While gaming foe Spencer Bachus railed concerning the undue influence of online casino lobbyists, a much more powerful and insidious lobby affected the markup of Barney Frank's proposal to license Internet gaming sites. Representative Peter King cited the fear of the NFL in offering an amendment to H.R. 2267 which emphasizes sports betting will remain illegal on the net and elsewhere.Bachus suggested that both votes of committee members and testimony of experts were swayed by lobbying paid for with online gambling dollars. He replied to a submission by John Campbell of California, through which Campbell listed four community spokesmen from Internet groups, financial institutions, and civil libertarians who supported the bill, as containing statements from two receiving funding from Internet casinos.
When pressed by Chairman Frank to call his two contaminated suspects, Bachus declined. But no questions were asked as to lobbying and campaign funding by the National Football League, a business association whose interests were clearly represented whatever the best concerns people residents.
Frank noted that among the proposed amendments weren't concerning the morality of gambling or protecting children, but protectionist attempts to manage competition. He stated sarcastically that he could understand the NFL's worry over the bill,as "people might start betting on sports" if the amendment weren't added.
Illegal sports betting is thought of as a hundred-billion dollar industry within the US.
King directly stated that his amendment was necessary, despite language within the bill already excluding sports betting from the provisions of the bill, since the" NFL has concerns about gambling." Even King, who was a staunch supporter of Frank's online casino bills, desired to appease the imposing might of the NFL.
Other committee members also expressed doubt as to the necessity to create a unique clause for sports betting, but conceded that argument must advance to the future, One observer noted that the failure to face as much as the special interests will mean revisiting the problem soon.
Published on July 28, 2010 by EdBradley
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