JOHN DIMSDALE: Opponents of the ban on Internet gambling say its none of the government’s business what Americans do with their own money in their own homes. Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank is the sponsor of the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act.

BARNEY FRANK: I spend a lot of time here as a member of Congress trying to protect people from other people who would treat them unfairly. I have no energy left to protect people from themselves. Adults have got to do that without me.

Frank says the Internet gambling ban is hypocritical because Americans are allowed to bet on horses or play state lotteries online. The World Trade Organization agrees it’s a double standard and is threatening trade sanctions.

But supporters of the ban, which passed the House last year 317-93, say keeping young people away from online gambling sites trumps free trade.

The story concludes by noting that only six members of Congress showed for the hearing.

—

The U.S. House of Representatives

Full Committee Hearing
Can Internet Gambling Be Effectively Regulated to Protect Consumers and the Payments System?
Friday, June 8, 2007, 10:00 a.m., 2128 Rayburn House Office Building
Financial Services Committee to Hold Hearing on Internet Gambling Regulation
Washington, DC – House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA), today announced that the committee will hold a hearing entitled “Can Internet Gambling Be Effectively Regulated to Protect Consumers and the Payments System?” The hearing will address issues related to ensuring the safety and security of online gambling.
In April, Chairman Frank introduced H.R. 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007, that would create an exemption to the ban on online gambling for properly licensed operators, allowing Americans to lawfully bet online.
Witness List & Prepared Testimony:
* Radley Balko, Senior Editor, Reason Magazine
* Jon Prideaux, Chief Executive, Asterion Payments
* Gerald Kitchen, Chief Executive Officer, SecureTrading Ltd
* Pastor Greg Hogan
* Jeff Schmidt, CEO Authis
* Michael Colopy, Senior Vice President, Communications, Aristotle, Inc.

–> I never managed to get Radley Balko to get interested in prediction markets. I sent him an e-mail one day, but he ignored me. Has somebody here ever talked to this guy?

—

Addendum: The blablating P.R. about this new law proposal (bill), the “Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative”.

[...] The Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative announced its support for the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act, introduced today by Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA). The bill would create a taxation regime for online gambling companies to be licensed under the recently introduced Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (H.R. 2046). As Congress works to find funding for critical government programs, Congressman McDermott’s legislation is expected to generate between $6 billion and $25 billion in revenues for the U.S. Treasury in the first five years of enactment. [...] Under the licensing legislation, each Internet gambling operator licensed by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) would be required to pay a fee of two percent of all funds deposited by any person placing a bet. The license fee would be paid solely by the Internet gambling operator and would not be deducted from the deposit of the person placing a bet. Licensed operators would also be required to ensure the collection of applicable federal and state taxes from licensees and from individual gamblers. [...]

Aaron Todd:

WINNERS
1. States
That’s right, the biggest winners aren’t Internet gambling companies, nor is it the Internet gambler. It’s states, and states’ rights. Gambling has traditionally been regulated by states in the U.S., and this bill gives states the power to decide whether or not they will allow people within their borders to make wagers on the Web. More importantly for the states, it will establish a system that will provide revenue through taxes on licensees and winners.
2. Sports leagues
The NFL and Major League Baseball have been among the loudest in calling for a ban on Internet gambling. The leagues lobbied hard for the UIGEA while working to ensure that the bill included exceptions for fantasy sports leagues. The IGREA allows leagues to decide whether licensed sportsbooks can offer odds on their games. If the league decides against allowing bets on its contests (and it is very likely that all the major sports leagues and the NCAA would do so), then licensed sportsbooks must abide by that decision or they will lose their license.
3. Internet poker rooms
While the PPA originally sought an exemption for poker, the IGREA sets up a regulatory framework that will provide a permanent solution. Most of the popular Internet poker rooms have already gone through a lengthy regulation process to earn licenses in European nations and would likely already have most of the answers U.S. regulators would be looking for.
4. Yahoo!
The Internet giant launched a U.K.-facing Internet poker room last week. While it currently bars U.S. play, a regulated market would give Yahoo! access to a large number of customers, many of whom have yet to play online poker because they are worried they might be breaking the law. Yahoo!’s combination of trust and an enormous database of Internet users could have an enormous impact on the Internet gambling landscape if the U.S. began a licensing process.
5. Banks, credit cards and PayPal
Banks lobbied against the UIGEA, and for good reason. They do not want to be forced to monitor every transaction made by their customers to block Internet gambling purchases. PayPal, which paid $10 million to settle allegations that it knowingly did business with offshore Internet gambling sites, would be able to allow customers to use its service to gamble online.
6. U.S. players
American Internet gamblers would be able to conduct instant transactions directly with Internet casinos. Not only will they be able to avoid long lag times that are common with online e-wallet’s like ePassporte, they will also be able to avoid fees that can become prohibitive for players who conduct numerous transactions. American players will also be able ensure that they are doing business with a reputable company when the sites are licensed by the American government.

