislation are an essential step towards ensuring that we uphold the current law and punish those who break it.

We already have evidence that the law will work. Although the president has not yet signed the bill, shares in the United Kingdom’s largest online gambling companies have dropped more than 50 percent on the news of Congress’ action. At least one major online casino has decided to pull out of the U.S. market altogether and others likely will follow suit. Internet casinos, which made a fortune violating existing laws, bet against Congress taking them on.

No the brick and mortar casinos just paid you more than the online casinos you ass!

Thanks to citizens concerned about America’s families, their bets didn’t pay off.
--30--
Sen. Bill Frist, R.-Tenn., is majority leader of the U.S. Senate.

If this doesn't sound like Guestopo Hitler crap I don't know what is. Take the topic of the month and bash it and every one associated with it.

Mr. Frist, as a physician who has the background and knowledge, why do you allow cigarettes to continue to be sold in this country? Smoking has destroyed more families than online gambling. The cost to this country in health care from smoking is staggering and yet you continue to let them be sold. I bet the 13 and 14 year olds from Tennessee, where tobacco is grown, can buy cigarettes very readily online - heck they just go to the local 7-11!

What about brick and mortar casinos? If the online variety is so bad why in the name of God would you allow the real casinos to continue, grow and thrive? You are so concerned with every computer having the potential to become a mini-Vegas but you don't expand. The last I looked Vegas was a better place to live then Tennessee

Finally what about on-line pornography in particular pedophiles? You own party members, Rep Foley, like to have so young underage ass and what have you done about that? Isn't THAT destructive to families? How about drinking and drugs?

The list goes on and on. Your moral arguments are BULLSHIT. I can say that because I WAS A SOUTHERN BAPTIST MEMBER for over 5 years. I attended the conventions and understand a lot more than you do buddy. I have witnessed, first hand, the hypocrisy, lying and cheating, that takes place. We found out how much money the land based casinos have contributed to your account Mr. Frist so just cut the crap :flame:

I'll get off my soapbox now - forgive my ranting but I had to get it out or risk blowing up!