Congressmen Bob Goodlatte and Rick Boucher presented to the House of Representatives a legislation that seeks to update the federal Wire Act with language to specify that remote forms of gambling are illegal, thus effectively banning US citizens from betting on the internet.
Under current federal law, it is unclear whether using the internet to operate a gambling business is illegal. The Wire Act, which prohibits gambling over telephone wires, was written well before the invention of the World Wide Web.
“The explosive growth of the Internet has provided a means for gambling operations to evade existing anti-gambling laws,” Boucher stated.
“Our bill sensibly updates federal law to keep pace with new technologies by bringing the Internet within the fold of the anti-gambling restrictions that govern telephones,” he added.
The legislation will make illegal for online gambling operators to accept any form of online financial transaction, including credit cards, checks and internet transfers. It also would set a maximum prison sentence of five years for violations.
“We are basically saying that one may not operate a gambling enterprise using the Internet, and we are giving the power to law enforcement to seek injunctions with respect to those enterprises, including the financial settlement process,” said Boucher.
The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, which is co-sponsored by a total of 115 House lawmakers, has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee for further consideration.
To read the full text of the proposed legislation, click here.
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