LOSERS
1. Internet sportsbooks and sports bettors
There couldn’t be a bigger loser in the IGREA than Internet sportsbooks. The clause that allows sports leagues to opt out would surely be used by the NFL and the NCAA, the two most gambled on leagues in the U.S.
2. NETeller, ePassporte and other Internet gambling payment processors
With the regulatory framework set forth by the IGREA, there would be no need for these payment processors to exist. Players would be able to fund their accounts using credit cards, bank accounts or PayPal.
3. Sen. John Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.)
These Congressmen were instrumental in getting the UIGEA through. But so was former Iowa Congressman Jim Leach, who did not get re-elected last year. According to the PPA, Leach’s staunch support of the UIGEA helped cost him the election. Kyl and Goodlatte didn’t face much opposition in their election bids last year, but an increased awareness of their involvement may increase political action by Internet gamblers.

Previous: Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act 2007

Gambling Regulation & Enforcement Act 2007

LICENSE REQUIREMENTS
No applicant would receive a license unless the following requirements with respect to any Internet bet or wager, at a minimum, are met:
- Safeguards to ensure the individual placing the bet or wager is 18 years of age or older
- Safeguards to combat fraud and money laundering and compulsive gambling
- Mechanisms to ensure all appropriate taxes and fees are collected from individuals and the licensees
- Safeguards to ensure that the individual placing the bet or wager is physically located in a jurisdiction that permits that form of Internet gambling
LICENSING SAFEGUARDS
Applicants for a license would be required to provide comprehensive financial statements and corporate structure documents, and to agree to be subject to U.S. jurisdiction and all applicable laws related to Internet gambling. No license would be granted to any applicant convicted of a criminal violation of any law relating to gambling, money laundering, fraud or other financial laws. Licensing would be handled by the U.S. Treasury through its anti-money laundering agency, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
CONSUMER SAFETY
The framework set forth in the bill would for the first time effectively regulate Internet gambling, thus making it possible to address underage and compulsive gambling, neither of which are prevented under prohibition regimes. Regulation combined with proven technology would establish a system of effective controls to block children and compulsive gamblers from gambling.
Underage Internet Gambling
Existing technology can enforce requirements that licensed Internet gambling operators restrict minors’ access to Internet gambling. For example, when registering at a gambling site, the customer would be required to provide a range of information including name, address, date of birth, telephone number and details of an identity document, such as a driver’s license or social security number. This information would then be passed on to the Payment Service Provider (PSP) and run through the Know Your Customer (KYC) system to confirm that the data being provided matches against several separate sources of information and is in fact accurate. The operators may also have KYC systems in place.
Operators could also request a physical copy of documentation, such as a utility bill and/or a copy of the customer’s identity document, for further verification.
Compulsive gambling There are a number of techniques that can be used, from systems that limit the total amount of funds that may be wagered based on credit limits, to the use of public databases that include details used to identify persons who have chosen to exclude themselves from online gambling. Customers could be added to this list at their own request.
Additionally, limits can be placed on the number of transactions a customer can put through on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, by the operator acting alone, by the credit card company, by the PSP, or by all three. In the event that an unusual spending pattern is noticed, these transactions could automatically be put on hold for further investigation.
FINANCIAL INTEGRITY OF INTERNET GAMBLING TRANSACTIONS
Money Laundering and Fraud
Funds entering a gambling operator’s system are already resident in the banking network somewhere. That is, the funds have previously been deposited into a bank account at some stage, subjected to stringent KYC requirements, and which greatly increases the traceability of any funds entering the system. All transactions can also be checked at the time of authorization against a number of anti-fraud, money laundering and terrorism databases.
Merchant fraud
Payment Service Providers could set-up escrow accounts for each licensee in which money is set aside for a period of time to ensure that when a financial transaction is successfully contested the operator immediately refunds the consumer. Therefore, any claim regarding the use of an unauthorized credit card could automatically result in a full repayment to the principal credit card holder.
STATES AND INDIAN TRIBES
To protect States’ and Indian tribes’ rights to control gambling activities within their respective geographic borders, the Act permits States and Indian tribes either to prohibit Internet gambling activities or impose limits on various types of Internet gambling activities.
Is it possible for restrictions to be enforced if individual states decide to “opt-out” from permitting persons in their states from Internet gambling?
In using the Internet, a customer’s IP address is broadcast to the operator, which can then be used to identify the state in which a customer resides with a 99 percent level of accuracy. This information is also made available and compared to the customer’s registration information. In the event the information differs, the transaction is not approved and the customer is prevented from engaging in Internet gambling.
SPORTS BETTING
Professional Sports Leagues opt-out
Under the proposed legislation, all licensed Internet gambling operators would be prohibited from accepting bets or wagers on sports leagues or associations that have opted-out. In the event of a violation, the operator’s license could be withdrawn and the operator may be prohibited from applying for a new license. As part of its contract with the Internet gambling operator, the PSP would be required to enforce these requirements throughout the collection and payment process.

External Link: AP