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Will Congress Ban Online Gambling?

Proposed Internet gambling legislation invites controversy.

By Michael Desmond, PCWorld   

In addition, Internet service providers would be compelled to discontinue service to companies that provide gambling. It%squots this last provision that some fear does more harm than good.

%dquotI don%squott think anyone has suggested that we%squotve reached a point where gambling can%squott be prohibited,%dquot said ACLU senior counsel Chris Hansen. %dquotI do worry about the idea of ISPs being deputy cops and requiring them to enforce government-imposed standards on the greater Net.%dquot

The problem for lawmakers is that they lack jurisdiction over offshore companies that provide gambling and other services via the Internet. The bill seeks to halt online gambling by allowing lawmakers to prosecute ISPs that provide these services.

%dquotIt%squots a potentially dangerous phenomenon that we have seen used by foreign governments in the past,%dquot says Hansen.

Larry Dietz, vice president of Zona Research, an Internet research firm in Redwood City, California, said the bill fails to clear up ongoing questions about Internet law. Previous court rulings have protected ISPs from prosecution over content, provided they are not involved in controlling the content.

Dietz said he is not surprised by the anti-gambling bill. %dquotRemember that we are talking about politics, not law. Everyone hates gambling. If you%squotre a politician, it%squots kind of a low-risk bill.%dquot