Long before the United States
Government banned online gambling, there was resounding opposition
continuously gaining support. There were a number of politicians who
tried to pass bills outlawing online gambling for Americans; they
all failed for various reasons. Religious groups, in particular,
lobbied against all types of gambling, but especially internet
casinos because the internet access made it difficult to impossible
to restrict minors from accessing the websites.
Republicans in particular, have been at the forefront of
the battles against online gambling until they finally got their
game together enough to bring a viable bill to Congress. The bill
was approved in a dubious fashion: immediately before the Senate was
to recess for the season, Republicans got the bill through by
attaching it as an addendum to a totally unrelated bill- the Safe
Port Act HR 4954.
By attaching the bill as a stipulation to the Safe Port
Act, Senate House Conference Committee members were asked to vote
simultaneously on the Safe Ports Act (perfectly legitimate) and the
illegalization of online gambling. If lawmakers chose to vote
against the motion, keeping internet gambling legal, they would have
to put down the act calling for safe ports. Not a single member was
able to read the final wording of the bill, and it passed by
majority. The situation has not gone unheeded by political analysts,
who see it as an example of shameful legislation.
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