States Want Congress To Outlaw Internet Gambling

March 22, 2006

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Attorneys General from across the nation are urging Congress to pass legislation outlawing Internet gambling.

Internet gambling transcends state and jurisdictional boundaries and presents special problems for states that are responsible for enforcing consumer protection and gambling regulations, the Attorneys General wrote in a letter to the leadership of the United States Congress.

"Most jurisdictions believe that they have established the most appropriate combination of law and policy to address their own population's needs and desires," the letter states. "Internet gambling is a threat to this carefully crafted system."

Technology fails to provide acceptable levels of protection against violations of state gaming laws, the Attorneys General wrote, and Congress is in the best position to pass enforceable laws preventing the proliferation of Internet gambling Web sites.

Simply because the game is played online does not erase the problems associated with gambling. States must still address issues of game integrity, effective consumer dispute resolution procedures, access to gambling by minors, money laundering and other criminal activity, as well as compulsive gambling. Without federal action, the states will be left to clean up the problems online gaming creates.

"We encourage the United States Congress to help combat the skirting of state gambling regulations by enacting legislation which would address Internet gambling, while at the same time ensuring that the authority to set overall gambling regulations and policy remains where it has traditionally been most effective: at the state level," the letter concludes.

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