In the House, the bill passed Representative McCollum s Crime Subcommittee unanimously, but due to the lateness of the session, the bill failed to move farther in the House and was not included in the final CJS bill. The bill has broad bipartisan support in Congress and the strong support of law enforcement. I strongly support Senator Kyl s Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. In the 105th Congress, S. 474 was strongly supported by professional and amateur sports. The number of offshore Internet gambling websites has grown from two in 1996 to over 70 today.
Internet gambling offers the student virtual anonymity.
With nothing more than a credit card, the possibility exists for any student-athlete to place a wager via the Internet and then attempt to influence the outcome of the contest while participating on the court or the playing field. There is no question the advent of Internet sports gambling poses a direct threat to all sports organizations that, first and foremost, must ensure the integrity of each contest played. The Internet offers fantastic opportunities. Unfortunately, some would exploit those opportunities to commit crimes and take advantage of others. Indeed, as Professor Kindt stated on Nightline, Once you go to Internet gambling, you ve maximized the speed, you ve maximized the acceptability and the accessibility.