This is an official communication from the Office of Senator John Ensign.
Any tampering or alteration of this communication is prohibited and may
result in criminal investigation or prosecution.
April 29, 2003
Dear Mr. Matthews:
Thank you for contacting me regarding S. 627, the Unlawful Internet
Gambling Funding Prohibition Act. I am always grateful to hear from a
fellow Nevadan, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond to you.
I understand your concerns regarding federal regulations on Internet
gaming. However, I believe that unauthorized, unregulated, interactive
gaming poses a significant threat to America's children and it should be
stopped.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition Act was introduced by
Senator John Kyl (R-AZ) on March 13, 2003, and referred to the Senate
Banking Committee. If passed, this legislation would prohibit unlawful
Internet gambling. You might be interested to know that during the 107th
Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation (H.R. 556)
on October 1, 2002, which would prohibit consumers from using credit
cards, wire transfers or other financial tools to pay for illegal gaming
on websites. These websites are mainly based in offshore locations, and
have been classified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as havens for
money laundering instruments. H.R. 556 was not considered by the Senate
before the end of the 107th Congress.
Many legal experts, including officials from the Department of Justice,
state attorneys general, and others involved with law enforcement, believe
that Internet gambling is prohibited under federal law, namely the Federal
Wire Act. The Wire Act criminalizes the use of a wire communication
facility by a gambling establishment for the transmission of bets or
wagers in interstate or foreign commerce. Therefore, most of the
estimated 1,500 Internet gambling sites operate in offshore locations,
beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement and the rules and regulations
that apply to U.S.- based casinos. Moreover, Internet casinos advertise
the ease of opening accounts mainly through the use of credit cards. H.R.
21 aims to stop unlawful, domestic Internet gaming activities by
prohibiting gambling businesses from accepting credit cards or other bank
instruments in connection with unlawful Internet gambling.
Again, thank you for contacting me. I appreciate your interest in this
important issue, and I hope that you will continue to contact me regarding
any issue of importance to you by either writing or e-mailing me via my
website at http://ensign.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
JOHN ENSIGN
United States Senator
Any tampering or alteration of this communication is prohibited and may
result in criminal investigation or prosecution.
April 29, 2003
Dear Mr. Matthews:
Thank you for contacting me regarding S. 627, the Unlawful Internet
Gambling Funding Prohibition Act. I am always grateful to hear from a
fellow Nevadan, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond to you.
I understand your concerns regarding federal regulations on Internet
gaming. However, I believe that unauthorized, unregulated, interactive
gaming poses a significant threat to America's children and it should be
stopped.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition Act was introduced by
Senator John Kyl (R-AZ) on March 13, 2003, and referred to the Senate
Banking Committee. If passed, this legislation would prohibit unlawful
Internet gambling. You might be interested to know that during the 107th
Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation (H.R. 556)
on October 1, 2002, which would prohibit consumers from using credit
cards, wire transfers or other financial tools to pay for illegal gaming
on websites. These websites are mainly based in offshore locations, and
have been classified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as havens for
money laundering instruments. H.R. 556 was not considered by the Senate
before the end of the 107th Congress.
Many legal experts, including officials from the Department of Justice,
state attorneys general, and others involved with law enforcement, believe
that Internet gambling is prohibited under federal law, namely the Federal
Wire Act. The Wire Act criminalizes the use of a wire communication
facility by a gambling establishment for the transmission of bets or
wagers in interstate or foreign commerce. Therefore, most of the
estimated 1,500 Internet gambling sites operate in offshore locations,
beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement and the rules and regulations
that apply to U.S.- based casinos. Moreover, Internet casinos advertise
the ease of opening accounts mainly through the use of credit cards. H.R.
21 aims to stop unlawful, domestic Internet gaming activities by
prohibiting gambling businesses from accepting credit cards or other bank
instruments in connection with unlawful Internet gambling.
Again, thank you for contacting me. I appreciate your interest in this
important issue, and I hope that you will continue to contact me regarding
any issue of importance to you by either writing or e-mailing me via my
website at http://ensign.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
JOHN ENSIGN
United States Senator
