[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 144 (Thursday, October 21, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E2153]]



             THE INTERNET GAMBLING PROHIBITION ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB GOODLATTE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 21, 1999

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Internet 
Gambling Prohibition Act of 1999, along with my colleagues, 
Representative Frank LoBiondo, Representative Frank Wolf, 
Representative Rick Boucher, Representative Jim Gibbons, and 
Representative Virgil Goode. I look forward to working with my 
colleagues from both sides of the aisle to see this legislation signed 
into law. I would also like to thank my friend in the other Chamber, 
Senator Jon Kyl for his leadership on this issue. The legislation that 
Mr. LoBiondo and I are introducing today is similar to legislation 
which Representative LoBiondo, and I introduced in the last Congress. I 
am also looking forward to working with Senator Kyl, who has introduced 
similar legislation in the Senate.
  The Internet is a revolutionary tool that dramatically affects the 
way we communicate, conduct business, and access information. As it 
knows no boundaries, the Internet is accessed by folks in rural and 
urban areas alike, in large countries as well as small. The Internet is 
currently expanding by leaps and bounds; however, it has not yet come 
close to reaching its true potential as a medium for commerce and 
communication.
  One of the main reasons that the Internet has not reached this 
potential is that many folks view it as a wild frontier, with no 
safeguards to protect children and no legal infrastructure to prevent 
online criminal activity. The ability of the world wide web to 
penetrate every home and community across the globe has both positive 
and negative implications--while it can be an invaluable source of 
information and means of communication, it can also override community 
values and standards, subjecting them to whatever may or may not be 
found online. In short, the Internet is a challenge to the sovereignty 
of civilized communities, States, and nations to decide what is 
appropriate and decent behavior.
  Gambling is an excellent example of this situation. It is illegal 
unless regulated by the States. With the development of the Internet, 
however, prohibitions and regulations governing gambling have been 
turned on their head. No longer do people have to leave the comfort of 
their homes and make the affirmative decision to travel to a casino--
they can access the casino from their living rooms.
  The legislation I am introducing today will protect the right of 
citizens in each State to decide through their State legislatures if 
they want to allow gambling within their borders and not have that 
right taken away by offshore, fly-by-night operators. The Internet 
Gambling Prohibition Act gives law enforcement the tools it needs to 
crack down on illegal Internet gambling operations by accomplishing two 
main goals: first, providing that anyone convicted of running an 
Internet gambling business is liable for a substantial fine and up to 4 
years in prison; and second, giving law enforcement the ability to 
request cessation of service to web sites engaging in illegal gambling, 
with enforcement by court order if necessary. Additionally, the bill 
requires the Attorney General to submit a report to Congress on the 
effectiveness of its provisions.
  It is also important to note that this legislation does not preempt 
any State laws, does not cover online new reporting about gambling, and 
does not apply to wagering over non-Internet closed networks in States 
that allow such activity. The bill simply brings the current 
prohibition against interstate gambling up to speed with the 
development of new technology, as the Internet had not been created 
when the original law was passed and thus is no covered by it.
  Mr. Speaker, online gambling is currently a $200 million per year 
business, and could easily grow to a $1 billion business in the next 
few years. It is time to shine a bright light on Internet gambling in 
this country, and to put a stop to this situation before it gets any 
worse. The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, which will keep children 
from borrowing the family credit card, logging on to the family 
computer, and losing thousands of dollars all before their parents get 
home from work, will do just that. I urge each of my colleagues to 
support the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act of 1999.

                          ____________________