[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 14, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H2510]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                           INTERNET GAMBLING

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, every day, dozens of Web sites entice Web 
surfers to bet online with free software offers. Online poker sites 
advertise openly on TV. Stores carry books on how to get rich by 
gambling online. The only problem is that online gambling is illegal. 
That is why Congress passed the unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement 
Act of 2006, to provide the necessary tools and mechanisms to 
effectively enforce the law.
  This year, Americans will send billions of dollars to offshore, 
unregulated, online casinos. The Justice Department has warned that 
many of these sites are fronts for money laundering, drug trafficking, 
and even terrorist financing.
  At its core, the law is about protecting American families from 
addiction, bankruptcy, and crime. All you need is a computer, a credit 
card, and Internet access, and with that, players are able to play 24 
hours a day from the privacy of their homes. Real lives, including 
those of minor children, are being affected by illegal online gambling, 
and it's time that this administration enforce the law on this issue.

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