Heres the article, I read it already. Maybe this is semantics, but a subcommittee of the NGISC did the 3-0 vote. I thought the recommendation was supposed to come from the committee.
foxnews.com
11FEB99
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A trade group promoting Internet wagering told a
national commission studying gambling that prohibition didn't work for alcohol,
and it won't work for online betting.
"People like to gamble," said Albe Angel, vice chairman of the Interactive Gaming
Council, which represents about 50 companies interested in Internet gambling.
Angel proposed Wednesday that the National Gambling Impact Study
Commission recommend regulations, such as licensing Internet gambling sites,
with states enforcing the regulations.
"Regulation is far preferable to prohibition as a model for controlling interactive
gambling, particularly over the Internet," Angel said. He said 25 other countries
already have approved some form of interactive gambling.
The study commission is preparing a report due in June to the president and
Congress. It invited groups to attend its meeting this week at Regent University
and suggest what should be included in the report.
The NCAA urged the commission to push for a federal ban on Internet gambling
to protect student athletes and the integrity of college sports.
Internet gambling could tempt college athletes to shave points, said Bill Saum, the
NCAA's director of agent and gambling activities. Students who can place bets
anonymously over the Internet from the privacy of their dormitories could try to
influence the outcome of a game, he said.
"Internet gambling poses a direct threat to all sports organizations," Saum told the
commissioners.
A federal law banning Internet gambling, while the industry is still in its infancy,
would be a strong deterrent, Saum said.
An Internet subcommittee of the commission voted 3-0 to recommend a ban,
saying it's necessary to protect children from exposure to gambling while surfing
the Internet.
"If you feel strongly about keeping betting out of the home, I think this is the
course that we're going to have to have to try to follow," subcommittee member
Leo T. McCarthy said.
Several commissioners agreed, but expressed reservation that the ban could be
enforced. Subcommittee chairman William A. Bible said the subcommittee will
need to meet further to discuss enforcement and possible exemptions to a ban.
The Justice Department has estimated $600 million was bet illegally over the
Internet on sports alone in 1997, a tenfold increase over 1996.
Last July, the U.S. Senate voted to ban Internet gambling, including the
pay-to-play casino-style games offered by dozens of sites on the World Wide
Web. Most are operated by businesses based overseas.
Similar legislation got bogged down in the House, where Internet-related
businesses sought exemptions. The bill never got out of subcommittee.
bodie
|
