Thanks for posting this link. Interesting indeed. Especially:
But U.S. casinos hoping for a slice of the $12 billion online market aren’t so sure the party is over. They see a reason to celebrate in the language that ended up on the Senate’s cutting-room floor. Unlike the version that passed the House earlier this year, the approved legislation does not explicitly outlaw betting on online casino-style games, such as poker and blackjack. The bill does bar financial institutions from accepting “illegal” bets, leaving the question unanswered as to whether some forms of online gambling are permitted. To date, sports betting is one of the only forms of gambling explicitly outlawed in the act.
AGA president and CEO Frank Fahrenkopf says the organization does not believe the act eliminates the possibility for U.S.-based casinos to open online sites, regulated by states or the federal government, in the future. “This bill did not make anything legal or illegal,” says Fahrenkopf. “What it did was affect the mechanism by which Internet gambling takes place…and there is some question as to whether or not that will be effective.“
Frank Catania, former director of gaming enforcement in New Jersey and president of Catania Consulting Group, calls the law “a sham” that won’t stop online betting in the U.S. “There are so many alternate means of payment that it is not going to stop what is happening here,” says Catania. “We are going to be spending a lot of money for enforcement, and it is going to be worthless.” Enforcing the act will cost about $2 million between 2007 and 2011, according to a May 26 Congressional Budget Office report.
There is a poll linked to that article as well. There are 3,000 votes right now, and 93% of the respondents think that online gambling should not be illegal.