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A Taxing Problem

Real-world casinos oppose Internet gambling because the sites evade government scrutiny, says Wally Chalmers, vice president of the American Gaming Association. To the contrary, Albert Angel, vice chairman of the nonprofit Interactive Gaming Council, says that most Internet gambling sites are legitimate and are licensed in the country in which they reside.

Goodlatte points out that online gambling concerns collect millions of dollars in untaxed revenues, and he says the proposed legislation is about more than protecting citizens from the evils of gambling.

It is, he says, "an effort to clean up a serious problem that exists on the Internet."

Ready to Roll the Dice?

Want to try your luck online? Before you click, consider this: In the United States, offline gambling is illegal, except in states that closely regulate it. Current laws didn't anticipate the Internet, so the legality of online wagering is arguable. Getting busted is unlikely, but you can improve your odds of remaining aboveboard by playing online for fun, not money.