With increased attention being put on U.S. legislation regarding
anything gambling related, certain items of legislation that were previously
being downtrodden, may have some hope after all. Now that the U.S. House of
Representatives and Senate both have a Democratic majority, certain opponents to
casino and online gambling, who have typically been associated with the
Republican Party, will not have the weight they were once used to. This is not
to say that all Democrats are gamblers, however, it is to say that more of an
open ear will be given to the gambling industry as a whole.
One betting related bill that would
certainly like to garner widespread support - at least in the State of Georgia -
is House Bill 346, which would permit the online sale of lottery tickets by the
Georgia Lottery. Having been passes by the Georgia House once before in 2004,
but never getting a vote out of the Senate, the newer version of HB 346 requires
ticket purchases to first open an account at a local lottery retailer. This was
due in response to fears by lottery retailers they would lose all profit to the
online sector.
The bill now has a cutout for
retailer's, so that they will get a share of revenue whenever a player who has
an account registered with them wins money. The author of the clause, Terry
Bernard said that in addition to appeasing retailers, it also will protect
against underage misuse of the online system by making user's of the system to
be physically present when initially registering. However, the Department of
Justice will ultimately have the final say on the matter, much like they did
when North Dakota tried to legalize online lottery tickets, and was informed by
the DOJ that doing so would be an illegal offense, which is precisely the heart
of the issue.
The DOJ has publicly stated before
that it considers all types of online gaming, whether it be at online casinos,
poker rooms, or sportsbooks, to be in violation of the Wire Act. And now, with a
clear-cut legislative addition helping to clarify the Wire Act in the form of
none other than the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, HB 346 could
continue to get buried. Considering the last time is was given any attention
whatsoever following its two complete readings by the Senate in March of 2005,
was nearly a year later in 2006 when it was recommitted to the Senate, the bill
is in need for some more support (which a Democratic majority may very well do)
if it stands a chance next year.
