Passes Leach Bill

The 1961 Interstate Wire Act prohibits the transmitting gambling information over the phone or wire. When the police bust an illegal gambling operation they usually charge the bookies with violating this law. The Leach bill also updates the 1961 Interstate Wire Act to make it illegal to use the Internet to transmit a bet or wager across state lines.The bill, if it is made into law, would also affect service providers and webmasters by forcing them to remove all ads and links for Internet Gambling Sites.Several members of the House with ties to the bill spoke on its behalf, and most mentioned the social problems associated with problem gambling as justification for passing it. Leach noted that gambling addiction causes divorce and suicide, among other social and family problems. Rep. John LaFalce of New York said, “Thanks to the Internet, gambling can be found anywhere, and any student or child with computer access can gamble online. This poses a significant risk to our nation's youth."

Even without the law, it is getting more difficult to fund online gaming activities Many credit card companies have already stopped allowing the use of credit cards to fund online gambling. A few years ago, two credit card companies were sued by gamblers who ran up online debts and refused to pay them because online gambling was illegal. I personally know of one individual who tried to use his Visa card to send money to an offshore Sports book site.The transaction was denied and he received a call from the credit card company asking if he had tried to use his card for that purpose. They had placed an immediate “HOLD” on his card suspending any further transactions, until they contacted him. When he told them it was him who tired to make the transaction they took the hold off his card but told him they do not support that activity.