Place Your Bets

June 5, 2003

Legislation attacking online gambling remains alive in the House. (more and more)

If Jim Leach (R-Iowa) and Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) get their way, credit card companies and wire transfer services would be banned from processing Internet wagers on offshore sites. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz) leads the effort in the Senate. The Justice Department is on board.

[Leach] said he is not surprised by the heavy lobbying. "America's gambling industry is very powerful and a behind-the-scenes player with a large role in American politics," he said.

Millions of American enjoy online gambling. It's a $6 billion industry. Leach and his colleagues in the party of small government want to use their power to end the fun. Maybe the gambling business wouldn't play such a large role in politics if politicians weren't willing to play such a large role in the gambling business.