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Non-Tech : SIMMD - Hot Casino Gaming Deal -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: C. PHILLIPS who wrote (59)	4/21/1999 1:21:00 AM
From: THOMAS GOODRICH	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 80

Virtual dog and horse racing has been contemplated by Starnet and other development companies for some time. However, the recent situation with HGN claiming patent infringement on the concept may put a damper on it at least for a while. What is the great news you heard about that is on the way?

To: C. PHILLIPS who wrote (59)	4/21/1999 4:17:00 PM
From: Whisperer!	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 80

The New Kyl Bill: Why Bother? By The Advocate April 15th, 1999 Most of us who follow the Kyl Bill know of the Justice Department's concerns over the bill's enforceability and constitutionality. Most of us know the Kyl Bill was fought by the various special interest groups-such as the horse racing and fantasy sports industry-that were to be affected by the bill. Most of us know the Kyl Bill died in 1998. But we didn't expect it to end there, did we? On March 23, the Judiciary Technology, Terrorism and Government Information Subcommittee held a hearing on Internet gambling, putting the Kyl Bill back in the headlines and back on track for '99. Witnesses at the hearing included James Doyle, Attorney General, State of Wisconsin; Betty Montgomery, Attorney General, State of Ohio; Jeff Pash, Executive Vice President, National Football League; and Bill Saum, Director, Agent and Gambling Activities, National Collegiate Athletic Association. But unlike last year, when the Kyl Bill faced an uphill battle due to the aforementioned concerns, the new version of the Kyl Bill is much more focussed, and most of the controversial elements that slowed its progress last year have been stripped from the bill. Most notably, the "Casual Bettor provision has been removed. Under Kyl's new legislation, placing a wager on the Internet would not be a federal crime. A previous version on the bill called for significant fines and jail time for even a casual bettor caught placing wagers on the Internet. The Justice Department, however, ripped into that notion over a year ago. Some of the other changes include: Exceptions for news reporting, analyses, odds, results, or the online posting of educational information on how to gamble. Common pooling for pari-mutuel wagering provided it is legal in the states or foreign countries where the betting and racing are taking place. Plus, any otherwise lawful wager that is placed on live horse races if authorized under federal and state law and governed by the Interstate Horse Racing Act. State lotteries, as long as the purchases are either intrastate or are between cooperating states and made in facilities open to the general public, such as the Powerball Lottery. Exception for fantasy sports. The bill still does contain injunction provisions that would allow law enforcement officials to shut down web sites, a notion that is almost a joke, considering just about every online gambling site is based offshore. There is no way a country such as Antigua, making a fortune on licensing fees, will cooperate with the US government in prosecuting an offshore operator. Also of interest is the fact that it is rumored the Feds will tell the Internet Service Provider to shut down the gaming sites by blocking access to them. It's safe to assume the ISP's would say no to this because such intrusion would open up a can of worms and set precedent for the government controlling the freest medium in existence. We've even heard rumblings in Washington that if the ISP refuses to block the gambling sites, the government will not move to force them to do so. There is, however, one way the US government could hurt the online gaming industry if the Kyl bill is passed, and that is by forcing credit card companies Visa and Master Card to stop doing business with the virtual casinos. But in the grand scheme of things, that will probably be a minor obstacle, as "cybercash" and "ecash" companies will be there to pick the ball up and run with it. So as the new Kyl Bill rumbles toward almost certain passage this year, keep in mind that you, the bettor, will not be subject to prosecution (although you would be breaking the law by gambling online) and your favorite site will likely be untouchable. If you're comfortable with that scenario, play away. After all, do you know anyone who got arrested for tearing the tag off his or her mattress?